Pietrus Disappointed

He and the Warriors must be on two different pages. While his intense loyalty to the Warriors should be rewarded, his general basketball skill needs major refinement to even be worth more than the MLE. He's a future backup player for most nba coaches and I question his ability to get better. Why? It all comes down to his natural basketball decision-making ability. He hasn't proven that he's got consistent basketball thinking that will make coaches believe that he can do more than just try to scramble for extra posessions or try to work on his game within the flow of 5 vs 5. The guy just reacts to whatever he sees rather than anticipate... he uses his top notch athleticism and that won't cut it if he should ever get slowed by injury or he gets less flexible. We could plug in Barnes, Trevor Ariza, or one of these young college kids to do a similar thing and it won't solve the problems we need most which is size, versatilty, consistency and basketball smarts.

Now, there's talks about James Posey being a better option than Pietrus and maybe that's why the Warriors are holding off. I like Posey's defensive versatility because he's an over-sized swingman similar to Sjax's body type... but ever since he got burned by Mike Dunleavy Jr. twice in 2003... I lost respect for him. He got burned on a pump fake from the baseline and he also got crossed up. For shame... Actually, that was at a time when Dunleavy Jr. had a chance to pan out because he could be crafty, fluid with the ball, just nobody knew at the time that he couldn't shoot that well in general.

Going back to Pietrus: If we keep him I hope the coach uses him as a defender against shooting guards. But there's no guarantee of that in Don Nelson ball, just like there's no guarantee of this guy not making stupid fouls only minutes apart from the last stupid foul.

 

Interesting. So Pietrus is all hustle and no flow?

I think the Warriors should keep him, but I also can see why they don't want to spend too much money on him. I often cringe when Pietrus has the ball on offense, he just does weird things that aren't consistient.

 

It seems to me that Mullin is learning the GM game. And is playing it just right letting the market dictate MP's value. It almost seems like they feel the WArriors should accomadte any sign and trade deal. Looking at Miami, dallas or cle, i dont know anyone on that roster that makes sense and i would want in return if MP still wants an MLE type deal.

I would like to see them resign him, though i agree with Cus, the guy is a loyal WArrior guy and hopefully he takes our qualifying offer.

Good news again. Memphis interested in BArnes.... sign barnes sign.

 

I appreciate that he wants to stay here, but unfortunately for him, dumb moves and mistakes don't win you basketball games. I really hope him the best with future teams, but I don't want to re-sign Pietrus when we could get someone better instead.

 

I think if he comes cheap enough it's worth resigning him because we know there are no personality issues, and the longer he stays in the system, the more likely he'll learn bits and pieces of it.

 

I have no problem resigning him at a bargain price. I DO have a problem with doing a sign and trade if we dont get something better in return and/or our cap room gets eaten up. For instance if the Heat offered Jason Williams, personally I would rather keep Pietrus for the same price. I actually like Pietrus' athleticism and hustle. And when he knocks down that corner 3 he is money...

 

I agree, there's no way I'd want Jason Williams. Better to let Piety walk and save the cap room.

But, frankly I'm surprised that Pietrus can't seem to find anyone to offer him a reasonable deal. I remember when he was a hot prospect a few years back, lol. Now, he can't even get 3 mils? I would feel sorry for the guy if his best option ends up being the one year offer for 3.5 mils from GS.

But, you can't fault Mullin. That's the nature of the game, and he's showing that he's learning. A few years back he would've thrown a 5 year deal, ala Derek Fisher, at Pietrus. Now, he's waiting it out. SMART.

As far as Posey, I'd rather try to get Haslem somehow, but I guess the Heat wouldn't want to do that. Posey is supposed to be a good defender, and he could help with rebounding, yeah?

Still, I don't think the Warriors should break bank for any mediocre player, be it Pietrus, Barnes, Posey, Jason Williams, etc. Better to hold the cards close to the vest and wait for a GREAT deal to come along. If nothing comes along, they still have a terrific roster and cap space to work with in the future.

 

Well, I think that the Raptors were one of the Top teams to get him, but we signed Kapono. I guess we went with reliable shooter over streaky SF. I would of loved Pietrus in Toronto, but I guess it is not meant to be.

 

Pietrus in Toronto would definitely be interesting. It would be as interesting as Jason Williams in Oakland.

I'm not a particularly huge fan of Jason Williams, but that guy can make some really sweet passes. If we got him we would be thoroughly entertained when he comes into give Baron a breather. Two flash point guards equals non-stop excitement. The problem is he would get in the way of Monta Ellis' development and he's probably just as injury prone as Baron Davis is right now (if not more).

If there's any Miami players I'd want to take on that might not be a problem for the rest of the future Warriors, it might be Wayne Simien. The major problem is the guy is injured a lot as well (even in college), but he has the type of body we lack at PF.

Miami's Antoine Walker could be useful (in theory), but I hate his out of shape body, the fact he's already old, and his high volume shot approach to the game. I've particularly disliked his free throw shooting ability (or lack thereof) and his infamy for being one of the biggest jackers of all time. Yeah I'm going to make 20 shots a game and only make 7 or 8 of them and basically take nothing but threes when our team really needs to score something more certain. Great versatility, a mostly all-around player but he's painful to watch when he tries to take over on scoring.

I like Miami's Dorrell Wright on paper, but I'm not sure firsthand how the guy would play.

I'd take Mourning or Shaq if all we had to do was give up Pietrus. LOL.

James Posey and Pietrus Swap is definitely something to consider should Sjax be on the block in the future.

 

Pietrus' two straight missed FT's and retarded "what?" face in the playoffs against Utah will haunt me forever.

UDONIS HASLEM!!!

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Now, there's talks about James Posey being a better option than Pietrus and maybe that's why the Warriors are holding off. I like Posey's defensive versatility because he's an over-sized swingman similar to Sjax's body type... but ever since he got burned by Mike Dunleavy Jr. twice in 2003... I lost respect for him. He got burned on a pump fake from the baseline and he also got crossed up. For shame... Actually, that was at a time when Dunleavy Jr. had a chance to pan out because he could be crafty, fluid with the ball, just nobody knew at the time that he couldn't shoot that well in general.</div>

Posey got burned playing defense on Dunleavy, Jr. in '03? That's really an anomaly.

What I remember from the '03 season was Posey being of the league's best defenders on the year. For a while there, he was the most valuable player on the Grizzlies because of his defensive contributions. He was like a stronger Bruce Bowen for them and really played an intrical role in teaching Shane Battier, arguably today's top defender outside of Artest, how to get in your opponent's head. In college, Battier was a great defender in the sense that he had a great heart, would really hustle, and he was generally fundamentally sound, but when he started playing alongside Posey, he started to be a lot less passive defensively and started initiating more and being more aggressive than his opponent.

The sad thing about Posey is that he lost a lot of his physical prowess the next season when he injured his Achilles tendon. Not only was it one of those nagging injuries that has followed him throughout his career, but when he got sidelined, he got out of shape quickly. When he was finally cleared to play, he was too lethargic to stop defenders from blowing right by him, so the Grizzlies benched him. That, as well as a similar situation involving Bonzi Wells, essentially tore apart that 50-win team from the inside and sent Posey to Miami, where he's been limited in his lateral quickness by both his conditioning and his nagging injury to his Achilles tendon, and as a result, has had to resort to stupid playground tricks to keep his defender from beating him off the dribble, like the ones he pulled on Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich.

Point is, Posey's not really that useful anymore. Maybe Pietrus isn't the answer, but I doubt Posey would be much of an improvement.

 

Ime Udoka might be a cheaper replacement for Pietrus, if you guys aren't very high on him anymore. He's supposedly the odd man out in Portland.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Posey got burned playing defense on Dunleavy, Jr. in '03? That's really an anomaly.

What I remember from the '03 season was Posey being of the league's best defenders on the year. For a while there, he was the most valuable player on the Grizzlies because of his defensive contributions. He was like a stronger Bruce Bowen for them and really played an intrical role in teaching Shane Battier, arguably today's top defender outside of Artest, how to get in your opponent's head. In college, Battier was a great defender in the sense that he had a great heart, would really hustle, and he was generally fundamentally sound, but when he started playing alongside Posey, he started to be a lot less passive defensively and started initiating more and being more aggressive than his opponent.

The sad thing about Posey is that he lost a lot of his physical prowess the next season when he injured his Achilles tendon. Not only was it one of those nagging injuries that has followed him throughout his career, but when he got sidelined, he got out of shape quickly. When he was finally cleared to play, he was too lethargic to stop defenders from blowing right by him, so the Grizzlies benched him. That, as well as a similar situation involving Bonzi Wells, essentially tore apart that 50-win team from the inside and sent Posey to Miami, where he's been limited in his lateral quickness by both his conditioning and his nagging injury to his Achilles tendon, and as a result, has had to resort to stupid playground tricks to keep his defender from beating him off the dribble, like the ones he pulled on Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich.

Point is, Posey's not really that useful anymore. Maybe Pietrus isn't the answer, but I doubt Posey would be much of an improvement.</div>

Thanks Voodoo, I'm not really up to date on Posey post-Memphis and Denver days, but I can almost testify that it was Posey's number on two clips that I've had where Dun pump faked Posey into the air and drove on him. The other was a crossover. In fact, I'm going to dig it up from my archive right now if I haven't already deleted it yet.

Found it. My memory did serve me correctly. It was a red headband wearing #41 James Posey looking very slow against one Mike Dunleavy Jr. I'm not sure of the actual date of the game, but it's definitely 2003-2004 year. Dun's 2nd year. Maybe something was wrong with him or Dunleavy was that good that particular game on two separate plays where he beat Posey's defense. Maybe Posey just didn't know how to guard Dunleavy at the time because he was still a new player. That could be it too. Pietrus also looked awesome driving toward the hoop in his first two years before everyone caught on to him.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Ime Udoka might be a cheaper replacement for Pietrus, if you guys aren't very high on him anymore. He's supposedly the odd man out in Portland.</div>

How is he different from Pietrus you think?

 

<div class="quote_poster">custodianrules2 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks Voodoo, I'm not really up to date on Posey post-Memphis and Denver days, but I can almost testify that it was Posey's number on two clips that I've had where Dun pump faked Posey into the air and drove on him. The other was a crossover. In fact, I'm going to dig it up from my archive right now if I haven't already deleted it yet.</div>

Oh, I'm not doubting you by any means. I'm just saying how crazy that must have been to see that, considering what a bust Dun has turned out to be and what a great defender Posey was. Like you said though, those were different days for MDJ.

I've been searching on the net for the longest time looking for a clip of a fight that Posey got into with Paul Pierce. I saw it live in the arena and then never saw any replays, so I was never clear on exactly what started it, but from where we were sitting, it looked like Pierce was getting so frustrated with Posey smothering him that he started to shove him. He used to be that kind of in-your-face defender; not so much anymore.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Oh, I'm not doubting you by any means. I'm just saying how crazy that must have been to see that, considering what a bust Dun has turned out to be and what a great defender Posey was. Like you said though, those were different days for MDJ.

I've been searching on the net for the longest time looking for a clip of a fight that Posey got into with Paul Pierce. I saw it live in the arena and then never saw any replays, so I was never clear on exactly what started it, but from where we were sitting, it looked like Pierce was getting so frustrated with Posey smothering him that he started to shove him. He used to be that kind of in-your-face defender; not so much anymore.</div>

Yeah, those were different days for MDJ indeed. I went from absolute hating the pick, to tolerating it simply because once a turd falls out of the butt there's no reversing it. You can only hope to flush it down and hope the smell goes away.

Actually, I didn't continue to despise Dunleavy Jr. after the 2004 season ended or even after his contract renewal. I just considered him one of the franchise jokes next to Adonal Foyle. Remember the 'ol MDJ for Mike Miller idea back in the day? I remember you hated Mike Miller so much and said he was one of the most overrated rookies of the year. I still like his game btw and wouldn't have minded if Jerry West actually felt the same about a MDJ for Mike Miller trade.

I don't have a clip of the Posey vs. Pierce fight, but I remember how Posey was often a very tenacious defender against both guards and small forwards. He doesn't really create his own shot, but he can score along the baseline and occasionally drive towards the bucket.

 

Pietrus to the Mavs?

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Within 48 hours, and possibly sooner, Steve Francis will sign with his next team. Odds that it's the Mavericks are low... Golden State restricted free agent Mickael Pietrus has an interest in joining the Mavs, a deal that would likely require a sign-and-trade deal, his agent, Happy Walters, said.</div>

Source

 

Golden State restricted free agent Mickael Pietrus has an interest in joining the Mavs, a deal that would likely require a sign-and-trade deal, his agent, Happy Walters, said. Walters said the Mavs are one of four teams in discussions about the 6-foot-6 swingman, who has spent all four years of his career with the Warriors. Fort Worth Star-Telegram


One thing i need explained to me. Why would the Warriors ever help the MAvs or Miami or any team that wants Pietrus, unless they are getting something they truly need or want. I dont get it. Why is MP or Barnes upset that the Warriors are not stepping up? MP wants to play for the MAvs..... but we have to take on salary to accomodate his salary demands for another team? I mean MP is a nice guy and all but why would the WArriors do this? To help out MP? To help another team?

We offered him an offer of what we thought he was worth. So i would think if we were to do any sign and trade it would be more or less for that same amount of money because that is what we would have to take back from that team if they didnt have the cap space which it seems most teams dont.

Wouldnt an agent inform their client of this?

Am i missing something or if no team is offering more than the offer tendered to him by the Warriors and say we do the same thing and offer Barnes a million a year, about what he is worth. Then the players both have our offer and it is up to them to find a better offer or basically end up backed into a corner. I just dont see why the Warriors would ever do a sign and trade, especially in conference, just to help the player out. Looking at Dallas's roster who would we want ? DEvin Harris that is all i can see or Miami , the only player i could imagine we would want is that WRight kid.

 

Pietrus can get $3 mill...and we'd match that...so at this time nobody wants their MLE tied up waiting on a deal that gets matched. MP's agent won't want to even deliver a $3 mill deal-letting us match that if he's thinking $4.5 mill or more. If any team would and could offer more than MLE---Pietrus would be a goner. However...the deal will fall between $4 mill and $5 mill and somewhere between is where the W's draw the line.

Dallas has 2 PF's I like in Fazekas and Mensa-Bonsu,but they won't salary match. Clev and Toronto really have squat as far as mid price assets.

I'd probe a deal involving Sheldon Williams. Jasekavicus,O'Bryant,Claxton + Solomon Jones might be the others involved.