NFL insider Mike Silver and Warriors coach Steve Kerr have been friends since their days at Palisades High School, where they used to co-author a sports column together for school paper.
Silver, who serves as a 49ers columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” for his weekly appearance Thursday and shared some interesting insight from Kerr regarding two of the Bay Area’s most talked-about draft picks in recent years.
Silver said that Kerr once told him that Warriors center James Wiseman and 49ers quarterback Trey Lance are in similar situations by The Bay.
“We talked during the Trey Lance-Jimmy (Garoppolo) saga and he thought Wiseman was not a horrible comparison for Trey Lance,” Silver told hosts Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “In that, they don’t really know what they have, ‘til you put him out there. The upside could be really, really good. There might be some bumps along the way and you’re trying to compete for a championship in the meantime. They were both drafted, obviously, very very high.”
The saga lasted for over a year, from Lance’s draft in April 2021 to his Week 2 injury in September, so it’s unclear when this conversation took place. While the 22-year-old quarterback's season has since been shelved by an ankle/foot injury, Wiseman has played in all eight games while returning from a lengthy meniscus tear rehab. The 21-year-old center been a liability on defense but shown some promise on the offensive side of the ball, especially in pick-and-roll situations.
The 49ers are 4-4 and the Warriors are 3-5, as both teams are through eight games so far in their respective seasons. Both teams have championship aspirations.
Silver said he’s counting on his old buddy to get the most out of the young Dubs.
“I really trust the Warriors and their coach to fight their way out of this,” Silver said. “It’s early and honestly, I believe from afar that it would be cool to see the young guys get some more minutes and preserve the legs of the three future Hall of Famers who have won four championships and see what happens. But the Western Conference is tough, you don’t wanna fall too far behind. I’m optimistic about the Warriors and this week I’m optimistic about the Niners, because it completely changes based on what I saw the previous Sunday.”
