Tuyen's Blog

Posts for Tag: nba

Warriors ... iPhone on T-Mobile ... Co-working Spaces

Been absent for a while but now I'm back.  Been very busy lately but hopefully will be able to post more.

Warriors!
Beat the Lakers last night.  Strong performance from Curry and Lee.  After a slump last month, they seem to be rolling.  Still need more production from Bogut.  He's definitely an upgrade from Biedrins or Ezeli but for $14M a year, he should be doing more.  Question is will he get healthy/better next year?

T-Mobile iPhone ... FINALLY!
News hit today that T-Mobile will finally be getting the iPhone.  I have to admit a certain fondness for T-Mobile.  I joined when the original Sidekick came out and never had an issue with the service.  The only reason I switched to AT&T was the iPhone.  If their LTE footprint were a bit wider, I might be convinced to join up again.  They seem to be much more reasonable with their subscriptions and this new "un-subsidy" is a good idea.  It's also reported that the T-Mobile version of the iPhone 5 actually is a newer version than the one with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon.  It makes use of the HD Voice calling feature talked about during the iPhone 5 launch and has access to more radio bands across the world.  Overall, glad to see more competition in the wireless marketplace.  Could only mean good things for consumers.

Co-working Spaces
I recently moved out of the large office space my company has occupied for over 2 years.  Just didn't need the space and needed to be more economical.  We found some co-working space nearby in Jack London Square.  So far so good.  From a financial standpoint it makes a lot of sense.  Month to month rentals, shared resources, etc.  The one benefit I haven't quite seen yet is the creativity/buzz when people from multiple businesses hang out in one space.  Maybe it's the quality of the tenants as most of the folks seem to be lawyers, contractors, etc.  Would be great if there were more start-ups in the co-working space but that will take time.

Don't do it Jeremy!

Jeremy Lin has verbally agreed to sign a four-year offer sheet with the Houston Rockets on July 11, according to a source close to the talks.
via espn.go.com

Not that I have any love for the Knicks but signing in Houston for a few million more would not be a good move on Lin's part. First off, he'd be leaving all the good will he built up in the New York area and the huge marketing potential that offers him. Second, he's going to a team that is frankly going to not be good for the next couple of years as they've traded away much of their assets in an effort to get younger/better through the draft. Thirdly, what makes Lin think that a few good games in NY would change how the Rockets view him seeing as how they cut him last year? Unless there's been a big change in the playbook, Kevin McHale didn't see much value in Lin last year so why would he start changing this coaching style to match Lin now?

It's not to say that New York couldn't match Houston's offer but given the backloaded nature of the offer, I have a hard time seeing the Knicks doing that and taking on the luxury tax costs in year three and four of that deal. Plus with their signing of Jason Kidd, they somewhat have the PG position covered somewhat. Still, the idea was for Kidd to mentor Lin into becoming an upper echelon PG. Now who will do that for him in Houston? Kyle Lowry? Oh wait, he just got traded to Toronto......

Warriors pick Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli in the 1st Round of the NBA Draft

The first round is in and the Warriors may have gotten a gift at #7. Perhaps the Dion Waiters rumors were just a smoke screen to get Cleveland to pick him up at #4 because once that pick came in, it was almost a lock that Barnes would slide to #7. Outside of the Warriors getting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, this has to be the best possible outcome. They fulfill their biggest need at SF and get an almost certain long time future NBA starter in Barnes. This leaves Dorell Wright on the outs but rumors have been swirling that they were looking to move him, anyway. As for their second pick, Festus Ezeli, not much to say here. Not a huge risk and they get a big body who can hopefully defend and rebound.

A starting five of Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Lee and Bogut has a ton of potential. Only question marks are the health of Curry and Bogut. I see Barnes coming off the bunch at the beginning of the year but towards the end should crack the start line up. Let's hope it's because he's improved his game so much to merit a spot there and not that the Warriors are so out of the running that they want to give him minutes like Klay Thompson last year.

NBA Draft today!

NBA Draft is today. Interesting draft for the Warriors in that it's the first draft with the new brain trust completely in place - Lacob, West and Myers. With two first rounders and two second rounders, the Warriors have options. Their biggest need is SF and there are rumors that they are looking to trade their picks for a veteran SF. Definitely a good deal if they can swing a Rudy Gay or Andre Iguodala. The Wilson Chandler rumors are just crazy talk...

But let's say they do keep the picks, who to get? Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes are the top two SF's in this class and either one would make an immediate impact. But since they both look likely to be off the board at #7, the most likely option is a project big man in Drummond or there has been talk of trading down and getting Terrence Ross. Another possibility is Dion Waiters who Jerry West is very high on. Problem there is that you would most likely have to slide Klay Thompson over to SF which is not his natural position. Regardless of who they choose, this seems to be a deep draft so whoever they get won't be a totally dud. They may not a future all-star but they'll get a nice serviceable player. But then again, it could be another Anthony Randolph, as well.

Warriors to unveil plans to move to San Francisco - Yahoo! Sports

The NBA team, Commissioner David Stern and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. local time Tuesday to announce the decision to leave Oakland.
via sports.yahoo.com

Definitely a sad day for Oakland but this needed to be done. As a Warrior's fan this move was needed to boost the visibility of the team and attract much needed corporate sponsorship. Much has been written about how the move will change the culture of the fan base which is considered among the most loyal fans in the NBA. The Giants went through a similar culture shift when they moved from Candlestick to PacBell/SBC/AT&T Park. My hope is that management works to keep these loyal fans by not raising ticket prices so that only the wealthier and less committed fans go (or not go) to games. But winning will always be the best deodorant. Once we start seeing the W's consistently making the playoffs and at some point becoming a contender, all of the initial shocks of leaving Oakland will be moot.