What's up everyone?

So most of you know that I like to share as much of my access with the players as I can. I'll be interviewing Ronny Turiaf sometime tomorrow afternoon and although I've got my little list of questions, I'd like to get an idea of what you guys want to hear from him. I'll obviously ask about Steph and Monta and some of the more general things, but what kinds of things are you looking for his opinions about?

Anything that's appropriate, I'll try to get to. The feature on him should probably be up on Friday sometime.

Thanks guys and I hope I can give you something you enjoy reading!

- pree

Hey everyone ..

Just like I did on Friday, I'll be blogging during the Warriors game at Arco Arena tonight. If you have any questions for the guys, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Drop a comment either here or there and I'll hopefully get the answers to the kinds of things you'd like to know about.

Link: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/CourtsideBlog.asp?GAME_ID=28282&LEAGUE_CODE=NBA

As an aside - there's been a whole bunch of Gerald Wallae talk and I have to tell you that nothing that I have heard leads me to believe he is on the Warriors' radar right now. I believe the Harrington talk will increase next month, but for now, the team isn't getting what it is looking for. I would expect a package of two players that are younger, not the homerun that everyone wants.

Update: Let's just make this an open Q&A .. ask away ..

- It seems like the major question I've been getting from e-mails and the like are really simple things like whether Kosta will still be on the team or if the non-guarantees will make it through camp (Watson, Morrow). For the past few days, I've been getting that e-mail a lot, so let's talk about it.

For Kosta, I can understand why many would want to see him gone. The dude is sort of just taking up a roster spot at this point. With two years left on his deal at such a small amount, it's tough to say what will happen to him because he can basically find a crack and live there and no one will really care or notice, I guess. I have heard that he's been working on his conditioning and he might be able to develop into a productive player - the guy can shoot (but does he do anything else?). This is the kind of situation where I think you just surf the contract until it hits the sand. I don't see much movement here and don't think that's going to change, but it's one of the things that's so far on the back burner that I'm not sure it'll be addressed anytime soon.

I think Watson is a lock to make the team, to be honest. He's done everything the Warriors have asked from him and has steadily gotten better. He still isn't a "point guard" per say, but I think his talent is just too much to let walk. Morrow is going to have to show he can be instant offense against NBA boys at camp. I wouldn't say he's a lock, but he has a chance. Slim, but he's got a chance nonetheless.

- Some of you who had e-mailed me shouldn't have been surprised about the whole Stephen Jackson thing that has come up recently. Before he broke his silence, many of us who cover the team were wondering what his thoughts were and I don't have much to add. MT2 has done a great job covering this, even going down to Port Arthur to talk to Jack. What I can add, though, is this: Jack has two years left on his deal but the only reason he can get an extension now is because of a weird clause in the CBA that allows for six- or seven-year deals that were signed prior to July 2005 to be extended four years after they were signed. Jack signed his deal in July of 2004 - it was a six-year, $38-million (bargain in today's standard), making him eligible for an extension despite having two years left. It's just a weird thing I wanted to share.

- I caught up with Brandan Wright recently and wanted to talk to him about where he was at in his training and what the team sees for him. He's a really honest kid that keeps things simple, but from the looks of it, he's looking to carve his niche as a team player before he pushes for playing time or star treatment. Can't blame a guy for that and every team does need someone that can do those things on the court. You can read more of my brief conversation with him here:

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9849

- In that article, you'll see a blurb on Rob Kurz, who was one of the summer league guys that played in both Utah and Vegas. He got an invitation to camp and has an outside shot at making the team, sort of like Pat Burke or Austin Croshere. There's no space for him as things stand right now, but there is a possibility nonetheless that he impresses in camp. He's a really smart young man and clearly understands the game, so I'm sure he'll get a deal somewhere - if not in the NBA, Europe will take him in a heartbeat.

- Lastly, I thought you guys would like to check out this piece we did at HOOPSWORLD called "Warriors .. From Four Corners" .. we got four of our writers from around the country to give their take on the Warriors and it's interesting to see how much geography can affect your perspective. I'm the last one of the four, but the other three are cool reads as well. I think you'll enjoy it.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9846

:: stretches :: nice to get back into the thick of things ..

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9640

Monta Ellis has really come a long way since he was draft in '05 and in a sit-down with media yesterday, he shared some thoughts on him being the leader of the team, playing the point, and his expectations for this year.

I was, in all honesty, pretty surprised by what he had to say. He was so much mature than he was in May - still a quiet confidence about him, but he was a bit more poignant then he's been in his career. He made sure to point out that this wasn't his team and he certainly was pressured to answer that question .. he had like five or six different variations of "we have a lot of veterans to help lead", etc.

In any case, I wrote this more as a celebration for his journey than anything else and thought you'd like to go back along for the ride.

The expectations for Monta as far as his stats and stuff have been rehashed in past discussions .. so let's twist this up a little bit: can you tell me when you first realized this kid was the real deal? For mine, click the link :)

Share some Monta memories and maybe get a little excited that you've got a budding (budded?) star locked up.

Alright .. so .. I can't believe I'm about to do this .. but let me preface this with the following:

1) I went to the Gnarls Barkley tonight in concert and that does tend to get your mind to wander, especially with that funky rendition of "Transformer" that wasn't as upbeat as I liked ..

2) It's 3:10 AM as I write this and I'm fully hopped up on the "adultified" beverages that presented themselves at the concert ..

3) It's 3:10 AM ..

If anything, at least this might begin a nice discussion, even if it is about how stupid I am?

I was kicking the idea of the Warriors being done with their roster in my pseudo-blog (required reading it is not .. trust me .. I just now have started to consistently drop thoughts whenever they come and I don't want to be edited) now that Biedrins is all squared away.

Thinking out loud, I asked myself how nice it would be for the Warriors to have a nice two-way guy at the 4 like Tayshaun Prince or Josh Smith or Ron Artest or someone in that vein. I figured in my head that having a two-way big would be really great - the Warriors could then start 3 two-way players: Stephen Jackson, Person X, and Andris Biedrins. Considering the deficiencies of Ellis and Maggette on that end of the court, that'd be a great balancing out of the roster.

So my mind started churning, which is dangerous because I need to save that energy for more essential things like being able to make sure the dog is fed.

As I was going through the list of guys that are available that Nellie would actually use, I was trying to parry it all down to people that would actually play defense. I didn't get very far because - duh - big men that are offensively versatile (read: can shoot) and play on both ends of the court are really rare and certainly wouldn't be available for peanuts.

You typically either get the big guy that bangs around and can't shoot or you get the one that can shoot and is afraid of the paint. Anyone that does more than that is paid eight figures and has a secure job.

I was thinking if the Warriors had the pieces to pry Rasheed Wallace off the Pistons' hand, but I just don't see it happening. His contract is nice for them and as much Dumars wants to shake things up, he's too good to make a silly move.

So I sort of gave up and was about to call it a night, but Zach Randolph's name just kept sticking in my head. Would I trade Marco Belinelli, Al Harrington, and Kosta Perovic for Zach Freaking Randolph?

NO WAY .. well .. actually .. maybe? Wait .. NO WAY .. actually .. maybe .. I think .. maybe I would?

Does he play defense? No.

Is he really committed to winning a championship? I've got doubts, but no proof either way.

And then I stopped asking questions and starting to just take it for what it is. Zach Randolph had a really bad year with the Knicks, but he's talented, versatile, productive and should be entering his prime ..

But wait! He's such a locker room poop-smearer, isn't he?

Oh .. but so was Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson .. and look what Nellie did with them.

With the right motivation, this guy can easily score 20 points and grab 10 boards a game. I know, his shooting percentages are pretty crappy and he doesn't make the players around him any better. I also understand that adding him would mean you have two guys in the starting line up that are black holes in he and Maggette - pass to them, and team play is basically dead.

But could Nellie get through to him? Can he, in his swan song as a coach, maybe - just maybe - turn Zach Freaking Randolph into a middle-classed man's Dirk Nowitzki? The Warriors already have the poor-man's version with Al Harrington.

I don't know .. I really don't. I went from thinking that this was absolutely ridiculous to actually considering it and when that happens, I dwell and wonder if there's anything to my shift in thinking.

What do you think of this lineup?

Monta Ellis / Marcus Williams / CJ Watson
Stephen Jackson / Kelenna Azubuike / Anthony Morrow
Corey Maggette / Anthony Randolph / JAE
Zach Randolph / Brandan Wright / Richard Hendrix
Andris Biedrins / Ronny Turiaf / Sleepy Freud

I’ll go ahead and say it – I would do it. It might be a little bit of a lateral move, but I’d actually role that dice as long as no picks need to be traded or nothing else crappy comes back. Maybe send the cash so the Knicks can buy Kosta out. They’ll probably buy Al out too, but that’s their problem. Walsh gets his All-Italian squad set up in Marco and Gallinari .. and then he can trade for Bargnani next season before the Raptors give him an extension they don’t need to give him. And this offer is sure as hell better than the 2nd rounder the Clippers offered for Randolph.

There has to be a reason everyone was excited by Randolph moving East last season – remember? Him, J-Rich, and Rashard Lewis were moving over and the East was going to be REBORN! That couldn’t have been completely lost already, right?

Randolph isn’t all that much better than Harrington, I admit that. But you give up Belinelli and Kosta, neither of whom are rotation guys, for someone that is better than Harrington because he does more and he still has the athletic ability to maybe – MAYBE – grow into something more defensively.

So yea .. I’d do it .. I think .. but I’m open to you slaying me for this long diatribe and I’m certainly open to having my mind swayed back and centering myself on the insanity that this whole thing was.

I don't have a dog, by the way. And it’s 3:22 AM now.

And this was way too long. I’m sorry.

Here's my last Warriors-related piece from Vegas .. I've got a lot of things in the oven, but most of it is league-wide interest.

I finally got a chance to talk to Marco and the coaching staff about what he really needs to do to get more playing time during the season. He's not headed to Utah for the Revue, so what we have seen is basically what we will get.

The interesting thing, at least to me, is how much Marco's opinion of his own game changed as the week wore on. I think he's on the right track, for sure, because he's starting to see that he has to do so much more than just be a shooter in this league.

That growth is beginning to present itself. His defense is still leaving something to be desired, but I see growth in his offensive game, and we all know that THAT's probably important to Nellie anyway.

As an FYI - Nellie has been to every game in Vegas.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9530

Hope you enjoy it!

UPDATE (7/14, 5:25 PM)
Had a chance to talk to Kelenna Azubuike .. he said a bunch of teams are interested in him and he's looking around. It sounded to me like he was going to leave.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9473

I've done a lot of non-Warriors stuff in the past few days, so if you're interested, head over to my archive .. http://www.hoopsworld.com/AuthorArchives.asp?AUTHOR_ID=25

Just some general thoughts so far ..

- seeing Randolph go down was really scary - I immediately looked up at Nellie to see his reaction, but he was cool as a cucumber. Wowzers.

- Brandan Wright is trying to send a statement - he wants minutes next season. The dude is all over the place and I think he looks pretty solid so far. He isn't ready to start or be depended for more than like 12-15 minutes a game, but I think he can be an energy guy and be productive. Working on getting an extended interview with him over the next few days.

- Marco looked better in game 2, but his defense doesn't look like it has gotten much better. Nice seeing him run some point, although I don't think that would happen in an actual NBA game.

- Louis Amundson loves to rebound.. I think he has a shot, and so does DeMarcus Nelson if he stays aggressive the way he has.

- JJ Hickson was a BEAST today .. I joked with him that he's not a very good jumpshooter, which is why he sticks in the post so much and his response was that he'll show me how wrong I am later this week.

- Really like what I saw from Bobby Brown of the Hornets ..

- Darrell Arthur and Mike Conley have clearly played together in the past .. they looked like they had nice chemistry, for sure

Randolph Steals the Show
Spent some time talking to Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, and Marco after the game. Marco talks about how he played a little bit of point guard, but it doesn't mean much and Wright talks about how he plans to get PT this season. Randolph discussed his debut.

Video: Day One Recap
Me and Bill Ingram break down the first day of Summer League action.

Randolph Injures Right Ankle, but Will Be OK
Don't worry, although it looked like Randolph really hurt himself, he seems like he's going to be okay. He was walking around okay after hurting his right ankle and came back to the game a bit later after getting some treatment from the trainer. Phew.

Warriors Find Their PG?
We all know that the Warriors desperately need a backup PG, but CJ Watson is playing like he's ready to step up to that role. Find out what CJ has done to improve his game, what Nellie wants him to do, and what Coach Smart sees.

Hey everyone,

I just got to Vegas to cover Summer League and I wanted to open the door for a little participation on your part as far as what you'd like to hear about the Warriors' Summer League team. I've done this before - I'll try to ask some of the questions you come up with to the people you'd like to ask those questions to.

I can't guarantee that we'll get to everything you put out there, but I'll do my part. Not every player will be made available to the media. In any case, I assure you that HOOPSWORLD will have you covered to help you feed your Warriors addiction :)

Cool? Leave 'em in the comments ..

After the Maggette deal went down, I talked to as many people as I could and it sounds like Al is basically gone. His value is a bit lower than people would like, as he's seen only as a shooter now, but his deal is short and the team might be able to get something for him (like a backup PG!).

I speculated that Turiaf was on the team's radar and shortly after I published this, the news came out about an offer to him. I had no idea discussions were that far along, but it's just more signs of the obvious Harrington deal.

Some possibilities include Milwaukee, Charlotte, and maybe OKC. The Nets could be interested as well, but I have not heard that as a name that has popped up.

Expect the team to focus on this before looking hard into Keyon Dooling or Carlos Arroyo as pick up possibilities.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9408

Wrote this column earlier this morning before all the Elton Brand hub bub, but I don't think there really is all that much to that talk.

Why will you laugh? Because I think the Warriors should go after Marko Jaric. Yea, I said it (okay .. he comes with Warrick and Crittenton).

My premise is pretty simple: I don't think the Warriors can go out and find someone to spend their money on this crop of free agents and really find all that much impact. As much as I like Josh Smith, I've been told and there are so many reports out there that the Hawks will just match any offer for him (or he'll go ahead and go to the 76ers to PAIR him with Iguodala - they're not letting him go, either).

So who's left? Is Carlos Arroyo or Sebastian Telfair REALLY an option? It's time to cash in the Al Harrington chip - go after Crittenton and lock up a future lineup of Critt - Ellis - Randolph - Wright - Biedrins while keeping real flexibilty under the cap by signing a few guys to short deals.

In any case, in the column I look at all the options I think the Warriors plausibly have. It's a bit long, but I hope you enjoy it.

Click here for the entire story ..

We had a chance to talk to Anthony Randolph after he was selected by the Warriors .. he didn't really provide all that much insight, but I think that a lot of what he says is interesting as far as how cognizant he is of what he needs to work on. Although everyone sort of thinks that he's a project player, he's coming in with a chip on his shoulder and you always like to see that with young players.

I tried getting a hold of Hendrix but was unable to do so. I'll keep trying, but in any case, he's a really solid option. From everything I'm hearing, the team drafted him with the expressed intent of using him (they didn't just take a flyer on him, as Hardin was still available, but the Warriors passed).

In any case, to hear Anthony's (brief) thoughts on what he'll give the Warriors and some more of my insight, click here.

All in all, I think it was a good night for the Warriors. Not great, but they did the best they could.

I haven't written anything about the Warriors in a while (apologies), but I'm getting back in the swing for the summer.

I figured the best place to start would be the draft. Here's my draft preview for the team: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8894

You could call it the "Case for Marreese Speights", but it's more of an overview of the various options the team is looking at. Obviously, if some of the better players fall, they'll be hard-pressed to pass them up, but let's stay grounded in the reality of expectations and assume those top guys will be gone.

Ultimately, should the Warriors take Speights with the 14th (who I admit is a bit of a reach .. but only slightly) and Jamont Gordon in the second, you could fill in the gaps for swing men in free agency. And Speights makes moving Harrington a helluvalot easier.

Baron Davis / Jamont Gordon (combo guard)
Monta Ellis / Marco Belinelli
Stephen Jackson / Kelenna Azubuike
Brandan Wright / Al Harrington
Andris Biedrins / Marreese Speights / Kosta Perovic

Obviously, Ellis and Biedrins have to be brought back and I think the same can be said for Azubuike so that the team has some semblance of continuity. The team still needs a veteran guard and could use another swingman - again, free agency might be the only place to get that.

So that's where I stand for now after using Orlando as an opportunity to see some of these guys work out. I'm sure between now and the Draft, I'll think of other guys I'd think the Warriors should chase (I really like Courtney Lee and Richard Hendrix, but they're projected to go either late in the first, where the Warriors aren't, or early in the second, where the Warriors aren't).

The Western Conference playoff race is coming down to the wire with the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Golden State Warriors all vying for the last two spots. Although there is no doubt that all three are among the top 16 teams in the league, because conference standings dictate playoff eligibility one of these very good teams is going to be on the outside looking in. Bill Ingram, Travis Heath and Preetom Bhattacharya make the case for each team's chances of making the playoffs.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8168

This argument is useless if the Warriors don't make the playoffs, but when you consider what the Warriors had to deal with this season, I do really believe Nellie should be a candidate for the Coach of the Year Award. The Warriors haven't gotten any recognition (even though they Baron should've been on the All-Star team), so if Nellie pulls off a playoff berth, shouldn't he win this?

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8128

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7983

Haven't been around a while .. working my way back in. I've had more league-wide duties.

So last night's Warrior win was .. interesting, to say the least. But with the team in the midst of the most difficult and crucial part of its season, do the Warriors need to prove they belong? Is playing the underdog role what inspires this team?

It's time, most of them told us, to move on and "take care of business" on their own end and it sounds as though THEY believe.

Maybe it's time everyone else believes as well.

Nikola Olic, HOOPSWORLD's Global Correspondent, wrote a fantastic piece on what NBA players have to say about the current situation in Kosovo.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7619

One thing I notice is just how educated these guys are about geopolitics and history - it's fascinating mostly because one of the common criticisms I hear about the European system of basketball is that they pluck their athletes out of school and into basketball academies, turning them pro when they're in their teens. Sounds like they still get a pretty good education.

I digress .. anyway, interesting read.

Had a chance to talk to a non-Warriors front office guy about what the Warriors are going to do now that Biedrins is out. It was sort of interesting, as he mentioned that his squad was interested in picking Brandan Wright up during the draft and wanted to see if they could get him earlier this year since he wasn't playing.

Anyway, I found this one part of the discussion to be rather telling: he compared Brandan Wright to Paul Posluszny of the Buffalo Bills, formerly a great college linebacker.

I was taken aback mostly because my impression of Posluszny is that he was a "football playing Jesse" .. you know .. the sort of athletic guy that just really thrives on his intelligence and motor to get things done. I personally have sort of just tacked Brandan Wright as the opposite - an athletic freak that doesn't quite know what to do with it all. I guess he also has a motor, which makes him nice, but that's not enough in this league. Top motor guys have to have the athletic ability to actually contribute.

So I asked people who see Brandan a bit more regularly than I do about whether he really does have the ability to contribute moreso because he understands what he's going to be expected to do than just because he's athletic. Lo and behold, two others were like "Yea, that's a good comparison" .. one used the term "total package" with Brandan.

So I'm left wondering why he doesn't play. It can't be because he would make too many mistakes -please, I think we've all seen the Warriors' core make mistakes like whoa. That can't be it. Nellie told me that he was going to play Brandan Wright more in January, but isn't he forced to now?

Maybe everyone is missing something or Nellie is seeing something else.

Anyway, the same front office guy that started this cerebral mess for me thinks the Warriors might be okay after this injury passes .. http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7584

I tend to agree, even though this looks like it could be a bit of a setback.

Although I understand that the West is full of talent, I think it's pretty disgusting that the Warriors are still not being respected as if they've proven nothing, when they clearly have. Baron Davis or Stephen Jackson not getting an All-Star nod is more of an indictment on the team/organization than it is about them as individuals. The prevailing theory among the media is that they've both burned bridges in the NBA and can't get coach support because of it, but I don't buy it.

This is about people still doubting what the Warriors are capable of. Now Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson want to prove them wrong.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7269

We did a Division-by-Division break down for our midseason reports over at HOOPSWORLD. Yesterday was the Southwest and today is the Pacific - hope you enjoy the read.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7140

Also, I'd encourage you to read the other Pacific Division reports to see what the Dubs will be facing as the year progresses. There's a lot of chatter about what the Lakers and Suns are considering to do personnel-wise, and with the Lakers loving Jason Kidd and having Kwame's expiring contract on the books, that might be something to keep an eye on.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7122

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=6904

I had a nice conversation with Austin Croshere after the game. He talked a bit about how he can help stretch the court and what his role as a bench player is really all about. I found his comments about Monta's mid-range jumper to be particularly interesting and he also talked a little bit about how he can help the younger guys grow.

Hope you enjoy it.

Hey guys. I'm doing a courtside blog from the Oracle tonight for the Pacers game, providing thoughts and updates just before tip-off, at halftime, and shortly after the game. If you've got any questions you'd like me to ask, drop them in the comments section and I'll see if I can work things in with certain players or coaches before or after the game.

Thanks!

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/CourtsideBlog.asp?GAME_ID=21560&LEAGUE_CODE=NBA