<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>San Francisco Chronicle - Mickael Pietrus still wants out of Golden State, and the Warriors still don't want to trade him. "We quietly requested a trade prior to the first date on which he could be traded this season, and we've repeated this request many times," said agent Bill McCandless. "There are several teams who would like to acquire Mike, and several offers have been made. "We thought he was traded last week, but the trade was nixed at the 11th hour. Three days ago, Mike met with Chris (Mullin), and two days ago, Mike met with Coach (Don) Nelson, both times repeating the trade request.</div> Source
Didn't this past off-season humble Pietrus enough? No one wanted to pay him the money he mistakenly felt he was worth. The Warriors don't want to take any long term deals.
Why is he so unhappy playing in Golden State? It seems like the perfect place to play if your a player. You could shoot all you want and defense is a option basically lol.
I wonder what the proposed trade was? I would have taken whatever short term stuff we could muster so that Azu, Barnes, and Belinelli can get some burn. I can't believe this guy is complaining about offensive plays being run for him... this is all coming from the guy that runs over his defenders with the ball, frequently steps out of bounds on isos, and uses his pivot foot to attack off the triple threat. 'We're talking really un-fundamentally sound. Plus, he had to be told a lot of times by his teammates where to be on the set plays or inbounds plays because he just isn't paying attention or he didn't know the playbook. This guy is infuriating in his demands because he hasn't proven one iota that he is capable of doing these things for another team without making the same repeated mistakes. That's like a guy demanding to be taking calculus when its shown he can't even do basic algebra or geometry. Screw that, send his ass back to France where he can rely on his athleticism over there in that league. There's no upside with this guy like there was in his first two years where the belief was he could get better. He's just got no game as a defender, as a shooter, or as a creator.
Could it be that Mully is working on a deal with the Miami Heat to package MP and others to get Shawn Marion? Pat Riley said he was available after the trade.
The tricky thing about moving Pietrus is that Mullin only wants expiring contracts back in return. Do teams still think Pietrus is a good defender and a good enough player to give up anything of value for? Hell if anyone offered a second round pick I'd gladly take that. Maybe he's got less value in my eyes since I see him every night but I just can't see any teams giving up much to get him. I would love to move him for Rasual Butler. Hes not getting any playing time in NO and NO is desperate for depth. If they think Pietrus will contribute they would probably do the trade. Butler is a very good 3 pt shooter, very long and a good rebounder and shotblocker for his size. Hes sort of like Barnes but lower risk, more consistent outside shooting, don't think hes as tough though and depending on how much he weighs he may not be able to defend PFs like Barnes can. There's also some rumors about the Grizz shopping Kyle Lowry now that they have Crittenton. I'd love to land him as well. I've been following him since college and hes a very nice player. Hes extremely quick and athletic, strong, gets in the paint, tough as nails, great defender. Outside shot is inconsistent at this point and although hes a legit PG hes not going to be wheeling and dealing like Steve Nash. Other teams that could be interested in him as a decent player off the bench to hlep down the stretch or an expiring contract: Cleveland, Miami, Orlando?, Houston? (Chuck Hayes?), San Antonio, Denver (if Ron Artest deal falls through).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Beltramba13 @ Feb 12 2008, 04:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Why is he so unhappy playing in Golden State? It seems like the perfect place to play if your a player. You could shoot all you want and defense is a option basically lol.</div> Because he's not getting enough PT to bolster his stats so he could get a big contract in the off-season since he's only under a 1-year with the Dubs. I love MP's personality but his work ethic seems pretty sketchy. Like custodian said, if they can get an expiring contract in return, great, but there's really no upside in trading Pietrus unless it makes financial sense.
I like Run BJM's idea of getting Rasual Butler, but I'm not sure how good his defense is at small forward. He's sort of this guy stuck in between SG and SF as he plays less skilled at SG and plays way too skinny at SF. But time and time again the league has shown that players don't need to be good ballhandlers to be shooting guards. I mean there is such thing as moving off the ball and using screens and backdoor cuts rather than putting it down on the floor. That's basically what Montgomery tried to do with Jrich before Nelson came and Jrich did very well.
I'll take Ira Newble (expiring contract and great perimeter defender; remember what he did to dun) straight up from the Cavs.
How about Sam Cassell? Yeah, he's slow, old, not very healthy and makes people think that the planet is being invaded, but he's one of the league's smartest players and top midrange marksmen. He'll fit right in, too with the movement towards older veteran players like Chris Webber and Troy Hudson. And unlike Webber, Sam Cassell could be a head coach someday because he will actually keep track of timeouts. The thought of Sam Cassell as a head coach someday makes me want to store up as many candidates before Nelson retires. Because it will suck to have another coaching carousel that involves guys not ready to coach or not getting the players' attention and respect. All the love in the world to Musselman and Montgomery, but their players weren't listening and the GMs weren't agreeing or backing these guys up.
MP is the worst of both worlds, he's actually talented, but he thinks he's better than he really is, and we are talking way beyond just having confidence in yourself, its delusional. As CR2 said, he's got no clue as to how to play offense, let alone NBA offense. He's only been productive when he stands in the corner or is on the fastbreak (weak FT shooter though). He showed some flashes earlier this year with his pull up J but he does not know how to take them in the rhythm of the offense (unlike Monta). D? He's dynamic and can body up and is pretty good on the perimeter but, he's the worst off the ball defender (except for those rare blocks which are awesome) because he reaches and bails out the shooter and he turns his head and leaves his man wide open (remember Spurs where Warriors up by 3 with 2 secs left and he leaves parker alone to help on a drive?) Just not smart. I'd rather have a Harpring than Pietrus. Rasual Butler? Not sure. Marion? Pipe dream. He was pissed not being a main option in Phx, he would do the same here.
