Last year, after the draft, I wrote that I did not believe the Warriors improved their team compared to the rest of the Western Conference. Angry Warrior fans wrote in protest, believing Brandon Wright, Kosta Perovic, Stephan Lasme and Austin Croshere would solidify the interior and Belinelli would replace Jason Richardson.
Now, after losing Baron Davis, and drafting another skinny project, are the Warriors the worst team in the Western Conference?
Everyone loves Monta Ellis, but nobody really believes he is a point guard. C.J. Watson, who I like, is their other option at PG.
On the wing, they will likely allow Mickael Pietrus to leave via free agency, leaving Stephen Jackson, Kelenna Azuibike, Belinelli and Matt Barnes.
And, this is a guard-oriented, fast breaking team that often plays four guards and wings.
Instead, they have a bunch of skinny project kind of big guys with Patrick O'Bryant, Wright and Anthony Randolph to go along with Al Harrington and Andres Biedrins.
Is a line-up with Ellis, Jackson, Azuibike, Harrington and Biedrins with Belinelli, Watson and Wright off the bench going to strike fear in anyone? Is it better than the potential line-ups in Memphis, Minnesota and Seattle?
Seattle presumably will start Westbrook, Durant, Green, Wilcox and someone else.
Memphis has Conley, Mayo, Gay, Arthur and Gasol/Milicic.
Minnesota has Telfair, Foye, Brewer, Love and Jefferson.
The only direction I see the Warriors heading is backward. At this point, they might as well see if Keith Smart can coach. They might as well play the young guys and let them develop, like Seattle did with Durant last season. Play Ellis, Jackson, Randolph, Wright and Biedrinis.
Or, look to deal Jackson and Harrington. Jackson should have value for a host of teams. He would be a perfect compliment to LeBron James on the wing in Cleveland or a great pick-up for a second stint in San Antonio or a replacement for James Posey in Boston or the missing piece in New Orleans or the answer in Phoenix (Jackson for Diaw? Jackson for Barbosa? Can you imagine Barbosa and Ellis in the same backcourt, or on the same relay team?).
Or, more realitically, in Portland. Steve Blake or Sergio Rodriguez and Travis Outlaw for Stephen Jackson. Outlaw will eventually leave anyway, especially since Portland drafted Batum. Portland drafted Bayless, so I assume either Blake or Rodriguez will be the third PG, not to mention the minutes Roy plays at the position with a bigger line-up with Fernandez in the back court.
So, Portland will barely miss its departing pieces. But, Jackson is the type of defender and shot maker who would fit at the SF for Portland. Bayless, Roy, Jackson, Aldridge and Oden would be a great offensive and defensive team with Blake (or Rodriguez), Fernandez, Webster, Diogu, Frye and Pryzbilla on the bench. Wow.
Golden State adds two young pieces, gets a true PG to play with Ellis, adds some shooting and acquires a young, versatile talent to play SF. Rodriguez, Ellis, Outlaw, Wright and Biedrins would be starting over, but it would be starting over with more nice, young pieces in the mix.
Then, Golden State would have to find a taker for Harrington. Play out the season and add Ricky Rubio or B.J. Mullens in the 2009 NBA Draft.
The Warriors were the talk of the NBA about 14 months ago. Now, they are on the brink of irrelevance.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
The Warriors are going to be miserable.
I was sad to see Baron Davis go. Although I was not a fan of his taking plays off on the defensive end, he was the glue that held that team together. As I have stated in my blog, he was a calming presence for Jackson and allowed Ellis to play the 2.
Nelly's last season in the Bay could be disastrous...
C'mon, PHX, ship the Frenchman for Capt Jack!
sjax to the blazers? i like the trade for the warriors but that would never happen. the blazers have been very clear that they're not going back to the jail blazers image anytime soon. and sjax has to have a tatoo to remind him not to use his gun.
First off the W's will not be that bad as for the last few seasons Mullin has put together nice young pieces. Monte is viscious and kills everyone who defends him(look at any warriors game and you will see, including Kobe, Rondo, Bowen etc.) He is 20, cmon he will be better then BD. Capt Jack was and still is the leader, why you think they lost horribly in the start of last season. BD is nice but he is hurt to much honestly and he was getting $17 a year wow. True they may not make the offs this yr, but man they didn't make it last yr so how much was BD really that important. They have crazy cap room and young pieces(B Wright is legit wait and see). Marion is on the blocks, look out for Artest, Melo, and the next few summers are loaded with free agents. Watch Out!
The whole argument about how Golden State won more games when Jackson got back is flawed. You are correct, the Warriors got off to a terrible start last year without Jackson, but they started winning when they had Jackson AND Davis on the court together. If it had been Baron out for the first 6 games, they would have started just as miserably.
To say Baron wasn't that important is also a strange observation... were you watching the playoffs 2 yrs ago when he was the most valuable player of the first two rounds?
Also, I'm as big of a Monta Ellis guy as anyone. Ellis will probably put up bigger numbers this year (with more opportunities), but watch his turnovers go through the roof if he has to play point guard all the time. He isn't a pure point guard, and having Davis there allowed him to play on the wing (his best position). Unless Golden State obtains at least a serviceable point guard (an Udrih-caliber or better player), they are in big trouble.
The first major point is that Ellis isn't a PG in the same way that Leandro Barbosa isn't a PG and Ben Gordon isn't a PG. That doesn't mean he is a bad player, but he is also in the perfect system for him. He'd be out of the league if he was drafted by the Utah Jazz and asked to play the point in the Flex system, or something similar.
Second, the Warriors roster is now flawed for the way they want to play. I wrote about this two months before Mullin traded for Jackson and Harrington, as the roster before the trade was flawed too.
The Warriors have virtually no back court depth and few outside shooters in a system where they typically play four smalls and rely on made three-pointers. Now, they have Ellis, Jackson, Azuibike and who? Belinelli?
And, Nellie wouldn't play Wright this year. Why is he suddenly going to love him and Randolph?
Now, if Golden State signs a PG and a wing like Maggette and another 3/4 who can defend and shoot (a Nocioni-type), then maybe.
If Golden State rolled out Ellis, Jackson, Maggette, Wright and Biedrins with Arroyo, Azuibike, Harrington, Ryan Gomes and/or Nenad Kristic off the bench, they wouldn't be the worst team in the West, but they still wouldn't be in the play-offs and that factors in re-signing Ellis and Biedrins and adding three or four free agents.
You are right. If they had signed Davis, Ellis and Biedrinis and nothing else, they would have taken at least one more step backward, as Portland would have passed them. So, they might not be any worse than they would have been with Davis. However, if they do not add some players to replace Davis' production, and sign a PG to complement Ellis, I see 2-3 steps backward, as they's essentially be rebuilding like Seattle, Memphis and Minnesota.
Post a Comment