I don't. It would either force the following scenarios IF Murphy was involved in a trade: 1) Dunleavy at PF and Artest at SF. Even though Murphy isn't your prototypical PF, he's still got size and a knack for getting rebounds (he needs to blockout more). 2) Diogu at PF and Artest at SF and Dunleavy on the bench. Not very good for Dunleavy's confidence considering how well he's been playing. And well, we've seen that Diogu is afterall, a rookie, as his play hasn't been as stellar as when he first appeared. Anyway, that's just some speculation, but it seems as though everyone was panicking (me included) about the W's "slump." Really, if the W's can play like they did the last couple nights (even against the Lakers), I think the team they have now would give them the best chance of winning. I think Murphy is in a slump similar to Dunleavy, but with the inconvenience of a sore ankle. I would expect him to get back to his usual grove sooner or later.
Its hard to say. Is Dunleavy going to stay consistent at around 16-18 ppg? Dunleavy is still no Artest on either side of the ball, not to mention his contract. However, Dunleavy has very good chemistry and provides another PG type player which is valuble considering Baron's injury issues (and he gets suspended occasionally). I'd really like to get rid of Murphy because he and dunleavy have the same role on the team, the only difference is that Dun passes and plays solid defense. I'd still trade Murphy and Pietrus for Artest as long as we also got Foster.
It's an interesting arguement that I haven't considered till now. I definately would welcome Artest. I'd also welcome a Murphy for Artest trade with open arms. But, if Dunleavy really is the player we've seen lately, well then by golly he actually deserves to be a starter and would fit well alongside Boom Dizzle. The problem is whether he can maintain this level of play consistently. I hope he can, but let's go ahead and bring Artest on board just for giggles, okay?
How many years has Artest been in the league? 7-8? Let's not forget that he was traded after about 3-4 years when he did not set the world on fire in Chicago. The Dunleavy we are seeing right now is the progression of a player on the way up. He will be more valuable than JRich in the long run. Just look at what he brings to the table vs what JRich brings. Mullin is no dummy. Have faith.
Not to sound negative, but if Dunleavy doesn't play aggressive all the time, Artest has a strong case against him. But, I don't know... Dun has looked like Dirk Nowitzki out there at times. He even has done well against Shard and Lebron James both offensively/defensively, even though it can be argued that they were two teams (Sonics/Cavs) that were struggling and missing their star shooting guards (Ray Allen/Larry Hughes) forcing the all-star small forwards to carry the load for the entire team. Dunleavy didn't guard these guys alone though. The team took turns. Anyway, we've been through this every year where Dunleavy shows flashes and then he disappears and fans get frustrated with him again. If this is the year, it might as well be now when we need to make the playoffs. If we miss the playoffs when we're relatively healthy this season, I blame it on not having enough beef up front that can board, alter shots inside, set good screens, not clog up the lane on offense. I don't think Artest can help us out since he's a perimeter player and not a 6'10/6'11 power guy.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">their star shooting guards (Ray Allen/Larry Hughes) </div> Larry Hughes a star? Maybe on a team with no real good players on it. He's a good player, and maybe on his best nights he may look like a star, but he sure as hell ain't one. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> forcing the all-star small forwards to carry the load for the entire team. </div> Ok..... Lebron, is always handling the ball for Cleavland carries the main burdens for Clevland. For Shard and Allen it may be different, but man, what happened with those sentences? Also Custodian, you are post whoring right now, before this post, the last 5 posts in this forum were all yours.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Air Pietrus:</div><div class="quote_post">Larry Hughes a star? Maybe on a team with no real good players on it. He's a good player, and maybe on his best nights he may look like a star, but he sure as hell ain't one. Ok..... Lebron, is always handling the ball for Cleavland carries the main burdens for Clevland. For Shard and Allen it may be different, but man, what happened with those sentences? Also Custodian, you are post whoring right now, before this post, the last 5 posts in this forum were all yours.</div> Larry Hughes made a good case for it last year (scoring, defense, shooting, assists, steals) and the Cavs sure went sour when he got injured. Lebron handles the ball for Cleveland, but he needs other players to contribute to the team game. If nobody else is doing well, then Lebron has to force the shots which leads to poor shooting %'s, turnovers, etc, which is similar to our situation when only Baron shows up. You're not very clear on your sentences either, man. Post whoring? Where does all this criticism stem from and what's with the tone in your choice of words? You have beef with me or something? Explain.
Sorry Custodian, I was just joking that you have been posting in the last five threads. I like that, because your posts are among the best on the board and I like to read them. Sorry.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Air Pietrus:</div><div class="quote_post">Sorry Custodian, I was just joking that you have been posting in the last five threads. I like that, because your posts are among the best on the board and I like to read them. Sorry.</div> Ahhhh, gotcha. Sorry, it's hard to tell sometimes when it's in written form. I know I post a lot and I tend to over-explain, but I'm just excited about basketball. And I can take criticism, but it sounded like you were going after me. All I was saying was that when a team loses a good impact player (a good guard), a team is forced to make adjustments and those adjustments sometimes aren't enough to keep a team from losing. And having one less good player to worry about makes it so the team can help Dunleavy on defense whether it be Richardson/Pietrus on Bron or Shard. Not to take away from Dunleavy's individual D, it was really different people helping out on the small forward. Let's just say Dunleavy was playing especially well against those two teams minus Larry Hughes/Ray Allen. Dunleavy didn't really make a strong case he's a new man like when he was against the Lakers, for instance. But we'll see where this two game streak goes. Will he rock the Clippers? Let's hope Jrich and Baron Davis don't take away Dun's shots thinking they can outscore the Clippers backcourt. That ballhoggin' is not what the team game is about when we've got other guys who can score more efficiently. Dunleavy for instance, is a guy who can score within the flow and get to be pretty accurate once he gets in rhythm with a few close buckets.
The Warriors are not shooting for the NBA finals this year,maybe we're a longshot for next year. What is happening is we are building a solid base,some stability,guys who are expected to be a stable core long enough for a team identity to emerge. We make a situation where a player or two emerges to be stars in a couple of years when we make our bid. How would Artest fit? Hard to guess as he does not get described with the word "stable". Artest could be happy,productive,a long term asset,might even give this crew a more hard nosed attitude. He also could be an endless series of whims,incidents,demands and conflicts...then bolt to a team he thinks has more chance at a ring,or more $ to toss about,or just wants to be a hometown hero for the Knix,who also tend to toss money about. If,someday,the Warriors want to deal for a more ideal Center,we will need to have some big man with some history of production to offer up. If we are aiming for a rising star type,Pietrus may be the player we have that decides the deal. We won't have the same leverage in a year offering Artest expiring. That's still an opportunity that's not yet on the table (but who really knows?) Meanwhile MP is our defensive stopper and also a big lift on offense. Meanwhile Murph is a 6-11 who can shoot,score and is our leading rebounder too. All things considered,I'm unwilling to give a lot for Artest,and it looks like no team wants to pay a lot for the risks involved Custodian,post-whoring? Bunk. Custodian has been a very regular poster here. He has a lot of ideas and opinions. He changes his mind more than some,so that leads to a post revising his take on the subject. Nothing wrong with that. A lot of good ideas come of it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Ahhhh, gotcha. Sorry, it's hard to tell sometimes when it's in written form. I know I post a lot and I tend to over-explain, but I'm just excited about basketball. And I can take criticism, but it sounded like you were going after me.</div> Custodian, stop post-whoring. Only one good idea per day, please. Also, you are thought-spamming and insight-trolling these boards. Who wants to read insightful, intelligent, well thought out basketball talk? C'mon man, if I wanted good reading I'd get the Wall Street Journal, Bro. I come to this forum for the Viagra Ads, the posts that read "YOU WARRIER FANS IS B!TCHES MAN!!!!", and the links that promise me I can increase my vertical leap by 20 inches. So really, unless you have something un-intelligent to say, please keep it to yourself.
Yeah, Custodian is a clown. What's he ever say except "Play Pietrus 48 mins/every game; oh and fire Monty and Hire Ben Braun." Total idiot. Way to call him out.
Thanks guys for the compliments and the "mild" sarcasm. On another note, Dunleavy's streak is over. I guess that's what happens when the guards dominate the ball a lot more trying to go against the opposing team's backcourt. Then couple that with Elton Brand and Chris Kaman pounding the glass and scoring inside and us having one of the worst defenders at power forward position. Then also add that we're one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and we have no starting center to set the tone. Cavs and Sonics, two teams we've beat after the losing streak, don't have as much inside scoring even though they've got more than us (aging Zyldrunas Illgauskus/Nick Collison). The difference with the Clips is they can defend at a variety of positions (minus point guard), they've got a solid backcourt to fuel the big man offense, and their bench is more productive than one would think. I really hate small ball and our subbing patterns, but I do know Monty is better for the team for the long term. To fire Monty prematurely would be disaster for this club. Let the team grow and get the right pieces before passing judgement. It's about team fundamentals as well as talent. We just need to get bigger, faster and play smarter in certain positions. That's harder than it sounds and its always a work in progress with us when we have to build our rosters through the draft. I think to improve even more than we have, it starts with with buying into the game plan and making improvements over the next few seasons like we're always trying to do. If we can get an Elton Brand and a promising big like Chris Kaman I'd be happy. Chris Kaman, as raw as he was, still had good technical skills like being able to score with either hand and he was gifted athletically and with size. Elton Brand improved this season by being himself plus an athletic form of Zach Randolph with the 360 spin moves and the midrange shot. If we get an offensive/defensive 4 and a 5, like the teams we get slaughtered by, we should be able to get better looks for players on the perimeter. We're just not that kind of team, and until we are having a true inside/outside game with the defense and rebounding, we're going to be in danger of missing the playoffs again. Foyle/Murphy IMO basically cancel each other out like they're only one player since one is all offense, the other is all defense. And both are not the best in the league with what they specialize in like with Ben Wallace (defense, rebounding, shotblocking) or Peja Stojakavic (all around shooting).
