The Warriors Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber By Jason Why? It's still Cohan. Larry Riley has not done enough. Yeah, he got David Lee, but he gave up two solid bench players and a potential young star. Not only that, he contracted $80 M for six years for David Lee which eats up what cap room we had. Sure he got Dorell Wright for cheap, but he may be a backup instead of a starter. He got Ekpe Udoh in the draft, who can contribute right away, but he's hurt. And Jeremy Lin will start off as a third string PG behind Charlie Bell. We will have to see how these guys turn out. The only sure thing is David Lee and we gave up too much to get him. We lost the offensive production of Corey Maggette, so David Lee will have to have an all-star year like he had with the Knicks last year. We also lost our 3-pt shooters, so we need a 3-pt shooter to replace what we lost in Morrow, Watson and Azubuike. Reggie Williams and DWright will help, but we will need more outside firepower. Maybe Riley thinks Vlade Radmanovic is the answer . As for the rest of the starting lineup, I think Curry and Ellis will be solid, but Andris Biedrins is a huge question mark. AB will have to deliver for the Warriors to beat teams like the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. The starters may be okay, but the bench is a huge question mark. It will help if Riley can get Tolliver and George to re-sign because they know the Warriors system. We'll beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, but without further improvement such as trades, we will be cellar dwellars again. In a nutshell, the Warriors really haven't improved much, if at all, since last year's 26 - 56. Last year New York was 29 - 53 when the East was still weak. Joe Lacob cannot get here fast enough to get rid of current Warriors management. Then we may have a chance to avoid being cellar dwellers again.
The Warriors Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber The loss of Corey Maggette was a positive. He isn't the type of player that contributes to team basketball. So, the way I see it, the loss of Maggette will actually promote more efficient and balanced scoring. Maggette's game didn't compliment the other players. David Lee addresses a major problem: rebounding. I don't think any of the players we lost addressed it as greatly as Lee does. Not only that, all the players we gave up in that trade had a lot of injury problems last year. Yes, I find it ironic and sad that David Lee injures his finger, but it seems minor and he should be healthy by the time training camp starts. The loss of our 3-point shooters is not a big deal. We have capable players that can shoot the 3. Besides, I don't like the total reliance on 3-point shooters. I'd like to see the Warriors score in a variety of ways, not just with the long-range. You know what they say: live and die by the 3. I don't think it was necessary for the Warriors to stock pile all these 3-point shooters anyway. I think a 3-point specialist like Morrow is much more valuable on a really good team. The Warriors are not that team. Basically, the loss of Watson, Morrow, Maggette, Azubuike, Turiaf, and Randolph is a net gain in talent, health (knock on wood), IQ, and cap/trade flexibility (even with Lee's contract). I agree that Andris Biedrins is the key. If he can stay healthy and produce like he did a couple years ago, we should be an improvement over last year. I don't think him being a question mark is an indication of current management's performance. David Lee doesn't have to play like an all-star, he just has to help the team win more games, which I think he will over what all the other guys we lost had contributed. I'm pretty confident that Joe Lacob will not be making any major moves his first year of NBA ownership.
Re: The Warrios Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber Lacob and Guber need and will get rid of Rowell, Riley and Nelson. They will start with a clean slate. That is guaranteed when Lacob has been a long-time STH. I'm pretty sure he's doing it on the QT already. I'm sure they got Lin and decided to let CJ Watson, a Riley pick, go. I think they floated a trial balloon, a false one like the balloon boy , about Mike Dunleavy Sr as GM. I kinda think they have contacted Kevin Pritchard to come in as GM. He's a former Warrior who can work with young talent and building a contender. As for coach, they may not make a splash and go with Keith Smart for the interim. As for president of basketball operations, I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything on that one, but it's guaranteed Rowell is gone.
Re: The Warrios Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber I think we're better in the short term at least and here is why: 1) Its unlikely the team will be as injured as it was last season. We had the second most total missed games via injury of any team since they've kept track of that statistic (which has been 3 or 4 decades now I believe). I know I sound like Fitzgerald here but seriously- last year we were a 26 win club with Azu out for the year, Wright out for the year, Biedrins barely played and when he did he was injured, Monta, AR, Turiaf, were out around half the season it seemed. Watson got fucking swine flu and even Vlad was shut down early. Raja played one game for us. We're already off to a bad start with Udoh, Wright, and Lee this offseason but it has to end at some point. 2) We'll get immediate production from the 4 spot. AR looked decent starting for us before getting injured but nothing like Lee's production. Dude put up 20/12 for NYK last season, he oughta be around there again this season. This is a position where we've had zero production for years. Now we've got a guy who is a monster on the PnR, shoots well for the position, one of the top rebounders in the league, finishes very well, highly efficient. He has his downsides but in the short term hes a massive upgrade in production. 3) Biedrins could come back to form. Dude had some very good seasons prior to last year. You forget how good this guy was playing with Baron and Jackson. If he comes back to form we'll be getting a solid starting C who rebounds, changes some shots, plays some defense. 4) Playing off of#2 and #3, this is a team that, on paper, will rebound well. Beans and Lee are both excellent rebounders on both ends of the floor. Rebounding has been our single biggest pitfall ever since we disassembled the Murphy/Damp frontcourt. Obviously that frontcourt proves it isn't the be-all-end-all to winning but it will help a lot. 5) Curry broke out around January/February if I'm not mistaken. We'll now have a full season of him running the show, being a stud, and hopefully being even better than the end of his rookie season. Oh and instead of having Tolliver and Maggette as his top weapons he'll be working with Monta, Lee, Biedrins, etc. barring injuries (see: #1). 6) New ownership, new coach, new GM. The coach and GM haven't changed yet but in my personal opinion they will be changed once Lacob takes control of the team officially. Even if the new regime doesn't translate into more wins immediately we'll be building toward more of a winning brand of basketball under an ownership that seems to have a plan. Additionally the team is in position to improve itself. We have expirings to deal at the deadline or we can go into next offseason with some money to spend, under new owners, and a team who has built toward a goal for a year. We haven't seen proof of anything but in my personal opinion I think Lacob provides stability and starts fresh with a new GM and coach from day one with a plan oriented toward the ultimate goal of winning a ring. I agree with you Jason that our team's bench and 3 point shooting got worse this season. But I think the upgrade at the 4 and, if we're optimistic, Biedrins returning to form will make us a much, much better rebounding team. That's a HUGE difference. The bench will be less talented but, again, I can accept it for this season if we're building toward a goal. If 3 year, $12 million deals for Watson and Morrow impede that goal then by all means let them go. They aren't core pieces. Let's assemble a good core, perhaps involving some of Curry, Monta, Lee, Biedrins and we can fill in the role players later. After all finding role players from relative obscurity has been the one thing the Warriors are consistently good at. Not to mention that once you get a stable coach/system and a good core of quality players in place its a lot easier to find role players who fit with them and look better because of the players/system around them. No need to bog ourselves down by spending on the bench when the roster and coaching situation is so unstable. I think Lacob has a plan but he also seems to understand that the decision makers will make the basketball decisions. Once you get a GM and coach in place then maybe they can determine if a role player is worth spending to keep. Until then, and until we've found a core that we believe we can contend with, lets remain flexible and efficient. In the long run our bench for 10-11 is somewhat meaningless. I don't think its the difference between contending or not for us. Hopefully the idea here is that we've got to find stability in basketball decision makers, install a coach/system that we believe can win, find a core that can allow us to contend, and then fill out the rest of the roster. And all of that is in order of how it should happen. IMO that means you keep the roster flexible so that you can pounce on that opportunity when a potential upgrade to your core comes along. Don't let the Morrows and Watsons prevent you from doing that. Keeping them isn't going to win us anything of relevance.
Re: The Warrios Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber This statement is based on your opinion. It's pure conjecture. The only one I think they'll get rid of right away is Robert Rowell, but I can't guarantee it like you. Also, my suggestion that Riley and Nelson won't be let go right away is because I think eventually Riley may be phased out or put in a lesser role (if he accepts it) and there is a benefit to having Nelson coach out the remainder of his contract. I've already explained this in other threads, but Larry Riley constructed this team for Nelson to have success with. If you're suggesting that it will be a total failure both from a roster and coaching standpoint, both Riley and Nelson need to go right away. But, I don't think this roster, if healthy, will be a failure with Nelson coaching it (for one last year).
Re: The Warrios Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber But this implies that Larry Riley has no plan, no vision. And I think that's false. What if Lacob agrees with what Riley is doing? I wouldn't be surprised by Lacob "cleaning house" but I also wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't do it right away. IMO, Lacob will benefit from inheriting the current team the way it is because it allows him more time to calculate his decisions for the future. Of course, if he already has a plan pending and all he needs is league approval to enact it, then by all means, he has my full support. My feeling is that Lacob likes what Riley has done and is okay with Nelson being here one more year to see if he can work magic like he did in 07. That doesn't mean Lacob can't hire a GM he thinks can do a better job. It just means he doesn't have to if he doesn't have anyone lined up for the job.
Re: The Warrios Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber Yeah, I agree, I think it's a knee-jerk reaction by fans (and some media) that an immediate overhaul will take place with everyone being let go. It's not impossible, but I don't see how it's a guarantee (and I don't see who is guaranteeing it). It's just too hard to tell right now. Frankly, I think that scenario was a lot more likely with Ellison, because he seemed rather eccentric and daring. But if anything, there's already a system in place that, if anything, the players are set to work with. Curry, Monta, Lee and co. are all ready to play for Nellie (like it or not) from day 1. Unless there is a sound reason to shake things up (other than just for the sake of change), I don't know that Lacob is just going to can Nellie to start fresh. The only person who I think is a lock to go is Rowell, because that's Cohan's little cronie, a guy who really has nothing at all to offer the league or the game of basketball in general. Just no reason for him to even be mentioned in the same breath with "nba," so yeah he'll be working at a bank somewhere or something. But Riley, Nelson, Smart, Silas, even Tom Abdenour, Fitz and Barnett, I don't see a reason to can them just to can them. Now, if Jerry West agrees to GM the Warriors, then obviously you torch Riley in a heartbeat, but who knows which people out there actually want to join the new Warriors movement.
Re: The Warrios Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Guber You obviously didn't read Robert Rowell's transcript from his future interview that I posted up a couple days ago ;-)
Re: The Warriors Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Gube http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/07/26/20100726phoenix-suns-amundson-lopez.html I would be pumped if we landed him. It would mean we would be pretty small up front with 4 PFs and Beans (who is borderline C size as it is) as our rotation but I would love nabbing him because hes the best big available and I think it would really solidify our rebounding. With Lee and Beans up front thats two work horses who crash the glass hard. Wright doesn't and Udoh is a question mark. Amundson would push those two and he allows us to keep up the rebounding intensity even when one of Lee or Beans is sitting.
Re: The Warriors Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Gube This isn't a great team, but it's more solid than last year's lineup, injuries aside. Lee at least gives Curry and Monta an inside scoring threat to play off of, which they did not have last year, and will take some pressure off of Andris. Maggette leaving is addition by subtraction. I think they probably win 35, with the range being 30-40. Still short of the playoffs but a good base to build on.
Re: The Warriors Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Gube Lacob or someone from the ownership group was seen with Riley at the team USA scrimmage. Also Lacob will be on Chronicle Live tomorrow. I wonder if he will make any announcements on the gm/head coach situation.
Re: The Warriors Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Gube I doubt Lacob can say anything specific until the NBA gives official approval of the sale, so he'll end up talking again in general terms like the other q&a's he's had so far. Approval should come by August or at the latest, September, so we just have to wait patiently, not like we haven't already waited years. I'm sure whatever transition management he has running is already doing heavy evaluations of the moves he should make. In the meantime, I agree with most of Run's points that there were improvements just with Lee and hopefully with a season with injuries being healed. I'd just like to see a healthy team this season regardless of the other stuff that happens, at the least it'll boost trade values of the guys we decide aren't worth keeping for the long term. I think we'll still fall somewhere under .500, but we'll probably at least be in the picture until the all-star break.
Re: The Warriors Don't Look Like They Made Much Improvement Except for Lacob and Gube This is the point where I would've like to have seen Larry Ellison get the Warriors. He had guys picked out like Jerry West, David Griffin, etc. to come in and replace the rotting flesh from the Cohan regime. Lacob and Guber may not be there yet even if they fully intend to clean house. They're playing it close to the vest, so we just have to wait until they take over to see how things shake out. Likely, we'll see some faces associated with the Boston Celtics.
