HONOLULU - There's no question point guard Baron Davis is the Warriors' best player. There's no disputing that guard Jason Richardson is right behind him. The two have to play well for the Warriors to be successful. But the X factor, the difference between a playoff berth and a 12th consecutive early summer, just might be forward Mike Dunleavy. "There's going to be some nights where he's going to score big for us and there's going to be some nights where he won't," Davis said. "His defense and his ability to be out there and to make plays without having the ball is going to be really helpful in the long run." Dunleavy showed in Wednesday's 112-81 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the University of Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center just how many ways he can help the Warriors win. The most obvious was his outside shot. He knocked down six consecutive shots in the first quarter, four from 3-point range. He led the fast break when Davis was trapped in the backcourt, making all the right decisions on where to go with the ball. He threw the best pass of the game in the first quarter Wednesday. From the right wing, Dunleavy bounced a chest pass across the lane through traffic, hitting forward Troy Murphy in stride on the left side of the paint. "I don't know how he got that through," Murphy said. Dunleavy also did an admirable job defending Lakers forward Lamar Odom, who runs the point in the Lakers' triangle offense. He helped keep Odom from breaking down the defense off the dribble and stayed with him on cuts to the basket, holding him to four points on 2-for-8 shooting with three turnovers. "I can do a lot of things, so every night it's going to be something different," Dunleavy said. "Hopefully, I'll be doing a lot of things every night." It's his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways that makes Dunleavy such a valuable commodity, if he can be productive consistently. On nights when points are hard to come by, the Warriors can turn to Dunleavy's stroke to provide some offense. When teams decide to take the ball out of Davis' hands with traps, Dunleavy can lead the break. If the coaches decide to go small, he can use his quickness advantage to crash the boards, which is what he did to get his first basket Wednesday. Perhaps the best part about Dunleavy's game is that he doesn't need much assistance to flourish. He doesn't need to dominate the ball to create for teammates. He doesn't need plays run for him to get his shot off. He doesn't need a lot of shots to score a lot of points. "That would be nice. But I've come to realize that might not happen," Dunleavy said of getting more plays run his way. "I'm just going to be ready. You've got to be ready for the ball, you've got to make cuts, you've got to find other ways to score, put points on the board, make the team better. If I don't get plays called for me, I'll figure something else out." http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctime...ts/12900487.htm I've always appreciated Dun's game. He is a consumate team player. This will be his best season. For all the athleticism of Pietrus and the excitement he brings to the court I'd rather have Dunleavy on the court. Pietrus will never have the handle or passing skills of Dunleavy. I think Pietrus will be traded in a package if a solid veteran big man were available. Pietrus is like Gerald Wallace. They are both athletic freaks but they need a lot of help from their teams to elevate their games.
Why do you see my writing as dissin'? Pietrus is what he is. He does a few things really well. I like him. Dunleavy is the one getting bashed regularly. I love the game and stats don't always show who the players are. Dunleavy is a team guy and does many quiet things for his team, win or lose. I remember back when Philadelphia got Dr J and they blew up and started winning big. They had a quiet forward on their team. He didn't score big or do anything with a lot of flair but he was a team player and made the team better with his quiet contributions. His name is Bobby Jones. Dunleavy reminds me of Bobby Jones. He doesn't do anything spectacularly but he makes the team better when he is on the court. It is my own personal preference. Pietrus is cool and with Bdiddy on the floor he is even cooler. For me Pietrus is fun and exciting but he is still learning the game. Dunleavy sees the game. I like that in a player. I was that kind of player back in the day.
Exactly, Pietrus is still learning the game. He didn't get a full season to start like Dunleavy did even though Dunleavy had a mostly mediocre season last year. Which gives Dunleavy the upper hand since he has more experience. I'm just saying that Pietrus has a ton of potential. Potential that hasn't had a chance to unleash itself because he never got to play as much as Dunleavy.
I hear ya. Pietrus came to basketball late in life. Dunleavy was raised in basketball. Potential is debatable. I think a player can get better during their career. But Dunleavy has the ability to see the court and like Jason Kidd and Bdiddy he can see the developing play. Pietrus will never have this skill. Pietrus' main skill is his athleticism. He's learning to use his physical skills to score/defend. Pietrus will get better but the jury is out on just how he will improve. Dunleavy rarely makes bad basketball decsions.
I think only after this season can we really accurately judge Dun and Pietrus. We are competing for a playoff spot and every game matters. The W's will be taken seriously so the level of intensity will be raised. Dun has had enough time to develop, this is the year he needs to make that next step if he's going to deserve the contract that Mully is prolly gonna give him. As for Pietrus, I really believe they did a terrible job in putting him in a position to succeed. They would wait too long to insert him. Other teams would be going on ridiculous runs and then they would finally put him in or Dunleavy or Jrich would have to get in foul trouble. They only let him stay in if he was unconscious, which happened a good amount of times. Sometimes he would be extremely hot in the 1st half, but they would wait to long to put him in the 2nd half while they were gettin ran on. But that is the past. From all accounts it looks like Pietrus will get his chance this year. No more BD, Fish, and Jrich lineups please. So with the opportunity he has this year he needs to show great improvement. I feel like in two years is when he can really be special. But he needs to step up now. One thing that isn't mentioned much is how often he hits those buzzer beaters. I hope he gets some chances at the end of games this year.
As long as Mullin doesn't throw Dunleavy an extention this offseason, I am fine with it. At least give Pietrus some chance to compete...
Pietrus and Dunleavy each have areas where they shine. Iike that Pietrus has a tendency to attack a defense,takes risks,and brings speed. I like his D. Dunleavy has some point F skills and good instincts. I'D expect to go with whoever is getting it done. Sometimes that also can be Zarko.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kwan1031:</div><div class="quote_post">As long as Mullin doesn't throw Dunleavy an extention this offseason, I am fine with it. At least give Pietrus some chance to compete...</div> Exactly and to let the market set his value. You cant argue with a guy who wants to sign you for the highest offer you got. Its not like we are going to low ball him. We will give him a "fair" contract...
I feel you Montay. People are quick to bash Dunleavy but for some reason never diss Pietrus. I love Pietrus, I love his excitement and hard work he puts in, he brings energy to this team. But Dunleavy does so many things that don't show up on the highlight reel or in the stat sheets. He is great at setting others up and that is exactly what this team needs. I love both these guys. As REREM stated, they both have areas where they shine.
I think I diss Pietrus some for the type of decision making he has (some of it is like Fisher type of nonsense when it comes to the long ball), but c'mon the guy can do so many things that normal basketball players can't. When he gets it (if he ever gets it) he will be a star in this league. He's got all the tools, he's got the work ethic, he's got the fire, he's got some decent set of raw skills, and he just needs to become more polished in terms of his understanding of the game. Dunleavy is the opposite where he understands the game, but his upside isn't really that attractive and he's not too gifted physically. He plays more like a role player than he does someone that has the potential to be an important star in this league. He also shares Pietrus' inconsistencies in being able to contribute night in and night out, but both are solid rebounders. Dunleavy is the guy that will recognize the break a lot sooner and will play over on help defense. He'll also be there right where expected when Baro is running the break. What I think this team needs is a combination of both Dunleavy's team skills/size and Pietrus's athleticism, explosive scoring and pressure defense. But I think that would be a definite keeper and possible franchise player. Might be the closest thing to Scottie Pippen or T-Mac if they combined the two warrior players.
I think for the most part people rip on Dun and not Pietrus because Dun was given the starting job and has been in the position to succeed for years. Pietrus on the other hand has spent alot of time on the bench and in the few minutes he got behind J-Rich, Fisher, and Dun at the end of last season he stepped up and earned playing time. Dun didnt have to earn anything, he was just given the starters job and he hasnt done anything to tell me that he deserves the job more than Pietrus. The only thing holding Mickael back is his descision making, I think that even if he corrects that Mullin and Monty would still favor Dunleavy.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">I think for the most part people rip on Dun and not Pietrus because Dun was given the starting job and has been in the position to succeed for years. Pietrus on the other hand has spent alot of time on the bench and in the few minutes he got behind J-Rich, Fisher, and Dun at the end of last season he stepped up and earned playing time. Dun didnt have to earn anything, he was just given the starters job and he hasnt done anything to tell me that he deserves the job more than Pietrus. The only thing holding Mickael back is his descision making, I think that even if he corrects that Mullin and Monty would still favor Dunleavy.</div> Yeah, that too. Right now we have no alternative to small forward other than Cheaney. I think it's just so Mullin can wait on Dunleavy next season, but at the same time he'll be addressing the Pietrus/Zarko situation. If he signs him now that would ruin all flexibility we have over one player for two other players we might want to keep or at least know who to trade. Once we lock Dun up that's it. We have to wait until at least two years to be able to trade him, that is if anybody wants him at that price we just signed him for. Since we overpaid Foyle and Fisher, nobody really wants those guys considering they are paid like starters, but aren't starters. Also they are both 30. A few years later, they are in the decline and could be going down fast. That's a very possible 3 years of holding onto players that could be pretty much deadweight if they are different players a few years from now. Let's hope they prefer to retire than sit around if they aren't performing.
