Goodbye Adonal

Adonal Foyle haikus courtesy of Warriorsworld posters:


I tried my hardest
It was never good enough
But I still got paid

- Tanner


My splinters gather
I laugh en route to the bank
Who can I bilk now?

- Double D top of the key


I lay by the pool
Ten Million in the bank
Thanks Mr. Mullin

- gsw_hoops


Forty-two million
Reasons to hate those in charge
What were they thinking?

- ktwo

Juicy KG tidbit

Just came across this tantalizing little tidbit:

Jul 1 - Kevin Garnett in Oakland is an even worse nightmare for the Lakers. The Suns were already above them. With KG, the Warriors would be too.

The Warriors jumped in with both feet on draft day, trading popular Jason Richardson to Charlotte for young Brandan Wright, whom they hadn't even worked out.

With Minnesota seeking prospects, the Warriors are now offering Wright, Monta Ellis and Patrick O'Bryant.

Minnesota is asking for Andris Biedrins. Golden State is offering Al Harrington instead and may also insist that Garnett waive his $6.5-million trade kicker, so it's not done yet. -- Los Angeles Times

If this actually went down, Mullin's brilliance will reach immortal status. Mark my words!

The Warriors sounds pretty fair (if not lowballing a tad). I'm glad that they're keeping Biedrins out of the discussions. A big man of his talent level and skillset is truly a scarce commodity in the league. And it's sad to say that while I love Monta, his contributions can be more easily replaced/made up for.

Can you imagine this starting lineup? Baron doing his thing at point, Pietrus (hopefully) stepping up his game at the 2, Stephen Jack playing his usual gritty game, a revitalized KG feeding off the passion of the Bay Area crowd and dominating, and Biedrins improving his expanding game and gaining a mean streak...

Yeah, sounds brilliant huh? We might see the yellow "We Believe" shirts again sooner than we thought if things fall our way.

Farewell J-Rich

Thought yesterday's stunning turn of events would be the perfect reason to get my blog back up and running...

First and foremost, I'd like to personally thank J-Rich for all he's done for the Warriors organization. When times were tough, he never bitched or moaned about his lack of support or questioning the direction of the franchise (unlike another famous Shooting Guard making the news these days), instead giving it his all every time his sneakers touched the hardwood.

J-Rich taking out a full page ad in the Chron apologizing for not making the Playoffs and thanking the long-suffering fans for their support (paid for out of his own pocket) summed up his career in a nutshell. His dedication to the Warriors team and organization will surely be missed.

Tidbitzzz

Thank God Gore was locked up long-term relatively quickly. I'm surprised Drew "The Agent from Hell" Rosenhaus didn't cause that big of a stink. Anyways, check the great article by Matt Maiocco here. It's pretty ironic how most "draft experts" hated on the pick and how SI supposedly felt he was "the most overrated back in the draft."
ESPN has more insight into the deal:

Pretty much under the radar by NFL standards, Gore ran for 1,695 yards and averaged 5.43 yards per carry during the 2006 season.

Don't just sail past those numbers; they're special. Only five other players in NFL history have enjoyed seasons in which they reached the Gore levels for both rushing yards and yards per carry: Jim Brown (1963), O.J. Simpson (1973 and 1975), Walter Payton (1977), Eric Dickerson (1984) and Barry Sanders (1994 and 1997).

Pretty good company huh?

Todd McShay from Scouts, Inc. has a new mock up at ESPN (posted 3/27). Many thanks to the Insider subscriber who posted it on the 49ersworld forum!

I honestly think it would be a godsend if DT Alan Branch dropped to us. Then again, would Nolan and Co. use a 1st round pick on a guy who's been described as looking lazy, out-of-shape and unmotivated during workouts? Doesn't really seem to fit the profile of players they want on the team, that's for sure.

***

ESPN has their new NBA Mock Draft Lottery Simulator up. It's fun to keep refreshing the lottery to see different scenarios pop up. After hitting "Play Lottery" three or four times, I see that the Warriors either end up drafting C Roy Hibbert of Georgetown or SF Thaddeus Young of Georgia Tech w/ the 14th pick...which makes me wonder - do we really need another C or SF? If I were the W's, I'd be more worried about trying to secure a low-post threat at the PF position, even if it would mean perhaps trading our 1st rounder this year along w/ one of our guys...I know trading within conferences is typically a no-no, but I read somewhere that PF Zach Randolph is looking more and more expendable w/ the improved play of F LaMarcus Aldridge. Can someone fiddle w/ the RealGM Trade Checker and work out a deal for him that includes J Rich? I'm sorry J Rich fans out there...it's just that I'm convinced that Monta is the future of this squad...

One more note about the Draft Sim...Memphis almost always gets the #1 overall pick (and if not that, then #2). Isn't it almost unfair that they get to pair either Oden or Durant w/ Pau next year? That frontcourt is gonna be sick.

Not the Warriors' year (yet again) Pt. 1

2/24 - GS 90 Clips 103 (box)

2/25 - GS 85 Lakers 102 (box)


After the two double-digit losses to both LA teams this weekend, I'm pretty much convinced that this isn't going to be the Warriors' year to make the postseason. I know...they've come enticingly close to the coveted 8th seed in the West, but they just aren't getting it done as these two crucial losses illustrate.

Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up all hope for the Warriors' future. In fact, I think their long-term outlook is one of the brightest in the League (exhibits A and B).

So what's up with this crew? Off the top of my head, I can point to a few factors that are holding them back from the next level:

1. Baron Davis - Yes...I never thought I'd say it, but Baron is a major culprit. As advertised before we got him, he's very injury-prone. When you have to have your knee scoped midseason, you've got problems. I understand Baron is a dynamic PG and is a floor leader the likes of which we haven't seen here in a while (see our distinguished line of PG's: Mookie Blalock, Vonteego Cummings, Speedy Claxton, etc.). But I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that he could be doing so much more.

Do you remember when the Warriors first acquired him? There was this 10-game stretch or so where Baron was going nuts. Not so much scoring the ball, but dishing it and getting his teammates involved like there was no tomorrow. He looked like a videogame character out there w/ his fancy no-look dimes, yo-yo ballhandling, etc.

What the hell happened to that guy? We see him in flashes here and there, but for the most part we see a Baron that will take ill-advised pull-up 3's before setting up the offense, look for his own offense before getting his teammates involved, etc.

I firmly believe that Baron, with his court vision and feel for the game, could lead the league in assists easily if he really put his mind to it.

Did I mention the guy is injury-prone?

And that he hasn't played a full 82 games since the 01-02 season?

*gulp*

2. Lack of a true post presence - Most teams that make the playoffs have a legit, inside banger to provide offense and D down low (check out Elton Brand, Boozer, the Pistons' interchangeable bigs). It's so key to have a guy you can rely on to get you 20-10 on a nightly basis and to make the defense have to worry about watching the paint as well as the perimeter...it just opens things up more.

I can't really say that the Warriors have that guy. Biedrins would be the closest player, but I still think he's a year or two away. I'm really impressed by his skill-set (nimble feet, good nose for the hoop, soft hands, shotblocking). That being said, I project him to being a finesse-type C for us...not the low-post beast we need.

Who knows...if he bulks up to 265 (from his current 245, which seems hard to believe) and develops a Rasheed-esque mean streak...we might be onto something.

Until then, I hope Mully has Paul Millsap on speed dial.

(to be continued...)

Chris Mullin = God

THE defining trade of his short GM career (yes, Mully has outdone himself once again w/ this blockbuster). This one is arguably much better than the one that brought Baron, in my opinion.

Warriors receive:
SF/PF Al Harrington (of ill-conceived mohawk fame)
SG/SF Steven Jackson (of Pistons melee and strip club gunshots fame)
PG Sarunas Jasikevicius (of unpronouncable surname fame)
F Josh Powell (I have never heard of this guy, but a Google search brings up the tidbit that he went to college at NC State...where my main man Todd "Great White Nope" Fuller went to school)

Indiana receives:
SF (Soft Forward) Mike Dunleavy
PF/C Troy Murphy
PF Ike Diogu
PG Keith McLeod

On paper and in reality, we straight-up robbed Indiana in this deal. I would love to find out how Mullin sold Bird on this deal. Maybe something like this? "Dun and Murphy would be a better fit for your club while Al and Steven would be better fits on ours." Ummm...yeah...the Pacers would be better off with a slow of foot, stat-obsessed jump shooting clod and an extremely soft, inconsistent "coaches' son who can't shoot"(this is a direct quote from Nellie).

I guess Ike was the main selling point of the deal. If he was just 2-3 inches taller, he'd be a beast. I mean, he already has an impressive post game (remember that Detroit game when he was spinning into the lane at will and schooling their bigs?). I could see him averaging a double-double easily in a team that uses a half-court offense.

This is kinda random, but my bro had a good point: Murphy's game has never been the same ever since he drove the lane and jammed on Dale Davis a few years ago (anyone remember that?). I've never seen him attempt something remotely aggressive since.