SB Nation User Blog: Hash

Q/A: Aran Smith of NBADraft.net - Science on the NBA Draft

Hash — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:52:53 -0000

As the 2008 Draft approaches tomorrow, GSOM friend Aran Smith from NBADraft.net has popped in to drop a few nuggets of science on our current roster, our potential picks, and the general perception of the available talent as a whole.

Check him out and share your thoughts on what could be a day that can change the face of the Warriors as we know it! JUMP!

GSOM: The Warriors 2 first round picks from last year barely played this past season and have a lot of question marks. How do Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli rate in comparison to this year's draft class? Where do you think they would be picked? Should the Warriors hold onto Wright and Belinelli or look to trade them before they become less of an unknown?

Aran Smith: Wow interesting question. I'm going to assume you mean they are coming into this draft as exactly the same players that they were going into last years... I think they would probably end up going about where they went last year. Wright would likely go about 8th before or after Joe Alexander. Belinelli would probably go right around where he

did as well (18) or else a little lower. While I'd say this draft has a little more depth overall, it does have a little less quality at the top.

I would hold onto Wright and Belinelli. I think neither have the perceived value equal to their actual value, so I wouldn't move either one. Plus I still really like both players a lot. Nellie doesn't play rookies....

GSOM: Who do you think the Warriors should take with the #14 pick? What do you see the Warriors actually doing with this pick if you think that's different? How much of a contributor will this player be for the Dubs in Year 1?

Aran Smith: Personally the two guys I really like are both dropping due to physical concerns (Batum and Arthur). I would love to see the Warriors grab one of these two. Otherwise I wouldn't mind a center such as Koufos, Jordan or McGee, although maybe it's two high for the latter two. There's going to be some guys taken around or after where the Warriors select that turn into studs down the road...

GSOM: Really? Okay you make the call right here on GSoM. We're looking for your opinion on two things.

The Sleeper – (n) [slee-per]

1) A person or thing that sleeps.

2) A player that drops farther than he should in the draft and makes a lot of GMs look foolish for passing him up a few years from now.

The Bust – (n) [buhst]

1) A sculptured, painted, drawn, or engraved representation of the upper part of the human figure, esp. a portrait sculpture showing only the head and shoulders of the subject.

2) Adam Morrison. Kwame Brown. You get the point.

Aran Smith:

Sleeper: I love Kyle Weaver, but it sounds like teams are realizing

his abilities and he will end up in the 30s.

Bust: I can't understand why Kevin Love is so highly rated. To me all

of his great skills will be neutralized due to his lack of speed and

athleticism. Top 5 really? What am I missing here??

Special thanks to Aran Smith for taking some time to talk to us about the much anticipated draft tomorrow! And until the picks are in, remember…

Lucky Number 14… Lucky Number 14… Lucky Number 14…

OPEN THREAD: Day 38 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:05:19 -0000

I’ll give this Celtics and Pistons series one thing. After all of the games we’ve seen this postseason, these two are at least managing to put together an unpredictable series. With each of the teams now sitting on one home win and one road win, they’ve shown all of us that home floor may not play (as much of) a factor in this showdown.

Guess they’ll just have to rely on their will to win. Should be fun to watch!

JUMP!!

G4: (1) Los Angeles Lakers @ (3) San Antonio Spurs (Lakers lead 2-1)

Home win, home win, home win. We get it. The 2008 Playoffs are all about winning at home. Point made. Maybe tonight we could shake things up a bit? Yea?

Don’t get me wrong; I’m no Lakers fan. But like 80-90% of fans out there that have no allegiance to any of the remaining teams, I’m looking forward to a Lakers/Celtics showdown. So no, I wouldn’t be disappointed at all if L.A. grabbed this one from San Antonio tonight and left them on the brink of elimination.

Just to recap, on one side I’m hoping a team that has won 3 out of the past 5 NBA Championships loses. On the other side, I’m hoping that a team that has made 6 Eastern Conference Finals in a row loses.

Hey. It can happen!

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 31 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:24:36 -0000

This is it. Down to four teams for the battle for NBA Glory.

Despite the twists and turns that occurred within many of the Playoff series in ’08, the East has panned out… well, right about on the nail. Detroit, facing it’s 6^th straight Eastern Conference Championship series versus the mighty Boston Celtics who, amazingly enough, have squeaked by both the first and second round to earn their place in this series.

Seed One versus Seed Two. Whoda thunk it?!

The good news? There’s still a very good shot at a Lakers/Celtics Championship series. That’s old school baby. Old school. JUMP!!!

G5: (2) Detroit Pistons @ (1) Boston Celtics (Series tied 0-0)

Well if history has taught us anything, the Celtics better shut down Detroit over the next two games in Bean town, because they sure as hell can’t close a deal outside of their own house!

But make no mistake; this is going to be Boston’s greatest challenge yet. Detroit seems to be the only team that has been able to (relatively) dispatch of their opponents in a timely fashion. They have been the dominant team this post-season and are more than capable of bringing the Green Bandwagon to a screeching halt.

Add to the fact that Boston just finished its series on Sunday while Detroit has been sipping pink lemonade with pineapple chunks for a few extra days and you’ve got the makings for a very tough series.

Go on KG. Go on and get your ring.

Boston by 5.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 25 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:45:30 -0000

Wow. Talk about fighting the good fight here. If the Celtics aren’t worried, they should be.

Not being able to win on the road is a serious serious problem. For a team that had no problem establishing such dominance in the regular season, they seem to be clinging on the edge with their postseason performance.

It’s back at home for Boston on Wednesday. They better think about how they’re going to prevent this series from toppling their dream season. Because LeBron don’t mess around.

JUMP!

G5: (3) Orlando Magic @ (2) Detroit Pistons (Detroit Leads 3-1)

Whoa there! A potential 2^nd round elimination game already? While the other three series are sitting even at 2-2, Dwight and the Magic could very well pack it up if they don’t pull a W tonight. But no one wants to see that. I’m pulling for Orlando to pluck this one out from Detroit tonight and send this one back to Orlando.

Hang in there Superman. These guys can’t be your kryptonite.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 21 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:33:35 -0000

Thank god Boston came back into some kind of form. Not particularly because I want them to win, but more so because I couldn’t take another garbage game like Game 1 of the series. I was pretty much thrilled to see either of the two teams score some points.

In the meanwhile, San Antonio seems to have woken up at home and grabbed a game in a series that was (and hopefully continues to be) controlled by the Hornets.

Lakers – New Orleans Western Conference Finals anyone?

Yes please. JUMP!

G1: (1) Los Angeles Lakers @ (4) Utah Jazz (Lakers lead 2-0)

I’m not even sure that home court advantage can help Utah out here. Is there a way that both Utah and L.A. can lose this series? There’s gotta be something in the rulebook…

In the event that there is no such chance, I gotta go with my boy Atma and pull for the exciting option. A Jazz/San Antonio 7 game series just might be enough to put Lunesta out of business.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 18 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:01:33 -0000

While three of the four matchups in the second round are already underway, there remains a lone 7 game series that has yet to begin. And this series is arguably going to be the most entertaining of them all. (I know… we’ve said that about pretty much every matchup this postseason.)

But who can resist the powerhouse that is the Celtics versus the powerhouse that is LeBron? (I think he has some other guys playing with him as well…) Did Atlanta expose some serious chinks in Boston’s armor that the Cavs will be looking to exploit? Will the Celtics get over their inability to win outside of their house?

It’s all starting tonight. Witness for yourself.

G1: (4) Cleveland Cavaliers @ (1) Boston Celtics (Series tied 0-0)

This can be resolved with a simple mathematical hypothesis.

(KG + RayRay + Paulie)Home Court > LeBron

OPEN THREAD: Day 11 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:58:43 -0000

THE PLAYOFFS WAIT FOR NO MAN!!

While I’m stuck here at work, the quest for Hoops Eliteness continues with 4 games tonight. And in 3 out of 4 cases, we may very well see the end of some first round action!

Almost back to Geico commercials for a few months!

So far, the biggest shocker for me is the fact that Philly is actually hanging with the Detroit. While I love a good underdog story (as any Warriors fan should), it’s tough to imagine that this anomaly isn’t going to right itself with tonight’s action.

I’ve got my picks in… Do you?!

G5: (7) Dallas Mavericks @ (2) New Orleans Hornets (New Orleans lead 3-1)

Shut em down New Orleans. Give the Mavs a nice long offseason... Again.

G5: (6) Phoenix Suns @ (3) San Antonio Spurs (Spurs lead 3-1)

Not tonight. Phoenix will come with a 2^nd half push that forces the Snores to play a Game 6.

G5: (4) Utah Jazz @ (5) Houston Rockets (Jazz lead 3-1)

Ugh. I hate to say it but I’m thinkin’ this one ends tonight.

G5: (7) Philadelphia 76ers @ (2) Detroit Pistons (Series tied 2-2)

Wow seriously?! Props to Philly but Detroit is coming with a reality check tonight.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 6 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:44:41 -0000

Well due to maintenence on the site (sorry about that!) the predictions I made earlier today are tainted. So let's just sit back, pop a cold one, and enjoy some good ol' fashioned NBA Playoff Ball eh?

Go on. It's almost Friday!

OPEN THREAD: Day 4 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

Hash — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:44:07 -0000

And I thought I loved this game!

Interesting little trifecta of games we have this evening. As the Round 1 madness continues, it would appear that most everything is going according to plan (seedwise). Let’s break down tonight’s events shall we? JUMP!

G2: (6) Toronto Raptors @ (3) Orlando Magic (Magic lead by 1 game)

The reign of terror continues for the Magic as Howard lifts the Magic over Toronto to head down to Canada 2 and 0.

G2: (7) Dallas Mavericks @ (2) New Orleans Hornets (Hornets lead by 1 game)

Are the Mavs going to become the next Rockets (can’t make it to the second round?) Survey saaaaaaays. Yes! Hornets by 5.

G2: (6) Phoenix Suns @ (3) San Antonio Spurs (Spurs lead by 1 game)

Phoenix is going to bounce back hard from Saturday’s epic double overtime battle and steal this one in the Spurs’ house.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

Recap: Warriors 140, Kings 132 - Giving Them The Business.

Hash — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:38:49 -0000

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.

Tonight the Warriors came out and looked like the team that we all know that they can be. They faced a situation where they knew what needed to be done against a team that they knew they could do it to, and what did they do?

They gave them the business.

Open Thread (350+ Comments)

Boxscore

Okay okay. I'll admit that an 8 point win and giving up 132 points doesn't exactly qualify as "giving the Kings the business". Actually I'm not really sure what does qualify as "giving the business". Before that YouTube clip, I'd never heard that expression before!

What the Warriors did manage to do tonight was to jump out to an early lead and hold onto it for (count `em!) FOUR quarters. We can sit around all night and talk about the deficiencies in our defense that led to the Kings' 132 points, but in the end, we picked their pockets more times and certainly swatted more shots. Holy crap Pietrus.

Now I'm not saying we played good D out there tonight. I'm just saying it was better than theirs.

JUMP!!

Things got off to a quick start for us tonight thanks to TMNT himself. Those first few minutes of the game were the Al show and Warriors fans were treated to an entirely different side of his game. The best part about it was it wasn't a couple of lucky jacks. Al used this momentum to fuel his turtle power into an impressive 5 jacks, 7 boards, 3 dimes, and 17 points on the night!

What could possible be better than TMNT having a good night? How about the rest of the Warriors doing the same?! Since there were so many contributors out on the floor tonight for the Dubs, I think it might just be fitting to drop a roll call. Feel free to sing along!