AZN MAN
Jul 14th, 2007, 03:17 PM
Since there are some hoops fans here, I decided to start a new thread. I'll start off with the Golden State Warriors since I've had some discussions with RebelAzn regarding them. I welcome any discussion for any player(s) and team(s).
Rebel,
My thoughts on the Golden State Warriors, discuss when you're able to.
I looked into the Warriors' roster and found some interesting bits. First off, I think Mullin is trying his best to rebuild the team into a contender, but it's still very much a work in progress. I liked his 'robbery' of Jackson & Harrington for Dunleavy & Murphy; I really don't know what possessed Bird to make that deal but why would you care as it makes your team so much better. I previously mentioned that what the team needs most is a 2-way low post impact big, so I understand Mullin's thinking when he traded away Richardson for Brandan Wright, role players, and a trade exception.
While Wright may have some potential for the future, he is raw and not physically or mentally ready for the NBA grind. In my opinion, the future of GSW is now due to Davis’ age, not in 3 - 4 years when Wright MAY be able to contribute at a consistently high level. What I exactly mean by 2-way low post impact big is simply this: A big man who can score from the post offensively, rebound, and control the paint defensively. The best example I can give of current NBA players is Tim Duncan. Other players who could help your team as that impact big could also include Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, and to some extent Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer. I have some concern that Wright may become Marvin Williams II.
Of the list of bigs I mentioned above, perhaps only Garnett is available to the Warriors at this time. I do have some reservations about KG in a GSW uniform though. First, does KG really want to play in Oakland? Second, will KG mesh well with Nellie's run and gun style? Very few impact bigs meshed well with that style as they aged, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are 2 rare exceptions; I don't think KG is in their class. Third, no way will McHale deal KG without receiving Biedrins in return.
In my opinion, KG would thrive on a contending team that has another big who can defend and swat on the low block as it would ease his burden of carrying the entire load in the paint. By comparison, Duncan has always had a sidekick big; Robinson, role playing bigs such as Oberto/Elson/Nesterovic/Mohammed, or when he moved to Center, he had championship ring whore Big Shot Robert Horry.
In addition, I would think that McHale wants the trade exception along with Biedrins, future draft picks (Preferably lottery pix which GSW won’t have for awhile), and probably won't want Harrington in the deal. Monta Ellis seems redundant as Minnesota already has McCants & Foye on the roster along with rookie Corey Brewer.
I like the drafting of Bellinelli, I think he will fit in well with Nellie's system. Along with Ellis, Davis, Jasikevicius, and Jackson, those five comprise a nice guard quintet, and lessens the impact of possibly losing Pietrus to free agency. However, the team may miss his defensive abilities. Adding Barnes into the small ball style equation, the team has 6 players to cover 3 positions. Adding 1 or 2 players for depth would suffice.
As for the power positions, Biedrins must remain at all costs as he is the only low post defender who can swat, however he must improve his still-raw offensive game. Harrington has his moments, but overall his impact on the game is minimal from a power position. Unfortunately, thus far Foyle has provided little in his career and I don’t believe O’Bryant nor Cabarkapa will have much impact in the NBA. That leads me to conclude that in order for the Warriors to compete for a championship, they must seek that 2-way low post impact big. Tall order in that most teams in this league can’t seem to fulfill it.
Rebel,
My thoughts on the Golden State Warriors, discuss when you're able to.
I looked into the Warriors' roster and found some interesting bits. First off, I think Mullin is trying his best to rebuild the team into a contender, but it's still very much a work in progress. I liked his 'robbery' of Jackson & Harrington for Dunleavy & Murphy; I really don't know what possessed Bird to make that deal but why would you care as it makes your team so much better. I previously mentioned that what the team needs most is a 2-way low post impact big, so I understand Mullin's thinking when he traded away Richardson for Brandan Wright, role players, and a trade exception.
While Wright may have some potential for the future, he is raw and not physically or mentally ready for the NBA grind. In my opinion, the future of GSW is now due to Davis’ age, not in 3 - 4 years when Wright MAY be able to contribute at a consistently high level. What I exactly mean by 2-way low post impact big is simply this: A big man who can score from the post offensively, rebound, and control the paint defensively. The best example I can give of current NBA players is Tim Duncan. Other players who could help your team as that impact big could also include Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, and to some extent Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer. I have some concern that Wright may become Marvin Williams II.
Of the list of bigs I mentioned above, perhaps only Garnett is available to the Warriors at this time. I do have some reservations about KG in a GSW uniform though. First, does KG really want to play in Oakland? Second, will KG mesh well with Nellie's run and gun style? Very few impact bigs meshed well with that style as they aged, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are 2 rare exceptions; I don't think KG is in their class. Third, no way will McHale deal KG without receiving Biedrins in return.
In my opinion, KG would thrive on a contending team that has another big who can defend and swat on the low block as it would ease his burden of carrying the entire load in the paint. By comparison, Duncan has always had a sidekick big; Robinson, role playing bigs such as Oberto/Elson/Nesterovic/Mohammed, or when he moved to Center, he had championship ring whore Big Shot Robert Horry.
In addition, I would think that McHale wants the trade exception along with Biedrins, future draft picks (Preferably lottery pix which GSW won’t have for awhile), and probably won't want Harrington in the deal. Monta Ellis seems redundant as Minnesota already has McCants & Foye on the roster along with rookie Corey Brewer.
I like the drafting of Bellinelli, I think he will fit in well with Nellie's system. Along with Ellis, Davis, Jasikevicius, and Jackson, those five comprise a nice guard quintet, and lessens the impact of possibly losing Pietrus to free agency. However, the team may miss his defensive abilities. Adding Barnes into the small ball style equation, the team has 6 players to cover 3 positions. Adding 1 or 2 players for depth would suffice.
As for the power positions, Biedrins must remain at all costs as he is the only low post defender who can swat, however he must improve his still-raw offensive game. Harrington has his moments, but overall his impact on the game is minimal from a power position. Unfortunately, thus far Foyle has provided little in his career and I don’t believe O’Bryant nor Cabarkapa will have much impact in the NBA. That leads me to conclude that in order for the Warriors to compete for a championship, they must seek that 2-way low post impact big. Tall order in that most teams in this league can’t seem to fulfill it.