Well when we drafted Mikael Pietrus last year, I was thinking ''oh god, a european project'' but he's shown me that he's going to be a very good player. This year we are at the 10th spot (11th last year) and according to the mock draft, we are going to draft Jameer Nelson. Now, as much as I like Nelson, I don't think we need another guard, because we are pretty collged up. A forward like Kris Humphries or Hakim Warrick would be very nice. I really don't care who we draft, I just don't want a Eurpean Center project. So who would you guys like to see the Warriors draft?
the big white guy from BYU, (saying if we get 15-25 in the lottery) seems pretty solid, maybe if he can put his bulk to good useeeeee in the nba. A draw back may be his age, he'll be 25 in a few months :x.......
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TheFuller:</div><div class="quote_post">the big white guy from BYU, (saying if we get 15-25 in the lottery) seems pretty solid, maybe if he can put his bulk to good useeeeee in the nba. A draw back may be his age, he'll be 25 in a few months :x.......</div> That's Rafael Araujo from Brazil. He might be a decent mid rounder. He ain't going to be a franchise player so him being 25 won't be that bad. It's the young 18 year old centers that will take forever to get bulked up because they don't mature and fully develop their bodies until they are in their early twenties or mid twenties anyway. Lebron and Amare are the exceptions because they're just man children. I'd go with Biedrens because first and foremost your big man has to specialize in defense. Araujo is just big and hasn't really shown me anything more than just being able to dominate weak college kids with that 280 lb frame. But I think Araujo will be available and the quickest to contribute right away. How about one of those 7'5 freaks they got in the lottery. They may be just another Gheorge Muresan but you can't teach size like that.
I think if we can get a superstar like Jameer Nelson way up where we are picking at, we should do it. My problem is this...Why is he lasting so long on these draft boards if he is that good? Could he not be that good? Could he be another Jay Williams? With Damp expecting to opt out and Foyle not liking Mussleman and probably wanting to go somewhere else, I think our #1 priority should be a center. I like the guy from CU. I was not impressed with the guy from BYU. Now if by a miracle we land in the top 3, I would settle for Okafor, Howard, or some other athletic PF.
Jameer is the full package in a point guard, but how much better can he become based on the skills he has. Plus size is an issue. Some also speculate that he'll be another version of Damon Stoudamire and he can't get much better than he is now. I just think we're overstacked in the point guard spot. I personally would love to have him in addition to a big man if we can't retain our big men this year. I was raving about him but we'll have to move Speedy or somebody just fit him in the rotation. Otherwise our need is getting a young big man.
I think its his size that's an issue. And some speculate his real impact in the league since basketball is about mismatches. If you can give me a 6'9" point guard like Dunleavy all he has to do is post up the smaller guy and force double teams. Jameer's biggest strength is his defense, court vision and speed. So basically we'd have to dump Speedy to make room for him.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting cArMeLo15:</div><div class="quote_post">Well when we drafted Mikael Pietrus last year, I was thinking ''oh god, a european project'' but he's shown me that he's going to be a very good player. This year we are at the 10th spot (11th last year) and according to the mock draft, we are going to draft Jameer Nelson. Now, as much as I like Nelson, I don't think we need another guard, because we are pretty collged up. A forward like Kris Humphries or Hakim Warrick would be very nice. I really don't care who we draft, I just don't want a Eurpean Center project. So who would you guys like to see the Warriors draft?</div> While I agree that the Warriors probably shouldn't draft a guard, I disagree about drafting a euro big man. Here's the thing: how long do guys come along who are over seven feet tall but very athletic not lumbering? This draft could have two to four guys between 7-2 and 7-5. I can't think of a single draft where this many HUGE prospects could potentially be available. Heck, I can't even remember a draft where two have been available. The Warriors already have a lot of "good" players. Drafting a guy like Humphries, Warrick, or Nelson would mean they'd be adding another good player. I'd rather have them take a chance on getting a guy who could be dominant. If they swing big and miss, so what, it costs them a late lottery pick. But if they swing big and hit, they get something that only a handful of teams have: a dominant center. There isn't anything more coveted in this league. Here's how I see the draft right now, assuming the lottery doesn't change anything: 1. Orlando: Okafor 2. Chicago: I can't see them keeping it because they've had their fill of high school big men, but no matter what Howard is going #2 3. Washington: Deng (he's a perfect fit here) 4. Charlotte: Livingston (I like Biedrins more, but drafting a euro isn't the way to build excitement for an expansion franchise) 5. Clippers: Gordon 6. Atlanta: Howard (home town prospect) 7. Phoenix: Podkolzine 8. Toronto: Biedrins 9. Philadelphia: Childress 10. Cleveland: Harris 11. Warriors: Perovic 12. Sonics: Nelson 13. Portland: Iguodala 14. Utah: Splitter Okay, first of all, I think Biedrins is going to go higher than 8th, its just that Atlanta will probably take the hometown guy in Smith, and the 5-7 teams are set at pf. Here's the thing though. I'm sure Chicago will trade the #2 pick if Okafor is off the board. Atlanta would love to trade up and get their other home town guy in Howard. Biedrins has supposedly looked awesome recently (apparently the Warriors are very high on him), and #6 to Chicago would look about right. I do think Deng will come out if teams keep saying he's the consensus #3 pick. I can also see Charlotte wanting to trade up to #3 with whatever team gets that pick so they can take Deng. He's clearly better than anyone not named Howard or Okafor, and given Charlotte's unique status as an expansion team, they're the team most capable of making a trade. For example, if Washington has the #3 pick, they could trade Laettner and the #3 pick to Charlotte for the #4 pick and an instant 6.1 mil in cap relief which would allow the Wizards to go after a guy like Okur. As for the Warriors, here's my wish list (assuming that Okafor, Howard, and Deng won't be around): 1. Podkolzine 2. Biedrins 3. Perovic 4. Splitter 5. Livingston 6. Gordon 7. Chiriaev 8. Araujo I'll understand if Saint is fired in the next week or two, but I'll really miss his ability to evaluate talent in the draft. Normally I'd say most people wouldn't accept a reduced role with the team, but Saint may just be a good enough guy to stick around for the draft. If he does, I'm totally behind whoever he picks. By the way, going back to last year's draft, my favorite guy was Lampe but I thought the Warriors would take Pietrus. I thought Lampe would go #5 to Miami and after NY took Sweetney I remember getting really excited that the Warriors would draft Lampe because the Wiz were supposed to take Hayes. I'll never forget Stern stepping to the podium and saying, "with the 11th pick, the Golden State Warriors select Ma..." and then he paused for what seemed like several minutes, "kael Pietrus." While I thought Pietrus was a much better prospect than Gaines, Ridnour, Collison, Ebi, Badaine, or any other prospect still on the board, I liked Lampe over Pietrus by about the same margin. That was actually a pretty annoying day in my life. If you recall, the Warriors had their draft challenge that year and a person would be randomly selected from the pool of people that correctly predicted the Warriors pick to meet him and Saint and tour the Warriors facilities. I decided to wait until the last minute to enter my selection because I wanted to hear all the last minute rumors, even though I thought it would be Pietrus. On draft day, I get stuck in massive bridge traffic on the way home from work, by the time I got home the draft has started and I missed my chance to sign up on the Warriors site. This is how obsessed I get around draft time, I even called my girlfriend while I was stuck in traffic and tried to get her to go home and sign up for me on her computer. I believe her exact words were, "That's stupid, I'm not going home just to sign up for a contest for you." I laid THE biggest guilt trip on her once I found out that everyone who picked Pietrus got to meet him (since there were only 5 guys). As you can tell, I have trouble letting go of some things...dammit... oh well, cest la vie. As you may also tell, I'm a big of a draftnik. You guys better keep posting during the offseason, because otherwise it will just be me talking to myself, and which would be pretty sad.
How did you think Petrius would be coming to the Warriors? Did you ever watch him play in FRANCE? I had not even heard of him when the Warriors picked him. But I was happy with the pick because our defense was so lousy last year. But then I thought, what is going to happen to Jrich? Especially if this guy does not play a lick of offense except for dunks?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">How did you think Petrius would be coming to the Warriors? Did you ever watch him play in FRANCE? I had not even heard of him when the Warriors picked him. But I was happy with the pick because our defense was so lousy last year. But then I thought, what is going to happen to Jrich? Especially if this guy does not play a lick of offense except for dunks?</div> I just spent a lot of time looking at nbadraft.net and espn Insider's draft coverage. I thought there were 10 players that were a level above everyone else: LeBron, Darko, Carmelo, Bosh, Wade, Kaman, Hinrich, Ford, Pietrus, and Lampe. I was also pretty sure that Washington was a lock to take Hayes from all the rumors that were confirming it. So I knew at least one of the guys would fall to the Warriors and they'd have to take him regardless of what his position was. I thought Pietrus would be the one to fall just from the rumors on who was taking which guys and Memphis was supposed to be in love with him. Actually its funny when you think that the last three years the Warriors have drafted one or two spots ahead of the Griz and each year they've taken the guy Memphis covets, (Richardson, Dunleavy, and Pietrus) regardless of whether they fill a need. The last couple of years I've been fairly on target with my mock drafts. Here's what I've predicted the last two years: 2003 1. Cleveland Lebron 2. Detroit Darko 3. Denver Carmelo 4. Toronto Bosh 5. Miami Ford 6. LAC Kaman 7. Chicago Wade 8. Milwaukee Hinrich 9. NY Lampe 10. Wizards Hayes 11. Warriors Pietrus 12. Seattle Sweetney 13. Memphis Barbosa 2002 1. Houston Ming 2. Chicago Williams 3. GSW Dunleavy 4. Memphis Tskitishvilli 5. Denver Gooden 6. Cleveland Butler 7. NY Wilcox 8. LAC Wagner 9. Phoenix Hilario 10. Miami Woods 11. Wizards Jefferies 12. LAC Borchart 13. Bucks Stoudemire The botched LAC/Cleveland trade screwed up everything though. Cleveland was supposed to draft Wagner and trade him to LAC for Wilcox along with Miles. That never happened and both teams ended up with players they didn't need. It also screwed up my mock draft, which is what was really important...
Wtwalker, I agree with you on drafting a 7 footer this year. I don't think there will be very many of those in a while. However, if you're looking at which center is going to contribute right away, it's better to go for a college center as most of these 7 foot uberfreaks are only 18 or 19. By the time they actually get strong or good, we'll probably lose them when their contract expires. On the other hand, any big guy that can touch the rim standing up and clogging up the middle can cause problems for the other team on offense and will force the other team to go perimeter. It's a toss of the coin between Perovic and Jin. I actually want the South Korean guy more because he's reported to have a better range on his shot, is still growing, is athletic enough to block shots, and most importantly, is heavy enough at 300 lbs to establish position to rebound and score in the low post. Korea's got some pretty tall dudes! This one guy in North Korea was like 7 foot 9, but because the communist north wouldn't let him apply for the draft, he never got in.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Wtwalker, I agree with you on drafting a 7 footer this year. I don't think there will be very many of those in a while. However, if you're looking at which center is going to contribute right away, it's better to go for a college center as most of these 7 foot uberfreaks are only 18 or 19. By the time they actually get strong or good, we'll probably lose them when their contract expires. On the other hand, any big guy that can touch the rim standing up and clogging up the middle can cause problems for the other team on offense and will force the other team to go perimeter.</div> I'm not looking for a contribution right away. If the Warriors can't resign Damp or Foyle, they can find a stop gap, like Rebracca, who can fill in while the draft pick matures. I can even see Murphy and Robinson starting at the 4 and 5. While most of the euro big men still need to get stronger, that's true of most big men, whether they be euros or americans. However, it sounds like Podkolzine is already strong enough. You also have to consider the "Gasol Factor." Everyone said he was a few years away from being able to bang down low, mostly because he just wasn't strong enough. Well...he blew that theory right out of the water. And I don't think its necessarily true that the Warriors would not be able to resign the guy. If Portland had it to do all over again they'd never have let O'neal go. Teams now realize that the old rule of thumb that you'll know if a player is going to develop after four years just isn't true for high schoolers. It's actually more like six years for high school aged kids. Guys like Kwame, Chandler, and Curry are going to get resigned because Chicago and Washington are afraid of being the next Portland.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Look at our ownership. 'Nuff said.</div> I am looking at ownership, and despite its other faults, I see an owner who has never let a first round pick walk without compensation. I suppose you could argue that was the case with Hughes even though the team didn't draft him, but they had Richardson waiting in the wings. I don't think anyone would dispute that the Warriors made the right call then, especially when you look at it in the context of what happened when they tried to resign Marc Jackson with the sole intention of trading him later.
So what do you think Murphy and Richardson's agents will do knowing that Cohan won't let a first round draft pick slip away. I'm thinking we're over the cap again.
I think Maggette's contract sets a pretty good baseline number for Fegan and the Warriors GM (whoever that may be) to use in negotiating Richardson's extension. Maggette makes 6.7 in 04/05, so I imagine Richardson will get a contract that would probably start in the 6.5 to 7 mil range, but would most likely not be over 8 mil in year one. Given that Jamison will be making 13.8 mil, even an 8 mil contract is reasonable. Murphy's contract will depend on whether he's asked to make the transition to center and is capable of doing it. If he is, he should get a contract in the 6-7 mil range, if not, it would probably be in the 5-6 range. I think Fegan and the Warriors GM will use a guy like Memet Okur to set the value of Murphy's contract. By the '05 offseason, NVE's contract will be off the books and Damp, if he's still there, will only have a year left on his deal. Even if Damp signs an extension with the Warriors he'd probably only be making a small amount more than he's making now, given that Brad Miller would still be making less than Damp in '05. Say Damp is making 9 mil in '05, his deal in addition to Murphy and Richardson's extensions will only amount to 20-23 mil deals. Just looking at Hoopshype, if those three players are signed for those contracts, the Warriors exercise their options on Dunleavy and Claxston, and Pietrus, Eschmeyer, and the Warriors '04 and '05 draft picks are on the roster, that's a total of about 30-32 mil in committed salary for 9 players. They won't have enough to add a max player in addition, but they could add two guys in the 3-4 mil range and another guy in the 6-7 mil range. Of course if the Warriors don't resign Damp, they could make a play for a max free agent in '05 because they'd only have about 21-23 mil in commmitted salary. But we're really getting ahead of ourselves when talking about potential free agents and capspace in '05. The point is that the Warriors would have plenty of money to sign any or all of their draft picks now that they don't have to worry about paying Jamison, Fortson, and Arenas.
That won't be that bad if the numbers are in the single digit mils per year for Murph/Richardson or Dunleavy.
At this point Richardson is the only one that would come close to a 10+ mil contract, and I'd be shocked if he gets more than 8-9 mil in his first year. Dunleavy and Murphy should both get around 5-7 mil in the first year of their extensions. Now there's the chance that one of them could blow up and get an 8-9 mil contract like Richardson's, but I doubt it. Although I can think of worse problems for the Warriors to have than having two or three guys that merit 8 mil contracts. Unless there's a radical change in the next CBA, I don't think you'll see more than three or four guys a year that get 10+ mil a year extensions on their rookie contracts.
Interesting article on replacement for Muss Well, I could read it earlier, but I dont want to sign up an account for the Mercury. Anyways, it was about Higgins replacing Muss. Now everyone here knows that I am a die hard backer of Muss because he has gotten our group of players to play hard through the end of the season. Yes, he has made mistakes and has been stubborn, however, he is a young coach and I think he is just trying to mimick the great coaches like Riley, Jackson, Brown, ect. But after reading this article, I am open to Higgins replacing Muss. They did not mention Muss's screwups. All they talked about was how Higgins played with Mullin during the run TMC days, Jordan wanted Higgins to coach for the Wizards, and he has the support of a lot of players and GMs. If this is the replacement for Muss, then so be it. Good luck to Muss. Thanks for the wins the last 2 years, and I think that Higgins could be a great coach for us...
