Week 7 Recap and A Look Ahead

It started with a pick and roll with a sweet pocket pass to the roller, that led to a lob to the weak-side diver for a good old fashioned two-handed slam.

Ah, the good old days. The days when Klay Thompson was busting teams up with an 80s fashioned headband, that I don't even think Larry Bird would've been caught dead in. The days when a towel over Stephen Curry's head meant a happy flight home-- and that he could grip a towel. The days when fans heard on the radio: “Curry, bounces it to Green out the trap… Green lobs it to Iggy for the slam!”. The days when a win over the Bulls was just another dub and not a morale-boosting victory.

Those days are gone, well perhaps on hold, as now fans hear, "Green to Robinson for the slam!" And more importantly, the Dubs are seven weeks into the season, and just under half of their wins have come against the Chicago Bulls-- a team they only see twice.

To say that the latest win over the Bulls Friday night was a must-win for morale may seem melodramatic at first, but when you look back at the week and how Steve Kerr's Warriors came into the week, it may not seem so far fetched.

To start, the young Warriors were coming off of a week that brought them two close losses that exploited their season-long execution issues, one blowout, and a win against … the Bulls. Coming out of yet another consistently inconsistent week, the Dubs were hoping to lick their wounds and welcome the return of Kevon Looney, D'Angelo Russell, and another return of Draymond Green.

Despite having the healthiest bench he's had since opening night, Steve Kerr's Warriors were outmatched Wednesday night by 15-points and gave up 10 3-pointers to Devonte Graham-- the latest guard to have a career night against the Dubs.

Wednesday followed up a lackluster performance from Monday night that led to a 25-point blowout to the Atlanta Hawks-- a fellow possible lottery team.

So again, Friday night's victory over the Bulls was very much a morale booster. Not only did it end a Wanna-Get-Away type five-game skid, but it also shined the light on the development of Glen Robinson III and placed him in Twitter's "Who Will They Keep Sweepstake."

The sweepstake refers to players on the current roster, not named Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Draymond Green, who the Warriors’ front office will look to keep after this season or even the trade deadline. While Kerr has noted the group's hard work and professionalism time and time again, the idea of the front office flipping some of those pieces-- including D'Angelo Russell-- for some veterans to come off the bench and make a championship push is very realistic.

Robinson's performance Friday night solidified his entry into the sweepstakes, leading the Dubs with 20 points and seven rebounds. Throughout the season, he has been used as the team's primary defender, showing that he can make stars in the league work for their shots. Since opening night, he has improved his scoring, showing slashing ability-- which can possibly be credited to having more time to learn the system.

Logically speaking, when Thompson returns, Robinson will assume a bench role and wouldn't be asked to be the A defender. Coming off the bench as another body to throw at perimeter stars makes Robinson's current attribute very alluring for Bob Myers. Young, cheap, long, and has shown the ability to score with the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history to open up the lanes… yeah, he's put his entry into the sweepstakes.

With the entry of Glenn Robinson III to the sweepstakes, we also saw an entry put on pause. Early on, rookie Jordan Poole looked as though he was going to be one of the Dubs’ primary scoring options once Curry went down. Then the infamous rookie wall came. That wall hits every rookie differently. Some rookies hit the wall after the All-Star break. Some rookies run into it during summer league and don't really get up until February. Some rookies even hit it and stay down their entire careers. For Poole, the wall has come early-- which gives him ample time to get up, hop it, and finish submitting his oh-so promising entry.

Currently, Poole’s shooting a league-low among players with at least 100 shot attempts at 28.1 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from beyond the arc. But as any hooper knows, it only takes one game to get somebody going-- whether it be in-game, in a scrimmage during practice, or even a game or two with the Santa Cruz Warriors he'll get back on his predicted track.

Until then, the Dubs have a four-game week ahead that includes a much needed, or maybe wanted, homestand that will consist of the return of Jacob Evans. Monday, they have rookie sensation Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in San Francisco. The Dubs will look to build off of Friday night's win against the Bulls to take another W against the Grizz.

Wednesday night, the New York Knicks will come to town, with who knows on the sideline following the firing of head coach David Fizdale. So we'll just leave that game at that.

Friday night is another matchup in Utah, who by now the Warriors should be very familiar with, having already seen them twice in November.

The week will cap off with a home game against their down the road rivals the Sacramento Kings.

This upcoming week will be about growth and learning how to capitalize on the momentum gained Friday because Friday night's win didn't end when the buzzer sounded. The late-game push and the energy that came with it should spill into Monday night's game. That's how good teams are manufactured. This Dubs team isn't expected to take Friday night and make a playoff push, but they can take the positives and negatives from the win and come out of this upcoming week with more wins than losses.

Baby steps.

The Warriors tip-off against the Grizzlies Monday night at 7:30 PST on NBC Bay Area.