SB Nation User Blog: pree

Some Random Notes ..

pree — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:46:37 -0000

- 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 ..

Ellis: From Prep to Point Star

pree — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:25:10 -0000

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.

Losing My Credibility? Zach Randolph .. gulp ..

pree — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:11:03 -0000

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.

In Vegas: Belinelli to Wear Many Hats

pree — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:04:07 -0000

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!

Pree's Summer League Content - Azubuike Leaving?

pree — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:03:56 -0000

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.

Arrived in Vegas ..

pree — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:17:46 -0000

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 ..

Sources: Harrington on the Block

pree — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:16:48 -0000

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

Come Laugh at Me: What's Next for the Warriors?

pree — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:24:50 -0000

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 ..

Interviewed Randolph Briefly ..

pree — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:03:24 -0000

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.

Squashing Some Baron Speculation

pree — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:14:33 -0000

Squashing Some Baron Speculation

All this talk of Baron possibly going to the Knicks, Cavs, or Bulls is complete speculation that simply doesn't make sense. Right, he's going to leave that much money on the table? Or the Warriors are going to take back a bad group of players?