David Lee has agreed to the deal with the Warriors

Most of Lee's points come from the paint from assists (usually from pick & rolls and tip-ins) but he has developed a very reliable midrange jumper. His jumper is quite solid out to about 19 feet. What's most interesting about his jumper is that it seems like it came overnight. Apparently he has been working diligently on his jumper all season and it all came together around December. Now the jumper is his go-to move. Lee is pretty average at best in the post, though. He's more of an opportunistic scorer more than anything; he's more creative than he is skilled. I would say his handle is his best asset; he often has that advantage over most PFs and simply catches them off guard with the dribble to get closer to the basket and get a good look in the paint. But posting up is not quite his forte. If he catches the ball anywhere he's probably looking to face up and shoot. He will, however, look to drive it to the basket if he's on the perimeter and feels like he has the advantage. But also consider he was playing plenty of center last year so he often had the quickness advantage. For all his offensive advantages, Lee isn't what you would call a go-to scorer at all, though he has proven that he can score. There was a particular game when we played the Lakers at MSG when Lee had 31/17 against the Lakers where he proved he can play well against the elite, but he can't consistently lead be the #1 go-to option.

But the best thing that Lee brings to the table is basketball smarts though. He's always cutting to the basket and finding himself in good positions to score. I can definitely see the Curry/Lee pick & roll being one the most efficient plays in the league next year. Curry is much better and much more talented than Duhon so I can imagine Lee will find himself in better positions.

Rebounding is self-explanatory. He's one of the best in the game 12 RPG last two seasons. He boxes out, but he has "a nose for the ball" which contributes more to is RPG. But only complaint about his rebounding is that he can lose positioning chasing rebounds, but he improved on this.

This brings me to defense. He's a bad defender: he rarely block shots, and doesn't really stay in front of his man. I wish he was more aggressive on D but I guess to hustle, rebound, and score 20 PPG will take a toll on his defensive efforts. From a scale from 1-10 I would rate his defense 4.

I don't know if he's particularly underrated or overrated. He's definitely a quality player and a borderline all-star, but he has some serious holes in his game like defense and lack of a consistent post up game that are holding him back, but he performs, puts up numbers and improves every single year. He's also a class act and someone who will represent the organization well. He has no attitude and you won't have to worry about off-court shenanigans.

I can't think of an NBA comparison, but picture a hustle player that plays no defense, but can get you 20/10 nonetheless.

But if any of you guys have any questions regarding Lee don't hesitate to ask!

 

Run BJM, he's not a product of this system. He was basically "the man" in New York, but in previous years he was buried behind Marbury, Crawford, Curry, Randolph, and even unfortunately Q-Rich. Had he had a bigger role back then he would definitely be putting up better numbers. It just so happened we signed D'Antoni around the same time we got rid of Crawford, Marbury, and Randolph.

 

Here's some nice video clips of our new franchise PF.

Here's when he torched GS for 37...


[video=youtube;pFQC1kQQKyY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFQC1kQQKyY&feature=related[/video]

Here is a sweet pass:

[video=youtube;kp0zR4Mxc00]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp0zR4Mxc00&feature=related[/video]


Here is a mix with some sweet passes. Okay, check out the pass at the 0:20 mark... Lee is the 6th best APG of all big men in the league.

[video=youtube;2K6jQ7PZiys]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K6jQ7PZiys&feature=related[/video]


Here is him in a post-game interview:

[video=youtube;2sl1-M9MEEo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sl1-M9MEEo&feature=related[/video]

Here's him at his youth camp:

[video=youtube;tl0s-OEhwjk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl0s-OEhwjk&feature=channel[/video]

Here are a few other mixes:

[video=youtube;D6YaO05SZ3o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6YaO05SZ3o&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;CRlUcH8Tp4w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRlUcH8Tp4w&feature=related[/video]

 

I'm okay with W's getting David Lee, but Donnie Walsh raped Larry Riley in the deal. He even got a second round pick out of it. Riley sucks as GM and he should be banished as soon as Larry Ellison buys the team. Current Warriors management can't leave fast enough! So W's have:
PG - Curry, Watson
SG - Ellis
SF - Reggie
PF - Lee, BW, Udoh
C - Biedrins, Turiaf, Tolliver, Hunter

Sounds like we'll win another five games.

 

Thanks for the nice post. Is Lee better at C or PF? How much PF did Lee play for the Knicks last year?

 

I hope you don't mind but I stole your research on David Lee's assist numbers and tweeted them thru my Twitter account.

 

I like Lee's creativity around the rim. He's got a lot of composure too; see how he never panics. He's got great magnetic hands that seem to control balls in traffic, even when they're bobbled. That's probably one reason he's good at rebounding. He just has a natural knack for the ball.

 

No sarcasm intended, but who is the "Space Cadet?"

No, I'm glad someone else appreciates that info! I was pleasantly surprised when I looked into it myself. Go up to the video I posted above -- the third one down -- and watch the pass he makes at the 0:20 mark -- it leads the man, it's to a blind spot under the basket, it's a laser beam, it's a long pass, from out near the top of the key, and it arrives right on the money -- even if you only make one pass like that in an NBA game your whole career, there are many guys who will never be able to make that pass.

 

Space Cadet is the name Phil Jackson gave Vlad when he was on the Lakers. From Wikipedia: "Jackson has also called Vladimir a "space cadet" and "my favorite Martian" in reference to his being out of position and taking wild three point shots."

Thanks! Yeah, I saw that and am very encouraged by it. He's got a little Chris Mullin in him.

 

We won't have Turiaf, which kinda sucks... He was our best big man defender

We still don't have a legit shooting guard... I suppose Reggie Evans can play it since we don't know if we have Morrow.

I like Lee, but we gave up too much and paid him way too much, too. Lee ain't no franchise power forward, but he's high energy, athletic, and a class-act and I like that. He can score with either hand, too. Plus, he's got a nice trend of getting better with age. This guy used to suck at free throws, but he's up to 80%! Plus with his passing, he's bound to make everyone around him better... just not on defense.

At least we still have Brandan Wright!

The sooner Cohan sells the better.

 

Anyone remember the game last year where David Lee and Stephen Curry nearly got in a fight?

 

Offensively Lee is better at center since he causes mismatches with his ball handling and shooting, but defensively he's usually outmatched physically. He's better defensively against power forwards, but on offense they will contest his jumper more and won't be as easily duped with his ball handling. But considering Nellie likes to play fast break ball and no one really has a true position on the floor, I'm sure Lee will get substantial time playing SF, PF, and C.

From reading posts, blogs, Twitters, etc., the general feeling from Warriors fans about the trade is either neutrality or the fans don't care for it at all. I am surprised considering Lee is a 20/11 all-star and Randolph is all potential. What are the chances of Randolph reaching his potential and how does it compare to what Lee is now. Also, from what I hear he hasn't gotten along with Nellie. Is he a headcase?

 

There are definite pros and cons of the trade, but we can't really judge this trade for another 2-3 years. It all depends on Randolph's development and Lee's contributions to Warrior wins.

I am really starting to like this trade for the Warriors. I think Lee is a baller. And I don't really care if Randolph develops into a good player or not. This was a move the Warriors had to make, IMO, with or without new ownership. Tim Kawakami (local beat writer) is bashing this trade because of the unrealized potential of AR and the money locked up in Lee. He makes valid points but for the most part it's all so he can set it up for a future "I told you so" or "I was wrong but..."

He's an entertaining read.

Is AR a headcase? No, he's just super young. He came into the league at 18/19. He's about to turn 21. I think he has a good heart, but needs to mature. I think he will be fine as long as he has good mentors. Not sure Amare is one of them.

 

Yes, he's a headcase... but so is Nellie. One one hand, you had Stephen Jackson going rogue, doing and-1 mix moves and shooting 7 airballs in a row, from half court, and Nellie doesn't even look at him. Meanwhile, Randolph would be .02 seconds late on a rotation, and Nellie would immediately bench him for a verbal lashing.

So Randolph was never given any confidence to grow.

His ceiling is about as high as one can have in this league. Not only could he be a star, he could be a superstar. That good.

However, he had a pretty significant injury last year, and he hasn't come back from it yet.

People are saying he's "all potential," but that's not really true. He was averaging 11.6ppg/6.5rpg/1.5bpg last year before he went down. He's skinny and still needs to develop physically, but he's tough, scrappy, and seems to believe that he is one of the best (or at least will be).

For Warriors fans, it sucks to see him go. But two things can be equally true (thanks Raplh Barbeiri). Yes, it sucks to see Randolph go, but yes, it awesome to see Lee arrive. I guess I am in the minority, but I see Lee as a cornerstone building block for GS for the next 6 years. He was the most beloved player in NY. If you listen to Knicks fans, they're all bummed he left. He was as consistent as could be, every night, playing in the toughest arena in the world. He was the face of the NY franchise for a while there.

He's not just some supporting cast hustle player. He's a cornerstone. Yes, he's not a prototypical beast in the paint, but he is one of the most dominant forces in the league at the PF position. For that, I am very excited.

 

Haha, AO and I have differing views on Mr. J's "headcase" comment. We're both right!