SB Nation - Speedy Claxton

Larry Brown's Young Players in the 2000s

David Arnott — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:28:19 -0000

Rookies! You're getting this many minutes, so show me what you've got!

Let's take a look at the rookies and second year players Larry Brown has coached this decade. I'll list the teams, the players, and their minutes per game. Guys who went on to reasonably decent role player NBA careers or better are italicized.

This ignores Games Played, and obviously, some guys were blocked by legit starters, but... well... draw your own conclusions. All numbers are from the invaluable Basketball-Reference.com.

===

99-00 76ers -- Ira Bowman (1.8), Larry Hughes (20.4), Jumaine Jones (4.2), Todd MacCulloch (9.4), Nazr Mohammed (6.8)

00-01 76ers -- Raja Bell (6.0), Rodney Buford (12.2), Jumaine Jones (13.3), Todd MacCulloch (9.5), Pepe Sanchez (4.8)

01-02 76ers -- Raja Bell (12.0), Damone Brown (3.9), Speedy Claxton (22.8), Samuel Dalembert (5.2), Alvin Jones (5.5), Jabari Smith (10.0)

02-03 76ers -- Efthimi Rentzias (4.1), John Salmons (7.9), Kenny Satterfield (4.8)

03-04 Pistons -- Darko Milicic (4.7), Mehmet Okur (22.3), Tayshaun Prince (32.9)

04-05 Pistons -- Carlos Delfino (15.3), Ronald Dupree (10.0), Horace Jenkins (6.9), Darko Milicic (6.9), Smush Parker (10.0)

05-06 Knicks -- Trevor Ariza (19.7), Jackie Butler (13.5), Channing Frye (24.2), David Lee (16.9), Nate Robinson (21.4), Ime Udoka (14.3)

===

The first major caveat of a backwards-looking glance like this is that we don't know if Brown's methods helped or hurt anyone. Maybe John Salmons really did need to be eased into the rotation at just under 8 minutes per game, and that was the stepping stone experience he needed. Maybe Efthimi Rentzias was railroaded by Brown's total shutdown, and he's selling insurance in Greece because no one else would give him a chance after that.

So, should we be worried by the fact that not a single star has emerged from Larry Brown's influence, with the exception, perhaps, of Tayshaun Prince?

What I see from this list is that Brown will play the guys he thinks are going to help him immediately, and if a guy can't, he'll sit until he's older. That kills the guys whose ceilings are "decent starter". Todd MacCulloch was no great shakes, but he started at center for back to back NBA Finals teams. Samuel Dalembert won't blow you away with his game, but the year after Brown left, he missed the entire season on the injured list, then the next year began starting and has started at center in Philly ever since.

I get the distinct sense it's a very college-hoops-oriented approach: freshmen and sophomores have a higher bar to clear to prove they should play over juniors and seniors. Of course, in the NBA, young players are paid far below their free market value (as are superstars), so it behooves teams to get production from young players while they're cheap instead of sitting them until they reach their qualifying offer years, when their salaries will come more in line with their potential production.

RECAP: Warriors 95, Pistons 104 - Deja Vu

Fantasy Junkie — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:10:45 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

9 days ago: Golden State Warriors assistant coach Keith Smart directs from the sidelines during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills, Mich., Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. Warriors coach Don Nelson was home in California recovering from pneumonia. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

Final Boxscore | Open Thread (1000+ Comments)

This game mirrored the loss to the Bulls.

The first half was all about quick, crisp passing, ball movement, and drives to the bucket. At one point they built a 13 point lead. Despite some bone headed plays which allowed the Pistons to go on a 10-2 run, the Warriors were able to hold onto a 6 point lead at the half. On the road you just want to be close at the end to give yourself a chance to win and the play in the first half looked like the Warriors would have a chance. It was looking good.

The second half became another struggle for the Warriors to score. The 3rd quarter was a disaster with the Warriors going 5-19 and scoring just 12 points to the Pistons 22. They fell into the same problem they had yesterday, jumper, jumper, jumper, jumper. Essentially, the Pistons got the Warriors to play at the Pistons tempo, slow and deliberate. Half court to half court. Not many fast breaks. Too many possessions with the shot clock winding under 10. Slow and deliberate. Even though the Warriors nearly made a comeback as they went back and forth in the 4th with the Pistons to cut the lead to 2, they just weren't able to fully recover from the disastrous 3rd.

What's With All the Second Half Meltdowns?
I begin to wonder how much of these second half meltdowns are due to fatigue. This was the back end of a back to back so I can understand being tired, but to me, it looked like they had enough energy to finish the game. That doesn't explain the collapses at home against the Rocketes and Magic, as well as the poor second halves against the Bulls and Pistons. Are they tired because they were playing with 7 man rotations for so long? Or are these second half failures due to just not being a very good team? Or both?

If it's the fatigue issue, that's on the management. When you consistently trade healthy players for injured players (Devean George, Speedy Claxton, Raja Bell), your roster is going to be depleted. If it's the just not being a very good team, again, that's on the management, the coaching, and well, the players.

I'm not saying I know what the issue with the meltdowns is, but why does it happen so often? I could look on the bright side and say "at least they were in the game", but the only thing that really matters are W's and L's.

Anthony + Anthony = 0
I have no idea what happened to these two tonight but they contributed just barely more than I did, and I contributed nothing. Their combined stats: 32 minutes, 0 points (0-4 FG's), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 turnovers. Ouch! I think A-Mo has an excuse, he might not be there mentally due to the death in the family. I'll give him a pass for the last few games. He just doesn't look the same.

But I don't know what happened to Anthony Randolph. I don't know where he is mentally because he made numerous boneheaded mistakes tonight:

He missed cutting down the lane to receive a pass from Curry who had drawn to defenders. Randolph would have had an easy dunk.
He's still taking bad shots. In fact, right now, anything outside of 5 feet should be considered a bad shot for him. That airball from 15 feet out on the baseline was hideous.
He's still leaving his feet on defense when he doesn't need to. I can remember two instances. The first had a guard driving the lane in what amounted to a 2 on 1. The guard jumps, Anthony jumps and leaves his feet, which allows the guard to just dump the ball to a big man for a dunk. Second time was when Stuckey grabbed an offensive rebound and Randolph was standing between him and the basket. Stuckey pump fakes, Randolph jumps, Stuckey draws the foul. Why does Randolph need to leave his feet every time a guard drives the lane? If he stays on his feet, keeps his hands up, he makes it extremely difficult to make the shot. And if the other guy leaves his feet, Randolph is quick enough to get up and block the shot.

Corey + Monta
These two guys played well tonight. Even though Maggette is still shooting 3's early in the shot clock (bad shot) he looked much better tonight than last night. He got to the line 8 times (0 yesterday) and shot a nice 8-13 from the field. He was more aggressive in attacking the bucket which got him some easy buckets and free throws, his bread and butter. He only grabbed four boards tonight, but it felt like he was much more active in the paint trying to secure rebounds.

Monta was great tonight. He played all 48 minutes and was still working hard until the end. He had a nice shooting night, 29 points on 11-20 shooting. But he also chipped in with 7 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, with just 1 turnover. He was also very aggressive on defense going for steals and harassing the opposing guards. I've been impressed with the effort he's put forth on D this year. He says he's been doing it the entire time, but you, me, Monta, and the coaches know that he's stepped up his D in comparison to last season. And to be honest, it makes me smile. I appreciate effort, hustle, and desire on defense.

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Pistons

Rip Hamilton played in just his 2nd game of the season. His presence just might make the Pistons a better team. He didn't shoot exceptionally well, but he hit some key shots in the 4th.
But Rip wasn't the reason for the win, that honor belongs to Rodney Stuckey - 29 points (10-18 FG's, 9-10 FT's) to go with 7 assists. His 7 turnovers were a sore spot, but he came through in the 4th for them when the Warriors made a little run to cut the lead.
The other guy I was impressed with was Charlie Villanueva. His post moves looked smooth and refined. He had a hook shot from about 7 feet, he caught an alley oop when Vlad turned his head, and he did some nice work with jumpers.

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Game 20 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Golden State

Zorgon — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:34:20 -0000

More photos » by Don Smith - NBAE/Getty Images

Last time we met, the Thunder won on a last second buzzer-beater by Jeff Green. It was also one of Desmond Mason's final games playing for the Thunder, before he busted his knee for the year.

Browse more photos »

This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Comcast Sports Net Bay Area

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Golden State of Mind

Backstory: Ah, the time has arrived.

It's my favourite time of year. The time of year where I get to cheer on my favourite team in the NBA against a crowd of enraged fans as they lose miserably against my other favourite team. I make a lot of enemies in the process, but a Thunder-Warriors game, for me, is truly a great spectacle to behold. No matter what, I win, and I always have a lot of fun. And, I know there are those of you who think I'm a traitor for cheering against the Thunder, but I don't care. I've been a Warriors fan ever since I was a young one, and they will remain my favourite team through thick and thin. I love the Thunder almost equally as much, but they'll just never take the place of the Warriors in my heart. You could lecture me all day about how they've been the worst team in the NBA over the past 15 years (correct), how the organization stinks (correct), how the players are punks (wrong), how Oakland is trashy (wrong), and how much better the Thunder are. But the fact remains that they're the team I was raised on, the team that has captured my love, and the team that I'll watch until I die.

And before I go on to the actual preview, I'd also like to give a big shout out to Golden State of Mind. I've been a loyal member of their community since they first moved to SB Nation and Mike Dunleavy and Derek Fisher were bricking treys on a regular basis. It's a huge honor to be on the same network as them, and a dream I've always had.

But, enough personal asides. Let us get to the analysis.

Who are the Warriors? Well, they're a very two-faced team. When they play well, they're a team with excellent ball movement that can drive the ball into the post when there are no open shots, and a team that can also run down the floor, and knock down the first open shot they get. When they play badly, oh man, do they play badly. It usually consists of a complete lack of scoring combined with them shooting bad, completely guarded jumpers within the first few seconds of the shot clock, leading to large deficits. It's usually a result of exhaustion and a lack of big men. You might think that the bad Warriors show up more often than not, and they do, but it's not because of a lack of talent. This team has seen more injuries than the Mexican Army as they tried to take the Alamo. 3 of their big men, Biedrins, Turiaf, and Wright are all out with injuries. Both of their off-season acquisitions, Devean George and Speedy Claxton, are out as well. Heck, even Raja Bell, who came in a trade, has needed hand surgery, and to make it all complete, Kelenna Azubuike was out with surgery, and Anthony Morrow was recently out to attend a funeral. This left the team with 8 active players (including Forward Chris Hunter, who was called up from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants out of desperation). This is nothing new for the Warriors, as Azubuike himself was a D-League find in a similar time of trouble. Rather, it is just another chapter in the book of a team of injuries, bad draft picks, bad management, bad coaching, and just overall futility. Anthony Morrow will be back for tonight's game at the Ford Center, but Don Nelson won't make the trip. Can a team of 9 guys and an assistant coach overcome the hungry Thunder?

Well, anything is possible. The Thunder are coming off of a bad loss against the Celtics, but that's the exception rather than the rule. They've been known to put the lower-echelon teams when they've needed to, but they've also been known to play them tight into the second half. When you've facing the Warriors, who are capable of going on huge runs all at once, it's a dangerous thing to do.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nick Collison vs. Mikki Moore (Possibly Anthony Randolph)

Mikki Moore did well in garbage time against the Thunder last year when he played for Boston, but I wouldn't expect a repeat performance tonight. He's been useless in every sense of the word when he's played for the Warriors, missing open layups, fouling far too often, and not rebounding as much as they'd like him to. There are very few matchups where Nick Collison can legitimately eat someone alive, but this is one of them. Expect at least a double double.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Vladamir Radmanovic (Possibly Anthony Randolph)

Again, this matchup provides a huge advantage for the Thunder. Jeff Green always beats power forwards that are smaller than him, and then though "the rad man" is 6'10", he's a defensive and offensive post softie. He'll hit a few threes and grab a couple of rebounds just because of he sheer amounts of shots being taken, but don't expect him to put up nearly as good of numbers as Green will.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Monta Ellis

Well, this is a matchup I never thought I'd see in my day. Kevin Durant against Monta Ellis? It will never sound right in my head, but apparently, it's about to happen. As they're both mains scorers for their respective teams, and seeing as how neither have excellent defense, expect a huge scorefest tonight from both players, with Durant racking up more rebounds and blocks and Ellis racking up more assists and steals. Sounds kind of obvious, but what else am I supposed to say?

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Anthony Morrow

Anthony Morrow can score from all over the floor, but he's mainly a shooter. That being said, he'll probably perform a little below par if he has to play against Sefolosha, since Sefolosha closes out on shooters pretty well. He won't be shut out though, because he'll probably be on the floor for some of the time Sefolosha will be on the bench, and it's hard keeping such an elite scorer down.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry has been one of the leagues best Rookies this year. Widely considered to be the Warriors future Point Guard, he can score from anywhere on the floor and pass it smoothly to the right guy with the style and grace of a veteran. Russell Westbrook can do that too, but without the great shooting.

Battle of the Benches:

The Warrior's bench, while depleted, is better than you think. Hunter is pretty useless, but Maggette is great at getting to the line when he wants to, and C.J. Watson scores well in spurts. Most importantly, Anthony Randolph, coming off of a 28 Points, 13 Rebound, and 5 Assist performance against Orlando, looks poised for greatness. He's the Warriors best kept secret, and easily owns anybody we have on our bench, including Ibaka, Wilks, and Harden.

Coaching and Intangibles:

The Warriors don't have Don Nelson, who has known to be a bit silly with his player management, but they will get tired. Not because they've had 5 games in their last 9 days, but simply because they play such a tiring game and only have 9 guys to play it. It can be evidenced by the Magic suddenly and dramatically going on a 15-0 run at the end of the last game while the Warriors were firing up well-guarded duds. On top of that, they have a horrible record, and they're playing in the Ford Center. Most everything is on the Thunder's side.

Bottom Line:

I would shout with joy if the Warriors won this game, but it's just not going to happen. They've made big runs against every team under the sun, but shown a huge inability to close those same games. Also, most of the teams they've been able to compete with have consisted largely of outside shooters, while the Thunder are mainly a inside scoring team. All in all, it will be close for a while, but the game will end quietly, with most of the fans filing out with 3 minutes to go and the Thunder having won by 10.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 122, Golden State 112

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the team Warriors on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder WARRIORS!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

40 votes

The Golden State Warriors

13 votes

53 votes | Poll has closed

RECAP: Warriors 118 Magic 126 - So much for my early XMas Present

R Dizzle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:04:09 -0000

Where you at Ronny? We got a dance off coming after this game!

Final Boxscore | Warriors Web Links | Open Thread (1100+ comments)

Final - 12.5.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Orlando Magic	42	30	25	29	126
Golden State Warriors	33	31	36	18	118

Complete Coverage >

Oh Warriors, how you break my heart. I gotta be honest - I wasn't even going to watch the game. I was just going to watch the replay today (Sunday) on League Pass, fast forward through the Magic dominating us and then come up with some kinda recap.

You can't blame me for that. Let me go back and take a quote from my preview.

5. The Warriors are missing these players - Brandan Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Raja Bell, Anthony Morrow, Ronny Turiaf, Andris Biedrins, Anthony Randolph, Speedy Claxton, Devean George.

6. The Warriors will play these players tonight - Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Corey Maggette, Chris Hunter, Mikki Moore, C.J. Watson, and Vladimir Radmonovich.

How in the world were we supposed to win with that? In fact, how were we supposed to be even close?

So I went on with my night...did what I had to do. Like an idiot, I decided to briefly check the score during the 2nd quarter.

I check the score, and what do I see? Warriors are down by 15. (I got rhymes son!)

Surprise surprise R Dizzle. Box Score at that point? Nothing out of the ordinary. Monta with the most points, AR just got in and did a few things, Vlad Rad looking half decent.

But there was an interesting number. Dwight Howard like 3 fouls already. Weird. Maybe we were doing something right? Getting him into foul trouble early? Gortat too?

Naw naw, we still had no chance. Vinsanity was playing out of his mind. Get it? Visnanity? Playing out of his mind? I'm so creative.

The Magic kept scoring more 3's at a rate faster than I was eating Xmas Cookies. We had no chance. None at all.

So I said "whateves." Got back to the task at hand. Decorating my Xmas tree. It was dope. I had warm hot chocolate (what else would it be? cold hot chocolate?), the N Sync Christmas Album playing in the background, cool ornaments and I was hanging with a lil special someone.

You gotta love the holidays! Fun filled times. I mean jeez, look at my tree! (I got rhymes son!)

But something was missing. The night wasn't right. I had to be honest with myself. I can't just "not watch" the Warriors because they're guaranteed a loss. No, I must enjoy the bad times, I must find some pleasure in it all.

So I turned it back on at the beginning of the 2nd half. Something was different this time around.

Sure Monta was doing his thing - playing at an All Star level. Vlad Rad was doing his thing. Curry was getting his Butter on (Butter Chicken anyone?) and handling the ball silky smooth. But there 2 things that stuck out to me at that point.

1. Dwight and Marcin were in foul trouble.

Very key. Without their two big men, they were forced to play Brandon Bass at center. We didn't really have one at the time (don't try to tell me that Mikki Moore or Chris Hunter are great substitutes) so we could play small ball.

Yes, classic Nellie ball. Put a 4 at the 5 position (Vlad Rad) a 3 at the 4 (Corey Maggette), put in guys that "have the ability" to score (Monta, Randolph, and Curry) and run run run run run.

2. Anthony Randolph was "different."

Define different you say? Can't put my finger on it. Something was just..."different." Sure I can throw out numbers but really, what difference does THAT make? It can't really describe what was becoming of Mr. AR. It was just "different."

Maybe finally living up to his "potential?" Not being "out of control?" "No one on the corner had swagga like him?"

Who knows - but at least he wasn't being his usual "Tigger self."

I had to watch the game. I just had to. I had a feeling, or was it more than a feeling, that I had a chance to see something special. Let me quickly summarize what I said in the next 15 minutes of my life.

"We have no chance."

"Wow that was pretty."

"Wait, how did he..."

"We're closing the lead."

"Ooooooo"

"Aaaahhhh"

"NO way is this happening."

"No, really, NO WAY IS THIS HAPPENING."

"That Monta - he's so acrobatic."

"Wait, what's with Anthony Randolph?"

"How is playing like that?"

"Where has been all season?"

"No really...what's going on."

"It's the end of the 3rd and we're up by 5."

"WTF MAN?!?!!??!"

This is why he's hot. This is why he's hot. This is why, this is why, this is why he's hot.

"WTF MAN?!?!?!" - indeed. The "impossible" was happening right in front of our eyes. We had a team with 8 guys. We were playing the Magic. Yes, the Magic. The same Magic that were the Eastern Conference Champions. The same Magic that manged to get BETTER over the off season.

It was happening. Monta Ellis was playing at an All Star level. He was leading the team. Curry was getting his PG on and handling the ball well. Corey Maggette was slashing in the line, playing strong. But most of all - Anthony Randolph was becoming something special right in front of our eyes.

I was going to be able to put my first present under my new Christmas tree. I was going to see the Warriors do the impossible again. I was back to believing.

IT WAS GOING TO BE AN EARLY CHRISTMAS.

But no, I was wrong. Not too get too depressing but essentially things didnt' come together. Call it being a young team. Call it being inexperienced. Call it playing against a better team.

Whatever you want to do - truth of the matter is we got destroyed in the last 5 minutes. The Magic made it one "Magical" night.

Hey, but like always - let's refer to the one thing I had right in my preview.

FICTION

1. The Warriors will win tonight. (That is all...)

Hooray...

Thanks for NOT giving me an early XMas present guys...

But hey, one question. How in the world did Matt Barnes for from this

To this

Who else? Anthony Randolph. 10-23 shooting, 28 points, 13 boards, and 5 assists.

Two things popped out to me from AR in this game.

1. He still can't crack a smile.

Seriously, when is this kid going to be happy? He was scoring left and right, making crazy passes (that dish to Monta was nuts) and he still looked like he was about to cry.

The only time I saw him smile was after he fouled Matt Barnes in an attempted block.

...what's up with that?

1. He's living up to his "potential."

Yeah great stuff. We all know where the hype is and what it's about. But please just do me one favor. For my Christmas gift, just please make sure that

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD YOU DO THIS AGAIN!!!!

Oh ya, one more thing....

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!! YAY!!

All about Holiday Cupcakes!

Poll

Which was a tougher loss this week?

Rockets

323 votes

Magic

141 votes

464 votes | Poll has closed

GAME THREAD #19 - Warriors vs. Magic - Superman that..

R Dizzle — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:36:43 -0000

My arms are this big - I swear.

Warriors: 6-12

Magic: 15-4

Tip-Off: 7:30pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 680

Blog Buddy: Third Quarter Collapse

Alright so things aren't going so well. We lost the last game to the Rockets by a stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid (I think you get the picture) play and it was heart breaking. Monta's been scoring out of his mind but also giving up turnovers at a rate that is out of his mind. Yay.

But hey, at least we get to see another great Warriors game tonight. We're going to finally have a full roster...right?

Right?

What's this? IQofaWarrior says...a big fat N-O.

Sigh...

FACTS

1. The Magic are tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

2. The Magic will set a new team record with 7 consecutive road wins,

3. Don Nelson will miss the next 5 road games.

4. Anthony Morrow will miss tonight's game.

5. The Warriors are missing these players - Brandan Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Raja Bell, Anthony Morrow, Ronny Turiaf, Andris Biedrins, Anthony Randolph, Speedy Claxton, Devean George.

6. The Warriors will play these players tonight - Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Corey Maggette, Chris Hunter, Mikki Moore, C.J. Watson, and Vladimir Radmonovich.

7. Mickael Pietrus was one of the most fun Warriors players. (See Below)

8. The Warriors are in desperate need of some magic "health" potions.

9. Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, and Adonal Foyle will all get standing ovations when they step on the court (if they do).

10. This guy (pictured below) will Superman the Warriors.

FICTION

1. The Warriors will win tonight. (That is all...)

Poll

Who is your favorite ex-Warrior on the Magic?

Mickael Pietrus

227 votes

Matt Barnes

203 votes

Adonal Foyle

152 votes

582 votes | Poll has closed

RUMOR: Warriors and Bobcats looking for big men

Atma Brother ONE — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:11:26 -0000

The secret is the Dubs need some bigs!

Jump for the 411!

From Y! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski's twitter feed:

Golden State and Charlotte front office's still scouring landscape for bigs, league execs say, but struggling to find do-able deals.

The good news is that the Warriors have a multitude of very tradable assets from young players with (mostly mythical) upside to several nice role players (Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf, Corey Maggette, C.J. Watson) to a potential All-Star (Monta Ellis) to a plethora of expiring contracts to make the numbers add up (Raja Bell, Speedy Claxton, Devean George, Mikki Moore, and C.J. Watson).

The bad news is of course that the Warriors desperately need some bigs and the rest of the league knows this. The center duo of Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf has given the Warriors very little this season mostly because of injuries. When they do finally come back, the reality is that they're output offensively and defensively is not exactly All-NBA quality. 3rd string center Mikki Moore is... a 3rd string center. At the 4 spot the Warriors haven't really gotten that much this season from Anthony Randolph despite what the numbers may indicate. My man Feltbot breaks this down:

Anthony Randolph vs. Himself: We've all seen flashes of Randolph's insane upside. Unfortunately, tonight's performance put the emphasis on insane. Anthony Randolph picked up his second melted brain of the year in this game, but this time it was his own. Pau Gasol was simply too much for Anthony Randolph to handle. He picked up two quick fouls trying to guard him in his first minute on the court. He couldn't keep Gasol off the boards either, even giving up an offensive rebound on a free throw. And he couldn't get anything against him on the offensive end. He was forced to settle for jumpers, and he didn't hit them, earning himself a quick hook from Smart.

In the second half, Randolph's frustration grew to the point that he took the matchup personally. After knocking the ball away from Gasol, he dived into the front row after the ball, completely wiping out three fans. Without a glance back, let alone an expression of concern for the fans he had just concussed, Randolph rushed back onto the court and began jawing at Gasol. When the refs and then Kobe interceded, Randolph lit into Kobe. If you've never seen a 20-year-old player tell the face of the NBA to "Back up!" I recommend you replay this tape and employ your amateur lip-reading skills. You'll see it, and possibly a choice epithet to boot.

Keith Smart wisely pulled Randolph from the game, and left him on the bench until garbage time. Will this performance cause the Bay Area media to lower the heat on Don Nelson over Randolph's playing time, and seriously consider Coach Smart's insinuation that Randolph is not NBA-ready? Um, I wouldn't count on it.

Brandan Wright is also out for the season, not that he's been that good to begin with.

The Dubs biggest weakness right now (aside from owner Chris Cohan and president Robert Rowell) is up front.

But enough of the diagnosis, what's the solution? Using ESPN's Trade Machine post your trade ideas to upgrade the Dubs' frontline in the comments.

Some of the other teams out there that need a roster shakeup are the Indiana Pacers (poor Danny Granger- aren't you glad former Warriors executive Chris Mullin passed him up to draft bust Ike Diogu?), Toronto Raptors (wildly overrated Craptors in every sense of the word- FREE CHRIS BOSH!), Detroit Pistons (their Bad Boys were just bad signings), Washington Wizards (I'm surprised they aren't better), Philadephia 76ers (make sure to read Philly's dirty little sports secret- fascinating stuff), New York Knicks (not signing Allen Iverson was just foolish), New Jersey Nets (going for the record!), Sacramento Kings (Jason Thompson is owning the sophomore battle with Anthony Randolph thus far), LA Clippers (cursed), New Orleans Hornets (Speedy Claxton + expiring contracts for Baron Davis- ooops, I mean Chris Paul anyone?), Memphis Grizzlies (starting Mike Conley over Iverson was a joke), and Minnesota Timberwolves (the triangle isn't so special without MJ, Scottie, Shaq, or Kobe now is it?).

For more on the Charlotte Bobcats check out Rufus on Fire

99% of rumors never happen, but 99% of them are fun to talk about!

Poll

Do the Warriors need to upgrade their frontline?

YES: Upgrade like Beyonce would say

802 votes

NO: Stick with this collection of 4's and 5's and it will work out

180 votes

982 votes | Poll has closed

Macro-Warriornomics - WE BELIEVE WE SUCK :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 2 of 2)

Atma Brother ONE — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:09:45 -0000

Don't forget to check out Part I of our 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview super blowout special- Micro-Warriornomics

Macro-Warriornomics class is now in session...

-----------------------

QUESTION:

How does a team go from this:

to this:

in less than a 2 years?

ANSWER: Four words- Chris. Cohan. Robert. Rowell.

Sure the WE SUCK movement is back in full effect for Cohan's Warriors, but that doesn't mean we're not looking forward to the start of the 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors campaign here in Dubs Land.

Jump to find out why WE SUCK is still going to be exciting!

2k8-2k9 Golden State Warriors Rewind

Last Year's Record: 29-53

After the wildly entertaining ups and downs and highs and ultimate highs of the 2006-2007 season and the mediocre, but entertaining non-playoff 2007-2008 season, the Warriors 2008-2009 season was a complete disaster. Pre-WE BELIEVE the Warriors were mockingly "Unstoppable Baby!". During the short lived but thrilling WE BELIEVE era they were a SHOCK THE WORLD variant of "Unstoppable Baby!". However last season they were mostly "Unwatchable Baby."

From silly turnovers, to numerous mental lapses, to dumbfoundedly saddling a legendary coach in his twilight on the sidelines with a young and raw team with questionable mythical upside, to Moped Gate, to ZERO defense, to an absurd amount of media hysteria for mostly the wrong reasons-- Cohan and Rowell's product last season was not worth the price of admission, which was incredulously a sizable increase over the previous season. (Apologies for the run-on, but to be honest all of last year was on one big run-on for this franchise.) There were so many times last season when we couldn't even GIVE away our lowerbowl seats to Warriors games for FREE. (I wasn't joking about the "Unwatchable Baby.")

Thankfully we get to move on.

The Warriors need some serious "Computer Assistance" in real life.

[NBA 2K10 Golden State Warriors Style]

2k9 Golden State Warriors Offseason Rewind

Key Losses

The Chris Mullin Publicity Stunt

Back in 2004 when Warriors owner Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell promoted Gary St. Jean "protege" Chris Mullin to VP/ GM it was nothing more than a silly little publicity stunt. Over the course of his 4 years at the Warriors helm his best move was getting saved by his former mentor Don Nelson. Despite what the media would like you to believe partly because of their bizarre vendetta against Nellie, Mullin was 1) not improving as a GM and 2) is a major reason for the Warriors current disarray with his silly trades (giving the New Jersey Nets a 1st round pick for a fringe NBA player in Marcus Williams) and odd obsession with constantly getting younger and rawer with a lot of b-rate talents, but never building a team to win in the present.

Don't get me wrong. It's hard not to root for Mullie. He's a nice guy and wanted to create an atmosphere that players (regardless of how overpaid or untalented) would want to be a part of. Those are both commendable qualities.

But the media at large and the average Warriors or NBA fan blew Mullie's dismal way out of proportion. He should've never been hired. He deserved to be fired. The problem is that the two guys who fired him (Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell) also deserved to be fired.

Also see: The Mullin Myths: Chris Mullin made the Warriors a franchise players wanted to join

The Marco Belinelli Hype Machine

The Marco Belinelli Hype Machine has thankfully left the building. I still contend that the Toronto Raptors just traded for Jiri Welsch 2.0 and Belinelli probably won't even be in the league in 2-3 seasons.

The Warriors contract dumping of Belinelli is further evidence of Nellie and GM Larry Riley's confidence in Anthony Morrow. It's also an indicator that they both know the definition of "meritocracy" unlike a lot of Warriors fans and local/ national media who inanely hyped this guy up to no end and made almost as many excuses for him as the "golden age" of Mullin's blind affection for Mike Dunleavy.

Not just Warriors and NBA any more...

GSoM now has you covered for all your furniture needs!

Key Additions

Umm let me put this succintly as I can... N/A.

The key word there is "Key". The Warriors did nothing "Key" this past offseason other than potentially making a nice selection at the #7 slot with Stephen Curry aka Masala aka Kid Curry.

After a disastrous 2k8-2k9 season that couldn't end fast enough, it was abundantly clear that this roster was in dire need of change. The Warriors pretty much promised a major shakeup, but alas these were nothing but delusions of grandeur. The Warriors had an absolutely meaningless offseason in terms of roster moves.

Additions

(Now that we got rid of the word "Key" we can get down to business.)

Miikki Moore

I'm just happy he's on the home squad and not on the visiting team.

As Yay Area fav E-40 would say:

SHAKE DEM DREADS!

Expiring Contracts

Why did the Grizzlies trade Pau Gasol to the La Lakers for basically nothing? Why did the Timberwolves trade Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics? (hint: it wasn't Al Jefferson)

Take at look at these contracts that come off the books after this season (via HoopsHype):

Speedy Claxton- $5.2 million
Acie Law- $2.9 million (team option for 2010-2011)
Devean George- $1.6 million
Mikki Moore- $1.3 million
C.J. Watson- $1.0 million

That's potentially upwards of $12,000,000 in fun money. Some possibilities.

2k9-2k10 Golden State Warriors Projections

Biggest Strengths

Roaracle Faithful

There's two constants for the Golden State Warriors:

THE SUCK
The best fans in the entire association

We could go on and on about #1, but let's take a second and appreciate #2.

<long second>

Especially before WE BELIEVE the Golden State Warriors have always had some of the smartest and savvy-est fans in the league. Loyalty would be an understatement.

Golden faces.

1 Dub. 1 Luv. is more like it.

Likable Young Players

There's plenty of reasons not to warm up to vets like Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis.

But Stephen Curry, Anthony Morrow, and Anthony Randolph? That's a whole different animal. It's hard not to root for these guys.

The Anthony's plus a little masala is a-OK with me.

They're young, they're exciting, and the expectations might be a tad bit too high for them. But they'll be fun to watch and root for.

Expiring Contracts

I can't stress this one enough. If the Warriors actually use these chips intelligently they've got a shot at something nice, real nice.

The 2nd (soon to be 1st) Most Winningnest Coach in NBA History

More often than not the Warriors will have the coaching advantage on the sidelines. There is no other coach in the league that can do more with less- which is especially relevant here since the Warriors will have less more often than not this season. For all the drama that he brings for a variety of reasons (not all his fault), Nellie is a master hoops tactician and that can't be denied.

By the way if you're reading a Warriors preview or article on a national mainstream outlet and they routinely refer to CWebb-Nellie parallels, it's a BIG clue that they haven't done their homework and unfortunately know that sensationalism = more web clicks.

By the way if you see baseless and inane "FIRE NELLIE!" rants from a Warriors fan every time something goes wrong, it's a BIG clue that they didn't live through The Dirty Dozen: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 either because they're too young or they didn't realize there was a basketball team in California other than the LA Lakers till the 2007 NBA Playoffs.

Nellie and Riley as the Shot Callers

When the Warriors unceremoniously dumped Chris Mullin to much (mostly unfounded) fan and media backlash, they promoted Nellie's buddy Larry Riley to the GM spot. Riley doesn't have the most distinguished resume based on his numerous NBA stops, but unlike the Warriors previous hire he actually has credentials and experience at all levels- coaching, scouting, and management. Unlike the Warriors previous hire, he actually sounds prepared at interviews and seems to have a vision.

It will be great to have a head coach and GM that are finally on the same page. You could tell Nellie wasn't exactly enamored with Mullin's player pickups and rightfully so (the Adonal Foyle- Troy Murphy- Mike Dunleavy front court?, Kosta Perovic? Marcus WIlliams?).

There's a great piece over at SFGate about new Warriors GM Larry Riley that's definitely worth the cost of a click.

Jim Barnett, Tim Roye, and The Razor and Mr. T

I wanted to take a quick second to highlight some folks who don't get much national media attention though they're quite golden. There's a lot of clowns working under Cohan's regime and in the local Bay Area media who we'll leave unnamed, but these guys are more than legit.

Jim Barnett of Barnett's Law Fame. Barnett is the Warriors color TV commentator and is old school smooth in every way imaginable.

Tim Roye of Elevation Sensation fame. Roye is the Warriors radio announcer and does an absolutely superb job despite having announced so much suck for well over a decade.

Ralph Barbieri of Amici's fame and Tom Tolbert of Run TMC fame. The Razor and Mr. T host the weekly Don Nelson Show on KNBR here in the Bay Area. If you've never heard Nellie's show with Ralph and Tom you're missing out.

Biggest Weaknesses

The Human Powered Turnover Machine

Barring no injuries and if Monta Ellis can make through the season without hopping on a "low-speed moped", it's a pretty safe bet that the Warriors will lead the league in turnovers. Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Anthony Randolph will be the main culprits. Rookie Stephen Curry will probably add to the turnover totals considerably, but we will excuse the rookie.

We'll be using this picture quite a bit in our recaps this season.

Low Hoops IQ

Top to bottom this is one of the dumbest rosters in the league. It can be painful watching them struggle to throw the simplest inbounds pass. Part of that is being young, but most of that can be attributed to players who simply aren't that sharp on the court and off the court. We'll just leave it at that. We're not in the business of hurting the trade value of players on the home team- well at least today.

Immaturity

Media Day 2009 typifies the "Captain" Moped silliness. I'll pass the mic to my man DT from the mighty Fear the Beard: Hater Tuesday: Warriors media day special edition:

What the hell kind of team can't even get media day right? Show up, look happy to be a well-compensated professional, say some nice things to move some tickets, and go home. But no. Not our Dubs. They've got to make this into a public spectacle of dysfunction. And at the center of the storm? The team's two best players. First, you've got Captain Grinch telling us that, yes, he still wants out. Then you've got Monta telling us that, no, he doesn't think Nellie's backcourt plan will work. Great. Where do I sign up to give Chris Cohan that disproportionate share of my disposable income for my delusional "great time out?"

Don't you hate it when your "Captain" is running away from the mess he helped create?

It's very difficult rooting for these guys.

Goals

Playoffs?! PLAYOFFS?! You wanna talk about playoffs?

Actually it's really quite simple. There's really only 2 goals. It takes 2.

1. Fire Rowell

Simply put, Robert Rowell's ascension and solidification as a front office executive on a half billion dollar corporation defies reason. Our recent Q&A with San Jose Mercury columnist Tim Kawakami reaffirmed what we've know for years around these parts: No other NBA team would be dumb enough to have him as an executive:

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?

Marketing guy for a D-League team. No disrespect to the fine folks at Ridiculous Upside (where you can always find out who will be the next Warrior), but that's pretty hilarious.

Seriously can we get Thunder back already?

2. Chris Cohan Sells the Warriors

From the Archives:

SPECIAL REPORT: The man who owns the Warriors. Cohan's rocky reign. An era marked by lost games, lost fans and endless litigation [SFGate]
RUMOR: Warriors owner Chris Cohan "highly likely" to sell
Polling GSoM: Are you really that surprised that PR director Raymond Ridder and the Golden State Warriors got caught "astroturfing"? (5/23/09)
At the Press Conference: Write "Sell the Warriors" (8/29/06)
Missing Signatures (4/19/06)
Rise to the Occasion (3/17/06)
2005-2006 REPORT CARD: Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell (8/23/09)
BREAKING NEWS: Ice Cube Purchases the Warriors (4/1/06)
We Want Larry! (7/25/09)
San Jose SuperSonics in 2k8 (7/18/06)
NBA Draft 2006: Chris Cohan is happy the draft isn't in the Bay (6/28/07)
The Dirty Dozen - Part 1 of 3 (9/11/06)
IRS Stressing Warrior Owner Chris Cohan (5/19/09)
NBA Payroll Playpen and Cohanomics (11/30/07)
WARRIORSist (6/6/06)
RUMOR: Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell said no to Kevin Garnett because of additional salary and the luxury tax (5/16/09)
RUMOR: Chris Cohan IS INDEED interested in selling Warriors and was in negotiations with Larry Ellison

There really isn't much more to say that we haven't said already, but I will say this. Warriors fans Nirvana isn't winning a championship. It's living to see Cohan sell this team and ending his failed attempt to kill all interest in pro hoops in the Bay Area.

Maybe "Weekend at Cohan's" is better than 16 Years with Cohan?

We'll happily take a championship though.

Projected Finish- "Let's Get IF-y!"

Let's take it back to Computer Science 101 for all our many Silicon Valley readers out there and utilize the ominpotent If statement.

If the Warriors don't make any moves and stay healthy, they're headed for 34 wins and the 10th spot in the West.

If the Warriors continue their injury prone ways (which has a high likelihood with players like Corey Maggette), they're headed for 29 wins (again) and the 12th spot in the West.

If the Warriors cash in all their trade chips and bring in an All-Star caliber big man a la Amare Stoudemire before the season is lost, they're headed for 48 wins and a low playoff seed with a bright and exciting future ahead.

Don't Forget Who We Are

A lot of folks might not have had the "privilege" of following this team and fanbase before the mainstream sports media and even many local media outlets here in the Bay Area cared to pay attention. When it comes to suck, the Warriors having been doing it for years:

Ain't nothing new here!

We're used to it.

Is there another region of hoops junkies who rally around something like this?

"UNSTOPPABLE BABY!"

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

This is who we are.

I remember 3 years ago (pre-WE BELIEVE, pre-bandwagoners, pre-most regular national and local media coverage of the Warriors, pre-everyone and their mamma starting a Warriors blog because they can type even though they're borderline illiterate) when we launched The W Column for FSN Bay Area (now Comcast Sports Net Bay Area). Each of the GSoM writers answered the essay question we posed for our contest America's Next Warriors fan: Why I love the Warriors even though they've missed the playoffs for 12 straight seasons. Here's what I wrote:

I'm a Golden State Warriors fan because I'm in a golden state of mind.

The Bay Area sports soul is fragmented in professional football (49ers and Raiders) and baseball (A's and Giants) as well as college athletics (Cal, Stanford, San Jose State, and Santa Clara University), but not in pro hoops. The Warriors are a unifying force in Bay Area sports. They represent the Bay and are a rallying point for all of us. Every time the Warriors win it's like throwing up a big W for the entire Bay. That's golden.

Almost every night out at the Arena and on the road the Warriors aren't supposed to win. It's that "shock the world" mentality that breathes life into Warriors Nation. That mentality ignites our interests even when the Warriors aren't within sniffing distance of the playoffs. It fuels our Bay Area hoops soul. That's golden.

It might sound silly that the Warriors officially play for "Golden State", but there's nothing silly about being in a golden state of mind. That my friends is truly golden.

(Make sure to read the rest of that piece for some more golden words from DJ Fuzzy Logic, Fantasy Junkie, YaoButtaMing, and Hash.)

Despite the constant dysfunction junction off 880 on Hegenberger Ave., for me persoally nothing has changed.

We might be waiting awhile here in the Bay Area, but we WILL shock the world again like we did back in the spring of 2007 with WE BELIEVE. Oh it might take another 12 year playoff drought. Oh it might take Nellie coming back a third time to coach the Warriors in 2020 in his 90's. Oh it might take another wacky and improbable run with the Warriors qualifying for the playoffs on the last day of the season. But it will happen. We WILL SHOCK THE WORLD AGAIN.

This is who we are.

**********

Other fine Warriors previews from our folks:

BDL's 2009-10 NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors [Ball Don't Lie]
Warriors could open 7-1, and I'm still predicting 34 wins: Month-by-month breakdown [Talking Points - San Jose Mercury]
FanHouse Preview: Warriors

**********

2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview

Anthony Morrow: Ammo + Chocolate Rain
Stephen Jackson: O Captain, My Captain
Speedy Claxton/ Devean George, Acie Law: Wouldn't Count on It
Brandan Wright: Injury Prone
Stephen Curry: Let There Be Hope
Monta Ellis: Back in the Saddle
Corey Maggette: The 6th Wonder of the Oracle
Anthony Randolph: Hope Beyond the Hype
C.J. Watson: Storm-a-brewin'?
Mikki Moore: Ronny Turiaf Sr.
Ronny Turiaf: Still Gettin' Hyphy
Andris Biedrins: The Forgotten Warrior
Kelenna Azubuike: The Price is Right

Golden State Warriors 2k9-2k10 Super Preview Blowout Special!

2009-2010 Around the Association

Introduction
Atlanta Hawks: Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. The Hawks are for real.
Boston Celtics: Sheed in Green + Another Answer
Charlotte Bobcats: They Do Exist
Chicago Bulls: Ring Around the Rose-y
Cleveland Cavaliers: Now or Never
Dallas Mavericks: The Curse of the Dampier
Denver Nuggets: If it ain't broke...
Detroit Pistons: The Return of the Bay Boys
Houston Rockets: Yao-ch!, that's gotta hurt
Indiana Pacers: A One Man Show
Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors South No More
Los Angeles Lakers: Big Brother, Little Brother
Memphis Grizzlies: Going Back to Vancouver
Miami Heat: Need to get the point
Milwaukee Bucks: Saving a few buck$
Minnesota Timberwolves: Donde esta Senor Rubio?
New Jersey Nets: The Year of the Yi
New Orleans Hornets: Two first names, one great point guard
New York Knicks: Is it summatime yet?
Oklahoma City Thunder: The X Factors
Orlando Magic: Are they Vinsane? You be the judge
Philadelphia 76ers: Are they (Elton) Brand New?
Phoenix Suns: Who knows?
Portland TrailBlazers: The Fire Keeps Burning
Sacramento Kings: It's all up from here
San Antonio Spurs: An Apple a Day...
Toronto Raptors: So International
Utah Jazz: Reset Button
Washington Wizards: Guess Who's Bizzack?
Rewind: We Got Art

Poll

How many games will the 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors win?

0-9 wins :: WE SERIOUSLY SUCK

25 votes

10-19 wins :: WE REALLY SUCK

24 votes

20-29 wins :: WE DEFINITELY SUCK

192 votes

30-39 wins :: WE SUCK

476 votes

40-49 wins :: PLAYOFFS?! WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS!

370 votes

50-59 wins :: SHOCK THE WORLD

66 votes

60-69 wins :: LEBRON JAMES IS COMING, RIGHT?

7 votes

70-81 wins :: MICHAEL JORDAN IS COMING, RIGHT?

7 votes

82 wins :: "UNSTOPPABLE BABY!"

133 votes

1300 votes | Poll has closed

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

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

Atma Brother ONE — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:32:26 -0000

Before we get to this last installment let's rewind the tape a bit:

Part 1: Don Nelson, Monta Ellis, and Stephen Jackson Drama plus the Nellie-Monta- Stephen Curry triangle
Part 2: Brandan Wright, Andris Biedrins, and Chris Mullin
Part 3: Robert Rowell's incompetence and the shopping on Andris Biedrins who my colleague Adam called The Forgotten Warrior

[Tim Kawakami's Blog]

Jump for some thoughts on all of the expiring contracts the Warriors have amassed and a dysfunction square-off between the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders (see Silver and Black Pride for more on The Black Hole).

Golden State of Mind: This past offseason the Warriors (to their credit) managed to collect a bunch of potentially valuable expiring contracts (Speedy Claxton- $5.2 million, Acie Law- $2.2 million, Devean George- $1.6 million, Mikki Moore- $1.3 million, C.J. Watson- $1 million, and as of writing Brandan Wright- $2.7 million). How much demand is there around the league for this collection of expiring contracts via trade? Will the Warriors actually use them as trade chips to make a big impact trade or will they just let them come off the books to save owner Chris Cohan some money? What's your prediction?

Tim Kawakami: There's some money there. A lot of possibilities. But unless the Warriors can land a Chris Bosh/Stoudemire type, a real difference-maker, I don't see them packaging up all those expiring contracts and upgrading the talent. Instead, I think they'll let most of those deals expire because they're going to want the cap relief in the face of all those long-term deals on the books.

Last I checked, only Orlando and the Lakers--the two NBA finalists last summer--had more long-term money on the books than the Warriors. Who were not in the NBA finals. That's a staggering combination: Bad team, terrible long-term money. As long as Chris Cohan is struggling financially, he's going to want to lose chunks out of the payroll.

Golden State of Mind: There's no one more qualified than you to answer this question and have "a great time out" with it. Which front office on Hegenberger Road is more dysfunctional and clueless- the Oakland Raiders or the Golden State Warriors?

Tim Kawakami: You're not the first one to ask that! It is incredibly coincidental that two popular franchises losing their minds--and losing tons of games--both play home games within the same sports complex, and every time I jump in my car and head over there, it strikes me, too.

I've got to say that the Raiders, because they have so much championship and Hall of Fame history, are the sadder situation because it's just one formerly great sports executive who is angry at the world and ruining his team along the way. It's a simple equation there: Al Davis has run every credible person out of there, and now it's only him there, raging in the dark. Very sad, because he's a hugely important figure in the history of sports.

The Warriors are the more classically dysfunctional because there's more than one ill cause, and all the causes pull against each other, creating random chaos.

They've got five or six separate power sources, all plotting against each other, or trying to join together to plot against somebody else, or misleading each other, or misleading the public, or misleading their players. Don Nelson, Robert Rowell, Chris Cohan, Larry Riley, the players...

That's group immolation. It's sad, too, because they have tremendous fans and have had some very good players run through there. But the power sources can't keep it together because they're too busy playing politics and trying to cover their own butts.

**********

All of us at the GSoM fam wanted to thank for his continued support. Make sure to bookmark Tim's blog for all the latest on the zany state of Bay Area sports.

Acie Law, Speedy Claxton, and Devean George- Wouldn't Count on It :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Recaps and Previews

jae — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:00:20 -0000

via acielaw.yardbarker.com

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.

Law, Claxton and George are all about the numbers. And in this case, those numbers are, $2,216,160, $5,209,454 and $1,600,000, or a combined $9,025,614 in contracts that potentially come off the books at the end of the season. Potentially in that the Warriors still have until the end of the month to exercise their right to pay Law $2.9 million to return for a 4^th year in 2010-2011, but unless Acie suddenly discovers how to shoot or pass like an NBA point guard should, odds of this happening would appear low.

Another number: $11,382,017.50. That's how much salary the Warriors can bring back by parting with this trio in an even trade. It is not the sort of figure that can open up space for Bosh or Stoudemire nor should anyone expect their respective teams to simply hand over either of the talented big men without some real assets coming back; were it merely about clearing cap room for PHO or TOR, they could just as easily wait and let their guys walk. But its a move in the right direction and the sort of pieces that might allow the Warriors to upgrade Ellis or Biedrins for a more expensive (and presumably better) player.

Will this happen? That is an unknown, but Trader-Don has never been afraid of pushing for a big deal and reshaping his team. Once Al Harrington's contract was exchanged for Jamal Crawford's, adding another year of big dollar payments for far less productive, after a fit of insanity extended Stephen Jackson, making him infinitely more difficult to deal, it seemed unlikely that the Warriors could do more than dream about that kind of deal. But now, so long as they do not actually wander onto the court during a regulation game, Acie, Speedy and Devean have the potential to help this club, simply by continuing to cash their absurdly large (by anything but professional basketball standards) paychecks.

Of course, where the Warriors are concerned, worst case scenario being not altogether improbable, there is a possibility that any or all of these players could wind up playing. There are rumors that Law was once one of Nellie's favorites, so much so that he was willing to offer up a younger, less proven Monta Ellis for Law's draft rights. This should be discounted for the most part. Two years in the NBA provides more data indicating that Law was not so valuable. He has not shown that he is able to get a shot off, though he does appear to take good care of the ball. Still his passing does not seem to be sufficient to overcome the anemic individual offense. Indeed the Hawks were point-guard poor when they took Law, a "need" pick at #11 in the 2007 draft. While it is still possible that a new environment will ignite his play, at 24, his upside would seem to be somewhat limited. Nonetheless, Nellie may still be interested in Law-the-player instead of merely Law-the-millionaire-who-can-make-a-deal-work-with-the-convoluted-rules-of-the-NBA-salary-cap. We can only hope that the pre-season provides enough enough time for Warriors' brass to make this decision.

Speedy Claxton similarly has never been much of a shooter, but as his name indicates, when healthy he can move in a transition offense. On those rare days, he was once a blur. If history is any indication, he won't be healthy, and when healthy, he too is a woefully inefficient scorer with adequate but none too amazing passing numbers. Claxton's size makes him a defensive liability if he cannot pester the ball-handler.

In contrast, George once had a reputation as a solid defender. One fears that he may be the "beef" GM Larry Riley so desired, but an inadequate rebounder and a poor shooter whose offense consists of a three point shot that should not inspire fear in opposing defenses, one hopes that George was merely a free $1.6million dollar trade matching coupon, as his salary is being paid by the Raptors. Maybe he can instill a bit of defensive pride in practice that will carry over into games. Maybe.

Devean George, a complimentary player!

Unless your fantasy league has a split pot for going low, this trio is not going to help with the numbers. The only numbers that matter: $2,216,160, $5,209,454 and $1,600,000.

SB Nation - Speedy Claxton

Larry Brown's Young Players in the 2000s

RECAP: Warriors 95, Pistons 104 - Deja Vu

Game 20 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Golden State

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

The Golden State Warriors

RECAP: Warriors 118 Magic 126 - So much for my early XMas Present

1. Dwight and Marcin were in foul trouble.

2. Anthony Randolph was "different."

IT WAS GOING TO BE AN EARLY CHRISTMAS.

FICTION

1. He still can't crack a smile.

1. He's living up to his "potential."

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD YOU DO THIS AGAIN!!!!

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!! YAY!!

Which was a tougher loss this week?

Rockets

Magic

GAME THREAD #19 - Warriors vs. Magic - Superman that..

FACTS

FICTION

Who is your favorite ex-Warrior on the Magic?

Mickael Pietrus

Matt Barnes

Adonal Foyle

RUMOR: Warriors and Bobcats looking for big men

Do the Warriors need to upgrade their frontline?

YES: Upgrade like Beyonce would say

NO: Stick with this collection of 4's and 5's and it will work out

Macro-Warriornomics - WE BELIEVE WE SUCK :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 2 of 2)

2k9 Golden State Warriors Offseason Rewind

Key Losses

The Chris Mullin Publicity Stunt

The Marco Belinelli Hype Machine

Key Additions

Additions

Miikki Moore

SHAKE DEM DREADS!

Expiring Contracts

2k9-2k10 Golden State Warriors Projections

Biggest Strengths

Roaracle Faithful

Likable Young Players

Expiring Contracts

The 2nd (soon to be 1st) Most Winningnest Coach in NBA History

Nellie and Riley as the Shot Callers

Jim Barnett, Tim Roye, and The Razor and Mr. T

Biggest Weaknesses

The Human Powered Turnover Machine

Immaturity

Goals

1. Fire Rowell

2. Chris Cohan Sells the Warriors

Projected Finish- "Let's Get IF-y!"

Don't Forget Who We Are

2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview

2009-2010 Around the Association

How many games will the 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors win?

0-9 wins :: WE SERIOUSLY SUCK

10-19 wins :: WE REALLY SUCK

20-29 wins :: WE DEFINITELY SUCK

30-39 wins :: WE SUCK

40-49 wins :: PLAYOFFS?! WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS!

50-59 wins :: SHOCK THE WORLD

60-69 wins :: LEBRON JAMES IS COMING, RIGHT?

70-81 wins :: MICHAEL JORDAN IS COMING, RIGHT?

82 wins :: "UNSTOPPABLE BABY!"

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

Anthony Morrow

#22 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height:6-5

Weight:210

Born:Sep 27, 1985

College:Georgia Tech