I know this may be kinda early to talk about, but after next season I believe Dunleavy, Pietrus and Cabarkapa's rookie contracts are up. Is it possible to retain them all? Next season will be the deciding factor in who will stay but at this point right now who would you want to keep and who would you rather be traded? Ive been really impressed with all 3 at different points this season. If you were to ask me this at the beginning of the season Id say Pietrus>Dunleavy no doubt but now I think it might be the other way around even tho I like them both. I guess the reason why is because J-Rich has broken out so much this year while Pietrus has somewhat declined throughout the season. Alot of people thought Pietrus had more potential then JR to be a star(and he still does have great potential) but he hasn't improved like J-Rich. I know he was injured too before the season so that hurt his progression a little. Dunleavy I wouldn't mind keeping around(for the right price of course) because I think he'll be a solid role player. On the other hand I wouldnt mind seeing him traded if we could get another big because I believe we have another player on the team by the name of Cabarkapa who does all the same things Dun does, only he's more agressive. So if I had to choose one right now, Id say keep Zarko.. Maybe we can turn this into one of the time capsole threads and brings this up after next season and see how our opinion has changed..
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting UltimateWarrior:</div><div class="quote_post">I know this may be kinda early to talk about, but after next season I believe Dunleavy, Pietrus and Cabarkapa's rookie contracts are up. Is it possible to retain them all? Next season will be the deciding factor in who will stay but at this point right now who would you want to keep and who would you rather be traded? </div> Well, the W's picked up Dunleavy's fourth year option at the beginning of the year. And both Pietrus and Cabarkapa are only in their second year. Both were 1st round picks so they should be around for the next 2 years, giving the W's a good chance to see them grow. Tskita and White are both at the end of their contracts. However with about 17 or so games left it doesn't appear the W's have decided the fates of either player. I would hope that the W's pick up Tskita again since he's a big, and White showed potential while with the Nugs. This off season should be interested, especially with the public accouncements that the W's are looking for a big man. And with the play of the W's in recent games, not only will money attract a big, but maybe a chance to be part of something special in Oaktown. That's something that counldn't have been said up until February, but the Bay Area is just waiting to explode on the basketball scene. So hopefully instead of losing stars, we can attract one.
We've already gotten the key piece, Baron. We now need to only start playing together. Yes, a Duncan/Garnett/Yao would be nice, but there's nothing out there so forget it and move on. Let's not fall into the traditional trap of "well, we have a PG, SG, etc., now we need a C." Look at the Suns and Sonics, they've succeeded without falling into the trap and just getting the five best players out there who can outscore the opponents. I see the Warriors evolving into just that sort of team with versatile big players like Murphy, Biedris, Zarko, Dunleavy. So what if Stoudamire or Duncan can kill those guys individually, what's important is can our 5 players stop the other 5 players when needed? Can our 5 outscore their 5 when it counts? I say yes. Before Baron, the W's were just a lousy team, no ball movement, no defense, horrible. Now, there's an energetic team out there that shares the ball, understands their roles and are playing hard, and winning. The best news I've heard since acquiring Baron is that Zarko is a 1st round pick with Larry Bird rights attached. I thought he was a 2nd rounder who would be gone at the end of this year like Cardinal, Boykins, etc.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting philsmith75:</div><div class="quote_post">We've already gotten the key piece, Baron. We now need to only start playing together. Yes, a Duncan/Garnett/Yao would be nice, but there's nothing out there so forget it and move on. Let's not fall into the traditional trap of "well, we have a PG, SG, etc., now we need a C." Look at the Suns and Sonics, they've succeeded without falling into the trap and just getting the five best players out there who can outscore the opponents. I see the Warriors evolving into just that sort of team with versatile big players like Murphy, Biedris, Zarko, Dunleavy. So what if Stoudamire or Duncan can kill those guys individually, what's important is can our 5 players stop the other 5 players when needed? Can our 5 outscore their 5 when it counts? I say yes. Before Baron, the W's were just a lousy team, no ball movement, no defense, horrible. Now, there's an energetic team out there that shares the ball, understands their roles and are playing hard, and winning. The best news I've heard since acquiring Baron is that Zarko is a 1st round pick with Larry Bird rights attached. I thought he was a 2nd rounder who would be gone at the end of this year like Cardinal, Boykins, etc.</div> How in the world 'let's get a traditional center of pf who can post up and defend' is a traditional trap, when teams with no dominating PF or C went nowhere in PO? When was the last time that a team with no dominating PF or center ever won a championship? Even, MJ needed either Grant or Rodman to win. Let's not even go that deep. When was the last time the team without a dominating PF or C made a dent in PO? Kidd, Jackson and Mashburn line up went nowhere, Cassell, Allen and Robinson didn't do a thing and even our beloved run TMC couldn't go over first round. Maybe, it's bit too far for us to worry about what will happen after we reach PO, because we haven't made PO for more than 10 years. But, since it's quite hard to get any decent PF or C in this league, it is never too early to prepare for them. The worst thing that can happen is that we are drunken with regular game success, signs many players for a long term, get crushed in PO again and again, and realize that we can't do a thing because our roster became like Knicks roster and nobody wants those long term contract. Sure, guys like Duncan, Garnett or Stoudmire will get their numbers. But, if role players like K. Thomas, Howard, Harrington, Goog, Foster, McDyess, T. Thomas, Sweetney repeatly get 20 pts with 50+% fg from the field, there is a huge problem. If you don't think that those are a cancer that didn't spread yet, I don't know what else to say. Also, if basketball is played with 5 balls, putting better 5 players will be the answer to win the game. Unfortunately, basketball is played with one basketball, and because of that, having a superstar means a lot. I mean, we saw how rising Richardson helped our club this season. We also witness how Davis with out of shape body can change our franchise. If we hope to win other teams in PO, we must put some sort of resistance against their superstars, or they will exploit that weakness again and again unlike regular season. And, against superstars like Garnett or Stoudmire, not only they got their numbers, they simply had their way with us. If we allow those role players to have a career night, how do we expect to stop superstars, when it matters? I am enjoying this moment as much as any Warriors fans. However, this honeymoon will sooner or later end, and I don't think it's too early to prepare for the tough road ahead. Maybe, this team will be the first team that will go over the hump, unlike number of previous teams failed. But, there is a reason why teams without dominating pf or center desperately tries to get a big man, and the history is against the team without dominating pf or c. I can't predict the future, but I can look back the history and learn from it...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting UltimateWarrior:</div><div class="quote_post">I know this may be kinda early to talk about, but after next season I believe Dunleavy, Pietrus and Cabarkapa's rookie contracts are up. Is it possible to retain them all? Next season will be the deciding factor in who will stay but at this point right now who would you want to keep and who would you rather be traded? Ive been really impressed with all 3 at different points this season. If you were to ask me this at the beginning of the season Id say Pietrus>Dunleavy no doubt but now I think it might be the other way around even tho I like them both. I guess the reason why is because J-Rich has broken out so much this year while Pietrus has somewhat declined throughout the season. Alot of people thought Pietrus had more potential then JR to be a star(and he still does have great potential) but he hasn't improved like J-Rich. I know he was injured too before the season so that hurt his progression a little. Dunleavy I wouldn't mind keeping around(for the right price of course) because I think he'll be a solid role player. On the other hand I wouldnt mind seeing him traded if we could get another big because I believe we have another player on the team by the name of Cabarkapa who does all the same things Dun does, only he's more agressive. So if I had to choose one right now, Id say keep Zarko.. Maybe we can turn this into one of the time capsole threads and brings this up after next season and see how our opinion has changed..</div> Well, we only need to decide about Dunleavy after next season. And, if we still can't make a decision on Dunleavy, we can drag this thing by 'exercising' his 5th year, although it's much more dangerous to keep Dun that way. Same goes with Pietrus, Zarko and Biedrins. We don't have to make any decision for next two years. After that, Mullin really will have a lot of decision to make. First, how much Cohan will open his wallet? If new CBA is close to current one and Cohan decides to be an average owner, we will be in huge trouble. Current owner spends around 55-57 mils in average. And, after two seasons, Davis, Richardson, Murphy, Foyle, Biedrins and Fisher will take roughly 53 mils. If Cohan says after two years 'Uh Chris? Didn't I say that I will not pay the luxury tax?', then not only we can safely forget about any of our rookies, but we may have to trade our current contract for expiring contract. And, exactly who would want to get Fisher or Foyle's massive contract for expiring contract? So, if Cohan doesn't want to open his wallet in the future, we may have to trade Davis back for expiring contract, and that's something no Warriors fans want to see. If current CBA becomes kind to luxury tax, or Cohan decides to be a top ten spending owner, it will be bit easier to sign them. However, don't expect us to keep all our rookies, unless Cohan becomes a Cuban. Fortunately, we have couple years to decide who to keep, who to trade, which pieces work, which pieces we need and which GM is idiotic enough to take our bad contract. Let's wish for the best...
Kwan, I like your enthusiasm but jeez, we have a nice 15 game stretch and you are already thinking championship. Let's just get over .500 first, then playoffs, then championship. Yes, history shows that except for the Bulls, you needed a dominating center to win. Well, my take is that the future is different because of the paucity of centers around. If you've got one, great. Otherwise, find some other model to maximize your resources. The Bulls had Grant and Rodman. Well I think that our current roster of PF and Cs is something to maximize, not change, especially with what is available. Look, my feeling is let's learn from what the Kings, Mavs, Blazers, Sonics and Sons have done to turn around their franchises. Will (or did ) they win? No. But only one team wins each year, that's what, five franchises in the last 15 years (?) But they came close and were competitive without a key center. I think that Biedris, Zarko, Murphy and Dunleavy are a core to build around. Let's emphasize their strengths (ball movement, pick and roll) and not tear it down just to accomodate someone who fits a traditional "center." Watching Biedris, I'd rather have him any day over some retread like Curry or Dampier.
Philsmith has some good points about playing the team game offensively such as moving the ball, playing unselfish, and playing to each player's strengths (I'm assuming also defensively as a team) and having the coach use verstatility to allow us to exploit matchups in our favor to essentially outscore/outquick/outmuscle other opponents. I'm assuming Philsmith meant that we shouldn't fall into the trap of the neverending quest for the perfect power forward/traditional center and tear down a good thing we have going. I mean it seems out of reach now that we have no expiring contracts to land an Elton Brand or Jermaine O'neil (post players with solid offensive and defensive games) or any GM's that will pull an Allan Bristow type move with us. Plus playoffs aren't this year, it's probably next season barring injuries and then we have to figure out how to beat the teams who are giving it their all during playoffs and then reload. However, I think Kwan's got some good points that we should never settle for less, especially since inside defense/inside scoring is our biggest weakness. We have no inside player that can score 50% in the paint except for our power guards, although that could be fixed with Murphy's improvement with his post game. Still, he's one of the easiest targets on our roster to take the ball at. There's no intimidation or active defense in the paint and probably one of the major reasons why other teams have their way with us inside is because he steps aside or watches it happen thinking Foyle or somebody is going to bail him out. It's not going to be a very competive basketball when there's that type of matador defense come playoffs (knock on wood: that we don't count our chickens before the eggs hatch i.e. Hope we make the playoffs next couple of seasons to make this discussion valid). The reason teams like Pistons, Lakers, Spurs dominate is because they play a lot of defense as well as share the ball and have the versatility to run in the open court and play in the halfcourt set. It's probably a big reason why smaller run n' gun teams don't last long is because they've been running all season, getting tired, getting injured, but they can't play the type of defense to hold opponents so that they can actually have the choice to slow it down and control the tempo of the game. I don't think Biedrins is going to help out Murphy that much because it essentially means we only have one player on the floor to protect the basket rather than two. And like Kwan said to some degree, only one person can shoot the ball, but all 5 players have to play defense. Murphy is definitely looking bad unless he improves his energy/attitude on the defensive end and gets those hands up so he can attempt to alter shots rather than just let players fly in for the easy layup. Too many games when he's not scoring very well, he's been lethargic on every aspect of the game except for rebounding. If he's injured, he should heal up and let Dun go on a tear at his position until he's ready to play some defense even when he's not getting the ball. I'm not saying get rid of Murphy, but he's not looking good at that price figure... The fact that during the playoffs he'll probably be killed because our defense inside isn't good enough ... that is if we do make it next season to the playoffs, he'll be facing the teams with the best power forwards in the game and that could be a trap we face this season is that what we think it's simply good enough to have what we have now and not think about a long term plan where we could upgrade a position and not lock anybody else to longterm contracts unless they're absolutely key players. Bdiddy is a max contract. Jrich is very near the max. Foyle/Fisher are already hefty contracts because we had to overpay to keep/sign new talent. The question is will Cohan be a good owner and spend in order to win?
All I am saying is that we should prepare for the future before our roster become stone set. As much as I enjoyed this moment and I believe this team may be able to make PO, I also see serious flaws in this team as well. So, last thing I want to see is "Well, dominating PF and C are out there, but since we are rolling, we will just keep this team together." and weep when we hit the wall and see no solution but rebuilding. It took 10 years for us to find a decent center and Mullin let him go. So, I don't expect us to get a decent center for another 10 years. However, we don't even have a quality PF, who can defend other PF, who happens to be a roll player. Kings had Webber and Divac, Mavs have Dirk, Blazers had Wallace, Sabonis and younger D. Davis, Sonics had Kemp, and Suns had/have Barkeley and Stoudmire. We have none, unless you expect any of Murphy, Biedrins or Zarko will be those type of player. If you consider PO and beyond, I don't think they are a long term answer, unless Biedrins become a low post threat in both offense and defense. And why do i put a water when our team is rolling? As I said repeatly, we are not exactly in a good financial condition, and if we plan to change the direction and dump some bad contracts, we have to do it now when we have extra picks and attractive young players with their rookie contracts. If we ever sign those players for a long term, that's what we will have in the future, and if they happen to be the wrong answer, it would be extremely hard for us to change after that with all those long term contracts looming around. And, it would be much easier for us to get that dominating PF or center when we have attractive and talented rookie contracts around. You make a judgement whether Dunleavy, Murphy, Biedrins and Zarko line up will save us in PO. IMO, unless Biedrins turns into something special, I don't put a trust on them that those front line will bring enough stops in defense when its necessary to lead us in PO. And, once we sign them to long term contracts (if possible to begin with), it would be easier for a giant truck trying to make a U turn in tiny street than us trying to change the direction. And, most likely, we will abandon that truck and try to find a new one. And, if you think they are not the long term answer, the time is now to change the direction...
That's the point, with Baron, I do think they are the answer. Give them time. With respect to Dampier, I do not think he was the decent center to lead us anywhere. I watched him from the time he got here to last year and he played his butt off for one year, coincidentally his contract year. Yes he played Shaq pretty decently, but that was it. You cannot compare our core with those established players you cite, they are at different stages of their careers. This core is very young but the potential is exciting and what we have been missing. Biedris is a comer. He's displayed better hands, scoring versatility and rebounding in 10 games than I saw from Dampier in 8 years.
As much as I like Davis, he can't defend PF. In terms of offense, we are in pretty good shape so far. But, in terms of defense, we are not in a good shape to say the least. Currently, our offense is fueling our defense intensity. In other word, if our offense doesn't roll, our defense also may collapse. And, none of our starters are known for defense, except Foyle in some degree. And, how Dampier is not the center to lead us anywhere, when he already impacts Dallas in a big way and they are just counting on him to make an impact in PO? And, Dallas is quite similar to our franchise. And, he was very successful last year with a decent PG, who actually feed him the ball once in a while, and with our team, we can't find a decent post up presence to feed the ball in the middle. Also, what make you saying that he won't be the answer, when he already was a big answer last year and is a big answer for Dallas this year? When his presence alone in the middle made other guards to make second guess about driving to the hoop, when right now, they drive at will? Not to mention that he was able to minimize the damage against elite power PF and center such as Shaq and Duncan. And, unless we make huge difference with 2 mils per year, there is no freaking way Foyle with 8 mils per year is better answer than Dampier with 10 mils per year...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kwan1031:</div><div class="quote_post">As much as I like Davis, he can't defend PF.</div> Baron is never going to defend PF. Are you talking about Murphy? Because he can't really guard anyone period.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting J-Rich23:</div><div class="quote_post">Baron is never going to defend PF. Are you talking about Murphy? Because he can't really guard anyone period.</div> Nah, what I am saying is that adding Davis won't improve our defense against PF and center...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting philsmith75:</div><div class="quote_post">That's the point, with Baron, I do think they are the answer. Give them time. With respect to Dampier, I do not think he was the decent center to lead us anywhere. I watched him from the time he got here to last year and he played his butt off for one year, coincidentally his contract year. Yes he played Shaq pretty decently, but that was it. You cannot compare our core with those established players you cite, they are at different stages of their careers. This core is very young but the potential is exciting and what we have been missing. Biedris is a comer. He's displayed better hands, scoring versatility and rebounding in 10 games than I saw from Dampier in 8 years.</div> Yes, Damp wanted a contract. So he played good. Biedrins will play excellent in the future since he has no contract to build up to and wait. He just will play his @$$ off for any team. I love that type of energy
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting J-Rich23:</div><div class="quote_post">Baron is never going to defend PF. Are you talking about Murphy? Because he can't really guard anyone period.</div> Jrich23, that was funny! You pulled a Lisa Kudrow's character from Friends. That was pure Phobe Buffet-esque! I love you, man.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Jrich23, that was funny! You pulled a Lisa Kudrow's character from Friends. That was pure Phobe Buffet-esque! I love you, man. </div> Lol. Thanks. But once Baron gets stronger, he might be able to
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting J-Rich23:</div><div class="quote_post">Lol. Thanks. But once Baron gets stronger, he might be able to</div> More like he'll have to if Murphy refuses to play any D.
Hey guys, first post here. Sup Custodian. Work has slowed down so I decided to join this forum on your recommendation. This offseason as well as next year will be very important in determining the Warriors future. The next couple of decisions could either put us in a position to compete for a high playoff seed or just a spot in the playoffs. I feel confident that we have 3 positions settled for our future: pg - Bdaddy, Fish sg - Jrich C - Biedrins, Foyle. We need to honestly evaluate our forward positions without letting our emotional attachments get in the way. My first conclusion is that we can't possibly compete with the Western conference elite with Dunleavy and Murphy as our starting forwards. They are the paradox we must decipher. Both over-rated by some and unfairly maligned by others. I think the truth is that they are solid players. Nothing spectacular but solid players who are limited athletically. Although Murph rebounds with abandon at times he shows little effort in contesting shots off pick and rolls or playing help defense. That last game i really thought he should have been benched for the poor effort on his part. He has no post game, gets his shot blocked inside more than any other player I've seen in a while, and shoots for a low percentage. Although he's not very efficient at the end of the day he's still productive and averages a double double, no small feat in the NBA regardless of how you get there. Dunleavy cannot create his own shot or opportunities for his teammates so his passing skills are underutilized. However he also makes a good number of bad passes. I'm not sure why this is because of his height, it may be because he never really gets someone off balance so they're in a good position to deflect the pass. In the Kings game he had like three to's in a row, Barnett was real quiet and couldn't wait to bring something else up. So for all his iq he just doesn't have the ability to create shots for his teammates. A good number are just back passes for a 3. And he has shown no propensity for hitting a clutch shot, and he's had a good amount of opportunities because cause of all the close games. Zarko has already outplayed him. But he also does some good things and I can definitely see him improving his shot in the future. I think he just needs more time to shoot than others so with Baron gettin him wide open looks he's shooting better. At Duke he got wide open looks and was a great shooter. But I definitely think his jumper can and will get more consistent. He already shoots a pretty good percentage and I can see that going up a little. His defense has also improved a lot and he's using the Duke flop a little less. I think Pietrus is the key for the Warriors to make the next step. Even through the Barnett hating(he even crticizes him after he dunks) and limited minutes I'm convinced of this. His defensive intensity is not the same as last years, he takes too many threes, commits turnovers, and just needs to develope more of an offensive arsenal. BUT!!! The things we have seen so far are his propensity for hittin a big shot(end of shot clock), defensive shutdown capability of the 1-3 spots, creating layup opportunity for others, rebound when he exerts the effort, and just making exciting plays like dunkin over Mutombo although he's prolly pushing 60 in real life. But he's not been given the same opportunity as Dunleavy to succeed. He has those games where he's had like 12 points in 15 minutes or like 10 in 12 minutes but Monty doesn't use him that much in the 2nd half. They've done a terrible job developing him and just handing minutes to Dunleavy. This makes no sense in a year the Warriors were eliminated from playoff contention early. Dunleavy has average stats and has made an average impact on the team in his starting role. Dunleavy can shoot better and improve on d but if we are satisfied with him as our future sf we are aiming too low. I think this slight is good for Pietrus though, it will make him hungry and work very hard in the offseason. I have faith that he will improve greatly and put to rest who should be the starting SF next year. Having a player with 1v1 def skills is very important in making a championship run. That being said I believe we go for the most talented player in the draft which will hopefully be Rudy Gaye. He can still be growing. He can develop an inside-out game and also be a shotblocking presence which is always valuable. If not then I think the Warriors will have to get a little lucky. Simien, Diogu, Shelden, Villanueva, Boone, and Taft. Chances are some of these guys will bust and one or two may become stars. I can't see all of them being busts. We just need to get lucky that we choose the right one which is not an easy task because some of them are so young and have raw skills. I didn't mention any euros because honestly I think we have enough as it is. In general we also need to acknowledge the defensive shortcomings on some of our players and give them roles off the bench, albeit big ones. That way they can come in a be effective offensively while not hurting us too much on defense. Our interior defense is laughable at times and thats what will matter if when we do get into the playoffs. Having Murph and Zarko come off the bench and produce puts them in a very good position to succeed without their defensive liabilities marring their contribution. Also eventually I would get rid of Monty and put Elie in the top spot. He doesn't know how to manage a game and has yet to understand and even manipulate all the runs in the NBA game. With him in charge Baron has too much power, we need someone with a strong personality to be able to check Baron when the time comes. The Warriors take waaay too many three pointers and lack effort on the defenisive end, especially against the pick and roll. But Monty has done nothing to address it. This would be my dream lineup for late next year or the year after: PG - Bdaddy, Fish SG - JRich, 2nd round pick?(Hassan Adams?) SF - Pietrus, Zarko PF - Gaye, Murph C - Biedrins, Foyle Coach - Elie I would trade Dunleavy for a veteran big man or sharpshooter. On this lineup his talents are expendable. I know this is a pipe dream because of how committed the Warriors are to Dunleavy and Murphy but to me this is the team that will have us competing with the West's elite. Accepting mediocrity at either our PF or SF positions will keep us from being among the elite. But I have a bad feeling we will do just that.
I think the key player the Warriors need to move is Murphy, not so much because he's a bad player but because he doesn't fit the style of play the Warriors have, and given his contract and time with the team if he stays he'll be starting. His athleticism is poor, he's slow footed and he lacks a lot of lift, and without much ability to get off his own shot in traffic is obvious. The games when he's not hitting his jump shot he becomes a burden on the floor. I know he's a hard worker and tough, mentally and physically, but I don't think it's enough to keep him. His stats look good, but the Warriors led the league in jump-shots earlier in the season - not sure if they still do - and the PF is not the player you want taking a lot of them. I want a PF that can play down low and score in the paint. And while Murphy is a good rebounder I think Biedrins and whoever plays beside him can pick up the slack in that department. The line-up the Warriors have can push the tempo, but also play in the half court...Murphy really can't play anything but the half court. He's not quick enough or skilled enough to drive at a defense the way Cabarkapa can and he's no where near the finisher Biedrins is. And his defense isn't that good, and PF is one of the deepest positions in the Conference. It's a position that needs an upgrade. Biedrins has shown he can play center, so I'm in favor of bringing in another PF and playing him alongside Biedrins. As for Dunleavy, I'd like to see him get the chance to start next year for the beginning of the season and see how he plays alongside Biedrins. Mullin will probably draft a big if he keeps the pick, so if Dunleavy doesn't look up to it, he can be traded to allow more time for the draft pick and Cabarkapa - who I still think is best suited coming in and playing heavy minutes off the bench as opposed to starting, as it would allow the coach find the most exploitable mismatch with him. But Cabarkapa should recieve 20+ minutes a game next year, based on what he's shown this year.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting goldenstatefan:</div><div class="quote_post">I think the key player the Warriors need to move is Murphy, not so much because he's a bad player but because he doesn't fit the style of play the Warriors have, and given his contract and time with the team if he stays he'll be starting. His athleticism is poor, he's slow footed and is jumping is poor, and his lack of ability to get off his own shot in traffic is obvious. The games when he's not hitting his jump shot he becomes a burden on the floor. I know he's a hard worker and tough, mentally and physically, but I don't think it's enough to keep him. As for Dunleavy, I'd like to see him get the chance to start next year for the beginning of the season and see how he plays alongside Biedrins. Mullin will probably draft a big if he keeps the pick, so if Dunleavy doesn't look up to it, he can be traded to allow more time for the draft pick and Cabarkapa - who I still think is best suited coming in and playing heavy minutes off the bench as opposed to starting, as it would allow the coach find the most exploitable mismatch with him. But Cabarkapa should recieve 20+ minutes a game next year, based on what he's shown this year.</div> Hey but dont you think Dunleavy's had his chance all year to prove what he can offer? Even when they were losing a lot he was kept out there. But I totally agree with you Zarko is not a starter. He's a great guy to come in off the bench and provide instant scoring when there's a mismatch.
Hey Jzblaze, welcome. I may have to break my reply down one piece at a time so I can come back to it later. But first, I agree with everything you said about not being shy in admitting there are aspects of the Warriors game that are mediocre to horrible, especially on the defensive end where we've let easy layups and scoring runs amount with very little effort to alter shots either because lack of communication, effort, awareness, or lateral movement. Emotional attachments and accepting anything less than 100% effort/skill on defense is a trap within itself as much as failing to have continuity in our roster (ex: I don't think we should trade Murphy even if we could for a player like Tyson Chandler since he's basically got no offense and is chronically injured more than Murphy gets). Since the Warriors have rediscovered/gained their identity after acquiring Baron Davis, they should try to keep as many players that made the team successful as much as possible... with upgrades made to improve the team along the way. The problem we have is wondering whether Cohan will keep on spending, will spending be wise so that we're not stuck in salary cap hell like the Knicks, and whether the new CBA allows more flexibility to go in the direction we want to. Right now some of us are in Jeff Van Gundy mode. Glad we're winning, but we're not as perfect of a lineup as we can be, so it's like we're never happy until we win it all (yeah, first things first, let's make the playoffs first...). If we keep Murphy or Dunleavy or Foyle that's fine, but if there's a way to improve our starting lineup so it's as tough as the Spurs/Pistons defense and alternatively plays a solid role on offense, heck we'll all be happier. I think Troy Murphy can improve his inside scoring game, that's not the real issue. I think the real issue is whether he'll pick up the intensity on defense and whether he'll be healthy/athletic enough to do so. He doesn't provide intimidation when guarding the basket, he doesn't alter shots the way an elite big should, and he doesn't play the best help defense when Adonal is getting outmatched. I do think Troy is great at what he does, providing solid rebounding, good hands and good spot shooting from anywhere on the court. And that's great to have, but not starting material when we do make the playoffs. If the Pistons still had Mehmet Okur at starting center/forward and not Rasheed Wallace, the game would have ended up differently for them because they could not stop the flow of points from the other team or run out as quickly (This is interesting: Murphy can run the floor well for his size, he just can't jump or move very quickly going laterally. Was this Jason Richardson at one time when it comes to moving laterally?). Anyway, it seemed that Rasheed Wallace's scoring was not that much of a factor in the game, it was his all around defensive game that helped out the team. So why are we so anxious and concerned after playing so well lately? I'll tell you why: It's like now we're pressured to go further to make up for lost time in the playoffs... to do this right, we're going to make the most use of this window of opportunity given to us before we start locking up players to compete in the playoffs for the next couple of seasons (unless we fail to make it for some reason, knock on wood). We see that Dunleavy is a glue guy (great courtvision, passing, a coach's son), a player who can do a lot of things, just none of them extremely well, yet. I don't even know if the guy is being used right or if he can compete as well as defensive players like Utah's swingmen Matt Harpring or Raja Bell. He's definitely not a slacker on D, he's just really slow footed for the wing position and that's a huge problem when you have murphy inside and making big $$$. "Who stays and who goes?" some people ask because it just doesn't seem to fit right now when your frontcourt is arguably either the slowest or the softest inside on the defensive end. When only one guy can shoot the ball on offense, it only makes sense that all 5 guys be at least average to above average defenders in order to play great team defense since everybody has to play defense (For example: Spurs: Parker, Ginobli, Bowen, Duncan, Robinson good to great defenders Pistons: Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Wallaces, good to great defenders). Dun showed signs of becoming awesome at power forward and decent in defending the post, but he'll have to prove he's the future starter to set the tone on both ends of the floor at small forward. That we'll have to wait and see and hope next season he can be consistent and then make the decision at the end of the season and let the market set the price. I just hope Mullin doesn't play favorites and that he lets talent and impact decide whether he belongs. Otherwise, it looks like hes' trying to make his own throwback to his time when slow athletes could be impact players in the nba (yeah cuz those guys could shoot from anywhere consistently and had enough defensive presence to outweight their lack of results on the defensive end). In fact that's the reason why I like the Eastern European players is because they are highly athletic, very long, and have great fundamentals with the potential to play great D. Not to bash slow wing/guard players, but I just think they're very limited in what they can do when the other guy they are guarding is running circles around them and swatting shots. Unless the guy is a beast in terms of strength or a guy that always runs at full speed, but plays smart and anticipates, or shoots the lights out at 50% and scores 30 points a game, it's hard to really fall in love with players that are substandard in the NBA level of strength, size, or athleticism. One of the three can be improved upon greatly to improve defense, but when you're getting beat, you better hope the other guy is fast enough to move out of position to help out (which Foyle is not anymore, Dunleavy isn't, Murphy isn't). You also mentioned Pietrus. He's a shooting guard, but plays so raw they make him a forward because a shooting guard is supposed to pass and act like a second point guard. He's got the most potential for a player who is often streaky and has really awful awareness in team defense and offensive sets. He'll have his moment to prove himself, just not now while Dunleavy is still the man being evaluated. We're already seeing improvement now, but he is an open court player and a one-on-one type of player. I also get annoyed by Barnett when it comes to his remarks on Pietrus or Dunleavy because he gets bombastic when it comes to pumping Dunleavy's skill and he's really anal when it comes to Pietrus. Pietrus is fine where he is for the time being with his delicate shoulder injury and the way he loves to drive to the hoop and go left. I gotta say I disagree with Monty being out. I think he was chosen to be the future Larry Brown. Okay maybe I'm over-hyping him, but I think he's a very special coach in that he doesn't let his ego come into play like other failed college coaches. He's a listener, a player's coach, and pragmatic about what he does. Obviously, a coach tries to win as much as he can, but he knows this is a period of learning where he must understand the competition being thrown at him in the NBA, he must know his player's game individually, and he must know how his lineups will act under certain situations. Now I find it curious that Monty would sit Dunleavy in the 4th quarters some times just like Musselman would. Same goes with Pietrus not getting enough playing time (but you could say shoulder injury is a major cause of concern as Pietrus will be a key reserve later on or a future starter). I think Monty is aware of what we are aware of, but there's certain front office politics that are in play and a committment to finding that balance of trying to win and have the team gain confidence, grow the team as one, and developing young talent to keep improving the roster for our own use or in a future trade.
