SB Nation - Baron Davis

Dragon's Breath: Grizzlies Lose to Clippers 113-110

djturtleface — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:55:16 -0000

3 days ago: Doubled teamed by Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33), of Spain, and Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) Los Angeles Clippers guard Baron Davis (1) drives to the basket in the first half of a NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Los Angeles. nam bk(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

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Told you the Clippers would go over 100. Hell, the Grizzlies would probably give the Bobcats 100 at this point. Anyhow, in this one the interior defense was obviously exposed, with Chris Kaman and, uh, Craig Smith going nuts all over the Grizzlies.

Not that it's all bad news. Again the Grizzlies looked exceptional offensively, shooting 46% from the field with lots of points despite a relatively off night from Zach Randolph and O.J. Mayo. Some even played well defensively, especially O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. Those two held their opponents to low efficiency while firing up lots of shots, which is always good news. Also the Grizzlies bigs did well on the boards, despite their lackluster defensive effort.

Check out Clips Nation for another version of the recap, or hop over the jump for a little extra coverage.

Rockness Monster- Rudy Gay not only dropped 33 points at a high efficiency, but also held Rasual Butler to subpar numbers on the other end of the floor. I called that Rudy would dominate, but I couldn't have expected this good of a game from him, especially in terms of jumpshooting.

U-Turn- Without Allen Iverson around to distract him, Mike Conley turned in a positively mediocre performance. Sadly this is a major step forward for Conley, who has been generally terrible so far this season. I expected Baron Davis to bowl Conley over, but the little man played solid defense and distributed the ball where it needed to be.

Bitter Lemon- Allen Iverson's leaving the team is a sad moment no matter how you perceive the acquisition of the former All-Star. I was looking forward to seeing A.I. suiting up in a Grizzlies uniform, but I think there is definitely a chance that he's gone home for the last time. Chad Ford agrees that A.I. might just be retiring.

Sleeping With the Enemy- Chris Kaman went nuts. When he's healthy, this dude is the real deal. With this year's crop of centers, Kaman is easily All-Star material. His range might not be great, but his post moves are incredible from a technical standpoint. Color me impressed. As for the rest of the Clippers, it wasn't their best performance, but they looked like a low seed playoff team. This is a squad that is one trade -- for a small forward, Rasual Butler and Al Thornton don't cut it -- from becoming well above average.

RECAP: LA Clippers 118, Golden State Warriors 90- It's a Great Time Out for Clipper Raj!

Atma Brother ONE — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:17:08 -0000

Seriously, what is going on here?

Preview/ Game Thread (1015+ comments)

Final Box Score

Blog Buddy: Clips Nation : Now THAT's Really More Like It

Warriors Nation and Clippers Nation. Clippers North and Warriors South. We're like peanut butter and jelly, Redman and Method Man, milk and cookies, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Donald Sterling and housing discrimination, Chris Cohan and tax evasion, Windows Vista and Cntrl + Alt +Dlt-- we just go together. So naturally I went to tonight's festivity at the Roracle (or should I say the Boracle?) with my main man Clipper Raj. Getting blown out at home by a long time frenemy tonight was pretty unexpected, but hey at least Clipper Raj had a great time out!

Final - 11.6.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Los Angeles Clippers	30	27	34	27	118
Golden State Warriors	19	26	16	29	90

Complete Coverage >

Jump for the reasons why our buddy Clipper Steve decided it was an opportune time to kindly host Clips Nation + GSoM Night 1 in SoCal.

Clippers Backcourt vs. Warriors Backcourt

Let's get this one out of the way first. The Bad News: Stephen Curry (-13) probably had the worst night of his NBA career tonight. The Good News: At least he got that one of his system early. Curry was shooting blanks (1-5) and getting abused on defense (fouled out) by the bigger and more imposing Clips guards for the entire duration of his 21 minutes out there tonight. We'll go easy on the rookie.
Monta Ellis (-29) just doesn't look like that Ellis to the Rim of 2008. Baron Davis not being there to guard the opposing team's best backcourt player and provide low-mistake ball handling and distributing the rock sure does hurt. But as my man Feltbot will tell you things have changed, Monta Ellis is not a star. Not anymore. Monta's J is way off and his court vision and decisions were very shaky tonight (SIX turnovers).
To go cliche on you for a second Baron Davis (+26) looked like a men among boys tonight. BD looks absolutely chiseled and in fantastic shape. He pretty much had his way with anyone the Warriors threw at him. He was savvy. He was smart. He was hungry and diving for loose balls. He was picking pockets (4 steals). He even hit 61.5 of his shots coming into the game shooting well below 40%. He is missed.
Eric Gordon (+29) also looked like a men among boys tonight. Gordon looked wise beyond his years. He abused the Warriors backcourt with his scoring. The Clippers have had their fair share of bad draft picks over the years, but they sure got this one right. A Dizzle-Gizzle backcourt is more than serviceable.
I'm easily in the top 1% of Anthony Morrow (-10) fans, but that was a sad performance. He looked like a one-trick pony out there and that trick wasn't quite working right. What made Morrow particularly intriguing last season was his rebounding in addition to his stellar shooting. It didn't look like Ammo was that interested in trying to clean up the glass tonight. His usual scrappiness and effort on defense wasn't there at all either. Not that he was the only Warrior in this regard, but Morrow was a defensive liability all night long. Very disappointing.
Oddly enough even Stephon Marburry's cousin Sebastian Telfair got in on the fun. The Warriors backcourt (particularly Morrow) just couldn't hang with this guy. 13 points (50% FG), 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in under 20 minutes? Telfair outplayed both Ellis and Curry in Oakland. That's not supposed to happen... ever.
By the way what's up with all those losers booing Baron Davis at the Oracle? What's there to boo? Boom Dizzle is not here because 1) Robert Rowell couldn't wait to get him out of here so he could foolishly build around Monta Ellis and 2) Elton Brand pulled a sucka move. Not once did BD ever publicly whine like "Captain" Jack about his teammates. BD lost a prime year thanks to the silly roster Chris Mullin assembled around him and Coach Mike Montgomery's complete incompetence as Warriors head coach. Did you see BD complaining about that? Boo the "Captain", not the beard. Along with Nellie, Jason Richardson, Al Harrington, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, and yes even Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis made this team relevant for one fine spring and then some. Show some gratitude and class.
C.J. Watson sighting! Acie Law sighting! That means 1 of 2 things- 1) the Warriors are blowing out some unsuspecting squad or 2) the Warriors are somewhat expectedly getting blown out. Unfortunately tonight it was the latter.

Clippers 1, Warriors 0

Clippers Frontcourt vs. Warriors Frontcourt

Chris Kaman (+19) must have had his calendar marked for this game or something. He looked very, very good. Sure the Warriors were physically overmatched all night long against him mostly due to injuries to Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf, but that was an All-Star caliber performance tonight from Kaman. 22-9 through 3 ain't no joke, especially when it looks that easy. Don't be surprised if Kaman is donning an All-Star jersey in February. His competition in the West really isn't that tough either. Our man Matt Steinmetz has more in It's Early, But Chris Kaman Breaking Out. (Seriously Matt got off easy! He can choose to write about the Clips and not the Warriors for FanHouse.) Elton Brand made a really dumb decision ditching Kaman- that would have been a top 4-5 combo, especially with Dizzle-Gizzle in the backcourt and Camby up front.
In addition to Kaman the ever-underrated Marcus Camby (+26) really protected the rim tonight. His 12 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks were a fantasy hoops delight. The Warriors found out the hard way why this guy has a Defensive Player of the Year trophy at home. Andris Biedrins should be studying tape of this guy nightly. It's a reasonable goal for him to try to be Camby 2.0. The jumpshot won't be there, but there's no reason why the D and overall savvy can't.
Thanks to Biedrins and Turiaf nursing injuries and Anthony Randolph's current funk, MIKEY! Moore (-20) got the start. When Larry Riley signed MIKEY! in the offseason I don't think he envisioned him playing 18.5 minutes in a single game, but honestly the Warriors really had no other options especially with Randolph racking up so many pointless fouls. He wasn't quite Ronny Turiaf Sr. out there tonight.
It was pretty much more of the same from the big money veteran players on this team Stephen Jackson (-30) and Corey Maggette (-15). Lots of blanks (8-21 FG "good" for 38.1% FG) and questionable decisions with the rock (Jack with twice as many turnovers as assists). Thanks to poor front office decisions these guys have been thrust into roles they shouldn't have. Both are nice complementary vets, but nothing more. Sorry I know this is all like a broken record.
Anthony Randolph's night (-8) can be summed up in one word: CLUELESS. For all those Nellie haters demanding the Randolph "play through his mistakes" this game is exactly why that's not a good idea. To reinforce or encourage anything Randolph did tonight would be a huge mistake. From not cutting off the baseline against an infinitely slower Kaman to trying random And 1 moves at the top of the key and launching several ill-advised jumpers (5-15 FG), Randolph was just not playing smart tonight. His statline of 13 points and 14 points (mostly collected in garbage time) are incredibly misleading. If he's going to routinely play like he did tonight and play for 30 minutes a game, the Warriors are not winning a single game the rest of the way. It's frustrating because we all had so much hope for the guy.

By the way did you know Stacey Dash was 29 when she played the part of teenage BBF Dionne in this movie? Amazing.

Clippers 2, Warriors 0

Sadly both The Forward and The Guard had horrible games.

Garbage Time in the 4th Quarter

Clipper Raj: So it looks like this game is about over.

AB1: You kidding man? We got you guys right where we want you.

Clipper Raj: You wanted us to be up by 30?

AB1: 30 points? That's only 10 makes from downtown from Anthony Morrow.

Clipper Raj: Riiiight. Keep dreaming.

AB1: How about I dream about the Warriors winning the lottery sweepstakes for a gifted power forward destined for greatness, but then that dream quickly turns into a nightmare as he injures his left patella, probably costing the team any chance at the playoffs, before he even plays his first game?

<golf clap> <golf clap> Blake Grffin: "That's not very funny at all."

Clipper Raj: Hey Grffin picked up 6 less fouls than your GQ boy Masala tonight.

AB1: Okay, yeah that's pretty "Unstoppable Baby!"

Clipper Raj: Speaking of the Unstoppable-ness...

AB1: Yeah what about it.

Clipper Raj: You know how you cats over at GSoM have that world famous mantra:

"UNSTOPPABLE BABY!"

Golden State Warriors rookie Marc Jackson to the Mavericks' bench, after hitting a lay-up during a 29-point loss (2000)

Well a new Clipper one for matches against the Dubs is about to be formulated today.

AB1: Whatchu mean man?

DeAndre Jordan's dunks and celebrations during garbage time were pretty hilarious.

Clipper Raj:

"UNSTOPPABLE BABY!"

LA Clippers DeAndre Jordan to the Clips' bench, after throwing down a nasty jam for the umpteenth time during a 28-point win in garbage time (2009)

AB1: Good one.

Clippers 118, Warriors 90

Tonight's award goes out to Coach Don Nelson. Nellie's about to irrationally get bashed left and right by the histrionic and randomly vengeful "Fire Nellie" crowd. I'm not sure why. Honestly what is the man supposed to do? Tonight was on the players. Injuries happen (Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf), but the guys who were out there tonight were absolutely awful.

Did Nellie have the greatest coaching performance tonight? Doubtful, but tonight the players and their collective low hoops IQ, limitations, and raw-ness were the problem. Coaching was not the problem tonight. I give Nellie credit for not going AWOL.

A picture says a 1,000 words.

via s3.images.com

Video "highlights" courtesy of our friends at Yahoo! Sports and the NBA

Postgame video courtesy of our friends at CSN Bay Area

Poll

Who gets your vote for tonight's main Warrior Killer?

Q&A: Matt Steinmetz (AOL FanHouse + Comcast Sports Net Bay Area)- Part 2 of 3: Warriors defensive woes, Stephen Curry's jumpshot, and managing playing time

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:03:38 -0000

In the first part of our Q&A with Matt we tried to make sense of Stephen Jackson's trade demands. That was quite an interesting exercise.

In this segment we talk about the Warriors defense (or lack thereof), rookie Stephen Curry's shooting woes early on in the Las Vegas Summer Leagues and the preseason, and how to balance the minutes on a talented, but imbalanced roster.

Jump!

Golden State of Mind: The Warriors were easily one of the worst (if not THE worst) defensive teams in the league last year. How can the Warriors improve in that area this season? How much of their defensive issues come down to defensive system (i.e. coaching) vs. effort vs. poor defenders?

Matt Steinmetz: You don't get to be the worst defensive team in the league for any one particular reason. A lot of it, to be fair, has to do with style of play. If the Warriors, for whatever reason, decided to become a halfcourt team tomorrow, they would no longer be the worst defensive team in the league ... even though they didn't change in any fundamental defensive way. That said, it's not great, is it? I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they struggle to guard two of the most important positions on the floor - point guard and power forward/center. I say power forward/center as a way of saying post-up guy. I know you're supposed to pick one side or the other in the whole Baron Davis debate, but the fact is that he could at times set a defensive tone from the point guard position that then got his teammates involved. It didn't mean the Warriors became a lock-down defensive team, but it meant that they had guys swarming and hovering and trying to wreak havoc and it was effective in stretches. Let me make clear: at times. But when Baron started pressuring out front, it usually got everyone else more active. They don't have anyone like that. And by the way, I'm basically talking about last year. I don't anticipate things will change drastically, but I'm just saying. As for opposing big men who are skilled, the Warriors struggle there, too. And I say that acknowledging that Ronny Turiaf and Andris Biedrins aren't bad defenders at all. Turiaf gives you a chance against a lot of back-to-the-basket players. But he's just never going to be more than a low-20-minute per night guy. He's going to get in foul trouble. He goes after every block and doesn't allow easy buckets. I wouldn't want him to play any other way. But he's never going to anchor your frontcourt. It's no secret Biedrins struggles against powerful centers. So even though between them they're not bad defensively, my point is that there are some holes up there. And once you get past those two, you're looking at Anthony Randolph and Corey Maggette. Now we're getting into a real problem area in terms of frontcourt defense.

Golden State of Mind: Coming out of college Stephen Curry was most known for his sweet shooting stroke. However Curry has struggled mightily in terms of FG% in the summer leagues and in the preseason. He has however put up some nice assist totals, which should come as no surprise to anyone who heard Coach Bobby Knight hype him up as the best passer in college basketball last year. Will Curry's jumper and FG% in the NBA be more in line with the scoring acumen he displayed at Davidson? Is there something different about his shooting technique that's causing the low %'s? Will handling and distributing the rock be his forte in the league?

Matt Steinmetz: Coming out of college, much of what we heard about Curry centered on whether he was a point guard or two guard. Seems to me, that's not much of a debate anymore. The kid's a point and looks like he'll be a pretty good one. I'm less concerned now with his shooting than I was a month or so ago because I now see he can help your team without necessarily shooting the ball well.

The challenge for Curry this season will be figuring out how to best run this team ... or try to run this team. He's got a lot of teammates who aren't as willing to pass the ball as much as he is, and they're going to want the ball from him as much as possible. Trying to decide among Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette is going to be a thankless job, and it's going to be impossible for him to make everyone happy. That's not an easy position for a rookie to be in.

Golden State of Mind: Let's say you're the head coach of the Warriors and trying to manage this imbalanced roster with talent, but some gaping holes. Who would be your starting 5 and how would distribute the minutes to get the bench players involved?

Matt Steinmetz: That's actually a tough question. On the one hand, the starting five would seem to be pretty easy: Curry, Ellis, Jackson, Randolph and Biedrins. On the other hand, I'm not sure that Randolph playing with those guys is best for the team or Randolph. Randolph is still young and learning so he's finding himself worrying more about his own game than how it fits into the team concept at this point. Also, there's no doubt that Nelson might have to look at using Curry and Morrow more together.

It's pretty amazing that Curry is the only player on the team that seems to look for Morrow. Then again, if you really take a good hard look at the personnel of Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette, they aren't really players who look for teammates. All three of them, Jackson included, think of themselves as scorers. So when they don't find Morrow - or any open teammate, for that matter - it's not so much they don't want to pass the ball, it's that their games are limited and that's not really what they're cut out to do.

It's easy to say the Warriors have played only two games and there's no reason to panic. On the other, it seems apparent that there's too much overlap of position and skill on this team and the Warriors could really benefit from having another player or two who thinks about the team more than they do about their own games.

**********

Don't forget to read Matt's insights on the Warriors and the rest of the NBA over at AOL FanHouse. Follow the good man on Twitter too and while you're at it follow the unstoppable baby-ness.

Stay tuned for Part Trey!

NBA Western Conference Predictions

tenaciousT — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:16:05 -0000

This is part two of my NBA predictions.

I like to check back at times along the year to see how far off I am and what changes need to be made due to trade or injury.

Southwest Division

1) San Antonio Spurs 57-25 – Aging San Ant. ‘done did’ themselves well this off season They aren’t a perfect team, but they have two, perhaps three, key acquisitions in McDyess, Jefferson, and Blair. This team is back in the mix for the whole schnoggy.

2) Dallas Mavericks 50-32 – Shawn Marion finally gets a team and system that should let him flourish a bit like the old days. Why does it seem inconsistent Drew Gooden rarely impacts a game relative to his numbers? Kidd’s not what he was defensively, but he’s still pretty darn good at the other end. What this team really needs is a crushing post player who demands a lot of attention or, less likely, an alpha star to make Dirk the best second option in the game.

3) New Orleans Hornets 47-35 – I say that Okafor helps compared to Tyson Chandler, but for some reason I really can’t explain, I see this team treading water. I like Julian Wright, but I’m not sure he should be a starter yet. Mo Pete should be an off the bench player. Peja’s losing it. Maybe that’s why.

4) Houston Rockets 37-45 – With no go-to guy in sight, I see a tough year for this team. If I’m wrong, give Rick Adelman all the credit for making a team of supporting role players manufacture wins where they shouldn’t. Ariza tries to become a top scorer? He’s looking good so far. Is the apocalypse near? Aaron Brooks looks like he is growing as well. Scola is a great role player that will struggle a bit as a primary option with no other players on the floor to draw double teams.

5) Memphis Grizzlies 32-50 – This team intrigues with Allen Iverson and Zach Randolph added without any major loss (Warrick). They are a talented, if selfish team. They could end up quite a bit better than 32 wins if the two budding stars in Gay and Mayo accept Iverson as the leader and main scorer. I’m guessing that might be problematic. Thabeet has ‘project’ written all over him. Iverson has a small tear in his hamstring right now.

The other divisions are after the jump...

Northwest Division

1) Denver Nuggets 50–32 – K-Mart is talking tough. But that is what he does. This core has been an underachieving group for years, IMO. It took an aging Billups to give this team an intelligent, fearless leader. Ty Lawson could help a lot, IMO. They need a change of pace from the deliberate Billups to get some easy buckets. Lawson can give them that. Lots of talented veteran players, but I question their heart and commitment to win it all. Carmelo Anthony needs to step up as a defender and leader to change this team’s karma.

2) Portland Trail Blazers 50-32 – nice overall team who are not quite ready to challenge. Newcomer Andre Miller coming off the bench is a surprise move. McMillan’s preseason experimenting to get Oden more involved wasn’t well received and it showed in the results. Oden’s health and growth and getting Miller more involved pushes this team forward. Otherwise they tread water this year. Strong bench again.

3) Utah Jazz 48–34 – Boozer and Milsap mean a strong tandem at PF. Deron Williams is a stud. Kirilenko starts until CJ Miles returns. Okur fits here well and Fesenko, and Koufas may help. Maynor is supposed to be pretty good. Sloan is considered a great coach. So why does this team always have a terrible road record?

4) Oklahoma City Thunder 29-53 – multiple ‘studly do-rights’ in growth mode here. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, and now James Harden make a great core of very talented youth. Scary good future. They may make the jump sooner, and will surprise some teams this season, but I’m expecting another year of learning. Really cool team to watch, though.

5) Minnesota Timberwolves 22-60 – poor Al Jefferson. New, untried head coach in Rambis, two new talented point guards in Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions, injured Kevin Love, Hollins and Jawai as the back up bigs, with decent but not great other role players. Defense will be an issue. I thought they should have gone with an experienced coach, but we’ll see.

Pacific Division

1) L. A. Lakers 62-20 – a big year by Bynum makes this team so much better. We’ve been saying that for a while, haven’t we? He is still young and it could happen this season. Artest for Ariza? More of a trade off than one might think. I’m not an Artest fan, but he gets away with stuff defensively that he shouldn’t and that will be important come playoff time. Kobe keeps this team on target all season.

2) Phoenix Suns 42-40 – Nash goes back to run and gun. He, Grant Hill and Amar’e will keep the Suns afloat, if not really relevant anymore. Channing Frye should thank his lucky stars. He died and went to ‘good shooting, soft rebounding/defending big man’ heaven. He is not as good as he will seem here, but he’ll put up some good numbers.

3) L.A. Clippers 37-45 – this is ‘Denver lite’ - a talented team with good bigs and a stud at PG that will underachieve compared to its talent. Kaman looks like he will return to his career year form. Eric Gordon is a young star in the making They should be a .500 plus team with the right coach and attitude. They have neither. Blake Griffin could change that, but I doubt it. A motivated Baron Davis could make a big difference. He and Dunleavy are said to have bridged their differences. We’ll see.

4) Golden State Warriors 31-51 – Welcome to the whacky farm. Experience a rebelliously aging Don Nelson while you can. Anthony Randolph is a talent in basketball purgatory.

Self centered, but talented Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette fit this erratic team where players are stars one day and on the bench the next. Stephon Jackson trade rumors are heating up. Talented, but undulating ship of fools. It’s shame because once-upon-a-time Don Nelson could really coach.

5) Sacramento Kings 20-62 – Paul Westphal’s job is to keep things positive and keep the young players’ development moving forward. Perhaps he should call Doc Rivers for advice.

I like a number of players here such as Kevin Martin, Jason Thompson, Tyreke Evans, and Spencer Hawes. Evans will have to limit his turnovers as he grows as an NBA player. That may take a while, but he looks like a solid draft choice. After Kevin Martin, there isn’t a solid second option offensively yet.

That is it. Agree or disagree. What do you think? Where am I wrong?

Lakers Subdue Clippers, Maintain 82-Win Pace

DexterFishmore — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:38 -0000

And with this, the Lakers are back in our lives.

It had been nearly five months since we last saw them in real action, and the crew on the court last night wasn't the same occupying army that rolled through Orlando in last year's Finals. Their play was unruly and unpolished. Their shooting touch will need some time to recalibrate. Two old friends from last year's team were missing - one permanently, the other for one night only. We hope.

But despite all that, the Lakers put on a damn good show. There were rings, a new banner, a moment to honor Tex Winter, and a sprightly looking Andrew Bynum. Best of all, there were the Clippers. Touted far and wide as an improved and possibly playoff-caliber team, they dutifully showed up and did what we can always count on them to do: play badly and lose.

Basketball's back, people. Let's dig in.

That the Lakers weren't the offensive inferno of last June shouldn't be exceptionally surprising or concerning. Absent were two members of the starting lineup that won the title: Trevor Ariza, who made his debut with the Houston Rockets last night, and Pau Gasol, still resting an ouchy hamstring. In their places were the newest Laker, Ron Artest, and usual sixth man Lamar Odom. Customary substitution patterns were knocked askew, while Laker shooters struggled to find the basket.

On the night, the Lakers managed only 1.02 points per possession. (Full tempo-free stats can be found at the end of this post.) By contrast, last year the team averaged 1.15 PPP over the entire season. The key failings last night took the form of an overabundance of turnovers, bad (25 for 37) free-throw shooting and downright barbaric (4 for 23) shooting on three-point attempts. Especially galling was the third quarter, when the Lakers could manage only 17 points on 24 possessions. A stretch in the second quarter, when the reserve unit spent about six minutes getting dominated, was pretty grim too.

As we're accustomed to seeing, though, the collected talents of the Lakers eventually overwhelmed the opponent. Kobe Bryant repeatedly worked over the smaller Clipper guards on the post to finish with 33, Odom hung an unassuming 16-13-5, and Artest more than made up for a bad shooting night with splendid defense and deft Triangular passing. He posted a plus-minus of +14, tied with Marcus Camby for tops on the night.

Perhaps most heartening for Laker fans was the play of Bynum. We spent all preseason hearing how good he looked, but you don't want to invest emotionally until you see what happens when real bullets start flying. Against a tall and skilled Clippers front line, he performed splendidly, to the tune of 26 points, 13 reebs, a block and only one turnover. His vertical mobility doesn't seem all there yet, but laterally he's moving better than ever, and he showed great instincts to get open and make himself available for feeds near the hoop. We couldn't have hoped for a more promising start to his season.

The Laker second unit looked terrible and played only about 10 minutes, but let's not fret overmuch. The problem was that Pau's absence brought Odom forward into the starting lineup, leaving the reserves without the one guy who can reliably create his own shot. When five low-usage role players are on the floor together, the possessions and results are going to be ugly. When Pau returns the rotations will rebalance.

Defensively, the Lakers put in a quality night of work, forcing turnovers on 21% of Clipper possessions. OK, "forcing" is a bit strong... many of those turnovers resulted from standard-issue Clipper incompetence. But the Lakers didn't allow many open looks, kept the Clips off the free-throw line and flashed good, textbook help defense. It didn't hurt that Baron Davis appears to be an utterly spent force: he burned 12 possessions to score only two points and staged a baroque display of crappy shot selection. I'm so, so happy that I don't write for a Clippers blog.

If you'll indulge some mushiness on my part: the coolest moment of the evening fell between the third and fourth quarters, when David Stern brought Tex Winter onto the court to be awarded his championship ring. Tex, the mad scientist behind the Triangle, is recovering from a stroke suffered last April, as a result of which he was laid up for most of the spring and summer. But he was there last night, looking quite good in fact, and it was awesome that he got his moment on the big stage.

This sport really does do the right thing every once in a while.

Summary Game Stats

Possessions: 97
Turnover Rate: Lakers - 17%, Clippers - 21%
FTA/FGA: Lakers - 0.44, Clippers - 0.18
Free Throw Accuracy: Lakers - 68%, Clippers - 69%
Effective Field-Goal Percentage: Lakers - 44%, Clippers - 47%
True Shooting Percentage: Lakers - 49%, Clippers - 49%
Offensive Rebounding Rate: Lakers - 35%, Clippers - 34%
Defensive Rebounding Rate: Lakers - 66%, Clippers - 65%
Points Per Possession: Lakers - 1.02, Clippers - 0.95

Game Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

C.A. Clark — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:11:39 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Browse more photos »

Just a few short hours from now, your World Champion Los Angeles Lakers will finally take the court for the opening game of the regular season. Despite the fact that our fan base had a shorter summer than all the others, I think everyone would agree with me that it has been too long. For me, the months between an old season's ending and a new season's beginning pass like gall stones, slow and painful, and nothing can be better than the return of the NBA to my life.

So, without further ado, here are some quick thoughts regarding the Lakers and their upcoming opponents in tonight's contest, our cross-arena foes, the Los Angeles Clippers.

How do the two teams look coming into tonight's contest?

Since both teams have identical 0-0 records coming into the game, there isn't a whole lot to say about how the teams have fared recently. But I guess they play those preseason games for a reason, so we'll glean what we can from the 0th season. The Clippers had a very successful preseason, going 6-2 with standout victories against the Spurs, Hornets, Jazz, Trailblazers, and of course, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Since Israel is a couple seasons away from having an NBA franchise, it's clear that the actual results of these games don't matter. However, there are a few things that can be learned about the Clippers this season.

Baron Davis is in fantastic shape. I have no idea whether his new fitness regime will translate to him deciding to actually drive to the basket instead of simply hoisting another 3 point shot. I have no idea if his new found figure is a commitment to turning the Clippers into a successful team, or just part of his master plan to get more sponsorships for diet plans. But Davis has shown in the past that he can be an elite player when his heart is into it, and if his commitment to fitness this season is any indication, he's ready to reaffirm his elite status.
What about the rest of his team? They were a motley group last season, thrown into a funk by the betrayal of Elton Brand, and coached into the 7th circle of hell by Mike Dunleavy. I don't ever remember a team quitting on the season as early as the Clippers seemed to ... or was that just Baron Davis. Regardless, the Clippers have a fair amount of talent. Kaman has shown that he's one of the few true centers in the league, and he's got a decent array of post moves. Eric Gordan looks like a real winner. And Blake Griffin has shown glimpses of a tremendous amount of athleticism and ability. In short, the Clippers future is bright ... or at least it would be, if they weren't cursed worse than the Pirates of the Caribbean. Which brings us to our next point.
Blake Griffin blew out his knee. Not to get to Simmons-esque on you here, but what percentage of people saw Blake Griffin's inevitable injury coming? 50%? 80%? 100%? Simmons himself predicted it. As tragic as it is, there can't be a single person surprised by it. Clippers fans should unfortunately know better than to believe in their team. There is always something that will screw up this franchise. If they aren't willing to do it themselves with poor play, poor coaching, and poor personnel decisions, then God has repeatedly proven to be willing to pick up the slack in keeping the Clippers' franchise down. It brings me no joy to see this happen to that franchise time and time again. I'd love for the Clippers to be good. If nothing else, a serious cross-town rivalry would add a unique flair to our experiences as fans. But the writing is on the wall, and its been there for the entirety of the Clippers existence.

After the jump, some Lakers thoughts, and the matchups for tonight's game.

We've already given you much more information than you needed to know about how the Lakers look coming into this season, so these thoughts are specifically related to what should be a special night in Staples Center

The main event for Lakers fans tonight isn't even the game itself, but the ring ceremony which will precede the game. We already know just how special this championship was for the team, especially the team leaders: Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher, and of course, Kobe Bryant. While it won't have quite the same magical feel to it as when the team held up the Larry O'Brien while Kobe lifted his first Finals MVP, tonight will be a re-affirmation of all the hard work the Lakers went through last year, and it should be a relatively emotional night. Besides, any time you get a chance to see ridiculous amounts of bling, it's always a good time.
There's a potential for a letdown tonight, with the double dose of getting championship rings and playing the lowly Clippers. But it's the first game of the season, a season in which the Lakers know a very strong start is mandatory in order for them to set the pace for the rest of the league, so it seems nearly impossible that the Lakers start the season off flat.
Pau Gasol might miss tonight's season opener. It's a game time decision, but it looks more and more likely that El Spaniard will sit this one out. Since the Clips front line is also depleted with the loss of Griffin, it shouldn't cause too much trouble for the Lakers tonight

Matchups

With Griffin out, the Clippers will likely move Marcus Camby into the starting lineup, giving the Clippers a starting 5 of Baron Davis, Eric Gordan, Rasual Butler, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman. The obvious strength of the lineup is the backcourt, as Davis and Gordan are probably the two best players on the team, without Griffin. Assuming Gasol also doesn't play, the Lakers will trot out Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. It's the first game of the season, so forgive me for not knowing exactly what kind of rotations the teams will use, but the Clippers are likely to bring Ricky Davis, Al Thornton, Anthony Roberson, and Craig Smith (who absolutely killed the Lakers in the preseason) off the bench. For the Lakers, you'll see the usual suspects, Farmar, Brown, Vujacic, Walton, and a little bit of Mbenga and Powell thrown in for good measure.

Obviously, the matchups favor the Lakers, since they have a pretty large talent advantage over the Clippers. With Gasol out, you can count on a large early dose of feeding Bynum in the post and on the secondary fast break to start the game. The coaches will be looking to set Bynum up with the same kind of starts he's been seeing all preseason, and it should come as no surprise if Bynum is in double figures by the end of the 1st quarter. Other then that, Odom should have a significant speed advantage over who ever is guarding him, as the Clippers don't have any other athletic 4s waiting behind Griffin. The Clips also don't have an elite perimeter defender, so Kobe will get whatever Kobe wants, or the Clips will be forced to double team, leaving wide open shots for the rest of the team. The only matchup that will cause the Lakers problems is the point guard position. Baron Davis' new, svelte, body should have no problem getting by Fisher's old bones, and it'll be important for Odom and Bynum to protect the rim without picking up fouls, because foul trouble for either one causes the Lakers to have to use Josh Powell or DJ Mbenga for significant amounts of time, and the drop off in talent there is tremendous. Also, Kobe needs to just stay home on his man tonight. I don't like Gordon's chances to blow by Kobe, but if Kobe leaves his man, Gordon will drain the open 3.

Off the bench, it'll be important for Powell (or Walton if the Lakers go smaller) to focus all of his energy on boxing out Craig Smith so that Smith doesn't repeat his ridiculous preseason line of 26-7 in 22 minutes. Other than that, the Clippers bench looks pretty ugly, and the Lakers bench should theoretically have an easy time dominating this rag-tag group. In other interesting bench news, tonight will be our first real glimpse of how PJ intends to handle the rotation in a game that actually counts. After the questions about Ron Artest fitting in, and Bynum achieving results in line with his potential, the bench rotations qualify as the 3rd biggest question surrounding the team this year. Who's the first guard off the bench? Do the Lakers go small with Brown and Farmar together? Do they go really small with Brown, Farmar, and Sasha? These questions won't be answered definitively tonight, but we'll at least catch a first glimpse of reality instead of grasping at straws from meaningless preseason games.

In the end, this should be a comfortable Lakers victory, and I expect nothing less on Ring Night.

FYI, since it's the first night of the season, and there happens to be a pretty fantastic opening game, and we'd like to give you all the time you need to re-adjust to live blogging the games, our game thread will start with the first game at 5 P.M.

Micro-Warriornomics :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 1 of 2)

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:30:46 -0000

It's the moment you've all been waiting for...

Actually that's probably a little too dramatic. As far as I know Chris Cohan (aka the worst owner in all of sports) is not selling the Golden State Warriors today.)

Okay it's the next best thing. Ladies and gentlemen get ready for Golden State of Mind's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview!

(Well at least the first part.)

We about to BUMRUSH the Roaracle on opening night for GSoM Night 7!

You've read the rest. Now it's time for the best.

After the jump we drop science at the university level!

At most universities if you're interested in taking Economics you usually first take Micro-Economics and then Macro-Economics. We'll follow that course sequence here and start with the Micro (individual players) before we tackle the Macro (the assemblage).

Micro-Warriornomics: It takes 15!

To do what exactly nightly at the Roaracle I'm not so sure, but we'll continue...

Golden State Warriors Roster

	#	Pos.	DOB	W	H	College
Kelenna Azubuike	7	F	12.16.83	220	6-5	Kentucky
Andris Biedrins	15	C	4.2.86	240	6-11	None
Speedy Claxton	10	G	5.8.78	170	5-11	Hofstra
Stephen Curry	30	G	3.14.88	185	6-3	Davidson
Monta Ellis	8	G	10.26.85	180	6-3	None
Devean George	19	F	8.29.77	235	6-8	Augsburg
Stephen Jackson	1	G	4.5.78	215	6-8	None
Acie Law	2	G	1.25.85	202	6-3	Texas A&M
Corey Maggette	50	F	11.12.79	225	6-6	Duke
Mikki Moore	33	F	11.4.75	225	7-0	Nebraska
Anthony Morrow	22	G	9.27.85	210	6-5	Georgia Tech
Don Nelson	-	H	5.15.40	0	0	Iowa
Anthony Randolph	4	F	7.15.89	205	6-10	L-S-U
Scott Roth	-	A	6.3.63			Wisconsin
Stephen Silas	-	A	1.1.00	0	0	Brown
Keith Smart	-	A	9.21.64	0	0	Indiana
Ronny Turiaf	21	C	1.13.83	250	6-10	Gonzaga
Russell Turner	-	A	10.24.70			Hampden-Sydney
C.J. Watson	23	G	4.17.84	175	6-2	Tennessee
Brandan Wright	32	F	10.5.87	210	6-10	North Carolina

Anthony Morrow

#22 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height:6-5

Weight:210

Born:Sep 27, 1985

College:Georgia Tech

Ammo + Chocolate Rain

Before we look at toMorrow I wanted to take a look back at yesterday. Here's a interesting per 36 minute comparison for these two sharp shooters at age 23 in the NBA. (significant highs in bold)

Sharp Shooter A: 16.1 ppg (47.8% FG, 46.7% 3pt, 87.0% FT), 4.7 rpg, 1.9 apg

Sharp Shooter B: 16.0 ppg (47.9% FG, 40.2% 3pt, 84.4% FT), 3.9 rpg, 3.1 apg

Who are these sharpshooters you ask?

... ... ...

... ... ...

... ... ...

A is Anthony Morrow.

Lights out.

B is none other than... Reggie Miller.

Reggie must've been Steve Kerr's man to guard here.

Reggie Miller Part II? Okay that's obviously going a little overboard (a little?), but I like what I see. I do like what I see.

-- Atma Brother #1

Read the rest of Anthony Morrow's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Anthony Morrow Scouting Report

Strengths

Elite shooter with fantastic muscle memory

More than adequate rebounding rate that sets him apart from those one-trick pony sharpshooters (Jason Kapono, J.J. Reddick, etc.)

Willingness to get scrappy on defense

Weaknesses

Limited handles and ability to create for himself or others
Slow feet especially on D
Not an elite NBA level athlete

Golden Number: 46.7%

Ammo is the reigning NBA 3pt Champ and 96% of folks here at GSoM think he's got a great shot to repeat. As you can see, there aren't many haters around this neighborhood.

St ephen Jackson

#1 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-8

Weight: 215

Born: Apr 05, 1978

College: None

O Captain, My Captain No More

O Captain, my Captain!

Say it ain't so

O Captain, my Captain!

You don't wanna be captain no mo

O Captain, my Captain!

This is getting out of hand

O Captain, my Captain!

Get outta here with your trade demands

O Captain, my Captain!

I can't support this

O Captain, my Captain!

TWO Techs? Just for kicks?

O Captain, my Captain!

You are DEAD WRONG

O Captain, my Captain!

You no longer belong

O Captain, my Captain!

I can't believe it's all happenin'

O Captain, my Captain!

You are a huge distraction

O Captain, my Captain!

It's time for you to depart

O Captain, my Captain!

THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YOU IN MY HEART.

-- R Dizzle

Read the rest of Stephen Jackson's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Stephen Jackson Scouting Report

Strengths

Bamboozling Warriors President Robert Rowell in contract negotiations that don't need to be happening in the first place
For the most part doing all that's asked of him on the court by Nellie and to his credit that's a lot because of the many holes on this roster
Wanting to win... as long as he gets paid (e.g. leaving the San Antonio Spurs after winning a ring with Tim Duncan and company to pursue lottery dreams with the Atlanta Hawks and inking an absurd long term extension with the Warriors AFTER the fabulous WE BELIEVE show was destroyed)

Weaknesses

Saying the "right" things to the media to help boost his trade value
Turnovers, shot selection, rebounding
Being a captain

Golden Number: 2

As in 2 technical fouls in 3 PRESEASON games?! We don't call him "Captain Technical" for nothing.

Acie Law IV

#2 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-3

Weight: 202

Born: Jan 25, 1985

College: Texas A&M

(Not the 1st, 2nd, or the 3rd, but the 4th!)

Speedy Claxton

#10 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 5-11

Weight: 170

Born: May 08, 1978

College: Hofstra

Devean George

#19 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-8

Weight: 235

Born: Aug 29, 1977

College: Augsburg p>

Wouldn't Count on It

Law. Claxton. George.

There is always a chance that one of these players will step up and contribute.

But I wouldn't count on it.

-- JAE

Read the rest of the Acie Law/ Speedy Claxton/ Devean George 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Acie Law/ Speedy Claxton/ Devean George Scouting Report

Whatever Nellie can get out of these 3 would be an unexpected, but welcome bonus. Nellie has talked about using Law in a point forward role. This is a 6'3 guard we're talking about.

Don Nelson also once hyped up Chris Mullin favs Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy before promptly demanding that they be shipped out. Point being, Nellie says a lot of entertaining things before the season starts.

Golden Number: 9,025,614

As in dollars. That's a nice chunk of expiring contracts that Nellie and GM Larry Riley might be able to cash in on closer to the annual NBA trading deadline come February.

Brandan Wright

#32 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 210

Born: Oct 05, 1987

College: North Carolina

Injury Prone

INJURED.

Sorry, too easy.

But in all seriousness, a shoulder dislocation is one of those injuries that you can call being "injury prone." It does weaken the joint and lead to further injury if it is stressed by a big force - say, a big guy trying to block you. Now, I don't know how the "slap" happened in practice on Friday, but I'm assuming it was by someone bigger than him. (I think someone mentioned it being Anthony Randolph, but I don't know for sure.) Either way, it happened, and it shows that he does have recurring shoulder problems.

Now there's one obvious question that comes up - how did he get reinjured after bulking up? I'm no doctor, but two things pop in my head as a bioengineer.

Yes, he bulked up, but it might have been in a case of too much too fast. If you add a bunch of muscle quickly, you basically didn't do it naturally. It's pretty physically hard to toss on 10 pounds of muscle (or more) in a month without the use of steriods or a bunch of protein. He had a small frame prior to the extensive working out and it might not be able to support it all initially.

The injury at his shoulder joint never fully healed. If this is the case (which is pretty possible) little things (like a slap) would set it off. When you're doing muscle training and just trying to bulk up, if you're doing it properly (which he probably was because he had a trainer present), the shoulder muscles were isolated. This means abnormal movements or things that would aggravate the joint would not have occured in the muscle training, thus, it would be possible for him to add on pounds.

-- R Dizzle

Read the rest of Brandan Wright's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Brandan Wright Scouting Report

Strengths

Extremely efficient scorer
Inspector Gadget-like blocks
Low turnovers

Weaknesses

Soft rebounder and defender
Still looks fairly clueless more often than not on the court
Sadly... injury prone

Golden Number: 68.7%

The percentage of games Wright has racked up a DNP for whatever reason in his first 3 seasons in the league. (169 games missed/ 246 possible games)

Stephen Curry

#30 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-3

Weight: 185

Born: Mar 14, 1988

College: Davidson

Years in the making!

Let There Be Hope

Wrong Curry. But equally as exciting!

I would be remiss to not mention that if you have any percentage of South Asian blood in you, or if you just happen to like Indian food, go out and buy a Curry jersey. Long after this kid starts to average 25 ppg and goes to another team for $20 more because Rowell refuses to match the offer, a jersey that says "Curry" on the back will bring you endless joy. Also, discounts among Indian restaurants across the greater Bay Area. It's really the gift that keeps on giving.

-- Hash

Read the rest of Stephen Curry's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Stephen Curry Scouting Report

Strengths

Court vision and distributing the rock
Hoops IQ
Great attitude and willingness to learn and work hard from the best

Weaknesses

Shooting- believe it or not, but Curry has struggled mightily both from the field and long distance in the summer league, preseason, and practice. This doesn't mean he won't/ can't be a great NBA shooter someday, but don't expect much his rookie season in this department. Don't forget it took Steve Nash quite some time to post elite FG and 3pt percentages.
Guarding bigger and stronger players.
Questionable support from the vets on this team (not his fault of course)

Golden Number: 28.6

The number of points Curry averaged at the age of 20 while facing constant double and triple teams in college (admittedly against b-rate competition). Will he score like that in the pro's? Probably not, but that's undoubtedly intriguing.

Here's some bonus numbers for you-- Allen Iverson Age 20 vs. Stephen Curry Age 20

Monta Ellis

#8 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-3

Weight: 180

Born: Oct 26, 1985

College: None

Back in the Saddle

First the 2008/09 recap. One fine August day in Mississippi, 2008, Monta mounted his moped ...

OK, fast forward. One chilly January day in Oakland 2009, Monta returned from hoops purgatory. The season was already in the tank, spirits of Warrior Nation were low, and Monta's game didn't do much to raise them, initially. His first five games back from the DL, he looked nothing like the irresistible force we had last seen at the end of '07/08 doing a passable impersonation of Dwyane Wade. January '09 per game numbers: 29.8 min / 12.4 pts (.369 fg%) / 2.8 reb / 2.4 ast / 2.4 to.

In February things picked up -- a bit. 35.3 min / 14.0 pts (.414 fg%) / 4.1 reb / 3.0 ast / 2.5 to.

Then the ankle got cranky again, and the kid was shut down for a couple of weeks. Upon his second coming in mid-March ... lo and behold, he started to look a bit more like the Monta we knew and ... loved? 37.4 min / 23.5 pts (.493 fg%) / 4.5 reb / 4.4 ast / 2.8 to. And finally, to close out his season, a cherry of a game on top off the distinctly un-sundae-ish pile of suck that was the season as a whole: 42 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists.

Fast forward to the present. What to expect in 2009/10? Well, even if you attribute some of his '07/08 success to the elite distributive skills of Baron Davis, I don't see why we can't look at his last healthy stretch of play as a baseline. We have a tendency to forget just how good Monta was the second half of that season, pre- fat contract, pre-moped, pre-awkward dissembling, pre- breaking the hearts of Warrior Nation, pre- Stephen Golden Curry. To jog people's collective memory:

Feb '08 -- 40.2 min / 26.0 pts (.602 fg%) / 4.7 reb / 4.8 ast / 1.7 to

Mar '08 -- 41.4 min / 22.6 pts (.529 fg%) / 6.3 reb / 4.6 ast / 2.6 to

Apr '08 -- 38.3 min / 22.3 pts (.538 fg%) / 6.3 reb / 4.3 ast / 3.2 to

Unless you think the ankle injury has permanently sapped some of his explosiveness, I don't think it's unreasonable to imagine that Monta, at age 23/24, can be that guy again. Efficient scorer, sweet mid-range shooter, spectacular finisher, solid rebounder for his size ... Monta Monti Monté Montay Monteigh will always be those things. Still ... a few nagging questions persist:

-- Sleepy Freud

Read the rest of Monta Ellis' 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Monta Ellis Scouting Report

Strengths

Attacking the rim
Rebounding well for a smallish 2-guard
Running the one man fast break

Weaknesses

There's a reason Monta Ellis garnered so many votes for the 2008-2009 2008-2009 WDWY (Worst Defensive Warrior of the Year)
Court vision and too many turnovers
Sounding the least bit intelligent in interviews
Riding mopeds at "low speeds"

Golden Number: 57

The number of games Ellis missed last season thanks to Moped Gate after this franchise ran out the greatest backcourt show on the hardwood (Baron Davis and Jason Richardson) to foolishly build the team around a non-defending, undersized 2-guard with questionable maturity.

Corey Maggette

#50 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-6

Weight: 225

Born: Nov 12, 1979

College: Duke

The 6th Wonder of the Oracle

Like his heavy contract or not, it's tough to deny that Maggette isn't a offensive force. Last year Mags averaged 18.6 ppg, and 5.6 boards per game, a considerable contribution for our leading non-starter.

The issue with Mags is, is he capable of making a bid for more? Before the dabaucle that was media day, Nellie had already come out and said that Maggette will be starting the season in the role of 6th man again.

Corey Maggette will be the sixth man. If Curry starts, Ellis plays the 2; if Azubuike starts, Ellis plays point and Jackson plays the 2; if Morrow starts, Ellis plays point and Jackson plays 3; and if Wright starts, Randolph moves to the 3 and Jackson plays the 2.

That's a lot of options. All of which put Maggette at the six.

It's clear that Nellie is going to bring in his scoring capabilities when needed, but the priority this season will be building up the young guns to run this team. Poor Maggette. But then again, just because he's paid $9 million doesn't mean we're going to get $9 million worth of talent, right?

-- Hash

Read the rest of Corey Maggette's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Corey Maggette Scouting Report

Strengths

Miraculously getting "Michael Jordan" treatment from the refs nightly
Not only getting to the free throw line an astounding 8 times a game, but sinking over 80% of his free throws
Dope verses on the Snoop Dogg track produced by Dr. Dre "B*tch Please"

Weaknesses

Sharing the ball (1.8 apg : 2.4 to)
Staying healthy
Playing all that much defense which is pretty disappointing given his stunning physique

Golden Number: 3

The number of times Maggette has played over 70 games in a single season over the course of his 10 year NBA career.

Anthony Randolph

#4 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 205

Born: Jul 15, 1989

College: L-S-U

Hope Beyond the Hype

Randolph has certainly grown into the hype and hopes surrounding him. His name appears as the only real "untouchable" on the Warriors roster. His summer league performance indicates mostly that he significantly outclassed the competition, and he looks to build on the the success enjoyed at the end of last season in a bigger role this year. While he must continue to refine his shot and shot selection to be able to carry a greater portion of the offensive load and give the Warriors a real threat in the paint. He will need to reduce his fouls and show more defensive discipline as well. But there is every reason to believe this is possible. Nelson now says that Randolph turned his work ethic around and is now perhaps the team's hardest worker. With Wright now sidelined for somewhere between a few months and eternity, Randolph will have every chance to shine full time at PF, though in Nellie's offense that is predicated on versatility, he will have much opportunity to flash those skills that excited many early last year as well. As a 4 able to put the ball on the floor at times who is also a beast on the glass who can swat shots with authority. HOF potential like Lakers' versatile big man Lamar Odom suggests?

Let's not get so far ahead of ourselves. Odom also said that Randolph could shoot the three, of which there's yet no evidence. And while he did seem to find some success with a shot off the right elbow, outside of the paint, AR has a ways to go. His opening performance against the Clippers shows that his willingness to shoot -- 13 shots in 10 minutes -- may precede his ability to knock 'em down. The part of his offensive game that has worked has not been effectively all that different from that of front-court mates Andris Biedrins or the once again injured Wright. Wright, despite appearing to have fewer weapons upon which to draw, managed to both take and make more shots per minute on the floor. Randolph must show that his skills warrant getting him the ball in designed sets. There's still quite a bit of polishing that needs to be done before booking reservations to Springfield. But as long as he can clean the glass with the best of them, he should get opportunities to improve.

-- JAE

Read the rest of Anthony Randolph's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Anthony Randolph Scouting Report

Strengths

Serious hyperactivity on the glass and with the swatage
Work ethic (something you couldn't really say about rookie AR)
Some serious, serious, serious potential to get even a writer who despises endless and mythically bright Warriors youth movements (that would be me)... dream

Weaknesses

Out of control way too often leading to turnovers and poor decisions
Still very raw on offense
In-progress man-to-man defense

Golden Number: 4

How many months older Randolph is than rookie and budding superstar Blake Griffin. Interesting indeed.

C.J. Watson

#23 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-2

Weight: 175

Born: Apr 17, 1984

College: Tennessee

Storm-a-brewin'?

But jokes aside, Watson clearly didn't want to be here. As some reports note, with the glut of point guards, minutes might be hard to come by. Instead of going for the longer term stability that the Warriors offered (3 years at $5million), Watson took the one year qualifying offer of $1.05 million. He even rejected the Philly 1 year offer of $2.3 million.

All this is to say that with Watson's 2010 unrestricted status, next year's free-agent class - Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitski - just got more amazing (hehe...).

The other subtext is how bad are the Warriors that when guaranteed money is as hard to come by as it is in this economy, that people are more willing to opt for the "freedom of choice."

Anyway, back to CJ Watson. I'm impressed the Warriors showed some restraint and resigned him for some minimum dollars. For most of the season, he was a one trick pony. Score in bunches, do little else. And maybe that's just what was asked of him.

But in the last month of the season, when the Warriors starters were either resting up or out with injuries, Watson ended up, surprisingly averaged 17ppg, 5.5 asts, and 4 rbs a game. Stats-aside, Watson was probably one of the few ball-handlers on the team that could dribble proficiently with both hands. Although he often dribbled too much, you won't expect him to make a telegraphed pass Monta Ellis--style or to dribble into a triple team expecting-a-foul-only-to-get-stripped (see Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggete). And unlike all the rest of the Warriors, Watson actually makes his free throws!

-- DJ Fuzzy Logic

Read the rest of C.J. Watson's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

C.J. Watson Scouting Report

Strengths

Nice old school mid-range jumper
Sweet shot from downtown (40.0% 3pt last season)
Continuing Orlando Magic streak of Warriors fetishes (Andrew DeClerq, Adonal Foyle, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, and even Skip to My Lou)

Weaknesses

Being a point guard (2.7 apg : 1.2 to)
Not a physical force or strong rebounder
Provides ZERO resistance to penetrating guards

Golden Number: 15

The day in December when the Warriors can try to use Watson's $1 million expiring contract as part of a trade deal.

Mikki Moore

#33 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 7-0

Weight: 225

Born: Nov 04, 1975

College: Nebraska

Uh-oh.

Mikki Moore - Ronny Turiaf Sr.

In all fairness, and I'll be honest, I don't know much about Mikki Moore so he may be more than poster fodder for this upcoming season...

I also know that ESPN's player page has the pronunciation of his name in all caps: "MIKEY", not "Mickey". I think that explains why he's always screaming and yelling. He needs to be heard! From here on out, I will refer to him as MIKEY! and you can pretend I'm screaming it every time I write it.

I know MIKEY! signed for the veteran minimum, $825,497. Yup, half of what I make, sucka.

I know that MIKEY! is not going to contribute much to the Warriors championship run. He might help pour the champagne though.

-- Fantasy Junkie

Read the rest of Mikki Moore's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Mikki Moore Scouting Report

Strengths

Uncanny ability to drive Warriors fans, coaches, and players absolutely nuts with his on-court theatrics
Uncanny ability to drive opposing fans, coaches, and players absolutely nuts with his on-court theatrics
Stylin' hairdo

Weaknesses

Unimpressive rebound rate for a player billed as a "banger"
Unimpressive shot block rate for a player billed as a "banger"
ZERO upside

Golden Number: 11

The Golden State Warriors are the 11th stop for this NBA journeyman.

Ronny Turiaf

#21 / Center / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 250

Born: Jan 13, 1983

College: Gonzaga

Still Gettin' Hyphy

So Goofy.

What can I say? Ronny's just Ronny - and you gotta love him for that. He's not about to be an All Star any time soon, but who cares? He brings the fire every night and he does it with a huge smile. Coach Nelson and the rest of the teammates only speak great words about him and what he contributes.

Stephen Jackson used to be my favorite player, but as the drama continues, it's getting harder and harder to support him. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that Tender-Ronny is exactly what I enjoy about basketball players - hard-working, fun loving, and just happy to be there. Through the Youth Movement, he's never complained, never made trade demands, hell, I rarely hear his name in the Warriors Tabloids (trade rumors or other types of drama). He's exactly what we need for the Young Gunz and that makes me happy.

There aren't too many bright spots this year, but I'd put my money on Ronny Turiaf making this enjoyable.

-- R Dizzle

Read the rest of Ronny Turiaf's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Ronny Turiaf Scouting Report

Strengths

Uncanny ability to drive Warriors fans, coaches, and players absolutely nuts with his on-court theatrics
Uncanny ability to drive opposing fans, coaches, and players absolutely nuts with his on-court theatrics
Stylin' hairdo

Weaknesses

Unimpressive rebound rate for a player billed as a "banger"
Despite having a fantastic shot block rate, he's not as good of a man-to-man defender as you'd like
Shaky jumpshot

Golden Number: 3.6

Blocks per 36 minutes for Turiaf last season. It's like having Adonal in his prime-- with dreds!

Andris Biedrins

#15 / Center / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-11

Weight: 240

Born: Apr 02, 1986

College: None

The Forgotten Warrior

Whether you call it Nellie ball, small ball, or gimmick ball, Don Nelson uses his centers in a unique way. He simultaneously wants them crashing the boards and blocking shots, but doesn't want them plodding along or clogging up the middle. They need to be mobile and agile, with soft hands and good instincts. It's nice if they have a 10 foot jump shot or can pass from the high post, but their primary job is to stop penetration, secure the defensive rebound, start the break, and get down to the other end of the court to be in offensive rebounding position before the shot goes up (not always an easy task when the Warriors are going full throttle). No one has been better at this since Nelson first coached the Warriors than Andris Biedrins.

But Andris' outstanding play often gets overlooked because he's so foundational. He's not the focus of the offense, he just provides the stops and rebounds that allow the rest of the team to get out on the break. He's usually not the man streaking to the basket for a dunk, but it's often his screen that created the glimpse of daylight making the play possible. And Andris might not be getting many shots per game, but it's his offensive rebounds that give the other Warriors even more looks at the basket. When Andris goes down -- as he did with appendicitis two years ago and a variety of ailments last year -- opposing guards get closer to the rim, opposing big men get more second chance points, the Warriors take longer to start their breaks, the lanes to the basket collapse, and the second chance points dry up. The emergence of Anthony Randolph has helped take some of the pressure off Biedrins, but on far too many nights the Latvian and longest-tenured Warrior (along with Monta) still looks like Custer, making his last stand in the paint.

-- Adam

Read the rest of Andris Biedrins' 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Andris Biedrins Scouting Report

Strengths

Elite rebounder who brings it on the glass every night
Efficient scorer
Very crafty at sneaking close to the bucket for easy shots

Weaknesses

Soft defender who fouls too much
Hideous looking free throw stroke and jumpshot with hideous results (hide the children)
Probably maxed out his game at a young age with his limited game and athletic ability

Golden Number: 20

The number of games Biedrins missed last season. Was it a fluke or is Biedrins an injury concern this year?

Kelenna Azubuike

#7 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-5

Weight: 220

Born: Dec 16, 1983

College: Kentucky

The Price is Right

More importantly, Azubuike's efficiency was also up last season. See the graph below comparing 2008-09 to 2007-08: he knocked down a higher percentage of his field goals, 3-point shots (good for 4th-best in the league), and free throws, plus also drew more fouls--all leading to a higher True Shooting %.

Basketball-Reference.com has a statistic called Win Shares, which attempts to translate a player's total boxscore contributions over the course of a season into team wins. Azubuike recorded 4.1 win shares on the year--not a great absolute number, but good enough for 2nd place on a 29-win team (after Andris Biedrins). When you map win shares to salary, Azubuike and some of his low-priced teammates look even better:

Bottom line: the team performed better last year when Azubuike was playing. Opponents scored 3.3 points per 100 possessions fewer when he was on the floor, which is more than you can say for Stephen Jackson (as Tom Zillerpointed out last week). And Azubuike's raw +/- numbers landed him on Tim Kawakami's season honor roll.

-- Jason G

Read the rest of Kelenna Azubuike's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Preview and Recap

Kelenna Azubuike Scouting Report

Strengths

Vastly underrated 3pt shooter (44.8% 3pt last season)
Excellent rebounding for a swingman
Steady presence off the bench and fairly reliable spot starter

Weaknesses

Extremely poor court vision and overall assist rate
Not the fastest or quickest NBA player
Can disappear for long stretches once in awhile

Golden Number: 0

The number of games the Warriors won last season without Kaz.

**********

Shout out to my golden peoples (Fantasy Junkie, Hash, DJ Fuzzy Logic, R Dizzle, JAE, Tony.psd, Sleepy Freud, Adam, and Jason G) for making this meta-Micro-Warriornomics piece possible.

Wait did I just write "meta-Micro-Warriornomics"? Okay, that's probably not a word, but you get the point.

Stay tuned for Part II of the GSoM 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview-- Macro-Warriornomics!

Poll

Who will take home our annual 2009-2010 WDWY (Worst Defensive Warrior of the Year) "honors"?

Anthony Morrow

100 votes

Stephen Jackson

68 votes

Acie Law IV

30 votes

Speedy Claxton

53 votes

Devean George

66 votes

Brandan Wright

12 votes

Stephen Curry

116 votes

Monta Ellis

422 votes

Corey Maggette

209 votes

Anthony Randolph

10 votes

C.J. Watson

134 votes

Mikki Moore

93 votes

Ronny Turiaf

8 votes

Andris Biedrins

7 votes

Kelenna Azubuike

4 votes

1332 votes | Poll has closed

Fantasy Ballin' with RaptorsHQ

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:36:12 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Mario Chalmers was a steal for Vicious D in the later rounds of his draft.

Browse more photos »

Vicious D and Franchise give some quick accounts of recent fantasy leagues they've joined along with various other media-types. Find out who he picked, why, and tell them how you would have drafted!

To tell you the truth, I really dislike Fantasy Basketball. Well...not that I absolutely abhor it, it's just that I'm more of a fan of the real game I guess.

Now before everyone arrives outside of my condo with pitchforks, torches, and guns, there are a few things about fantasy ball that I do really like. One of them is that you get to look at the game from a purely statistical standpoint and see players you may have forgotten about. For example, I would never have thought Ronny Turiaf had the 3rd highest block totals last year.

Another good thing about these kinds of drafts is just who is involved. We've got uber TSN reporter Tim Chisholm, newly Faux-Hawked Eric Koreen, the Fan 590's Zack Cooper and a who's who of the Raptors blog-o-sphere.

Dr. J. Naismith, Raptors Forum, @RaptorsForum
Romes, Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North, @romyaquino
AltRaps, The AltRaps Blog, @altraps
James Borbath, Dino Nation Blog, @dinonationblog
Nat, Heels on Hardwood, @Nat77
Eric Koreen, National Post & A Snack and an Ego Stroke, @ekoreen
Raps Fan, Raptors Republic, @RapsFan
Vicious D, Raptors HQ, @RapHQVicious
Cuzzy, Cuzoogle, @cuzoogle
Jeff Wong, PeteMarasmitch.com, @Marasmitch
Tim Chisholm, 3 in the Key on TSN.ca, @timpchisholm
Zack Cooper, FAN590, @ZCooperstown

The league is played in two divisions and is set up in head-to-head style. (Follow the action at Raptors FANtasy League ID# 232122 through Yahoo Sports.) The league will also have no trades, no waivers, and no changes, which means no micromanagement! Everyone is active whether they're playing or not, so it's really quite a low-maintenance league.

So what about my strategy?

Well, I thought I'd try my hand at building from the center/power forward position and work my way from there. I was looking to acquire players who would be better rebounders, shot blockers, and high percentage scorers in the league, while leaving the scoring to the later rounds. As a result, here are some of my notable picks and why I chose them.

Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors (Round 1)
Amare Stoudemire may have been the pick that would had yielded higher gains, but I chose Chris Bosh because he's in a contract year and I believe he has the potential to have another 20 and 10 year. He'll be solid, and Chris Bosh has always been a solid late Round 1 pick up. I just wanted for my first pick to be a low-risk/good return player; someone who will play more than 70 games in the season. Toss in some added muscle, and hopefully we'll see a healthy and vibrant Bosh. I picked up Tim Duncan soon after to compliment Bosh on my front line. Both players may go on streak where they put up some heavy numbers, but I'm looking for a consistent set of numbers in categories that aren't focused solely on points scored. Both Bosh and Duncan fit that bill.

Jose Calderon - Toronto Raptors (Round 3)
After grabbing two bigs, I was in the 3rd round with few options at point guard. However, my strategy going into this draft was to choose players that would help me win in the less offensive-driven categories. Jose Calderon satisfied my need for a high assist, low turnover point guard. Michael Grange believes that Calderon will not rack up as many assists this season but I'd still like to see if that's really going to play out. Turkoglu is bound to take away from some of his assist totals but at the same time, Calderon is a deadly enough shooter that he will gain some of his lost stats back on the offensive side. Oh yeah, he has an extremely high free-throw percentage which will off-set people like Tim Duncan. And yes, I ridiculed myself mercilessly for taking two Raptors in the first three rounds. Jason Kidd and Rajon Rondo both were available at this point, but I don't believe Kidd will stay healthy if Dallas intends to be a quick and agile club, and Rajon Rondo is someone I've always disliked thanks to his relatively high turnover ratio and free-throw issues.

Jason Richardson - Phoenix Suns (Round 7)
Around round 7 I started to look for some potential scorers. In the previous round, I had taken Shawn Marion, who I expect will not be taking many 3s this year. However, Shawn would be a good supplement to the front line I was building with his rebounds, assists, and blocks. J-Rich on the other hand, is going to go play with Steve Nash. On a team going back to a running style, Richardson will plan an important roll as a guy who will spread the floor thanks to his 3-point shooting and scoring. He traditionally has had some decent rebounding and assist numbers which will help out over the course of the season as well.

Al Harrington - New York Knicks (Round 8)
While I was trying to figure out my 3-point shooting situation, I was looking at both Jason Richardson and Al Harrington for Round 7. Imagine my surprise when he fell through to Round 8 and I was able to grab a big body who could also light it up from beyond the arc. Jason Richardson made 129 three-pointers last year. Al Harrington? 171! That's from your PF/Center position! As one of the more solid offensive weapons on the Knicks, here's hoping Harrington has another good year.

Mario Chalmers - Miami Heat (Round 9)
Fresh off of taking Ronny Turiaf in round 8 due to his previously mentioned blocked shots totals for last year, I was looking to bolster my steals category. Mario Chalmers was 22nd overall in assists, and made over 100 3-pointers. Playing next to Dwayne Wade, Chalmers managed to keep the Heat's offense running but what stood out for me was the fact that he was third overall in steals. Finishing third behind Chris Pauland Wade, he managed to rack up 160 steals to tie him with Jason Kidd.

Roger Mason Jr. - San Antonio Spurs (Round 12)
Finally, I wanted to find someone who was going to dish the ball and push my assist totals up as well as possibly help out my 3-point shooting. Roger Mason was 10th overall in 3-points made last year, managed to rack up almost 200 assists last year, and shot 89% from the charity stripe. As a late round pick, I was struggling to figure out if I was going to get Stephen Curry or not. In the end, I took the safer bet, not trusting Don Nelson's style of coaching towards rookies.

The entire league will run throughout the year. We're all interested to see how our picks will pan out and how the head-to-head match ups will work. Check out the progress throughout the year by visiting our league and for a full breakdown of the rounds of selection, please check out this Google spreadsheet.

VICIOUS D

I too jumped into the fantasy deep end this year and for the second straight season, entered a squad into the "Charity Stripe" basketball league.

Charity Stripe has also been composed of various media types, from folks at TSN and the CBC, to bloggers like myself and various fantasy experts from places like Rotoevil.com. The winner each year picks a charity of his choice (hence the league name) and we all donate $25 to that cause.

Last year wasn't a great one in my league as I had the most injury-riddled team of all time. At one point I had SEVEN players out, including key pieces like Al Horford, Stephen Jackson, Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. It wasn't a pretty sight and I missed the playoffs as a result.

This year I'm back for revenge with a slightly tweaked draft strategy. While last year I was focussing on winning the "tough-to-get" statistical categories, this year, I tried to lock down a few specific ones early on; scoring, rebounding, 3-point shooting, steals and hopefully, free-throw percentage. I also had the first pick overall, so a certain Mr. Lebron James is anchoring my team, always a good way to start things off.

From there I looked at unique players such as Rashard Lewis and Antawn Jamison who hit a large number of 3's while still posting solid rebounding numbers from a forward position, and then moved along trying to bolster the categories I previously mentioned.

Sleeper picks?

How about Luis Scola, Louis Williams, Tyreke Evans and Ramon Sessions.

Risks?

Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Mike Dunleavy Jr and the currently injured Kevin Love.

I'll be giving updates on this league as well throughout the season and it can be viewed here, but safe to say that it's going to be a very interesting squad that I've put together...

...and hopefully one that brings home the title.

FRANCHISE

PtR Quick Cap: Los Angeles Clippers knock off Spurs 93-90: Pop Ians

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:25:13 -0000

In a battle of the two best players from this year's draft, the Blake Griffin led Clippers beat the DeJuan Blair led San Antonio Spurs 93-90. Both power forwards had big games, but so did a pair of veteran small forwards from each team and I bet the coaches liked what they saw of them.

Box Score

"You sober?"

"Hell no. It's the pre-season, Mike."

via cdn1.sbnation.com

Richard Jefferson had his best game as a Spur with 15 points on 9 shots. He was 7-9 from the floor with a 3-pointer. Exactly the kind of game we want from him.

For the Clips, Al Thornton had 18 points and 4 rebounds on 8-11 shooting. If his role is going to be bench scorer, he excelled tonight.

DeJuan Blair put up another double-double -- he leads the team -- tonight with 11 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes. You sure have to like his rebound rate. Every game I see him play I think back to what Jonathon Givony of Draft Express told me at the Summer League. "He's really good. Those dumb ******* GMs let their doctors tell them what to do." Ok, that might not be a direct quote. But it was something like that and he was just shaking his head in disgust that Blair got drafted where he did. He said we would love him. You know, I'm starting to think that Givony guy might be right. There are some GMs with some problems. Speaking of Draft Express, they are getting ready for the start of the college basketball season with their conference previews. Check it out if you want to know who to watch as far as draft prospects for 2010.

Blake Griffin was very efficient with his 10-14 shooting in 29 minutes. I'm not sure how he was scoring in the half court and who was covering him, I listened on the radio, but he's a hellion on the break.

George Hill got a ton of minutes at the point with Tony out. George logged a team-high 29 in the game. He was solid with 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists including 2-3 from 3-point land. He tied with a team-high 3 turnovers.

Marcus Williams had his best game of the preseason which he needed in his attempt to hold onto a roster spot. Unfortunately for him, Malik Hairston had another strong game. Marcus had 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists (and a team-high 3 turnovers) while Malik had 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, and a team-high 5 assists.

Ian Mahinmi was solid, if not spectacular, with 7 points and 5 rebounds.

All-in-all the Spurs pulled down 16 offensive rebounds in the loss. I'm going to be very interested in following the offensive rebounding as the season gets going for real. If we can improve significantly in that area, it would be a huge boost for the team.

Your 3 stars

George Hill -- Pop's favorite player did a good job at the point tonight and Baron Davis shot 2-9.
DeJuan Blair -- He just does what he does. Rebound and score. Oh, and he's a crowd favorite already.
Richard Jefferson -- Nice to see RJ looking more and more comfortable.

Video Highlights From Spurs.com

Q&A: Tim Kawakami (Mercury News) :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preseason (Part 3 of 4)

Atma Brother ONE — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:30:15 -0000

You've read Part 1 and Part 2 and now it's time for numero tres.

[Tim Kawakami's Blog]

Jump for some thoughts around the league about everyone's favorite Golden State Warriors executive Robert Rowell and Andris Biedrins who seems to be actively shopped around by the Dubs.

Golden State of Mind: To put it lightly Robert Rowell did not exactly have a sparkling resume in terms of academic background or work experience prior to coming to the Warriors, yet he was able to make the ascension to President of the Warriors fairly quickly. To say he isn't exactly the most popular or highly regarded executive amongst fans and media alike would be an understatement. Let's say Cohan unexpectedly (or the Warriors next owner) cut ties with Rowell. Would any other team in the league hire him in any capacity? What are the thoughts across the league about Rowell's abilities and previous body of work with the Warriors?

Tim Kawakami: I know a few high-powered NBA people who have offered some words of support for some of the things Rowell has done--the way the arena is set up, the lively game-night experience, the fiscal moves of a few years ago... things like that.

But there is no support for him as a franchise-runner and everybody knows he's not good at handling people, despite the handful of loyalists who remain in the Warriors employ, There's definitely zero respect for the public front-office chicanery/zaniness of the last year or so.

In fact, I got calls from NBA execs wondering what Rowell was doing when he signed Jackson to the three-year extension, and got calls from the same guys laughing their butts off when Jackson made his public trade request. His dance with Nelson, also, is amusing to NBA folks who know Nelson well.

So no, I don't think Rowell would get a job in any high position in the NBA if Cohan would grant him free agency. Maybe he could be a marketing guy for a D-League team?

Golden State of Mind: In your blog post at the end of last season My Warriors' 2008-09 honor roll: Turiaf, Azubuike and Randolph you noted that Biedrins had the worst season plus/ minus on the team and that another season like that one would make his contract look very awful. In hindsight do the Warriors regret extending him before he became a free agent in the summer of 2008? Also the Warriors seemed very willing to trade Andris Biedrins this past summer. What does this say about how much they value his game and projections of his unrealized potential?

Tim Kawakami: Don't know if regret is the right word for the Biedrins deal, because he's a young big man with a great attitude who the Warriors thought they couldn't lose, even if Nelson wasn't enamored with a center who can't shoot. Biedrins had a value, and the Warriors matched it or slightly exceeded it, with an agent in Bill Duffy that they like.

But they also got caught up in standard sports uh-oh: The situation changed. A lot. Biedrins was a centepierce of a certain kind of Warriors team, along with Monta, and that team has changed. Now that long, expensive deal doesn't look so good, ESPECIALLY since Nelson continues not to be enamored with a center who can't shoot.

We could write 10 thesis papers on how much the departure of Baron Davis changed things for the Warriors. But the departure of Al Harrington changed things a bit, too: He was a shooting 4 who could play with Biedrins. Without a shooting 4, I don't know how much Nelson wants to play Randolph with Biedrins.

Which led to the Warriors dangling Biedrins in trade talks with Phoenix. (Biedrins wouldn't have minded that deal at all.) I think they'll keep dangling Biedrins, because of his salary, because other teams like him, and because they don't have the right Nellie fit in the frontcourt if Randolph is going to get the lion's share of power-forward minutes.

**********

Keep your Internet dial on GSoM for the final installment!

Tim Kawakami (Mercury News): 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preseason (Part 2 of 4)- Part I | II | III | IV

SB Nation - Baron Davis

Dragon's Breath: Grizzlies Lose to Clippers 113-110

RECAP: LA Clippers 118, Golden State Warriors 90- It's a Great Time Out for Clipper Raj!

Clippers Backcourt vs. Warriors Backcourt

Clippers 1, Warriors 0

Clippers Frontcourt vs. Warriors Frontcourt

Clippers 2, Warriors 0

Garbage Time in the 4th Quarter

Clippers 118, Warriors 90

Who gets your vote for tonight's main Warrior Killer?

Q&A: Matt Steinmetz (AOL FanHouse + Comcast Sports Net Bay Area)- Part 2 of 3: Warriors defensive woes, Stephen Curry's jumpshot, and managing playing time

NBA Western Conference Predictions

Lakers Subdue Clippers, Maintain 82-Win Pace

Game Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

Matchups

Micro-Warriornomics :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 1 of 2)

Micro-Warriornomics: It takes 15!

Golden State Warriors Roster

Anthony Morrow #22 / Guard / Golden State Warriors Height:6-5 Weight:210 Born:Sep 27, 1985 College:Georgia Tech

#22 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Anthony Morrow Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

#1 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Stephen Jackson Scouting Report

Strengths

#2 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

#10 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

#19 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Acie Law/ Speedy Claxton/ Devean George Scouting Report

Golden Number: 9,025,614

#32 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

INJURED.

Brandan Wright Scouting Report

Strengths

#30 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

#8 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Monta Ellis Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

Golden Number: 57

#50 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Corey Maggette Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

Golden Number: 3

#4 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Anthony Randolph Scouting Report

Strengths

#23 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

C.J. Watson Scouting Report

Strengths

Golden Number: 15

#33 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Mikki Moore Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

Golden Number: 11

#21 / Center / Golden State Warriors

Ronny Turiaf Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

Golden Number: 3.6

#15 / Center / Golden State Warriors

Andris Biedrins Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

Golden Number: 20

#7 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Kelenna Azubuike Scouting Report

Strengths

Who will take home our annual 2009-2010 WDWY (Worst Defensive Warrior of the Year) "honors"?

Anthony Morrow

Stephen Jackson

Acie Law IV

Speedy Claxton

Devean George

Anthony Morrow

#22 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height:6-5

Weight:210

Born:Sep 27, 1985

College:Georgia Tech