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.

This was somewhat expected. Not sure how he'll fit in since the Warriors have Ellis, Wright and Reggie Williams at SG. Again, not a ton of expectations so we'll see how this turns out when/if the season gets started.

So here we are again... NBA Draft time. The interesting backdrop to this year's draft is whether there will even be a season in 2011-2012 given the labor negotiations. Let's assume there is and see what the W's might be able to procure.

Across the board, experts say this is probably one of the weakest draft classes in a long time. Therefore, there's really no place to look but up regarding who the Warriors would get. Given the uncertain tenure of Monta Ellis, you could say a play at SG/SF might be in order. However, I'll assume they get a quality SG/SF if they trade away Monta. The big glaring hole is probably at center. Ekpe Udoh has a ton of potential but he'll never be an offensive threat. He could develop into a solid defensive center but at 6' 9", he'll always be a little undersized to guard the better centers of the league. Andris has fallen off the face of the earth and I don't think anything can bring him back outside of a change of scenery. However with a bloated contract, he may be difficult to move.

So what options are available at the 11th pick? Some draft boards have Lithuanian phenom Donatas Motiejunas available. He's gifted offensively but is a beanpole and would be pushed around by bigger NBA C/PF's. Also, he's a liability on defense (but nearly all the W's are). Finally there is a question re: his commitment/desire/work-ethic. I fear without a strong coach (not sure if Mark Jackson will be one or not) he'll regress and won't continue to improve year after year. Another player with lots of question marks but a ton of hype is Bismack Biyombo from the Congo. He has the makings to be Mutumbo-esque but feels like another version of Ekpe Udoh and I'm not sure the W's want to double up at the same position with two virtually identical players. At the end of the day, I don't hold out too much hope for this pick given the lack of depth in this draft and the W's drafting relatively late. But then again, I didn't have much hope for the W's pick last year and he's turning out ok.

Wow, lots of news today for the W's. First a confirmed event - Mark Jackson is announced as the new head coach. Not 100% sure of the success of this choice but it does mix things up a little bit (not necessarily a bad thing). However, without any NBA coaching experience, Jackson will have a tough road ahead of him leading a team that is not the most disciplined. Up tempo may be exciting to watch but doesn't always lead to many championships.

As for the Ellis for Iguodala trade rumors, that one might be interesting. Of course, Iguodala is not as dynamic a scorer as Ellis but he does have size, can rebound better, and may fit better with Curry. However, he is a year older and $11.1M more over the next 3 years ($2.5M, $3.7M and $4.9M). If he plays like he did in 2006-2008 then this could work. However, if he's more like his 2009-2011 numbers then this is a bad trade. Still, it'll be hard to see Ellis go. He was definitely exciting but in the long run, there was no way the Warriors could win with two undersized guards.

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).

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.