http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctime...rs/14404494.htm Golden State picks ninth in the draft, retains second-round selection <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Warriors, who finished tied with Houston for the eighth-worst record in the NBA, lost the tiebreak drawing Friday and will pick ninth in the NBA draft provided they don't move up in the lottery. However, they wound up keeping their second-round pick. The loser of the drawing picks first in the second round, meaning the Warriors (34-48) get the 38th pick instead of 39th. Their second-round pick would have gone to Phoenix (in the Zarko Cabarkapa trade) had it been 39th or lower, which it would've been had the Warriors won the tiebreaker. It's the second consecutive season the Warriors just missed losing their second-round pick. Last season, their second-rounder would've gone to Phoenix had it been No. 41 or higher. The Warriors got the 40th pick and selected rookie guard Monta Ellis. The Suns will automatically get the Warriors' second-rounder in 2007. But the Warriors have two other second-round picks -- one from New Jersey and Minnesota.</div>
C: PF: Ike/Murphy/Biedrins SF: SG: Jason Richardson PG: Baron Davis/Ellis If we're keeping our pick, it'd probably be good to get a small forward to complement Jrich or a center on the level of Erick Dampier, Dale Davis or Brendon Haywood or Jamaal Magloire. We could use a center that plays all-around defense and cleans up on the glass and does the things that Foyle doesn't do as a starting center. Biedrins... he's probably too raw to do anything great as a center because he's got no strength. He'd probably be a better power forward like a Jermaine O'neil. Taft could probably play some center, but he's pretty inconsistent as well, not to mention young bigs lack the strength and knowledge of the game to avoid early foul trouble. The difference in size between Ike and Taft didn't seem that huge so I wonder if Taft is really 6'10.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">If we're keeping our pick, it'd probably be good to get a small forward to complement Jrich or a center on the level of Erick Dampier, Dale Davis or Brendon Haywood or Jamaal Magloire. We could use a center that plays all-around defense and cleans up on the glass and does the things that Foyle doesn't do as a starting center. Biedrins... he's probably too raw to do anything great as a center because he's got no strength. He'd probably be a better power forward like a Jermaine O'neil. Taft could probably play some center, but he's pretty inconsistent as well, not to mention young bigs lack the strength and knowledge of the game to avoid early foul trouble. The difference in size between Ike and Taft didn't seem that huge so I wonder if Taft is really 6'10.</div> Definitely SF and C are our weakest positions. O'Bryant and Brewer are the two guys I want us to draft at #9 but other than them theres really no one I think would be very beneficial to the team. Maybe Tiago Splitter but he sounds alot like Andris and has buyout issues. Taft can definitely man the center spot at 6'9.5 in shoes, 260 lbs. and pretty athletic with some long arms. From what I saw from him he was actually pretty consistent (though he wasn't putting up big #'s) and maybe the most disciplined of our big men with knowing when to go for a block and when to stay on the floor. From the relatively brief chances I got to see him this season I'd say hes by far our best post defender; he can't get moved off the block, hes got very good lateral quickness, hes got good hops and can get up quickly, hes a space eater, and like I said he knows when to jump and when to just put his hands straight up and stay on the floor. Heres a link to the draft measurements btw if you ever want to know exactly how tall a guy is: http://www.insidehoops.com/chicago-camp-measurements.shtml
