11/8/07  Bulls vs. Pistons  a win.
Noah's line: 12 minutes, 5 rebs, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 pts

11/6/07  Bulls vs. Clips a loss.          
Noah's line:   19 minutes, 4 rebs, 3 blocks, 1 steal, 2 pts

11/6/07  Warriors vs. Cavs,  a loss.
Brandan Wright's line: 4 minutes, 1 rebound

It's still early in the season but Joakim Noah looks NBA ready as far as defense and rebounding. He can rebound and block shots. He missed a couple layups in the first game and fans thought "he wasn't exactly good"  afterwards.  Word in the Chicago Bulls blog is that Coach Skiles told Noah to shut up after his first game interview and that Noah has not really learned the plays.  Noah says there's no problem with Coach and he'll "shut up if Coach wants that."

Brandan Wright looks like a true athlete.  But the guy is skinnier than Joe Smith ever was. The Warriors don't really need BWs game now. They need more defense and rebounding and that's Noah's game.

I've talked with all  my Warrior friends and we are all in agreement.  We can't understand why Nellie and Mully didn't draft Noah instead of Wright?   We have argued about the KG trade going up in smoke and whether he was worth it (I thought so, friends didn't) but we figured if McHale wanted Wright, Biedrins,and Ellis than that's why the Warriors had to tell Rod Higgins/Jordan to draft Wright (for the rights to Warriors JRich).   I mean the Warriors didn't even work Wright out and he was injured anyways so maybe that's why the deal fell through or McHale just wanted to fool the Warriors and wanted to help his old teammate and Celtics team (though Nellie was also a Celtic).   But if the Warriors brass had just let go of the KG pipedream then they should have told Higgins to draft Noah who went right afterwards at No. 9.  They say Wright can score but heck he has the body of Joe Smith. I weigh almost as much as Wright and I'm only 6 feet so he must really be skinny and you don't hear Nellie praising him.  He sounds like a project while word is Noah might break into the starting lineup though they already have Ben Wallace.  

Noah's game, high intensity and  defense/rebounding and running the floor would have been a perfect fit for the Warriors. They don't need anymore shooters now that they have added Marcos B. and Croshere and Barnes/Pietrus returned along with the playoff starters minus JRIch.    It really bothers me that we didn't get Noah because I think with him and Biedrins we could've gone deeper in the playoffs and set us up for future championships.  

I hope this Wright guy pans out but there's nothing we can do since the Warriors did what they did.  But Mully and Nelly must really like Wright and he might turn out to be a beast like the Matrix or Stoudamire.  I just thought NOah was a better fit.

The Warriors MUST do something dramatic.  After Mully and then Nellie drastically turned the team around, expectations are through the roof!  Mully brought in BD, stole Jackson and Harrington, hired Nellie who coached his butt off!  The Warriors have to make a big move tomorrow or in the coming weeks!  They cannot stand pat!  That's simply not an option.  You have the West teams getting stronger!  Portland will have Oden AND Brandon Roy,  Seattle will have Ray Allen and Kevin Durant, you got the Jazz with Boozer, Deron W, and Andrei, you got the World Champs and Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, the Super Suns with Nash, Stoudamire, the Matrix (who might move).

I tell you this. I will be immensely disappointed if they play it safe and just stand pat for another big man project like Patrick O'Bryant or Diogu.  Sure a decent wing man might drop down in their grateful laps because of this exceptionally deep draft. But do the Ws need another wing man?  I don't think so unless he's a Latrell Sprewell retroman.  

Disappointed to hear those negative rumors about my favorite player, Monte Ellis. Hope it isn't like the negative things the Giants used to say about Joe Nathan before they dumped him (I know, wrong sport) losing a superstar reliever in the process.  But I say Monta's not untouchable.  Nor the Ws heart and soul, JRich, should be untouchable.   I say we keep BD, Jackson, Harrington, Biedrins, and hopefully Monta OR JRich (but not both) and dump that 18th pick as well for something worth the gamble.

If the right deal doesn't come around and the Warriors do nothing - that in my opinion would really take a little steam out of the greatest upset in NBA playoff history.  Let's say Baron gets hurt again (which is his achilles heal), the Ws will be in trouble  in a super talented wild wild west.

Go Nellie. Go Mully!  Pull off something BIG on draft day! Why? Nellie's and Baron's window of opportunity for a championship is 3 years max because of age and health, respectively.

who does all the various NBA Mock Drafts have the Warriors taking?

  If Mully doesn't trade the pick or move up higher in the draft, who does Nellie/Mully pick if the Ws stand pat?  Is this a deep draft?  Can Nellie provide input into helping Mully pull a star  this late in the first round?  I remember Nellie picking Sprewell in the 24th spot years ago. Mully picked up Monte in the 2nd round and Biedrins at 11.  The Ws could conceivably get lucky like when they picked Gilbert Arenas in the 2nd round.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/photo;_ylt=AhdKvtJIRQKU1LWvdgJx8Xt90bYF?slug=getty-74007451jc006_nbatour _11_38_38_pm&prov=getty

Nice to see Golden State's greatest Warrior Rick Barry at the NBA Nations tour in San Francisco on May 27th!  Wish I could get a signed Rick Barry Warrior bobble head.   A few years back Rick made the list as one of the 50 Greatest NBA players in history - a pretty exclusive club.

The Warriors need a tough banger/rebounder who can run the floor, right?  The Warriors could also use a sharpshooter from the three point line, right?   The Ws have no one who could handle the likes of the Boozers, the Stoudamires, the Duncans, Rasheed Wallaces of the NBA so the Ws get outrebounded and pushed around.  The Ws have a bunch of streaky shooters who could just as easily go 10 for 10 from the arc in one game and 0 for 10 in the next.  

The Answers to all their needs lie in the Florida champions. The consummate power forward Horford or the match-up nightmare of Brewer?  I wish, but unfortunately  Horford and Brewer are projected to go in the top 10.  I'm thinking of their teammate, the son of Yannick Noah, who can play defense, rebound, and who's athletic and can run the floor in Nellie ball. He would've gone in the top three a year ago but after a so-so year Noah might slip into the teens and it'll be up to Mully to move up and try and snatch him.  I've heard the doubters, how he won't be a force in the NBA but I disagree because this guy has fire in his soul and loves the game!  I can just seem him rebounding and running the lanes in a Ws uniform with his hair bouncing up and down. Trust me,  Noah will be a dynamic leader too!

And for the sharpshooter who is quick enough to get open for a jumper, I really like Lee Humphrey.  The guy was one of the best college three point shooters of all-time.   Sure he can't shoot free-throws, but I think that's just mental.  And he doesn't remind me of Bobby Hurley (who  never recovered from flying out of his car near the Arco Arena) who didn't make it in the NBA. This guy Humphrey looks tougher and all he needs is a split second to rifle the ball in from downtown.  The NBA line is farther out but I bet this guy has it all figured out.  Humphrey will last into the second round and may not even be taken but it would be worth the gamble for Mully who would be the only current Warrior who could compete with Humphrey in a 3pt shooting contest.

So there you are.  An athletic defensive force like Noah, and a sharpshooting tough Humphrey from the Florida National Champions!  

Do it Mully!   If he can somehow trade up to get Noah, how can Nellie turn that down?!!

It was the damn free throws!  

Both teams are evenly matched.  The Warriors HAD THE GAME WON!  Despite being out rebounded and despite Monta Ellis not letting Baron rest more. The Warriors had the game won if they just made their free throws.  Utah made their free throws. The Warriors didn't and that's why they lost.

Let's face it!  The Warriors have a lot of great scorers.  But they don't have pure shooters. And they are among the worst free throwing shooting TEAMS in the league. And this time it came back to bite them in the butt!  RUN TMC had great free throw shooters like Mully, Mitch Richmond, and Timmy; Even Roonie (Sarunas Marciulionis) made free throws.  

Pietrus just kissed away his contract extension along with those lame attempts at free throws.  That's really too bad because he plays defense and makes threes and is athletic. But he simply makes too many basketball errors like unnecessary fouls and reminds me of Pedro Feliz who makes too many baseball errors like failing to move the runner to third with less than two outs.  

Baron missed a critical free throw but he almost willed the Warriors to victory.  JRich missed two free throws and then missed another making 2 of 3.  Harrington missed a few free throws. Only Biedrins, lucked out and made his two.  Jackson had a off night but made some shots down the stretch and made  two free throws during OT.

It was the free throws!   If they made a few more this game would've been won.  If the Jazz had missed some near the end they would have lost.

I calmed down a bit after the game saying to myself it's great the Warriors are in the playoffs.  Come home win two with help from the home crowd and go on the road to steal one from the Jazz in Game 5 and then come home to win it in six.  But they lost tonight and coughed up the win.  This is the time! Now's the time to win. Forget about next year!  The Ws have a chance to win and advance!

kirk

or something to that effect.   Gary is right on.  Rick Barry is the greatest Golden State Warrior who ever lived.  He is a Hall of Famer and one of the NBA's 50th greatest NBA players.  And they don't even invite him to the playoff game or pay for his ticket?!  No Class.  The Ws can't go to the next level if Warriors management treat their very best like that.

Well, at least I saw Jamaal Wilkes (Rick's Rookie teammate from UCLA) at the Warrior game and he's a Hall of Fame member of the Warriors last and ONLY championship team... but Jamaal left the Ws to play with Magic Johnson and all those championships - though one of his kids still plays at Cal.

We haven't forgotten you, Rick! The way you used to score 50 points a game by driving the lane or shooting that sweet jumper. The way you used to pass like Pistol Pete, Larry Bird, and Magic.

Don't get me wrong! I love these current Warriors and they're awesome!  But it's kinda weird everyone is talking about the 1975 championship and Rick Barry's absence is rather conspicuous don'tcha think?

The Phoenix Suns can take down the mighty San Antonio Spurs.  Like everyone else is saying, the Warriors are the hottest team in the league now.  None of the remaining teams - other than the Spurs - should scare the Warriors.  I think the Ws can absolutely hang tough with anyone in the West and the East!  Hopefully, Baron can get some rest and get healthy along with Barnes and any other Warrior who's banged up.  If Baron is  90-95% I like our chances to go all the way like in 1975!  Baron will play the role of  Superstar Rick Barry! Jackson will play the role our other future Hall of Famer Keith Wilkes.

Involving, Utah and Houston, I think the Ws can handle both though the Jazz would be less tough than the Rocket's combo of Yao and McGrady.  I think the Ws can match Phoenix' firepower though Stoudamire and the Matrix are awesome and of course Nash.  In the East the Ws can bang with Chicago, Detroit, et all!  

I'm just wary of the Spurs.  Tim Duncan, Ginobili, Tony Parker... did I forget to mention Tim Duncan again?!  I'm very wary of those guys.  For some reason, the Spurs are to  the Warriors what the Ws were to the Dallas Mavs: their worst matchup nightmare. Why is that?  

Go Warriors!   The Ws can go all the way!   Can the Suns take care of the Spurs, though?  If not, bring the Spurs on too!

Maybe, the basketball gods are with us after 13 years of our playoff basketball drought! Kirk

I sure hope it doesn't come down to a Game 7 in Dallas.  Let's hope the Warriors take care of business in Game 5. If they lose Game 5, they better win  Game 6.  Like a lot of folks,  I just don't see them winning a Game 7 because there's too many factors:  playoff experience, playoff history, half-court offense, possible injuries, flaky refs, home-court advantage etc.  But heck, the Ws have broken most of the rules already and they have the Mavs on the ropes.  

Take care of business Tuesday night and bring on the Jazz or Rockets!