Tuyen's Blog

Warriors... PLEASE make this trade...

The Golden State Warriors have made it clear to the New Jersey Nets that they want more than just Brook Lopez if they are going to get Monta Ellis in return.
via sports.yahoo.com

I don't understand why the Warriors would not do a straight-up Lopez for Ellis deal. Yes, Monta is a phenomenal scorer but he also costs $11M a year for the next 3 years whereas Lopez is at $3M and $4M for 2012 and 2013. But money aside, talented 7 foot centers don't come along every day. Especially ones that can easily become 20pt/10rb guys. A shooting guard's performance can more easily be replaced. Think of it this way, would you rather have a starting five of Curry/Ellis/Wright/Lee/Biedrins or Curry/Klay/Wright/Lee/Lopez? Klay may be 40% of Ellis in terms of production (and improving) but Biedrins is about 10% of the production that Lopez would give you (and falling). Make. The. Trade.

Monta Ellis scores career high 48 points … Warriors lose again

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Monta Ellis is a phenomenal scorer.  He showed it off last night versus the Thunder in a losing effort.  But it points to the same old story.  The Warriors cannot win with the team comprised as it is.  The Warriors are fun to watch but if this team ever wants to get ahead in a very very very competitive Western Conference, they need big changes.  They need a big time defender and a reliable post up player (not necessarily in one person).  Monta's stock is as high as it's ever been this season.  Time to move him and his amazing scoring talents to a team that has at least one or two players that might fit the bill.  Possible trade scenarios?  Threw some of these together taking into account needs and salaries.

1.  Ellis/Lee/Udoh to Orlando for Howard/Turkoglu
Orlando gets more than enough offense to make up for Howard and a some defense in Udoh.  They also get to shed themselves of Turkoglu's contract.  Warriors get the best center in the game and solve their defense/post player situation.  Turkoglu is a serviceable forward who might rejuvenate his career in a new setting.  At worst, he's an overpaid, bigger Brandon Rush.

2.  Ellis/Kwame to Detroit for Monroe/Gordon/Wallace
The meat of this trade is really Monroe/Gordon for Ellis.  Wallace and Kwame are thrown in as expiring contracts and cap math.  Warriors get back some backcourt scoring in Gordon and some interior toughness in Monroe.  Detroit gets cap relief by giving up Gordon's contract and a top 10 scorer who can play alongside Stuckey as their backcourt for years to come.

3.  Ellis to Phoenix for Gortat/Carter
This would be an excellent trade for the Warriors.  Carter is still a serviceable bench player and Gortat gives them a strong presence in the middle.  Not sure if Phoenix would like it but since they are moving to youth, Ellis being their PG of the future after Nash leaves is something to consider.
SCRATCH THAT: Was looking at some old rosters.  Forgot Carter got waived before the season started.  In that case, I would replace him with Shannon Brown.  This is actually an upgrade to the trade since Brown can still play good minutes as a reserve.

4.  Ellis/Kwame/Udoh to New Orleans for Okafor/Kaman
This one has a lot of risks and upside.  Okafaor looks like he'll never be anything but a good solid backup center.  Still he's better than what the Warriors have now (Biedrens).  Kaman is the key here.  If he's healthy and can get back to form, they have a very good center (Top 10?) to play alongside a good PF in Lee and a good point guard in Curry.  Wright moves to the SG spot and maybe Brandon Rush moves to SF.  If Klay Thompson develops well they could have him in the SG spot and move Wright back to SF.  New Orleans is rebuilding and a backcourt of Gordon and Ellis would be crazy fun to watch.

Chris Paul for Stephen Curry sounds good, but...

Sources said that the Hornets have actually been trying to convince the Warriors to part with Curry since before last season's trade deadline in February.
via espn.go.com

On the surface, Chris Paul for Stephen Curry sounds like a no brainer trade. But before people think this is another Speedy Claxton for Baron Davis, there are some big pitfalls involved. First, Stephen Curry is a much better player than Speedy Claxton ever was and at 23, he's yet to reach his prime. Second, the market for Baron Davis circa 2004 was limited. Remember this was the disgruntled, slightly overweight Baron Davis who clashed with Byron Scott, a coach who had taken the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals. The Warriors knew they could sign Davis to an extension with not too many suitors out there. Chris Paul on the other had is one of the Top 3 point guards in the league. Every team with cap room will make a run at him and he knows it so why sign an extension when you can play for a year and get the gold rush in the summer of 2012? Curry for a one year rental of Paul is not a good move.

Paul has stated he would be more willing (though not guaranteed) to sign an extension with a team that acquired his buddy Tyson Chandler. The Warriors are pushing towards that and he would be an upgrade over Biedrins - some offense, good defense/rebounding, veteran leadership, playoff experience. Still, I don't see a starting 5 of Paul/Ellis/Wright/Lee/Chandler as anything more than the 4th or 5th best team in the West. Definitely an improvement but nowhere near what it would take to be a contender.

Klay Thompson will be a good reserve next year

Everyone has been saying that Klay Thompson's drafting means that Monta Ellis is leaving. Here's a good article from BDL with a more measured take. Given that I don't think the Warriors can find a good C or SF in a trade, there's no point in trading Monta at this time. Thompson will play the SG/SF reserve role and give more rest to Monta and Wright who play close to 40+ minutes each night. If he can reduce their minutes to about 35 each night, that will help the W's in the long run by reducing injuries and allowing the starters to play more "peak" minutes than have stretches of being gassed on the court. Plus, I don't see a Curry/Thompson backcourt being any good next year. Monta may eventually go but not next year unless there's a blockbuster trade that brings in a significant upgrade to their front line.

Warriors Sign Free Agent Forward Al Thornton

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via nba.com

This is a wait and see kind of signing. I remember when Thornton used to torch the Warriors when he was with the Clippers. He's fallen off the face of the earth with his exile to the Wizards but let's hope a change of scenery will improve his numbers. It'll be interesting to see where he'll find his minutes. He'll most likely come off the bench to spell Wright and could fill the same niche that Corey Maggette and Al Harrington had a few years ago. He could bolster a thin bench that only really has Reggie Williams and Vladimir Radmanovic.

Why I should never be an NBA GM

We're experiencing some pretty amazing times in Bay Area sports (Raiders and 49ers aside). Giants are up 2-0 in the World Series and looking stronger than ever and the Warriors just opened the season with two good wins. Going into the offseason, I had my ideas about what they needed to do and of course, I had my opinions about the moves they made. Obviously, the biggest news was the sale of the team which trumps pretty much all other news. On the personnel side, they picked up David Lee but lost some players in Anthony Morrow and CJ Watson to free agency and Maggette to a trade to the Bucks. They also drafted Ekpe Udoh with the 6th pick.

Overall, I thought the moves were good. Getting Lee was great - a solid workman like 20-10 guy. Maggette was always going to be a defensive liability and never really made any team he played on better (a hollow 18-20pts a game). Udoh was a head scratcher but there wasn't anyone drafted after him that stood out. Plus with him being hurt, his grade is an incomplete for now. The one that I disagreed with the most was letting Morrow go and replacing him with Dorell Wright for virtually the same money. Why would you let one of the best young 3 point specialist go and pick up a scrub that never scored more than 8pts a game? Well after watching Dorell play in 2 games, I can begin to see the reasoning. He's not a flashy player but he's smart. Though he's a career 36.3% 3pt shooter, I saw him pass up a bunch of threes and instead pump fake and step in on his defender for easier mid-range shots. Morrow may be more accurate from outside but I doubt he has the maturity to take what a defense will give him. He'd rather force up a three as oppose to getting that closer shot. Though it's a long season, Morrow's currently averaging 8.5pts a game versus Wright's 19.5pts. But the reason I have more faith in Wright is that he doesn't seem like he's forcing anything. Plus he plays much better defense - something the Warriors need to focus on to make it to the next level. We'll see how he and the W's fare against their biggest test to date - at Staples against the Lakers on Sunday...

Warrior's lost a good piece of the puzzle

Looks like the Warriors are letting Anthony Morrow walk. At a time when the fortunes of the team were looking up, they lost a pretty good piece of the puzzle. Granted, Morrow is not a premiere player but he served a very important role - dead-eye outside shooting (he was one of only 4 guys last year who shot more than 45% from 3PT land).

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Ever team needs a guy who just hangs on the perimeter to knock down open 3's. With David Lee as an above average passing big man, Monta Ellis driving and kicking out, plus Curry creating open shots, the Warriors needed a guy just like Morrow. Plus at only $4 million a year, he's great value considering guys like Reddick and Korver were getting $5M - $7M. Compounding the issue is that the Warriors signed Dorell Wright, who by all measure (other than height) is inferior to Morrow, to the same exact three year $12M contract. He scores less, grabs fewer rebounds, and doesn't shoot as well from the floor or the free throw line. The only way I can envision the Warriors letting him go is if he expressly asked to leave and the Dorell Wright move was in reaction to that. Two steps forward, one step back.  At least we get a trade exception out of it.