<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Chris Mullin loyally followed a time-tested NBA strategy Thursday night in the first draft of his Warriors stewardship: When in question, always go with the best Latvian available. Lacking such evidence as actually ever having seen young Andris Biedrins tear up those toughies in the Latvian Professional League, I can safely declare that, by selecting Biedrins with the 11th pick, Mullin has probably not resurrected the franchise in a flash. But what Mullin did Thursday -- and has done obsessively from his first day as executive vice president in charge of restoring credibility -- is showcase his gut-instinct, secretive, stick-to-the-plan decision-making style. Mully-Ball Case study No. 1: Coach Mike Montgomery. Mully-Ball Case study No. 2: Mr. Biedrins, who could be the Warriors' first elite athlete at power forward since Chris Webber or could be the Warriors' biggest bust since Todd Fuller. Definitely not the safer road. Possible Mully-Ball case study No. 3: Biedrins is represented by Walnut Creek-based super-agent Bill Duffy, who is very close to Mullin and in fact traveled with Mullin to scout Biedrins. Duffy also represents Steve Nash -- whose days in Dallas appear numbered -- Yao Ming and a few other much-wished-for potential Warriors centerpieces. Hmm. It's all out there, it's all possible, it's all very different than things used to be in Warriorland. Now, who knows if Biedrins will become the Next Darko Milicic (and who knows if that's even a good or bad thing?) or the Next Andrei Kirilenko (my wild guess) or the Next Kenyon Martin (Andris' choice) when it's all said and done? ``Yes, I want to be like him,'' Biedrins said of Martin. ``He's big and he's very athletic for his height. And that's what I want to be. I don't want to be just tall and make a few moves near the rim and that's all.'' The important thing, if one can be salvaged by Thursday's long slog deep into the Euro League film vault, is that we know this is the guy Mullin wanted, period. Mullin personally flew to Latvia to scout him. Mullin is the one who decided Biedrins is, as Mullin said Thursday, ``maybe a little different than most 6-foot-11 European players.'' (Which, by 2006 or so, could come to mean that Biedrins is a tougher, stronger Pau Gasol or that he is a skinnier, slower Jon Koncak. We'll see.) </div> http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...state_warriors/
The more I think about it, the more excited I am to see this kid play. I think he will contribute this year.
His free throw shooting is attrocious, but I like the fact he is described as athletic and defensive minded. He's going to take a while and I bet he'll need to develop the confidence. It's like Jiri Welsch and Dark Millicic. Just by looking at them on the court you can tell they are not ready or are pressed to do something big just to get more minutes. I like this project so far.
I will be loving life if he ends up like Ben Wallace, great defender, great rebounder, decent scorer, but horrible free throw shooter. You can work on a shot, you really can develop defense. You either are a defender or you are not. Sure you can get better at anything with practice, but you have to have a natural inclination for certain things.
Once this guy developes some inside moves he will be a beauty. It looks as though he already has the defensive package.
He says he wants to be like Tim Duncan, but he feels his game is more like Kenyon Martin. He's got athleticism but not Kenyon Martin athleticism.
