Wiggins situation exposes NBA flaw

As a source of aggravation, the NBA’s salary cap never fails to provide. Its rules and regulations are so hopelessly convoluted, even the most dedicated insiders feel compelled to consult the so-called “capologists” to assure an accurate take.

Now this deeply flawed system is about to deliver a crushing blow to the Golden State Warriors. For no reason other than

they’re about to lose Andrew Wiggins.

If you’ve followed this sordid tale, you understand the dilemma: With big money invested in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, and lengthy commitments due for Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney, a particularly stifling “luxury tax” (in quotes because it’s so ridiculous) will force Golden State to cut salary — and as our Connor Letourneau reported, “the most logical way is to trade Wiggins before he hits unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2023.”

This is outrageous, inexcusable and a glowing example of how American business should be run. Imagine your workplace soaring to success behind a three-person effort at the executive level. Then some higher power decides this just isn’t fair. Let’s remove one of those people, maybe give the struggling competition a chance.

The whole idea of a salary cap is to level the playing field, preventing wealthy clubs from lavishly spending their way to the top. The Warriors are firmly lodged among the upper crust, but they earned that status through sheer intelligence: drafting all five of the above-mentioned players and making some life-changing trades, most notably for Andre Iguodala (the first time around) and Wiggins (sending D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Wiggins and a first-round draft pick that turned out to be Jonathan Kuminga — one of the best deals in franchise history).

If the Warriors find it necessary to forge an obscenely large payroll to keep this group together, a price tag north of $400 million for 2023-24 because of the luxury tax, they have earned that right. Only a very twisted world finds them having to possibly break up the team — the casualties also could include Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. — because they’ve been outsmarting the competition for years.

Getting traded would be a disheartening development for Wiggins, who has unlocked his true potential in the Warriors’ system and owes it all to “the culture, people, organization, most importantly, just being around winners,” as he said recently. The Warriors can only marvel at his ascent, Thompson noting that “you can’t teach that athleticism. You can’t teach that length. You can’t teach his timing. I’m just happy the world is getting to see who he really is.”

Enjoy him while you can, before the NBA barges in with The Great Book of Nonsense.

Warriors’ draft

As the nba.com staff assembled the mock drafts of 12 reliable outlets, two players stood out on the Warriors’ end. Four of those organizations have Golden State using its No. 28 pick on Bryce McGowens, Nebraska’s 6-foot-7 freshman guard known for his clean shooting stroke and quick drives to the basket. Three others went with Christian Koloko, the 7-1 Arizona center who made a huge impression in the NCAA Tournament with his mobility and defense. … In the long history of NBA drafts and the No. 1 overall pick, there never has been a player who didn’t look the part. Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren — superbly talented but alarmingly thin — would be the first, if Orlando makes that call. Holmgren seems sufficiently tough-minded to handle some aggressive NBA pounding — it will be relentless — but a number of scouts think that Auburn’s Jabari Smith or Duke’s Paolo Banchero would be a safer call. … The Warriors have no regrets about losing youthful centers Marquese Chriss, Willie Cauley-Stein and Damian Jones in recent years. Chris Boucher, waived in 2018 after playing just one game for Golden State, could be another story. Running the floor with great purpose and protecting the rim, he came up big for Toronto in its first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia, blocking seven shots and averaging 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.7 minutes.

San Francisco Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper made a rare road trip to Denver this week, with Dave Flemming working for ESPN at the PGA Championship, but came up with “a loss of voice, sore throat and overall crud,” as he put it, after Monday night’s opener and had to fly home. “I’m sure it’s a product of holding, hugging and kissing two grand-girls with snotty noses,” he said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t change a thing. Plus, altitude and airplanes don’t help!” Kuiper took Friday night off but is supposed to be back in the booth for Saturday’s home game against San Diego. ... Major League Baseball has the power to unilaterally implement pitch clocks next season, and it’s looking like a strong possibility. At the Triple-A level, the clock runs down from 14 seconds with no one on base and 19 seconds with baserunners — and it has been common to see game times reduced by some 20 minutes with the clocks in place. Effective change can only happen through enforcement by the umpires, who have been reluctant to penalize dawdling pitchers and batters in the past, but it’s looking pretty strict in Sacramento. Luis González, recently sent down by the Giants before getting recalled Friday, was assessed automatic strikes in two separate at-bats Wednesday as he lingered out of the box. … Great to hear that the Pac-12 has abandoned divisions for the coming football season, assuring the best possible conference title game. Even better — and I know this falls under the “Dream On” category — send Colorado, Utah and the Arizona schools into a separate geographical alignment and restore the old Pac-8 — a Pacific Coast landscape. How perfect: play each of the other seven teams each season and fill up the schedule with nonconference games against Power Five-level teams.

A lot of hard work paid off this past week when the U.S. women’s national soccer team achieved equal pay with the men. What a shame it took about 25 years. Equality was apparent from the moment Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain and so many others captured the nation’s attention in the late 1990s. They were twice as appealing and popular as the U.S. men, and that hasn’t changed. … A lot of Giants fans were discouraged to learn that Mauricio Dubón was traded. He has made it clear that he’s happy to be in Houston with manager Dusty Baker (a family friend for years in the Sacramento area), but the Astros’ infield is loaded — mainstays Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman and now a rookie shortstop, Jeremy Peña, labeled by several teammates as a future superstar. Dubon will have a better chance getting an occasional start in the outfield. … Here’s to the retirement of Joe Panik, who etched his name into Giants lore as a World Series champion, All-Star, Gold Glove winner and .300 hitter (.305 and .312 over his first two seasons). There’s a classic photo in a hallway of the Giants’ spring training stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., showing an airborne Panik as he flipped the ball to shortstop Brandon Crawford on that epic World Series double play in 2014.