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...

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.

I've been busy at work but also haven't had time to digest the Stephen Jackson trade to Charlotte from this morning. Basically, I don't think there were any winners in the deal. Of course, in the short term, Stephen gets out of a very dysfunctional situation and the Warriors have the cloud of poor team chemistry removed. However, take a step back and you'll notice that both teams lose out.

For Charlotte, they'll get an indiscriminate scorer who will work Larry Brown's every last nerve. How many walk up brick three's do you think Larry will take before he says enough? Also, Charlotte has no clear leaders that can stand up to Jackson. When he was in San Antonio, it was clear that he was a role player on a team with superstars. In Charlotte, he'll be one of the go-to guys along with Gerald Wallace (who ironically plays the same position ... no butting heads, I'm sure) along with a bunch of young players who he can "influence". For the Warriors, they're basically getting salary relief but not soon enough to make a big difference in the 2010 free agent class. Bell's $5.3M contract ends this year but Radmanovic's $13.3M (over next two years) contract doesn't expire until 2011. Adding insult to injury (pun intended), Bell, who is a good defender and decent 3 point shooter, is playing with a nagging wrist injury. And don't get me started about how useless Radmanovic is.

All in all, something had to be done. I don't know if the Warriors get better or worse because of this trade but if nothing else, it could mean more minutes for Morrow and Randolph. I'd rather see them play and improve than watching an aging B+ player pollute the minds of a young team.

As the Amare to Warriors trade rumor gains steam, it got me thinking that next year should be Kelenna Azubuike's time to shine. This is a guy who plays with a ton of heart and always gives maximum effort. Being undrafted, he's got a huge chip on his shoulders and understands that being on an NBA roster is a privilege and not a right. His numbers have improved every year as he gets more minutes and more confidence. The thing I love about him is for a 6' 5" guy, he rebounds with the best of them. Kinda reminds me of when Jason Richardson lead all SG's a few years ago in rebounds (6.7 a game). If the 2005 NBA draft were re-ordered here's how I'd see it:
 
Brandon Roy
Rajon Rondo
LaMarcus Aldridge
Paul Millsap
Rudy Gay
Randy Foye
Kelenna Azubuike
 
If Amare does come to the W's, here's my projected starting five - Monta, Azubuike, Jackson, Randolph, and Stoudemire with CJ, Morrow, Maggette, and Turiaf as the main bench players. Assuming Randolph continues to develop, I'd say the Warriors are a solid playoff team - maybe as high as 5th or 6th seed but more likely 7th or 8th.

There's a trade rumor out there that Amare Stoudemire may be moved to the Warriors for Biedrins, Wright, and Belinelli. If this happens, the W's are instantly a playoff team (assuming Amare stays healthy). Wright and Belinelli are improving players but I don't see them being superstars. Biedrins is a little bit harder to part with. He improved every season he was in the league and at only 23, he has a ton of upside. Though still raw and with few real post moves, he's shown an ability to rebound, run the floor, and play the pick and roll. With Nash dishing to him, I think he'll flourish in Phoenix.
 
A potential starting 5 for the W's would be Ellis, Maggette, Jackson, Randolph, and Stoudemire with CJ, Curry, Morrow, Azubuike, and Turiaf on the second team. Again, just a rumor.