Grading the offseason

From highest grade to lowest, I will attempt to give you my breakdown of how i think Mullin faired signing, resigning, and trading for each player this year.

Andris Biedrins- (A) Signing a 22 year old center with good upside for 6 years 54 million is a good signing. This grade would be much lower if the original 6 years 63 million were true. Anytime incentives are added however it is usually a good thing, and means the player will make less money than they should barring a breakout year. After comparing Biedrins signing to other centers in the same general skill area it was a steal. Okafor just signed for 6 years 72 million, and Kaman is under contract at 5 years 52 million. Mullin did a great job in signing Biedrins under the norm for centers with the same productivity.

Monta Ellis- (A-) The only reason this signing is not an A+ is because we are still unsure how effectively he can play PG. We know he can score, and is super athletic, but if he is a career tweener guard than we probably overpaid. However I do believe he will be a good PG down the road. Monta averaged 4 assists last year while having Baron around, and i'm excited to see what he can do when he has the whole PG role to himself.

Ronny Turiaf (A-) I personally love this signing. He seems to fill all the holes we have year after year which is rebounding, and a banger down low. The signing was a little pricey, but we had the money and used it on the right player. I doubt he will ever develope anyhting more than a below average, wide open mid range jump shot, that really isn't a concern. He was brought in to fill a specific need, and that need is not shooting or scoring.

Marcus Williams (B) Its hard not to like this trade for Marcus Williams since it is low risk gamble, but the reward could be very high. If he developes into the player he was supposed to be a couple years ago, this could go down easily as a top 2 or 3 Mullin trades ever. He has great court vision and a cheap contract. If he doesnt work out aor has a bad attitude, its as simple as cutting him.

Corey Maggette (C+) Some people seem upset with the roughly 10 million a year he will be receiving from us, but i'd like to go on record as saying some people will be very suprised. He will do things for this team that no one olse has in a long while. Last year, when we couldn't run the ball up court, we struggled. This year with Maggette, we have someone who can drive and get to the line, seemingly whever he wants to. He will bring another dimension to our offense that we didn't have last year. Also i rahter give this money to him, than pay more for a lesser player in Jason Richardson.

Kelenna Azubuike (C) There was no reason not to resign him, especially after Evans asked for more; i just wish it was for a little less. Either way i'm not to upset about it, since he's a solid role player, and could possibly develope into a starter down the road. He plays like a veteran, hitting big shots when needed and not making any young player mistakes. What some people forget though, is that he is still young and could get better.

Anthony Morrow. I didn't give him a grade basically because this was not a huge signing or resigning by any means. This does not mean however that I don' think he may contribute. At this point, after very very limited viewing of him, he looks like what we all hoped Belinelli would be at this point. He's a great 3 point shooter, but the key is, he can also play Defense. Defense is what might keep him in games if he ever gets any minutes this year. It would be great if he could be are this years Matt Barnes from 2 years ago, but who really knows. The guy can shoot, and thats never a bad thing when you play for Nelly.
trades that shoul dbe made

In the past i've thought of Mullin as specifically a good trading GM, who still makes the mistake of signing players for way to much money. Maybe he's learning from his mistakes, or maybe he's letting Nelson take a little control; but either way i'm pretty happy about all our signings. Overall he did a good job re tooling the team after losing its star. If i had to give Mullin a grade this offseason so far, he'd recieve a B from me. Not resigning Baron will be good in the end, plus adding some new faces is almost always a positive.

Playoff Bound?

Another year of Warriors basketball is around the corner. It seems every year even dating back to the Dunleavy/Murphy/Foyle days i have been very optomistic that we could make the playoffs, and of course it just never seemed to happen. I look back on it now realizing that there was really no way that those teams had any chance what so ever to make the playoffs, and i had no real reason or hope to believe they did. This could once again be one of those situations that has happened to me all to often, and in 5 years I could look back and say what was I thinking; but for right now, i'll do my best to justify why i think our Warriors will return to the playoffs once again.

First of all, i believe our 3 biggest problems last year were 1) No depth. 2) No big men to bang down low. 3) Defense.

Problem #1. I think its pretty clear that this problem has been addressed already this offseason. We signed Maggette, Turiaf, Morrow, and re-signed Azubuike, Ellis, and Biedrins. Not to mention what i think the biggest thing will be is that our younger players (mainly Wright and Randolph) could and should be added to our regular rotation. Hopefully this will mean that by game 70 our starters haven't been run into the ground and we can finish games, and the season strong.

Problem #2. Once again i feel that this problem has been addressed by Mullin and co. We added big bodies in Turiaf and Hendrix who despite lack of skill, will go in and bang with the Boozer's, Milsap's, and Bass' of the league who seem to eat the Warriors alive every year. For better or for worse, at least we now have guys we aren't afraid to mix it up down low. I expect Turiaf and Hendrix to make the league regret giving players six fouls a game, and also fill the huge need we have had down low.

Problem #3. Some may argue that our defense has gotten even worse than last year, which may be mathemattically impossible. The argument is valid however, since we lost our leading steal man. I look at it a different way however, i saw Baron as a huge problem with our defense since on what it seemed like half of the defensive sets he went for a steal and got beat. Also, what is underlooked is the fact that since we have better depth this year, our team has no excuse to take plays off on defense. The starters energy is now expendable, since we can easily sub them in and out. Maybe as Baron go's, so does the mentality of the NO DEFENSE Warriors.

I will go out on a limb here, and say the Warriors will make the playoffs this year. Our team this year is a Don Nelson made team. Despite him being old and probably senile, this is exactly the kind of team he likes, and exactly the kind of team he can take to the playoffs. A positive, is that after losing Baron we are now extremely under the radar and likely overlooked by every team to be in the hunt this year. We don't have any low post scorers which is another Nelly favorite it seems... AND the most important and favorite, there are no expectations. These are all things that Nelly thrives under. This team can still score with any other team in the league, and now we actually have a player who can make it happen in the half court sets, and gets to the line at an unnatural rate (Magette). My hope is also that with the developement of some young guys, and hopefully an improved bench, post presence, and defense, that it can put us over the edge and into the playoffs. It will only take 44-45 wins to make the playoffs this year, instead of 48+.

Maybe the Warriors are playoff bound this year, or maybe its just another Warrior fan trying not to accept the fate of the team slipping back into the middle of the pack.

Final Thoughts on losing Baron Davis

With Baron Davis, does the good really outweigh the bad? Not only was Baron our most talented player, he was our captain, and our savior who finally brought us to the promise land (playoffs) after years of suffering. But in the end, any sensible warrior fan should realize by now that he was not worth the 4 or 5 year deal he wanted from us. In the end he was just to unhealthy and to unmotivated to commit that much money over 5 years to.

At times Baron seemed unmotivated, and i clearly remember people here in Golden State disliking him for that. At times he also got 3 happy, and chucked anytime he had the basket within eyesight. Other times, he was unstoppable. When he put his mind to it, everyone knew it. We could see that look in his eye at the end of most games, and we knew Baron would win it for us. This is what warriors fans will miss most about Baron, his ability to take over a game when he really felt motivated to do so. But in the end, playing basketball just didnt seem to motivate him quite enough to offer a huge contract to.

Although he was our favorite player when he was here, ultimately the franchise had a decision to make, and they made the right one. That amount of money just could not be commited to an often injured and unmotivated player, despite how well liked he was. We have a new face to our franchise now, a 23 year old kid who's as fast as lightining and at times he himself seems like he cant be stopped. Baron left the key to our future in good hands, and i'm excited to see what comes next..

So thank you Baron, for your time here in Golden State. I will never forget what you did for the team and fans that year, you put 14 players and thousands of fans on your back and supported us with your bad knees, and led us to the greatest playoff upset in the history of the NBA. It all almost seems like a distant memory now a days though, and when the time finally comes when you play at the Oracle wearing a clippers uni, you can expect a huge standing ovation from me, followed by a BOO everytime you make a good play. I'm not one to forget how you transcended the mindset of this franchise, but i'm also a proud warrior fan, who unfortuantely wishes the worst of luck among any player who plays in LA.

The Future looks Bright

The 16 year laughing stock of the league, turned playoff team, turned future powerhouse. Despite what some think of the way Mullin has gone about his business since taking over in the front office, there is almost no denying that he may be onto something this time. Maybe not this year, or next, but for nearly the first time as a warrior fan, i can confidently say that our future looks very very bright. There is no denying the obvious young talent this team has, and combine that with the salary cap space we will have in 2010, you could be looking at a future powerhouse. You would have to be on the extreme side of pessimism to believe that our team has no hope in the near future, either that or a Chicago Cubs fan, which is probably the only group of fans used to being more dissapointed than us Warrior fans. Here's my quick breakdown of some young players we have hopefully for the next 3 years at least..


Kelenna Azabuike- The 25 year old, once D League star is underestimated by a lot of people in my opinion. Down the line he could play a bigger role than most people expect right now, and i would not be suprised one bit if he was the starting shooting guard along side Monta is 2-3 years. He is just a solid player, who doesnt make to many mistakes. Don't forget he played injured last season.


Marco Belinelli- The verdict is still out on Belinelli. At this point, i could see him starting ONLY under Don Nelson. He is a Nelson type player who can shoot, handle the ball for a tall player, and doesnt play any defense what so ever. When Nelson leaves though i expect Belly to fall a little out of favor. I project his as a future spot shooter, and eventually will sign a contract in Europe to finish his carreer.


Andris Biedrins- Assuming we resign the 22 year old center, i believe he will be a nice player for a long time. Centers are not easy to come by in this league, and when you find one as young and talented as Biedrins, you usually try and hold onto him. Some people say Biedrins isn't worth the money, and can not create his own shot, and he can't play defense, and so on and so on. First of all, we have no idea what he is really capable of. Don Nelson is known for not liking centers unless they can shoot and run. Don nelson is also known for not liking young players. So just the fact that biedrins gets 27 MPG shows that we may really have something special here. Secondly, we have no idea what he can actually do yet. No plays are ever run for him, and we have not one player to help him on defense or on the boards. Yet he quietly go's about his business of averaging about 10/10. *Also just a note about Biedrins may be going to Europe... It's not gonna happen. The front office has been thinking about this day since we traded Jason Richardson on draft day in 2007. Also not signing him would cause to much chaos among the fans. We've been forced to believe in the youth movement, and not resigning Biedrins would go against everything we have come to believe.


Monta Ellis- There isn't much that needs to be said about Monta. He's a star in the making, and i'm thrilled we resigned him. He is so athletic and skilled when it comes to basketball, i think he can eventually make the transition into becoming a good PG.


Richard Hendrix- Pretty soon the Warriors are going to be known for the talent drafting in the 2nd round. Don't get me wrong, he'll never be the talent of Arenas or Monta, but i think we clearly picked up a steal. If he can even become a Milsap type player, which i think he can, it has to be considered a great pick.


Anthony Randolph- Watching Randolph in summer leauge, he has "it". I dont know what "it" is, but he's got it. He hates to lose, and thats a good thing. He may get frusterated with his team mates and himself some this year since he won't get much playing time, but thats what we have veterans for.. to put him in his place. He was a steal at 14, and he will be the 2nd biggest part of our future behind Monta in my opinion.


I would put our young core of players up against any in the league, including Portland.. thats just how confident i am that we really have the making to be a powerhouse team. The "We Got Suck" era of players is gone now, and its time for our young guys to pave the way and start a new era. I hope for and wish the best to our young players, because the fans of Golden State are not yet ready to slip into a state of mediocracy again. We got our first sniff of the playoffs, and we're ready to return. As Harvey Dent says "The night is darkest just before the dawn." I encourage Warrior fans to keep the energy alive in the Oracle this year and next, in hopes that our young players will develope into the team that even God knows these amazing fans deserve.

Don't Worry folks, this was my first blog. I'll improve as will the young players.. just without getting paid