Assuming they don't trade Monta Ellis, I think Golden State if healthy has a decent shot of making the playoffs. I expect Steph Curry to take that next step and become an all star caliber PG. Ellis is one of the most explosive players offensively, he'll have an all star caliber year again, I doubt he'll make it because they are just too many great guards out West. (Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul.) I think Lee we'll have a good year. So they basically got three all stars, kinda their own big 3, they will improve defensively and rebounding wise. They will be in a tight race for the 8th seed with Sacremento, Phoenix, San Antonio, and OKC. (Not sold that OKC is gonna take a big step, still lack a good bench and an inside presence)
CJ Watson traded to Chicago Bulls for the lesser of their two second rounds picks per Steinmentz (originally reported by Alex Kennedy who some of you may know better as Swish from JBB and earlier days of S2): https://twitter.com/MSteinmetzCSN Unless they drastically overpaid for CJ this is a fugging terrible move IMO. Our bench is looking crappy as it is and we just moved one of our best bench players. Dude used to drive me crazy but CJ earned some of my respect back last season. Hes a great shooter, improved his ability to attack the basket and especially draw FTs, minimized mistakes, one of the best ballhawks in the league, and fit in well backing up both the 1 and 2. This is all on the same day when Barnes, Craig Smith, and Keyon Dooling sign and Jon Brockman is traded. Charlie Bell is ok but can he really play PG much? Hes a low FG% guy and really not a PG. Kind of an awkward fit and I dunno if we want him getting big minutes.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16866 That's a little high for him but its not insane ($3.4 mil/year). We better have something else lined up. If Riley can still trade guys we need to get one of the few decent FA remaining; Rasual Butler, Roger Mason, Keith Bogans, Marquis Daniels, Earl Watson, Will Bynum, Kurt Thomas, Louis Amundson, Fesenko, etc.
I wonder how likely it is they're looking more at the Summer League / D League (given the ownership change)...? That Jeremy Lin kid did look pretty good, but Dallas will probably sign him...
MTII: http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2010/07/19/c-j-watson-to-chicago/ Still comes out to 3.5 a year which is high for CJ. I believe MTII is right that we automatically get a TPE because Chi is over the cap and we take back no salary in return. Its another small one though because of base year compensation.
How does Marcus Thomspon know that? How can the new owners be involved in this decision? Isn't that tampering? It's like buying a home and then going in to do remodeling before you close escrow. It would void your contract. I don't think they're even supposed to be in contact with GS management at all (at least about team-related matters) until the deal is finalized by David Stern.
Doubt they would really enforce it in this situation. And is it really illegal if Larry asks Cohan for the ok and then Cohan lets the new owners know? Perhaps but, again, Stern didn't do anything to LeBron, Wade, and Bosh for conspiring to be on the same team. I think hes happy about the sale and everywhere I've read says that the approval process is a formality and there is almost nothing that can stop this from becoming official.
Cohan changing the team before the sale would be tampering and worse because it would give the buyers a chance to walk away.
Seems like perhaps the team is trying hard to maintain its cap flexibility? We're going to be way under the cap next offseason if we don't move those expirings and don't sign any more long term deals. Maybe the FO is holding out for one year deals to fill our the bench. David Lee dislocated his middle finger on his right hand today in the first Team USA practice.
Here's a really well done article on "Filling out the Warriors Roster" from RealGM: http://warriors.realgm.com/articles/185/20100720/filling_out_golden_states_roster/ I like this guy's take overall. We certainly need a backup PG but the options are limited. If we could land Jerome Randle or Patty Mills (rumored that he might get traded soon) I would definitely do it because they're both very talented and also fill that role of adding a guy who could develop over a few years. Randle especially is a very well rounded PG IMO. Obviously size is an issue but dude has a great jumpshot, great handles, showed better than expected court vision as Portsmouth. I'd prefer him to a Travis Diener/Chris Quinn type because his jumper is on par with those guys IMO and I reckon hes more dynamic penetrating, has better handles, and has the speed to be a big time spark plug. Curry is going to be getting a LOT of minutes. Randle might only have to play 5 mpg in his first season here and we could get by giving Monta/R. Williams/Bell time to facilitate or even Dorell Wright as point forward or David Lee or Udoh from the high post. Outside of that Acie Law is still around and Nellie seems to like him. Dunno if I consider him a rotation player. Will Bynum is a really solid option who was actually on our roster several years ago I believe. Since then hes become a good reserve who is a score first guy but is now better at running a team. Dunno if Detroit would let him go though. Earl Watson is out there. Rafer Alston too but I've never been a fan of his (did great for Orlando in the playoffs a few years ago when Jameer was injured though). Also agree with him that we just need one more swingman for depth and to compete with Charlie Bell for minutes at the end of the rotation. Preferrably a guy who can play some SF. Like he says, Bogans, Rasual Butler, or Antoine Wright would all be great for this role as they've got some size and athleticism and Bogans and Wright are good defenders. This is a spot where we already have a 6th man type in Williams so all we need is that last insurance guy. There's not a whole lot left in the way of big men. I'm wondering if Gadz is as terrible as we think? His numbers aren't impressive but how many back up big men put up great numbers? Dude is huge and athletic if nothing else. That being said hes a huge question mark and not to be counted on. Wright and Udoh can't be trusted due to injury. Vlad is barely a PF at all. Josh Boone is probably no better than Gadz IMO and hes a little smaller. Again, I'm a fan of Kurt Thomas even if he is old. Tolliver or Hunter would be alright. Amundson isn't bad but he can't play center. Kwame Brown is out there, I know he sucks but hes a big body, good athlete, and Laker fans swear that hes got good defense in the post. Etan Thomas is there but might be done at this point in his career. Fesenko of the Jazz would be a great pickup but I don't think they let him go.
Jeremy Lin is way above Randle, and I'm a Cal fan. Lin showed he can hang with Wall and other large players and he's got the quickness and vision to be an NBA PG. Randle? Good shooter with a good handle. No contest. Amundson is a legitimate player. If the W's could get him that would be a gift. Low price, high energy, good production, low ego. Love that guy.
I like that guy's take, RunBJM. I guess the main thing is GS needs to decide on its identity. Are they going to try and assemble a playoff team right now, or are they willing to just piece-meal D-League guys until the huge cap relief they get next summer. For instance, I don't see any point in bringing Jason Williams unless your plan is to do your best to "win now" and you think he will help a playoff push. Otherwise, I would totally go with Jeremy Lin -- low risk, high reward, give him a year to develop before next offseason. In my opinion, the focus should be long term, rather that winning at all costs this year. It may be difficult to swallow that GS will not be a playoff team this year, and that it is actually another year of development, but I mean in a way it will be a development year because of the many new players and the many question marks. Wright has yet to develop, Udoh hasn't played a game, Dorrell Wright has never been a full time starter, we have to see how Beans bounces back after a pretty dismal showing last year, Steph Curry has to prove he can keep it up in his 2nd year -- and gone are several proven bench players we had in Turiaf, Azubuike, and Watson. The team will at least need to spend some time in the season developing roles and establishing team chemistry. Although, I wouldn't be unhappy if GS started making a push this year! But I don't think the philosophy should be just because they got David Lee, now they can contend. Their philosophy should still be to develop the young players, develop chemistry, and see what you have. If you win too, awesome, but development should be top priority. So with that in mind, why bring in Jason Williams? That doesn't make sense. A questionable vet who offers nothing for the long term future? Why not go with a player who may turn into something as this team develops over the next few years. Even a guy like Woodside from the summer league, or Coby Carl, but yeah Jeremy Lin looks pretty exciting. Also, I really like the way Acie Law played while he was here. Tough, scrappy, getting after it, Nellie gave him some decent minutes, he's young, could still take his game to the next level, I would definitely consider bringing him back. And, I guess Tolliver does make the most sense, based on my reasons above. He could still turn into something, and he's cheap. A guy like Kurt Thomas would go exactly against my line of reasoning -- offers nothing, really, for the long term, just a vet who may help you win a bit in the short term. But that reminds me of Nellie playing Austin Croshere heavy minutes while Wright/Randolph sat on the bench watching. Of course, you need vets to set the example until the young guys are ready, but they young guys are ready this year. They should be given the chance, and if there is a back up to be had, make it a guy like Tolliver who might also pan-out long term. Even a guy like Kim Tillie from the summer league would be worth taking a look at, IMO...
The starting unit is too good to throw away another season. This team isn't bad enough to get a top 6 pick and would probably wind up around 10 if we tanked. Gotta go for playoffs IMO but that absolutely requires a serviceable bench so that the starting unit doesn't have to all play 40 mpg. Also agree I wouldn't mind Kim Tillie. Hes listed at 6'11, looks fairly athletic and energetic. We desperately need at least 2 more bench players with some experience though IMO.
Just looking at the FA list -- I wonder what Shannon Brown is asking $$ ? Because apparently he wants more than LA has offered... I'd give him a try for $3.5 mils per year, or something like that. Another Dorrell Wright scenario -- young, exciting prospect who has had some good NBA games... He had some good moments against GS if I recall... Other options I might take a look at: Bobby Simmons is a FA, lol... he was supposed to do great things... he's 30 years old, probably not going to ever elevate his game, but maybe we could get him cheap and he could fill in at SF a bit? I loved Acie Law's time here: tough and scrappy, and Nellie liked him too. This seems like a no-brainer for GS -- bring him back cheap... Ike Diogu, Sheldon Williams and Sean May are all FAs who could probably be had for cheap. Each is 26 years old -- young enough that they might be able to elevate their game if given the chance.... Javaris Crittenton is only 22 years old and a FA... maybe he's worth taking a shot at for a backup PG... Oh, Rodney Carney is a young FA with potential, too...
Depth Chart 7/20/10: Curry/Lin Monta/Bell D. Wright/R. Williams Lee/ B. Wright/Udoh/Vlad Biedrins/Gadzuric Curry, Beans, and our newest addition, Jeremy "Rice" Lin.
On filling out the roster, after signing Lin, I think that just one big man would be enough for now. Basically I don't think of Gadzuric as a viable option even as a backup C at this point. Three years ago, I advocated signing him, but he's been injured since then and has been playing progressively worse. Since Biedrins is a big question mark, Wright is iffy, and Udoh is out for the start, it's definitely shaky to me. Even if they weren't like that, every team can use a hustle veteran guy, and we traded away our last one in Turiaf. Luckily, there's several great low cost options out there, most have been mentioned - Tolliver and Hunter as well as Tillie seem like safe choices. I also like Amundson, he actually did play C on the second string with the Suns for long stretches, and you can never have enough hustle-defense-glue guys. I agree with how he described himself as a smaller Joakim Noah. Another one of those guys is James Singleton, who morphed into Reggie Evans last season, a great defensive-minded rebounder and also a great locker-room guy. Ideally Amundson or Singleton would sign for under 2 million; I think Amundson had some interest from several teams, as well as Tolliver. So maybe it might be wise to sneak up Singleton, since my other favorite hustle guys, Craig Smith and Jon Brockman, were recently signed. Otherwise, Tolliver would be the best fit offensively, and Tillie has the best size of all the options (but I'm not sure of his contract status with his overseas team). Fesenko is not bad but as mentioned, the Jazz are looking to retain him. His biggest plus is his size, though, and the fact that he moves really well/gracefully for his size - but sometimes he appears to lack effort/focus. He is younger than the other guys mentioned, though, so maybe that's part of it.
Here's a paste from my other post which probably belongs here: Forget the bench for the moment. This is a total strip down and rebuilding job. I'm not worried about the 6-10 bench players; I want to see the core constructed first. CJ Watson? He's a throwaway to a strip job. Maggette? could care less. Same for Tolliver/Reggie Williams/Devean George. I'm concerned about what players are going to be key players for the next 2-3 years. Curry. Check. David Lee. Check (at least given the $80M investment) Dorell Wright? I guess so. Monta? Should he stay or should he go? I don't even know. Biedrins? Not a huge contract, former double-double guy, can he recapture that production? I hope so. After these five? I really don't care right now. I don't care if they win 40 or 25, what I care about more is how are they playing? Do Curry and Lee play well off each other? How about the other 3 guys? Then and only then will I start sweating where the others fall into place.
Exactly who fills out the bench doesn't matter, but the general qualifications and makeup of the person who does sign matters to me. On such a young team, you need mentors and leaders. You want guys who can teach professionalism and show the difference in having someone a bit more physical and willing to give his body up, giving an example to the other youngsters on the court. You want to show them that hard work does lead to improvement. And you want to have guys who can just eat up minutes so the main guys don't wear themselves out, of course. I also do kind of care about the wins. Not the numbers themselves, but that they don't just be satisfied with losing. Though, I don't think we have any problems with the guys on our team even if we did lose, but sometimes when it goes on for a long time, it can get bad. (See: Minnesota, or the Clippers). It depends on the person of course, but a team can't let a losing mentality hurt them.
What I can guarantee of Lin is effort. That's really what you want from the end of the bench. Always, whether it'll be in his short stints on gameday, in the gym, in the weightroom, in drills and running plays. Energy and Effort. A sort of Brian Cardinal type of effort every night. I can see someone like Curry and Lee really taking to this same style. Having guys like that in the locker room makes work infectious. I don't see this team winning 25. They really could sneak in a 35-40 win season. The guy I'm looking forward to seeing is Beans. He seems like the type that these guys will influence for the better. Not sure about DWright, I don't know enough about him. Monta is Monta, I can see him stepping up bigtime if everyone around him is pushing him. The guy loves balling, and when the game becomes more structured, his points will come easier.
