Tim Kawakami interview with Joe Lacob

This was a very informative interview with Lacob and there's some pretty interesting tidbits.

It seems that (in no particular order):

1) He wants Carmelo and would trade Curry or Ellis to get him
2) David Lee's injury wasn't Abedenour's fault perse, but the team didn't have a physician available to them
3) Really wants Biedrins to succeed and become more of an offensive threat and acknowledges there aren't many centers out there, or the ones that are good, are very expensive/unavailable. He said there's a few guys in FA next offseason. He's probably talking about Gasol and Yao.
4) He's happy with the core (Monta, Curry, Lee) and would probably be comfortable rolling with them for at least this season if they don't get a Carmelo-type player...and really, there's only one player in that category: Carmelo (not necessarily my opinion)
5) He, just like us, is perplexed by Keith Smart's rotations, but feels he's getting better. He said Smart has on the chalk board all sorts of different rotation combinations, for what it's worth.
6) Going into the luxury tax is a non-issue IF it makes the team better, both short and long term. Of course, that may be irrelevant with the CBA/potential lockout. However, it shows that he's willing to spend money.

There's more in there, but that's gist of what I got.

Part 1 - http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawaka...7m-in-expirings-and-strongly-wanting-a-trade/

Part 2 - http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawaka...-trade-for-carmelo-evaluating-smart-and-more/

 

I'm appalled Lacob said he would trade Curry or Ellis for Carmelo. That makes him sound like Prokhorov in trying to make a splash or impress others. I guess Lacob prefers a bigger front line. It seems short sighted to me when you compare what the Knicks are saying. They're saying they could pass on Carmelo if the price is too high. They'll take a chance on Melo being available through free agency. Instead, the Knicks could try to get Deron Williams or Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Now, I'd deal Curry or Monta for DWill or CP3. We're at about the same level as the Knicks, but somehow they hold a big edge in getting free agents and making deals. We have to be more like the Giants I think. I wouldn't mind even being like A's with Billy Beane, but he gets money to "re-sign" the stud players.

 

I guess I haven't watched Carmelo enough to make a true decision, but I think he's overrated. Yes, he's an awesome player...but I don't know if he's gonna get a ring being the #1 guy on the team. I'd be hesitant to trade Ellis or Curry for him. Like jason bourne said, I'd trade Monta or Curry in a deal for DW or CP, but not much less. Pretty much, I'd want an indisputable top 15 player in the league.

 

I loved the openness of the interview. I was surprised at the willingness to part with Curry but then again I'm surprised at Curry's play this year. Curry needs to get better defensively and to display more care of the ball. Think about it, you ever see Deron Williams or Chris Paul make that stupid behind the back pass in a 1 pt game with less than 2 mins left? Never.

I'm thrilled at what Lacob says because I feel the same way on many of the things he is saying. (BTW, sat 2 rows and about 30 ft away from him at the Pacer game, seemed like a nice guy who was interacting with those around him; of course those were the folks paying over $1000 per game for the seats on the floor.)

 

Agreed. A guy like Raja Bell would work next to Curry/Melo. Although I really, really dislike Melo. And I like Monta. But you gotta do what's best for the franchise. I'm sick of no playoffs, and think it'd be worth the risk.

 

I agree with you here for the most part. There's new "studies" (and I put that in quotes because I don't really consider the evaluation or use of advanced statistics is an exact science, so to speak) that argue how Carmelo Anthony does make his team/teammates better.

Nate Silver of the NY Times came out with a column that states how when Melo is on the floor, his teammates shoot at a higher efficiency than when he's not on the floor. Here's the article.

Dave Berri responds in-depth.

And then Kevin Pelton responds, supporting what Silver originally argued.

I've had the great luck of sitting courtside this season several times and I can tell you that most of those people Lacob is interacting with are members of the investment group and their families. To the left of them are four seats that belong to Oracle, and to the left of that is where I've sat. It's a little obnoxious to tell you the truth that all those seats are taken up by Warriors people and they don't regularly interact with the other courtside season ticket holders. There's a VIP room that the courtside people go into during halftime and Lacob and his entourage don't go in there. I do see Rowell prowling the hallways though...

Honestly, it's awesome sitting courtside, but the people are not people that come from my world...you know, non-million/billionaires. Part of the fun going to the game is interacting with fans like you and getting a little rowdy. You don't really find those people sitting courtside. I'm looking forward to going to Monday's game sitting in the middle-class seats, LOL.

 

Lacob went too far in trying to getting deals and he's overpaying in that he's giving up the future for now. Curry has got an all-around game like a willowy Derrick Rose and Monta just elevated his game to all-star level and became a go-to guy. Perhaps the "rookie" owner got carried away.

The player that intrigues me right now is Troy Murphy. The Nets will deal him for an expiring and potential. We got Gadz who is an expiring and Brandan Wright. Perhaps two players like that could get us a dub-dub machine in Murphy. We can re-sign him for cheaper if he works out. He would be like a more dependable Vlad. I can see him playing some backup C, too.

 

Yeah, I feel what you're saying Run, regarding Melo replacing Monta's scoring at the 3. If we could synchronize that with the acquisition of a solid defensive 2, I'd be with it. But something you touched on that I have really been paying attention to ever since the East coast road trip, is the ability of getting to the free throw line...and generally, the its importance in today's game. Players like CP, Wade, Kobe that initiate contact on the drive, get the whistle, and hit 7+ free throws in a night. It's something that I've realized is a vital skill for a superstar nowadays, and honestly, I hate that shit. The refs are way too involved in the game these days, and I don't like how players take advantage of it. However, if that's what you have to do to stay competitive, fuck it. And that's something we get killed in consistently...free throw attempts. We don't have anybody that uses their body to draw contact on the shot and get freebies at the line. Reggie can do it...Monta too, to an extent. And to Monta's credit, he should get more whistles than he does, and he doesn't really bitch about it. But overall, we just don't have one of those guys on our squad, and I guess Melo could be that guy. That's a skill that pays dividends even when you're slumping...these players can always draw a foul and hit a free throw. Again, it's lame, it's boring, and I hate it...but maybe it's necessary. I think it's something that can be learned, but maybe it's just a mentality that you either have or don't.

 

Troy Murphy as a bench player is intriguing.

 

Melo is an awesome scorer, no doubt. But he's not the guy who excels in multiple areas, like a Kobe (scoring/defense/will to win), Garnett (scoring/defense), a LeBron (scoring/passing/rebounding), Howard (scoring/defense/rebounding), Nash (scoring/passing/pace), Pierce (scoring/rebounding/toughness). I just do not get the hoopla over Melo. I guess he's got a great name/nickname but that's it. He's never struck me as "whoa there goes someone we can build around and make a champion." Still doesn't.

He does pair up better with Curry than Monta though.

 

I wonder what kind of players the Warriors might be able to get with Curry/Ellis/D.Wright. I would imagine Dorell Wright's value must be very high right now, likewise for Ellis. If the Warriors did get Carmello, I'd guess they would look to deal Wright as well. Could they get Melo and Igudola? That would be a big change.

I am with Lacob that getting a superstar can be huge. That must be an interesting dynamic with Larry Riley who may be less of the risky shooter. But I am starting to like this team. But I wonder what exactly the Warriors are offering. It seems that Carmello signing an extension is part of the discussions but Lacob says Melo does not seem interested in Oakland. I would imagine that Carmello decides to stay with Denver for the season.

But as far as a coach. I would really like the Warriors to look at Nate McMillan. Apparently he is assessing if Portland is where he wants to be, as in, if they will make the moves to make them contenders. He may be available in the offseason. Mike Brown could be an option too. These two guys are very defensive minded and have decent records.

 

First off, IMO, we as GS fans are SOOOOO lucky. We're spoiled right now. We have an owner that ACTUALLY talks...! Wow! And he says stuff that has substance!!!! I mean, he talks like a real person. He says things the fans are thinking. He's honest. Passionate.

This is mind blowing, and frankly I don't care who they trade for, I'm just excited that we have an owner who will actually talk about the players.

As far as Papa Murphy, well, he's making $12 mils this year. So he'd be the 2nd highest paid guy on the team. He does expire at the end of the year though, so that's a nice cap relief. Wonder what kind of contract offers he'll get in the summer...?

Melo -- Nah. I don't do it. Any guy who has had that many disruptive issues... Yes he gets big numbers, but so what? I mean, he could just as easliy become a head-case prima donna for GS...

Iggy -- YES.

 

If McMillan is available, I throw EVERYTHING I can at him. He's my favorite coach in the league right now. Might not be the best all-around coach, but he's hands down the best of the younger coaches. He's gonna be around for awhile.

 

As much as I'd like to have Melo for Ellis type of trade, I'd prefer the guy that actually wants to be on this team (for better or worse). I think Melo would turn his nose up at us. Plus, Ellis is pretty elite scorer. Melo would give us the type of scoring that could work at either SF or PF.

I think it only intrigues me that we could have a lineup of:

pg: Steph Curry
sg: DWright
sf: Melo
pf: Vanilla Thunder
c: Latvian Assassin

and in smaller lineups we'd have:

pg:Acie Law / Curry
sg: Steph Curry / Jeremy Lin
sf: DWright
pf: Melo
c: Vanilla Thunder

 

I was with you until you came up with the Monta for Favors deal. Where did that come from!? haha just joking with you. As long as it's only asking what we could get for Monta from the Nets, then that's ok I suppose. But please no Monta for Favors.

If we are able to trade Wright and fillers for Iggy, does he end up playing the SF? Perhaps that is the short term thing until you trade Monta for a superstar big or PG (say Curry/Ellis for Chris Paul)? Then we get something like Paul/Iggy/Vlad?/Lee/Biedrins... Perhaps I kind of like what we have now. But there definitely can be some interesting maneuvering of such. Is Larry Riley the GM to be in charge of this though? haha... I don't know if I have the most confidence in him, but we'll see. Same could have been said for Danny Ainge before he made those two big moves.