News came today that Byron Scott was fired from the 3-6 Hornets. Kind of a surprise but it's indicative of what elite teams are willing to do to right the ship. Contrast that with mediocre teams like the W's or Clippers who stick by inept coaches and GM's far too long. In the end, I think all big decisions start with ownership. Donald Sterling and Chris Cohan are too stubborn/stupid to realize they are the reasons their teams aren't good.
UPDATE: As I hit the send button on this post, just saw that there's a trade brewing to send Jamal Crawford to the Hawks for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton. Gotta let that marinate for a sec before I give my thoughts but I was never a big fan of Crawford and his big contract.
Before I talk about the W's, just read a great article by Bill Simmons re: the Clippers and their curse. The Native American angle is interesting and humorous.
Lots of goings-ons have occurred in the past 24 hours that may shift a lot of what happens in tomorrow's draft. That's not including the Richard Jefferson trade to San Antonio which suddenly makes them much better, in my opinion. First, they get a 20 point scorer to go alongside Duncan, Parker, and Manu. Plus, they may actually sign back Bowen and Thomas if they are bought out of their contracts (highly likely). Overall, a win for the Spurs. The other big trade news was Minnesota getting the 5th pick from Washington for Foye and Miller. That gives them to 5th, 6th, 18th, and the 28th pick in the first round. Wow - if only this wasn't a weak draft. Word around the campfire is that their looking to package the 5th and 18th or the 6th and 18th to get the 2nd or 3rd pick to grab Rubio. Given that Minnesota has a lot of holes to fill, they'll do fine whether they trade up or keep those picks for themselves.
Regarding what the Warriors do with the 7th pick, it's really a crap shoot at this point. Some boards are projecting that the W's get Brandon Jennings or Jonny Flynn or Stephen Curry or Jrue Holiday while some see Jordan Hill falling to them. Personally, I would go for a point guard over a big man given that the W's could slot Anthony Randolph or Brandan Wright at the 4. Both seem a little underweight to play the position but there are rumors that Randolph grew an extra inch and added 20 pounds since the end of the season. That's just crazy talk. Randolph definitely has more upside than Wright and should eventually be a starter, whether at 4 or 3. I think adding Jordan Hill would mean reduced playing time for Wright and after watching him play in the Pac-10, I'm not 100% convinced he won't be just an average NBA player. If there was any depth in this draft, it seems to be at the point guard position. Jonny Flynn has the maturity and polish at PG, Stephen Curry has the jump shot, but Brandon Jennings and Jrue Holiday have the upside. Holiday has fallen as of late and Jennings definitely has maturity issues but they both are considered long term projects. I'd rather opt for the upside versus the "NBA ready" players like Flynn and Curry because I don't see either of them ever being any better than what the W's have now in CJ Watson (who's actually an above average back up PG). Why not roll the dice and go for someone who might become a Rajon Rondo? Regardless of who they get, there's not much downside. The 7th pick is far enough down that even if the player turned out to be a bust, it's not like wasting a #3 on Mike Dunleavy, Jr.
To put the following quote in context, Bill Simmons of ESPN is writing about the Cavaliers-Clippers game yesterday. This is a hillarious quote about the final shot of the game by Zach Randolph.
The fans are in disbelief. Randolph's teammates are in disbelief. Dunleavy is making a face that my friend Sal later describes as a face I have never seen a human being make before. What ensued in the next 20 seconds could best be described like this: Imagine being trapped in one of those big hospital elevators with eight other people. One of them pulls his pants down and just starts going to the bathroom -- not No. 1 but No. 2. At that specific moment, the doors open for the next floor. How fast would everyone else in the elevator flee for the door? Lightning-fast, right? Like, Usain Bolt-level fast, right? That was the entire stadium after Z-Bo's air ball. He basically took a dump on the 3-point line.
The entire article is a nice microcosm of what I think is probably one of the worst run franchises in the NBA (Golden State used to hold that title). A great read for all basketball enthusiasts.