Thoughts on Warriors and the Playoffs

I have been watching the playoffs and it seems as if everywhere there is a former Warrior, or something like that, or maybe it's just me. There was Bobby Sura on the Rockets, Dampier and Avery Johnson on the Mavs, the Wizards roster where the only names you hear are Arenas, Hughes and Jamison. Then there is PJ on the Spurs bench with Greg Popavic. Danny Fortson is in there with the Sonics. Webber on the 76ers. And I guess possibly a couple of others. It's just crazy like that.

But what I wanted to say was that watching some of these games, I really see no reason why the Warriors couldn't play head to head with any of these teams. Watching the Suns game tonight really got me excited about the Warriors, since the Warriors were able to really prosper against that team. The worst part of this ordeal is that as my enthusiasm is rising at an increasingly high pace to see the Warriors play again, the calander says there is still over 5 months before the next season starts. Which is quite the damper on things.

However there is still the draft and the rest of the offseason to look forward to still. I personally like Rudy Fernandez a lot. http://draftcity.com/viewprofile.php?p=22# He would fit perfectly with Mike Montgomery as head coach. He is smart, a good shooter, a play maker, and pretty athletic/mobile. He definitley seems like a player that would fit in quickly. Also he's experienced such great competition, that I could see him jumping in the NBA and being a real quality player, relatively early.

The other two needs(which might be bigger needs) are kind of difficult to find and fill. I believe the Warriors will definitley need a defender in the post and most likely another defender on the perimeter.

I don't know, maybe the Warriors get lucky and can somehow get lucky and get two first round picks and bring in the likes of Rudy and Warrick. That would be a very good draft in my opinion.

Baron/Fish
Jason/Rudy
Dunleavy/Pietrus(Skita?)
Murphy/Warrick/Zarko
Foyle/Biedrins

I like that a lot! Wow...but anyway, this is me dreaming.

I guess we could possibly link Jason Terry to the Warriors, as the Warriors were in position to draft him, but decided to trade him/that pick for Mookie Blaylock, heh. And then Jeff Foster was drafted and traded by the Warriors in the same draft. Also there was Clifford Robinson on the Nets. And did I see Dale Davis? Anyway, you gotta get that Warrior connection or something.

Wow though...Rudy and Warrick in the same draft. If Chris Mullin could pull that off, then I will say that he were the best GM ever, hehe...

I think this is a good time to end my ramble. This should be a very exciting offseason for the Warriors. Hopefully it doesn't disapoint like previous offseasons.

 

Hey Clif, always nice to hear your thoughts.

I like Fernandez. Extremely highly touted just a year ago, his stock has slipped due to, in part, to injury rumors. He's faced a lot of competition (being on the Olympic team as well as being a major part of his team in the ACB league), as well as accolades, having been named MVP of the Copa Del Rey in 2004 (King's Cup Tournament for the Spanish League). Still, I'm not really sure if he'd get minutes if he were drafted by the Warriors because of Fisher; they like to put Fisher and Baron on the floor together so much, although that may change next season. Rudy's got a manageable buyout as well (at about $1.6 million) so that's not a big problem.

As far as his pure basketball is concerned, he's got great skills with a good basketball IQ. The major knock on him is his physical attributes, though. At 6'5" and 180, he's might get pushed around by the guys in the league. He's not a traditional high flyer, although he's been known to put down a few alley-oops and display a few flashy reverse dunks. Also, he just came off a recent injury, so he's been a bit quiet lately. Still, for a guy that plays sound defense and is as smart as him, he's being overlooked by a lot of teams for guys who haven't proven as much.

As far as Warrick, I doubt he'll last that long, but as you said, it would certainly be a nice dream. I think he'll be a good player down the line.

 

Dear Warriors fans,

Please tell me that Dampier has more to his game than what he has shown in the playoffs. Why do you think Mullins let this guy go? Can he be more than a guy that can get the occasional block and rebound? Does he really have hands of stone?

This is a note from a disgusted Mavs fan who was hoping to see a center that would actually compete against Amare. Maybe not outplay him, but at least compete.

Sorry for bringing up something that you might think is off-topic, but I am truly interested in all of your comments as Golden State fans and fans that may have formerly cheered for Dampier.

Thanks in Advance,

kingrex

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting kingrex:</div><div class="quote_post">Dear Warriors fans,

Please tell me that Dampier has more to his game than what he has shown in the playoffs. Why do you think Mullins let this guy go? Can he be more than a guy that can get the occasional block and rebound? Does he really have hands of stone?

This is a note from a disgusted Mavs fan who was hoping to see a center that would actually compete against Amare. Maybe not outplay him, but at least compete.

Sorry for bringing up something that you might think is off-topic, but I am truly interested in all of your comments as Golden State fans and fans that may have formerly cheered for Dampier.

Thanks in Advance,

kingrex</div>

Well, if you want to see a better side of Dampier, he needs to involve in the game. And, in order for him to be involved, he needs to get some touches in post. For last few years, we lived with worse side of Dampier. But, once Jamison was gone, Dampier was basically only option we had in post, and once we fed him balls number of times, he got active, caused less silly fouls, and his production also went up. But, if that doesn't happen, it's most likely that he will remain rather sluggish, and pick up silly fouls more likely. It applies to all big mans, but Dampier is bit more serious than other players.

Mullin basically let him go, because he was angry that Dampier opted out of the contract after all those years of collecting paycheck mainly due to injuries. And, Dampier has rock hands, and there is no question about it. Again, only way to make his hands soft somewhat, he needs to be involved in offense, so that he can anticipate the pass coming. If you don't pass him for 20 mins and pass a bullet, it's more than like that he won't catch the ball...

 

No problem with the question, kingrex, we tend to branch out quite a bit and anything relating to the Warriors can't be that offtopic.

Now, for your question:
Yes, Dampier has more than he's shown in the playoffs - but he's not going to show it against the Suns. As a traditional center, he's best when he's facing a guy like Shaq and at his worst when he's facing a smaller quicker matchup like Amare. Back on the Warriors, his role was simply to get offensive rebounds for putbacks and blocks and rebounds on the other end. He also was our "outlet" option, since we had few 3 point players, when we drove we'd dump it to him near the basket. Other than that.. what you're seeing is what you're getting. Damp has always been prone to foul trouble on quicker guys and has always had hands of stone. Take a look at his career stats, especially his minutes and his fouls - except for his 2nd year and his contract year, he barely averaged 25 minutes a game. Further, he never got gave much more than an 8 rebound, 2 rebound, 8 point per game performance. The money he wanted was crazy for that kind of production. He only produced when it was a contract year, we got the ball into his hands, and he was healthy finally. What he gave this year over the season for the Mavs is actually better than I thought he would do for a team that saw him as the last option on offense.

If the Mavericks get by the Suns, Damp will flourish against either Detroit or Miami. In both matchups his strengths of rebounding, especially on the offensive glass, will help and his weaknesses won't be exploited. But, against the Suns? He's not going to give much more than he's shown during the playoffs against Amare.

 

I agree with just about everything said thus far. Damp really needs to get touches. He will not enough touches on a team like Dallas with great players and shooters like Dirk, Terry and Finley. He has the capability, but you have to run your offense through him. That will never happen in the NBA and he will be bored and pout all game long. That is why we did not re-sign him. If he was on our team at this point with Baron Davis, he might actually flourish, but how the heck can Dirk call out Damp if he does not get him regular touches? Damp can be a solid center and will be motivated to go for rebounds and play better defense if he can get consistent touches down low...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting kingrex:</div><div class="quote_post">Dear Warriors fans,

Please tell me that Dampier has more to his game than what he has shown in the playoffs. Why do you think Mullins let this guy go? Can he be more than a guy that can get the occasional block and rebound? Does he really have hands of stone?

This is a note from a disgusted Mavs fan who was hoping to see a center that would actually compete against Amare. Maybe not outplay him, but at least compete.

Sorry for bringing up something that you might think is off-topic, but I am truly interested in all of your comments as Golden State fans and fans that may have formerly cheered for Dampier.

Thanks in Advance,

kingrex</div>
Sorry dude. Dampy Drawers was in a contract year. He needed motivation to get some moolah.

 

Well with Rudy, you can have insurance in the back court. Right now there are only three and like a half guards on the team. The Warriors have Fisher, Baron, and Jason Richardson, along with Pietrus who might be the half guard, since he could probably get more time as the back up SF. And since Baron Davis and Fisher have been beat up in the recent years, off and on, I think having Rudy on the roster wouldn't be too much of a problem. Rudy probably wouldn't get a ton of time in conventional lineups. However he has so many skills, that if Mike Montgomery wanted to, I am certain that Rudy could find his minutes on the floor. He could probably play both guard positions, which is a plus. And like I said, he seems like a Mike Montgomery type of player. I bet Rudy could fit in one of the unconventional lineups like Zarko does/can. But that's only from the stuff I have heard. I would really like to see this guy play to see just how good this guy is. He seems like a winner, which is always good.

Hehe, last night Dampier had the worst hands I had ever seen. Well in the beginning at least. The Mavericks really tried getting him envolved at the beginning as about the first 4 or 5 plays were plays that had passes go out of bounds off Dampier's hands. He is definitley inconsistant like that. I also don't know why he is giving so many screens on the perimeter. It kind of ruins his purpose against the Suns. I think you would rather want Dampier in the post. I personally believe that a Dirk/Terry pick and roll would be much more productive for individual success and team strategy than if Dampier keeps doing all of those picks. Also Dampier is a very poor screener. He gets so many dumb moving screens, it's pretty bad. That's been part of his game for a long time actually. Which is why I would question Avery Johnson's decision more, when he decides to have Dampier setting those screens.

Just rambling more on that Dallas series, since I have Dallas going to the Finals(that prediction didn't look good last night), I think they lost a lot in not being aggressive on the boards enough either, which relates to what I was talking about before. Against the Rockets, I believe the Mavs got a lot of offensive boards, last night they seemed to be a little TOO concerned about getting back on defense(in general through the game), which kind of took away what made them successful in the previous series.

Avery Johnson is a coach that will make adjustments though. He showed that against the Rockets. He also probably learned a lot about making adjustments from Eric Musselman and Greg Popavic as well. So it will definitley be interesting to see how the next game or two comes out.

If Dampier isn't in one of his brain-fart periods, then I think trying to envolve him in the offense could be productive against the Suns. But if he is a brain-fart period, then it's probably better to take him out...Also it will help if he could stay out of foul trouble, as well.

Anyway, good luck Mavs...

And thanks Zhone for the nice words. I have become very favorable to this board lately, compared to the many other Warriors boards. I really like what is happening here, and I am proud to give my two cents to it every now and then.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, if the Mavs signed him to one year contracts every year, then they would have a top 3-5 C.</div>
Lol yeah.

 

Rudy Fernandez sounds a bit like Manu Ginobili meets Brent Barry inside Jamal Crawford's body. I bet the guy struggles hardcore on defense at the 2 guard position. The guy would have to gain 30 lbs just to keep up with most 2 guards in the league. 6'5" and 185 lbs is super light! A guy that is in-between is hit or miss... he could be too slow for the point guard spot and too weak for the shooting guard spot. Sounds a bit like our man Dunleavy who seems to excel more at the power forward spot than he does at the wing, but can't play power forward full time. We definitely need starters and not bench utility guys. Too bad Warrick isn't more of a small forward... he would be pretty awesome and would be perfect for what we're looking for.

 

Thanks for sounding off Warriors fans.

I think your team it not too far away from a playoff berth. They looked good with Baron at the helm, and even made a strong run at the end of the regular season. If you can get Troy Murphy back and healthy, then you will have a solid inside-out game to balance your offense.

As for Dampier, I think he will have a better game tonight. He better, if just for his own pride.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting kingrex:</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks for sounding off Warriors fans.

I think your team it not too far away from a playoff berth. They looked good with Baron at the helm, and even made a strong run at the end of the regular season. If you can get Troy Murphy back and healthy, then you will have a solid inside-out game to balance your offense.

As for Dampier, I think he will have a better game tonight. He better, if just for his own pride.</div>
I think what we need is to have Troy Murphy play some defense. Half the time he isn't aware, the other half he doesn't really try. He also needs to improve that shooting so it's comparable to other starting power forwards in the league.

Good luck.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">I think what we need is to have Troy Murphy play some defense. Half the time he isn't aware, the other half he doesn't really try. He also needs to improve that shooting so it's comparable to other starting power forwards in the league.

Good luck.</div>
If Murphy played some real defense, we might have a future all-star there. I wish he could learn some from Foyle on how to defend weak-side. Then Biedrins can show him everything else

But seriously, Murphy needs to play some D. If he watched some videos of DD, I'd bea happy man. DD is a great defender. If only he played for us like he has for Indiana

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting J-Rich23:</div><div class="quote_post">If Murphy played some real defense, we might have a future all-star there. I wish he could learn some from Foyle on how to defend weak-side. Then Biedrins can show him everything else

But seriously, Murphy needs to play some D. If he watched some videos of DD, I'd bea happy man. DD is a great defender. If only he played for us like he has for Indiana </div>
I doubt it. If Murphy tried to impersonate Foyle or Dale Davis, he'd get into some big foul trouble. That's probably why he tends to stay flatfooted so he can worry about rebounding rather than being taken out of position. Part of what makes Murphy a good rebounder is that he knows where to stand. He's a smart basketball player, although he tends to get in the way of the ballhandler sometimes or forces the action when he has the ball. The thing about Murphy is he's just not that fast. He can't leave his position and then get back, so he's just playing to his strengths, which is to be an effective, low risk player.