With the NBA draft just about a month away, now is as a good a time as any to start looking at prospects. More importantly though, we want to get a feel for players that the Warriors might want to target to help the team improve next season.
In order to do so, I turned to Lucas Shapiro, a scout for Dime; who is usually my go to guy when I require information about upcoming prospects. Enjoy the Q&A.
Two years ago, we had Blake Griffin as our unanimous top choice in the draft and last season it was John Wall. Can we really say that this year we have a unanimous #1 pick?
Utah won, which wasn’t surprising. Honestly: Watching the Warriors is beginning to feel like futile observation. Every Fall brings possibilities. Every Winter swallows those chances. I keep tuning in because Bay Area fans inspire me. On occasion, so do the players. Also, I love basketball in a way that’s not sane. As a season collapses, all that’s left are the reasons for demise.
The Defense: Worse Than Drowning in Hot Sauce
The Warriors are a bad defensive team. This is a stereotype, glued to the truth. Golden State is second to last in defensive efficiency, a mark so awful it can’t be scaped to any individual goat–not even Radmanovich, the space goat. The most blame tumbles onto Keith Smart’s head. And while I have sympathy for the genuinely engaged first year coach, that sympathy does not erase this failure. Smart’s gamble-heavy defensive strategy was effective in the beginning. Since that happy point, it’s morphed into rubble that offenses need merely trudge through. The gambling should create chaos for the offense, and yet, only the Warriors defense appears confused. As it stands, Adam Lauridsen can blackmail me with the embarrassingly optimistic early-season emails I sent him.
On D, the Warriors often get 1-2 punched. Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are unusual in that they carry wing-spans roughly equal to their heights–the average NBA player has a wing-span much greater than his vertical measure. Compare Rajon Rondo to Curry and Ellis. Rondo is about one inch shorter than either, and boasts a 6′ 9 span. Monta notches 6′ 2.75″ and Steph tallies 6′ 3.5. This is why Rajon is “big” and the main attribution for his prowess as a stopper and helper.
When the short-armed backcourt contest perimeter shooters, or rotate to stop penetration, they might as well be trying to head the ball, soccer-style. For all the hand wringing about how the Warriors lack a “true” PG, this is their biggest problem at guard. Teams can simply shoot over the Dubs, no matter how much effort either “small” musters. The Curry-Ellis combination likely can’t bulwark a good defense. Complaining about the lack of a distributor is like lamenting a car’s shoddy upholstery when it’s on fire.
The Frontcout: Puncturing Promise
If the Warriors have disappointed, the bigs are certainly culpable. Both Lee and Biedrins are performing at a level well below prime production. In David’s defense, he has an oozing moon crater in his elbow. But why has Andris stumbled? Nellie’s gone, right?
Biedrins is an oddly divisive player and a difficult one to write about. The issue’s wrinkle: The Warriors are certainly better with him on the floor, but he’s letting them down with this regression.
Prime 2008 Andris Biedrins: 11.9 pts, 11.2 boards, 3.5 FTA, 19.16 PER The New Haircut: 6.6 pts, 9.6 boards, .6 FTA, 13.14
Goose is still rebounding quite well, but wholly avoiding contact on offense. Where he once would absorb wayward defenders, he now fades away from any potential foul, in a manner sadly comedic. Perhaps Biedrins is avoiding any showcase of his recently terrible charity acceptance–but he can’t go on playing this way. This is an evasion of his promise and potential. Avoiding free throws at all costs is no means to improvement and growth in the NBA. Trust me, I’m a 5-11 couch-bound blogger. I know these things.
As a team, the oft-fouling Dubs can’t get fouled. Dwight Howard alone shoots 11.8 free throws per game. Biedrins, Lee (4.4 FTA), Curry (3.9 FTA) and Wright (2.0 FTA) combine for fewer. Another fun fact: Joel Anthony (.9 FTA) scrapes Andris in free throw attempts and mighty Joel is playing nearly half the minutes. This is amazing considering how I’ve never seen Anthony successfully catch a basketball.
Dorell Wright can only get fouled when a closing defender lands on him. Upon dribbling, Wright is only a threat to pass, or whittle shot clock time. I like Dorell’s pump fake, and his three point shot, but he needs to do something, anything, after that fake.
The Bench: A Sad Rumor
Until recently, the bench was invisible completely and wholly. Now, it’s just emaciated at the guard positions. Jeremy Lin hasn’t exactly made a strong ROY bid. With Curry out, and Reggie Williams in, the Warriors are desperately lacking in professional substitutes.
Medical Staff Infection?
While David Lee played decently last night, the sentient noticed his struggle. Lee’s playing with one good wing, thanks to a Wilson Chandler bite that didn’t seem to get proper medical attention. “Seem” is said because I’m not a doctor. But I do recall how trainers scoured Dirk Nowitzki’s similar injury. Fans watched as David returned to the Knicks game with an elbow that changed the color of its wrapping. It didn’t seem right, especially in the context of this perpetually hurt franchise.
Certain teams–like Phoenix–tend to stay healthy, while the Warriors are always injured. After awhile, this can’t be luck. In the past, Golden State management has bemoaned maladies, while treating them as failure-cushioning. To Cohan’s crew, found excuses were found money. But, if injuries are simply fate, then why even pay a medical training staff? Hell, why even have hospitals? It’s all up to God, right? The Warriors need to stop cherishing injuries, and instead explain how they’ll prevent them in the future.
Part of the ongoing series of community generated scouting reports for each of the Golden State Warriors players. They will be updated throughout the season as we see more player development.
Strengths: One of the fastest players in the NBA. Monta Ellis knows how to finish around the basket and he can score in a bunch of ways. He is quite an athletic specimen. Monta Ellis shot 45% last season despite being known as a “volume shooter”. He has drastically improved his range and his decision making and his improved defense ranked 2nd in the league in steals last season. He has been maturing a lot lately becoming a team leader. He is a good rebounder for his size. He can only improve more.
Weaknesses: Undersized as a SG and not a pure PG. A lot of question marks regarding his past — moped accident, immaturity shown against then-rookie Stephen Curry, shot selection, matador defense, volume shooting, seems to have been improved upon this season (and i’d say since late last season), whether it’s on the court or off the court. Only time would tell if he has matured for good. If so, he’d be one of the top 15 players in the league.
Overall: Monta Ellis possesses a rare combination of speed, quickness, body control, and leaping ability that makes him one of the best all-around finishers in the NBA.
Aside from his physical gifts, he has excellent finishing “instincts”, and has developed a wide array of shots in the paint to make up for his relative lack of height and length. Runners, floaters, lay-ups from all angles, off-hand finishes, you name it, he’s got it.
In general, Monta Ellis has a good feel for floor spacing. He moves into open space well off the ball, comes off of screens well for his midrange shot, is excellent at using rubs and curl screens to get in the paint, and is a respectable pick and roll player. He also excels as a finisher on the fast break, using his straight line speed to get out wide and make himself available for the pass early. He has a real knack for leaking out ahead of his defender on the break during change of possessions.
As a shooter, Monta Ellis has solid footwork, squares up well, has a good release point with a relatively quick release. However, his mechanics tend to break down at times, resulting in a flatter than usual trajectory on his jump-shot. He is about as reliable as you can get from 15-20 feet out with his feet set and his legs under him, but hasn’t proven to be an efficient shooter from 21-feet out.
When he tries to pick and choose his opportunities, he’s a tremendous asset to the team. When he gets in Allen Iverson mode, I think he’s a hindrance to winning.
The best thing about Monta Ellis is he’s impossible to defend. You can’t game-plan for the speed that he possesses. The Warriors should never go for long scoring droughts with him on the floor. Couple his knack for scoring with his ability to do it efficiently and he becomes very valuable to a team.
Defensively, Monta Ellis struggles in man-to-man situations due to poor fundamentals, but has the athleticism and instincts to at times stay in front of his man on his initial move. His biggest strength defensively is his ability to play the passing lanes. He has also shown that he is willing to step up and take on the opposing team’s best perimeter player with varied results.
Monta Ellis is the uniquely talented, much maligned player all Warriors fans have a soft spot for. There are very few players better suited to play the off the ball scorer’s role as well as Monta, but far too frequently he relies on his own ability to the detriment of his teammates. A controlled, team-oriented Monta Ellis would be one of the most feared offensive players in the NBA.
When his head is in the game and he’s on board with doing his best to play team basketball, he’s a bright spot for the W’s.
Best Case: Monta Ellis
Worst Case: Monta Ellis
(Thanks – Internally Developed Suck, gswfan4ever, gsfanatic1, san ramon warrior)
Part of a new series we present community generated scouting reports for each of the Golden State Warriors players. They will be updated throughout the season as we see more of a players development.
Strengths: David Lee is a great rebounder. Relentless hustle, go after the loose balls. Excellent passer for a big man. High BBIQ and crafty. Team Player. Athletic. good ball handling. Nice Medium range jumper. Still relatively young and can improve.
Weaknesses: Mediocre defense. Not a traditional PF where you can feed him the ball in the low post and expect him to score by himself. Currently somewhat overpaid.
Overall: A nice new piece for the Warriors, who hasn’t had an all-star big man since Chris Webber. David Lee will help in the areas of rebounding, ball movement on offense, and just the overall team BBIQ and hustle. Should form a very nice pick and roll duo with Stephen Curry in half court sets, while throwing enough outlet passes to Monta Ellis to keep the team a serious fast break threat. He won’t improve the team much defensively, but you have to think he can’t be worse than Tolliver or Corey Maggette at PF.
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