<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Much has been made of the Warriors torrid play in the closing weeks of the season. But is it really a good thing? We?ll let Good and Evil decide: GOOD: You have to be excited about the way this team is playing together. The winning streak really shows the potential that the Warriors have for next season and sets the stage for a potential play-off run. EVIL: The only thing the winning streak sets the stage for is another let down. This is the same thing that happens every year. Hapless Warrior fans look for any ray of hope they can find to convince themselves the team won?t suck AGAIN next year. When are they going to learn? The Warriors haven?t made the play-offs in eleven years. That?s a more than a freaking decade!!! For Chris Mullin?s sake, 16 teams make the play-offs every year. There are only 30 teams. More than half the league makes the play-offs and the Warriors are never one of them. That is pathetic! GOOD: True, that is a disappointing figure to consider. But the past is the past, why not look towards the future. Golden State has a lot of young players with loads of untapped potential. Pietrus is much improved. Zarko showed that he can bring lots of energy and Biedrins looks better every time out. EVIL: Untapped potential? Isn?t that just a nice way to say that they have talent but have no idea how to use it? Haven?t people been hyping Mike Dunleavy Jr.?s ?untapped potential? for three years? The same Mike Dunleavy Jr. who tapped his potential for a whopping 13 points per game this year? Yipppeee!!!!</div> More at http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_12524.shtml
Well the good thing is that we have people under contract this season, and Mullin has some kind of influence on Cohan to open up that wallet. It looks good so far. We don't have a fab 5 starting lineup, but we definitely have good chemistry, more passing, bball fundamentals, a humble coach who understands x's and o's, and we now finally have a true franchise player. I still wouldn't want to lose Zarko or Pietrus though to free agency. Pietrus, I've always said, might become a really dominant shooting guard as he improves his game. And Zarko is just nightmarish for anybody who has to guard him with his combination of athleticism, length, shooting touch, passing, and ballhandling skills. We might have to enjoy it while it lasts since if you're young and talented, you want to eventually start and go to the next level.
I especially liked this part, but don't take it seriously. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">EVIL: Tradable assets? Like who? Dunleavy is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Useless. The only team stupid enough to take on Adonal Foyle?s contract is the Knicks, but all their players either have terrible contracts and/or no talent whatsoever. Chris Cohan is too cheap to add any payroll in the off-season, so I wouldn?t exactly hold my breath for Michael Redd, Zydrunas Ilgauskas or even Mark Madsen to be sporting a Golden State uniform next year. And thanks for reminding me about the lottery pick. Two months ago we looked like a mortal lock to get Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams. But noooooooooooo, the Warriors had to put together a meaningless winning streak and are now staring at the #10 pick, placing them in the perfect position to draft the 21st century version of Todd Fuller or Chris Washburn or Cliff Rozier or whatever worthless stiff the Warriors are so fond of drafting.</div> and this part <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">GOOD: The Warriors have actually drafted rather well the last few years though, so there is reason for hope. Plus Baron Davis and Derek Fisher are each veterans with play-off experience, which should allow them to guide the team to success. EVIL: Yeah, a lot of good all that play-off experience is going to do the team when Davis hurts himself for the umpteenth time, then the W?s are right back where they started from. GOOD: At the very least, Golden State should not be as bad the Lakers. EVIL: Nobody is as bad as the Lakers. I mean, if Larry Bird was the Basketball Jesus, does that make Kobe Bryant the Basketball Anti-Christ?</div>
If we're going to go #10 in the draft, picking up a rookie point guard might be something to consider. There is a good chance that Baron and Fisher might both be hurt just like last season where three of our point guards all went down with injuries. Doesn't help that Fisher is in his 30's and might suffer some durability issues from all the wear and tear over the years.
I've raved on and on over my boys,Diogu,Granger,Sheldon Williams-and feared we'd gamble on Taft,Petro,or whatever guy who still needed a bunch more fundamentals or desire,or both to even look like the next Dampier-and Damp took quite awhile to really put togather a solid year-which was his ticket out. My boys have,I figure,been sufficiently underrated that at least one will still be available. I had hope earlier a deal could land us a mid-first pick and we then could pick G Green early,and get Diogu too. Unless Green breaks a leg or joins Al Qaeda,he should be gone by 9-10. The rookie Point G I still want is Salim Stoudamire. I see some rd 2 PG's like Filliberto Rivera as good backup pg material,but unless we somehow move D Fish,pre draft,I would not spend the pick on R Felton,who MIGHT still be available. As the 3rd pg behind Baron + Fish,he get so few minutes,he'd be like Flores,no factor,and some guys,when glued to the bench,rot. Round 2 I like Julius Hodge,NC St,who played PG,SG,SF,and was good enough to lead his team to upset wins over teams that were full of NBA prospects. Hodge,at 6-6,MIGHT,in time emerge as a real handy 6th man,sometimes an oversize point who creates a matchup we want. S Stoudamire,who some see as borderline round 1,was only the best pure shooter in the NCAA,and quite possibly the best pure shooter in many years. Since the scoring is based on the ball going in the basket-"best pure shooter" has to be good stuff.
Haha, yeah, much like Danny Ainge, I am in favor of tanking. But tanking is a bad business decision and unsportsmanlike, so I'm glad that the Warriors didn't purposefully do it. They could have played rookies more though, although it was really only Skita and White not getting off the bench. I like the Kobe line, too. He's a great basketball villain right now, unfortunately, and it's too hard to resist not picking on the guy. As far as the draft again, I agree that Taft and Petro are scary, but at 10, I think Taft is worth taking and trying to ship to another team thinking he's a steal. Other teams still like him and he's worthy trade bait. He could very well develop like how Curry did after not having his head on straight. Also, I'm thinking Salim Stoudamire will be gone by our 2nd round pick. There are probably guys there that'll be good picks, but it's still too early to line it all up. Gotta wait til the pre-draft camps, I say.
I'd be trying to make a deal for a late #1 to get S. Stoudamire,I'd be stunned to see him last to our #2...stunned and grateful. I'm kind of counting on the Knicks taking Taft. Mullin might use the pick in a package to get an NBA player he sees as a value,if he doesn't have a vision of an available guy being worth drafting at that spot,but the terms of rookie contracts are pretty favorable if the player develops fairly quick. Shika was a high #1 and his contract is ending,but he still is not close to being a regular. Lets say Shika does become a good pro in 2 more years,that does nothing for Denver,or us.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Zhone:</div><div class="quote_post"> I like the Kobe line, too. He's a great basketball villain right now, unfortunately, and it's too hard to resist not picking on the guy. </div> Yeah, it's funny how some fans think it was Kobe that broke up the championship Lakers. I mean it definitely was about two egos getting in the way of the bigger picture. Plus, the GM and owners that made the move felt it was better for the long term and that they would avoid risking a young star shooting guard opting out if they didn't make any move. So it can be blamed on Kobe to the exten at which he was going to opt out if he didn't get "his team". Still, without a franchise level point guard and shooting guard that likes to force the action, the Lakers needed that big man to put the ball in the hole, pass out of the double team, rebound, block shots, and fill up the lane. Shaq clearly made others better and he was like a point guard/playmaker because everyone collapsed on to him and he'd kick out and on the defensive end he takes up a lot of the lane and was pretty athletic for his size and extremely strong. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Zhone:</div><div class="quote_post"> As far as the draft again, I agree that Taft and Petro are scary, but at 10, I think Taft is worth taking and trying to ship to another team thinking he's a steal. Other teams still like him and he's worthy trade bait. He could very well develop like how Curry did after not having his head on straight. </div> I'll go with Taft. He seems like he could get up and down the court and be like a poor man's Amare Stoudamire/Chris Wilcox type player (more polish). I think he's a bit misunderstood as far as aggressiveness goes (I mean, look at Dunleavy), otherwise Mullin wouldn't even be interested in talking to the guy. I think Mullin likes him, but we'll see what goes on. Mullin definitely has Don Nelson influence and likes to look overseas for talent since there's a number of international big men that can do a lot of things well that our domestic guys don't really do, like play power forward and shoot from 20 feet out. I'd say Tiago Splitter would be up Mullin's alley, since he reminds me of a bit between Andris Biedrins type activity on the floor mixed with Pau Gasol's offensive game (better defense). I just love the idea of two near 7 footers that can crash the rim and guard the paint and beat their man down the floor. Problem is, like Biedrins, Splitter sucks at free throws. Taft, however, has solid numbers I believe. His vertical isn't nearly as good as Chris Wilcox, but he's supposed to be stronger than Wilcox and pretty athletic and fast on his feet like Wilcox. Oh and he's supposed to be more well rounded than him, despite not having as many moves in the post. Wilcox has close to like zero post game.
