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RECAP: Warriors' 2009 NBA Draft Day - Stephen Curry & Amar'e?

Fantasy Junkie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:41:55 -0000

More photos » by Jason DeCrow - AP

What a day! What a day!

If you haven't been around a computer, television, radio, or friends in the last 24 hours, here's a quick recap. At #7 in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Warriors drafted Davidson guard, Stephen Curry, son of Dell Curry. They had no 2nd round pick. Also, the Dubs are heavily rumored to be involved in a trade of Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, and Marco Belinelli for Amare Stoudemire. Some rumors have Kelenna Azubuike and Stephen Curry included.

Even if you don't agree with the moves, you at least had a little fun watching, waiting, anticipating the what the Warriors would do.

GSOM was going crazy yesterday, I don't know when the last time we had that many comments in a single day. We had a lot of comments on the OPEN THREAD: Pre-NBA Draft, every pick prior to #7, #1 Blake Griffin, #2 Hasheem Thabeet, #3 James Harden, #4 Tyreke Evans, #5 Ricky Rubio, and #6 Jonny Flynn, the Warriors own pick, the 7th pick Stephen Curry, the rest of the first round, and a recap of the Warriors day plus 2nd round coverage. Whew!

There were a few thoughts and hopes swirling in the back of my mind as the day went on. Hit the jump for some thoughts or check out what others are writing across the WWW.

1) Stephen Curry

I had gone back and forth on my desire to draft Brandon Jennings or Stephen Curry. In yesterday's poll, Who do you want the Warriors to draft in the 2009 NBA draft?, I chose Jennings. I had buyer's remorse as I lay my head to pillow last night. I wanted Curry instead. I even went so far as trying to figure out how I could change my vote since I figured an admin could do it, no luck. I didn't want Jordan Hill either, I just don't think he's going to be that great - 2nd best PF in the draft but it's a weak PF class, strong G class. Jennings is too raw. How many more projects do we need? A PG who might be good in 3 years? Naw, give me the guy who's proven he can deliver on college's biggest stage, the NCAA tournament. One of the better passers amongst all guards in the draft. Best shooter in the draft. Knows how to run a team as he did at Davidson.

So as Minnesota took Jonny Flynn with the 6th pick, there was Curry sitting in the green room and me hoping the Warriors would take him. We got the guy I wanted. Feels good since that hasn't happened in a long time. It was even more satisfying that we screwed over the Knicks. The boos from the Knick fans made the pick that much more sweet.

Will he be Rookie of the Year as Dick Vitale suggests? I don't think so. Either Dicky V was factoring in the curse of the Clippers for Blake Griffin or he's out of his mind by picking anyone over BG.

I guess the question is, will Curry remain a Warrior?

2) Amar'e Stoudemire aka STAT

One of the things I'll remember about the CME, Chris Mullin Era, is that the Warriors were always linked to big names in trades or free agency, Baron Davis, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, Gilbert Arenas. The NBA is entertainment and I was entertained. Apparently, Larry Riley will continue this tradition and try to make a big splash early on in his tenure. The Amar'e trade talks aren't dying down.

Amar'e Stoudemire

for

Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli and might include Kelenna Azubuike and Stephen Curry.

I still don't know how I feel about this trade especially including Kelenna and Curry since it affects the depth of the bench. If it's just the first 3 guys, I think I do it. This league is made up of stars. None of the Warrior guys is or will ever be a star. Amar'e has superstar potential and even showed it 2 years ago when he averaged 25-9 along with 59% from the field and 80% from the line in 34 minutes per game. He was considered a top 10 player. The Inspired and injury free Amar'e I'll take any day over Biedrins and some role players. Which Amar'e will show up makes this a risk. Sometimes you have to take some calculated risks. Marco is addition by subtraction, he gets way too much love for having done nothing. Brandan showed some flashes last year, but has been injured and Randolph will eat up the majority of his minutes anyways. Andris is clearly the centerpiece in this deal, you have to give up something to get something.

If Amar'e ends up joining the team, he's already got his nicknamed tattooed on his arm, Standing Tall and Talented. Check the bullet points at the bottom of his NBA profile.

Put it this way, the Warriors aren't trading for Amar'e of last year, they're trading for the chance that Amar'e will return to the top 10 player he was 2 years ago. They're trading with the hope they can keep him long term as he'll turn 27 this year, right in his prime. They're trading for him because he's a game changer. And for that, I think it's worth it since he's not that far off. Some extra motivation and change of scenery might push him back to his elite level, just as it did for Baron a few years ago.

3) Ricky "Harry Potter" Rubio

After Blake Griffin, Pretty Ricky was the guy I was hoping the Warriors would pick up. I think he's got the qualities to be a special player. So, as Ricky Rubio dropped (inexplicably) past the Thunder at #3 (James Harden instead), I was surprised. What's wrong with pairing Westbrook and Rubio? I don't mind having 2 guys who can distribute to Durant! Anyways, I was thinking that there's no way he drops past the Kings. After all, the Kings need a point guard. Nope, I guess they wanted a guy people think will play the point, but probably can't, Mr. Tyreke Evans. I like his game, though he'll never be a top notch point. So I'm just a little excited. Perhaps Rubio would fall to the Warriors as Crabtree fell to the Niners. The problem was Minnesota needs guards so they were most likely going to take 2 guards at 5 and 6. In the back of my mind I was thinking they could take Stephen Curry and then, only if they had kept Kevin McHale, they might take Flynn or a big like Hill. Denied. Rubio went 5th and Flynn went 6th. Oh well, that was fun while it lasted.

Poll

Grade the Warriors pick of Stephen Curry.

With the 6th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft the Minnesota Timberwolves select... Jonny Flynn!

Fantasy Junkie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:03:59 -0000

Linkage: Canis Hoopus

Poll

Pairing Rubio and Flynn - good move or bad move?

With the 4th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft the Sacramento Kings select... Tyreke Evans!

Fantasy Junkie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:50:40 -0000

Tyreke "Hugo" Evans - nicknamed Hugo because he was born during Hurricane Hugo.

Linkage: Sactown Royalty

Poll

Tyreke Evans over Ricky Rubio. Who will have the better career - Evans or Rubio?

With the 2nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft the Memphis Grizzlies select... Hasheem Thabeet!

Fantasy Junkie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:29:17 -0000

Rehashing the remarkable story of Hasheem Thabeet.

Linkage: 3 Shades of Blue | NBADraft.net Profile | DraftExpress Profile | Y! Profile

Poll

Will Hasheem Thabeet ever make an All-Star team?

Polling GSOM: Who do you WANT the Warriors to draft in the 2009 NBA Draft?

Fantasy Junkie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:07:40 -0000

Originally posted Jun 24, 2009 12:00 PM PDT

Spread the word and tell everyone to vote!

There are two NBA draft polls on GSOM, make sure to vote in each. In this second one, who do you want the Warriors to draft? The first poll, who do you think the Warriors will draft, asked you to be pretend you're Don Nelson and make the 7th pick. This poll has the identical poll selections, but we want you to choose the draft pick who you want the Warriors to draft. Your reasons for wanting a player are your own, but I'd like to think you'll want the guy who will benefit the Warriors the most, not who will cause Rowell the biggest heartache or will most likely sit behind Marco and give him more playing time because you have a secret man crush on Marco. Again, choose the guy who you WANT the Warriors to draft.

Spread the word and tell all your friends to vote in the poll. Choose the guy who you WANT the Warriors to draft.

In 2005 and 2006, the GSOM community voted and Chris Mullin decided to pick that guy. In 2005 it was Ike Diogu (ooops) and in 2006 it was Patrick O'Bryant (ooops again). The GSOM community's draft record has not been so stellar. For the record, I voted for Danny Granger (2005) and Rodney Carney (2006). In 2007, the community voted for Yi (oops) and he turned out to not be available so we went with Brandan Wright instead. Then last year, Anthony Randolph wasn't even a possible selection since he wasn't expected to fall so far. Looks like picking by committee isn't such a good thing but that's not going to stop us.

Just like the previous poll, I've tried to limit the selections to who might be available (no Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden) and also left out guys that probably won't be the pick (DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansborough, Gerald Henderson, Earl Clark). That said, there are still a lot of guys to choose from because this draft seems pretty wide open. It's not clear who will be available. For instance, ESPN has Tyreke Evans going 4th, Draft Express has him going 6th, and NBA Draft.net has him going 8th. He could be available to the Warriors. Additionally, all that hype around Brandon Jennings seems to be gone now. He's 19th on ESPN, 17th on Draft Express, and, drum roll please, 7th on NBA Draft.net.

Also, be sure to check out Bill Simmons' podcast with Chad Ford (see the top right of the page) covering a lot of the draft picks. Tyreke Evans? It's a joke to think he could be an NBA point guard. Ricky Rubio? Special player and it's unfathomable as to why he would drop. Lots of good entertaining stuff in there.

Poll

Who do you want the Warriors to draft?

Terrence Williams

43 votes

Brandon Jennings

397 votes

Jrue Holiday

58 votes

Jordan Hill

266 votes

Jonny Flynn

127 votes

Tyreke Evans

234 votes

DeMar DeRozan

64 votes

Stephen Curry

394 votes

1583 votes | Poll has closed

Polling GSOM: Who do you think the Warriors will draft in the 2009 NBA Draft?

Fantasy Junkie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:58:27 -0000

Originally posted Jun 24, 2009 12:00 PM PDT

Which draft pick will be wearing this tomorrow?

There are two NBA draft polls on GSOM, make sure to vote in each. In this first one, who do you think the Warriors will draft? The second will be who you want the Warriors to draft. Using your best ~~Robert Rowell~~ ~~Larry Riley~~ Don Nelson impression, pick the player who you think we'll end up with in the 7th pick.

I've tried to limit the selections to who might be available (no Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden) and also left out guys that probably won't be the pick (DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansborough, Gerald Henderson, Earl Clark). That said, there are still a lot of guys to choose from because this draft seems pretty wide open. It's not clear who will be available. For instance, ESPN has Tyreke Evans going 4th, Draft Express has him going 6th, and NBA Draft.net has him going 8th. He could be available to the Warriors. Additionally, all that hype around Brandon Jennings seems to be gone now. He's 19th on ESPN, 17th on Draft Express, and, drum roll please, 7th on NBA Draft.net.

Choose the guy who you think the Warriors will draft. Release your inner Nostradamus.

Poll

Who do you think the Warriors will draft?

Stephen Curry

154 votes

DeMar DeRozan

33 votes

Jonny Flynn

40 votes

Tyreke Evans

49 votes

Jordan Hill

420 votes

Jrue Holiday

27 votes

Brandon Jennings

173 votes

Terrence Williams

19 votes

915 votes | Poll has closed

2009 NBA Finals: Game 4 Lakers @ Magic - Let's go Magic, Let's go!

Fantasy Junkie — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:46:30 -0000

Tonight might be the biggest game of the series. Either the Magic tie it up at 2-2 or the Lakers take a stranglehold on the series at 3-1. I can't see the Magic being down 3-1 and taking 3 straight games from the Lakers but there's achance that they can win the series if it's tied 2-2. Tonight's game won't disappoint. I dont' think we'll see any more blowouts as in Game 1. The remaining games from here on out will be close throughout.

My new favorite player of the finals after the jump.

I don't know what it is, but I'm rooting for him to do well. I'll go so far as to saying I wish I had a Pietrus jersey (GSW or ORL) to wear during these games. He just seems like a good guy who's found a niche and is playing well at the right time. In game 3 I was expecting him to miss those 2 crucial free throws down the stretch just like he did in Utah a couple years ago. But nope, swishes both free throws. I haven't seen him step out of bounds on the sideline or make a silly turnover. His body language is different and he's playing with a lot more confidence. I'm glad he's found a role on the Magic.Now if only Adonal could get out there...

Blog Battle

Silver Screen and Roll is previewing the game from the Lakers' point of view and the Magic point of view. They have a linkfest going on and are even organizing a watch party to get together with other ~~losers~~ Laker fans.

Meanwhile the good guys aka the Orlando Magic are covered by Third Quarter Collapse who have a linkfest going on as well. The big question, can the Magic keep up their hot shooting from Game 3? Hit up their open thread for a preview.

Quick Thoughts

Here's what worries me about the Magic's chances tonight. They barely won in Game 3 despite an off night from Kobe and the Magic shot the lights out, best shooting performance of any team ever in the Finals. And the game came down to free throws. They should have won by double digits.

They'll have to step up their D tonight and do a better job in the 4th quarter. Last game seemed that the Lakers picked up the pressure on D in the 4th and the Magic offense became a little too helter skelter.

Tonight will be a good one. I'm looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, I'm picking the Lakers by 5. I hope I'm wrong.

Poll

Who's been your favorite player in the Finals?

Dwight Howard

82 votes

Rashard Lewis

56 votes

Mickael Pietrus

226 votes

Hedo Turkoglu

85 votes

Kobe Bryant

144 votes

Derek Fisher

18 votes

Other

31 votes

642 votes | Poll has closed

Day 37 of the NBA 2k9 Playoffs

Fantasy Junkie — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:25:18 -0000

Originally posted May 27, 2009 11:00 AM PDT

LeBron getting knocked out before the Finals? Looks likely. The Magic took a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 116-114 OT win over the Cavs.

RECAP: Cavaliers 114, Magic 116

Orlando Magic blog, Third Quarter Collapse recap and morning after report.
Cleveland Cavalier blog, Fear the Sword: Broken, Beat, & Scarred
Wow. Dwight Howard in OT was huge. 10 points plus some big defensive plays in the paint. They finally went to him in the post and he just dominated Anderson Varejao.
Tons of 3’s for the Magic! Wow. They wound up at 17-38 (45%) and at one point were 15-30. Alston, Pietrus, Hedo, and Rashard all sitting and waiting on the arc.
Rafer Alston was big tonight and kept the Magic in the game during his hot streaks in the 2nd half. He finished with hitting 26 including 6 threes.
Mickael "Stop Calling Me Michael" Pietrus was huge off the bench as well forcing LeBron James to work hard on offense (despite scoring 44). He also contributed with 17 and hitting 5 threes.
The Cavs offense stagnated when they started to settle for jumpers rather than going into the post or attacking the bucket. That’s when the Magic took the lead in the 4th and again in OT.
LeBron James, meet Dr. Tom Amberry
LeBron James, 8 turnovers? Too many minutes and not enough help.
Mo Williams, if you're going to make a guarantee you might want to show up for once in the series. 32% shooting for the series ain't gonna cut it.
Somebody help LeBron! He's averaging 42 points, 7 boards and 7 assists!

Nuggets @ Lakers
Series tied 2-2
Time: 6:00p

TV: ESPN

Blog Battle: Pickaxe and Roll @ Silver Screen and Roll

Back to LA we go. The best of 7 series is now a best of 3 series after a split in Denver gives LA home court advantage once again.

Things to look for:

Dahntay Jones dirty plays. His intentional trip got upgraded to a flagrant foul. Is he trying to purposely injure Kobe or is he trying to draw Kobe into another technical? Hopefully he's not trying the former and the latter isn't going to work.
Pau Gasol is going to get more involved. He just doesn't get enough shots against a Denver defense that is "holding" him to "just" 62.5% shooting. Hello Laker guards, Chris Anderson can't guard him one on one.
Less fouls. The refs are calling a ridiculous number of fouls which are leading to a ridiculous number of free throws. I'm sure that the players are playing harder and there's more contact, but let some contact go and just be consistent with how much contact you allow. Please? I don't want to see a free throw contest. Unless it's like this or this.
Laker point guards. Who's going to not hurt the team? Who can guard Chauncey Billups?
Prediction: Gasol with 30 points and 15 rebounds
Pick: Lakers

Poll

Who did you pick to win the Cleveland-Orlando series and now who do you think will win?

(original pick) Cleveland, (pick now) Cleveland

124 votes

(original pick) Cleveland, (pick now) Orlando

237 votes

(original pick) Orlando, (pick now) Orlando

151 votes

(original pick) Orlando, (pick now) Cleveland

4 votes

516 votes | Poll has closed

Day 33 of the NBA 2k9 Playoffs

Fantasy Junkie — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:52:17 -0000

"OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!! OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!" -- Me after LBJ hit The Shot.

LeBron James FTW
35 points (12-23), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 turnovers, 1 three pointer at the buzzer

This is turning out to be one of the best pairs of conference finals matchups EVER. Both series are tied 1-1. There have been 4 games decided by a combined 7 points. Multiple big shots, numerous big plays and the superstars have come out to play.

I just hope you're watching. If you're a basketball fan, how can you not watch at least the 4th quarter? These games are incredibly fun to watch.

Jump like LeBron fading on a last second 3...

RECAP: Cavaliers 96, Magic 95

Some thoughts and links

Why was Turkoglu guarding LeBron on the last play? Pietrus had been guarding him most of the 4th and was doing a good job (as good as you can do I guess). Prior to LeBron's big 3, Pietrus had blocked James' shot which led to a turnover and helped force a travel. So why was Pietrus guarding Sasha Pavlovic on the last play? SVG what were you thinking?
This is awesome: What does Turkoglu mean?
6'8" 270lbs. That's the same as Karl Malone except this is LeBron, a runaway freight train.
I love that Michael Pietrus is playing such an important role. As long as he's not shooting free throws down the stretch, he's providing them a nice boost off the bench. He creates mismatches when the Magic decide to go with Hedo, MP2, and Lewis. 3 tall forwards who shoot the 3 well and can drive the ball. Makes it tough for the Cavaliers to match up. It's fun to see a former Warrior settle into a role and play well in it.
The Cavaliers better learn how to hold onto a lead. They had another big lead in this game that they saw disintegrate. 23 point lead at one point.
The morning after in Orlando is not quite as bright and sunny as it would have been.
Turkoglu is hitting some big time clutch shots. He hit a 3 when they were down 3 with under a minute to go to tie it. Then he hit the go ahead jumper to put the Magic up 2 with 1 second left. They basically iso'd him on Pavlovic and let him go 1 on 1. Not the highly paid Rashard Lewis, not dump the ball to our franchise center, not let Rafer Alston create, they gave the ball to Hedo and let him go finish.
Was that shot the greatest moment in Cavs history?
Dwight Howard seemed invisible in the 4th. 10 points and 18 rebounds, but it seemed like he didn't even touch the ball in the 4th.
I am in awe of LeBron James. Former Cleveland Cavalier. Future Golden State Warrior. Completely impossible trade proposal: I'll trade the 1974-75 Warriors championship for LeBron James (multiple championships?).

Today's Game (series tied 1-1)
Lakers @ Nuggets
Silver Screen and Roll @ Pickaxe and Roll
5:30pm
ABC

I wonder if Phil Jackson will learn a lesson from watching Bron hit the game winner. He should have let Kobe hit that game ending shot against the Nuggets in Game 2.
I wonder if the Lakers will continue to play DFish so much, they're going to surely lose with him.
I wonder if anyone will remind Kobe of this or this when he gets to ~~Eagle County~~ Denver, Colorado? Awkwarrrrrd!
I wonder if Carmelo can keep stepping up like he did for the 'Cuse during that championship run
I wonder what odds I can get in Vegas on Kenyon Martin going bonkers in this game
I wonder how Kobe feels where 2 nights ago he didn't get to take the last shot for the win while the guy who everyone's saying is now the best player did get to take that shot and make it.
I wonder what playing in Denver's high altitude is really like and how that affects visiting teams.
Prediction: JR Smith drops 20+ tonight.
Pick: Denver

Day 28 of the NBA 2k9 Playoffs

Fantasy Junkie — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:43:02 -0000

Two game 7's. Neither will be considered classics, but you won't want to miss either.

Hit the jump for the previews

#1 Lakers vs #5 Rockets - 12:30pm, ABC
This is the probably the biggest surprise of the playoffs thus far. The Rockets weren't expected to win more than 1 game in this series. The Lakers were just supposed to roll right through them. Ooops. Even without Yao Ming, the Rockets have won 2 games. They'll have to win 2 games in a row to take the series, which they have yet to do. Game 7 in LA? I just don't see any way this turns out good for the Rockets even though I'll be pulling for the upset.

Does anyone think the Lakers are a championship caliber team anymore? I don't think champions struggle with a team missing it's best player, it's backup center, and a talented, stat-filling, used-to-be-an-All-Star small forward. The Rockets are good, no doubt, but they're not a team that should be taking an eventual champion to 7 games. Does anyone think the Cavs would be struggling to beat the Rockets? I don't think so either. Cavs are still my pick to win it all.

Pick: Lakers.

Blog Battle: Silver Screen and Roll vs The Dream Shake

#2 Celtics vs #3 Magic - 5:00pm, TNT
This is the battle to have the opportunity to get swept by the Cavs. Neither of these teams has really been impressive. The Magic struggling to beat the Celtics who are without KG and a below average Ray Allen (~12ppg). Something Bill Simmons wrote in an article keeps coming to mind, is Dwight Howard the worst "great" player out there? How good is he at this point?

Pick: Celtics

Blog Battle: Celtics Blog vs Third Quarter Collapse