Every time I see this guy I remember him going to court to keep his six year old daughter out of basketball camp. Because he was worried she'd wind up a lesbian. I keep praying for him to miss the shot. He may be good for the NBA, but I doubt he has any fans in the WNBA.
Great article that was right on the money for Game 1. Iggy ruled James, keeping LeBron to one made basket on 22 possessions Iggy defended. He also came up big scoring last night. Awesome player and awesome teammate. He is a treasure and I can't wait to watch more of him in these finals. Go Iggy!!
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He reminds me a lot of my favorite all-time player, Elgin Baylor. The same size, the same look on the court. Elgin was much more of a scorer; that was his role way back then. No championship, though, thanks to Bill Russell and the Celtics. First saw Andre when we won the gold medal. Who is this guy? He really drew my attention. He has ever since.
1
Andre Iguodala is doin what he's always done, back to those fun Arizona days. An exemplary Wildcat.
Go Arizona Cats and big thanks to Coach Lute Olsen and Coaches Kerr and Walton in addition to Iggy. Oh yeah, for you Cav folks, thank these coaches for Richard Jefferson and Channing
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The contrast with "The Chosen One" could not be more clear.
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A key turning point in the Warriors' fortunes was after their 2013 season and a playoff defeat of the Denver Nuggets and Andre Igoudala. There was some intrigue between Mark Jackson and George Karl (the then Warrior and Denver coaches) about Iguodala being a mole for the Warriors and the Nuggets' rough play on Steph. After the season (Warriors bounced by San Antonio), Iguodala was a free agent. He took a lesser deal from the Warriors rather than rejoining Denver. He liked what he had seen of the Warriors' up and coming young players a year or two earlier than many others in the NBA. I was really excited we were getting him. It was one of the first, if not the first, instances of a marquis (sp?) player choosing to come to lowly Golden State.
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Like the Stealth bomber...silent, but deadly!
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SECRET TO WARRIOR's SUCCESS:
Iguodala: “Honestly, we’ve got some really smart defenders behind me. Andrew Bogut is huge for us. Draymond Green, the way he communicates is great. When you have that many guys helping that you can trust, you can pretty much buy into any defensive scheme.”
REALITY-CHECK: *ANY* Pro-Basketball player who can't consistently knock down 2-outta-3 from the FreeThrow line is a massively incomplete player.
If I were Kerr, I'd have EVERY sub-par Free-Throw-Shooter doing mandatory 90-minute session with shooting coaches 365 days a year
Too many games come down to 1 or 2 points, and this is a skill that is teachable/learnable
Iguodala: “Honestly, we’ve got some really smart defenders behind me. Andrew Bogut is huge for us. Draymond Green, the way he communicates is great. When you have that many guys helping that you can trust, you can pretty much buy into any defensive scheme.”
REALITY-CHECK: *ANY* Pro-Basketball player who can't consistently knock down 2-outta-3 from the FreeThrow line is a massively incomplete player.
If I were Kerr, I'd have EVERY sub-par Free-Throw-Shooter doing mandatory 90-minute session with shooting coaches 365 days a year
Too many games come down to 1 or 2 points, and this is a skill that is teachable/learnable
Yeah, that has sure crippled them over the last 2 years. Reality check: some of the worst free throw shooters work harder than anyone else. Free throw shooting is like putting. It's all about confidence. It takes practice, but it takes more than practice.
Over the series, the difference may be Iggy, Barbosa, Livingston, Mo Buckets, Ezeli vs. Delly, Shump, RJefferson, Frye, Mozgov. Startling lineups might cancel each other out.
1
Warriors' reserves certainly did their job in game one.
Again, it happens. I read a NYT sports article and after I'm done, I say to myself "that was a good read -- it must be Harvey Araton." Correct again. Araton brings to life my admiration and respect for recognizing what Andre Iguodala brings to the Warriors at this time. Andre is a great player to watch. If for some reason the Warriors are beaten in this series, it will have to be a beautiful thing to watch (since Cleveland will have to play more beautiful than the Warriors do), assuming the Warriors do not play ugly and lose to a better team.
I wish both teams well and thank Harvey for a great profile of a deserving athlete and professional. It's a wonderful thing to watch Andre execute his craft. Imagine being defended by those arms. Let's hope we can watch him in Rio.
I wish both teams well and thank Harvey for a great profile of a deserving athlete and professional. It's a wonderful thing to watch Andre execute his craft. Imagine being defended by those arms. Let's hope we can watch him in Rio.
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Warriors fans are so naive. Iguodala would get more playing time and more money somewhere else. He has already tweeted, in jest, that he wants to be traded. But the issue is a real one. The Warriors are in good cap position partly because of team favorable contracts with Iguodala and Curry. Iguodla is great trade bait. If he's around next year, that would be something of a surprise.
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Andre's superlative defense of James will be even more important for the Dubs to steal a game on the road from the Cavs. At home, I think Kerr will split this unenviable task between Andre, Dray and Barnes. Strength in numbers, baby, strength in numbers! Go Warriors!!
2
HE IS HARDLY UNSUNG IN THE BAY AREA! Real Warriors folks absolutely revere the guy….I do see him as our Scottie Pippen…Go Andre!
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I love watching Andre Iguodala play. Great defender, always active, high energy, high IQ. However it's bewildering to watch him miss so many free throws, especially at key times. Early in his career he shot in the 75%+ range, peaking at 82% in 2006-7. Since then he's declined sharply settling in the 60% range. He's a liability in a close game. I'm always struck by players at the NBA level that are poor free throw shooters. That can be fixed if you commit.
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I've always known him to hit clutch free throws though, so he's not too much of a liability if it's down the stretch.
It is important to be fair here - he is shooting a lower percentage that is directly tied to taking fewer free throws - eg. 500+ FT and about 75%; 200- FT and about 60%.
It is simply hard to shoot a FT under game pressure unless you do it regularly.
It is simply hard to shoot a FT under game pressure unless you do it regularly.
I've heard this free throw argument too many times. Basketball calls for diverse skills. Defensive specialists and those who score in the paint may have no more skill at shooting than a high school bench warmer. Players like Shaq, Rodman and Iguodala have transcendent skills which do not include shooting. The notion that they can learn to shoot 80% from the line with practice is simply wrong. If it were right. we could all be NBA three point shooters.
KING SLAYER!!!
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I rest my case!
The "King" didn't know what hit him last night!
Warriors Baby!!!
The "King" didn't know what hit him last night!
Warriors Baby!!!
Glad to see Iguodala getting some recognition. He's a superior player.
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The NY Times writes an article about the greatness of Curry, Klay, Kerr and the Warriors in general, focusing on their threes in particular. It received hundreds and hundreds of comments. I read this article. No comments. To understand the Warriors though, you celebrate their selflessness first and foremost. And Iggy, as he is known by the fan faithful, epitomizes this most of all. This team truly equals, and exponentially so, more than the sum of its parts.
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My understanding has always been that Andre does not care for "Iggy." Who would? But he is too much of a quiet gentleman to say so. (Following Dre's career since he was a baby wildcat on one of my favorite AZ teams).
Can't forget about Dre.
5
Iguodala is a perfect teammate who comes off the bench and drains a 3 or makes a huge defensive stop at a critical point in a game that shifts moment to his team's favor. He does that over and over again. How can you not love a teammate like that?
15
Another unsung, non-starter who is indispensable to the Warriors success is their elegant, supersmart backup point guard, Shaun Livingston. He played briefly for the Cavs a few years ago. How they must wish they had him now.
17
The Cavs wish they had Livingston, Speights, Varejao . . . and that kid born in Akron while his dad was a Cavalier, Steph Curry.
2
Worth mentioning all those years he led the 76ers into the playoffs with a constantly rotating cast of youngsters.
7
He really is a team-first guy and is super talented. He's probably not the only factor, but it's interesting to follow his career arc and the effect he has had on teams:
When he was in Philly, they were a strong playoff team. He left Philly for Denver and Philly fell out of the playoffs and started tanking; Denver immediately became a strong favorite in the West (defeated by Warriors though). When he left Denver and joined Golden State, the Nuggets fell out of the playoffs and the Warriors became a strong playoff contender his first season and eventually GS won the championship last season.
When he was in Philly, they were a strong playoff team. He left Philly for Denver and Philly fell out of the playoffs and started tanking; Denver immediately became a strong favorite in the West (defeated by Warriors though). When he left Denver and joined Golden State, the Nuggets fell out of the playoffs and the Warriors became a strong playoff contender his first season and eventually GS won the championship last season.
3
Iggy is the cream that always rises to the top. You can't ask more of a player who doesn't get all the credit he deserves when playing with Thompson and Curry. He makes everyone better. You don't verbally hear much from him but know when your down 3 games to 1, he wont let you down when you need him the most..
12
That's a nice feature on a talented, but overlooked player.
Thanks for this--it will be great to have this story going into the finals. And it's a story you want your kids to read--about how hard work and humility can win the day.
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I thought a big missed call in game 7 occurred when Westbrook smacked Iguodala after shooting a three. It was the most unnatural follow through ever. Iguodala was stunned and the TV crew just laughed at him. It should have been a flagrant on Westbrook.
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> "I thought a big missed call in game 7 occurred when Westbrook smacked Iguodala after shooting a three. It was the most unnatural follow through ever"
REALITY-CHECK: Not-Even-Close, The most *unnatural* follow through ever was Draymond Green kicking Adams in the groin
I love the Warriors, but for the sake of the game's integrity, he should have been suspended a game for that
$20k fine was chicken feed, and sent the message, that you *can* expect to get away with this type of play
I also think that the NBA should tighten up the suspension policy on Tech-Fouls, and Flagrents much more, they should come much sooner. If that happened, then these emotionally out-of-control stars would learn to how to behave properly, otherwise, they are learning the wrong message:
. . . that they can get away with it
REALITY-CHECK: Not-Even-Close, The most *unnatural* follow through ever was Draymond Green kicking Adams in the groin
I love the Warriors, but for the sake of the game's integrity, he should have been suspended a game for that
$20k fine was chicken feed, and sent the message, that you *can* expect to get away with this type of play
I also think that the NBA should tighten up the suspension policy on Tech-Fouls, and Flagrents much more, they should come much sooner. If that happened, then these emotionally out-of-control stars would learn to how to behave properly, otherwise, they are learning the wrong message:
. . . that they can get away with it
How much is Iguodala paid?
Hey Bob,
Thanks for writing. Iguodala is in the third year of a four-year $48 million deal.
Thanks for writing. Iguodala is in the third year of a four-year $48 million deal.
7
It is weird, in this ever weirder society, that a merely fine athlete making 12 million dollars a year is revered by millions who can only hope for $15 an hour, in a few years, maybe. When I was a kid, athletes like Iggy needed a second job (selling cars, maybe) to get by in the off-season.
A measure of our ever-increasing ghastly income disparity.
A pleasure to watch him play, of course.
A measure of our ever-increasing ghastly income disparity.
A pleasure to watch him play, of course.
4
Up here in Syracuse, I follow local--not professional--basketball ... that is, until the NBA playoffs, which have been gripping for the past few years. I "discovered" Iguodala last season and could not believe what a hero he was for GSW then, and I can't wait to begin watching the Iguodala/James match-up tonight. Great, great players--very different styles.
14
4 days between games is ridiculous.
Iggy would be the first to say he values being an elder on a team of equally valued peers rather than being a franchise player with the burden of winning weighing heavily on him as it was in Philadelphia and Denver.
While the Dubs media loop starts with Steph and Klay, 3 pointers, and cycles through Draymond, Bogut and more splash and dash, the backstory is the strategic brilliance of Kerr and his assistants, the front office, ownership and legacy operatives like Larry Reilly, former GM and now head scout, whose genius wasn't just spotting Curry but out-foxing Walsh and the Knicks to snatch Curry in the draft. Prescient scouting also scored Klay Thompson.
Iggy is a max impact player because of Kerr's masterful management of minutes for his team. He uses his entire bench and minimizes game time for veterans like Iggy, Bogut, Livingston, Barbosa and Varejao. Curry won the scoring title despite playing the fewest minutes among contenders. Disciplined distribution of playing time saves wear and tear, minimizes injuries, maximizes 4th quarter chances with fresh legs and clear focus. Also keeps the team fresh deep into the playoffs.
For Iggy to play at a high level late into his prime and beyond is more about conservation than maximum utility. Coach Kerr is about quality time, not quantity. Which is fine with Iggy and his 14 teammates.
They know there's nothing unsung about being a Dub.
While the Dubs media loop starts with Steph and Klay, 3 pointers, and cycles through Draymond, Bogut and more splash and dash, the backstory is the strategic brilliance of Kerr and his assistants, the front office, ownership and legacy operatives like Larry Reilly, former GM and now head scout, whose genius wasn't just spotting Curry but out-foxing Walsh and the Knicks to snatch Curry in the draft. Prescient scouting also scored Klay Thompson.
Iggy is a max impact player because of Kerr's masterful management of minutes for his team. He uses his entire bench and minimizes game time for veterans like Iggy, Bogut, Livingston, Barbosa and Varejao. Curry won the scoring title despite playing the fewest minutes among contenders. Disciplined distribution of playing time saves wear and tear, minimizes injuries, maximizes 4th quarter chances with fresh legs and clear focus. Also keeps the team fresh deep into the playoffs.
For Iggy to play at a high level late into his prime and beyond is more about conservation than maximum utility. Coach Kerr is about quality time, not quantity. Which is fine with Iggy and his 14 teammates.
They know there's nothing unsung about being a Dub.
22
Iguodala is the perfect East Bay/Golden State Warrior: a smart, cool, thoughtful, talented, hard-working and undervalued VSP (Very Special Person/Player). Beware Cleveland, Iguodala and the Dubs are on a roll for a repeat!
10
Iguadola is one of the smartest nba players that does not get noticed. He studies tendencies and calms the team down when it gets frantic. He knows when to take opportunities and makes shots or defensive plays in big moments.
It is time for a shoe deal.
Now when is the NBA going to protect the MVP of the league from all the fouls on him off the ball. There is clear video evidence and yet the NBA turns a blind eye. It is like Jeremey Lin getting knocked around and not getting calls but this the MVP. Kobe used to get foul calls all the time and Harden gets calls so easily. Time for the NBA to treat Steph like it always has for the MVPs.
It is time for a shoe deal.
Now when is the NBA going to protect the MVP of the league from all the fouls on him off the ball. There is clear video evidence and yet the NBA turns a blind eye. It is like Jeremey Lin getting knocked around and not getting calls but this the MVP. Kobe used to get foul calls all the time and Harden gets calls so easily. Time for the NBA to treat Steph like it always has for the MVPs.
14
Check out his highlight reel on youtube with Iverson and the 76ers before he came to Golden State. He was a pretty explosive offensive threat.
3