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...

The Warriors just pulled off a trade with the Bucks. Baffling is the only word I can think of. I understand the motivation of it was primarily financial but you couldn't get at least something serviceable in return? Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric will offer ZERO impact on the court. If the W's resign CJ to back up Curry (which they should) where does that leave Bell? And Gadzuric has been disappointing for a long time even when he was at UCLA. The only saving grace with Gadzuric is that his contract comes off the books next year but Bell is on the hook until 2012.

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.

A few tidbits of news coming out of last nights NBA Draft:
 
* Ricky Rubio doesn't seem to like Minnesota. There are reports that his father says Rubio might return to Spain and play out his contract with Joventut. Plus his mom doesn't like the cold. I don't think he'll go back but might use it as leverage to force a trade a la Steve Francis. My guess, The Knicks pull it off by packaging David Lee and change. I guess that Jonny Flynn pick up at #6 wasn't that crazy after all.
 
* The rumored Amare Stoudemire for Biedrins, Wright, and Belinelli might actually be Biedrins, Wright, and Curry. Makes sense from Phoenix's standpoint to get a starting center and a potential PG of the future after Nash leaves in a year or two. It never really made sense to have two guards who are more comfortable playing the 2 try to be your PG. It's hard enough trying to get Monta to play the point effectively. Curry's stock is really high now and can only go down if he's competing for minutes with a much better Monta. Though I'm not against seeing if a Monta/Curry back court could be harmonious. I just don't think there are enough shots in a game to satisfy both of them plus Jackson and Maggette.
 
* Ty Lawson could be the sleeper PG to emerge from this PG heavy 1st round. Tyreke Evans and Curry aren't real PG's and I think they'll slide over to the 2 for most of their careers. Rubio has a ton of potential/hype which may be his undoing. He looks good dishing out assists but a lack of speed, athleticism, defense and shooting ability makes him vulnerable to faster guards who are much better than what he's played against to date. One of the reasons Nash dishes out so many assists is that his good shooting ability keeps defenders honest. If defenders knew Rubio couldn't hit a jumper consistently, they are in a much better position defensively. Lawson is one of the fastest guards in the draft and though he won't dazzle people with amazing passes, he's an efficient scorer who can manage a half court offense. He'll learn a lot from Billups and won't be asked to be the savior of a franchise. You also can't discount his proven ability to lead a team to a championship.
 
* I feel horrible for Jordan Hill. When he was announced as The Knicks pick, a little boy gave the thumbs down sign and his father had to turn it to a thumbs up. Hill is a solid player who doesn't deserve the jeers from the Curry-crazy Knicks fans. I hope he gets traded out of New York because he deserves better. Since Phoenix is rebuilding, how about trading for the U of A alum and some expiring contracts in exchange for Nash who obviously wants out and would love to be reunited with D'Antoni. Plus since Stoudemire is leaving, they'll need a big body with decent post moves to play alongside Biedrens who has no post moves. One can wish.