Posts for Tag: golden state warriors

Stoudemire coming to Golden State looks unlikely

Stoudemire clarified or reasserted points that he is healthy, wants to stay in Phoenix, does not want to play for Golden State and wants a maximum-level contract extension.

The rumored Amare to the Warriors trade doesn't look too likely given his recent statements. I have nothing against Stoudemire not wanting to come to the Warriors. He's going to get paid a lot of money no matter what so he would at least like to get paid a lot of money by a team that will contend. Though having Amare will definitely help the Warriors, it won't make them a contender and having him as a 1 year rental at the price of Biedrins, Wright, and Belinelli is a steep price to pay. Biedrins may not have any big offensive skills but the Warriors aren't lacking for offense. They need him to get better at defending, rebounding, and blocking shots. Sort of like a younger and less talented version of Dikembe. Though Wright and Belinelli have not been break out players, their contracts can be voided in 2010/11, saving the W's about $5.8 million against the cap. Throw in Acie Law's team option and Speedy Claxton's expiring contract and that's about $14 million the W's will have off their books next year. Just in time to make a medium size splash in the huge free agent market next year.

Warriors rumored sale

There's a rumor floating around the Interwebs that Chris Cohan, current owner of the Warriors, is looking to sell the franchise. The possible buyer? Larry Ellison of Oracle fame. This rumor definitely has legs as Oracle already has the naming rights to the Arena and Ellison has been wanting to buy a sports franchise for a while now. Whether he'll be a good owner or not is debatable but at this point, anything is better than Cohan who to me, ranks as the second worst NBA owner behind Donald Sterling.

Maybe I was a little too harsh on Curry given that we could have drafted this...

Though I still have my reservations about Stephen Curry, at least he hasn't pulled a bone-head act like Brandon Jennings. Man, you never really know nowadays who is taping what - The Sporting News reports that Brandon Jennings was caught on tape saying some inflammatory statements about his teammates, Ricky Rubio, etc. This is after Jennings said some unflattering things about Rubio and then had to back pedal. One can say he's just got a lot of youthful confidence and how we talk to "friends" is a lot different than how we would talk to a reporter. Still, he seems to have dug himself a pretty big hole with team management and some of his teammates. Again, he may turn out to be miles better than Curry but his mouth has written a pretty big check that his ass will need to cash in about 4 months.

Azubuike's time to shine

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.