Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The 2010 Warriors Off-Season Report Card...Mid-Season Edition


We’re a little past halfway in the NBA season, and with the Warriors representing a 23-28 record, there’s a lot to talk about. The Warriors had an eventful off-season by making a number of trades, firing a Hall of Fame coach (He’ll get in eventually) and FINALLY being sold to owners from the handcuffs of a certain Chris Cohan.

In what could be classified as the most important off-season of the franchise’s history, the Warriors made the drastic moves necessary in their quest to become relevant again the NBA. New owners, a new head coach, and the acquisition of defensive minded players (or non-Don Nelson-like players) have all contributed to the new look Warriors.

As the Warriors continue on to another playoff-less season, it’s time to analyze how the moves this past off-season are panning out, and how they will contribute in the future.


(Why David Lee is chilling with Snookie and Vinny I have no idea)

Move No.1: Acquired F David Lee from the New York Knicks for F Anthony Randolph, F Kelenna Azubuike, F Ronny Turiaf and a 2012 second-round draft pick. (Signed Lee to 6 year, $80 million extension)

I was happy when the trade went down, and I’m even happier with the trade as it stands today. The Warriors weren’t completely oblivious to David Lee rumors before this, as it seemed the previous trade deadline and off-season there was rumblings of a possible trade to the Warriors.

Say what you want about the “potential” or “upside” of Anthony Randolph, but he was never going to develop in the Warriors system. With every put-back dunk or ferocious block came multiple turnovers, and Randolph was forever supplanted to the Don Nelson Doghouse. With every game came another disinterested Randolph, and it was clear his future was no more in Golden State. Now in New York, Randolph is once again in his coach’s doghouse, averaging a mere 1.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 0.5 BPG in 7.9 minutes per game. As this year’s trade deadline approaches, he is once again circulating the NBA as trade bait, this time being included in a possible Denver-New York-Minnesota trade involving Carmelo Anthony.

Kelenna Azubuike was a crowd favorite in the Bay. A typical Don Nelson D-League call up, Azubuike contributed immediately to the team and showed how all biceps on men should look. However, his time on the team was often hampered by injuries, and thus made him expendable towards the latter end of his Warriors career. A serviceable NBA player if healthy, Azubuike has had off-season knee surgery and it’s unclear if he will ever be the same player again. A sad, quick ending if true, hopefully Kelenna can come back to being a quality NBA player again.

Another fan favorite, Ronny Turiaf was included in the deal. While Ronny gave the Warriors some swagger on the defensive end, his production isn’t too hard to find elsewhere. The signing of Lou Amundson offsets the loss of Ronny, and the drafting of Ekpe Udoh made Turiaf very expendable as well. The 2nd round pick included was a thrown in draft choice, and the Warriors, with the exception of Monta Ellis, never draft talent in the 2nd round anyway (See: Armon Johnson, Richard Hendrix, Stephane Lasme, Kosta Perovic), making the pick virtually worthless. The Warriors have had some success with their 2nd round picks before (Monta Ellis and Gilbert Arenas), but more likely than not finding a quality NBA player in the 2nd round are few and far between.

David Lee, an All Star in 2010 (injury replacement), is the biggest low post threat the Warriors have had since Chris Webber. David Lee was second in the league last season in double double’s, short of only Dwight Howard. His production this year hasn’t been as good, but it’s still the best the Warriors have had in a long time. Although that might not be saying much, the Warriors now have a legitimate low post threat. In other words, there’s actually a player in the post that the defense has to account for. Is that production worth the 6 year, $80 million contract? That’s up for debate. I think he is. The Warriors have to overpay for anyone to come play for them, and they received an All Star PF for roughly $13 million a year. Not a great contract, but a worthy one because of the Warriors need for that position.

Grade: B- (would be higher without the freakish elbow tooth Wilson Chandler injury)


("Yo, the Warriors got no idea, I'm about to pimp their salary cap!")

Move No. 2: Acquired G Charlie Bell and C Dan Gradzuric from Milwaukee for F Corey Maggette.

Addition by subtraction. The Warriors were miraculously able to find a taker for Maggette’s horrible 5 year, $50 million contract this past offseason. It’s almost irrelevant who the Warriors got back in return for Maggette, as long as his contract is off the books the Warriors made a solid trade. Charlie Bell has shown off probably all his suits in his closet by sitting on the bench this whole season. I’d actually like to see what Bell could do if he gets some playing time. We have a hole at PG and it wouldn’t hurt to see if Bell has something…anything. Gradzuric saw time early in the season but has been in the doghouse ever since. It’s clear these two players are not starters but rather nothing more than NBA journeymen, but in this case, it didn’t matter. Maggette was never an elite…not even close to elite player while on the Clippers, and from the day his contract was signed Warriors fans were up in arms. In other words, the Warriors are extremely happy he’s gone, and they don’t miss him one bit.

Grade: A


("I get traded to the Nets? Damn...")

Move No. 3: Signed G Anthony Morrow and traded him to New Jersey for a 2011 second-round draft pick.

The Warriors traded some fan favorites this past off-season, and Anthony Morrow was another casualty. Morrow first made headlines with a 47 point explosion in the NBA Summer League. The Warriors, not oblivious to Summer League explosions (see: Marco Belinelli), seemed to have found a keeper. An amazing threat from 3 point land, Morrow again made headlines with his first start. 37 points on 15/20 shooting, Morrow seemed like another quality, under the radar Don Nelson pickup. Unfortunately for Morrow, the Warriors had a plethora of shooters already. Morrow was a perfect Don Nelson player: can score like crazy, can shoot the three, but yet play little to no defense. The danger of being known for your 3 point shot only is if you’re not hitting shots, you’re pretty much worthless. Morrow brought little to the table that the Warriors didn’t already have on the roster. As a basketball decision, the Warriors are still the top team in the NBA for 3 point field goal percentage. The Warriors also are 8th in the NBA in scoring at 103 points per game. With Stephen Curry, the improvement of Monta Ellis’ 3 point shooting, and the future emergence signing of Dorell Wright, the Warriors are hardly feeling the loss. As a basketball decision, the Warriors are still the top team in the NBA for 3 point field goal percentage.

Grade: B+


("Huh, what? No no no I'm not dating your girl Floyd...")

Move No. 4: Signed G C.J. Watson and traded him to Chicago for a 2011 second-round draft pick

One move the Warriors wish they could have back is the sign and trade of PG CJ Watson. One of the hot debates this past off-season was whether the Warriors could keep both Morrow and Watson. Once it became clear that they couldn’t, many thought Watson would be a sure-fire keeper with Morrow on the short end of the stick. Shockingly, the Warriors re-signed neither, and now the Warriors have a massive hole at the PG position, the most important position on the floor. Many thought the Warriors would sign a Chris Duhon or Raymond Felton as a possible backup to Curry. Wrong. Instead, the Warriors signed Jeremy Lin (who we’ll get to next), acquired Charlie Bell in a trade and re-signed Acie Law. Wow. CJ wasn’t a dominant guard by any means, but he was a solid backup and could control the floor pretty well. He might take one shot to many sometimes, but there’s no doubt the Warriors would love to have re-signed Watson instead of the mess they have now.

Grade: D+


("I'm from Harvard and I still don't understand Coach Smart's rotations!")

Move No. 5: Signed G Jeremy Lin.

Yes! Our cure to our PG problems! A local kid! A Harvard kid! He shook John Wall in Summer League! He’s Asian American!

Nothing but praise was given to the Warriors when they signed local Palo Alto product Jeremy Lin. But what seemed like a feel good story before the season can only be classified now as a bad PR move for the franchise. Lin has contributed almost nothing since becoming a Warrior. He gets treated to applause when he gets playing time, but that’s few and far between these days. Lin has been in and out of the D-League, and although he has shown some potential, it’s clear he’s far from becoming a legitimate NBA point guard. As the Warriors get farther and farther away from the playoffs, I expect to see more playing time for Lin, and what he does with those minutes will have a huge barring on whether he is on the roster come next year.

Grade: C-


(Dorell shaking the rookie on the pump fake.)

Move No. 8: Signed F Dorell Wright.

After losing both Anthony Morrow and Corey Maggette, the Warriors had a need for a true small forward. The day after the New Jersey Nets signed Morrow to an offer sheet, the Warriors signed Wright. Although pleased that we filled a need on the roster, I wasn’t exactly sure what we were getting in Wright. Before signing with the Warriors on a 3 year, $11 million deal, he had been hampered by injuries as a member of the Miami Heat. Drafted 19th overall by Miami in 2004, Wright failed to play in all 82 games in season, with his most games played being at 72 (last season). 3, 20, 66, 44, 6 and 72 were his games played totals in the NBA per season. With the losses of both Morrow and Maggette the Warriors had a huge hole at the small forward.
The Warriors seemed to find the steal of the free agent class with Wright. In Miami he was averaging a mere 7.1 PPG and 3.3 RPG. This season with the Warriors he’s averaging 16.5 PPG and 5.7 RPG, all while averaging a career high 39 minutes. The Warriors, if you haven’t heard, don’t play much defense. Last year the Warriors had the worst opponents PPG average in the league (112.4). That’s five points higher than the next team. Dorell Wright has been the Warriors best defensive player and has clearly improved an otherwise defensively challenged backcourt. The best defensive player on a defensively challenged team might seem like a Catch-22, but it’s refreshing to finally see a Warriors player have the same hustle and energy he has on the defensive end than the offensive end.

Another pleasant surprise from Wright has been his three-point shooting. Warriors fans love their shooters, and Wright has been an unexpected beast from beyond the arc. He leads the NBA in three pointers made and is competing in the Three Point Shootout during All Star Weekend in Los Angeles (his hometown). Wright has been a great addition to the Warriors. Good defense paired with quality three-point shooting and a decent midrange game makes Dorell Wright the best roster acquisition the Warriors has this past off-season, and I hope Dorell is here for a long time. He’s a keeper.

Grade: A-





Moves No. 9 and 10: Signed F Lou Amundson and drafted F Ekpe Udoh.

With new owners and a new head coach came a different mindset for the Warriors. No more were the days of the Corey Maggette’s and Anthony Morrow’s; offensive minded, single eyed players. Rather, the Warriors focused hard on improving their play on the defensive end. The signings of Dorell Wright, Lou Amundson and the drafting of Ekpe Udoh clearly displayed this new mentality heading into the new season.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, this new mindset was put on an immediate hault with the injuries of both their new big men. Ekpe Udoh suffered a broken wrist during a supervised workout at the Warriors team facility in July. Udoh, the #6 pick in the draft, was out six months after going through off-season surgery. Lou Amundson has been suffering injuries seemingly nonstop this season. He required surgery on his right index finger in October and has been battling through a bad lower back as well. Udoh has played in a total of 28 games this season, with Amundson only appearing in 23.

Udoh and Amundson have the potential to become a very formidable defensive frontcourt, but so far we have yet to see their true impact. Amundson hasn’t showed much this season at all. What he has shown is that Biedrins might not be the worst free throw shooter in the league (Amundson and Biedrins both shooting air balls this season). I liked Lou a lot when he was on Phoenix, and I saw a Joakim Noah type player that I thought would really improve our defense. So far though, his failure to stay healthy has been a huge disappointment. Udoh on the other hand, while missing time early, has shown signs of life in his short amount of minutes. Udoh has excited the Oracle crowd with some ferocious blocks and a couple of nifty low post moves. I don’ t think Udoh will ever be a huge impactful player in the league, but I believe he could be an effective defensive presence off the bench. He needs polishing, so we haven’t seen his ceiling yet, but his development throughout the season is something we should look forward to seeing this season.

We have yet to see either of these two players with any extended minutes, so it's tough to gauge how much these additions can/will help. In limited minutes they've both shown signs of a quality NBA player, but nothing spectacular. Was Udoh worth the #6 in the draft? We don't know yet. Was Amundson worth the deal he received in the offseason? That's to be determined as well. But both these players are quality players when healthy, and I expect them to become nice players for the Warriors very soon.

Grades: Amundson: C-, Udoh: C+


("Psssh...Hey Nellie...let me come with you to Maui when I get fired?")

Move No. 6: Named Keith Smart head coach.

Smart was the coach-in-waiting ever since Don Nelson first became head coach of the Warriors. Nelson made it public that he thought Smart should be his successor. Well, this past off-season, came and Nelson “resigned” from his post. The sale of the Warriors didn’t become official until late in the off-season, which put Joe Lacob in a bind. He was practically forced to name Keith Smart head coach when it became apparent Nelson wouldn’t return. Smart has been an adequate coach, but certainly not the coach of the future. His puzzling rotations, lack of defensive improvement (although being Nellie’s defensive coach before) and similar offensive style to Nelson’s has made him a Don Nelson 2.0. It’s clear the up and down style of basketball doesn’t win championships, and I believe Lacob knows this coming from the Celtics organization. It’s almost an afterthought that Smart won’t last until next season, and I fully expect a Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott or Oakland born Brian Shaw to replace him.

Grade: C


("Hey Cohan, the exit is that way")

Move No. 7: Announced Chris Cohan agreed to sell the franchise to Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber.

"We're not the cure for cancer, but we might be the cure for Cohan." – Peter Guber

The biggest move of the off-season wasn’t a personnel move, but an ownership change. Finally, after years and years of downright embarrassing basketball (minus the We Believe) and horrible management, the Warriors have new ownership. The quote from Guber was taken from their introductory press conference, a refreshing attempt at humor from the new co-owner. It’s clear ownership is now split into two sides: Lacob handling the basketball operations and Guber handling the entertainment/off the court activities. A somewhat peculiar way of running an NBA franchise, but who’s complaining? Nobody.

Oracle CEO billionaire Larry Ellison was the long rumored future owner of the team. When the new owners were announced, many Warriors fans were confused, some frustrated. How they can be frustrated by getting rid of the clown Chris Cohan is beyond me. Peter Guber will run the entertainment side of the franchise. What that means or what he will do I have no idea, but Guber is very successful in the entertainment industry, and I’m sure the “Great Time Out” will continue and get better with him running the show. Hopefully this means the immediate removal of those pizza guys, bad music and bringing back a mascot. Joe Lacob is the basketball guy. He knows the NBA. He prides himself on it. Although a minority owner, Lacob saw and had input in the Celtics rejuvenation from worst team in the NBA to the best the very next year. Lacob has my trust, and until proven otherwise, so should the rest of Warriors nation.

Grade: A++

POSTED BY: J-RAM

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