Another year of Murphy, nice.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't know what to say other than Jrich has some weird dimensions, but that's good for a basketball type body, especially when undersized. Look at Elton Brand, D-wade, or Ben Wallace. Those guys play pretty big as does Jrich.
</div>

A lot of these guys in the NBA have high levels of HGH and could be diagnosed with gigantism. The long limbs and large forheads are a dead giveaway; especially with the bigger guys.

 

Pavel Podkolzine
Gheorghe Muresan

Who else?

 

Mike Dunleavy.

Oh wait, that's neanderthal-ism

 

This thing with Dunleavy Jr. will never end as long as he's a Warrior. LOL. He needs a new start in the NBDL or WNBA or something.

The good news is that Warriors announcer Jim Barnett is no longer going out on a shill everytime that Dunleavy scent hits his nose and fogs up his glasses. Boy that used to be so annoying how he'd jock him every minute he got and he didn't do anything yet! I mean he's no Ike Diogu or Brian Cardinal to warrant such praise because what can he do in this team's current context when his shot is inconsistent as hell. That's why he "disappears". His smartness ain't equating to finesse or toughness unless we count that one time he laid out Devin Harris on a hard pick or the countless times he tried to flop his way out of actually having to play defense or that one or two times he hit a game winning shot or swatted a layup attempt. If Dun could draw a charge on a player a few times that's great because it hurts to do that kind of work, but I remember he used to do it way too often and oversell it like they teach at Duke. No ref will buy that. Plus, it's downright embarassing to see a 6'10 guy get stomped on by a small guard and have him acting like he got fouled worse than Vlade Divac.

Watch the clip of him getting "floored" by Tyronn Lue. I like Dun for getting Tyronn Lue a flagrant foul 1, but man that's embarassing to get tossed around like a rag doll because either he's really soft and wussy or he's just being a big dishonest faker. Oh well... at full potential, I do like Dunleavy's unselfish game and fluidity. The problem is when his shot is missing, he's got nothing else to take advantage of size or ballhandling ability. Not even smartness fixes that.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">This thing with Dunleavy Jr. will never end as long as he's a Warrior. </div>

I actually think he could be the key this year if he can play up to his potential. I'm just having fun because he looks like a cro magnon with that forehead

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">I actually think he could be the key this year if he can play up to his potential. I'm just having fun because he looks like a cro magnon with that forehead</div>

If he could just be more consistent that would be a huge plus for him. I just hope the team starts off the year focusing on defense again like they did at the start of last year. They just gave up when their shots were not falling...

 

That's the key, The team as a whole needs to be more consistent. If that happens, things will work their way out. I think that starts with health. Last year players had to play in so many different roles because of injuries. One game you're a 3, the next a 4, the next a 1, then off the bench... Monty and Abdenour are the keys to this season IMHO

 

This team has very few consistent players, which is why I don't think this team can win much (it's just Jrich and Murphy who show up in at least 75 games out of 82 putting up consistent numbers). If they could win by playing perfectly, heck this would be a nice team, but they don't. They make too many mental mistakes and there's no answer to what the other team puts out there when it comes to the inside game and trying to respond with our transition D. Between Jrich and Murphy, Jrich is the more complete player that will give you different things besides scoring.

 

It's partially up to Monty to make them more consistent though. He should understand their strenghts and weaknesses and adapt his system around that to make for a more consistent product. I don't blame him 100% because of the ammount of injuries last season, hopefully this year we'll see if he and they have it in them.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CohanHater:</div><div class="quote_post">It's partially up to Monty to make them more consistent though. He should understand their strenghts and weaknesses and adapt his system around that to make for a more consistent product. I don't blame him 100% because of the ammount of injuries last season, hopefully this year we'll see if he and they have it in them.</div>

There lies the problem though, because if you try to play to the Warriors strengths, their weaknesses are readily exposed. This is an imbalanced team and the bench can't do the things needed to stay on the floor to replace the starters. Both Montgomery and Mullin ought to know that we need an inside and an outside game with everyone playing help defense. When we play defense we win, when we don't we lose. When guys play the foul line at 70% or more, get rebounds, and get easy points in the paint, they typically win. That's why post presence, unselfish play, and capitalizing on fastbreaks is so important. We did these things in 2003 and we've fallen a bit.

 

I'd hate to say it, but there's really no easy-fix solution for the way the warriors are constructed. We have to be patient and see what the rookies offer and hope Mullin fixes this mess. There really has been no improvement since 2003, especially defensively and rebounding.

 

Honestly, Having Fisher out of the lineup will probably help. It puts Pietrus in a position to get more minutes at the 2 where he fits in better, and if Baron is healthy he, Murphy, and Beans should benefit greatly from the pick and roll. Am I that dilusional to think that losing Fisher will actually help the team in more ways that salary dump?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CohanHater:</div><div class="quote_post">Honestly, Having Fisher out of the lineup will probably help. It puts Pietrus in a position to get more minutes at the 2 where he fits in better, and if Baron is healthy he, Murphy, and Beans should benefit greatly from the pick and roll. Am I that dilusional to think that losing Fisher will actually help the team in more ways that salary dump?</div>
I dunno depends if Monta Ellis is a capable backup as point guard and more. We haven't seen enough of him to determine what kind of player he is for that position. The other thing is nobody on this team really shoots that well off the catch. Pietrus? C'mon the guy has no midrange game and his 3 point shooting is strreaky. Besides Fisher, there's really no other consistent year to year player that will drain 3 pointers or long twos at a 35+% rate. I don't know if Jrich can repeat his near 40% 3 point shooting rate, but hopefully. I predict Jrich will be similar to Murphy/Dunleavy in 3 point shooting that they'll have good years and bad years. Dunleavy and Murphy almost shot 40% from downtown last year.

 

We're talking strengths. Fisher and Murphy camp out at the top which stops motion and they chuck up quick shots. I think actually Pietrus plays well when he floats to the corner or slashes to the hoop. He's not bright, but the guy attacks well. If the offense gets out of the chucking mode (we're a terrible shooting team) and gets in the mode of taking it at the hoop I think it'll be a great improvement and consistency. Major caveat is free throw shooting though. With attacking, comes trips to the line.

Montay can be the mid range guy, so can Dunleavy. Monty just has to get them shooring that more instead of launching.

I'm confortable with Pietrus being an energy guy that d's up, shoots the 3 from the corner and attacks the hoop. Don't forget that he was nicked up all year. As long as Monty doesn't put him in a position where he has to think too much, he'll improve over last year. He's a feel and flow guy, and you need floor time for that

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CohanHater:</div><div class="quote_post">We're talking strengths. Fisher and Murphy camp out at the top which stops motion and they chuck up quick shots. I think actually Pietrus plays well when he floats to the corner or slashes to the hoop. He's not bright, but the guy attacks well. If the offense gets out of the chucking mode (we're a terrible shooting team) and gets in the mode of taking it at the hoop I think it'll be a great improvement and consistency. Major caveat is free throw shooting though. With attacking, comes trips to the line.

Montay can be the mid range guy, so can Dunleavy. Monty just has to get them shooring that more instead of launching.

I'm confortable with Pietrus being an energy guy that d's up, shoots the 3 from the corner and attacks the hoop. Don't forget that he was nicked up all year. As long as Monty doesn't put him in a position where he has to think too much, he'll improve over last year. He's a feel and flow guy, and you need floor time for that</div>
If we can fix rebounding, I'd be glad to get rid of Murphy/Fisher ball. Even if we can't shoot that well, maybe our defense and play in the paint might improve to the point where we can live with 60% at the foul line from our perimeter guys. I'm not sure. Biedrins is probably a better rebounder than Ike at this point because he's just lengthier, but I think both could keep the paint very honest. who knows... Jrich might improve his free throw shooting and Baron Davis might actually do the same, in addition to improving his shot selection and scoring accuracy. One thing is for sure, our activity level would go up with Ike/Biedrins/Pietrus all seeing the floor. The reason I talk about big guys instead of just Pietrus is because Pietrus, like Dunleavy, need reliable offensive/defensive options inside so they can do their jobs well.

I just want to see a better defensive lineup than the one we have now and one that can score inside. Even if Dunleavy can't get all the way to the rim, we still have Baron/Jrich as guys that can do that and take up the scoring load. If center and power forward can provide high %'s in the paint , block shots, help out, and pass the ball that should be enough to improve a little bit and take the pressure off the perimeter as defenses will focus on double teaming in the paint more often. Guys like Dunleavy, though, have to drain that wide open outside jumper or else he's useless because what else does he do besides maybe one or two things that are noticeable? He's not that quick, he's not that strong, and he takes no advantage of his size in the post or shooting over guys. People say he needs to be aggressive, but there's no improvement in him setting the tone in games. Hopefully he will rebound this year because we can't keep going on like Dunleavy/Foyle/Murphy as starters. Those three are missing quite a bit, a lot more than power guard Richardson and crap shooting, shoot first Baron Davis.

When Montgomery says Foyle is starter until somebody takes his spot, it must really mean we're in trouble when it comes to the center position or this guy wants to lose. I don't think it's the latter or else we would have started Biedrins sooner and not have picked POB. Honestly, I don't even think Biedrins is disciplined or strong enough to take away the starting role. The most effective he's been is posting up power forwards that are smaller than him. I think a center-like PF is where he truly belongs until he bulks up and gets stronger, develops more offense and also tackles his constant foul situation. Biedrins + another decent help defender should alleviate some of the foul trouble that gets caused when one guy doesn't help out like he's supposed to. It's also a similar problem when POB picks up 9 fouls and guys on the perimeter and the other big man guarding the rim aren't defending their assignments or lending a hand.

So with big men upgraded, I think even Pietrus/Dunleavy could be decent on the wing if they can play consistently with their shot and also move the ball inside.

Pietrus is probably a more reliable one-on-one threat, but the guy just plays dumb and that totally undoes his strengths. Same with Dunleavy and his inconsistent shot and his lack of quickness. There's just no way he can reliably bust people up when guys clear out for him or when he's expected to take the outside jumper to punish guys for playing off him.

 

I think Keith McLeod will be a nice back-up option at the PG. I have a hunch he'll be able to do what Fisher couldn't: take himself out of the spotlight, simply protect the basketball, facillitate the offense and do what a point guard does: set teammates up and make them better. Sure Fisher could drain a rainbow three but he was sorely lacking in every substantial category regarding the skillset of a PG.

I don't see Monta playing PG. I see him getting more minutes at the SG behind JRich. And Pietrus getting minutes at the SF behind/in front of Dunleavy. Who knows what the deal is with Air France. Maybe Mullin is planning on working out a deal to keep him if he produces this year. Maybe he'll tailspin into nothingness. Maybe he'll really come out and shine this year. I can't peg him down.

But with this trio off the bench:

1)McLeod
2)Ellis
3)Pietrus

The Warriors will have some interesting chances of mixing up the tempo of the game. IMO most defenses won't be ready for the quiet Monta to come in and put up 10 points in 6 minutes while getting to the free throw line. The team could quickly go "Small ball" with these three and get out on the fast break. Assuming Pietrus can figure out where to run to lol.


But as far as a mid-range game, Ike Diogu has an excellent mid-range game. Left open, he'll knock down the jumper with more consistency than most shooting guards in the league.

 

So let's think about general roles in any type of offense halfcourt or open court.

PG: Baron Davis (excellent one-on-one threat that penetrate and kick out, good ballhandler, can get to the line, gets other players involved, can be a decent defender when he's not reaching in, good knowledge of the game, can read defenses, good floor awareness on both ends, can rebound, can post up smaller guards and beat slower guards) He needs to work on his shooting and scoring within the flow and his temper/ego which can affect his judgement.

SG: Jason Richardson can beat guys off the dribble. Decent passer, consistent shot, unselfish (not much ego), great floor speed, good rebounder, can score from anywhere and in a variety of ways, consistent shot. Probably better suited for small forward position as he's got no secondary point guard skills or drive and dish ability. Can be an okay defender, but he gets outquicked a lot. Must take care of the ball better in traffic. Must learn to shoot free throws.

SF: Dunleavy has guard skills, but no drive and dish ability unless his shot forces guys to play him tightly. Okay defense. Great floor awareness, nice passing, and ballhandling skills (for his size). Okay help defender but gets beaten quite a bit. Disappears quite often.

PF: Troy Murphy is a
Great rebounder, decent scorer, needs to be a solid passer and look to pass more, not really a guy to drive the ball but can do so (mostly going left, has big first step with decent speed for his size), not a real good transition player, but is okay running the floor, not really an enforcer that he needs to be.

C: Foyle lacks quickness, can block shots, lacks a mean streak. Not very dependable scorer. Doesn't enforce the paint. No defensive leadership on the floor. Not very situationally aware outside of defense. Poor hands, poor jumping ability, poor ability to establish position right away. Has no real strong post defense.

With the rookies it's too early to say, but we do know that Pietrus and Biedrins were europrojects and they're lacking some things which means Pietrus could float between SG/SF and Biedrins between PF/C off the bench until they improve their skill or prove they can consistently set the tone better than the guys they're trying to replace. I think Biedrins has a huge chance, but he needs to get stronger, more disciplined, and more polished.

So besides small forward, I argue that PF/C need help in the worst way, but then again that's obvious with the drafts and why we've been talking about trading Murphy and trying to get Biedrins ready to play starter. We definitely need to get rolling on this because lack of big men has been killing us in terms of playoff appearances.

 

I don't know about Mcleod, but he had some standout games for the Jazz. He's a good ballhandler, I think, but not sure about his point guard skills in general. If Baron Davis is healthy and he has help, we probably don't need to see much of McLeoad so I'd be fine with it. The problem is giving that guy 30 minutes like Fisher.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "custodianrules2":</div><div class="quote_post">I'd hate to say it, but there's really no easy-fix solution for the way the warriors are constructed. We have to be patient and see what the rookies offer and hope Mullin fixes this mess. There really has been no improvement since 2003, especially defensively and rebounding.</div>

The Warriors could be constructed pretty well now. First off, there should be great competition in the preseason and the workouts between the center position to really find a solid starting center for this team, be it Andris or even Taft, POB, or even Foyle, as long as there is the competition and it's earned. For the SF position, I am hoping that Dunleavy can find his stroke, similar to how Jason Richardson did it last season. His shooting will be important. I am also really starting to see that the Warriors scoring trio should be Baron/Jason/Diogu. The bench now has some strong defenders with Pietrus, Devin Brown, Monta Ellis, and the center four-some. The Warriors have a very good and skilled PG in Baron Davis, though he has lacked some leadership so far, but he's not too old to gain those yet. Diogu can be the monster in the paint scorer. Jason Richardson was the go-to player for this team last season and came up HUGE time after time. Center position should be filled fine. Small Forward is Mike Dunleavy, and there are no more excuses this season.

I remember that the Warriors seemed to have Murphy on the table to be dealt a bit last season. This is also the first time, I believe, that he isn't a BYC contract-player or however you call it. This will help to move him at some point. I like Murphy a lot as a player. He has been the Warriors tough guy for a few seasons, I remember him getting into some fights or whatnot with some players of the Blazers. But with the Mullin management-inc. already dealing Jamison and Dampier, the two players that he fit very well inbetween, it maybe just be time to deal Murphy now...

This, again should be a great year for Pietrus. Last season he couldn't hold onto the ball when he was going to the hoop. It looked pretty nasty a few times and ugly times two. But there will be new basketballs this year, which may help him out, and hopefully he'll be healthier as well.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">
I dunno depends if Monta Ellis is a capable backup as point guard and more. We haven't seen enough of him to determine what kind of player he is for that position. The other thing is nobody on this team really shoots that well off the catch. Pietrus? C'mon the guy has no midrange game and his 3 point shooting is strreaky. Besides Fisher, there's really no other consistent year to year player that will drain 3 pointers or long twos at a 35+% rate. I don't know if Jrich can repeat his near 40% 3 point shooting rate, but hopefully. I predict Jrich will be similar to Murphy/Dunleavy in 3 point shooting that they'll have good years and bad years. Dunleavy and Murphy almost shot 40% from downtown last year.</div>

Monta is capable as a backup point guard and more. His defense alone should give him minutes as the backup to the point guard position and even at the shooting guard position as well. His athleticism and skills will let him discect most opponents' defenses. He is not where he will be in the future, as any experience will help him grow more as an NBA player. But his defense should allow him to be a backup, and his athleticism and skills should let him be more at times.

You do bring up a point about shooting. The Warriors were 29th in the NBA in FG% last season. Having Diogu be the third part of a scoring trio could help the team improve that stat from last season. Maybe the Warriors could deal Murphy for some help with the shooting. I have doubt the Spurs would do this, but my proposal was Murphy for Barry, Finley, and Scola. Barry and Finley would certainly help the team with shooting percentages and catching and shooting.

 

True, but these guys need experience and they need to practice together. The future is promising, it's the now I'm worried about. We could turn around like the Bulls did, but we're still kind of green because the #11 picks were raw as hell.

All the young guys we've drafted (except for Ellis' offensive game) weren't really basketball prodigies like Lebron or Dwight Howard.