Season 3
Episode 77
"Niners lose in 2nd Round; JK getting traded?"
January 17, 2026
- Warriors update: Now 23–19 and 8th in the West; recent stretch included big wins over Bucks and Kings, a tough 1-point loss to the Clippers (missed goaltend, Kerr ejected), and a surprising home loss to the long, athletic Hawks
- Style notes: Warriors struggle against long, athletic teams; winning lately by fully buying into Kerr’s ball-movement system with vets and role players (Pods, Milton) fitting well
- Kumingagate: JK eligible to be traded (as of Jan 15); tension with Kerr over role/fit, DNPs (including “back tightness” in OKC when stars rested), viewed as too ISO for system; teammates still support him
- Trade chatter: Deadline Feb 5; Warriors rumored to prefer expiring contracts and to avoid giving up future picks; Moody seen as tradable; internal debate on keeping JK as injury insurance
- Front office hindsight: Hosts lament passing on Franz Wagner and Tyrese Haliburton; ownership influence (Lacob) questioned after Wiseman/JK era picks
- Schedule/overlaps: Warriors host Hornets tonight (same start time as 49ers), then MLK Day game amid college football title game
- 49ers late-season arc: Missed No. 1 seed after loss to Seahawks; entered playoffs as 6-seed, then beat the Eagles 23–19 on the road
- Key Niners injuries/returns: George Kittle tore his Achilles; Sam Darnold playing through an oblique strain; Fred Warner and Trent Williams back; Tonges expected to help in run blocking
- Tactical notes: Defense is “bend-don’t-break” but vulnerable vs run; offense needs creativity vs elite defenses (highlight play: Jauan Jennings TD pass to CMC)
- Playoff outlook: Prefer Bears over Rams next; AFC watch—Bills vs Broncos, Patriots vs Texans; musings on Diggs with Patriots and a possible Super Bowl of Rams–Bills (logo color theory) vs the dream of Niners–Bills shootout