What would you like to see the Warriors do in the new year?

Being a Warriors fan that has been unable to follow them much this season ? because of the fact that I work nights ? except through secondary sources like the internet, and highlights, there isn?t much I can add to your discussion of this Warriors team.

I do keep up with what they are doing, and have opinions on what I?d like to see the team do to make them a contender sooner rather than later, and wanted to see what other Warriors fans thought.

This isn?t intended to be a thread where everybody just throws out trade ideas that make no sense to any team but the Warriors, or free agent signings that will never happen. Instead, I wanted this to be a somewhat serious discussion of what the Warriors options are in the next 12 months that could change this team?s chances of improving the team significantly.

First of all, let me say that I don?t think the Warriors are that far off from contending in the Western conference, they have some solid pieces in place.

In terms of trades, I would seriously look to trade players like Clifford Robinson, Derek Fisher, Eduardo Najera, and Mike Dunleavy, hopefully with more than one of them together in some kind of package. Clifford Robinson is a good veteran power forward who can also play center, good defensively, and should have some worth to playoff contenders in the Eastern conference. The Nets are one team I?ve read about that might be interested in acquiring him. Trading Fisher won?t be easy, given the money the Warriors threw at him in the offseason, but he is a veteran point guard with championship experience and teams that feel they are a pg away from seriously contending ? or at least improving their team ? might be tempted if the deal is reasonable. I?m thinking of a team like the Rockets, who have pressure on them to succeed this year but have yet to do so, and need a point guard (and were interested in him before he signed with the Warriors). Another team is the Clippers, who need a solid pg to lead the team until Livingston develops into the pg they need him to be. The fact that Fisher played in L.A. and was part of the Lakers winning teams and a fan favorite down there might make him attractive.

In terms of who the Warriors should look to get back, I think they have to take a similar approach as the Jazz (or even san antonio). Golden State just isn?t a desirable place to play, and hasn?t been for many years, and therefore getting free agents often means overpaying?which the Warriors did. Therefore, the Warriors need to look to trades and the draft for good values. in trades, one group that seems undervalued is international players. For two years in a row the Warriors have drafted international prospects that were projected to go higher than they did, in Pietrus and Biedrins. While Biedrins has yet to play much, Pietrus is showing that the Warriors were right to take him when they did. Both could end up being bargains.

Any other ideas on players who are undervalued, either in price or by their coach/gm that could be availabe...(please don't limit it to international players, i was just using them as an example)?

With that in mind, when I look around the league I see players that could come in and play a back-up role off the bench for the Warriors in guys like Alexander Pavlovic or Gordan Giricek, who don?t have huge contracts and could potentially be available. Another player is Marko Jaric, who could play significant minutes as a back-up to Claxton (if the Warriors could acquire him with a fill-in like Rebraca, perhaps in exchange for Fisher, with the Warriors sweetening the pot with something else that would allow them to move Fish?s contract and bring in a solid pg).

As far as the draft is concerned, I think the Warriors need to look for a center and I see no better prospect for the Warriors than Andrew Bogut. If he is a legit 7?0, or just under - which is what most sites have him listed as ? he might have the most value to the Warriors of any player in the draft. He has a good frame, can rebound effectively, is a skilled passer and looks to distribute the ball, has reliable moves in the post and good fundamentals. He also has a refinement in his game playing on the international level both in junior tournaments and in the Olympics for Australia. He has experience of playing a year in college, and is currently in his second, and therefore wouldn?t have the same kind of problems in adapting to the NBA that other international players have had. If the Warriors drafted him he could come in and start right away, giving the Warriors a pretty good starting line-up along with Murphy, Pietrus (or Dunleavy), Richardson, and Claxton next year. It would give the Warriors help on the front line allowing the team some time to wait for Biedrins to develop without the need to rush him, and make it easier to wait out Foyle?s contract. From most of the accounts I?ve read he is going to enter the draft after this, his sophomore season at Utah, and is projected anywhere from the top five (DraftCity.com) to 18 (NBADraft.net).

Those are just some ideas I have about the Warriors, though I understand there are probably some problems with them.

Any ideas on what I?ve written, or ways you could see the Warriors improving the team in the near future?

 

The best way for us to improve right now would be to probably get rid of Dunleavy and Cliffy for a guy that is big and can play the post well offensively and defensively. You may ask why do that when we have Cliff, but the reason is obvious. If we could simply get a big guy like Curry or better, we could be a lot better. Part of the reason we lose close games like the one against Washington, is because we were out rebounded and didn't really have anyone to compete with Ruffin, and there are guys like him in this league that will not allow J-Rich and Murphy to get rebounds. So we simply get a good big man and let him score and crash the boards with Murphy and J-Rich.

The second way we could improve would be, to get rid of Fisher and open the backup spot to Flores. Watching Flores you can see he is a good athlete and for his limited playing time he can score, he is good with the ball, and doesn't have horrible shot selection unlike D-Fish. There would be certain problems with getting rid of Fisher, but we could send him to the Clippers or we could trade him to Seattle who were desperate to get him and would like to have him as guy to come off the bench and score.

The third and last way we could improve is that Cohan either starts giving the Warriors some money or sell the Warriors but have us stay here. Cohan has not given money and how Mullin has been building this team, we are running out of dough and going to salary cap hell, and if Cohan could give some more money or sell the team to some rich people who care about the team, the maybe we could get out of salary cap hell.

At this rate the third reason probably won?t happen, and unless Mullin wises up, the second will not happen. But hey we can dream

 

Oh yeah. Welcome goldenstatefan Always good to have more Warrior fans. PM if you need anything, and feel free to post info on yourself in the Warrior Fans Roll Call

 

I want the W's to KEEP Dunleavy! Let him do his thing ...

Trade NAJERA and Fish

Try to Get Zach Randolph if they can(And Yes I think Murphy and Zandolph can Co-Exist)


Have Dunleavy play Back-Up Point a lot more

and that's all for now I guess =)

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BALLIN IN AZGS:</div><div class="quote_post">I want the W's to KEEP Dunleavy! Let him do his thing ...

Trade NAJERA and Fish

Try to Get Zach Randolph if they can(And Yes I think Murphy and Zandolph can Co-Exist)


Have Dunleavy play Back-Up Point a lot more

and that's all for now I guess =)</div>


Like Portland is dumb enough to get rid of Randolph

 

^^ He's on the Trading Block ...

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

 

<u>General Grumblings</u>
My first wish is for Cohan to sell the team to Larry Ellison. Ellison is looking to buy a pro team, but unfortunately Cohan isn't looking to sell. For those that don't know who he is, Ellison's the CEO/founder of Oracle and worth roughly 19 billion. But, the best part is that he's of the same mold as Mark Cuban and Richard Branson.

Now the common misconception is that Cohan is tight with money, but he really isn't. The fact that he signed Jamison to the max and gave huge contracts to Fortson, Foyle, Fisher, Murphy, and Richardson says otherwise. The problem is that he just doesn't surround himself with good basketball people. I've never been a fan of COO Robert Rowell, I think he's consistently made bad basketball decisions in terms of what coaches/GM's to hire and fire and which players to keep. I would say that it's a good thing that Mullin is now making the basketball decisions, but unfortunately, I haven't agreed with a single decision he's made since he's been VP of basketball ops (except for drafting Biedrins).

<u>Free Agent Moves</u>
Now as for the team, chemistry is the most underrated quality in a team. I know from reading other threads that a lot of people on this board agree with me. So the one thing I'd like to see the Warriors do is sit on their hands for a change. I want Mullin to stop listening to the media and stick with his guns. He made the decision to re-sign Foyle and Fisher (though again, I think those were mistakes), but he shouldn't compound his mistakes by trading away part of the Warriors core or future draft picks just to get rid of Foyle or Fisher.

I definately want to see Dunleavy re-signed, but I want Mullin to let the market set the price. Fortunately Dunleavy doesn't have Dan Fegan for an agent, so I don't think the Warriors will pay much more than 5 mil a year when signing him to an extension.

The Warriors have neither the cap space nor the trading chips to lure a top tier player to the team via free agency or trade, so the only way their going to get their all star is to draft one and develop him.

<u>The Draft</u>
The problem in the near future is going to be pg. Speedy is the best pg on the team, but he's injury prone. The fact that Mullin signed Fisher to such a big contract also adds to the problem, since Speedy is going to want at least as much money from the Warriors when he negotiates his extension. If I had to guess, I'd say the Warriors draft a pg (hopefully Chris Paul or Raymond Felton) and let Speedy walk.

Of course the Warriors need a center too (btw, haven't the Warriors' two draft needs been pg and c for the last 8-9 years?), but I'm betting the long term plan is to have Biedrins and Murphy at the 4/5.

goldenstatefan, you mentioned Bogut as a possible pick at c, but my problem with him is that from what I've seen, his skill set is pretty similar to Murphy's. He has a slightly better post game (actually a better comparison is a taller version of Kris Humphries), but not so much that I'd consider him to be a different type of player. If the Warriors did draft big, I'd prefer to see them go after...well there isn't actually anyone I'd prefer to see them go after. There isn't a true post up center in the draft. The highest rated post scorer now is Chris Taft, but I'll bet you 20 bucks he gets exposed this year and his stock plummets.

I'd say the best post scorer in college right now is Wayne Simeon, but he's a pf at best, basically a poor man's version of Elton Brand, so that's not really a good fit either.

<u>Conclusion</u>
So what does this mish mash of thought all mean? Well, here's the way I see things for the Warriors over the next couple of years:
Starters:
pg: Felton
sg: Richardson
sf: Dunleavy
pf: Murphy
c: Biedrins

Bench main rotation:
pg: Dunleavy/Fisher
sg/sf: Pietrus
pf/c: Foyle

Situational subs:
pg/sg: Fisher
sf/pf: Najera
pf/c: future pick or bargain bin veteran

Robinson and Davis will be gone at the end of the season. Hopefully Pietrus, Richardson, and Dunleavy will run an equal three man rotation at sg/sf with each getting 36 minutes a night. Biedrins and Murphy should form a nice tandem at pf/c with Biedrins guarding the opposing team's best post player, but that shouldn't be for another couple of years. In the meantime, the Warriors will have to get by with Foyle as the starting c.

The key to all of this is the lack of personnel moves. The hardest thing to do on a team that's down in the dumps is to not do anything. Let the team develop chemistry and it's own identity, and hopefully a star emerges to lead them. I think Richardson is emerging as that guy. He's never going to be on the same level as Kobe or McGrady, but I do think he can be on the same level as Finley in his prime or Michael Redd. Murphy should be a 17/12 guy in the future, and there's always the chance that Pietrus or Biedrins turns into a star as well.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BALLIN IN AZGS:</div><div class="quote_post">I want the W's to KEEP Dunleavy! Let him do his thing ...

Trade NAJERA and Fish

Try to Get Zach Randolph if they can(And Yes I think Murphy and Zandolph can Co-Exist)


Have Dunleavy play Back-Up Point a lot more

and that's all for now I guess =)</div>


here's the word on randolph, according to chad ford:

"However, Randolph is virtually untradable. Because the first year of his extension exceeds the 12.5 percent maximum raise allowable from the $1.8 million Randolph makes this season, Randolph has what is called a "poison pill" contract. For cap purposes, his contract is averaged out through the life of the deal. That means that the team trading for Randolph would have to be able to accept Randolph's average of $12.2 million in salary.

However, the Blazers would only be able to take back what he makes right now ? $1.8 million. Only a team with $10 million in cap room or a major trade exception would be able to make a trade like that work. Only one team, the Nets, qualifies.

This summer, Randolph won't be any easier to trade. He'll be a base-year compensation player and will have similar trade restrictions. It won't be until the summer of 2006 that the Blazers will have a real shot at trading Randolph. Considering that the Blazers didn't have to sign Randolph to that huge extension this fall (he would've been a restricted free agent next summer, the deal is just another in a long line of mistakes for the Blazers."

 

I stated it in the original post, that if Bogut is a legit 7-footer that i think he's the best fit for the warriors long term. the fact is almost every team has been looking for a center for the past decade, and very few have come along...just look at the drafting of chris kaman and rafael araujo.

I think Bogut has more to his game than Murphy, and he's much more versatile offensively. he has some similarities to Duncan and Divac in terms of being able to run the offense out of the post by drawing defenders an kicking it to the open man, and has solid footwork and reliable post moves, and can play the high or low post.

It's true that his game has some similarities to Murphy, and the front line would lack some athleticism - like the sacramento kings have suffered when they started Divac and Miller when C-Webb went down - but i was thinking more along the lines of 3 years or so down the line when the Warriors finally feel comfortable enough to have Biedrins as the starting power forward - which would make Murphy expendable - and the contrast in the games of Bogut and Biedrins would be somewhat similar to Boozer and Kirilenko (though with the pf & c, rather than the sf & pf). The defensive prowess of Biedrins and Pietrus, if developed effectively enough by the Warriors, could be devastating with a dynamic rebounder like Bogut, and his passing ability on the offensive end would reward the kind of back-door cuts and movement without the ball that a coach like Montgomery should be able to specialize in.

As far as the point guard position goes, I feel as though the difference between a top tier center is much harder to come by than a top tier point guard. One reason is because scoring point-guards are often the most highly rated coming into the league, and therefore can get overpriced...especially coming out of the college game that is dominated by point guards. I'd rather take my chances drafting center that could play on my team for the next decade than one of a couple point guards that may or may not be great.

I do not feel I am under-rating the point guard position, just that the current system of evaluating point guards by "draft experts" may be a bit flawed.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting wtwalker77:</div><div class="quote_post"><u>General Grumblings</u>
My first wish is for Cohan to sell the team to Larry Ellison. Ellison is looking to buy a pro team, but unfortunately Cohan isn't looking to sell. For those that don't know who he is, Ellison's the CEO/founder of Oracle and worth roughly 19 billion. But, the best part is that he's of the same mold as Mark Cuban and Richard Branson.

Now the common misconception is that Cohan is tight with money, but he really isn't. The fact that he signed Jamison to the max and gave huge contracts to Fortson, Foyle, Fisher, Murphy, and Richardson says otherwise. The problem is that he just doesn't surround himself with good basketball people. I've never been a fan of COO Robert Rowell, I think he's consistently made bad basketball decisions in terms of what coaches/GM's to hire and fire and which players to keep. I would say that it's a good thing that Mullin is now making the basketball decisions, but unfortunately, I haven't agreed with a single decision he's made since he's been VP of basketball ops (except for drafting Biedrins).

<u>Free Agent Moves</u>
Now as for the team, chemistry is the most underrated quality in a team. I know from reading other threads that a lot of people on this board agree with me. So the one thing I'd like to see the Warriors do is sit on their hands for a change. I want Mullin to stop listening to the media and stick with his guns. He made the decision to re-sign Foyle and Fisher (though again, I think those were mistakes), but he shouldn't compound his mistakes by trading away part of the Warriors core or future draft picks just to get rid of Foyle or Fisher.

I definately want to see Dunleavy re-signed, but I want Mullin to let the market set the price. Fortunately Dunleavy doesn't have Dan Fegan for an agent, so I don't think the Warriors will pay much more than 5 mil a year when signing him to an extension.

The Warriors have neither the cap space nor the trading chips to lure a top tier player to the team via free agency or trade, so the only way their going to get their all star is to draft one and develop him.

<u>The Draft</u>
The problem in the near future is going to be pg. Speedy is the best pg on the team, but he's injury prone. The fact that Mullin signed Fisher to such a big contract also adds to the problem, since Speedy is going to want at least as much money from the Warriors when he negotiates his extension. If I had to guess, I'd say the Warriors draft a pg (hopefully Chris Paul or Raymond Felton) and let Speedy walk.

Of course the Warriors need a center too (btw, haven't the Warriors' two draft needs been pg and c for the last 8-9 years?), but I'm betting the long term plan is to have Biedrins and Murphy at the 4/5.

goldenstatefan, you mentioned Bogut as a possible pick at c, but my problem with him is that from what I've seen, his skill set is pretty similar to Murphy's. He has a slightly better post game (actually a better comparison is a taller version of Kris Humphries), but not so much that I'd consider him to be a different type of player. If the Warriors did draft big, I'd prefer to see them go after...well there isn't actually anyone I'd prefer to see them go after. There isn't a true post up center in the draft. The highest rated post scorer now is Chris Taft, but I'll bet you 20 bucks he gets exposed this year and his stock plummets.

I'd say the best post scorer in college right now is Wayne Simeon, but he's a pf at best, basically a poor man's version of Elton Brand, so that's not really a good fit either.

<u>Conclusion</u>
So what does this mish mash of thought all mean? Well, here's the way I see things for the Warriors over the next couple of years:
Starters:
pg: Felton
sg: Richardson
sf: Dunleavy
pf: Murphy
c: Biedrins

Bench main rotation:
pg: Dunleavy/Fisher
sg/sf: Pietrus
pf/c: Foyle

Situational subs:
pg/sg: Fisher
sf/pf: Najera
pf/c: future pick or bargain bin veteran

Robinson and Davis will be gone at the end of the season. Hopefully Pietrus, Richardson, and Dunleavy will run an equal three man rotation at sg/sf with each getting 36 minutes a night. Biedrins and Murphy should form a nice tandem at pf/c with Biedrins guarding the opposing team's best post player, but that shouldn't be for another couple of years. In the meantime, the Warriors will have to get by with Foyle as the starting c.

The key to all of this is the lack of personnel moves. The hardest thing to do on a team that's down in the dumps is to not do anything. Let the team develop chemistry and it's own identity, and hopefully a star emerges to lead them. I think Richardson is emerging as that guy. He's never going to be on the same level as Kobe or McGrady, but I do think he can be on the same level as Finley in his prime or Michael Redd. Murphy should be a 17/12 guy in the future, and there's always the chance that Pietrus or Biedrins turns into a star as well.</div>

Well, as I stated it in the original post, if Bogut is a legit 7-footer i think he's the best fit for the warriors long term - because i do feel he can be their long term answer in the middle. the fact is almost every team has been looking for a center for the past decade, and very few have come along...just look at the drafting of chris kaman and rafael araujo the last couple years.

Overall, I'd say Bogut has more to his game than Murphy, and has more versatility offensively. A better comparison might be to a Duncan or Divac in terms of being able to draw defenders an finding the open man, and he has solid footwork and reliable post moves, and can play the high or low post. With some work, he could add a pick-and-pop game similar to what Brad Miller possesses.

It's true that his game has some similarities to Murphy, and the front line would lack some athleticism - like the sacramento kings have suffered when they started Divac and Miller when C-Webb went down - but that is just something the Warriors will have to deal with. The real aim of this is 3 years or so down the line when the Warriors finally feel comfortable enough to have Biedrins as the starting power forward - which would make Murphy expendable. I'm a big believer in contrasting skills, and the games of Bogut and Biedrins could be similar to what you saw out of Utah earlier this year with Boozer and Kirilenko (though with the pf & c, rather than the sf & pf). The defensive prowess of Biedrins and Pietrus, if developed effectively enough by the Warriors could be devastating with a dynamic rebounder like Bogut, and his passing ability on the offensive end would reward the kind of back-door cuts and movement without the ball that a coach like Montgomery should be able to specialize in.

As far as the point guard position goes, I feel as though a top tier center is more valuable and hard to come by than a top tier point guard. One reason is because scoring point-guards are often the most highly rated coming into the league, and therefore can get overpriced...especially coming out of the college game that is directed towards, and dominated by, point guards. I'd rather take a center that could play for the next decade than one of a couple point guards that may or may not be great.

I do not feel I am under-rating the point guard position, just that the current system of evaluating point guards by "draft experts" may be a bit flawed.

I agree with you skepticism of Taft, and guys like Petro and Andriuskivicius are several years of development and fans have no appetite for the drafting of long-term european projects in consecutive years. I am also not sold on Simien in the NBA, and if the Warriors were looking in that direction I'd rather they took Sheldon Williams.

I agree with your feelings about team chemistry, and I'm not trying to advocate changing the entire roster. I feel as though Mullin believes that the Warriors are going to have to lean on Richardson, Murphy, and (probably) Dunleavy for the next several years. However, Clifford Robinson and Dale Davis are not part of the long term plan for this team, and the contracts of guys like Fisher and Najera are of a size where a team that isn't in the playoffs is overpaying...but they are good enough role players to where a contender might want to acquire them.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting wtwalker77:</div><div class="quote_post"><u>General Grumblings</u>
My first wish is for Cohan to sell the team to Larry Ellison. Ellison is looking to buy a pro team, but unfortunately Cohan isn't looking to sell. For those that don't know who he is, Ellison's the CEO/founder of Oracle and worth roughly 19 billion. But, the best part is that he's of the same mold as Mark Cuban and Richard Branson.

Now the common misconception is that Cohan is tight with money, but he really isn't. The fact that he signed Jamison to the max and gave huge contracts to Fortson, Foyle, Fisher, Murphy, and Richardson says otherwise. The problem is that he just doesn't surround himself with good basketball people. I've never been a fan of COO Robert Rowell, I think he's consistently made bad basketball decisions in terms of what coaches/GM's to hire and fire and which players to keep. I would say that it's a good thing that Mullin is now making the basketball decisions, but unfortunately, I haven't agreed with a single decision he's made since he's been VP of basketball ops (except for drafting Biedrins).

<u>Free Agent Moves</u>
Now as for the team, chemistry is the most underrated quality in a team. I know from reading other threads that a lot of people on this board agree with me. So the one thing I'd like to see the Warriors do is sit on their hands for a change. I want Mullin to stop listening to the media and stick with his guns. He made the decision to re-sign Foyle and Fisher (though again, I think those were mistakes), but he shouldn't compound his mistakes by trading away part of the Warriors core or future draft picks just to get rid of Foyle or Fisher.

I definately want to see Dunleavy re-signed, but I want Mullin to let the market set the price. Fortunately Dunleavy doesn't have Dan Fegan for an agent, so I don't think the Warriors will pay much more than 5 mil a year when signing him to an extension.

The Warriors have neither the cap space nor the trading chips to lure a top tier player to the team via free agency or trade, so the only way their going to get their all star is to draft one and develop him.

<u>The Draft</u>
The problem in the near future is going to be pg. Speedy is the best pg on the team, but he's injury prone. The fact that Mullin signed Fisher to such a big contract also adds to the problem, since Speedy is going to want at least as much money from the Warriors when he negotiates his extension. If I had to guess, I'd say the Warriors draft a pg (hopefully Chris Paul or Raymond Felton) and let Speedy walk.

Of course the Warriors need a center too (btw, haven't the Warriors' two draft needs been pg and c for the last 8-9 years?), but I'm betting the long term plan is to have Biedrins and Murphy at the 4/5.

goldenstatefan, you mentioned Bogut as a possible pick at c, but my problem with him is that from what I've seen, his skill set is pretty similar to Murphy's. He has a slightly better post game (actually a better comparison is a taller version of Kris Humphries), but not so much that I'd consider him to be a different type of player. If the Warriors did draft big, I'd prefer to see them go after...well there isn't actually anyone I'd prefer to see them go after. There isn't a true post up center in the draft. The highest rated post scorer now is Chris Taft, but I'll bet you 20 bucks he gets exposed this year and his stock plummets.

I'd say the best post scorer in college right now is Wayne Simeon, but he's a pf at best, basically a poor man's version of Elton Brand, so that's not really a good fit either.

<u>Conclusion</u>
So what does this mish mash of thought all mean? Well, here's the way I see things for the Warriors over the next couple of years:
Starters:
pg: Felton
sg: Richardson
sf: Dunleavy
pf: Murphy
c: Biedrins

Bench main rotation:
pg: Dunleavy/Fisher
sg/sf: Pietrus
pf/c: Foyle

Situational subs:
pg/sg: Fisher
sf/pf: Najera
pf/c: future pick or bargain bin veteran

Robinson and Davis will be gone at the end of the season. Hopefully Pietrus, Richardson, and Dunleavy will run an equal three man rotation at sg/sf with each getting 36 minutes a night. Biedrins and Murphy should form a nice tandem at pf/c with Biedrins guarding the opposing team's best post player, but that shouldn't be for another couple of years. In the meantime, the Warriors will have to get by with Foyle as the starting c.

The key to all of this is the lack of personnel moves. The hardest thing to do on a team that's down in the dumps is to not do anything. Let the team develop chemistry and it's own identity, and hopefully a star emerges to lead them. I think Richardson is emerging as that guy. He's never going to be on the same level as Kobe or McGrady, but I do think he can be on the same level as Finley in his prime or Michael Redd. Murphy should be a 17/12 guy in the future, and there's always the chance that Pietrus or Biedrins turns into a star as well.</div>

I don't think keeping Dunleavy would be good for the Warriors. He is inconsistent and at this rate, he'll be a good bench player and nothing else.

 

Good posts. Welcome GoldenState fan

I think the Warriors need to continue to evaluate the draft like St. Jean did, but also to get an owner who has some sense of basketball philosophy so he can surround himself with the right personnel (Like Walker mentioned and I totally agree with what he said, except that I believe Rowell is more of a customer service guy than a guy knowledgeable about basketball). I also think Mullin needs to be more proactive with trades and evaluating the free agent pool more closely. I've been saying it before that players you wouldn't think were any good were emerging as either really good role players or definite starters and I wish they would have risked the budget on the guys I wanted than on Foyle or Fisher for six years.

The guys I wanted btw were Damon Jones and Chris Mihm. I would have overpaid them as much as Foyle or Fisher to get them too if I had to. There are some others, but I think we could have gotten stability, an excellent shooter, somebody to matchup with combo guards or really tall point guards and a promising shotblocking, athletic, scoring center that is still young and whose value was dropped low due to be buried in the center rotation on the Cavs and then not used much on the Celtics beause of Mark Blount. We weren't ever going to get stars, but if we could I would have definitely picked Steve Nash as the free agent to land. He's my favorite point guard, has great physical ability and he has the complete package to make a team better (passing, quickness, dribbling, shooting, size).

 

Ideally I would love to move several players and emerge with another pick in the mid first round. Our #2 may go to the Suns,that pick was termed conditional but what conditions? I'd like to have a #2 also. Biedrens,on this forum,is getting compared to a lot of very good tall white guys-but nobody has seen him play 10 mintes total. If he ever is as good as Murphy he'd be a good pick,but right now we don't have a clue. If I had those picks,round 1 are Bogut and Danny Granger. Round 2 I'd have an eye on Saleem Stoudamire and Pierre Pierce of Iowa. Bogut is not the dominant type like Garnett or Duncan but can be like Brad Miller or a younger Vlade. Bogut works on rebounding,is more agile and quick than he looks,has good hands,instincts and knows his range. Unlike the imported tall teens that are the fad,he played major college and, produced. Every few years there is a player who shows up among the leaders in a lot of categories and this time it's Danny Granger. He is shooting above 50% on 3's and averaging over 10 boards-a rare combo. 19 ppg plus for a 6-8 f real nice assists,blocks and steals. I think Granger is one guy who will quickly emerge as very good pro. Stoudamire is sort of an undersize Arenas,a shooting G who is quick and a scorer but only becomes a star if he can transition to point. The guy has been remarkable as a perimeter shooter,fired a lot of 3's and yet is still over 50%. Picked earlier,there would be fears he'd have trouble matching up,but as a #2,his instant offense woud be a plus. Pierre Pierce is a big point 6-4 or 6-5 with nice all around skills,a guy who plays a good team game and might polish his game enough to start in a few years. Given what we have as trade bait-and Warriors history-I kind of fear we might do a trade and come out worse overall. At least rookies don't pack huge undeserved contracts

 

Another pick that was really hyped was Marvin Williams, (his stock will probably fall a la Josh Smith last year). If Marvin clearly is the best player in the draft, they should certainly grab him, but smaller players like Chris Paul definitely seems promising despite the fact he's a shorty. We need a player with court vision and the whole assortment of point guard skills and leadership. This year's draft will certainly be interesting since we're bound to go pretty high. I would like to see either small forward or point guard addressed and they have to be candidates that are likely to be play nba man-to-man defense. I would like to have at least one point guard over 6'2 though since our entire roster is devoid of anybody tall enough to look over their defenders. It doesn't really matter that much, but I noticed it's a matchup problem sometimes when guys like Francis (6'3), or Nash (6'3) or Marbury (6'3) or Baron Davis (6'3) or Hinrich (6'3) are just dishing out assists and scoring over everybody. All these guys can take someone off the dribble too.

 

There doesn't seem like any impact centers in this draft, so hopefully we can use a mid 1rst pick round, if we have one this year, on somebody like a David Harrison type player or this year's Jamaal Magloire (a power forward playing a center basically).

 

I'd like a SG. Cheany is getting old and he won't be around long so we should get someone to help back-up Dunleavy and JR

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting REREM:</div><div class="quote_post">Ideally I would love to move several players and emerge with another pick in the mid first round. Our #2 may go to the Suns,that pick was termed conditional but what conditions? I'd like to have a #2 also. Biedrens,on this forum,is getting compared to a lot of very good tall white guys-but nobody has seen him play 10 mintes total. If he ever is as good as Murphy he'd be a good pick,but right now we don't have a clue. If I had those picks,round 1 are Bogut and Danny Granger. Round 2 I'd have an eye on Saleem Stoudamire and Pierre Pierce of Iowa. Bogut is not the dominant type like Garnett or Duncan but can be like Brad Miller or a younger Vlade. Bogut works on rebounding,is more agile and quick than he looks,has good hands,instincts and knows his range. Unlike the imported tall teens that are the fad,he played major college and, produced. Every few years there is a player who shows up among the leaders in a lot of categories and this time it's Danny Granger. He is shooting above 50% on 3's and averaging over 10 boards-a rare combo. 19 ppg plus for a 6-8 f real nice assists,blocks and steals. I think Granger is one guy who will quickly emerge as very good pro. Stoudamire is sort of an undersize Arenas,a shooting G who is quick and a scorer but only becomes a star if he can transition to point. The guy has been remarkable as a perimeter shooter,fired a lot of 3's and yet is still over 50%. Picked earlier,there would be fears he'd have trouble matching up,but as a #2,his instant offense woud be a plus. Pierre Pierce is a big point 6-4 or 6-5 with nice all around skills,a guy who plays a good team game and might polish his game enough to start in a few years. Given what we have as trade bait-and Warriors history-I kind of fear we might do a trade and come out worse overall. At least rookies don't pack huge undeserved contracts</div>
Also factor in mental makeup and attitude. The warriors have been scarred by the likes of Spree and Cwebb. If we don't get the player we want initially, I pray we don't get a safe pick unless it's a player that's decent on both ends of the floor. Also the problem with some of these young internationals and high schoolers is they take a while to develop or their defensive game isn't there because they lack the strength to compete. And as always with the warriors, we end up drafting good players, but never have the franchise level talent or the bargaining power to put together the pieces that fit. Dun and Murphy, for instance prove they don't fit well defensively and do the same things on offensive practically. Other teams always look down on the Warriors management because we're always in need of so many things (expiring contracts, veterans that are actually good, we have no bargaining power when it comes to vets and good FA's). They also know if we keep a rookie for 3 years, some other team gets a trained nba pro ready to go when they make them an offer and we don't match or we give up on them entirely. It's also why I think Mullin is going to hold on to Dun for a while despite our talent level was much better with the Jamison, Murphy, Dampier, Richardson, Arenas roster, which did not fit well as a team. It was like Arizona's team right now. Lots of stars, all one-on-one play and no good ball movement. Until we get at least three good passers on the team with at least two people with above average court vision, Dun is probably our best bet, which is sad. Pietrus needs to really get better in every way because I don't how much more I can take of this unathletic, get beat silly in transition and off the drive, ole' defense. Make it at least so Murph is the worst defender out there because he's tolerable. He's not likely to get knocked around like a rag doll even though he'll get beat on the weakside.

 

I was fairly high on Chris Paul-but saw FLA ST spank them with FSU's little point G dominating the game while Paul chucked an airball and then fouled out pointlessly. A guy who IS for real-Sheldon Williams. More polish and consistancy than young M Williams,gets RESULTS-like big time rebound-shot block numbers. For 260+ is quick on his feet,and he knows where his game is. He also is not the type who's big dream is to be a cartoon pimp,nor is he one of the self centered airheads who can do a circus dunk,hang on the rim,and make faces. Is he a center? Not in the sense of being 7-1 obviously,but he will get rebounds and be a plus on D. If next year Murphy + Sheldon W were the 4+5 guys,we'd probably see 30pt,20rbd from them combined even if neither is a classic center. Bogut is perhaps the best option,he is taller. How will his game translate to the NBA? Sheldon Williams jumps quicker,and from what I see,higher,so I was seeing him sort of as a bigger Charles Barkley. How big was Barkley? Big Enough.

 

saw granger play last night..... not all that impressed with him.... i know it is just one game.... but marcus slaughter holds more promise if you ask me.... of course he is a sophmore ... i dont think he is nba ready either.... granger has been experiencing some hip problems similar to chris walton

one thing bogut ..... should be mentioned he is leading the ncaa in shooting percentage at nearly 70%.... i think based on who is available and the warriors current needs..... bogut would be ideal.... i look forward to seeing him in person this saturday vs my aztecs

i wonder what wilcox will command compated to dunleavy this off season....

i agree that we should more or less do nothing for a change.... at least with the core... and let them grow....

i can't believe the warriors preferred luis flores over dan dickou...amazing..... the way he is playing fisher wouldnt see the floor ....a true blessing that would be.... then again.....pietrus plays well and yet the towel seems to get more minutes ..... who knows with monty

 

Wow cool updates guys. I'm more intrigued about Bogut since I keep hearing his name over and over. He's like this Australian center who is only a Sophmore right? 7 footer, lots of polish in his game?