Mullin on Trades and Montgomery

(this is the shorter RealGM version)
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Mullin Backs Monty, Expects To Make A Major Trade
29th January, 2006 - 3:20 am
Mercury News - If Chris Mullin is to be believed, and he has demonstrated no false notes so far, Mike Montgomery isn't going to be fired or shoved off into a humiliating, golden-parachute resignation any time soon.

Rock-solid and no blinking on Mullin's part. Mullin practically offered to put his hand on a Bible and summon a Supreme Court Justice.

``I feel fine with Mike, I really do,'' Mullin said in a wide-ranging, no-dodging 40-minute interview at the Warriors' offices Friday.

``For a lot of different reasons, I think he's going to be fine. I think he's doing a really good job. I'm happy with him.''

Even if the Warriors continue to stumble toward the basement, Mullin said. Even if Baron Davis and Montgomery never get on the same wavelength. Even if, heaven forbid, the Warriors' playoff-free streak extends to 12 seasons in April.

Mullin repeated that he has long-term goals, that Montgomery is in the middle of it, and that there is no reason to start panicking now.

He conceded that his roster has holes and said he'd like to make a major trade for a big man. He suggested the time is coming for his young core to earn the money he invested in them.

He agreed that he'd like to see Ike Diogu, Mickael Pietrus and Andris Biedrins become bigger parts of the Warriors' game plan.

Mullin confirmed that he had conversations with Indiana about Ron Artest before Artest ended up in Sacramento and said he wasn't bothered much by Artest's past. But Mullin confirmed he's really shopping for an effective big man.

Hmm . . . Chris, don't these good big guys -- whether it's Kevin Garnett, Kenyon Martin or Tyson Chandler -- tend to be very pricey on the trade block?

``I'm not cheap,'' Mullin said with a smile.

Mullin said he's waiting for his players to get on track after the clanked free throws, missed rebounds and defeats of the past few weeks. He's waiting, but not forever.

``There have to be some things rectified, no question,'' Mullin said. ``There's a lot of ways to do that; you can come up with so many things, physical facts -- free throws, rebounds . . .

``And then ultimately, it's me making changes with players. That's not a rumor; that's not a threat. That's legit. That's a fact.'' </div>

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives..._a_major_trade/

It's interesting to see Mullin call himself not cheap. But my question, will the same be said about Chris Cohen.

And Mullin wants to see his young big men become bigger parts of the team, yet he wants to trade for another big man. Hopefully it would be for someone above Chris Chandler's level at least. I personally would like to see them trade for a perimeter defender before another post player. The Warriors already have a lot of post players.

 

That article should heat up the message boards. I wonder if he means a 4 or a 5 when he says "Big Man"

 

If Diogu is the 4 of the near future you would assume he is looking for a center not another PF type.

 

I love it -- that's exactly what we've been wanting as fans, Mully. Just a little something from you to keep our spirits up. Kudos to Mullin.

Just imagine St. Jean in that interview:

"I'll tell you, Bob, Dean Garrett is the type of guy that's going to come in and work hard for this organization. We've watched the tape, we've seen the workouts... you combine his inside presence with a top-caliber veteran guy like a Mookie Blaylock... we feel very good about the core of this franchise."

 

Wow that's huge.

 

I like Jamaal Magloire, he's the most balanced on the defensive/offensive end at forward/center, but his turnovers suck. He should not be a higher option on offense unless he takes care of the ball.

Dan Gadzuric, is good for shotblocking and running the floor and possibly alley oop plays. Biedrins could already be like him soon.

Brendan Haywood is like an Erick Dampier type player, bad hands and all. A good bulky guy with good mix of strength/athleticism. Somebody we could use even if the flaws pretty much make any offense going through the five man difficult.

I like Samuel Dalembert's potential, but what if Biedrins turns out to be like him soon?

The rest I don't like either because they slack on the defensive end, have lousy attitudes, are out of shape, or are too Murphy-like or Rasho Nesterovic-like on defense to play center.

Darko might be fun to try out, but I wonder if he's fool's gold. 7 footer that is athletic, long, skilled, but can't convert on several dunks. What's up?

 

Biedrins will never develop a touch. He banked a free throw in last game. And he averages like a foul per 30 seconds and he's responsible for Dunleavy's injury. Not too bright. I mean, he should know to box people out by now instead of creeping up on someone in front of him. If you have a chance at Dalembert or Magloire you take it, even if it means giving up Beidrins. I'd be willing to lose Beidrins' potential for His talent.

 

here are some other Centers I'd like to have:

Joe Pryzbilla

PJ Brown

Robert Swift

Theo Ratliff

DeSagna Diop

Jake Tsakalidis

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CohanHater:</div><div class="quote_post">Biedrins will never develop a touch. He banked a free throw in last game. And he averages like a foul per 30 seconds and he's responsible for Dunleavy's injury. Not too bright. I mean, he should know to box people out by now instead of creeping up on someone in front of him. If you have a chance at Dalembert or Magloire you take it, even if it means giving up Beidrins. I'd be willing to lose Beidrins' potential for His talent.</div>

Mark your words man, Biedrins is still young, saying that he'll never develop a touch in my estimation is still too early a guess. His foul problem's aren't much worse than say someone named Diogu. Yes, he's responsible for Mike's injury, but accidents do happen.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">here are some other Centers I'd like to have:

Joe Pryzbilla

PJ Brown

Robert Swift

Theo Ratliff

DeSagna Diop

Jake Tsakalidis</div>
Anybody but big Jake. The guy sucks.

Diop may suck a little, but let's just say he's outplaying Erick Dampier for the starting position. He's got the body and athleticism of Shaq, but the skills and bball I.Q. of Adonal Foyle. PJ Brown = best at setting picks in the league IMO, hits the midrange shot, rebounds, defends the post, blocks shots, hits free throws with good %. Swift = good rebounder, good shotblocker, very mobile and long. Ratliff, passed his prime, but still a rebounding/shotblocking talent that can score on putbacks. Joel Pryzbilla = good shotblocker, rebounder, dunker, aggressive, physical, big like Dikembe Mutombo.

I say out of all of them, I'd prefer PJ Brown. I prefer an older guy that knows his role, can start, can come off the bench, can score when necessary. Brown is more of a power forward than he is a center, so that may cause some issues along with Murphy when it comes to Ike/Biedrins who need some development time.

You put in Robert Swift, you still have to develop him, but I do like his ability to score, block shots, pass, and do a variety of other things. Nice athleticism for a 7 footer. He's got some things that Biedrins doesn't have like polish.

If we put in Pryzbilla it might slow the game down because the bigger guy usually doesn't run the floor that well. But I like him because the guy is fierce and thrives on contact unlike our current big men who either are too soft in general or too weak to maintain position.

Diop is too raw and plays small for his size. He wasn't even that good of a scorer in high school and all he did was block shots and rebound over smaller kids.

Ratliff would be a nice addition for a double double, weakside shotblocker, but his attitude sucks and he's not as good as he used to be. If we want more shotblock presence, Ratliff would be decent for a starter at center and he can play some forward too.

 

Biedris may have banked a free throw but I have seen him put some layins that were not that easy plus he knows how to throw down with authority. I love the guy, since he's only 19.

 

Man if he can master the Bankshot like the Big Fundamental, that'd be a helluva stroke.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Ratliff would be a nice addition for a double double, weakside shotblocker, but his attitude sucks and he's not as good as he used to be. If we want more shotblock presence, Ratliff would be decent for a starter at center and he can play some forward too.</div>

I didn't know Ratliff has a bad attitude -- I actually thought he was a good locker-room presence. At least a good team player in that he doesn't need the ball in his hands, he blocks shots and boxes out, which is ideal for this team.

Hey, at least Big Jake is 7 foot 2. He's got Foyle by 4 inches at probably 30-40 pounds. That'd make a big difference inside.

But out of the list I gave above, I too agree PJ would be the best. Probably one of the best out of any center we could get. But those names I listed aren't the type of Big Time move Mullin is apparently referring to in his interview.

If he is looking at a big time move, then wow -- perhaps he'll trade Murphy, Dunleavy, Pietrus, or a combination thereof for a player like:

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Eddy Curry

Chris Kaman

Marcus Camby

Alonzo Mourning

-- Not saying these gus are available, but they might be (I dunno what the books look like)

Hey, btw, apparently there's som talk about the Hornets trying to make some moves, and that this kid is available:

Maciej Lampe -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3733

He could come cheap and possibly be a good, tall prospect. I remember how much hype there was about him in the draft, then he slipped due to the shaky contract situation overseas.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">I didn't know Ratliff has a bad attitude -- I actually thought he was a good locker-room presence. At least a good team player in that he doesn't need the ball in his hands, he blocks shots and boxes out, which is ideal for this team.
</div>
Well, he, along with Jason Terry skipped practices and defied the coaches during the losing seasons in Atlanta when they were there. I think he's been okay since. Of course that Atlanta team had Glenn Robinson and no other stars or leadership. Role player Alan Henderson was the team captain after they jettisoned all their good players.

I haven't seen Lampe that much, but I do know he put up an impressive game once in the New Orleans summer league games. He got 20/10 with 3 pointers, a blocked shot, and a few assists and a steal, I think. Very Dirk Nowitzki like, but not as athletic.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">
Hey, at least Big Jake is 7 foot 2. He's got Foyle by 4 inches at probably 30-40 pounds. That'd make a big difference inside.
</div>
Stats wise he's not good. I.Q. wise he's not good. He fills up the paint, that's about it. Size is nice to have because it is intimidating, but he sucks. I'd rather have Foyle.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">
But out of the list I gave above, I too agree PJ would be the best. Probably one of the best out of any center we could get. But those names I listed aren't the type of Big Time move Mullin is apparently referring to in his interview.

</div>
I think the team needs some tough as nails veterans with skill that will listen to the coach and be a good influence on the rookies. PJ Brown is that tough player and he does everything a forward/center does in terms of teamwork. He could probably coach the forwards and the centers the right way to set picks/screens, the right way to move off them, to box out, and to play post defense. Foyle is so raw he can't really mentor Biedrins or other guys on certain skills. That's like having a guy who got a C- in math teach some kid how to do trigonometry and calculus.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">
If he is looking at a big time move, then wow -- perhaps he'll trade Murphy, Dunleavy, Pietrus, or a combination thereof for a player like:

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Eddy Curry

Chris Kaman

Marcus Camby

Alonzo Mourning

-- Not saying these gus are available, but they might be (I dunno what the books look like)

Hey, btw, apparently there's som talk about the Hornets trying to make some moves, and that this kid is available:

Maciej Lampe -- http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3733

He could come cheap and possibly be a good, tall prospect. I remember how much hype there was about him in the draft, then he slipped due to the shaky contract situation overseas.</div>
Murphy is a good piece, I wouldn't say he's the team's reason for why we are losing, but he's just not the right fit for a club that needs to go inside more and get tougher defensively every single night. How he gets inside is similar to how Dunleavy/Baron/Jrich operate. They use the outside shot to complement their drives to the basket. What this team needs is a guy who has presence and a variety of weapons. We need a guy who controls the paint, gets high % points, and sets up other guys from the high or low post.

Those list of centers you mentioned are either all offense or defense, but they definitely offer some form of presence in one way or another.

Camby = injury prone, not a true center, but an athletic marvel who can block shots like Theo Ratliff, rebound like Troy Murphy, and score on alley-oops like Kenyon Martin. He'd probably be an all-star if he wasn't constantly nursing some form of injury. His stats and energy is amazing for a guy his size.

Illgauskus = Looking like he's stepping back a bit. He's like Yao Ming in that he can block shots, rebound, shoot the outside ball, hit free throws, score inside a bit, but he's slow and that hurts his ability on transition and weakside D.

Eddy Curry = If the heart trouble is a thing of the past, it leaves us with a guy who can score, but is turnover prone and suprisingly doesn't rebound or block as many shots as you would think for a guy so athletic and heavy. His turnover to assist ratio is terrible. Doesn't put much effort on D, either. I don't think he's worth it unless he steps up in other categories and plays more consistent.

Chris Kaman = I think this guy is fundamentally better than most and he's really improved this year in rebounding and shotblocking and all the things people thought he wasn't doing very well for his size and athleticism. He can score with either hand, block some shots, get the offensive rebound due to his hustle, and he's athletic and tall.

Alonzo Mourning = A shell of what he used to be in terms of best centers in the league, but I think he'd be a great addition if he can stay healthy. He's an Emeka Okafor with inside scoring polish (before Emeka Okafor of course). That guy would be a great mentor for Biedrins or Ike or Taft or anybody looking to learn from a guy who can D it up and do power moves around the basket.

 

Lampe (Lom-pay?). I don't know his name, so we'll call him Magic Lamp.

He actually put up an impressive game for New Orleans during a summer league game. He got something like 20/10, a few three pointers, a few assists, a steal, and a block. He's very Dirk Nowitzki like, but I don't know if he's as quick, strong or athletic. He's gained 35 lbs to his original 240 lb weight.

Actually, must be a different game because this one in preseason this year he got

23 points, no three pointers, 5/8 free throw attempts, 12 rebounds (7 offensive boards), 1 assist, 2 blocked shots as starting power forward.

http://www.nba.com/games/20051020/SASNOK/boxscore.html

Defensively, he probably got owned, but the guy's got a high basketball I.Q. and lot of skills like the ability to dribble the ball, shoot from anywhere, and pass.

 

Back to Biedrins touch.. he's ok within 3 feet of the hoop, but you can gaurantee that he won't be able to ever hit a 10 foot shot. You can't just learn a soft shooting touch.

As for Wilcox, I think he'd be a great fit.

1 good thing about the fact that Mullin refused to give up Ike in the Artest trade is that he inflated his trade value by doing so. Other owners find out that Mullin doesn't want to give him up, and wants to see him, Biedrins and Pietrus on the floor more, sparks interest in those players. Let's see what magic Mullin can muster up.

 

i have faith in mully...he's gonna do something big before the deadline. not baron big, but something that'll help us out in the longrun.

 

<font size="2"><div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">
What's old Don Nelson up to these days? He's wasting away again in Pi?a Colada-ville.</font>
<font size="2">Although, we should all be wasting away like this. </font>
<font size="2">Nelson, the last man to coach the Warriors into the playoffs, back in a distant century, is working on a misspent retirement. He lives overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Maui and on a lake in Dallas. He plays poker by night and golf by day. </font>
<font size="2">He's a budding TV star and a disgustingly successful real estate mogul whose offices in Hawaii and Texas both feature a shuffleboard table. </font>
<font size="2">"Hold on," says Nelson on the phone, rubbing it in a bit. "I gotta open this cold beer. (Pause.) It is five o'clock, isn't it?" </font>
<font size="2">To give you some idea of Nelson's life, one of his regular poker pals is Willie Nelson (no relation), who also lives in Hawaii and Texas. </font>
<font size="2">"We hang out, play golf, play poker, drink a little whiskey once in a while," Don Nelson says. "In Maui, we play about every other day. We've gone right from the poker room to the golf course a few times. One time I forgot to call home, that didn't go over real well with Miss Joy (Don's wife). Heh-heh." </font>
<font size="2">If this group had a theme song it would be, "Let's go to Maui, Hawaii, with Nellie and Willie and the boys." </font>
<font size="2">Nelson coached the Warriors for six-plus seasons, reached the playoffs four times, was fired in the wake of the Chris Webber fiasco in '95. After a short ugly stop with the Knicks and a long pretty stop with the Mavericks, Nelson resigned 10 months ago and walked away at age 64, the second-winningest coach in NBA history. </font>
<font size="2">His legacy lives on with the Warriors. There's the Curse of Nellie, where the superstar doesn't get along with his coach (see: Webber, Latrell Sprewell, Gilbert Arenas, maybe Baron Davis). </font>
<font size="2">More positively, general manager Chris Mullin played for Nelson and absorbed some of the coach's hoops philosophy. Such as: You don't worry about how your guys match up with theirs, you let them worry. </font>
<font size="2">Drafting Ike Diogu was Nellie-esque. Diogu is undersized, lacks some of the flashier physical tools, but is clever, creative, coachable and energetic. As in Run TMC. </font>
<font size="2">"I like their team," Nelson says. "They drafted well this year. I like that kid (Diogu). I think Mully's done a good job there, they're about ready to turn it around."

</font></div>

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...SPGLAGVL2K1.DTL