<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Four things the Warriors could and should be contemplating as the NBA's midsummer spending spree hits warp speed: ? The Warriors need a young center and Eddy Curry might need a change of scenery. Is this a match made in NBA heaven or hell? Chris Mullin and Rod Higgins probably remain as curious and conflicted about the erratic 7-footer as they were last fall, when a deal with Chicago was discussed, then dropped. The differences between then and now: With Baron Davis on board, the Warriors are better prepared to gamble on a big man to help them hit the 50-victory plateau; and Curry, 22, is a restricted free agent hitting a wary market after being sidelined for three months because of an irregular heartbeat. Curry has begun working out again and supposedly has been given a clean bill of health. The Bulls say they want to keep him but also must re-sign the more productive Tyson Chandler and Chris Duhon. Given his uncertain health status and his so-so four-year career, Curry isn't worth the $50 million-plus that Cleveland just gave Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Dallas gave Erick Dampier last year. Meanwhile, Mullin knows that he has to replace center Adonal Foyle -- it's a good thing he has collected so many valuable assets to offer in a sign-and-trade package. (Because they're over the cap, the Warriors can't sign free agents outright.) Mullin drafted Ike Diogu at Troy Murphy's spot, has Mickael Pietrus and Mike Dunleavy at small forward and could toss in several other players as fillers. A wild proposal: Murphy, Pietrus (two players the Bulls like) and Foyle for Curry, forward Andres Nocioni, backup guard Jannero Pargo and a No. 1 pick. The money's about right, assuming that Curry (three years, $27 million) and Pargo want to come to the Warriors and agree to semi-reasonable deals.</div> Source
Why should the Bulls give up a 1st rounder? We also already have Ben Gordon, Kirk Heinrich, and Chris Duhon. Why would do we need another guard?
Yeah, if we trade both Pietrus and Murphy, it'd have to be for a more veteran big man. Giving up Murphy now would be too risky for Curry. I mean, I like Pargo, but he's only worth filler in any trade, because he's only a backup.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting The Big Ticket:</div><div class="quote_post">Why should the Bulls give up a 1st rounder? We also already have Ben Gordon, Kirk Heinrich, and Chris Duhon. Why would do we need another guard?</div> Pietrus can slide over and play small forward in a pinch, he's athletic enough, but he'd be behind Deng still. I think the 1st rounder because Curry could sign outright elsewhere, but instead you're at least getting something for him, but you have to give a little, too.
I like Nocioni, not sure about Curry. Curry has the potential to be a dominant big man, but he appears lethargic quite often, doesn't share the ball, is turnover prone, and has health problems. I don't like the fact that he's really strong, athletic, but at the same time he rebounds like a 9 year old, little girl. He doesn't defend the rim much better than one, either. Oh and one time he wanted the max in order to stay with Chicago, even though he didn't have the work ethic nor the skill to warrant it. I'd say no, because his overall skill and work ethic are questionable to give up Murph/Pietrus. If our trade bait can attract a better center or power forward, I'd rather use it elsewhere. Murph is kind of underrated in the aspect that he rebounds like a dominant big man, but can really nail those wide open set shots with ease from all kinds of places on the court.
Pietrus is untouchable right now IMO. We wont go anywhere in the playoffs if we dont have a shut-down perimeter defender. If he is gone we have to put J-Rich on Kobe, Ray Allen, Mobley, Joe Johnson, Manu, and any other SG in the west. Even worse, we have to put Dun on Caron Butler, T-Mac, Shawn Marion, Posey, Carmelo, Magette, Rashard Lewis, and any other SFs in the west. We've seen what Pietrus can do against Redd and Kobe and without him we would probably have had several more losses this season.
Yeah, Richardson does struggle with shooting guards like Kobe (before he got to 230 lb he would just get beat silly) and also Redd, who is lightning quick with the dribble and the shot release. Richardson can defend pretty much anyone else one-on-one, using his newfound knowledge of defensive positioning and his strength. I don't think he struggled with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, JJ, Mobley, T-Mac or anybody else this season which is a good sign. His defense used to be sometimes porous, but he plays with a lot of heart, energy and smarts now. Pietrus is still the guy we want if we need the dirty work done on pressure defense against ballhandlers (especially against those big combo guards that are strong and fast). He also delivers the spectacular scoring punch to go with it, which is great because we have few players on our roster that are adequately skilled to play both defense and offense and handle the ball some. It's Baron, Jrich (most of the time), and Pietrus. Only 3 of our starting 5 plays individual defense. When team defense is broken down, it's any wonder why no name forwards keep going off against us, like Brian Scalabrine and some dudes like Bostjan Nachbar from the Hornets or Clippers' Quinton Ross at small forward. Those guys are all good scorers, but c'mon they shouldn't get layups in the halfcourt or uncontested shots.
The only problem with Pietrus as a defensive stopper in the playoffs is that refs usually tighten up the reigns, thus Pietrus aggressiveness may get him into foul trouble. He should make strides this season, though.
This article is just another piece of evidence that Kawakami is from an "idiot sports writer" parallel dimension. Here's what it'd probably sound like to be a fly on Kawakami's wall during the phone conversation where he pitches this idea to Mullin: I've got a great idea Chris, you guys were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, also one of the worst defensive teams in the league. I've got a way for you to get worse in both. Ready? Okay, get this, trade your best interior defender (though I do like Foyle's contract), and one of the league's best rebounders (by far your best rebounder), and your best defensive swingman to the Bulls. In return you could get a guy whose offensive game is a lot like Diogu's, except he's one of the worst rebounding big men in the league and doesn't play defense. Oh, and he's got a heart problem that will probably make his contract uninsurable...But that's not all. You'd also replace Pietrus with a euro guy who plays almost exactly like Dunleavy. I bet you could also get Pargo and a future 1st rounder from the Bulls. What's that? The 2006 draft is supposed to be one of the weakest in years because of the new CBA age restriction? No, I hadn't heard that. And you think the pick will have a lot of restrictions on it? WELL THAT'S PERFECT! By 2010 when the restrictions wear off, the draft pool should be restocked! What's that? Yes, I know team chemistry is important and you'd be trading away three of the guys who have been with the team the longest, who are all great guys and hard workers who work well in the team. But Chris, you don't seem to be following me...you'd be REPLACING them with Curry, a big man with a poor work ethic and low basketball IQ. I don't see how you could lose! Chris...Chris?...helloooo....Chris you still on the phone?...hmm...musta gotten disconnected...(says to himself) you know, the Warriors really need to fix Mullin's phone, I always seem to get disconnected when I talk to that guy...
Lol, good stuff. Frankly, there is no chance that Bulls will make that trade. Beside talent issues, there is no way Bulls will take Murphy and Foyle's contracts to begin with when they will have loads of players to sign. Was he really that bored, so that he had to make this kind of lame fantasy trade? And, yeah. I saw better fantasy trade proposals than this one. A lot of them...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, Richardson does struggle with shooting guards like Kobe (before he got to 230 lb he would just get beat silly) and also Redd, who is lightning quick with the dribble and the shot release. Richardson can defend pretty much anyone else one-on-one, using his newfound knowledge of defensive positioning and his strength. I don't think he struggled with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, JJ, Mobley, T-Mac or anybody else this season which is a good sign. His defense used to be sometimes porous, but he plays with a lot of heart, energy and smarts now. Pietrus is still the guy we want if we need the dirty work done on pressure defense against ballhandlers (especially against those big combo guards that are strong and fast). He also delivers the spectacular scoring punch to go with it, which is great because we have few players on our roster that are adequately skilled to play both defense and offense and handle the ball some. It's Baron, Jrich (most of the time), and Pietrus. Only 3 of our starting 5 plays individual defense. When team defense is broken down, it's any wonder why no name forwards keep going off against us, like Brian Scalabrine and some dudes like Bostjan Nachbar from the Hornets or Clippers' Quinton Ross at small forward. Those guys are all good scorers, but c'mon they shouldn't get layups in the halfcourt or uncontested shots.</div> While J-Rich didn't struggle with some of the better SGs/SFs, we all know how much better T-Mac, Ray Allen, Kobe, JJ, etc are in the playoffs. Even if J-Rich could contain them he cant play the whole game, that means Fisher or Dun is guarding those players. Pietrus is the only person we have capable of shutting down great players, plus he has the added bonus off being a great spark offensively. How far would the Spurs have gone in this years POs without Bowen? He literally made Shawn Marion a non-factor in their series against the Suns. Perhaps they would have still made it to the finals but without Bowen shutting down Billups and Hamilton they probably wouldn't have made it 7 games. Pietrus is our closest thing to Bowen, we wont make it out of the first round without him (if we make the playoffs).
Pietrus is definately a good option in defending all star SG/SF. In one of the games this season he made Kobe shoot 11/33 or something.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">While J-Rich didn't struggle with some of the better SGs/SFs, we all know how much better T-Mac, Ray Allen, Kobe, JJ, etc are in the playoffs. Even if J-Rich could contain them he cant play the whole game, that means Fisher or Dun is guarding those players. Pietrus is the only person we have capable of shutting down great players, plus he has the added bonus off being a great spark offensively. How far would the Spurs have gone in this years POs without Bowen? He literally made Shawn Marion a non-factor in their series against the Suns. Perhaps they would have still made it to the finals but without Bowen shutting down Billups and Hamilton they probably wouldn't have made it 7 games. Pietrus is our closest thing to Bowen, we wont make it out of the first round without him (if we make the playoffs).</div> True, JRich isn't a slacker on D and he isn't terrible when guarding other star players despite not being the quickest moving laterally. Dun/Fish can be pretty bad when they're just simply beat speed or strength wise, but I wouldn't call either poor defenders (like they don't give a damn). Jrich's days of poor defense are old news, but we need his scoring production so I doubt he'll take a foul to save a basket when he's really outmatched speed wise. I think I consider Pietrus less of Bruce Bowen, more of Manu Ginobili. Ginobili is a hell of a defender and he's so hard to contain and is very energetic. Also we've seen some sparks where Pietrus has been clutch like a Ginobili and has brought a team back from behind almost singlehandedly. Also both Manu and Pietrus are very streaky shooters, but when they are on, they are x factors. Very explosive with the back to back buckets. We've seen Pietrus at his worst, but the second half he was dynamite. Same with Dunleavy. We could probably run triangle offense with Biedrins or Diogu with DFish and Pietrus. There were so many plays where a big man like Biedrins, a quick 2 guard that can penetrate, and Dfish became like a mini-lakers squad off the bench. Pietrus is so dangerous on the wings cutting or hitting the baseline 3. Dfish is dangerous from the top of the key with the pick and roll and Biedrins is so quick rolling to the hoop. It looked very Laker like.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">True, JRich isn't a slacker on D and he isn't terrible when guarding other star players despite not being the quickest moving laterally. Dun/Fish can be pretty bad when they're just simply beat speed or strength wise, but I wouldn't call either poor defenders (like they don't give a damn). Jrich's days of poor defense are old news, but we need his scoring production so I doubt he'll take a foul to save a basket when he's really outmatched speed wise. I think I consider Pietrus less of Bruce Bowen, more of Manu Ginobili. Ginobili is a hell of a defender and he's so hard to contain and is very energetic. Also we've seen some sparks where Pietrus has been clutch like a Ginobili and has brought a team back from behind almost singlehandedly. Also both Manu and Pietrus are very streaky shooters, but when they are on, they are x factors. Very explosive with the back to back buckets. We've seen Pietrus at his worst, but the second half he was dynamite. Same with Dunleavy. We could probably run triangle offense with Biedrins or Diogu with DFish and Pietrus. There were so many plays where a big man like Biedrins, a quick 2 guard that can penetrate, and Dfish became like a mini-lakers squad off the bench. Pietrus is so dangerous on the wings cutting or hitting the baseline 3. Dfish is dangerous from the top of the key with the pick and roll and Biedrins is so quick rolling to the hoop. It looked very Laker like.</div> I know Jason, Dun, and Fisher try to play defense but the fact is despite their best efforts they are average defenders. Average defense isn't going to stop Tracy McGrady from scoring 50 points on us in a game 7. I'm not saying Pietrus tries harder than anyone, the fact is he is much better defender than another wing we have. I cant explain why J-Rich is only an average defender with all of that athleticism, Dun is smart but just isn't athletic enough to keep up with fast players, Fish is too short and slow. Not to mention if Dunleavy or Jason get injured he is great insurance.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">I cant explain why J-Rich is only an average defender with all of that athleticism</div> Oversized feet. He can't move side to side. Also his hands are pretty big. If you compare Jrich to Amare Stoudamire and guess who can palm the ball better?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">I'll guess Jason but I've heard Amare couldn't palm the ball when he was a rookie.</div> Amare had a hard time palming the ball during the dunk contest (year 3), but he doesn't have bad hands. He can do palm it, but not very well. Jason can palm the ball with either hand without dropping it, which is why he's so good at those one handed alley oops. Jrich is 6'3" to 6'4" while Amare Stoudamire is 6'9" to 6'10", so Jrich is pretty well gifted hands wise. Foyle's got pretty big hands for his size, but he's just not very coordinated enough to catch it reliably. He drops the easiest passes right to him, it's ridiculous. Contrast that with Biedrins who catches hard close range passes with ease and J-Rich who catches all those oops and converts. Amare Stoudamire may not have the biggest hands for his size, but he catches almost everything that Nash gives him. Pietrus, Dunleavy and Murphy have excellent hands as well, with Murphy being the best catcher. I don't think anyone on the Warriors really bobbles the passes or simply drops it, other than Adonal Foyle, even when standing still. So I guess regardless of hand-size, it's more about reflexes. Some people don't have the hand-eye reflexes to catch most passes.
