I think the biggest thing this whole Paul trade fiasco proves is that when faced with the choice of fixing the small market/large market structural issues (by increasing revenue sharing, creating an NFL-style franchise player system, or instituting a hard cap) or papering over them by just trying to get more money from the players, the small market teams opted for the latter.

At this point, I think it’s fair to say that if competitive balance were really the issue, they would have been much better off giving the players more than 50% in return for stricter payroll limits and a franchising system — but still not sure if they really wanted that over pure $$$.

I just wish this had all gone down BEFORE the players ratified the deal. Would have been pretty damn interesting to see if this would have put things in limbo…

Despite the universally acknowledged lack of quality, I find this draft fairly intriguing in terms of how it will all shake out — especially over the ten picks preceding the Warriors. Rusty’s sources are feeding him 5 names to focus on: Vesely, Valanciunas, Thompson, Singleton, and Biyombo. It seems unlikely that either of the first two will be available at 11, and I’d generally be satisfied with either of the latter three.

I watch a lot of ACC basketball and am a big fan of Singleton — he would immediately step in as the Warriors’ best perimeter defender, and my recollection was that his offense, while hardly his calling card, was usually well-timed. Biyombo also has the chance to be a major defensive presence, though the complete lack of offense and somewhat duplicative skill-set with Udoh raises concerns. Still, I think it’s fair to say that the Warriors need all the help they can get on defense, especially inside if they’re going to keep the small, reach-prone back-court.

I’m a bit more unsure on Thompson — sounds like he’s ready to step in and be an instant-offense guy off the bench, though his “lack of lateral foot-speed” seems to close the door to him ever being more than an adequate defender at best. I’m a bit more intrigued by Alec Burks who sounds more athletic overall, though he’s not close to the shooter that Thompson is.

The other guy who intrigues me is Keneth Faried. Yeah, he played in a small conference, but the dude put up massive numbers in terms of rebounds, a stat that usually translates well to the NBA.  Wages of Wins pegs him as the most productive college player in the draft, with the (big) caveat that his numbers are inflated by the conference he played in. Perhaps the biggest issue there is that taking him at 11 would be too high, as he’s expected to last until the 20′s.

Overall though, I can’t say this is a very high-pressure pick — you’re not going to get a difference-maker at 11, and with the Warriors’ new brain trust I have more faith in their ability to avoid the stupid mistake (Fuller! Diagu! O’Bryant!) and at least get a servicable rotation player. Just as long as they don’t pick Walker or Fredette, that is — the last thing this team needs is another 6′ 2″ combo guard.

Outside of the 11th pick, there are a few other potential story lines: trades, buying another 2nd round pick, and getting into the tail end of the 1st round could give us an indication as to how aggressive (and eager to open the wallet) the new ownership will be going forward.

It’s official: Keith Smart has been fired. I’m fine with the move, if — and this is a big if — they make an upgrade and don’t just swap him for a retread. Names currently being mentioned include Mike Brown (ugh) and Jeff Van Gundy (intriguing, though I’d rather have his brother), and Brian Shaw is also a name I’ve heard talked about in the past. That said, Shaw is currently an assistant with the Lakers so he can’t be hired yet, and my assumption is that they wouldn’t have fired Smart without a plan already in place. I guess we just have to wait for the other shoe to drop — more speculation from Steinmetz on potential options here.