Have we forgotten about Zarko?

Please post any comments or analysis on what's going to happen to him this season? Is he going to be traded, or used as backup SF/PF for mismatches for the W's? Any other insight or ideas welcomed. Just wanted to start on thread on him, because he seems to not be part of any posts lately. Thanks.

 

Well, I like Zarko, but re-signing Dunleavy pretty much ruined his chances of being that ideal utility player...

 

Well if we ever plan to run Zarko is the type of guy that can handle the ball at center. I don't think Dunleavy really does that position, but then again Dunleavy plays the 4 smaller positions, whereas Zarko can't play point guard or shooting guard.

 

Zarko is a better ball handler on the fast break than Mike Dunleavy no matter what position they are playing. I remember Zarko getting like a block shot or a steal then going all the way to the other end off the dribble and scoring. I have never seen Dunleavy doing anything close to that, even if you take away the block shot part. I have hardly seen Dunleavy do anything on the fast break.

I wish Zarko gets much more PT. I want Zarko to play PF everytime that Montgomery puts Dun at that position; which is quite often, or at least too much than it should be. Zarko should also get some more time at the 3 as well. The team is so versitale and Zarko is so good at handling the ball, passing, shooting(though he is slightly streaky), and most of all cause some advantages for the Warriors on the board, which may include playing him at the 3 with players like Ike and Andris in the front court.

Montgomery has been extremely weak at getting production from the bench. Zarko has been one of the effected players because of this.

I also love the energy that Zarko brings to the court or to the team when he is on the court. Watching this guy do his thing at the end of last season, made me wonder why he didn't get this chance earlier. Unsurprisingly the team's rebounding became much better when he was getting his chances, especially when Montgomery started to slightly shift him at the 4 in place of his normal pattern of putting Dunleavy there.

 

I love his coast to coast dribbles, passing, and his drives to the hoop. I've never seen a guy palm the ball like him and wave it around the air before laying it in. Guy has huge hands.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">I love his coast to coast dribbles, passing, and his drives to the hoop. I've never seen a guy palm the ball like him and wave it around the air before laying it in. Guy has huge hands.</div>

Should have seen Wilt. He held the ball like it was a grapefruit,waving it in one hand way overhead,and passing with a flick of the wrist.

Zarko,Pietrus,could have been quite good by now but Monty wasted minutes on Dunleavy in a mistaken belief we'd be 2 notches nearer the playoffs.

The team needs to GROW its INVESTMENTS not win 2 or 3 mor times in a sub-.500 season. Having no sense of the future is a great way to have no future.

It seems all those ex-Warriors we just HAD to unload are still playing...and in the playoffs. The guys we got for them are no longer in the league.

 

What sucks is it seemed as if Dunleavy would always do well in the other positions besides the 3. He was pretty good at power forward or guard (with Pietrus in for defense).

But anyhoo, I disagree that Zarko runs the break better than Dunleavy at the 4. I think both are about the same for those who tuned in during 2003 and parts of 2004 near the end of the season. Both handle well, but overall Dunleavy is the better ballhandler when it comes to avoiding turnovers. Zarko is a pretty good ballhandler at center when he doesn't have to worry about stronger perimeter defenders as centers don't particularly play perimeter D.

I hate Dunleavy more than all of you guys, but talk about overrating Zarko's rebounding and ability to dribble the ball in transition. Face-it Dunleavy had a bad year, Zarko had a bad year, they both play small for their sizes. I think the only plus Zarko has is he's taller and more athletic, but they are both a similar high basketball I.Q. type of player, both inconsistent, with Zarko being slightly more aggressive on the offensive end, while Dunleavy is more aggressive on defense.

I'd rather much have Zarko because his upside is a lot higher. And to me, Dunleavy never proved he could be any more than a utility player, rather than full time small forward. Zarko was never intended to be a starter.

If both rebound from their poor seasons, I think Zarko has the better chance to be more effective. Think about it: Who is more of a matchup nightmare? I'd go with Zarko because of those long arms, huge mits, and a huger first step. He's a nice playmaking big player if you got the other 4 as decent defensive guys.

 

The difference is this, if Zarko were picked #3 everyone would hate him. Zarko fights for his minutes, Dun gets them for free. From a pure basketball talent point of view, Dunleavy is a much better player, but nobody will see that until he's gone. I think he's worn out his welcome, and rightfully so. I hope this Magette trade happens for the Warriors and Dundun's sake.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CohanHater:</div><div class="quote_post">The difference is this, if Zarko were picked #3 everyone would hate him. Zarko fights for his minutes, Dun gets them for free. From a pure basketball talent point of view, Dunleavy is a much better player, but nobody will see that until he's gone. I think he's worn out his welcome, and rightfully so. I hope this Magette trade happens for the Warriors and Dundun's sake.</div>

A player needs to be on the floor aat least a certain amount to just maintain skills,and some sense of the team,how refs are calling games etc. It takes more minutes to make progress. By now it's clear that Dunleavy is not getting better with more use. Zarko and PIetrus will INEVITABLY improve by playing. At this point it's hard to even guess how much,but passing Dunleavy...that's an easy target.

Coach Bonehead has no future so his focus is for us to win a few more and pick #11. His target is to get better than Orlando when we need to think about being a legit contender in 09.

If I'm Z I may not view Hoops as a spectator thing,want to play more than my half hour a month.. He's been pretty patient but probably figures he's a toss in on some future salary dump deal and being here was just a bump in the road. It really bugs me when the Warriors wallow in lotto land yet fail to take steps to create value in players we HAVE.

 

I don't mind that actually. Play these guys, get their values up, ship them off. That may sound bad, but the only Warrior I really miss is Arenas. Everybody else could take a hike as they're not really franchise type of guys or franchise type of positions (PG, PF, C).

I'll be pissed if Mullin isn't looking at small forward and swingman depth this year, in addition to finding veteran big man. That'll learn him not to stand pat like last year and trust the kids to get it done.

 

I miss Earl Boykins.

But anyway, I like Zarko for what he can do with the ball. He's like a Harlem Globetrotter.
It's just fun to watch him play, he's such a crafty passer. I wonder though that if we keep him, what position he'd play. Looking at the current roster, there's just no room. Now if murphy was traded, that would open up the starting PF role to Diogu, and Zarko could back him up.

However, I wouldn't mind seeing Zarko at the 3. He's an intelligent dribbler and passer and can protect the ball. That's more than I can say for a lot of 3s in the league. While the 3 is usally a scoring position in the NBA, with GS you wouldn't need that from Zarko. Let him cause matchup problems, handle the ball on the perimiter and facilitate the offense, show off his dribbling and passing skills, and let JRich, Baron and Ike do the scoring. Don't laugh, but with some aded muscle and conditioning, I could see Zarko playing a similar game to Tayshaun Prince (albeit Prince is relied on to score more).

the only thing is: could he defend the 3? Probably not well, but probably no worse than Dunleavy.