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

Discussion in 'Golden State Warriors' started by Warriorfansnc93, May 24, 2005.

  1. Custodianrules2

    Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting wtwalker77:</div><div class="quote_post">
    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> Well let me explain myself. [​IMG] I'm not freakin' out yet. I had the impression we would actually sign Andriuskevicius to a contract after we drafted him, rather than leave him in Europe. Which team would develop him and then risk losing their star player to the NBA? The guy is also really weak for euroleague standards, but it's understandable since he's like what, only 19 and still growing? He's shown good flashes of skill and you can't teach size, but I worry about him being the type of player that we can't take the hands on approach of developing. Let's say the international game has him playing away from the basket when he should be playing near it. It'd be like Biedrins being left over in Latvia, but the difference is Biedrins has a different way of going about the game where he likes to "fight" rather than "shy away". Andriuskevicius has been known to "shy away" often. Also it would suck for this guy to be forgotten/unsigned like the guy that New York drafted a while back that had his dome dunked on by Vince Carter after he jumped over him in the Olympics.

    I just hope we could add more defensive ability at small forward + the offense because I'm that convinced there will be times when these strong, athletic 6'8, 230 lb players that can create their own shot and won't let Dunleavy create his, will be a major problem. Like a house of cards, you take one away the rest falls. Let's say if a guy like Carmelo Anthony or even some small forward role player sees Dunleavy and Murphy on the floor at the same time, they're going to go "Woopee! Time to drive the lane!" Could we get such a veteran to solve this problem when few teams are reluctant to give up their defensive stoppers or players who can play d and score? Often when our quote-unquote help D collapses on the guy, essentially it's like a double team and they find the open shooter, the other guy usually drains it or the original guy gets right to the rim uncontested. I swear it's like watching a bullfight... Several games the Warriors cannot contain their players and it results in a layup a lot of the times or a kickout to a wide open 3 or deep 2. Like Zhone, I'm a big fan of defense on all levels whether it be individual D or team D, but my hope is they also do the things a guy like Dunleavy and Richardson do now which is pass and score and understand the game or do something worthy of drawing fouls or creating for others. Pass, score, and play D, the 7'3" guy might be 1 of the 3 if lucky in about 3-4 years maybe. But he's not guaranteed to command double team respect unless he plays more like Illgauskus or Yao Ming. Time will tell.

    However, I do like "huge potential" in a 7'3 guy that does things no others his size can do with good bball IQ, good coordination and quickness. Still, once we're ready to bring him over, now he's got to adjust to heavier contact, referees, english language, playing NBA defense and playing closer to the basket... it just seems like a lot of work for a guy that may lag in the open court or be as hideous as a lot of the other 7'3 guys on defense not named Dikembe Mutombo. Anyway with the perimeter and inside D in question, I think I may be buying into the hype of this Danny Granger fellow who has a good skillset, is athletic, and has a 7'2 wingspan. I think that's pretty darn rare to find talent and good physical abilities along with the super length at forward.

    Also for some strange reason draftcity dropped Andriuskevicius' name... Curious...

    Also one more thing: how would you feel about dropping Fisher's contract to Memphis? Jerry West is still GM and maybe he''ll want the higher pick and someone to replace that headcase of a point guard in Jason Williams. Who knows maybe we could get a big man.
     
  2. Custodianrules2

    Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kwan1031:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, if he comes to here, that's even better [​IMG]. 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...</div> Crap, I'd take Taft. This guy was a #1 pick a while back for a big reason. If he falls, maybe he's doing all of it on purpose because he wants to be picked by us or be on a good team. I'm just joking. What I see in the guy is size, strength, and athleticism. Whether it's lack of team chemistry he had going on at Pittsburg, he still produced, he just wasn't dominant... He's got good hands. Good lateral movement. Doesn't freak out on pump fakes.

    Maybe he's got Jason Richardson syndrome. Richardson's a hardworker before he came into the league, but with guys like Jamison and Arenas doing all the action, it kind of made Richardson a little bit too laid back when he's usually the guy that doesn't take plays off. Maybe the team assembled at Pitt had too many ballhogs? I'd be pissed too if the first thing I do when I go down the floor is get ignored by everybody while a guy like Arenas or Fisher overdribbles and hoists it up.

    Sure, Taft, why not? power forward/small forward. Whatever it takes to get both defense and inside presence upgraded. We need some kind of play to draw double teams or get the defenses to collapse for the kickout pass. Anybody know what his wingspan is?

    I was thinking Danny Granger too, but I'm not sold if he's the player you should take over Taft or any consensus top 8 pick that fell to us at #9. No matter what the need is you get the guy with the most potential.

    That could be Taft, Splitter, Vasquez, Petro, Andriskivius-whatever

    http://www.draftcity.com/viewarticle.php?a=61
     
  3. Run BJM

    Run BJM Heavy lies the crown. Staff Member Global Moderator

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    If Taft is around he would be a good pick at 9. I would be surprised if he made it to 9 but with Milwalkee now at 1, it is much more likely. If hes a guy that you can throw the rock to in the post and he will get you a bucket then im all for him. Plus that would likely instantly ignite other teams to start trade offers for Murphy. He would be a great pick, but i wouldn't mind if we drafted Granger or Splitter.
     
  4. Voodoo Child

    Voodoo Child Can I Kick It?

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Also for some strange reason draftcity dropped Andriuskevicius' name... Curious...

    Also one more thing: how would you feel about dropping Fisher's contract to Memphis? Jerry West is still GM and maybe he''ll want the higher pick and someone to replace that headcase of a point guard in Jason Williams. Who knows maybe we could get a big man.</div>

    There are rumors that Martynas Andriuskevicius may pull out of the draft if he feels his stock if not high enough, as is the case with Nemanja Aleksandrov. That is why these kids are being pulled from the 2005 mocks and put into the 2006 mocks. I believe they have Andriuskevicius #3 in 2006.

    As for the whole Grizzlies trade scenario, I don't know if a trade would work out for Derek Fisher, especially if you'd be expecting a big man in return. It's looking very likely that the Grizzlies will be trading Jason Williams for Sam Cassell and will also make a strong run to resign Earl Watson as the backup Point Guard. Even if they can't resign Earl Watson, they can draft a guy like Jarrett Jack or Dee Brown at #19, and West has been high on second year Point Guard Antonio Burks. Which big man would the Grizzlies give up in the process anyway? They're not trading Gasol until his fourteen million dollar contract kicks in, Stromile Swift is likely leaving through Free Agency, Lorenzen Wright would be hard to trade for because of the difference in salary, Jake Tsakalidis is a base year compensation player, and Ryan Humphrey is a bum. Besides, the rumor is that the Grizzlies are actually shopping their pick for cash or future picks, not looking to take on another pick.

    Also, I'd just like to say that it seems like Warrior fans in general don't know what they want. It seems like half of you guys love Granger, some of you are intruiged by Andriuskevicius' potential and like the fact that he won't be in the way while he's developing, there's some of you who like Chris Taft, and even a few of you wouldn't mind Fran Vazquez (who a lot of mock drafts project Golden State picking). My question is, what is the Warriors main need? What are they looking to accomplish here? Are they just going to draft the best player available, or are they going to go off team needs?
     
  5. upsidedownside7

    upsidedownside7 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I doubt Marty or Aleksandrov will pull out. Next year there will be an age limit in the draft. Their opportunity is now or wait 2-3 years and risk injury.
     
  6. Clif25

    Clif25 JBB JustBBall Member

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    Are they just going to draft the best player available, or are they going to go off team needs?

    Great question. I think we would all hope that the Warriors could be able to solve their needs from this draft(with three picks). So I believe a lot of people would like to draft for need, for the Warriors. But the players the Warriors need are strong, athletic, defenders, who could also put the ball in the hoop a little as well, like a Tayshan Prince or maybe like another Pietrus. The Warriors of equal if not more need, want a player that could play defense in the post against the likes of your Suns' Amare Stoudamire, Duncan, KG's, and such(or at least do a better job at such than Murphy, Dunleavy, Zarko, and such. Another want, and a little bit of a need is offensive player in the post as well. Murphy and Zarko are good in the high post/perimeter, and Foyle and Biedrins are still growing offensivly(who are our best big man post scorers on the team). And I suppose another want would be to trade some of the bigger contract players on the team like Fisher and Foyle. Also if you are concerned with the injury prone players like Baron and I think Fisher has been beat up a little bit, then I guess a guard who can play some PG in reserve would be nice as well.

    I would say that the perimeter defender and inside defender would be the primary needs. The trick is to find those players that could actually help in those areas. And since those areas are lacking, I think going with the best player available is a strong direction as well. And since the team's rotation is already strong, then hypothetically a rookie wouldn't have too much of an impact, so drafting the highest potential player would be a direction as well.

    Yeah, I think that is where all the different views come from. The Warriors could do many different things with their pick. Each one could backed up too. There isn't really a strong clear cut path this year. I personally like players such as Rudy Fernandez, Rashad McCants, and Francisco Garcia, who could be sparks off the bench and who play good team basketball. Also this is because I have yet to really study many of the prospects in this draft as well. I have a lot of work to do. I think Micka?l Gelabale sounds interesting. But then again none of these players I don't think are really the 9th pick players. So maybe trading down could be good.

    Wow tons of rambling going on. But basically to try to answer your question this time. The Warriors will have a lot of different directions that they can go with. And I think it will be wise for the Warriors to explore each one as they assess these players. And I think it will be a while before the Warriors form an exact plan for how they will draft. Having two second round draft picks, that aren't at the total end of the draft will help in being able to move in the draft, or just add some players strictly by need, or to take a risk like the Spurs did on Ginoboli a long time ago, where they just let him play overseas for a little while.
     
  7. Voodoo Child

    Voodoo Child Can I Kick It?

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Clif25:</div><div class="quote_post">Are they just going to draft the best player available, or are they going to go off team needs?

    Great question. I think we would all hope that the Warriors could be able to solve their needs from this draft(with three picks). So I believe a lot of people would like to draft for need, for the Warriors. But the players the Warriors need are strong, athletic, defenders, who could also put the ball in the hoop a little as well, like a Tayshan Prince or maybe like another Pietrus. The Warriors of equal if not more need, want a player that could play defense in the post against the likes of your Suns' Amare Stoudamire, Duncan, KG's, and such(or at least do a better job at such than Murphy, Dunleavy, Zarko, and such. Another want, and a little bit of a need is offensive player in the post as well. Murphy and Zarko are good in the high post/perimeter, and Foyle and Biedrins are still growing offensivly(who are our best big man post scorers on the team). And I suppose another want would be to trade some of the bigger contract players on the team like Fisher and Foyle. Also if you are concerned with the injury prone players like Baron and I think Fisher has been beat up a little bit, then I guess a guard who can play some PG in reserve would be nice as well.

    I would say that the perimeter defender and inside defender would be the primary needs. The trick is to find those players that could actually help in those areas. And since those areas are lacking, I think going with the best player available is a strong direction as well. And since the team's rotation is already strong, then hypothetically a rookie wouldn't have too much of an impact, so drafting the highest potential player would be a direction as well.

    Yeah, I think that is where all the different views come from. The Warriors could do many different things with their pick. Each one could backed up too. There isn't really a strong clear cut path this year. I personally like players such as Rudy Fernandez, Rashad McCants, and Francisco Garcia, who could be sparks off the bench and who play good team basketball. Also this is because I have yet to really study many of the prospects in this draft as well. I have a lot of work to do. I think Micka?l Gelabale sounds interesting. But then again none of these players I don't think are really the 9th pick players. So maybe trading down could be good.

    Wow tons of rambling going on. But basically to try to answer your question this time. The Warriors will have a lot of different directions that they can go with. And I think it will be wise for the Warriors to explore each one as they assess these players. And I think it will be a while before the Warriors form an exact plan for how they will draft. Having two second round draft picks, that aren't at the total end of the draft will help in being able to move in the draft, or just add some players strictly by need, or to take a risk like the Spurs did on Ginoboli a long time ago, where they just let him play overseas for a little while.</div>

    No rambling, just a great post. You pretty much summed up what I was wondering. [​IMG]

    Now that I know how wide open it is, let me throw a scenario out there. Let's say that Fran Vazquez, Martynas Andriuskevicius, Joey Graham, and Hakim Warrick are on the board, but Danny Granger, Chris Taft, and other possible picks suggested in this thread are off the board. Which one of the four players do you think the Warriors would take? <font size="1">(I'm trying to get a good feel of their situation for mock draft purposes. The Blazers really screwed things up this year and have made it complicated. Hopefully if I can understand the Warriors pick it'll make my job working on JBB's mock draft a little bit easier.)</font>
     
  8. Warriorfansnc93

    Warriorfansnc93 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I dont know much about the Euros so I would say probably Hackim Warrick because of his athleticism, length, and willingness to come here and desire to play with Baron Davis. He could be a Shawn Marion type. Dont run any set plays for him. Just let him get his points off fast breaks and hustle plays. That would be perfect until he develops a solid offensive game. He can work on gaining some weight and be a shut down forward defender just like Marion due to his length and athleticism. I like how solid Graham is, but I think Warrick is just a step up over Graham in terms of athleticism, but he could be like Andre Iguadala for the Sixers. He too is a shut down defender, but more in the perimeter than the post.
     
  9. REREM

    REREM JBB JustBBall Member

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    Granger and Diogu are both able to take the SF role from Dunleavy,who,if he stays her,is probably most valuable as a 6th man who can step in at several spots and exploit a matchup for a while. Martynas is dropping-maybe enough to pull out,because his season was so weak it is hard to take serious any assertion hes skilled,athletic,able to shoot,and improving at all. S Bradley,at 7-5 had some real game experiance and production-and mocks all had him top 3...and he still sucks. You have to see SOME hint of ability to throw a top 10 pick at a guy. I advocate Diogu or Granger because they ARE good and WILL get better yet because they have intensity,basketball IQ and work ethic...things Taft lacks. I wish I saw those things in Taft,I didn't. Frye is a solid big and there is no reason to think Vasquez,Splitter,are going to catch up to him. Blatche might,Bynum might. Warrick has a lot more overall game than some here seem to think,and he really does create his own shot well,few guys can drive and finish better. I'm real curious about the HS bigs,Blatche and Bynum. I saw Bynum and he can become a good player,he plays tough and seemed to understand the game well.
     
  10. Zhone

    Zhone JBB JustBBall Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Now that I know how wide open it is, let me throw a scenario out there. Let's say that Fran Vazquez, Martynas Andriuskevicius, Joey Graham, and Hakim Warrick are on the board, but Danny Granger, Chris Taft, and other possible picks suggested in this thread are off the board. Which one of the four players do you think the Warriors would take? <font size="1">(I'm trying to get a good feel of their situation for mock draft purposes. The Blazers really screwed things up this year and have made it complicated. Hopefully if I can understand the Warriors pick it'll make my job working on JBB's mock draft a little bit easier.)</font></div>

    That's tough, the Warriors brass has been quiet. Which is a great thing, because we don't want to give away who we think will be great and then lose them to some other team.

    I'm sure that the Warriors are looking at BAP, and with the current field, they'll be looking down the road. Barring trades, we're not likely to consider another SF, while the most crowded position now, may be the least crowded position in just a matter of years. Further, our current forwards are the best trade bait and thus Mullin may be mulling a replacement if he can trade them and keep the pick. And of course, everyone loves big men, who are always extremely valuable, so that's the other option.

    Unfortunately all those players fit that you mentioned in some way. So we'll have to look a bit further - trying to tap into potential.

    Graham, Warrick, and Vasquez are all a bit old. They all have some level of experience in college or overseas. Andriuskevicius would be the odd man out here, as the young, inexperienced one. Of course he has the physical tools, but it's hard to gauge his potential because there's no way to tell if he has the heart and the mind to keep developing. The Warrriors want a young guy, but there's young and there's too young. Immature guys like Milicic or Brown are the Anakin Skywalkers of basketball - sure, they are the chosen ones, destined to be great ballers and lead the franchise to victory, but they want too much too soon and do everything wrong to get it, in the end, only hurting themselves. On the other hand, there are guys like Biedrins, who is grateful to play and happy to get better in practice. Of course, Brown and Milicic were raised in harsh enviroments with lots of pressure, the opposite situation of Biedrins, and Andriuskevicius wouldn't have that problem with Golden State. Still, if Andriuskevicius is immature, the Warriors will definitely avoid him. Rumors show that he might need to get a better head on his shoulders.

    So, unless Andriuskevicius passes his psychology tests, it'll probably be out of Graham, Warrick of Vasquez, of the guys you mentioned. Mullin will probably be looking to add someone who can step in on defense, and surprisingly once again these players are all considered pretty good defenders. In the end, it may come down to the big man theory, because big men are generally harder to find, I think Vasquez would get the nod out of that group, which probably is the consensus around other draft sites as well. Not only winning on the "physical size" side, but Vasquez also gets a nod for being someone who's a bit more mysterious and may have more upside.

    I think that if GS passes on Vasquez, it'd be Graham after, because he'd fit great in the Warriors attack. Graham would be like having Calbert Cheaney on juice because their strengths & weaknsesses are the same (defense, mid range jumper, good basketball IQ), but Graham has muscle and hops.
     
  11. jzblaze

    jzblaze JBB JustBBall Member

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    At#9 Taft is a great pick with great value. I dont want to take no skinny Euro that we have no idea if he can bulk up. If we big a 4 or 5 he absolutely has to have strength and a low post-presence. Being picked at 9 may motivate him for the rest of his career because he was once highly rated.
     
  12. dsigns

    dsigns JBB JustBBall Member

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    Just to address a point posted earlier in this thread, we CANNOT afford to blow this pick just because. Based on the end of the season we may very well make the playoffs (even if it is the 8 spot) which means we will be out of the lottery. The majority of the team (main pieces anyway) are all signed to long term contracts. So if this team becomes a playoff team, this is our last chance to get a top 10 pick for long time. I refuse to believe that the warriors should just blow it on some "tall guy" just cuz he's 7+ feet but cant play. We need one more quality player, and this draft is how we address that.
     
  13. Kwan1031

    Kwan1031 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I really don't know about Taft. This size and potential really intrigues me. And, I was excited to hear that he was once regared as potential no. 1 pick. Then, I remember Griffin and Mihm, both once regarded as potential no. 1 pick. Also, news from his workouts aren't exactly thrilling either. He still remains as my ideal draft pick, but at this point, I am kinda nervous about drafting him.

    And for not blowing the pick. If we can draft a safe and superstar potential pick with 9th pick, go ahead. Nobody loves to blow the draft pick. But, it would be a miracle to draft that kind of player with 9th pick. With 9th pick, we probably have to choose between a safe, quality yet marginal starting material, or a total project, who has a potential to be a great player. I agree that this will probably the last lottory pick we will have for some time. And, this is the probably the last time we can gamble about drafting a superstar too, because players with superstar potential are seldom available beyond lottory pick, and we wouldn't be able to sign any superstar, because of our caproom is capped by 3947 AD. Also, we can still grab a quality player with marginal potential with non lottory pick or from mid level exception. If age limit ever happens in new CBA, this will really be the last time for us to grab any player with superstar quality.

    Also, even if we draft safe, future starting material player, where will he play? As you mentioned, number of our players are locked up for number of years. None of Davis, Richardson, Murphy, Foyle, Fisher are going nowhere, we hold Dunleavy, Pietrus, Zarko, and Biedrins' rookie contract, which they make them restricted FAs, and they still have plenty of rooms to grow. Only shaky player from the 9 men rotation is Dunleavy, because of his contract situation. But, even then, Pietrus still can fill the void, and swing man position is the easiest position to fill to begin with, so we can fill that void in next season. Even if we draft a quality and NBA ready player, most likely he won't get a chance to play for at least couple years unless injury happens.

    If you don't want to blow this pick, then we have no choice but to draft safe, solid player, who doesn't necessary have much upside. By doing so, he will most likely be an injury insurance until his rookie runs out and won't play much. Even if they do beat the current 9 men rotation, how much improvement will he bring from our current roster? Unless he becomes something special, he will most likely replace our current roster without much improvement.

    Stocking up talents sounds good and all, but if we can't use that talent, what's a good of it? And, we are in a situation where we don't need another average talent, unless that average talent can block and defend big man or injury hits the club. Also, buying that injury insurance cost probably the best chance of drafting a star without giving up anything for sometime, especially when we can also buy injury insurance by drafts or FAs. So, why not take our last chance to draft a player with star potential?
     
  14. MaxBallin

    MaxBallin JBB JustBBall Member

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    I think that the Warriors should take a long, hard look at Hakim Warrick. He's incredibly fast and athletic, which would fit in perfectly with the run and gun system that Golden State is capable of executing. If played at power forward, he would help form a great foursome along with Davis, Richardson, and Pietrus.
     
  15. Run BJM

    Run BJM Heavy lies the crown. Staff Member Global Moderator

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    I would take Taft if available because he would be the BPA and he is what i have been wanting us to have for a long time; a strong, banger who can play defense, block shots, and post up. He is also pretty athletic and has big hands. He could be the next Kwame Brown but he is older, not pressured as much, and has better hands and skills than Brown had. He could also be the next Amare; he has good footwork in the post, powerful enough to move many defenders, also powerful and quick enough to defend the better PF's in the west. The worst case scenario is that we are getting a beast in the post who is a banger and can D up.

    If the #9 pick rolls around and we have to choose between Taft and Granger, i would take Taft but Granger would be the safer pick. Swingmen come a dime-a-dozen these days and while Granger's all-around game is intruiging, Taft's potential is worth a gamble in my opinion.
     
  16. Custodianrules2

    Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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  17. upsidedownside7

    upsidedownside7 JBB JustBBall Member

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    If Taft is there @ 9, I'd have to think we're going to draft him. Mullin scouted him during the year, there's some buzz among some boards that Mullin loves him and we need a big.

    I wouldn't compare him to Wilcox. He reminds me of young Dale Davis and a dirt poor version of Chris Webber. His passing isn't nearly as good as C-Webb's but he knows how to pass out of a double team and find the open man. His jumper isn't as consistent as C-Webb's either. Nor is his footwork but he's only 20 and he could be a nice little PF for us. He'd fit with a run n gun team very well and I know we're going that direction.
     
  18. Clif25

    Clif25 JBB JustBBall Member

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    How would you guys rate these big forwards/centers in the draft? I mean there's Taft, Warrick, Diogu, Splitter, Bogut(who I guess is the top prospect), Petro, Villanueva, Sean May, some high schoolers and Frye and there seems to be a long list. Just looking at some of these guys' scouting reports from a site or two, it seems like each could bring some valuable things to the floor. I am impressed with Taft's athleticism, if it's as good as I read. And watching Amare makes me wonder some, however there are big questions on Taft and how much effort he puts in, so what could that mean? Then there's Diogu who sounds pretty good as well with some good tools, offensivly, rebounding, and defensivly, and best of all he was able to get to the foul line TEN times per game(that is amazing), yet he's only 6-8. Splitter sounds like an interesting prospect as well at about 7 feet with good skills and physical features and tools. And I guess the list goes on. Each prospect seems to be very intriguing however it seems like there are downsides to each as well. So how would you rate these players, I guess in more with what the Warriors need, or just based on their games alone.

    Yeah, basically I can see each of these players being decent role players. But is there really a true players that could be a very strong contributor? I kind of like Diogu. Getting to the FT line = instant offense and being a beast on the boards is also important and could be a need for the Warriors. Or would he just become a Danny Fortson? But with his skills, I'd think he'd be a little better. But I don't know. What do you guys think?
     
  19. upsidedownside7

    upsidedownside7 JBB JustBBall Member

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    Taft isn't in the same ballpark of athleticism with Amare. A player with Amare's physical gifts comes around once every ten years. Taft is more like Nene.
     
  20. Run BJM

    Run BJM Heavy lies the crown. Staff Member Global Moderator

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    This just in from NBADraft.net: Warriors possibly promise to pick Frye with their first.

    http://www.nbadraft.net/draftbuzz041.asp

    I hope this isn't true even if we trade down. Frye seems over rated IMO hes very weak and doesn't seem very solid on defense. At #9 Granger, Taft, Graham, Splitter, would possibly still be around, they seem much better than Frye.

    Getting back to Taft, this guy could possibly be a future double-team attractor, we desperately need that in the post. I'm not sure how good his post moves are as I've heard that he just moves his defenders out of the way in college but even as a rookie he will likely have the best post game on our team. We may have to get him some touches early when he plays so that he gets into the game but with Baron's under-the-basket hand-offs that should be easy, and Taft could finish them too; unlike Murphy, Foyle, and sometimes Biedrins (he gets over excited and goes for the dunk every time). Hes worth a risk IMO, he brings to the team what no one else has; (possibly including bad attitude though) post game, defensive presence from the 4, athleticism in the post, and he probably wouldn't have trouble running the floor.

    We dont have any glaring needs IMO, the BPA at #9 would be Taft if available, if not then its probably Granger. Granger is very skilled but he seems like he will never be a star, his game reminds me of Jim Jackson of the Suns; can shoot, handle, pass (he plays PG for the Suns sometimes), but Granger probably has better defense.
     

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