Archive for the ‘ Roster ’ Category

0
26
Feb

Jeremy Tyler to the D-League

MTII is reporting that Jeremy Tyler will be sent to the D-league.

A very minor move, but a move that probably should have happened some time ago. They guy is not getting enough playing time on the big squad and with limited practices this season there is little opportunity to improve.  As long as Biedrins keeps getting 15 minutes a game to produce absolutely nothing (minutes that should be going to Tyler IMO) he is better off playing for the Dakota Wizards.

0
12
Jan

More Roster Thoughts

I present a few thoughts up for discussion:

  • Kwame Brown needs surgery for a torn pectoral muscle and is out until early April.  The season ends April 26th.  First this is disappointing because I liked what Kwame was bringing to the court.  A lot more than what the starting center was bringing when he wasn’t hurt himself.  MTII suggests that Ish Smith will be cut in order to bring in another big man.  The inactive list does not open a roster position, but is there a way for the Warrior’s to declare Kwame inactive for the rest of the season and use his spot on the 15 man roster to pick up another player?  Can they cut him?  If so that is the route I would take as by the time he comes back and there is only 2 weeks left in the season, the playoffs will already be out of the question, so why tie up a valuable roster spot for two weeks of no-point basketball.  This assumes everything goes smoothly.  If he has a slight hiccup in his recovery then he won’t even be back until the playoffs and that is not happening.
  • That Heat game was a lot of fun to watch.  I missed the 3rd quarter, no biggie, and caught the end.  I was thinking about going up to the game for my birthday (I guess I share it with Lacob), but figured the game would be the opposite of a good birthday present to myself.  I was wrong.
  • The Warrior’s beat the Heat and the National media hardly notices, the Clippers beat the Heat and suddenly they become valid players in the NBA Champion discussion.  Pretty absurd.  Now ignoring the Warriors win was probably the right move.  Discuss it as a single game, but it probably had no larger meaning on the Warrior’s season.  It may show that it is too early to anoint the Heat Champs, but does not mean that the Warriors are “for real.”  In the same context the OT loss to the Clippers may also show that the Heat are going to have some trouble with high scoring teams on the road.  The Clippers may or may not be real, but I don’t think we will look back at one OT win over the Heat and say, “That was when we knew.”  The Heat losing to the Warriors the night before just proves that beating the Heat in your house is not a Herculean task.
  • TK talks about the W’s upcoming decision on Steph Curry and offering a max contract which is about 5yr/$75M for $14.8M/yr average.  “Among Curry’s 2009 class includes Blake Griffin (max obviously), James Harden (interesting) and Tyreke Evans (interesting).” I think all three of those players are better than Curry now and are likely to be in the long-term with the possible exception of Harden.  As I have made clear I have soured a bit on Curry and do not see him as a future Super-star and a team can get into a lot of trouble giving max contracts to non-Super stars.  I think he deserves something much closer to Monta’s 6 year $66M contract (Curry on the books for 6 years with his injury history scares the hell out of me though).  It may be max or nothing, and I would lean towards max, but maybe he needs to be traded once he can show his ankle won’t fall apart every three games and sell high.
  • File this in whatever … but the Raiders move to fire Hugh Jackson was probably the right call.  Just as we did not blame Lacob for wanting to start afresh and fire Keith Smart, I don’t blame McKenzie for wanting to start fresh with his own guy.  Plus Hue Jackson gambled on the Palmer trade and did not make the playoffs.  I think he needed to make the playoffs for that trade to be worth it and therefore save his job.  The Raider’s have no draft picks in the first three rounds this year, so the rebuild is going to take several years.  If I were GM I would trade anyone, including Run-DMC if I can get picks in the first two rounds and get the rebuild happening one year sooner.  Yes, the Raiders can possibly make the playoffs with the same team next year, but I don’t see them getting very far.  That being said San Diego is still a better team and they may figure out how to play 16 games at some point so it is no guarantee the Raiders are a playoff team.

 

4
4
Jan

Roster thoughts

image credit: http://europebasketball.net

A few thoughts about the Golden State roster and potential moves quick hit style:

1) It looks like the Warriors are going to sign Nate Robinson.  Ughh.  I hated the guy at UW. I hated him even more with the Knicks.  He can quickly become a ball hog who is not nearly as good as he thinks he is. I don’t care that he is a 5’9″ slam dunk champion. I don’t care that he has a chip on his shoulder. We don’t need another selfish offensive minded guard.  Boo. I don’t think this is a play-off year so I would rather see what Ish and Jenkins can do.

2) DeMarcus Cousins may be available.  Sounds like the Warriors are not interested, but I certainly am.  I just got done saying the Warriors don’t need another selfish player, but for Cousins talent I would be willing to make an exception.  I want to think that Jackson would have more credibility with Cousins than Westphal does for the reasons of NBA experience, age, and hell I will just say it, maybe even race. I would trade Biedrins and take on Rudy Fernandez’s bad contract for Cousins in a heart beat.  I would think about including Udoh too.  However this would all rely on Jackson being okay with the trade.  If he says no go then I would trust him on this one.

3) TK suggests trading Monta to Chicago for one of their four bigs: Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Omer Asik or Luol Deng. I gotta say I am not in love with any of those four guys.  I haven’t liked Noah’s antics since his time at Florida and while Taj Gibson is an interesting player I just think Monta for Gibson straight up is not enough.  Deng … meh … $12M, $13M, $14M over the next three years.  Way too much money for my taste.  Monta is cheaper and better.  I am sure Chicago would jump at a 1 for 1 trade giving away any of those four named.  I would not do it from the Warrior’s end.  I know they need to do something different and trading Monta is probably the best way, but I don’t like the value in any of the above trades.  Also, I am less and less sure that Monta is the guy that has to go rather than Curry.  I am starting to think Curry’s ceiling is no where near a Steve Nash, and probably more around a Monta Ellis (albeit a different player).  Curry has a lot more value on the trade market.  The Warriors need to explore what they could get for Curry, compare that to what they can get for Monta and they may find out that they can get much more for Curry, to the point that they could be a better team with Monta + new additions, than they will be with Curry + worse new additions.

Thoughts?

6
19
Jan

Mid Season Grades

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.

7
9
Jan

Is Brandan Wright the Alex Smith of the Warriors?

I couldn't resist using this photo

Interesting article by Marcus Thompson II in the Mercury News today on Brandan Wright and his future with the team. It goes through the usual litany of injury excuses, and kinda skates over the fact that Wright has always been a defensive and rebounding disaster when he’s made it onto the court.

While Wright has certainly been a disappointment, what’s maddening is that he’s always remained on the verge of being a serviceable player (unlike, say, Patrick O’Brien). And at times — in particular last year’s preseason before his second shoulder separation — it seemed like we were finally going to see the potential (utilizing his length and explosiveness) that made him such a high pick coming out of UNC after his freshman year.

But the fact remains that we haven’t, and this year has been perhaps the most disappointing of all as he was felled with a mysterious back injury for over a month and now can’t even crack the rotation. Maybe he’ll one day put it all together and become a positive contributor on the court, but at this point it seems incredibly unlikely that Oakland will be where that happens.

And in that way, he sort of reminds me of Alex Smith. A player with all the potential in the world who, despite numerous chances, could never put it all together when it mattered for the team that drafted him. Sure, you can legitimately blame coaching, and injuries were definitely a factor, but when it comes to the bottom line performance neither player lived up to his draft position.

So, like with Alex Smith, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wright one day put it all together and become a solid contributor (both are young and play a position of huge importance in their respective sports, and they may finally have the experience to put it all together). But at this point this turning of the corner won’t be happening with their original teams, so in Wright’s case I just hope the Warriors can get something for him before he inevitably leaves at the end of the year. Because otherwise, based on the team’s history of former players blowing up elsewhere, it’s going to be annoying as hell when Wright inevitably comes into Oracle next year and throws up a career high against the dubs…

Postscript: Another comparison for Wright could be Greg Oden — a player who, if he ultimately flourishes, will do so in another uniform than the team that drafted him. Though in Oden’s case it’s easy to put the blame squarely on the injuries, as more “fixable” problems like coaching and attitude didn’t interfere as much. So I’ll stick with the Smith comparison.

0
4
Jan

Warriors Wave Carney

Goodbye Rodney Carney — we hardly knew ya. I’m not super torn up about it, as he provided some nice variety but was hardly a difference maker (Reggie Williams is largely the same player but with better handles and the chance to take over a game offensively). There’s speculation (spin?) that they waived Carney to open up the possibility of an unbalanced trade (e.g. 3-for-2 or 2-for 1); I wonder if they have anything specific in mind…

It should be noted that they still COULD have made an unbalanced trade in the future, except that they would have had to pay Carney if they waved him to clear the roster spot (his contract wasn’t guaranteed yet, but would have been after the 10th). Is this a sign of the new owners trying to stay cheap, or does it really matter with an end-of-the-bench player who shoots too many 3′s and was having trouble staying healthy?

In related news, both Lin and Law had their contract guaranteed.

0
19
Nov

‘Tudes

Reading today’s Bill Simmons’ column revisiting his Western Conference predictions reminded me of something else that I’ve noticed from Joe Lacob: his emphasis on the mood in the locker room. In particular, he referenced the David Lee trade as key not only for rebounding, but because it got us a positive locker room presence in exchange for a bad one (I assume he’s talking about Randolph there, as I can’t imagine Azabuke and Turiaf would warrant that label). Having an understanding of interpersonal dynamics is something he likely got good use out of in his VC career, and might be another talent that translates well to the NBA.

Things seem to be working out so far, with a rejuvenated and positive Monta leading a group that had a college-style team dinner before their first game. After nearly two decades of players avoiding the Warriors like the plague (and acting like they had it when they were here,) this would be a great turnaround that could make a big difference in terms of attracting free agents (though not as much as just winning consistently would).

As for how this relates to the Simmons, I guess I’ve been living under a rock but I didn’t realize that DeMarcus Cousins is already having attitude issues (not to mention some ridiculous foul problems). I think the draft was early enough that Lacob had no contact or influence with Reilly (where as the Lee trade occurred after they agreed to the sale in principle), but in an alternate universe where Lacob was in charge at that point I almost wonder if they would have pulled the trigger on Udoh (who really does sound like a great guy) even if they had the 5th pick.

Of course, if the Warriors are going to pull a KG-to-Boston type trade, the superstar they get will more than likely be disgruntled (otherwise, why would he be available?). So that could prove to be an interested test of just how seriously Lacob takes attitude (and, of course, attitudes can change when situations change as well). Would he roll the dice on a risky player with the hope of a Michael Vick-style outcome? Time will tell.

One more thing from the column — I enjoyed this blurb on the Warriors:

In the summer of 2007, Philly barely trumped Golden State’s lucrative Elton Brand offer, and then the Warriors got blindsided when Baron Davis fled for the Clips. In the summer of 2009, the Warriors backed out of a handshake deal with Phoenix that would have sent Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Curry’s rights to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire. Last summer, the Warriors turned down Memphis’ offer of O.J. Mayo and Hasheem Thabeet for Ellis. (Note: Everyone thought they were crazy. Me included. Now they look like geniuses thanks to Ellis’ scoring binge.) You know what’s great about this? The Warriors spent the past 35 years giving up the wrong guys too early and acquiring the wrong guys too late, always to the chagrin of their absurdly loyal fans. Somehow, they went four for their past four with big decisions/breaks. See? There’s hope for everybody.

Maybe we’re finally done shipping out future all-stars! Wouldn’t that be something — though the Lee-Randolph trade will probably let us know for sure…

1
12
Nov

Second chance for B-Wright

David Lee’s elbow is infected (why is Tyson Chandler so dirty?) and will miss two weeks. Can B-Wright make anything of a few more starts? Color me doubtful.

0
25
Oct

Adrieeeeeeeeeeen!

(I know, it’s a forced reference).

Breaking news: apparently, Larry Reilly has decided to “use” his extra roster spot and keep Jeff Adrien on board.

How was this even a question after Miles was cut? I know it’s a fairly small sample size, but Wages of Wins has Adrien rates as the second best rookie in the preseason behind only Blake Griffin in terms of wins produced. With two of our big guys on the shelf for the foreseeable future, why wouldn’t you give Adrien a shot?

1
21
Oct

Jeff Adrien Pre-season WP48

Sorry for the back to back Arturo posts, but Arturo has done a small work-up of pre-season wins produced. Keep in mind that these are pre-season numbers, but Jeff Adrien is #3 in the league behind Kevin Love and Blake Griffon and immediately ahead of Udonis Haslam and LeBron James. Don’t expect that to be the case come the regular season, but it shows that Adrien may be a very effective and valuable player. Of course none of these absurdly high WP48s will hold, so sample size may just be way too low to take anything at all from it, but if trends are at all accurate it looks like the Dub’s made the right choice for their 15th roster spot.

EDIT: Updated pre-season WP48. Dwight Howard passes Adrien.