A perennial lottery team with a roster full of young players and a GM under constant scrutiny by both the media and a frustrated fan base.  No; I am not talking about Chris Mullin and the Golden State Warriors, although the similarities are staggering, I am talking about The Atlanta Hawks and their embattled General Manager Billy Knight.  Although his approach was a bit different than Mullin's has been in Oakland, Knight has been constantly second guessed about his decision making process and his plan for success during his tenure as the Hawks GM.  Knight has been on the job a year longer than Mullin, and he has far more prior experience as an NBA executive, but the two men seem to share a common philosophy about how to build a championship team. 

Both Knight and Mullin were greatly influenced by their association with the Indiana Pacers organization in the late 90's.  With a roster featuring Mullin, Reggie Miller, Derrick McKey, Jalen Rose, Rick Smits, Dale Davis, Austin Croshere, Al Harrington, Sam Perkins, Travis Best and Mark Jackson The Pacers won three straight division championships and eventually reached The NBA finals in 2000 under head coach Larry Bird with Knight serving as an executive in the Basketball Operations department under GM Donnie Walsh.  Both men share a desire to put together a deep roster of versatile players capable of playing multiple positions with interchangeable roles.  Both teams have head coaches with unwavering support from management despite no prior experience running a team and no tangible on-court results.  Both men have not yet been able to show any progress in terms of wins and losses and both have failed to communicate a clear vision to the media or the fans of what their plans to turn things around might be.   Instead, they employ a tight lipped “wait and see” approach to dealing with public relations.  The moves they make sometimes contradict what appears to be obvious in terms of team needs or best available talent, yet both men are steadfast in their resolve and almost stubborn in sticking with a plan even when greater opportunities appear to present themselves.  Unfortunately, they are the only ones who know what that plan is.     

Knight is entering his fourth season as Master and Commander of the Hawks after a brief one year stint as an assistant to Pete Babcock.   Unlike Mullin, Knight burst on the scene with guns blazing and went into a complete rebuilding mode in Atlanta.  His plan of gaining financial flexibility while building a core of young talented players through the draft seemed to be working up until recently when he made some critical errors in judgment.   Even though everybody inside and outside of the organization knew how badly the team needed a Point Guard to compliment the core of versatile and skilled young wing players already on the roster, Knight elected to pass on Chris Paul and Derron Williams in the 2005 draft in favor of yet another versatile forward, North Carolina's Marvin Williams.  In the short term, this was a PR disaster as Paul went on to win rookie of the year honors and guide the young Hornets out of obscurity and nearly into the playoffs in his first season.  Knight saw the writing on the wall and quickly went into self preservation mode.  He knew that if Marvin Williams did not become an elite forward in the league within the next two years that his decision to pass on Paul would cost him his job and his reputation.   

As the 2006 draft approached it became apparent that Knight had ditched his philosophy of taking the best available talent and instead decided that now was the time to address the need for interior defense and a true power forward/center to patrol the paint in Atlanta.  News leaked out that Knight had an agreement already in place to select Duke Power Forward Shelden Williams with the fifth pick.  This move made no sense on several levels. If you Consider the fact that Williams was not even expected to be drafted until several spots later and the possibility of more talented players like Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay and Randy Foye all being available, why on earth would you lock yourself into selecting Williams several weeks before the draft?   Nobody can answer this question other than Knight, and he will not admit to anything.  He denies that any deal was made, but the fact remains he passed on all those other players to select Williams with the fifth pick.  Perhaps if he didn't promise Shelden, he could have kept his intentions a secret and worked out a deal with one of the many teams trying to move up and acquire Roy or Gay on draft day?  At the end of the day it’s tough to look the fans in the eye and say…”yeah, we could have had a backcourt of Chris Paul, Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson with Josh Childress, Josh Smith and Al Harrington, but I felt we would be better in the long run with Marvin and Shelden Williams”.  Not even Knight can make that statement with a straight face. 

As the 2006 season approached for the Warriors, Mullin didn’t have the luxury of passing on any of the top talent in the draft and in the end, he determined that Ronnie Brewer or Rodney Carney were not talented enough to pass on the possible upside of young Center Patrick O’bryant from Bradley University.  The biggest need for the roster was a long athletic frontcourt player capable of running with Baron Davis and Jason Richardson. Mullin set his sights on former teammate and Atlanta Hawk free agent Al Harrington.  Ironically the paths of all these former Pacers would converge in a bizarre but predictable love triangle between the two executives and their former boss and mentor Donnie Walsh.   

 Harrington, a member of that Eastern Conference Championship Pacers team, is beloved by all of the parties involved.  Mullin feels that the young Warriors could be one or two key pieces away from gelling together for an extended playoff run and Harrington would fit perfectly with the pieces that he already has in place.  Walsh wanted Harrington so badly that he negotiated with the Hornets to receive a sizeable trade exception in the Peja Stojakovic deal in order to have an asset in which the Hawks would be interested in so they could acquire Harrington in a sign and trade.  Knight really doesn't care where Al ends up since he has already decided that he isn't a luxury item the Hawks can afford at this time, Not to mention that his departure will ensure more playing time for Marvin Williams and hopefully allow him to develop to the point where it can take some of the heat off of Knight for passing on Paul.  

Knight has rebuffed the Warriors offers due to a court order stating the Hawks can't take back any players with longer than four years remaining on their contracts and the Warriors have been unable to find a third team to involve in the process.  Walsh, who thought he had a deal in place a week ago to acquire Harrington before the Hawks upped the ante at the last moment, has now resigned himself to looking at other options after Harrington fired his agent and the parties appear to be back at square one after negotiations completely broke down.  The unstable ownership situation in Atlanta and the constant shifting of priorities by team executives appears to be preventing the Hawks from making any progress…Sound Familiar?

The 2002-2003 Golden State Warriors under first year coach Eric Musselman improved their record from the previous season by 17 wins with essentially the same roster. 

How did they do it? 

The significant off-season roster changes from the previous season were allowing Larry Hughes to leave as a free agent, drafting Mike Dunleavy (#3 in the first round), acquiring the rights to Jiri Welsch (#16 in the first round) for a future pick and drafting Steve Logan (#30 pick in the second round).

The loss of Hughes and an injury to Bob Sura opened the door for Gilbert Arenas to emerge as the teams starting Point Guard.  Antawn Jamison was 13th in the league in scoring at 22.4 ppg.  Troy Murphy emerged as a double-double machine averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds per night on 45% shooting.  Jason Richardson gave Warrior fans a huge thrill by winning the slam dunk contest during All-Star weekend.  Even the center tandem affectionately dubbed Adonal-Dampier by team announcer Bob Fitzgerald became a formidable force in the middle and the Warriors led the league in rebounding for the third straight season. 

Probably the biggest boost to the team came in late November when free agent guard Earl Boykins joined the team and became an impact player off the bench for the remainder of the season.  So with this kind of internal development and such a huge step forward just three short seasons ago how is it that we find ourselves in our current state? 

Let’s take a look at the debacle that was the 2003 off-season.

Due to being over the salary cap and a loophole in his contract, the Warriors were unable to match the Wizards offer for free agent guard Gilbert Arenas.  Due to Gilbert’s uneasiness with the unstable nature of the front office, he decided to take the money and run.  I truly believe Gilbert when he say’s that if we had a more trustworthy owner or a more stable management team in place, that he would have given us the benefit of the doubt and signed a one year deal.  I can’t blame him for feeling the way he did considering that the man who drafted him was on his way out and an internal power struggle was going on between head coach Eric Musselman and Special Assistant Chris Mullin. 

To make matters worse, none of these three men were even involved in the negotiations and instead young executive Robert Rowell was given the task of saving the organization.  Gilbert was not impressed by Rowell’s argument and was put off by the way owner Chris Cohan reportedly sat in the corner and wouldn’t give him any indication that if he passed up this financial opportunity he would be rewarded for his loyalty down the road.  Of course they couldn’t break the rules to get him to stay, but I don’t see the harm of looking a man in the eye and telling him that he would not regret his decision if he decided to sign a one year deal.  

Once Gilbert left it was the beginning of the end. 

In typical Warrior fashion, the team overreacted to the unfortunate turn of events and vowed to clear payroll so they would not end up in this situation again.  They then proceed to trade away leading scorer Antawn Jamison, wing players, Jiri Welsch, Chris Mills and disgruntled forward Danny Fortson to the Mavericks for Damaged and over the hill players Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, Popeye Jones and Even Eschmeyer.  They added veteran free agent Cliff Robinson in a trade for Bob Sura, and Calbert Cheaney was added to the roster for more veteran stability.   Then they used their mid level exemption to pick up PG Speedy Claxton to replace Gilbert as the starting Point Guard.  They drafted swingman Mickael Pietrus from France with the 11th pick in the draft and picked up PG Derrick Zimmerman in the second round.

The bottom line is after finally having a breakthrough season they lost their two best players and replaced them with Speedy Claxton, Nick Van Exel and Cliff Robinson.  As expected, both Robinson and Van Exel were way too old and injury prone to contribute anything of substance and Speedy, although a nice player is not in the same universe as Gilbert Arenas in terms of ability. 

Part of the reason they traded away Jamison was to open the door for #3 pick in the prior draft Mike Dunleavy.  Mike was underutilized by coach Musselman in his rookie season, but special assistant Chris Mullin was able to convince management to give him another opportunity.  Another surprise addition to the roster was undrafted rookie Brian Cardinal from Perdue who came out of nowhere to be one of the most valuable Warrior players during the season. 

Amazingly the warriors were able to put up a record of 37-45 just one game under where they finished the prior season despite the overwhelmingly inferior roster.  But in a surprising move, the front office instead of backing the coach who had changed the losing culture and brought the team back to respectability in the western conference decided to criticize him for not improving on the team’s record and team president Robert Rowell blasted him publicly for underachieving.  The writing was on the wall, Chris Mullin had won the power struggle and was on his way to becoming the new decision maker for the organization.  Gary St. Jean and more importantly Musselman were on the way out. 

In April of 2004 the Chris Mullin era officially began in Oakland. 

His first order of business was to relieve coach Musselman of his duties.  Obviously the two men did not see eye to eye on personnel decisions and Mullin did not take kindly to his ex coach’s lack of respect for Mullin’s prize pupil Mike Dunleavy Jr.  Mullin then appointed ex Stanford University head coach Mike Montgomery to the head post vacated by Musselman.  Montgomery was a man that he felt would be able to patiently develop the young talent on the roster and grow into a winning NBA coach.

Once the coach was in place, it was time to shape the roster. 

Mullin’s first chance to run a draft war room was pretty uneventful.  He had targeted a young F/C from Latvia and he was available when they drafted at #11 so they took a chance on Andris Biedrins.  Andris was the equivalent of a High Schooler in terms of experience and age and Mullin showed that he wasn’t in a hurry to turn things around, so far so good.  Then things got curious.  Mullin, expecting to lose free agent Erick Dampier panics and signs backup Center Adonal Foyle to a huge contract extension.  He then follows the Adonal head scratcher up with an even more curious signing of veteran combo guard Derek Fisher.  Meanwhile he let Brian Cardinal sign with Memphis, losing the team’s most inspirational player for the second straight year (Boykins).  He then got back on point for a minute by dealing Nick Van Exel to the Blazers for some expiring contracts Dale Davis and Dan Dickau.  He then re-signed Calbert Cheaney because of his influence in the locker room. 

It was then time to deal with Erick Dampier.

The Warriors and Mullin decided to do the big fella a solid and instead of just letting him walk away, they signed him to a massive seven year contract and traded him to the Dallas Mavericks along with Evan Eschmeyer, Dan Dickau, and Steve Logan for Eduardo Najera, Christian Laettner, Luis Flores, and Mladen Sekularac. The only thing of value that came out of this deal was a pair of future first round draft picks after they shipped Najera and Flores to Denver for expiring contracts and waived Laettner.  Sekularac is still in Europe and will most likely never play for the team.

In his final off-season move of year number one, Mullin lost a game of chicken with agent Dan Fegan and decided to lock up free agents Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy long term by extending the players rookie contracts for what he perceived as a discount.  Who knows what he might have had to pay to keep them if he allowed them to play out the season and become unrestricted free agents, but in locking them up he believed that they would both be productive and vital pieces of the team’s core going forward. 

Unfortunately when combined with the Fisher and Foyle signings, Mullin had undone all the progress that had been done in relation to the cap flexibility created by the Jamison trade and the Warriors were now relying exclusively on internal development to get them over the hump.

During a disappointing and frustrating season where first year coach Mike Montgomery was suffering big time growing pains in learning the NBA game, it appeared that Mullin had doomed the franchise to a decade of mediocrity with a group of underachieving average players locked up long term.  Then in February of 2005, Mullin was given a second chance.  A former All-Star point guard and potential franchise changing talent became available and he could be had for expiring contracts.  Mullin took a risk because Baron Davis had a big time contract and was more than questionable in terms of his health and commitment to winning.  The risk paid off and Baron re-energized the franchise and elevated the games of some of the role players that Mullin already had in place. 

The exciting 18-10 finish of the 04-05 Season left everybody in Warrior land thinking that they were finally over the hump.

The off-season was a smashing success from a marketing standpoint as the fans lined up to buy season tickets and the anticipation of a full season of Baron Ball was almost more than anybody could take.  Mullin, perhaps believing himself that the team was on the verge of a long playoff run decided to not make any significant changes to the roster.  He had another strong draft picking up forwards Ike Diogu (#9 first round) and Chris Taft (#42 second round) and high school combo guard Monta Ellis (#40 second round). 

Once again Mullin decided to lock up a restricted free agent in hopes of saving money on his contract before he explodes on the scene.  Mike Dunleavy was the latest recipient of an undeserved long term contract extension at the hands of Mullin and he proceeded to fall flat on his face having his worst season ever and killing any chance that the Warriors had of making the playoffs.  Baron was injured early and often and was unable to play up to the level he did at the conclusion of the previous season leading fans to wonder if he was truly a savior or yet another disappointment.  The team showed a commitment to team defense early on and was successful.

Just as quickly as it appeared, the winning disappeared and the finger pointing started. 

The locker room was clearly divided between Baron and Dunleavy and everybody seemed to be questioning Mike Montgomery.  2005-2006 was another huge step backward for the organization and it leaves everybody wondering just how close we are to respectability.  Are we a healthy season away from the eighth playoff spot, or are we just going to cycle right back into obscurity?  Judging by Mullin’s reluctance to make roster transactions would suggest that he still believes in the core group he has put together and he must think that the veterans are going to gel together and the youngsters are going to develop into future All-Stars.

Many thought this off-season would be the chance for Mullin to really start wheeling and dealing due to the abundant number of attractive assets he had on the roster and the uncertainty at the top of the draft.  Mullin instead surprised everybody and stood “Pat” selecting Bradley Center Patrick O’bryant with the 9th pick in the first round and Kosta Perovic in the second round curiously adding two more big men projects to a team already loaded with them and passing on plenty of NBA ready players like Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap.  

Can the Warriors have another 17 game turnaround solely on internal development this season? 

Perhaps the departure of veteran guard Derek Fisher can open up the door for second year guard Monta Ellis to make an Arenas like contribution to this year’s squad.  Much like Dunleavy, Welsch and Logan back in 2002 this years draft crop of Patrick O’bryant, and Kosta Perovic will not make an impact on the team, but the sophomores Diogu, Taft and Ellis could potentially make a big contribution like Murphy, Arenas and Richardson did back then?  Maybe this is the year that Pietrus Biedrins or Dunleavy will reach maturity and Mike Montgomery will figure out the intricacies of the NBA game?  Maybe, Just maybe…

Chris Mullin took a big risk by coming back to the West Coast and agreeing to take over Basketball Operations for the Golden State Warriors. 

I give him credit for having good intentions and he will always be one of the all-time good guys in bay area sports history.  Mullin inherited a franchise in disarray and I am not sure he has done enough in his first three seasons to turn things around for our beloved Warriors.  I think at this point we are stuck hoping for lightning to strike twice and allow another Baron Davis type player to land in our laps, otherwise we will just be waiting around for internal development.

What's better than signing an undersized power forward, or not terribly mobile small forward to a long term high dollar contract?  Not doing it.

Al Harrington was not going to be the franchise savior, so unless it is a salary dumping exercise, entirely possible, he wasn't going to be the missing piece of the Warriors puzzle in 06-07.   His added toughness would have been nice to see,  there has to be something to him leading the league in flagrant and personal fouls last year, the only 2 stats he made the top 10 in.  As we covered before, Troy was in the top 10 in offensive and total rebounds.  Doesn't mean I like him as a player...  That toughness doesn't translate into good defense.  We would give up a poor defensive power forward in return for a tough, but slow and not terribly adept Small Forward.  Thus moving all of our offensive firepower to the 1,2,3 spots.  The Warriors would certainly run the floor and score better, but would probably continue to be among the league leaders in points against.

Harrington certainly has some talent, and he is a playmaker.   He also attempted less 3 pointes than Murphy which is a real head scratcher.  As a small forward he spent more time around the basket than Troy did.  Al is also not a great free throw shooter at under 70%, and his rebounding stats are about the same as Troy's with Al averaging around 2 offensive rebounds per game.  His assist to turnover ratio is close t 1-1 and he doesn't block many shots. 

Using the dreaded +/- that is so controversial. Harrington is far worse than Troy Murphy.  This is a bit of a misleading comparison since  the Hawks were so much worse.  On the other hand, they played similar minutes, were starters, and if you take into account the difference in records, they are probably very close in what they offer on offense/defense differential.

 In one of his playoff appearances with  Indiana he faded averaging only 3 points and under 4 rebounds in 17 minutes after going nearly 14 and 7 during the regular season. Coming off the ACL injury he suffered the fate of many players after their first serious injury. More jump shots, less defense.  Factor in the Warriors track record of taking inside players and softening them to the point where they never step into the paint, expect more transition baskets, and more jump shots n the half court game.

Harrington sounds good compared to what we have today, but he would not be that much of difference maker on the Warriors.  The Warriors need a strong athletic inside post player, with good hands, who can pass out of the double team, and score on the block.  There was a point in time where Harrington was, or could have been that player, but the time isn't now, and the team isn't the Warriors. 

Harrington From 82games                                    Murphy From 82games  

Data from  Dougstats.com and 82games.com were used in this piece.

Toshiba NBA Vegas Summer League Notable Players

Cleveland Cavaliers

Ø      Shannon Brown: good sized combo guard with sufficient PG skills.  Extremely strong and well built.  An amazing athlete with the ability to penetrate and finish in traffic or pull up and hit a three pointer.

Ø      Daniel Gibson:  A nice point guard prospect that controls the offense and plays with poise beyond his experience level.  His scoring was better than expected and he knows how to play the Point Guard position.  He definitely played well enough to earn a roster spot with the Cavs this season.

Ø      Martynas Andriuskevicius:  He has developed quite a bit in one year and appears to have gotten more of a handle on the NBA game.  I almost couldn’t believe the physical difference in his body from last summer, as he looks much more like a human than a Muppet.

Dallas Mavericks

Ø      Maurice Ager: slightly undersized two guard with athletic ability and a nice outside shot.  Not a great ball handler, but he does a lot of things well.

Ø      Pops Mensah-Bonsu:  A terrific athlete who hustles and works very hard every minute he is on the floor.  He is undersized as a power forward and doesn’t have the skills to play the three, but he can affect the game with his energy.

Denver Nuggets

Ø      Kelenna Azubuike:  Seems to be recovering from his poor decision to leave school early, but is only starting to scratch the surface of his potential after playing a year in the developmental league.  He had a nice camp and should get a training camp invitation from some NBA team. 

Ø      Yakhouba Diawara:  Could be a surprise sleeper pick out of Pepperdine.  A nice sized prospect for the small forward position.  Another French player with the ability to play the complete game.  He is a gifted scorer and defender.

Ø      John Gilchrist:  A good sized point guard with a lot of ability and a questionable work ethic.  He is strong and definitely has an NBA body.  He makes pretty good decisions with the ball and is a gifted scorer and average defender.  Could be a good backup in the league if he can maintain his focus.

Ø      Casey Jacobsen:  He is a journeyman type of NBA off guard.  Not athletic enough to really guard anybody at his position, but a gifted offensive player with no conscience in terms of launching shots from any spot on the floor.  Basically a one dimensional player with the ability to shoot and score, but if you are in need of a shooting specialist, you could do worse than Casey.

Detroit Pistons

Ø      Jason Maxiell:  An undersized but physically intimidating low post presence, an absolute beast finishing in the painted area and owns the offensive and defensive glass.  Should be able to step right into Ben Wallace’s shoes and provide toughness, rebounding and interior scoring for the Pistons.

Ø      Cheikh Samb:  A very intriguing prospect from Senegal.  A very long, lean and wiry frame.  Almost looks like a shorter version of Manute Bol, but he is deceptively strong and has very fluid movements and a soft mid range jump shot.  He is one of the best shot blockers I have seen at this camp with great timing and natural shot blocking instincts.

Ø      Alex Acker:  A second year player drafted in the second round last year from Pepperdine.  Acker is a 6’5 shooting guard with a high Basketball IQ and good feel for the game.  He can score in a variety of ways and is a good defender.  He is a good enough ball handler to play the PG.  Similar player to Brandon Roy.

Ø      Amir Johnson:  Tall slender and wiry body similar to Samb, but without the soft touch or the shot blocking ability.  Better overall basketball skills and a ferocious finisher around the rim as he pretty much tries to rip the basket down every time he goes up.  He is young and inexperienced, but has a lot of upside potential.  If he can get stronger and play a little smarter within the flow of the game he could be a force in the league in a few years.

Golden State Warriors

Ø      Patrick O’bryant:  Big and athletic back to the basket center with good hands and nice offensive touch around the rim.  A finesse player that doesn’t like to mix it up or dunk the ball.  He will need to get stronger and develop a mean streak in order to succeed at the next level.

Ø      Steven Smith:  A college power forward making the transition to three at the NBA level appears to have the skills to make an NBA roster due to his ability to put the ball in the basket and play tough defense.  He is a smart player and does the little things that it takes to be successful at the next level.

Ø      Jose Juan Barea:  JJ is a very talented and pure point guard with the ability to make his teammates better and get everybody involved in the offense.  The ball moves very well when he is in the game and he is a crafty player that uses his quickness and hustle to beat his opponent.  The only two things that will hold him back from being able to transition into the NBA are his lack of size and ability to guard bigger Point Guards and his inconsistent outside shot.

Ø      Curtis Stinson:  A tough nosed point guard that really defends the position well.  He is good size for a point and strong enough to finish with contact and hold his position in the NBA.  He plays within the framework of the offense and doesn’t force shots.  His outside shooting is streaky, but he has a scorer’s mentality and can put up points by getting into the lane and finishing with a variety of offensive moves.  He is a very confident and determined player that will not back down from a challenge.

Ø      Mo Charlo:  An extremely active and aggressive player on the defensive end of the floor.  His performance against the Clippers Shaun Livingston appears to have earned him an invite to Warriors training camp as they think he has the potential to be a lock down type of defensive presence.  He needs to get stronger and more consistent on the offensive end and really work on his outside shooting touch.

Los Angeles Clippers

Ø      Daniel Ewing:  A very good second year player from Duke University.  Has adapted to the Point Guard position much quicker than expected and is one of the most consistent scorers, passers and defenders in this camp.

Ø      Shaun Livingston:  Unbelievable basketball skills, a 6’7 point guard with the ability to play three positions.  Tremendous ball handler and passer and has a nice outside shot out to three point range.  His only weakness is he is a bit fragile and has been hurt quite a bit for such a young player.

Ø      James Singleton:  A very talented scorer and rebounder from the small forward position.  Perfect size and strength to guard the position.  Smart player and a leader on the floor.  Plays within his abilities and has improved every year.

Ø      Yari Korolev:  Long and athletic small forward with unbelievable basketball skills.  He is able to dribble like a point guard and set up teammates as well as slash to the basket and score on his own.  Not as good of a shooter as some of his European counterparts, but his shot has improved.  Needs to work on his strength and confidence, but he is a very nice prospect.

Ø      Boniface Ndong:  I am starting to think Senegal is a Center factory for the NBA…Another very talented and well put together big man project with the ability to catch it, finish in the painted area and defend the rim.  He doesn’t block as many shots as his counterparts but he has a fuller frame and takes up a lot of space in the lane.  Seems like he is still learning the game, but the raw skills are there for him to help a team like the clippers as a backup Center.

Minesota Timberwolves

Ø      Randy Foye:  The leading scorer in the TVSL and by far the most dynamic and highly skilled basketball player to come out of the 2006 NBA draft.  Foye is a dynamic scoring point/combo guard who can put the ball on the floor, slash to the basket or pull up for a jump shot.  He has tremendous lift on his jumper and can stop on a dime.  He sees the whole floor and has great anticipation.  He is already strong enough to finish at the rim with contact and will lead all rookies in 3 point plays.  Doesn’t force his shots, but rather plays within the framework of the game and waits for the right opportunity to strike.  He can change gears like D. Wade and is like a coach on the floor with his ability to direct traffic and set up teammates.  Easily my pick for Rookie of the Year in the NBA.

Ø      Bracey Wright:  An undersized shooting guard with a good ability to score the ball.  Can put up points in bunches and has a variety of ways to hurt you on the offensive end.  He is too small to play shooting guard in the NBA and doesn’t have the handles or defensive ability to play Point Guard.  He needs to work on his shot selection and ball handling to make it at the next level.

Ø      JP Batista:  A big strong man with a calm demeanor.  He kind of reminds me of Felton Spencer in terms of his on court demeanor, although Felton was a more imposing figure.  Batista can be a very good rebounder at the next level because of his size and strength and he seems to be a smart player with good fundamentals.

New Orleans Hornets

Ø      Hilton Armstrong:  May be the steal of the draft in terms of big man talent.  We already knew he could rebound and block shots, but his offensive game is much more polished than I was lead to believe.  He has very nice touch around the basket and even has a decent mid range game.  He is a complete package in terms of NBA ready big man and should compliment Tyson Chandler well in New Orleans/OKC.

Ø      Cedric Simmons:  Good size for a Power Forward and has a lot of tools to work with.  He is raw in terms of his offensive game however he is a smooth athlete with a big wingspan.  He has good footwork and soft hands and appears to be further along that I expected in terms of development.  Looks a little confused and timid on the court, but that is pretty common with young big men prospects.

Phoenix Suns

Ø     Amare Stoudemire:  Needs to develop physically, he doesn’t appear to have the size or strength to compete at the next level.  I would love to see this guy try to match up with a physical player like Paul Shirley.  Thank god the Warriors took Mike Dunleavy Jr.  Over this bust! 

Sacramento Kings

Ø     Louis Amundson:  Local Boy Makes Good!  The UNLV Rebel product was extremely active and tough on the glass.  He plays hard nosed defense, gives up his body for loose balls and hustles every minute he is on the court.  He showed enough for the Maloof’s to sign him to a guaranteed contract.

Ø     Francisco Garcia:  Garcia pretty much dominated the Summer League averaging 22.8 points per game and has established himself as a legitimate perimeter scorer in the NBA.  He is very confident and simply makes shots.  Kind of a poor mans Reggie Miller.

Ø     Ron Artest:  An undersized power forward that won’t be able to make the transition to small forward.  Terrible defender, but at least you won’t have to worry about off-court problems with this prospect as he seems like a model citizen.

Ø     Quincy Douby:  I heard his Jersey’s are a big time seller already in Humboldt County and the folks in nearby Chico California are really loving Douby already.  But seriously, he is a good scorer and a good sized NBA combo guard.  His ball handling skills and playmaking ability aren’t quite as good as advertised which could hurt him because the Kings are kind of stocked with good young two guards.

  Toronto Raptors

Ø     Andrea Bargnani:  The Italian big man is a very good prospect.  Is he worthy of the number one pick in the draft…Probably not, but he has the potential to develop into a very special player due to his size and skill.  He is an excellent outside shooter and has a good feel for the game.  He seems to have a similar skill set to Zarko Cabarkapa, but the difference is that he has refined his skills and has the confidence to utilize those skills at the next level.  I don’t see him being as good as Dirk and he has a different game than Gasol, but he will be a good player.

Ø     Kris Humphries:  Humphries is a big athletic power forward with tremendous rebounding skills.  He can be an effective pick and pop four with the ability to use his superior athletic ability and strength to get to the free throw line.  He is a bit of a coaster and doesn’t appear to have the killer instinct, but the raw material is there for him to be a good player in the league.

  Washington Wizards

Ø     Andray Blatche:  This is one gifted young man.  He reminds me of a young Chris Webber, but has even better size.  He is a nearly 7 footer with the ability to put it on the floor, create for teammates and score in a variety of ways.  He is definitely a face up big man that probably relies on his perimeter abilities too much, but he is highly skilled enough to be effective in this manner.  You hate to compare him to Garnett, but that is what his game is probably closest too.  If he would have gone to College for one year, he probably would have been the first pick in the draft.

Ø     Oleksiy Pecherov:  A typical European seven footer with a nice outside shot and good offensive repertoire.  No back to the basket game to speak of, but he has good size and is not clumsy.  He has a lot of basketball skills and appears to be more mature in terms of his physical development than some of the other European prospects that have come out in previous years.

  Portland Trailblazers

Ø     LaMarcus Aldridge:  Even though he didn’t do that much in terms of production here in Vegas, you can definitely see the upside potential with this young man.  He is very long and athletic and has the type of size and skill that all NBA teams covet.  That being said, he was pretty disappointing in terms of where he was selected in the draft and I would have some concerns about his competitiveness at the next level.  He can certainly block shots and finish in the paint, but it seems like he might want to be a Kevin Garnett type of face up big man and I don’t believe he is skilled enough to be successful if that is the direction he decides to go with his development.

Ø     Brandon Roy:  The second best player in Vegas and a can’t miss prospect.  Roy is a big guard that can handle it and make decisions like a Point Guard.  He has a variety of offensive moves and can finish at the rim.  He is a good outside shooter and works hard on defense.  The game comes very easy to him and he doesn’t have to score to be effective.  While it’s true that he doesn’t really jump out at you in terms of being a superstar type player, he does so many things well, that he would be the perfect compliment to a superstar player.

Ø     Martell Webster:  Martell is going to be a very good offensive player in the league.  He is a very young man with a fully developed NBA body.  He has improved his ball handling in year two and appears to have more confidence taking the ball to the basket and finishing.  His perimeter skills are above average and he is a tough guard due to his size and strength.  He needs to work on his defense, but he has the potential to be a superstar if he continues to develop.

Ø     Joel Freeland:  This is a very young and inexperienced kid, but he kind of makes you take notice with some of the incredible raw ability that he possesses.  Almost like a young Tom Chambers with his leaping ability and he runs the floor like a guard.  He can shoot and block shots and seems like a smart young man.  Lot’s of upside here in this prospect. 

  Boston Celtics

Ø     Ryan Gomes:  Bruising small forward that combines toughness and intensity with developed basketball skills.  He has made the transition to the NBA game and appears to be poised to have a breakout year.  He was the fifth leading scorer at the TVSL averaging just under 20 points per game.

Ø     Gerald Green:  Green is progressing much quicker than anybody could have anticipated and it now appears that the T-Mac comparisons might not have been too far off-base.  Still has a long way to go to become a complete basketball player, but his offensive arsenal and athletic ability is jaw-dropping. 

Ø     Rajon Rondo:  Probably one of the most dominant players on the court in terms of controlling tempo, playing lock down defense and finishing difficult shots.  Rondo is one of the better defensive Point Guards I have ever witnessed live and his offense is way better than advertised.  I rank him as the third best prospect to come out of this years draft (that played in vegas).

Ø     Allan Ray:  Looks like another Danny Ainge sleeper.  He is undersized for the NBA shooting guard position, but he is a deadly shooter with great range and has better than advertised handles and a knack for getting to the foul line.  He seems to have the skill and desire to develop into a quality NBA combo guard.

  Houston Rockets

Ø     John Lucas:  Probably had the best individual performance of any player in the camp averaging 23.4 points and 7.4 assists per game.  John has earned multiple guaranteed contract offers based on his summer league play.  The living example of the importance of Summer League, Lucas has honed his skills over two summer appearances and has turned into a highly skilled playmaker with the potential to really make it big at the next level.

Ø     Steve Novak:  Simply a good basketball player with an outstanding outside shot.  He is not flashy, but he is effective at coming off screens and knocking down jumpers.  He seems to have some craftiness and can earn trips to the free throw line by effective use of the triple threat position.  Similar prospect to Troy Murphy, but he is a better shooter and doesn’t have the rebounding ability that Troy has. 

Ø     Matt Haryasz:  The Stanford product is a pretty skilled player for his size and if he can gain some strength to defend his position in the NBA, he could potentially be a nice pick and pop big man down the line.

  New York Knicks

Ø     David Lee:  Lee has continued to progress as a basketball player.  He has added some bulk to his frame without sacrificing his extreme hustle and desire.  He is an asset to any organization with his combination of basketball skill and athleticism.  He does all the little things that you look for in a role player coming off the bench.

Ø     Nate Robinson:  Nate was not as dominant as he was last year, but still managed to put up some big scoring games.  He appeared to be working on some specific things and trying to get his teammates involved more than he has in the past.  In a sense he was exposed a little bit as a one dimensional player, but he certainly is a dynamic enough offensive player to be a huge threat coming off the bench.

Ø     Channing Frye:  Had a pretty up and down Summer League and was not as impressive as he was last year; however he also didn’t have as much to prove.  He doesn’t appear to have made great strides physically and seems to be relying on his mid range game too much (Joe Smith?).  I would be a little nervous about him if I was a Knick fan, but he is still a very skilled big man that can score and block shots.

Ø     Renaldo Balkman:  As advertised, he affects the game in other ways than scoring the basketball.  A gifted rebounder who hustles for lose balls and plays hard nosed defense.  Pretty similar prospect to Ron Artest without the offensive scoring punch.  Will pick up a lot of garbage points and hustle plays for his team at the next level.

  Summer League Disappointments

• Sasha Pavlovic-Cavs
• Rick Rickert-Pistons
• Will Bynum-Warriors
• Paul Davis – Clippers
• Kirk Snyder-Hornets
• Taj Grey-Kings
• Joey Graham-Raptors
• P.J. Tucker-Raptors
• Donnell Taylor-Wizards
• Sean Dockery-Blazers
• Travis Outlaw-Blazers
• Al Jefferson-Celtics
• Leon Powe-Celtics
• Sebastian Telfair-Celtics
• Mardy Collins-Knicks
• Kenny Akedele-Knicks

 Posters constantly break down the woes of the team and its players on a daily basis. It is a good idea on occasion to go outside of our little corner of hell, to compare our players to other teams. How bad is bad?

How bad is Troy Murphy and does he have to go?

Looking at 82games.com  and dougstats.com  I try to shed some light on our starting power forward.

Don’t get me wrong, I sincerely hope that O’bryant has the drive and desire to become a top Center in the league. If he doesn’t have that inner desire to compete there is a very good chance he could end up like former number one pick Michael Olowakandi. Fortunately for the Warriors even Olowakandi would be an upgrade over Adonal Foyle. Unfortunately, they had to pass up two legitimate NBA players in order to gamble on the upside that O’bryant offers. Marcus Williams is a future NBA assist leader and potential All-Star Point Guard. He is easily the best passer and pure Point Guard in this draft and is a proven winner. Ronnie Brewer is the son of a former NBA player and is one of the top athletes in the draft. At 6’7 this multitalented player can run the offense and guard three positions. He is a more athletic and skilled version of Mike Dunleavy and would have been the perfect compliment to Monta Ellis for years to come in the Warriors backcourt.

I guess the biggest disappointment is the status quo that still exists in Warrior land. Just once I want us to be the pro-active team that pulls off a blockbuster trade or two and reshapes a miserable hopeless situation. I can’t help but look at Memphis and wonder what it is about Jerry West that allows him to so easily transform a mid first round selection and Shane Battier into Rudy Gay, Stromile Swift, Kyle Lowry and Alex Johnson. Does he have magic powers? Portland got unlucky on lottery day but made everything ok by being pro-active and having a plan on draft day. Portland took lemons and made lemonade to the tune of Lamarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Sergio Rodriguez and Joel Freeland.

Hopefully this little rant is premature and Mullin will make me eat my words in early July when he transforms the roster by making some major trades, but based on the track record of this organization I am not holding out much hope that they can actually get anything significant done. I am still puzzled by Mullins belief in the young core and his unwavering allegiance to Mike Montgomery. Without a major roster shakeup that brings in another superstar to pair with Baron I just don’t share his vision for this current group of people. I will have a better indication of what O’bryant can do after I get a chance to scout him first hand in Las Vegas next week where he will presumably start at Center for the Warriors Summer League team. Hopefully after next week I will feel differently about the future of the franchise, but I have been waiting 12 years and my patience is pretty thin.