Who do we take if Granger and Green are gone by #9?

Those are the 2 I am most high on since we know Williams, Paul, and Bogut will be gone by the time we pick at #9. So who are our alternates?

I dont want any foreigners I have never heard of...
Channing Frye seems like a younger version of Marcus Camby
Taft sounds like Eric Dampier all over again
Felton or Martell Webster might be ok providing how they workout
Warrick, May, Graham and Petro may be worth looking into.

I still like the idea of Wayne Simien I just dont see him going much past the lottery...

 

Felton will probably be gone by then but he could slip. He's so explosive though. Joey Graham's stock is growing so he might be a good fill in, but I like forwards that make up for what Jason Richardson doesn't have like lateral quickness, ballhandling, and potential to be a consistent shooter. I figure Antoine Wright seems like a good prospect who the Warriors should consider, but he is a tall guard rather than a small forward. Oh well 3 guard lineup might be what we need... I'd also take a look at Splitter if he falls, but he'll probably go high. Guys like Webster and even Gerald Green might not compete right away. Guys like Lebron and Carmelo were pretty built for being only teenagers so that is what allowed them to compete better than guys like Darko or J.R. Smith.

 

With the way that the lottery has shaped up, there is a great chance that 7-3 Lithuanian big man Martynas Andriuskevicius will slip to Golden State at #9. If he's available, he's the obvious choice, as some teams would consider him as high as #4. With his size, how can you not be intruiged? His statistics are far from impressive, but that is because his international team has not been giving him minutes for whatever reason. He has shown that he can put up big numbers though. In the European Championship U-18 Challenge Rounds, he averaged 14.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.0 bpg, and 1.5 apg. A few years down the road, Andriuskevicius and Biedrins would make one hell of a frontcourt.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">A few years down the road, Andriuskevicius and Biedrins would make one hell of a Lithuanian frontcourt.</div> Actually Biedrins is Latvian. I've seen some flashes of what the big guy Andrskeicous can do, but he is not ready and the Warriors either won't or don't have the cash to spend on developing him. If he takes as long as Rashard Lewis to get consistent, no thanks.

Actually, if taking a project, the frontcourt I would want is Tiago Splitter at PF/ Biedrins at C. These guys can run and are stronger than they appear. But the problem is both are horrible foul shooters. Splitter has a skinny frame, but he's exciting player who has a bit of finesse and isn't afraid to throw it down.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Actually Biedrins is Latvian. I've seen some flashes of what the big guy Andrskeicous can do, but he is not ready and the Warriors either won't or don't have the cash to spend on developing him. If he takes as long as Rashard Lewis to get consistent, no thanks.</div>

I knew that.

Also, 6-10 Spanish Power Forward Fran Vazquez might slip to the Warriors. He's also a project like Andriuskevicius and Biedrins, but like both he has the tools to be a great NBA player a few years down the road. Although you might be opposed to the development process right now, you will probably agree that Vazquez is a better pick than Joey Graham. Let's face it, the Warriors are not going to be title contenders next year, in 2006, or in 2007. If they get a guy like Andriuskevicius or Vazquez, then they can build towards the future.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">I knew that.

Also, 6-10 Spanish Power Forward Fran Vazquez might slip to the Warriors. He's also a project like Andriuskevicius and Biedrins, but like both he has the tools to be a great NBA player a few years down the road. Although you might be opposed to the development process right now, you will probably agree that Vazquez is a better pick than Joey Graham. Let's face it, the Warriors are not going to be title contenders next year, in 2006, or in 2007. If they get a guy like Andriuskevicius or Vazquez, then they can build towards the future.</div> Maybe... I don't really see an array of offensive skills from either of them. The 7'3 guy basically hangs away from the paint and there's a rare occasion where he dunks. He doesn't play very big which is a huge question mark, but he's a good passer and decent shot. Fran Vasquez's offensive array seems very limited and he's got no range, but he's a good finisher in the open court. The thing about the Euros/Internationals is they are hit or miss. The Warriors may not be going to be title contenders in 2006 or 2007 as far as we can tell now, but Baron Davis and company are going to be playing at their primes and if the guys we draft are too far away from competing, they won't do jack in the years we need them. They'll end up sitting on the bench like Nikoloz Tskitisvilli doing nothing or debating on whether to re-sign them after four years of nothing like Kwame Brown. It has to be a player that can contribute and fit in the current rotation and I feel like that person has to be on the same level of basketball knowledge that guys like Baron Davis, Zarko Cabarkapa, and Jason Richardson possess now, especially in a fast and furious open court game. Give us a guy that defend the wing, finish, create, score from a variety of places and score in a variety of ways, has a good understanding of the game and can get fouled a bunch of times and convert.

Our bigs, after all, are locked up (Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle with possible plans to sign Zarko Cabarkapa and Andris Biedrins later)

BTW, the Vasquez guy looks tenacious when he dunks, but I'm more impressed with that point guard they have who finds and gives him the ball repeatedly. I think his name is Pavel Ermolinski and he's a 6'7 point guard.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post"> Let's face it, the Warriors are not going to be title contenders next year, in 2006, or in 2007. If they get a guy like Andriuskevicius or Vazquez, then they can build towards the future.</div>

No way, Golden State is going all the way this year!

Haha, ok, I'm a big fan but I'm also realistic. I also agree with the Warriors taking whoever they think will be the best player in a few years. Our team is still young, and we can afford a few years to let this team grow together.

I think Vasquez is more ready than you think. So is Splitter, from watching them play. They're older, and they have a lot of experience. They won't be taking over the league, but they'll contribute more than the big man rookies Biedrins or Aruajo have already if they get picked. The bad part is, there will not be enough minutes to go around if we do pick either of them, and both are defensive big men.

 

Vasquez is projected anywhere from 6 to 9, so maybe you guys are right.

But I was going to say minutes between Murphy/Foyle/Biedrins/Zarko... It could get ugly. But small forward is the obvious gap we need to fix. There's some good prospects out there that can be our Joe Johnsons or Shane Battiers or Tayshaun Princes.

 

From what I've seen on this forum Derek Fisher isnt held in very high regard(and from what I've seen from him I can understand why that's the case). So if Granger and Green are gone by the ninth pick why not just bring in a replacement back up point guard so you dont have to deal with Fisher anymore. Warriors could draft Jarett Jack, a very unselfish, excellent defensive point guard that can probably post up other point guards, who could contribute now and many years from now when Baron Davis is gone. He might not turn into a star but he'll at the very least be very solid. And if you're looking for a small forward Ryan Gomes would be a great pick in the second round. Both Jack and Gomes will be able to help the Warriors make their playoff push next year and they'll be good players for many more years.



Anyway I think Isiah Thomas should be fired.

 

I think that replacing Fisher would be a great idea, but finding a suitor for him (even just getting back draft picks or garbage players who would be waived) is tough. Fisher is a tough sell except to teams desperately in need of a backup point guard / spot up shooter, mostly because of his price.

Ah, poor Isiah. I think the only person who doesn't think he should be fired is the New York owners.

 

Well, our selection will be greatly affected by NY's pick, and for that, I guess I don't want Thomas to be fired

I don't see any sense to draft a PG, because like Zhone said, trading Fisher can be quite a task. Besides, Fisher filled both PG and SG role nicely, and with Davis, we can use another outside jumping shooter, not a penetrator, who can carve the defense. If we can draft Martynas Andriuskevicius, why not? Our roster is set, and unless we don't draft defensive big man, we can go anywhere. And, this is the draft where we can actually afford drafting complete bust. Yes, we have Biedrin, but Martynas is 3 inches taller, so with luck they can play both C and PF. Also, it never hurts to have too many quality big men anyway. Unless other players shows a great potential, I don't mind drafting a 7'3" project and wait for few years...

 

Only when we have a buyer for D Fish are we apt to take a high pick point. Vasquez is 22,abuot the age of college seniors and while some rave,his numbers are not too impressive at all. Splitter's are no better,but at least he is younger. We can get 6-11 rebound machine Dwayne Jones probably in rd 2,we can get 7-9 Chinese C Sun Ming Ming fairly late. Martynas A had a FT% of 31% this year....and he can SHOOT? Stevie Wonder can hit 31%. ANY 7-3 guy can score 14 per vs 17 yr olds,show me one who scores 24-25...actually 6-11 A Blatche did. Martynas A is a much less skilled Shika. His EXTREME lack of production this year is why he is no longer hyped as a high pick,and likely won't go in the top 20 by the time the pro's pick. Lottery teams by definition,had a bad year and don't want to wait 3-4-5 years for a basketball novice to get a few skills-assuming he does eventually. What GM wants to tell the fan base "we passed up a few All Americans who scored 20 a game and took a tall kid who scored 2 per"?????
If Green is gone,and he should be long gone,and Granger too,I'd happily take Diogu,as I always say,with Simien,Warrick,Frye,Blatche and maybe Bynum as acceptable. I like Graham,but we have J Rich and Pietrus with similar stuff. I like Granger and Diogu as they both play very good D,and we want more frontcourt D,and because they have a mix of big man skills and mid-sizer quicks,enough thaat either can play either F sometimes. I fail to see why being so skilled youy could play NBA tommorrow is supposed to mean you can't keep getting better,or have less upside than a guy not ready for garbage time. I like players I saw play,and saw kick ass.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kwan1031:</div><div class="quote_post">
If we can draft Martynas Andriuskevicius, why not? Our roster is set, and unless we don't draft defensive big man, we can go anywhere...</div>

Marty Vicious is going to get murdered when he comes in the league. He's not going to be able to box out anyone. We need toughness, strength, super athleticism, defense or low post scoring and that kid brings none of those. Technically he could pan out in a few years but it's a risk. Biedrins we knew was capable of playing inside.

 

No team that has missed the playoffs 10 years can afford a bust draft pick. Seriously,what makes Matynas a better project than Ming? At 7-9 350 or such he's like parking a truck in the lane even if he has almost no skill. Word is he has a little skill,which obviously is all Martynas has. Bynum and Blatche at least displayed decent talent in all-star games. Frye has several years as a good starter for Arizona,a school that has produced good pros. We likely could get Jin,the 7-3 Korean the Blazers picked rd 2 last year if we want a project. I can not fathom how anyone saw Warrick,Diogu,Granger,Simien,Frye...or even a few guys who are usually seen as borderline rd 1,and would rather advocate a suspect,a guy who is a sub in a minor league,who we never saw in real action.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting REREM:</div><div class="quote_post">Only when we have a buyer for D Fish are we apt to take a high pick point. Vasquez is 22,abuot the age of college seniors and while some rave,his numbers are not too impressive at all. Splitter's are no better,but at least he is younger. We can get 6-11 rebound machine Dwayne Jones probably in rd 2,we can get 7-9 Chinese C Sun Ming Ming fairly late. Martynas A had a FT% of 31% this year....and he can SHOOT? Stevie Wonder can hit 31%. ANY 7-3 guy can score 14 per vs 17 yr olds,show me one who scores 24-25...actually 6-11 A Blatche did. Martynas A is a much less skilled Shika. His EXTREME lack of production this year is why he is no longer hyped as a high pick,and likely won't go in the top 20 by the time the pro's pick. Lottery teams by definition,had a bad year and don't want to wait 3-4-5 years for a basketball novice to get a few skills-assuming he does eventually. What GM wants to tell the fan base "we passed up a few All Americans who scored 20 a game and took a tall kid who scored 2 per"?????
If Green is gone,and he should be long gone,and Granger too,I'd happily take Diogu,as I always say,with Simien,Warrick,Frye,Blatche and maybe Bynum as acceptable. I like Graham,but we have J Rich and Pietrus with similar stuff. I like Granger and Diogu as they both play very good D,and we want more frontcourt D,and because they have a mix of big man skills and mid-sizer quicks,enough thaat either can play either F sometimes. I fail to see why being so skilled youy could play NBA tommorrow is supposed to mean you can't keep getting better,or have less upside than a guy not ready for garbage time. I like players I saw play,and saw kick ass.</div>

If Martynas were half way decent in his first pro year, he won't be available at 9th to begin with. I mean, not many teams pass up 7'3" center with decent athaltism, good hand and court vision. If he were available at 9th, it means he is extremely raw, even more so than Biedrine, and that means we got a gigantic project in our hand, which can very well be a next Weis. But, if he happens to meet his expectation, we are in for a ride. And, his lack of production is expected. First, it takes long time to develop a big man to begin with, whether you are european or usa. Then, you throw that raw kid into proleague in age of 17. Lack of production is pretty much unaviodable. If he slips up beyond 9th, that most likely means that scouts don't see enough athlathism and potential to be a successful NBA player, not because "ah man, what's up with his stat in europe, when he first got into the pro league".

Sure, Lottory is intended to add a talent, so that bad team can improve their quality of roster. However, only reason our team miss a PO is because our horrendous 3/4 season. Our last 1/4 season indicates that we are worthy of being PO team, despite being in tough Western conference. Also, our 9 men rotation is set and we can afford wasting this pick completely. Even if we draft solid college player, it's most likely that he will spend most of time warming up the bench, and it will take a lot for a rookie to be a part of that rotation, barring from injury, for at least couple years. Fisher is a quality veteran, Jarko is highly effective forward, and we can't even measure the potential for both Pietrus and Biedrin, when they improve their games daily. So, whoever we draft better have a darn good reason why they will beat any of our 9 men rotation in the future. If not, they are set for being benchwarmers till they leave our club or a complete bust, whether they are solid role player or a high risk/potential player.

Which line GMs will fear more?
"we passed up a few All Americans who scored 20 a game and took a tall kid who scored 2 per"????? or "we passed up a next big thing for a immidiate production". There are GMs, who drafted Darko over Anthony, Bosh, or Wade. But, there ar also GMs, who drafted 26/13/6 blk or 20/10/2 blk instead of potential. Since, we don't have a crystal ball, nobody knows the answer for this one. Besides, I don't think not many NBA fans cares about what they did in college or europe to begin with.

Again, we don't know much about Martynas, and his stock can dramatically go up or down. And, my hope for Martynas only came out from few scouting reports. If we can find mr. defensive big man like Taft, we are looking for, we are set for the draft. But, if we are not, last thing I would want us to do is to draft a solid, without much of an upside player, because he is most likely be a waste pick...

 

I totally agree with Voodoo Child here. If Andriuskevicius slips the way Chad Ford projects (#12), I'd love to see the Warriors snatch him up and stash him in Europe for awhile.

The team has a nice rotation now, Biedrins is the athletic shot blocker everyone seems to think the team needs. Any holes the Warriors have in their frontcourt would be shored up better by signing a vet with the mid level exception than by drafting a guy who is ready to play now, but has limited upside.

Why not draft a guy with a lot of potential who you can stash in europe for a couple of years AND sign a free agent big man who can provide some low post scoring? It's solves all of the W's problems better than drafting a guy like Taft, Vasquez, Frye, or Splitter.

There are two other options that I see:

1. Draft Felton and trade Fisher to a team needing a vet pg wants to unload a frontcourt player with an equally bad contract (Houston with Juwan Howard, Washington with Thomas or Haywood, Dallas with Bradley, Seattle with Fortson). Basically two teams trading one mistake for another.

2. Trade the pick and Fisher for well...just about anything: future draft pick, low-post scorer, small foward (if Mullin has lost faith in Dunleavy). Since Mullin traded for Baron, he can now trade Fisher without admitting that signing him to that ridiculous contract was a mistake.

Oh and custodian, relax. The W's are one of the youngest teams in the league. Baron is only 26, everyone else is 24 or younger (I believe), except Foyle. Even if it takes a project (whether it's Andriuskevicius, Green, Webster, or Alexandrov) four years before they're ready to contribute, everyone on the team will either be in the middle of their prime or just getting into it.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting upsidedownside7:</div><div class="quote_post">Marty Vicious is going to get murdered when he comes in the league. He's not going to be able to box out anyone. We need toughness, strength, super athleticism, defense or low post scoring and that kid brings none of those. Technically he could pan out in a few years but it's a risk. Biedrins we knew was capable of playing inside.</div>

Yeah, he is a risk, and that's an understatement And, I don't mind waiting for him to improve for few years. Heck, I don't even care if he stays in Europe for next 3 years and develop his games. But, if he happens to be a ball player in next 5 years, and be a solid 7'3" center, that can potentially change our franchise as well. Actually, my first choice is what you want as well. But, besides Taft, who's there? Neither Vazquez nor Spitter are described as those kind of players. Then, most of solid college PF happen to be undersized, not so powerful or not so athletic. So, unless Taft is available and happens to be motivated enough, neither you nor my wish will most likely won't be granted. But, if there is a chance that we can get our dream player, I have no problem drafting that player...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting REREM:</div><div class="quote_post">No team that has missed the playoffs 10 years can afford a bust draft pick. Seriously,what makes Matynas a better project than Ming? At 7-9 350 or such he's like parking a truck in the lane even if he has almost no skill. Word is he has a little skill,which obviously is all Martynas has. Bynum and Blatche at least displayed decent talent in all-star games. Frye has several years as a good starter for Arizona,a school that has produced good pros. We likely could get Jin,the 7-3 Korean the Blazers picked rd 2 last year if we want a project. I can not fathom how anyone saw Warrick,Diogu,Granger,Simien,Frye...or even a few guys who are usually seen as borderline rd 1,and would rather advocate a suspect,a guy who is a sub in a minor league,who we never saw in real action.</div>

Those 'minor league' players kicked our butt in both Olympic and another place. So, let's not underestimate the quality of the league. If any, their competition is better than the competition in college, and there are plenty of future great players, who struggles in thier first year in college as well.

Warrick,Diogu,Granger,Simien,Frye... Yeah, they can be a solid pro in the league. But, if they can be a solid pro in our team, they better have a darn good reason why they will be better than Davis, Richardson, Dunleavy, Murphy, Foyle, Fisher, Pietrus, Jarko or Biedrin. At least we can say that guys like Taft or Marty can replace our current rotation in the future, short or distant, because of their potential. But, does any of players you mentioned have distinct advantage over our current players, so that we can invest them for the future? I doubt it, and I am sure many Warriors fans either. If we draft them, and they don't show that they will be better than our current rotation players, they will only be a injury insurance, until they run out of their rookie contract, and even if they become a solid player in other club, it's a waste pick for us...

 

You guys really want to roll the dice . I'd be impatient to draft a first rounder and leave him in Europe in 3 years. If we were to get him he'd have to go on the Andris Biedrins routine of eating, lifting and practicing in the states. He's only going to improve so much overseas. When he practices with the W's he'll....learn some poetry from Foyle? Any way you look at it will be a rough couple of years for the kid.

Due to tonight's draft scenario, Taft is going to fall. Either to us or past us.

 

Well, if he comes to here, that's even better . Wonder we can stick him to NBDL, if new CBA changes to allow that. Heck, if it takes only couple years for him to be a anywhere near decent center, I will take it without a hesitation. If it took 10 years for us to get a decent center, I don't mind waiting another 5 years for that.

I like Taft, and according to scouting report, his body is crying to be a next superstar. But, according to same scouting report, his workout isn't that impressive either. So, to me, he can be as big of gamble as Marty.

And, why not roll the dice and go for home run, if we can't fill the immidiate need for this club? And, I am not that desperate to add an insurance back up, especially with 9th pick, when we can add that with veteran's exception or trade. If Marty looks promising, draft him. If any of euros like Tiago or Vasquez has a good potential, welcome to Warriors. Or, if any high schooler or college players have potential to be a next big thing, realy a poetry with Foyle for few years. Of course, we can swing horrendously, spin couple times, and dive our nose to the ground. But, at least I would appreciate for the effort. Last thing I want to see is to draft a player, whose potential is marginal starter in the league, since we have very successful 9 men rotation going...