Here are five questions the Warriors must answer this summer: -- Matt Barnes and/or Mickael Pietrus? The forwards will test the free-agent market and it's highly doubtful that both will be back. Mullin likes Pietrus' upside and is likely to extend a qualifying offer of $3.5 million, after which he can match any offer Pietrus receives from other teams. Barnes is an unrestricted free agent, so he's headed for the highest bidder. -- Time to lock in Baron? Davis, who had plenty of MVP moments in the playoffs, is eligible for an extension of the six-year max deal he signed as a Hornet. Though it's questionable how many years the Warriors will want to commit to someone with Davis' injury history, Mullin said the two parties will address the issue. "Obviously, Baron's a key for us," he said. "We all feel that. We all know that." -- What to do with Sarunas Jasikevicius and Adonal Foyle? The pair played themselves right out of Nelson's rotation, but the trick is moving them. Foyle has two years at $18.5 million left on his mega-deal, and Jasikevicius is on the books for another season at $4 million unless he unexpectedly opts out of his contract. -- Are 7-footers Patrick O'Bryant and Kosta Perovic part of the future? O'Bryant, last year's No. 1 pick, spent most of the season either on the bench or in the D-League. Mullin said the rookie "needs to physically catch up a bit," but believes he has a place in Nellieball. Perovic, last year's second-round pick, just finished an impressive Euroleague season and Mullin will look into bringing him over for training camp this fall. -- More looks for Zarko Cabarkapa, Kelenna Azubuike and Josh Powell? The three are restricted free agents, and Cabarkapa is the least likely to return. He missed the entire year with a back injury, and though he's been doing some light shooting drills, is still some time away from NBA-caliber health. Azubuike and Powell want to return. Both are likely headed for summer league and a training camp invite somewhere. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...SPG11PTFMU1.DTL
I hope Az and Powell are more than just headed for an invite somewhere. I hope GS agressively brings them back! I mean, they're risk free $$ wise, and have shown tey can earn minutes from Nellie. Why not? I keep forgetting about Kosta Perovic --he's 7 feet 2 inches and apparently has a nice outside shot -- I'm intrigued to see if Nellie gives him a chance...
Man... I still think Zarko would have kicked ass in Nellie's system. His game is just too weird... I love it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Man... I still think Zarko would have kicked ass in Nellie's system. His game is just too weird... I love it.</div> Too bad he's terrible. Not a great shooter. Can't rebound. Soft. Love his handles though, especially when he takes it coast to coast. Plus he had that sweet one-handed statue of liberty dunk (or lay up?) against the suns once. I don't think he'll ever get his confidence back. That said I wouldn't mind seeing him back for another year. I want to see him do well.
I don't think Zarko's terrible, if you take him for what he is -- like AF hinted at -- he's a freak! He's a PG in a C body. Except he's really skinny. He has the softest touch for a 7 footer in the history of sports! He can pass, dribble, and do those funky out-of-nowhere finger-rolls that hit all net. He can shoot, too, at times -- I remember his first "breakout game" with GS he hit a ton of outside shots. But he's awfully weak, thin, and has no power game, which is not a good thing when you're 7 feet. Even Dirk got harped on for not going to the block in the POs. Zarko presents about the strangest matchups possible on both ends of the floor. Who guards him? Who does he guard!? The match-up conundrum is something Nellie loves, though -- I would HAVE to imagine Zarko's a player Nellie would want when healthy. I wonder why else they kept him on the roster all year. Does anyone know if it was contract stipulations? Otherwise, with a bad back and no playing for over 12 months, why keep him on the roster unless Nellie/Mully have plans for him?
I still think Zarko is > Pietrus + Dunleavy combined. If he doesn't rebound, that's not a problem, he's more willing to take it inside or shoot off a floater in the lane than settle for the three like Al Harrington. Plus, he passes very well. That's always useful if we think about how the Z man can be a mismatch on offense a lot more than Dunleavy ever could. If he scores and gets everyone involved, he's quite the x-factor compared to a guy that just scores. Defensively... eh... well... let's just say he moves his feet better than Dun or Murph ever did IMO. But he's very weak.
