This guy?

via footballnationblogs.com

Or this guy?

via bettorsedge.files.wordpress.com

On one hand, Davis has been single-handedly dismantling the Raiders for the last decade as he slips further and further towards the great pirate ship in the sky through the acquisitions of: Randy Moss, Jamarcus Russell, DHB, et. al.

On the other hand, Nelson has been single-handedly drinking himself into a stupor while playing a fairly large role in the dismal performance of our favorite sports team through a seemingly contradictory combination of stubbornness and apathy, with a heaping portion of ineptitude and bad health thrown in on the side.

Finally there's our dark horse, this guy:

via blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com

His team may not be actively imploding, but Samurai Mike got so excited during his first ever NFL coaching opportunity that he dropped his pants at half time and routinely spouts out random quotes that sound inspirational, but generally don't make that much sense.

If only Radman was really this guy:

via theheroiclife.files.wordpress.com

But seriously, let's take a look at the numbers, shall we?

Jackson:

2009/10: $7.65 million

2010/11: $8.45 million

2011/12: $9.26 million

2012/13: $10.06 million

2013/14: Free Agent

Law:

2009/10: $2,216,160

2010/11: $2,940,844 (Team Option)

2011/12: $4,026,015 (Restricted Free Agent)

2012/13: Free Agent

I'm under the impression that the Warriors had already declined the team option for 10/11, but this isn't being reported anyways. The BETcats can either keep him for $3M or not, it's their choice.

Radmanovic:

2009/10: $6,466,600

2010/11: $6,833,800 (Player Option)

2011/12: Free Agent

Bell:

2009/10: $5.25 million

2010/11: Free Agent

Bobcats combined contract obligations to Jackson & Law:

2009/10: $9.87 million

2010/11: $8.45 million

2011/12: $9.26 million

2012/13: $10.06 million

2013/14: None

The Bobcats owe these guys a minimum of $37.64 (including $18.32 million over the next two years)

Warriors combined contract obligations to Radmanovic & Bell:

2009/10: $11.72 million

2010/11: $6.83 million (Player Option)

2011/12: None

The Warriors owe these guys $18.12 million over 2 years.

In this trade, the Warriors have actually decreased their financial outlay for the next two years, and saved themselves $19.52 million in cap space over the following two years. This is a HUGE financial coup for the Warriors. It cannot be understated: HUGE.

Talentwise, I don't think anybody should much care. Jax had an absolutely awful contract. He was good, but the money owed him would prevent us from going out and getting additional talent. This year, he may have been worth 3-5 extra wins this season (and likely not even that much) over Radman/Bell. What you should read there is that Jax was not going to be the difference between the lottery and the playoffs. If anybody was going to be that difference, it was Monta, Randolph, and health... So far Monta's been in a funk, Randolph struggles to stay on the floor due to his foul trouble and general overexcitement, and we've already lost 3 of our top 4 big men and our best back up swing man to injury. We were in a "if all the right pieces fell right," and all the pieces look like this:

via ricksmith.me

This season, we can already tell, is going to be a wash. Getting rid of Jax and his contract while taking back two much shorter contracts, is probably one of only about 25-30 victories we could have expected this year, given the circumstances of Monta, Randolph, and the injuries.

Clearly, we're not seeing the same guy. But, why? A few potential reasons:

1. His ankle isn't completely healed

Certainly a possibility, but with a relatively young guy with over a year to heal, and what with the injury not really being something used in basketball that much, I'm inclined to think it's probably not a big problem.

2. He's just rusty

It's been 6 months since he's been back. Sure, not a lot of live NBA action there, but he should be back up to speed. This is not the issue.

3. He's having a bad start

Sure, a definite possibility. Especially given the turmoil so far this season. However, he's also having some problems that have nothing to do with bad luck. He does not seem to be able to beat his man off the dribble last time we saw him at full speed.

4. Is he more the focus of the defensive attention

A possibility, certainly.

5. He bulked up too much.

I think this is definitely having an effect on his game.

Monta circa 07/08:

via lottobound.files.wordpress.com

Monta circa 08/09:

via cdn.picapp.com

Maybe it's just me, but Monta looks like he's been working out... a lot. He looks thicker in the trunk, he's got bigger (yes, tatted too) arms and much bigger shoulders. Is this added weight slowing him down? I say, yes.

The question, regardless of the reason, is: Can Monta adapt to the new body/defensive attention/etc. and get his offensive game and scoring efficiency back to where we'd all like it to be?

Now, I fully expect his jumper to come back within the next dozen games. Once this becomes more of a constant threat, defenses will not be able to key on his right hand, as it won't be his only major weapon. He definitely needs to develop his lefty drive a bit more as well, but that's not easy. It's especially mentally difficult to start using it in a game situation. It's a big confidence hurdle he'll have to pass, but it's one he absolutely needs, if he's going to be slower to the punch with his right.

Allen Iverson was successful because he was one tough cookie and his svetle frame was somehow able to take the punishment of constantly going inside while maintaining his quickness advantage. For all his faults, he was a special talent in that he was often the quickest player on the floor (in part because he never added "bulk") and could beat you going right even if you knew it was exactly where he wanted to go. I feel like this is something Monta had to some extent, but his recently added bulk has negatively impacted.

Overall, I really do like the defensive attitude and aggressiveness I've seen out of him, and he has not looked nearly as completely overpowered as he has in the past. This is a good thing, but the offensive game still needs to be there. I hope it's a learning curve, I hope he can get there, and I hope this is one of those "it gets worse before it gets better" things. However, I'm not remotely certain that this is the case. Sorry for the ramble, but I've been wondering if anybody else has noticed what I'm seeing. If Monta can play effectively with this added bulk, he can be a viable 2 guard beside Curry. The next hurdle would be getting Monta to accept that role...

So, I was thinking about how Jax was kinda like Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons. You know, he was a good, pretty amusing character, but a bit player. Then he got tired of the same old, same old, and became a villain and a menace. Then I got to thinking, Monta as Bart, Cohan as Mr. Burns... it really kinda fits.

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In the first half, we saw the usual "Shaun Hill drops back and has to immediately start running for his life" peppered in there with the constant pressure they get on him every play anyways. Yet, in the second half, Smith had no such problems. Why?

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This is just ridiculous. Since when does a once bankrupt, parachute pants wearin', been passe for 15 years old school rapper have any influence on contract negotiations between a rookie NFL wide receiver and the team that drafted him? Oh, when Deion "Prime Time" Sanders is involved, that's when. Sheesh.

Jump to find out how the one and only MC Hammer saved Mike Crabtree and the 49ers by helping them to synchronize their watches to Hammertime.

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So, I woke up this morning to see Crabtree's fast splattered all over the ESPN front page, as well as other discussions of him in the local media with pro-Crabtree spin. The Elizabeth Merrill article waxes poetically about how dedicated he is, and how he was doing push ups getting ready for the Niners watching a TV movie instead of watching the Texas Tech vs. Texas game and practicing with Trent Dilfer in the Bay Area (i.e. he's superawesome, super-dedicated, and keeping in game shape). Scoop Jackson's article goes on about rationalizing Crabtree's stance (that the Niners would go nowhere without him and should pay him accordingly) but saying that the Niners' success is throwing a monkey wrench in that stance (i.e. He and his agent were hoping they'd have more leverage and now are finding out that they don't). The Bruce Jenkins article talks about how the Niners will need a guy like what Crabtree should be (i.e. WR threat) in the long run (The Niners still need a guy like him, which is why they drafted him and why we fans should still want him on the team).

Three separate articles, with three separate main points: "he's still in football shape," "this is why he held out, but aw shucks, the Niners are good," and "the Niners still need him." Sounds like a pretty well coordinated PR job to me: "Hey, Niners fans! He's still ready to play, he's still the awesome guy you drafted, your team is awesome, but think about how much more awesomeness the Niners could achieve with a super-awesome WR to complement the running game!!! Get excited for Mike Crabtree!!!".

Now, I may be biased (I like Crabtree and hope he signs ASAP), but does anybody else see this as evidence of him getting ready to sign? If I were his PR team and I knew that he was getting close to signing, I'd have people speak to various media sources (both local and national) to get out the idea that he's not such a bad guy and to explain why there was a hold out. Furthermore, if I knew he wasn't going to be getting what he wanted, I'd put out an explanation of why not (i.e. It's not the agents' fault, so if you're looking for an agent, Eugene Parker is still a good option).

Regardless, it'd be incredibly dumb for Crabtree to hold out the entire season. Likewise, it'd be incredibly dumb for the Niners to go above the #9 pick's money, and they're already offering as close to that as possible. So, given that Crabtree's threat is as close to empty as possible and that the Niners have a very strong incentive not to offer him any more money, he's going to sign that contract eventually. At this point, it does the Niners little good to rush to bring him in because he's already so far behind that you can't expect much of any positive on field impact this season, they can wait to sign him as long as he wants. The final nail in the coffin is that the Niners are winning (hopefully that'll continue) and there's no appearance of "something wrong," thus no incentive to rush to "get a deal done."

Crabtree and co. are realizing that they have absolutely zero leverage. He will sign soon. The only thing that happens from here on out is he keeps losing game checks.