SB Nation - Ronny Turiaf

Briefing: There's no place like your old home

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:01:05 -0000

Gilbert Arenas said before the start of this four-game road trip that he hoped going back to his hometown of Los Angeles would spark the rebirth of Agent Zero. Ten missed shots, six turnovers, and six fouls later, Gilbert looked further away than ever. Wednesday's performance provided some more hope, but only led to more disappointment when Tyreke Evans stole away Gilbert's chances to seal a win.

Last night? That was more like it. Sure, everyone will throw out the disclaimer about playing against the Warriors' porous defense, but 45 points is 45 points. Only four other players have scored 45 or more points this season, and no one else has done it while chipping in more than 5 assists (Gilbert had 13). Questions about whether or not Gilbert can fully integrate his game into Flip's offense will continue to linger until he can consistently put together some solid performances, but last night he put away any doubts about whether or not he still has the physical tools.

Wizards 118, Warriors 109: Arenas has no choice - Craig Stouffer, Pick and Roll

It's not a question of whether or not Gilbert Arenas is back after he had 45 points and 13 assists, his highest scoring game since Jan. 15, 2007 (thanks, ESPN). He has to be back. This is his team. He is the center of what it does and how it plays. Everything starts with Arenas, and the Wizards have spent the better part of two years waiting for him simply to finally take his place, one that they paid - yes, i'm talking about it - $111 million to reserve.

Wizards 118, Warriors 109 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Arenas and Butler have both struggled to find their grooves this season, which has played a major role in the Wizards losing 16 of their first 23 games. But with the Wizards in desperate need of a victory, the two most maligned players in Washington helped snap a six-game losing streak by coming through with the type of performances that people have come to expect of them -- although few could've predicted that Arenas was going to score 45 points and hand out 13 assists, even against a very bad, or rather non-existent, Golden State defense. "The rhythm is coming back and I'm feeling good right now," Arenas said after topping 40 points for first time since March 21, 2007, when he scored 42 in a win against Seattle. "Feeling more confident handling the ball, getting into the lane. A lot more confident than I did a couple of weeks ago."

Wizards 118, Warriors 109 - Mike Jones, Outlet

"I’m just trying to get back in attack mode," Arenas continued. "I’ve been the coy fish for a couple of games. I’m just trying to get back in attack mode. I’m finishing off. I finished the game how I left Sacramento. I finally hit plays tonight. down there in the end, I made a shot and a pass to CB. The rhythm is coming back and I’m feeling good right now." So the pressures of D.C. are still weighing on Gil's mind, huh? You don't like to hear your franchise player dreading playing in front of the home crowd, but for now this is how he feels. "I don’t know. When you’re at home, sometimes you got pressure. You got pressure to win. It’s the pressure sometimes. when you get West, you’re away everybody, away from your family, away from your friends, away from most of the media. People off the street saying, ‘Why y’all losing? Get it together’ You get away from that and you go on a trip and it’s you and your team."

Gilbert's 'Greatness Was Overwhelming' - Jamie Mottram, Mr. Irrelevant

Arenas leads Wizards over Warriors - Associated Press

Arenas, who missed most of the past two years with knee injuries, had his 29th career game of 40 or more points. "When we got the ball in Gilbert’s hands he made plays," Wizards’ coach Flip Saunders said. "When you have a guy directly involved with 71 of your points, he’s made a huge impact."

Last Night's Action: Upside Down - Aaron Morrissey, DCist

Arenas, who has been putting up some big numbers despite the multiple losses, had another big night in the box score -- 45 points, his most since January 2007, and 13 assists -- but more importantly, Agent Zero was completely unguardable down the stretch. It was the vintage, clutch Gilbert we fondly remember; late in the fourth, Arenas was either making shots, almost effortlessly finding his way to the bucket, or creating open shots for his teammates.

Arenas Leads Wizards Over Warriors - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

Wizards head coach Flip Saunders believes Arenas is only at 75 percent in his quest to fully return from his knee problems. "He is getting a little but more aggressive", Saunders added. If you notice he has a better sweat going. He doesn’t look cold out there. He looks loose and into it."

Arenas scores 45 points, Wizards top Golden State, 118-109 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Antawn Jamison's string of three consecutive games with at least 30 points per game came to an end after he suffered a stinger on the left side of his neck in the second period. During a break in action, Arenas asked Jamison where he was hurting then pressed his fingers in the area where Jamison told him. Jamison angrily pushed back Arenas and playfully slapped him across the cheek. "I told him, 'Put some oil on it,' because he got that old neck right now," Arenas said he told Jamison. "But he said, 'Look at your knee.' The jokes stopped right there." Not quite. Jamison later airballed a free throw and Arenas joked with him some more. "He was Gilbert," said Jamison, who also started his career in Golden State.

Instant Analysis: Wizards at Warriors - Chase Hughes, CSN Washington

The Wizards were able to snap their six-game losing streak thanks to big nights from their starters. Antawn Jamison was out for most of the game with a shoulder injury but Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler each pitched in with double-doubles. Butler stepped up by scoring a season-high 28 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and 5 steals in what was his best game of the season. Brendan Haywood had 11 points and nine rebounds in the first half. He finished with 15 points and 12 boards, making seven of nine shots from the field. Haywood was able to take advantage of a Warriors team missing most of their frontcourt. Out due to injury were Andris Biedrins, Mikki Moore, Ronny Turiaf, and Brandon Wright.

Gilbert Arenas scores season-high 45 as Wizards defeat Warriors on the road - George Pangakos, Examiner

Last night's victory, and the fact that four Wizards obtained double-doubles in the win, are definitely things Washington and its fans can enjoy. However, the 8-16 Wizards still have a long road to travel, and allowed Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry to score career-highs of 30 and 27 respectively despite the victory. Washington will not have the luxury of allowing career-highs against the Phoenix Suns tomorrow, as the Suns are a much deeper team and free from some of the injuries which have plagued the Warriors.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Jack Kogod
Anthony Randlolph has a touch of Blatchitis. He needs to get that looked at.

Twitter / George V. Panagakos
Quick math here: if Gil is 75%, his line right now would be 57 points and 17 assists if 100%, right?

Twitter / Mike Prada
A good point. RT @Truth_About_It: Are shoulder issues ultimately to blame for Jamison's 47-77 from the free-throw line on the year?

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Wow, that last shot by Gilbert ... make that the last two shots ... are about nothing but determination.

Twitter / Mike Jones
I don't get how Arenas can stroke one-handed 3-pointers in practice but can't make free throws in games.

Twitter / Jamie Mottram
45, 13 and a W; Gil needed that. We all did.

Twitter / wizznutzz
glory years redux!!! back to 42-40 here we come!!!!!!!! RT @Unsilent: Agent Zero ft. Vintage Tough Juice + Unbreakable 'Tawn

Twitter / Agent Dagger
did we just....win?

Polling GSoM: Will the Golden State Warriors lead the league in turnovers this season?

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:49:53 -0000

Game Thread #20: Warriors @ Thunder - Battle For Our Mascot

Hash is working on a fantastic recap and IQofaWarrior is assembling the exhaustive linkage for tonight's blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder as you read this, but I thought this Polling GSoM segment was in order.

If I had to pick one picture to describe the Warriors 2009-2010 season thus far, this would be it:

The Dubs really need to stop eating these for breakfast.

Jump for a look back at some words from GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors preview that unfortunately have proven to be true through almost a quarter of this season.

Macro-Warriornomics - WE BELIEVE WE SUCK :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview

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.

Well today we are in that business.

Just the facts and nothing but the facts:

The Warriors currently lead the league in turnovers.
"Point guard" Monta Ellis leads the league in turnovers. In 8 games out of 20 so far this season Ellis has as many turnovers if not more than assists.
Corey Maggette, Anthony Randolph, Vladimir Radmanovic, Ronny Turiaf all average more turnovers than assists right now.
C.J. Watson, Chris Hunter, and Mikki Moore are the only players on this roster that have a 2:1 assist : turnover ratio. Watson is a low volume dime dropper most likely gone by the February trading deadline, Hunter is a recent D-League call-up, and Moore is a journeyman.

I'll let you draw the appropriate inferences in the comments.

GM Larry RIley- hope you're on the phone trying to wheel and deal!

via www.sitcomsonline.com

Poll

Will the Golden State Warriors lead the league in turnovers this season?

YES: Apple turnover

219 votes

NO: Something will get over turned

37 votes

256 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

RECAP: Warriors 109, Rockets 111 - Not Again!

Fantasy Junkie — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:16:22 -0000

That was a baaaaad call

Final Boxscore | Warriors Web | Open Thread (1400+ comments)

It was a game the Warriors should have won. They were up 10 with 6:20 remaining and then a series of poor offensive possessions led to a 4.5 minute scoring drought in which the Rockets went on a 12-0 run. They did the same thing to the Clippers last night. The Clippers didn't score a bucket in the last 9 minutes of the game until Baron hit a meaningless 3 with seconds remaining. Impressive. The Warriors started taking bad shots and turning the ball over in conjunction with the Rockets D stepping it up.

2 things just killed me in tonight's game. First was the foul call on CJ Watson when he allegedly grazed Aaron Brooks' arm on the Rockets last possession. There were some questionable calls tonight, but how do the refs call this? CJ might have been close but it didn't look like he touched Brooks. That play essentially decided the game. It gave the Rockets 2 free throws in a tie game with just 2 seconds left. Ridiculous. One of the worst calls I've seen.

The second was that 4th quarter. Ugh the Warriors went small ball with CJ, Monta, Curry, Morrow and Maggette. That's supposed to be an advantage right? It forced Adelman to take out Scola who was having a very nice game in the paint. Oh but all it did was allow Carl Landry to pick up where Scola left off. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. The Rockets rolled off a 12-0 run, holding that mini-lineup scoreless for 4.5 minutes. Monta didn't make a field goal in the 4th as they bottled him up. Why didn't Nellie make a change? Why didn't he throw in Vlad or Hunter to mix it up a bit? Everyone in the arena could see when things started to go bad. Hey Nellie, call a timeout, make a substitution, do something! Even though Nellie didn't make any moves, the players on the court still needed to execute and they didn't with poor shots (e.g. Maggette taking a long 2). Put it this way, the Rockets should have never had the ball with 19 seconds left and the score tied. The Warriors played hard all night but just let the lead slip away.

Monta?
Yikes. The Rockets sure bottled him up in the half court tonight. He couldn't get anything in the half court offense. How many times did he drive in the lane, jump in the air and then have nowhere to go with the ball? Way too many. He got blocked 7 times and turned it over 9 times. He made 9 shots, missed 18. I think at one point he got frustrated and took a 3 early in the shot clock. Additionally, you could see he was frustrated with the officials all night. The Rockets defense gave him fits and he seemed to get most of his made buckets off fast breaks.

Even though Monta had an incredibly poor game overall, I thought he came out with a lot of energy in the 2nd half to set the tone for the rest of the quarter. On the Rockets second possession of the half, he stripped Aaron Brooks and then found Morrow for 3. On the very next possession, he stole the ball from Chuck Hayes and blew past the Rocket defenders for a layup. It was just 2 possessions, but he gave the Warriors a jump start to get the 2nd half rolling. After that, you could see the defense getting scrappy, going for more steals and diving on the floor - something that didn't happen enough in the first half. I really don't think the Warriors take the lead in this game if Monta doesn't make those two huge defensive and offensive plays. The Warriors went from down 7 at the half to up 4 with 9 minutes to go in the 3rd. It was a major turning point in the game.

A-Mo!
What can I say, he's really expanding his game and becoming a very nice player. He's no longer just a gunner, he's got a nice head fake and is taking the ball to the hole. He even crossed over Battier and took it all the way in for a layup to tie the game at 109. Just watching him up close tonight, he's got the youthful exuberance of a kid with a quickly maturing game. After he made that fantastic pass near the start of the third quarter - a bounce pass from near half court that weaved through defenders to a cutting Radmonovic for a layup, he had a big smile on his face and pointed at the coaches. He's always in the middle of the huddle facing the coaches. When he's on the bench he's even yelling on the court helping the players communicate. I was impressed.

Vlad Radman
What a game from Vladimir - 20 points on 8-13 shooting (4-7 from 3), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. He was a major reason for the big run in the 3rd to take the lead and hold onto it for a 6 point lead to start the 4th. Can anyone explain to me why he didn't start the 4th or why he didn't get back in the game until there were less than 3 minutes left? Hmmmm. Coach?

Aaron Brooks
Whew. That guy is FAST and QUICK and nobody seemed to able to guard him. I don't know how to compare his speed and quickness to Monta but they feel quite different. Monta has that end to end speed where if you're not already in front of him, you're not going to get in front of him. He's also got the quick first step and amazing body control to finish. Brooks on the other hand, doesn't seem as fast from one end to the other, but when he has the ball in his hands in the halfcourt he just gets in the lane at will. Once he gets just that little room of daylight he explodes and exploits it. Where Monta seems a little more graceful and calculating, Brooks seems more explosive off the dribble. By the way, Brooks is so fast, he makes Steph Curry look slow. It was a very nice night for Brooks with his 25 points, including his 4 three's in the 3rd (14 overall in the quarter).

Random Thoughts

Chris Hunter didn't play the 4th, why? I thought he was doing a decent job down low. The Rockets scored on him every now and then but he did a good job inside. Perhaps since Scola never came back in the game, Hunter didn't need to either.
Trevor Ariza played the 3rd and 4th quarters but you wouldn't have known it. He was nearly invisible out there on offense. He scored just 2 points of his 18 points in the 2nd half. He did a nice job containing Monta though. Him and Battier gave him trouble all night.
I have to give major props to Carl Landry for taking advantage of the Warriors' small ball lineup. He was just great in the paint in the 4th. He finished with 22 points (8-10 shooting), 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.
Big shout out to Melissa V of the Warriors for upgrading me with some ridiculous tickets. I was so close that I could see Ronny Turiaf has "Turiaf" stitched into the back right pocket of his jeans. I could see Biedrins and Turiaf joking around during timeouts. I could see that Turiaf's jacket was so small he couldn't button the bottom button and that Stephen Silas suit is so big it looked like he borrowed it from his dad, Paul Silas. I could hear Anthony Morrow yelling from the bench, the coaches yelling "3 seconds" or "traveling", and that these guys are much bigger and faster than tv gives them credit for. Lastly, I got to see the last play drawn up first by assistant coach Scott Roth and then overruled by Nellie (Roth's play wouldn't have worked). Heck neither play worked, but it was great to have a little bit of an insight into the game. Anyways, all those little things you don't pick up on normally were all right there for me and made my understanding the game just a little bit sharper.
Lastly, I love Battier's game. He usually won't stand out in the boxscore, but he does so many things to help your team win. In this case, it was his 7 blocks and one sweet block on Corey Maggette. See below from different angles.

It's between Vlad and Morrow because both guys had such great shooting nights and contributed all over the floor. I could go either way or cop out and give it to both, but instead I'm going with the new guy for his better overall floor game. Vladimir Radmonovic gets the Warrior Wonder for tonight. He would have had an even better game had Nellie kept him on the floor instead of playing Corey MEgette.

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

Daily Links 11/19

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:54:58 -0000

Herald Rajon Rondo ignites surge past feisty young Warriors
Rajon Rondo quick to forget
Heave escapes Kevin Garnett
Nellie plugs along
Knicks nix Pacers to snap skid
Comcast to offer Celtics on-demand programming
Globe Garnett on the Warriors post game
Post-game quotes from Perkins, Allen
Updates from the Garden: Celtics vs. Warriors
In NBA lore, Nelson never comes up short -
Garnett on the Warriors post game
Post-game quotes from Perkins, Allen
Washburn: Celtics need to step it up for Orlando
Doc: 'That team scares the hell out of you'
Rivers assumes 3-point stance
Video of KG's half-court shot
Celtics man up for win

CelticsBlog     A Late Run Is Enough
Third quarter saves Celtics from Warriors
MetroWest Daily   Celtics 109, Warriors 95: C's ride Rondo to win
Celtics Hub   Doc to Sheed: Cut the 3s
Bullets: Anything but a Blowout
Step Aside and Avoid the Train Wreck: C’s 109, Warriors 95
Loy's Place     Comments from the Other Side - Warriors 11/18
Examiner    Depleted Warriors finish trip with pair of losses, but renewed enthusiasm
LeBron James in the NFL? Why not?
How to Watch Sports    Exploring NBA Contracts Based on Performance, Rather Than Potential
Basketbawful    Taken for granted
Celtics.com    Comcast, Celtics, CSN Unveil Expanded Celtics On Demand Library
Ford Keys to the Game: Warriors at Celtics
NBA.com    Celtics overpower outmanned Warriors in second half
THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
ESPN   Hawks win Sixth game in a row
Rondo floors it
For KG, a buzz but no buzzer
Well-traveled Moore back in Boston
Weary Warriors battling more than Celtics
Opponents making their point with Boston Celtics defense
Celtics 17   Can the Boston Celtics Regain Their Dominant Defensive Effort?
Turning to What We Already Know: Sifting Through the Ridiculous and Poking the Dragon (Warriors Pregame)
Golden State Falls as Celtics Steer Themselves Back on Track
Red's Army    Your KG Face of the Day
I've never felt worse about a 14 point win...
Comcast SportsNet    C's vs. Warriors: Live from the Garden
Celtics Golden against Warriors
Perk plays role of unsung hero
Loscy    A new joint venture: The Doubting Thomas Award "
North Station Sports    NSS Live Game Chat: Warriors vs Celtics
Rondo Rallies the Troops, Celtics beat the Warriors 109-95
Celtics Town    Running Diary: Rondo, Rondo, Rondo as Celtics overcome Warriors
Hardwood Houdini   Celtics Work SOME Kinks Out- Still Have Work
Lex Nihil Novi    9-3: Celtics 109, Warriors 95
Utah Stops Celtics' Streak at 9 83-84
Something Still Ain't Right
CelticsLife     Celts STILL Not-so-good, but outlast Warriors and their 4th grade star
Celtics/Warriors Post Game Videos
Celtics 109, Warriors 94 Highlights
Gino's Jungle     Celtics Wake Up In Second Half To Defeat Warriors
Celtics Stuff Live    Gang Green: Season 3, Episode 5
Mercury News   Warriors notebook: Ronny Turiaf listed day-to-day
Warriors' Raja Bell plays through pain in loss to Boston
Green Street    Wallace looks back on Pistons Pacers Brawl
Donny Basketball
Danny Ainge on the Big Show
Can Celtics finish?
Fast Break: Celtics - Warriors
Allen takes on second generation of shooters
Slam Dunk Central    Raging Rajon Has Double-Double; Celtics Defeat Warriors 109-95
WEEI    The Three Pointer: Celtics Run Away From Speedy Warriors
Danny Ainge on WEEI
SF Gate    CELTICS 109, WARRIORS 95 / A loss, but not feeling defeated
Ratto: Warriors put the 'free' in free fall
Shorthanded team fall short in Cleveland
Golden State Warriors : Game 10: Warriors at Boston (halftime)
Bleacher Report    NBA Top 10: If Players, Coaches, Execs, and Fans Had Theme Songs...
Reign Him In: LeBron James' Ego Threatening to Ruin a Wonderful Thing Reign Him In: LeBron James' Ego Threatening to Ruin a Wonderful Thing
Telegram    Rondo still can’t toe the line
Allen helps Rondo from line
Celtics snap out of skid
NESN    Rajon Rondo Still Making Big Plays Despite Free-Throw Woes
Celtics End Two-Game Skid, Whack Warriors 109-95
Live Blog: Celtics vs. Warriors - Boston Celtics
Ray Allen to Host 'Ray of Hope Foundation' Benefit at The Lansdowne Pub
Motown Sports Revival     How to win an NBA Championship
CT News    Rondo Solves Warriors: Saves Celtics in 3rd
Dimemag    Kevin Garnett’s 75-Foot Shot
Back in the Mix
5 Suitors For The Inevitable Monta Ellis Trade
Summer 2010: Chris Bosh to the Nuggets
Patriot Ledger     CELTICS NOTEBOOK: Losing streak ends at two after first-half struggle against Warriors
Celts' Rajon Rondo finds his rhythm
NY Times    Seeking Shake-Up, Knicks Mull a Bid for Iverson
ProJo    Celtics outscore road-weary Warriors, 109-95
Celtics-Warriors in-game update: Celtics up by one at halftime
Celtics-Warriors final: Celtics rout Warriors, 109-95
Celtics journal: Aigne says latest trade rumors are false
Celtics not interested in trading for Nocioni
Celtics-Warriors pregame: Celtics looking to snap losing streak
TSN    Celtics snap short losing streak to thump Warriors
Sun Journal    Some Red Claws pinching themselves over opportunity
Chicago Now    Joakim Noah; top 3 center in the NBA
Dueling Couches    Perkins Calls Celtics Practices "Sloppy"
BetUs   NBA Lock Alert – Stunned Celtics Host High-Scoring Warriors
Luxist   Chris Webber's Restaurant Shuts Down
Hardwood Paroxysm    The Celtics Have A Coupon For Average Combo-Forwards And They Would Like To Use It
PRNewswire    Comcast, Celtics, CSN Unveil Expanded Celtics On Demand Library
SportsRadio Interviews Ron Artest on tossing Ariza’s shoe off the court the other night
Slam Online   When The Game Was ‘Theirs’
Chris Bosh Contemplates Life in Miami
Yahoo    Phil Jackson jokingly blames Pau Gasol's injury on 'CSI: Miami' - Ball Don't Lie
Hoopsworld     Notebook: Bryant Back to Form
4 Sports Boston    The Resting C’s: Domination or Abomination? 4 Sport Boston

Recap: Bucks 129, Warriors 125 (aka the Brandon Jennings show)

Frank Madden — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:05:04 -0000

Box Score / R ecap

My twenty years as a Bucks fan have been, at least superficially, a disappointment. Far too many 50-loss seasons ending in mid-April. Disappointing draft picks and bloated contracts. Stars that don't shine as bright as every other team's stars. Coaches that talk a good game but can't seem to coach one. So if you're a recent convert or a casual fan, understand where I'm coming from. I might love the game too much to give it up, but as a fan I've got some serious baggage. Cynicism, pessimism, paranoia...it's all there lurking in the shadows.

So quite honestly I don't know how to deal with Brandon Jennings. I just watched him score 55 points in his seventh professional game, and quite honestly I'm working through some things. Like, is this really happening? Is it possible the universe is playing an awful, awful trick on us poor Bucks fans? Or is this just what it feels like to have a superstar drop into our lap? And can we just get him to sign a max contract extension now, rather than waiting another two plus years?

If you weren't able to catch the game, I'm sorry. Very, very sorry. Because not only was this an incredible performance, but it ended up being an exciting game to boot. Not that you would have known from the first 24 minutes, which had all the traits of a deflating, momentum-killing loss against a sub-.500 team.

It all started with an uncharacteristically defense-less first half that had the Bucks trailing 57-49. I know the Warriors are up-tempo and offensively gifted and all that, but the Bucks just didn't look right. Andrew Bogut had scored 13 but conceded a head-scratching 11 to Mikki Moore. Jennings had been scoreless in the first half but dropped in 10 in the second. The game was still there for the taking, but the Bucks didn't seem to be playing their game.

Call Jim Paschke a prophet, because a minute into the third quarter he saw something. "Why do I have a good feeling about this game from a Bucks' perspective?"

What it was, I'm not really sure. But shortly thereafter Jennings went to work, beginning his systematic dismantling of the Warriors' defense. Twenty-nine points in the period, 12/13 fg, 4/5 from deep, and almost all of it in the halfcourt. More on that below. The game was so bizarre that Scott Skiles even went with a zone for a short period in the third.

Give credit to the W's though--they could have quit once the momentum turned against them, but they kept making shots. Monta Ellis had his jumper working (never a good sign) and the Bucks had no answer for Corey Maggette, who was playing center down the stretch and ended up scoring 25 on 11 shots. And with 4:24 left, an Ellis triple brought the Warriors all the way back to claim a 108-107 lead.

Fortunately, this was Jennings' night. He drilled a straight-away triple to reclaim the Bucks lead with 2:14 left, then buried an excuse-me fadeaway banker from the left side moments later. The Warriors kept coming back, so he drilled another three with 34 seconds left to make the lead six. And after a sloppy final minute saw Anthony Morrow miss a potential winning three with 10 seconds left, it was who else but Jennings who came away with the rebound and a clutch pair of free throws to ice it.

Three Bucks

Brandon Jennings. Fifty-five for the game, all in the final three quarters. Forty-five in the second half (17/21 fg). Twenty-nine in the third quarter. Simply unbelievable.

The Warriors don't defend much anyway, but everytime the Bucks gave Jennings a high screen good things happened. As we've seen from most opponents, the Warriors were content to go under screens on Jennings and dare him to make a play.

So he did. Gliding to the hoop for acrobatic layins. Dropping in that one-handed floater that's quickly becoming his signature shot. Pulling up off the screen for a clean look at a mid-range jumper. And when all that was getting boring, how about a three-pointer? Or seven of them? Once Jennings got going, it didn't matter if his feet were set. He made his first twelve shots of the third period, and when his last jumper of the period bounced off the rim the entire arena seemed confused. How did that happen?

Perhaps more amazingly, he kept going, which was fortunate considering the Warriors refusal to lay down. Every time the Bucks needed a big shot in the fourth he was there to make it happen. This was his coming out party, and he wasn't going to let it end with anything but a win. By the way, did we mention that he missed his first three shots and was benched less than five minutes into the game?

Andrew Bogut. Bogut went to town on the small Warrior frontline in the first three quarters, scoring 19 on 9/12 shooting to go with 11 boards. Nothing in the fourth quarter, but fortunately they didn't need him.

As usual, Bogut's success was tied to his ability to give the Warriors different looks. With the Warriors doubling a fair bit in the post, he faced up a number of times, including one play where he drove baseline right on the quicker Anthony Randolph and threw down a highlight reel facial on the youngster. Bogut even hit a mid-range jumper in the first half, which is the first time I can remember one of those this year. And nothing was more poetic than the two-handed alley-oop he put down from Jennings off a screen and roll in the third.

Defensively he had some problems, allowing Moore to make all six of his shots en route to 13 points. And he was a half-step slow every time the W's guards burned the Bucks' perimeter defense, allowing Ellis and company to finish time and again at the cup. That's not really on Bogut per se, but he seemed to have better luck defending the rim against Denver.

Charlie Bell. Luke Ridnour or Luc Mbah a Moute (nine pts, 12 rebs) could easily have gotten the nod as well, but we'll give the nod to Bell (14 pts, four rebs, six ast) for his clutch play in the fourth quarter and tireless defense throughout the game. Bell scored seven in the final period, including a three to reclaim the lead with 3:02 remaining and the game-clincing two free throws with 3 seconds left. He also handed out six assists as the Bucks continued to show good patience offensively.

Three Numbers

55. Could there be any other?

15-2. We highlighted the Warriors' rebounding problems in the pregame, and they didn't disappoint. Though neither team could do much to slow down the other offensively (56% for GS, 52% for the Bucks), the Bucks predictably annihilated the Warriors on the glass, 46-31, including +13 on the offensive glass.

14. My reaction at the half? The Bucks seemed content to let the game come down to a shooting contest, which just didn't seem like an ideal gameplan. But as noted in the pregame, the Bucks have actually been more dependent on the threeball than the Warriors this season, so maybe it wasn't that bad of a strategy. Overall, Jennings' 7/8 performance helped propel the Bucks to a scorching 14/24 from deep, netting a +18 compared to the Warriors' 8/20.

Three Good

BROGUT! Brandon Jennings. Andrew Bogut. They play the two most important positions in the game, and for the last couple weeks each has been playing like they're one of the league's best at those positions. Now for the love of God, both of you need to stay healthy.

Going small. With Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf hurt, the Warriors couldn't have gone big even if they wanted to, and after a sloppy defensive first half Scott Skiles had seen enough of his usual starting five. Luke Ridnour started the second half in place of Hakim Warrick, pushing Charlie Bell to SF and Luc Mbah a Moute to PF, and it worked. OK, so realistically I could have been playing PF in the third and the Bucks would have been OK, but in each of the last two games Skiles has changed up his lineup to start the third and the Bucks have two wins to show for it. Flexibility = good.

Spotlight. It's not just that the Bucks have been bad in recent years, it's that people stopped caring. National media, local fans...the Bucks simply haven't been a relevant concept for some time. But if you've been patient then you're starting to get your rewards. The crowds have been treated to some great performances at the BC thus far, and the players have gotten the love they deserve right back, especially with the Squad 6ers cheering loud and proud for 48 minutes every night. There are still way too many empty seats at the BC, but that's going to change. How can it not?

Three Bad

Bogut's streak. Bogut came into the game having made his last nine free throws, but apparently we shouldn't read too much into it. A 1/6 night later and Bogut looks back to his maddeningly inconsistent self from the stripe.

Soft serve. Just way too many easy buckets in the first half for the W's, who gave the Bucks' perimeter defenders problems with penetration that led to lots of easy looks both inside (when they opted to finish past slow help defense) and out (when they kicked it out for open looks). Don't expect the Bucks to be ranked #1 in defensive efficiency anymore after conceding a 123.8 pts/100 night to the Warriors, but hopefully they don't let this game get them into bad habits. On the plus side, they did a better job of closing out on shooters in the second half, and Golden State didn't do anything on the offensive boards.

Empty seats. Official attendance was just short of 15,000 tonight and it looked like a lot less. What else is going on in Milwaukee on a Saturday night?

The Ghost of Bobcats Future Trades

David Arnott — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Noah Graham - NBAE/Getty Images

Browse more photos »

At this early stage of the season, there are only a couple teams that are completely and totally out of the playoff picture: the New Jersey Nets and Sacramento Kings. Every other team's fans can entertain wild-eyed dreams of playoff basketball. Can we benefit from their situations?

First, the Nets. The only player we have that makes sense for them is Raja Bell. He's got an expiring contract that fits in with their plan to clear cap space for this offseason and sign free agents to complement their interesting young players, like Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, and Brook Lopez. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the Nets have done too good a job of clearing cap space. The only players with guaranteed contracts for next season are guys they'll almost certainly want to keep, and it doesn't make any sense for them to swap out an expiring contract for an expiring contract. We probably won't be able to even start a conversation with them unless, improbably, they grow weary of Yi and figure they'd rather cut bait.

The Kings are a different story, though. They've got some messy contracts and fiscal pressure that we might be in position to massage with a calculated gamble. No one they'd be able to offer us is a game-changer who would guarantee us the playoffs, but if they want to get out from under a horrific contract, they can give us that contract and a very good player to fill out our rotation. I'd be most interested in Spencer Hawes or Jason Thompson to come off the bench and be a backup to both Diaw and Chandler. Unfortunately, it looks like we'd have to take back Beno Udrih in any deal, which makes no sense for the Cats, because Andres Nocioni's deal is only one year longer than Radmanovic's and Mohammed's (not worth it for Sacto), and Francisco Garcia's long deal is still subject to Base Year Compensation provisions, so we can't make that work.

Here's where I'm going with this: I don't see any trades that make sense for the Bobcats, even after other teams start dropping out of the playoff hunt. No, wait. I take that back. There's one. When the Warriors give up on this season, they might consider trying to clear out some space and trade Raja straight up for Ronny Turiaf. The big guy has an unwieldy contract, extending through 2012, but he would make the team better by being a defensive presence (and about the same scorer as Chandler, i.e. way better than Diop) off the bench at both the PF and C positions. Bell, as professional as he is, is primarily a contract figure at this point, and if we put Flip in at the two, we'd get better offense, probably making up for any drop in defense, and if we put Augustin or Henderson in at that spot, we'd be giving much needed playing time to a young player. I'd also argue that we probably wouldn't see much drop in production.

The biggest problem for the Cats is that every other team is either set for the 2010 offseason, set for the 2011 offseason, or will be looking for a player to help them this season, which Bell is not. Boris Diaw might be attractive to a contender, but his contract is extremely daunting. Gerald Wallace will be attractive to a contender, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea to trade away a guy who outproduces his pay scale. And Raymond Felton, of course, might be a bench upgrade for someone with the bonus that he's an expiring contract, but the contender that needs a point guard upgrade, either starter or bench, and sees Felton as said upgrade probably isn't a contender.

It's Rosterbation Monday! Are we stuck dreaming about John Wall? Or is there someone our there for the taking that we can steal? (See? I made it this far without mentioning Joe Alexander!)

RUMOR: 76ers Contacted Warriors about Samuel Dalembert + Warriors trying to trade Stephen Jackson + Cavaliers still interested in Jackson

Atma Brother ONE — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:30:21 -0000

Kind of a stinky haircut don't you think?

via www.depressedfan.com

Jump for a tiny tidbit about the talks between the Sixers and Warriors about the man our friends over at Liberty Ballers call SAM BAM Dalembert.

Marc Spears writes for Yahoo! Sports:

One NBA general manager said the Philadelphia 76ers are still actively trying to move center Samuel Dalembert. A league source said the Sixers contacted the Warriors to see if they had any interest in Dalembert, but talks never progressed. The Warriors are still trying to trade Stephen Jackson but have yet to field a suitable offer. The Cavaliers remain interested in the veteran swingman.

Samuel Dalembert

#1 / Center / Philadelphia 76ers

Height: 6-11

Weight: 250

Born: May 10, 1981

College: Seton Hall

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2009 - Samuel Dalembert	4	23.3	2.5	5.3	47.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	3.8	80.0	1.5	5.0	6.5	0.0	2.5	0.0	1.5	3.3	8.0

From Spears' report it doesn't appear that Stephen Jackson was what the 76ers were asking in return for Dalembert, but something like Jackson and Speedy Claxton for the Sixer Center [ESPN Trade Machine] ain't bad at all for the Warriors. The Warriors get rid of Jack before he makes a bigger mockery of himself, Robert Rowell (actually that one's pretty funny), and finishes the 2009-2010 season as the league leader in turnovers. Plus the Warriors shorten their financial commitment by 2 years, thus setting the Dubs up for the Chris Paul sweepstakes (I kid).

In terms of defense (gobbling up rebounds and protecting the paint) and unfortunately making mistakes Dalembert is Ronny Turiaf on steroids. I must say the Haitian center has always intrigued me. He never fully "developed" just like Andris Biedrins never "developed" any low post moves or a jump shot. However just like Biedrins Dalembert is raw, but effective. SAM BAM would instantly be the Warriors' best interior defender and would do a ton to help out their rebounding woes.

After this season there's only 1 year left on the 28 year old Dalembert's deal, so he could potentially be valuable as a single, sizable expiring contract during the 2010-2011 NBA season. A contender might even want to pick up his defensive tenacity for a stretch run in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Compare that to the remaining 3 years on the "Captain's" contract (thank you Robert Rowell) taking him into his mid-30's (read: way past his athletic prime) and Jack's history of well... throwing tantrums.

So why would our friends in Philly do it?

I have no idea.

And that's the problem.

Would you trade Stephen Jackson and Speedy Claxton for Samuel Dalembert?

YES: SAM BAM IT!

829 votes

NO: Sorry, just not feeling that hairdo.

316 votes

1145 votes | Poll has closed