<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OK, what's the catch? The Indiana Pacers take Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, and their contracts which are so gynormous that they can be seen from outer space, and in return, Indiana gives the Warriors some good players and hope for the future? Sounds ... uh ... good. Do the Pacers also get the Warriors' next five first-round draft picks and the five cutest Warrior Girls? Do Warriors' fans have to take turns waxing Larry Bird's Chevette? No? It's simply a straight eight-player trade, as announced? Chris Mullin, all is forgiven. Don Nelson, would you hold still for a moment while we cast you in bronze? Remember all the positive buzz when Nelson was hired, about how he was teaming with his old buddy Mullin and together they were going to bring new life to this team, make the creative sparks fly? This must be what that buzz was about. Welcome to "Pimp My Roster." Most Warriors' fans, when they heard Murphy and Dunleavy had been traded, didn't bother to ask whom the Warriors got. They didn't care. It's party time. Granted, it's easy to trash guys who just got traded ... So let's get started! Dunleavy and Murphy were the YMCA Boyz. You know, they're on your team in the pickup game at the Y, and you say, "You dudes are tall, would you mind going inside and getting us a few easy buckets, so we can keep the court?" And they say, "Dude, like, we're shooters. We park at the arc. Here, help me tie my headband." Dunleavy was a mistake from the start. "He can't get his own shots," a very knowledgeable NBA person told me when the Warriors drafted Dunleavy with the No. 3 overall pick. "He might become an effective role player on a good team, but he's not going to carry your franchise." And he didn't. It was the other way around. He is a shooting forward who doesn't shoot that well. "An NBA shooter usually misses long or short," another NBA insider told me. "Dunleavy misses left and right." </div> Source
Thank goodness for Nelson. Mullin is forgiven somewhat, but who knows how the #9 could have panned out in 2005 if we didn't go that Diogu route in the first place and if we didn't sign DunMurphy in the first place, and if we didn't hire the wrong coach for a guard-oriented team. Oh well live and learn, Mully. Now let's see if we can get closer to that 8th seed. I think we have a better chance now, although slightly new and old problems. One is rebounding. What do we do about it? Another is not settling for 3 point shots. How do we fix that?
Awesome article, thanks for that link. Man, if that story about Murphy is true, that's pathetic. What an insult to the fans and the team that pays his salary.
LMAO at the YMCA Boyz analogy. "Dude, like, we're shooters. We park at the arc. Here, help me tie my headband."
<div class="quote_poster">HiRez Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Awesome article, thanks for that link. Man, if that story about Murphy is true, that's pathetic. What an insult to the fans and the team that pays his salary.</div> I would have been mad at Murphy if it was a game with more significance than the last game of a losing season. I think most people would sit out an unimportant game in order to secure a pay raise than to play and jeopardize it, especially if you have an injured knee. I don't think anybody was very serious last season. Mike Montgomery was not a good NBA coach. Take last night's game for example, coached by Don Nelson. I think in a similar situation with Montgomery as head coach the team would have forefeited or lost by 30 points. These are the types of deals that can be made when a team has direction, style, and a "personality". I can't defend Mullin's moves for the sake of Dunleavy and Murphy over the years a whole bunch; but it is tough to make smart decisions as a GM or VP of basketball operations when the coach is a dud (Mike Montgomery) and there has been so many different directional changes for this organization over the last 12 years to really get a grasp for anything. I think the Warriors' goal was to just try to get as many young high-potential players as possible that would fit a non-existent system. At some point I think Murphy got tired of the lack of progress and maybe he did give up a little bit. Heck I have felt like giving up on the Warriors as a fan because of their management many times before. But obviously times have passed. Murphy was the player to duo in the front court with Erick Dampier against the opponents and Damp has been gone for a couple of seasons now. Dunleavy was supposed to be the point-forward to help Arenas and Richardson handle the ball along with adding outside shooting which he has done slightly but below expectations; and of course Arenas has been gone for quite a while now. We now see that this team has a direction which is good. Don Nelson, the Warriors management, and most the roster seems to be a "match made in heaven" which gives way for these "match made in heaven" deals. Hopefully the Warriors can keep it rolling.
The tradeoff is pretty substantial. Nellie's phobias about bigs are such that the obvious thing of getting Murphy-Diogu up to max effectiveness...became low priority. A relatively limited guy can step off the bus from the D league or the scrap pile-and play...guys we take in the lottery have to sit and rust? Diogu led the pac10 in scoring-reb-blocks...yet he's sent to remedial hoops-while Robo,McL get minutes? We got Jackson....a guy who's ambition is to be a pimp,who chucks more 3's than Fisher or Dunleavy. Who's SOMETIMES interested in D. We perhaps can get a short contract backup for him. Harrington has good stuff. Don't get too thrilled. Atlanta never showed any inclination to re-sign him. Indy bailed out after 2 1/2 mo.,and they spent that long negotiating to get him. Harrington...like Jax and Roony...likes the 3 arc. W's were tied for second in 3's attempted--will easily move up to #1. My concern,however.....is we are down to one guy who's a decent rebounder. Harrington is not,at least not for a PF,not for his size. Jax may be 6-8 and thuggy-but Monta will out board him. Precisely because AH is no PF---Nellie WILL play him. If smallball can't win a matchup....we just lose. If Biedrens is in foul trouble or hurt...we are screwed. The clear gain is in the $$$$$$$. Our bottom line gets better sooner. If we CAN unload Jax...then the deal has some merit. All the same---I now see Nellieball as a lot more limited than I had thought. Us getting outboarded all the time,having less power scoring,it's a big hole. It's as hole I don't think we even TRY to fill....as we didn't really try when we had the answer.
Dunleavy-like a bad tooth-is better gone. However,this dentist put in a bad tooth,Jackson,that's just not AS bad. Because Harrington WILL get a free ride from Nellie,WILL be used as a "power" F,we will move up a step,from just below the playoffs-to just in. What's got me all in a daze is that I see us going from one plateau to another--and getting stuck there. Harrington ain't Marion. Marion gets 11 boards a game...Harrington,about 6,not much above Barnes or Pietrus.
<div class="quote_poster">REREM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The tradeoff is pretty substantial. Nellie's phobias about bigs are such that the obvious thing of getting Murphy-Diogu up to max effectiveness...became low priority. A relatively limited guy can step off the bus from the D league or the scrap pile-and play...guys we take in the lottery have to sit and rust? Diogu led the pac10 in scoring-reb-blocks...yet he's sent to remedial hoops-while Robo,McL get minutes? We got Jackson....a guy who's ambition is to be a pimp,who chucks more 3's than Fisher or Dunleavy. Who's SOMETIMES interested in D. We perhaps can get a short contract backup for him. Harrington has good stuff. Don't get too thrilled. Atlanta never showed any inclination to re-sign him. Indy bailed out after 2 1/2 mo.,and they spent that long negotiating to get him. Harrington...like Jax and Roony...likes the 3 arc. W's were tied for second in 3's attempted--will easily move up to #1. My concern,however.....is we are down to one guy who's a decent rebounder. Harrington is not,at least not for a PF,not for his size. Jax may be 6-8 and thuggy-but Monta will out board him. Precisely because AH is no PF---Nellie WILL play him. If smallball can't win a matchup....we just lose. If Biedrens is in foul trouble or hurt...we are screwed. The clear gain is in the $$$$$$$. Our bottom line gets better sooner. If we CAN unload Jax...then the deal has some merit. All the same---I now see Nellieball as a lot more limited than I had thought. Us getting outboarded all the time,having less power scoring,it's a big hole. It's as hole I don't think we even TRY to fill....as we didn't really try when we had the answer.</div> REREM I'm glad you wrote this because I totally agree. That's why I'm trying not to be too moved about this trade because it will have its obvious flaws. It's just nice to not worry about luxury tax. The sad thing is we never got to see what Ike is about. For those that say he didn't fit well with Nelson, I think it's ignorant to say just forget his potential because he struggled in Nelson's small ball lineup. Two years later down the road we may not even be a small ball team anymore because small ball style is only for teams who don't have anyone that can play at the big positions. I don't think Ike is so undersized he couldn't prove effective with let's say... Andris Biedrins or POB. Nelson said it himself, the better big player depth we have, the less small ball we have to do. He said that in the San Jose Mercury News which features all the new players, but I can't find the online link yet. Well... with this trade we just got thinner at the power forward positions by losing Murphy/Ike. I just hope in the draft we can find somebody good that's a real nice big body and maybe a little more athletic with good all-around BIG MAN skill on both ends of the floor. There's just not too many all-around big men that can use footwork to work down low, block shots, or rebound. The more athletic ones don't even bother practicing footwork because they didn't need to to get inside and some others just don't work hard if they don't get the ball. Sometimes it's nice to have a wide, strong, agile short player for some matchups. It's something in the tank we can throw against opposing teams who don't work the double team very well. Especially the tall lanky guys that don't have the center of gravity to stay balanced when he's pounding the ball inside and using his shoulder and hip and guards that love to get people on the wrist.
<div class="quote_poster">REREM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Dunleavy-like a bad tooth-is better gone. However,this dentist put in a bad tooth,Jackson,that's just not AS bad. Because Harrington WILL get a free ride from Nellie,WILL be used as a "power" F,we will move up a step,from just below the playoffs-to just in. What's got me all in a daze is that I see us going from one plateau to another--and getting stuck there. Harrington ain't Marion. Marion gets 11 boards a game...Harrington,about 6,not much above Barnes or Pietrus.</div> Harrington is a weak ass rebounder IMO which is why the Pacers traded him despite good character and versatility. I bet Pietrus can average as much as he does per minute. Plus Harrington ain't known for any type of defense . He'd be Murphy-like. The only positive Harrington does have is he's got a nice inside-outside game, but probably best utilized at small forward. 250 lbs and 6'9 ain't the same as Elton Brand/Zach Randolph or heck even Ike. He's just a different player physically. Harrington might be good for putbacks or transition buckets though. He's not known for passing it.
