MTII is asking for midseason grades for the W’s players and front office.

Here are mine with little to no explanation. Feel free to add yours to the comments or blog authors can add them to the end of the post.

PLAYERS

Monta Ellis – A- Making it really hard to leave him off the All-Star team, has become clutch and the assist numbers are up. Is a bit of a volume shooter at times, but who else is going to shoot the rock at times? FT% is lower than it should be

Stephen Curry – B- A/TO ratio is not as good as it needs to be and although it has improved recently he has become less aggressive. Defense is a D

Dorell Wright – B+ He is having a career year and his 3PT% has been spectacular for stretches. A little inconsistent but better than I had hoped for. Very happy he is a Warrior.

David Lee – B I won’t penalize him for being hurt or for his contract but he just disappears too often and rarely changes a game.

Andris Biedrins – D+ Playing better of late but he really needs to be more aggressive. Rebounding is good when he can stay on the court. I am taking his contract into account somewhat with this grade though.

Reggie Williams – C Some A games, some F games = C

Vladimir Radmanovic – B+ Wow. After last year I would have taken a C in a heart beat. Not the most awesomest, but Most Improved on the team? Looks like a guy playing for a contract.

Acie Law – C Pulling this one out of the arse

Lou Amundson – C- Was expecting more but it may not be all his fault.

Dan Gadzuric – D doesn’t get an F because of one or two good games

Ekpe Udoh – INC Just cannot give him a grade yet but he is playing better than I thought he would

Brandan Wright – F Decent game tonight against Indiana but he went from a decent trade asset to worth less than my pup’s coach collar.

Charlie Bell – ?

Jeremy Lin – INC Doesn’t get enough time on the floor to get a grade. Would like to see him play a bit more in the D-league so we could trade Acie Law to NYK for Anthony Randolph and move Lin to the back-up spot.

FRONT OFFICE

Keith Smart – C- I was ready to fire him two weeks ago and still pretty much there but not as strongly as before. The team wins the games they should and loses the ones they should but a good coach should shift that over a little. I don’t mind seeing him finish the year out but I am not sure he is the coach of the future.

Larry Riley – C I was not a fan of the Lee trade, but like it more than I did when it happened. Otherwise no other signing or move has meant a damn thing. Let’s see what happens at the trade deadline.

Joe Lacob – C See above. Really should be an incomplete, but I will give him a C anyways. They have done a decent job of marketing the team and reaching out to the fans and the media. If the rumors are true and Monta gets traded they better get a boatload for him because he is starting to look like a legitimate All-Star. The only moves made so far have been minor, but have been the safe $ move By not having the name Chris Cohan he is not eligible for an F at this point.

Where do you disagree with me or agree with the grade but for different reasons?

Update by Mike:

I think your player ratings are basically right on. I have a bit of sympathy for Gadzuric just because he plays so damn hard whenever he gets on the court, but the production just hasn’t been there. One interesting thing about Biedrins is that he’s actually leading the team in wins produced (I’m planning to post an item on advanced stats at the midway point shortly), though I just can’t shake the impression I get with my own eyes that he’s been a bit of a shell of himself. Still, I’d probably bump him up to a B- on production alone, though the D+ fits in terms of potential.

And Charlie Bell deserves an F — he’s been awful and is a bigger waste of a roster spot than Lin.

I’d differ on the front office, as I think Reilly gets an incomplete until we get to the trade deadline. Several of the offseason moves from the past two years were seemingly crafted with a trade in mind (big expiring salaries for Gadzuric and Radmonovic in particular), and until we see what Reilly does with them I hesitate to judge him. Picking up Law has proven to be a decent move, and while Lee isn’t quite playing like a $13M player, he’s definitely an upgrade over last year and would be considered a steal at, say, $9M per.

I’m also a bit softer on Lacob and would give him an incomplete as well, as I don’t think you can blame him for all that ails the team. There’s no question that they’re rebounding better this year than last (admittedly not a high bar to clear), and while the Amundson move hasn’t paid off much they did get him for a cheap price. Same goes for Lin, who has certainly shown flashes, and if he could get a bit more seasoning he could definitely be found money. Like with Reilly, I think what happens at the trade deadline (and in this first offseason for the new ownership) will be the point where I can really judge.

As for Smart, I just keep going back and forth with him. Sometimes I feel like he gets out-coached, but then he’ll pull a move like he did with Wright last night that shows adjustment and deserves respect. He’s certainly learning on the job, and deserves credit for the incredible team chemistry (along with Lee and Monta). I like that he’s had a firm hand with Curry’s carelessness, though I’d also like to see him give Curry the green light a bit more often so that’s a bit of a wash. So I’d probably give him a C+ at this point.