SB Nation - Brandan Wright

RUMOR: Warriors interested in Hornets forward David West + Monta Ellis "as untouchable as a player can be"

Atma Brother ONE — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:42:10 -0000

FJ noted that even though the Dubs lost last night (again) they at least gave a good effort in NOLA. They get points in my book for that.

They could get even more points from me if they made some trades- QUICK.

Can CP3 come to The Town too? PACKAGE DEAL!

via www.hoopsdaily.com

Jump for the 411 on bringing Xavier product to the West-syde and more.

GSoM friend MT has the details about David West over at Inside the Warriors:

I've heard the Warriors have an interest in David West, but I wouldn't give up too much for him. He's still a pretty good player, but his best days seem behind him. Wednesday, he had a tough time scoring over Randolph. West is down nearly 5 points off his average from last season and more than a rebound. He still has a midrange though and he at least commands attention inside, so I still think he's a good fit.

The Hornets ownership has been rumored to be looking to cut payroll (not that they're in a unique position in today's NBA financial landscape), so maybe they're a natural trading partner for the Golden State Warriors injury exception/ expiring contract filled roster. Here's some possibilities that would save the Hornets money in the long run and put all those expiring contracts the Warriors have amassed to work:

David West for Speedy Claxton, Devean George, and Mikki Moore ($7.6 million in expiring contracts)
David West for Speedy Claxton, Devean George, and C.J. Watson ($7.8 million in expiring contracts)
[After January 16, 2010] David West for Raja Bell, Devean George, and Mikki Moore ($7.7 million in expiring contracts)
[After January 16, 2010] David West for Raja Bell, Devean George, and C.J. Watson ($7.9 million in expiring contracts)

There's also "the change of scenery swap" which would give the Warriors a one year shorter deal:

David West for Corey Maggette

Options, options, options.

But is David West worth it?

David West

#30 / Forward / New Orleans Hornets

Height: 6-9

Weight: 240

Born: Aug 29, 1980

College: Xavier

			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 - David West	27	35.3	6.7	14.5	46.3	0.1	0.3	28.6	2.8	3.3	86.4	2.7	4.7	7.3	2.4	2.0	0.7	0.7	2.6	16.3

Game

As MT astutely noted West is having a down year and his best years are probably in the past. That still doesn't mean he wouldn't be a nice piece for the Warriors. He would instantly step in and be their best scoring big man. West has an incredibly impressive arsenal of scoring moves in comparison to the Warriors bigs Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright (remember him?), Chris Hunter, and Mikki Moore who are pretty limited (which is a nice way of saying they're all rawer than sushi).

West never struck me as the most gifted athlete in the association, but rather as someone who was willing to put in the hard work to take his game to his personal apex. He's a savvy player and has done well for himself coming into the league as the 18th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Take a look at his career trajectory and you'll see a guy who impressively worked his way into a nearly 21 and 9 forward with dedication and commitment. It would be great to see that type of attitude rub off on the Dubs kiddie crew.

Truth be told I haven't watched West play all that extensively since the 2008 NBA Playoffs where the Hornets looked like they had next in the West (unfortunately that didn't exactly happen in 2009 and most likely won't happen in 2010). So I'll defer to the good folks over at At the Hive, the top Charlotte New Orleans Oklahoma City New Orleans Hornets spot for a deeper scouting report.

Contract

Let's put it this way. He's slotted to make less than Warriors small power forward (at least with all these injuries) Corey Maggette this year and the next. He has a player option to opt out for the 2011-2012 season where he would be taking a pay cut at $7.5 million (wouldn't you love to be able to call that a "pay cut"?). Point being, West has all the financial motivation to have a BIG year next season, so he can opt out for more greens (and we're not talking about collard).

He'll start off next season at the age of 30, so it's not like he's young. But it's not like the Warriors need to get any younger right now. They need to get better. His drop from 21 ppg to 16 ppg this season and slip for 8.5 rpg to 7.3 rpg are a cause for concern. If he could bump those up to maybe 18 and 8 those concerns would be alleviated. It's not like West relies purely on his athleticism to get his numbers, so here's hoping he ages well.

I can't say I have that many issues with the Warriors adding on his contract. Seems like money well spent, especially for this team.

So...

via www.sitcomsonline.com

Also of note it looks like Mr. Moped is off the table in trade talks (for now):

A story in the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Wednesday referred to discussions between the Warriors and Grizzlies involving Monta Ellis. These discussions were a while ago, as the report said. Back when that stuff about Ellis' agent meeting with the Warriors, I was told the Warriors were definitely listening in regards to Ellis. A lot has changed since then. Now, Ellis, I'm told, is about as untouchable as a player can be.

No one on a 7-21 team should be untouchable, but that's another story for another time.

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

Poll

Do you think the Warriors can get David West from NOLA for expiring contracts?

Game 28 Recap: Oklahoma City 117, Phoenix 113

Zorgon — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:56:14 -0000

More photos » by Rick Scuteri - AP

Amare: Hey, ref! He touched my shades!

Browse more photos »

Yahoo! Sports Box Score:

We're .500 at Christmas!

That's all I can say. This win makes me so unbelievably happy....I've followed the NBA nearly my entire life, and the last time I followed a team that was .500 at Christmas, it was 2005. And that team finished with 34 wins. So you can see why I'm feeling overjoyed right now.

That being said, this game was no picnic, and a lot of mistakes were made by both sides. But, facing facts, the Suns were playing catchup all game. It all started when the thunder scored 6 in a row to put the team up 18-11 with 6:41 to go in the first. From there, it was a relatively stable lead that reached its peak at 12 points with 5:20 and 4:13 to go in the 2nd quarter. Sadly, that lead was erased by a Sun run, consisting entirely of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire. They combined for 18 points in the last 4:13 of the second, eventually tying it at 64 with 13 seconds to go. Thankfully, an amazing hanging shot by KD put the Thunder ahead by two at the half, but I still smelled trouble.

As the Third quarter rolled on, the Thunder managed to nurse their small lead until they barely lost it towards the end of the quarter. When it was all said and done, the teams were in a dead heat going into the fourth. Again, the Thunder jumped out to the lead, and managed to keep it that way until Jason Richardson hit back to back jumpers with 4:11 to go in the fourth, giving the Suns a 106-104 lead. But the game was far from over. Ibaka managed to get an amazing tip in to tie it at 106. Ibaka continued to fight hard, but Amare drew two fouls on him in a minutes, forcing him out of the game. This left it at 110-108 in Phoenix's favour, but, after the annoying Remington Park graphic, Kevin Durant managed to overpower the flopping Jason Richardson for an amazing plus one. This left it at 111-110, and after Stoudemire missed a short layup, Jeff Green made an amazing play. I would explain it, but please, just watch it, it's pretty darn spectacular. Zoom ahead to 1:54 in this recap.

After that, you knew it was almost over. And after Steve Nash missed a freethrow, KD Rebounded his own miss, and then spotted up for another jumper and hit it, you knew this game was over. Wow.

(On a side note, I'm getting pretty close to being able to provide video of the game on my own for this site. Don't expect anything full blown, but I might do my own video recap or provide a clip here and there when necessary.)

Below: Analysis, Awards

What more can you say about this game. Things just clicked for the Thunder on so many levels. First of all, you had the total shut down of Jason Richardson courtesy of Thabo Sefolosha. JRich hit a clutch 3 towards the end, but for the most part he had a pretty empty game.

At this point, James Harden is afraid of even looking at Amare's shades.

And, as per my keys to the game, Jeff Green had an amazing game, and the bench was a huge factor. Jeff Green had a solid 17 Points and 9 rebounds, along with that incredibly clutch tip-in at the end. That tip-in alone pretty much secured him the Thunder Down Under spot. I know, some of you were pulling for him to get the Thunder Wonder, but Kevin Durant's influence can't be ignored. James Harden did his thing, racking up 14 Points and 4 Rebounds. He also actually hit a three, which is good news. Nick Collison also did a nice job, with 6 points, 5 Rebounds. He fouled out rather quickly, but that's to be expected of big men in a suns game.

You could really see that this game was suited to Serge Ibaka's tastes. Flying up and down the court, tipping the ball in, providing aggressive defense....watching Ibaka play is like a work of art, simply because you don't usually see Big Men that are that athletic. Dwight Howard is the same way, but sometimes Ibaka just looks like a god among men. Did you see that block on Stoudemire? He's like what Robert Swift and Brandan Wright were supposed to be for the Warriors. He's like the big man "project" that every team picks up, yet never works out. Except this time, he actually met and exceeded everyone's expectations! He's completely eliminated Etan Thomas from the rotation, and he's taking away lots of minutes from Krstic. I don't know, it's only been a few games, so you really can't get a conclusive conclusion. But as for right now, I'm riding the Ibaka train, and it's pretty awesome.

Eric Maynor had his first minutes of tonight, but it's hard to say how he'll be. He went 1 of 4 from the floor, and he had a really bad turnover in the second quarter. He just dribbled it inside the three point line and almost gave it away. Regardless, he had 5 assists, and I think he's working out okay so far, but as for right now, he has to receive the Thunder Blunder awards, simply because I have nobody else to give it to. Still, the verdict on him is largely TBD.

I've already revealed it earlier in this recap, but tonight's Thunder Wonder is Kevin Durant. 38 Points, 12 of 20 from the floor, 3 of 4 from 3 Point Land, 6 rebounds, 3 Assists, and the game clincher. What more can you ask from your star. He performed solidly throughout the entire night, and hardly wasted any possessions at all, through missed shots, turnovers, and otherwise. I know it may not seem like it, but this is probably KD's most offensively efficient game all year. Hats off to him.

Amare: I told you guys to stay away from my shades! That's almost as bad as pissing on the rim!

On the Suns side of things, statistically, things went as expected. Their bench was totally ineffective, Jason Richardson was shut down, and Grant hill wasn't feeling it, leaving the bulk of the scoring on the shoulders of Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and Channing Frye. Aside from a coupel of clutch plays from Richardson, this might as well have been a 3 person team. Amare Stoudamire, with 35 Points, 14 Rebounds, and 2 Assists, was clearly the most effective of the 3, so he gets tonight's Thunder Plunderer award. Hats off to him, as well.

On a side note, I know today and tomorrow will be a special time for some people, so whatever you may celebrate, I'd like to wish all of the Readers and Staff of this blog a very Slammin' Thursday and Friday. And a Slammin' season. Enjoy yourselves, and I'll see everyone on Saturday!

Next Game: Versus the Bobcats, Saturday, December 26th, 7 PM Central Standard Time

It's time to meet Stephen Jackson!

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

A Play for Monta Ellis?

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:20:55 -0000

As most NBA fans know, the Golden State Warriors are in shambles.

First there was the Stephen Jackson trade demand, then some huge injury blows and now, Monta Ellis wants out too.

A 24 year old who last year averaged about 20 points, 5 assists and 2 steals is hard to come by and in all likelyhood, there will be a lot of interest in the scoring combo guard despite his hefty contract (5 years at approx $11M per year.)

Will there by any interest from the Raptors?

I doubt it.

This team hardly needs more offense and while he's a solid help defender due to his length and quickness, adding him to the back-court would

a) Result in a very small 1-2 guard punch

b) Hinder the development of DeMar DeRozan in all probability

c) Be an early admission that the Jarrett Jack acquisition was a flop.

However there is one way that acquiring Monta could make sense.

If Bryan Colangelo started to think that the Bosh/Bargs 4/5 combo just wasn't effective, and was dead-set on keeping Bosh next year, then a trade of Bargnani and Marcus Banks (cap relief for G State) for Ellis and Anthony Morrow works financially for both clubs. Maybe then Amir Johnson or Rasho Nesterovic is moved into the starting 5 spot and Ellis takes the sixth man role.

As well, perhaps the Raptors expanded on things to take a flyer on someone like Brandan Wright, or Raja Bell, in order to ease next year's cap burden.

Personally I'm still not sure either deal would make a ton of sense but we're asking readers to throw on their GM hats for a minute. Our recap of last night's loss to Denver and preview of tonight's match against the Jazz will be up a bit later this morning so in the meantime, give us your thoughts.

Poll

It's just over 10 games into the new season, if you were Bryan Colangelo, would you take a shot at Monta Ellis, even if it meant moving Andrea Bargnani?

Yes

101 votes

No

269 votes

370 votes | Poll has closed

Talking Trade: Warriors GM Larry Riley + Former Warriors "Captain" Stephen Jackson Videos and More

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:58:14 -0000

Jump for some videos from CSN Bay Area.com and transcripts courtesy of GSoM friend Marcus Thompson.

Larry Riley with Greg Papa (11:05)

Stephen Jackson reacts to trade (0:48)

Matt Steinmetz details Warriors trade (0:58)

Jackson's Parting Shot [Inside the Warriors]

How badly did you want to be out of Golden State?

"I wanted to be out pretty bad. Things were going bad and I was getting blamed for everything. I wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with the team. I got fined in preseason for one-hundred-and-some thousand. It was a lot of things that I didn't agree with going on from when I got there. We made history by beating Dallas in the first round. Then things started getting worse and winning stopped being a priority. Once winning stopped being a priority, I didn't want to be a part of it."

Describe the decline of the Warriors

"It started when we got rid of Jason Richardson and then the next thing you know, it was Baron (Davis) And then it was Al Harrington and Matt Barnes. The team that we had when we made that run, that beat Dallas in the first round, went South. Once it started doing that, I didn't want to be a part of it.

Good old "Captain" Jack. How can someone be so right and so wrong at the same time?

Jack is right that everything has gone south since that wonderful spring and that Warriors owner Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell's priority is not winning. 110% right. Since former (rightfully so) Warriors front office man Chris Mullin pulled the trigger on that inane Jason Richardson for Brandan Wright swap after a failed attempt to land Kevin Garnett, it's been one endless WE BELIEVE destroying move after another. No doubt about it.

But let's get things straight. Jackson signed on to play with a LOSER. Jason Richardson, Baron Davis, Matt Barnes, and Mickael Pietrus were all long gone by the time he inked that silly extension gift from Rowell. Shoot, even Harrington was half way out the door at that point. Jackson wanted to be part of a LOSER to the point he signed on the dotted line for 3 more years. That was his choice and his choice alone. It was just like his choice to leave the San Antonio Spurs after that championship run to play for a then headed nowhere fast Atlanta Hawks with worse ownership drama then even Cohan's dysfunction junction off 880. His supposed passion for winning and playoffs is no stronger than your average NBA player who is primarily motivated by the loot.

There's nothing wrong for wanting to get paid- at all- but there is something wrong for distorting the facts, badmouthing the folks who showed you more than enough love (a lot of it undeserved), and acting unprofessional both on and off the court. If Jack and his quack agent Mark Stevens handled this situation with any sense of class, the Warriors would've sent him to a championship contending Cleveland Cavaliers squad. But they didn't and now he's headed to an even bigger LOSER franchise- which is pretty hard to do.

Truth be told even if the Warriors passed up a better trade offer with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jackson as ESPN's John Hollinger has intimated, props to Riley and Nellie. They set a good precedent. If you're going to act a fool here, they're not going to do you any favors. If you make their lives miserable, they'll do the same to you. (Hope Monta Ellis is paying attention.)

Stephen Jackson says the Golden State Warriors don't care about winning, but the Charlotte Bobcats do [Orlando Sentinel]

Q: You named several teams you'd be interested in playing for, this wasn't one of them. Are you happy?

Jax: I'm happy because it gives me a chance to compete, gives me a chance to get back where I want to be which is in the playoffs. That's where I belong. I don't belong being home in April watching the playoffs; I belong in the playoffs and I got a good chance here with a great team. A team that competes with a coach the type of coach I like that have your back. That's something that's big to me. If a coach has my back I don't mind playing 110% for him.

I honestly feel bad for the guy. Just a straight up delusional. Again Jack signed up for loser and he's headed to a loser because he acted like a loser during trade talks. Warriors head coach Don Nelson is the best thing that ever happened to his career.

My friend Mr. Meshery over at Fear the Beard puts this far more eloquently that I can in Stephen Jackson goes rogue. Gets traded by his own ego., so I'll just pass the mic:

Back to going rogue. So, what do Stephen Jackson and Sarah Palin have in common (besides maybe a fondness for guns and not liking to take directions from old crazy white dudes)? Well, I remember spotting this article back during the election where some therapists armchair diagnosed Sarah Failin' as having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Symptoms are:

A grandiose sense of self-importance (exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements). Has a sense of entitlement, i.e. unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations.

Sound like someone we know? That last part is what gets me - the unreasonable expectations. C'mon Stack Jack, did you really expect to hustle Bobby Rowell for millions, disrespect the organization and teammates, say you're as good as Kobe Bryant, let your agent talk crazy about your coach, dismiss being a team captain, demand to get traded (and to a winning team at that), and think that your demands would be met in full? Really Stack Jack? Really? This, ladies and gentlemen, is what happens when someone gets hijacked by their Texas-sized ego.

I think onixn sums up the situation well:

You brought swagger to a team that had forgotten what it felt like. You reinvigorated Baron. You covered for hundreds of defensive lapses (early on, anyway). You mystified Dirk Nowitzki. You nailed threes on fast breaks and laughed as you ran back down the court. YOU ENABLED US TO DUMP MURPHY AND DUNLEAVY! All that stuff was awesome.

Did you go out like a jackass? Sure. But it should be noted: your jackassedness was not solely your fault. Robert Rowell gave you a contract extension befitting a star; Don Nelson gave you the huge minutes and offensive leeway of a star. If you think you're better than you are, it's partially because this franchise did too, and foolishly told you so.

The sad part is in general Dubs Nation genuinely loved this guy. We gave him a second chance and for about 2 years he made us proud. Very proud. It's honestly too bad it had to end like this.

In a few years we'll be able to look back on this fondly, but unfortunately not right now.

Monta Ellis Doesn't Sound Happy [Inside the Warriors]

Seriously is this guy ever happy? Moody Moped Ellis.

Will you have to do more to make up for the loss?

"I'm not (going to) put no more on my back. Somebody else gone have to step up. I'm not gonna do more, somebody else gone have to step up and take on the role that Jack had and be that player. But I'm not putting no more extra on my back."

Do you feel a need to be more vocal?

"Nope. Uh, uh. Not at all"

And this is the guy Chris Mullin and Robert Rowell were so eager to build around and anoint as a franchise leader? No thank you to you two for destroying WE BELIEVE. Well Mullin's gone and hopefully Rowell will be soon too.

What do you guys lose with Jack gone?

"No. 1, besides his scoring and the ability to make the extra pass. What we've been emphasizing the whole time is defense. That's one of our best defenders on the team. And we're trying to get better as a defensive team. And now, who we got now that's going to play defense? We got me. And who else?"

Just like his buddy the "Captain", Monta sounds extremely delusional. Monta is one of the worst defenders in the entire association. It's hilarious how he pouted about how bad of a defensive combo he and rookie Stephen Curry would be (by the way true) before the season started, while not realizing that he was publicly admitting how terrible his effort and results were on that end of the court.

It's also funny how Monta thinks he's going to talk to Jackson everyday now. I hate to be cold, but I bet Monta just got played by Jack too. Jackson is his buddy like he's Rowell's buddy. Used and abused.

Good bye Jack. Sorry it had to end like that, but that was pretty much your own doing.

Monta- Don't be surprised if you're next.

Will Monta Ellis be the next disgruntled Warrior shipped out?

YES: Mo Moped Mo Problems

562 votes

NO: Like he said "I'm a Warrior"

315 votes

877 votes | Poll has closed

Final SCHOENE projection for the Wolves

Stop-n-Pop — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:01:04 -0000

We can't say enough nice things about Basketball Prospectus. If you haven't bought their book yet, you really need to do so by clicking here. After you're done placing your order, head on over to the BP blog and check out their final team projections. Here's what they have to say about Our Beloved Puppies:

West Lottery    Win%     W      L   Play   Div   Con   NBA    ORating      DRating
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
L.A. Clippers   .501   41.1   40.9   .39   .06   .01   .00   109.2 (15)   108.8 (14)
Phoenix         .495   40.6   41.4   .36   .05   .01   .00   112.5  (6)   112.5 (26)
Houston         .470   38.5   43.5   .24   .01   .00   .00   108.8 (19)   109.5 (18)
Golden State    .459   37.6   44.4   .21   .02   .00   .00   109.5 (14)   110.5 (22)
Oklahoma City   .412   33.8   48.2   .08   .01   .00   .00   107.6 (24)   110.3 (21)
Minnesota       .378   31.0   51.0   .03   .00   .00   .00   108.2 (22)   112.1 (23)
Sacramento      .230   18.9   63.1   .00   .00   .00   .00   105.8 (28)   114.5 (30)
The big change in the West is Golden State tumbling from a legit playoff threat (just ahead of the Clippers) to near the bottom of the pack of teams that legitimately aspire to make the playoffs this year. Alas, this owes less to the general dysfunction in the Bay Area than Brandan Wright's long-term shoulder injury. Minnesota also lost about a win and a half from what is in the book because of Kevin Love's injury and some other changes in projected playing time. Still, barring a catastrophic injury to Al Jefferson, it is difficult to see the Timberwolves finishing behind the Kings in the standings.

There you have it; a rallying cry for the year: Finish ahead of the Kings!

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.

SB Nation - Brandan Wright

RUMOR: Warriors interested in Hornets forward David West + Monta Ellis "as untouchable as a player can be"

#30 / Forward / New Orleans Hornets

Game

Contract

Do you think the Warriors can get David West from NOLA for expiring contracts?

Game 28 Recap: Oklahoma City 117, Phoenix 113

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

A Play for Monta Ellis?

It's just over 10 games into the new season, if you were Bryan Colangelo, would you take a shot at Monta Ellis, even if it meant moving Andrea Bargnani?

Yes

No

Talking Trade: Warriors GM Larry Riley + Former Warriors "Captain" Stephen Jackson Videos and More

Will Monta Ellis be the next disgruntled Warrior shipped out?

YES: Mo Moped Mo Problems

NO: Like he said "I'm a Warrior"

Final SCHOENE projection for the Wolves

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

Micro-Warriornomics: It takes 15!

Golden State Warriors Roster

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

#22 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Anthony Morrow Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

#1 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Stephen Jackson Scouting Report

Strengths

#2 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

#10 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

#19 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Acie Law/ Speedy Claxton/ Devean George Scouting Report

Golden Number: 9,025,614

#32 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

INJURED.

Brandan Wright Scouting Report

Strengths

#30 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

#8 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Monta Ellis Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

Golden Number: 57

#50 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Corey Maggette Scouting Report

Strengths

Weaknesses

Golden Number: 3

#4 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Anthony Randolph Scouting Report

Strengths

#23 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

C.J. Watson Scouting Report

Strengths

Golden Number: 15

Anthony Morrow

#22 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height:6-5

Weight:210

Born:Sep 27, 1985

College:Georgia Tech