Tuyen's Blog

Posts for Tag: stephen curry

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.

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.

Warriors trade Ellis to Bucks for Bogut - All Risk, Very Little Reward

The Warriors have been trying to get a top-notch center for some time, and they paid a steep price to get Bogut because they gave up one of the NBA's top scoring guards in Ellis...
via sports.yahoo.com

How many ways is this a bad trade?

1) Bogut is out for the rest of the year with a fractured ankle. Not something you come back from with no long term issues (see Curry).

2) The Warriors tack on about $25M more in salaries over the next two years.

3) They basically traded away their best scorer AND best defender for Captain Jack.

4) They lose Kwame Brown's expiring $7M contract which could have been excellent trade bait.

The only way this trade even begins to make sense is if Bogut can be better than he has ever been. Given his immaturity and propensity for injury, I have a hard time seeing that happening. Jackson may have another renaissance in the Bay Area but he's also 4 years older and declining which makes the likelihood of that happening very low.

If the rumors were true that another trade was available and turned down, then it's just business as usual for the inept front office and ownership, no matter who's in charge.

Warriors... PLEASE make this trade...

The Golden State Warriors have made it clear to the New Jersey Nets that they want more than just Brook Lopez if they are going to get Monta Ellis in return.
via sports.yahoo.com

I don't understand why the Warriors would not do a straight-up Lopez for Ellis deal. Yes, Monta is a phenomenal scorer but he also costs $11M a year for the next 3 years whereas Lopez is at $3M and $4M for 2012 and 2013. But money aside, talented 7 foot centers don't come along every day. Especially ones that can easily become 20pt/10rb guys. A shooting guard's performance can more easily be replaced. Think of it this way, would you rather have a starting five of Curry/Ellis/Wright/Lee/Biedrins or Curry/Klay/Wright/Lee/Lopez? Klay may be 40% of Ellis in terms of production (and improving) but Biedrins is about 10% of the production that Lopez would give you (and falling). Make. The. Trade.

Should the Warriors regret cutting Lin? Never.

(The Lakers) never had (Lin) under contract and aren't in the regretful state of mind of Golden State or Houston, but they discussed signing him two months ago when he was a free agent.
via latimes.com

This story is ridiculous. Houston's GM may have officially regretted letting Lin go but the Warriors had no reason to keep him or feel regret about letting him go.  And they don't.  The fact of the matter is that Lin was playing behind two better guards - Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. Don't for a second think that Lin's current hot streak means he is a better player than either of these two. He's done it for 4 games. Let him try doing it for a season or two before we crown him the next great guard.

And I'm not hating on Lin. I think his underdog story is great and I root for him because of his Bay Area ties. But never for a second think he would have displaced Monta or Stephen in the starting line up this season. And think about it this way. Lin should be thanking the Warriors and Rockets for cutting him. He fell into an ideal situation by playing for the guard depleted Knicks in a D'Antoni scheme that allows guards to flourish. And mark the words of Kobe - "Enjoy it. They'll receive judgement next season." When teams start focusing on Lin, will he still continue to put up these numbers? That's the true test of any great NBA player. Can they still perform when defenses are designed to stop them? Now that Lin's profile is so high, you can bet his future opponents will game plan for him. Here's hoping he can learn and improve.