It's a Great Time....share out

Congratulations Warriors season ticket holders.  You lost your best player to the Clippers because management was unwilling to pay him 39 million over 3 years.  The future of the franchise after signing a 66 million dollar contract got in a scooter (motorcycle) accident and may never regain his world class speed and quickness.  Our beloved Warrior GM and former Warrior great doesn't have a contract past this year, and no extension talks are in the works.

Do not fear or doubt, the marketing geniuses in the front office have come up with a way to make up for all of the offseason disappointments, and reward loyal season ticket holders.

The Warriors have sold you out to a time share company.  Your special gift for being a season ticket holder is a $100 or $300 gift card and a free stay in exchange for sitting through a short, the length of an NBA game, presentation!!!! I am especially excited since I can't imagine not getting junk mail from Shell in the future since once a time share company has your mailing address, you're boned.

My second Media Day was a bit different from the first. Having done it before I had a better idea of what to expect and how the process would work, so I thought I'd also have a better plan worked out to get as many people as I could. It almost worked perfectly.

The first group consisted of Stephen Jackson, Marco Belinelli, DeMarcus Nelson, Dion Dowell and Rob Kurz. Obviously, Jackson was going to be the most popular one of that group among members of the media so I took advantage of it by getting everyone else done first. I'm sure I missed a few big questions for Jackson but I still think I got about ten minutes of stuff even after finishing with everyone else. The questions I asked the others were a little generic but from our perspective I think we want to know a little more about the rookies, invitees and younger players. The media's focus is on the bigger names first.

The second group consisted of Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph, Richard Hendrix and Anthony Morrow. This was the one group I messed up my timing of enough to miss out on Morrow entirely. It got started a couple minutes late and by the time I sat in on stuff for Turiaf and Randolph and did a quick interview with Hendrix, Morrow was already off to another area. It's a little too bad because I would have liked to ask him about his hot shooting in the summer league and things like that. I didn't get the chance to ask Turiaf or Randolph anything because of those four the media stuck around them for obvious reasons.

The third group featured Corey Maggette, Marcus Williams, C.J. Watson and Kelenna Azubuike. Again, Maggette and Williams ended up being the main focus, though Azubuike had a few people around him at all times as well. I did get to interview Watson.

Finally, we had Andris Biedrins, Al Harrington and Brandan Wright. There was no chance to ask them anything for a couple reasons. First, Harrington was finishing up some photos so everyone huddled around Biedrins and Wright. I got what I could from those tables then most of the people moved on to Harrington so I got whatever I was able to there as well.

In between, I snapped photos of players giving interviews, plus a few of them at various other stations. This isn't just a 30-minute interview for each player and they're gone. Around that they're doing promos for the radio, pictures that will be going into the magazines sold at the games, other TV spots for various commercials, plus some sign jerseys, basketballs and other items to be given away or auctioned off during the season. It really is organized chaos in that sense.

The mood of Media Day this year was considerably different than the first one I was at. That's not really a surprise considering the expectations last year's team had compared to the uncertainty of this year's roster along with Monta Ellis being on the shelf for who knows how long. In general, people just don't know what to expect from this team right now. Some things will be figured out during training camp and the preseason, but there's only so much you can learn before playing the games that count.

At one point someone asked Randolph a question about Ellis and he said he couldn't answer it. It could be because he's new, but he could have been told not to say anything. Others did talk about Ellis along the way when asked, but some of the answers really depended on the questions being asked.

In general there was the feeling that the team has the potential to do some good things and some people like Jackson have that mentality of "We want to win a championship" no matter what, but it could be a long process in seeing how this group fits together. Going into the season, only seven players were with the team last year (not counting Ellis) and just three had what you could consider a large role on the team (Jackson, Biedrins and Harrington). The other four (Watson, Azubuike, Wright and Belinelli) will be question marks in terms of what they'll be able to contribute this year. On top of that, only time will tell how people like Maggette, Turiaf and Williams fit in along with rookies like Randolph, Morrow and so on. With Ellis out, the team could be in for a rough start.

On behalf of Warriorsworld I think it's important to thank Raymond Ridder and the organization for allowing us to have a presence at Media Day, no matter how small the role is. The primary members of the media have jobs to do and the focus is properly on them first, but there are spots where someone from a blog or fansite can get a few questions in as well.

Got a bit of a surprise and a change from last year. I decided not to transcribe anything this time because it just took way too long before. I was working on it late into the night and I wanted to do something faster. Since I bought a digital voice recorder the other day that I can move files to the computer from, I can bring you all the audio so you can listen to whatever you want. Most of them are just from the group sessions but I did get a few one-on-one interviews. Some came out better than others but I'm pretty sure there are things I missed that I didn't think to ask.

The longest ones are from Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington and they've both got some good stuff. Corey Maggette's was pretty entertaining as well. Anthony Randolph's is in two parts mainly because I was going to go to another table but I changed my mind and had to start a new file. Many of these are joined "in progress" but the quality came out pretty well. All are in an mp3 format and when added up there's about 70 minutes of audio here.

 What is your biggest criticism of the  Warriors Organization?

sephKwon
Building a bad rep from 95-00, those 6 years were like the dark ages of GSW, bad decisions all around. It leads to not being able to sign good or decent FAs or even smart players who can have an impact. The legit FAs that get signed are only people who played alongside superstars and knew how to play off them.

Personally I don't care for tanking but I think tanking is the only way. Teams take those 1 or 2 totally forgotten years and then turn into up-and-coming greatness. Meanwhile, no one remembers the dark years.
That is the only path to a championship unless you're the Celtics or Lakers.

Thelonius Dunk
Really bad management, cheap and bad luck.  They may not be cheap compared to other teams, but considering we're one of the largest Basketball markets in the country and the fans come out in full force year after year, cheap as fucking hell.

Frank Rizzo
I like what Mullin is trying to do, which is build a young, athletic team. It seems like the motivation of ownership is money first, not win first. Even Mullin's attempts to win become more about Cohan driving up ticket prices and breaking whatever goodwill Mullin established, not winning. Winning builds the brand (i.e. Spurs, Lakers, Suns, Bulls, Pistons) that increases the value of the franchise, national exposure etc. I'd recommend ownership learn how to build a franchise by keeping his mouth shut, firing all his attorneys and just sitting back and listening to Bob Kraft, Jerry Buss, The Rooneys about what it takes to build a winning environment. Stop worrying about next quarter's revenue and learn the f*cking sports business Cohan.

Shamrock
Not hiring established basketball minds to run the roster never a hint of a Larry Brown, Jerry West, etc…

Twardzick, St. Jean, Mullin: all rookies, all allowed to make too many mistakes without repercussions.

It boils down to accountability and the expectance of excuses.

Flex Cornvana
Crappy ass stubbornness to not change the logo to The City logo.  That's the biggest no-brainer ever.  And yet, no action.

Gswfan4ever
It just seems to me that this team has always been content to be "barely relevant". They would make moves only when they are forced to(Baron bolting), so that they won't "suck too much" and can keep the fans coming. They almost never make MORE extra moves to push the team further into the playoffs, OR, tank a season to get us a high pick.
Case in point:
Mullin got us Nellie and Baron when things were extremely bleak around the bay, but when the team was on the verge of playoffs last season and the starters were gassed due to too much minutes, no helps came. We could have gotten someone like Ron Artest cheap or even Ruben Patterson; but instead, we went the money saving route and tried to get lucky with Chris Webber and failed.
It seems to me that it usually all comes down to money, that our #1 priority is "must keep the owner from paying luxury tax" at all cost, even if it means sacrificing a playoff berth.

Warrior Hype
Not tanking, rhe Warriors could of tanked the last 5+ seasons and build a team around a LeBron, Yao Ming, Amare, Dwight Howard, etc. Instead they fought for the last spot in the playoffs, only to fall late in the lottery each year. Sure the fans would feel depressed, but it is all about the results at the end of the day. If only they didn't overpay for mediocre/overrated players, then this franchise would have a totally different and brighter direction. Unfortunately it is probably too late to grab the greatest talent in the drafts and because Mullin is hoping to fight for the last spot in the Playoffs again, only to grab a late lottery pick and do the same thing all over again the following year.

Ktwo
Lack of an intelligent plan, it seems like the organization is happy to compete for the 8th seed every year. The front office was faced with a decision this summer: try to win now with Baron, or build for the future around the young core. The choice: neither.

By inking Maggette to a large deal, the brass locked in to the plan for mediocrity. There goes the cap space. There goes the high lottery pick (which would have followed a season of letting the young players develop). Back to the late lottery, a familiar place for this team in recent years.

Maggette is a good player but a terrible fit. That signing, to me, says Cohan & co. are more concerned with selling tickets than building a winning team. That's not a surprise, but it's still a disappointment. The Warriors won't see a dollar from me this season.

Mmp
Lack of clear direction by ownership, management in general.  Do they want a championship team or merely a competitive team? They talk of the former, but actions point to the latter. From gutting the team back in 1994, to drafting players like Foyle, Dunleavy, Fuller, to curious signings like Foyle, Dunleavy, Murphy and now - Maggette.

Throughout this team's history, management has repeatedly panicked. With the Baron, Jackson, Harrington trades I thought the team was turning over a new leaf. But the recent curious signing of Maggette only shows that the team has learned nothing. To a dedicated fan base, this shows lack of confidence, wisdom, foresight and hope.

Futureisnow08
My biggest problem with this organization doesnt have much to do with right now, but a few years back. Our biggest problem was our drafting. We were bad for so many years, and when teams are bad that is the beginning of their rebuilding. High draft picks are taken, and eventually after 3 or 4 years of being bad your high draft picks become good. The warriors however, for 12 years had high draft pick after high draft pick, and had nearly no good players to show for it.

If we could have cashed in on those draft picks all those years this team would be in a much different position even today. The team would not have been trapped in the years of suck, and consequently Free agents would like to come here.

Billy Hoyle
I think most fans would agree that this begins and ends with the management group, most specifically Chris Cohan. Ideally he would sell the team but it’s too much of a cash cow for him. The only way were going to get a whiff of a championship is by PURE LUCK... i.e. Last year.

Bring back Chris Washburn
Unfortunately, year after year it seems that the Warriors as an organization are content with putting together teams that are simply "competitive." Rather than continuing to tread water year after year, why not attempt to become contenders via trade or through top 5 lottery picks? I'm sure I'm not the only longtime Warrior fan who feels envious of teams that build contenders and reap the benefits, despite the inevitable rebuilding years that follow. I would much rather feel what it's like to be a diehard fan of an elite team for awhile and go through a few down years, rather than be a perennial mediocre NBA squad. My burning question for Warriors management has always been, "Why not ever go for the gusto?" Warrior fans deserve a team that can win now. The kind of team we've been waiting years for.

Peace
Horrible uniforms, colors and mascot.   They need to go back to wearing the Run TMC jerseys.  Even the city jerseys would be nice.  The Warriors regular uniform is disgusting. Also get a better mascot.

Warriors in 2010
By far and away this team was crushed by one man, Dave Twardzik. Picking Joe Smith at #1 over Garnett and Rasheed was just a killer followed by Todd Fuller over Kobe and many many other terrific players who were available in that draft.

Therefore, I would really like to keep some consistency with Mullin and Nellie but my one piece of strong input would be that Cohan/Rowell recommend to Mullin/co that the goal is to build a TITLE contender and not just a playoff contender and to approach every decision with that in mind. Cohan and Rowell should be aware that Warrior fans are so committed we can deal with having a crappy team if we have young prospects who have a lot of potential and have cap room for a couple years if we have a master plan to really build a contender. Don't WORRY about selling tickets, just build a contender. I think short term mgmt. thinking and/or any pressure from above to think that way is a huge detriment to everyone.

Build a contender, whatever it takes (and don't worry about a year or two where we suck, we're used to it).

Flashfire
They don't seem to know what direction they want to go in. They shed some bad players and contracts (Foyle, Fisher, Dunleavy, Murphy). For the most part, they're done paying for them.
Then they added some pretty good pieces and had a very solid group of players that made the playoffs and beat Dallas before falling to Utah in a series they were in more than some people give them credit for.
That offseason they had a chance to really improve the team and cement them as a force to be reckoned with. Instead, they traded Jason Richardson and while they got Brandan Wright out of it there are still a lot of questions about him. He's definitely a "future" guy instead of an immediate help, so they were without Richardson and although that gave Ellis more of a chance to step up there were times where Richardson was missed.

Baron Davis finally had a season where he avoided the injured list but it was clear he was worn down by the end of the year anyway. The team won more games than the year before but they never really looked like they were consistently better than that team that made the run they did.

In the end they missed out on the playoffs as much due to their own unexplainable, inconsistent play as the fact the Western Conference was just so good. Then what happened? Baron Davis left and the team was forced to scramble for some sort of fix. Whatever the reasons, they absolutely believed Davis would be back and the resulting aftermath showed me they had no contingency plan, no idea of what they'd do in case Davis did leave.

They made a few uninspiring moves to shore up a few spots but the fact of the matter is simple: this team looks very different from the one that got to the playoffs, and it's hard to say they're better off than they were before or will improve to the point where they're a routine visitor to the playoffs instead of a team that squeaks in once in a while.

Monta Ellis is out for a while. Anthony Randolph could be a very good player. Corey Maggette could be a solid contributor. Brandan Wright could develop further. Stephen Jackson could do any number of things. Get the point? There are too many questions to be answered and little to no sure things.
Lately, it's been tough for me to look at the team and not think they let something great slip through their fingers. It says to me they're not used to success, which isn't all that surprising, and they don't know how to improve upon it. They just seem happy to sell out the Oracle and rake in the money from it.
That's not a good thing.
They also need new uniforms, a new logo, a new mascot and switching to using Oakland instead of Golden State. They're getting tons of money from ticket sales. Do it already.

Buzz
They are cheap and poorly run.

How Should The Warriors Handle the Monta Ellis Situation?

Let’s take a look at what the Warriorsworld community had to say:


Fadedash

I think the Monta situation is being blown out of proportion. Ever since his draft day, we've been hearing concerns about his character and this latest incident has people wondering whether or not it was a good decision to make this kid the face of the franchise.

And that's all it really boils down to - he's a kid. We know he didn't grow up in the best area with the best people around him and that he didn't get to experience the kind of growth that many people do in college. He made a mistake, lied about it to save himself, and got caught.

While that obviously doesn't bode well, I honestly think Monta just didn't know better. When he makes a poor decision on the court we tell ourselves that it's ok because he's still young and he's learning how to play in the NBA. Why should we think any different when it comes to him learning things off the court?

The Warriors have every right to fully investigate the situation and if they do indeed Monta voided a stipulation in his contract, they need to punish him even if it means a suspension without pay. However, they shouldn't see this one act as reason to label him a "problem player" and they shouldn't try to void his contract or trade him ASAP.

Find out the full truth, suspend him if necessary, make sure he learns from it, and support him the rest of the way as the face of the franchise.

Hosertron
Make him apologize publically to the management, the team, and the fans. Don’t fine or suspend him, "encourage" him to donate to charity the equivalent of what they want to fine him.

Gswfan4ever

If its career ending void the contract
If it will affect his speed/athleticism permanently, restructure his contract accordingly.
If he's really coming back in about half a season at 100%, ask him to apologize to everyone, suspend him another 2 months without pay after he's "healed", effectively give the team a high pick.

Basketballer Rebbe

Both he and the team need to make a full public disclosure of exactly what happened ASAP.
I assume he'll be given the best rehab available, and if he fully recovers, I could care less if he's fined or suspended. It’s not going to help us a bit. If his speed or jumping ability or agility is reduced by the injury, we're screwed and there's nothing we can do about it. I've never heard of a contract being adjusted to compensate for things like this. Our only real option is in the unlikely and unfortunate case that he is completely unable to play, in which case we can void his contract. Our best option now is to pray fiercely that his recovery is complete or close to it.

Blunder

If he will not have 100% of pre-injury athleticism, restructure his deal for a 1-yr team option for the 2nd year.

Dock him without pay for the time he misses. If he's healed let him play.

Playgroundmonitor

First, a public statement and apology. Depending on how stupid he was, possible fine for the missed games. If it was more bad luck I might let the fine go. If the injury limits his skills as a player, the contract should be voided and renegotiated (all assumes injury from prohibited activity).

E-damp

He should be publically caned by each and every STH, then forced to donate his suspended salary to local charities.

Warriors in 2010

Basically, I agree that Monta should come out and apologize to Mgmt/Fans/etc. And at the press conference the Warriors are there by Monta's side supporting him all the way....

However, I think the Warriors have to protect themselves and say that they will support Monta every step of his comeback but in the case he can't physically comeback 100% they will have the right to re-negotiate, terminate (one might have to come before the other) and work with the league and the player's association as well as Monta and his agent. Every step of the way we will be on Monta's side but of course with the caveat that we will be looking out for the best interests of the team as well.

Flashfire

Fine him the amount of money he’d make for the games missed plus an additional 10% of his contract for the season as something extra.

No suspension because missing the games due to the injury should be bad enough.

I'd like to think he learned a lesson.

I agree with the apology/team support stuff, and possible further action should the injury not heal properly and affect his abilities.

Hallama

I don't like the double standard being shown here, and it is largely conjecture on my part, but if a player other than Monta - say a contract eater like Foyle - had done the same, there is no way in hell the W's wouldn't void the contract. Cohan and Rowell would give each other reach-arounds in the private corporate bathrooms with hand gel.

But since it's Monta, the W's are handling this with kid glove. Don't want to upset their star. The NBA needs to institute better ways for teams to get out of bad contracts or have a more uniform mode of operation when an event like this happens. It's not totally fair, imo.

I'd void the fucker, if it were up to me. That's a long contract to pay out if you don't know the end result, like Grant Hill.

Futureisnow08

Monta should come out and apologize to the fans and organization for the way he handled things. It will show that he has takes responsibility for his actions, and that he will learn from this mistake. He doesn't need to say how he was injured, as long as he makes it known that he realizes what he did was wrong. Then he sits out the games he will be injured for, and gets suspended another month on top of that without pay.

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Forums.warriorsworld.net/main

Warriorsworld.net: What were some of the best/worst moments from your tenure as Warriors Head Coach?

E Muss: The best was the day I was hired; the worst, the day I was fired.

It was hard in the summer after first year when Jamison was traded. I really enjoyed coaching him.

I was proud after the first year when, as a team, in training camp we set a goal of being the most improved team in the NBA and we accomplished that.

Warriorsworld.net: What is your opinion on Warriors Management i.e. Chris Mullin, Robert Rowell and Chris Cohan, is winning their first priority?

E Muss: Mully is the ultimate competitor. He wakes up every day trying to make the Warriors a winner. I believe that. He has a great perspective, both of short term and the long term.

I enjoyed working with Bobby and Chris. As a young coach, they believed in me enough to take a big risk on a first time NBA head coach. I will always be grateful to them.

Warriorsworld.net: Now after a few years, what would you have done differently as Warriors Head Coach?

E Muss: There are things I'd do differently. If you've got a couple of hours sometime, we can go through them. I'm joking, but I do look back, recognize where I could have done some things differently, and think about ways to improve moving forward.

Warriorsworld.net: Favorite Warrior players from your time as Head Coach?

E Muss: I really liked the guys both seasons especially that first season with the W's. Gilbert, Antawn, Brian Cardinal, Earl, Speedy, Troy, Damp, Adonal, Bobby Sura, Avery -- lots of good guys on both rosters.

Warriorsworld.net: Most difficult player to work with?

E Muss: Nick Van Excel was a challenge for a number of reasons, including the fact that he was dealing with injuries.

Warriorsworld.net: Did you agree with the decision to draft Mike Dunleavy or were you advocating for another player?

E Muss: I didn't come on board until after the draft, so I wasn't involved in any of the draft prep.

Warriorsworld.net: Thoughts on Gilbert Arenas, any funny story(s) you can share with us?

E Muss: Every day was a fun day with Gil. He has a great personality. Eventually, he and I developed a good level of trust with one another. We still talk and text. He's one of those guys I'm really thankful for having the opportunity to coach.

Warriorsworld.net: What are your thoughts on the Current Warriors Team?

E Muss: They're a fun team to watch. They had a great season last year and the playoff run the year before was a lot of fun for the Bay Area.

Warriorsworld.net: Is Monta Ellis ready for stardom?

E Muss: I think he's already a star. There aren't many young players in the league who can score like Ellis does. And he will only get better over the next couple of seasons.

Warriorsworld.net: What are the league wide thoughts on Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington?

E Muss: Around the league, people have a lot of respect for Ellis and Biedrins, who are two of the NBA's best players. They're great pieces for the future. I love watching them play -- great energy.

Jackson and Harrington are solid veteran players who play to win.

Warriorsworld.net: Is there a more dedicated fan base than Warrior Fans? 1 successful season in 15 years yet they still come out and pack the building.

E Muss: I've told people again and again that the Warriors have the best fans in the NBA. I really believe that. Knowledgeable, as objective as loyal fans can be, and passionate.

Warriorsworld.net: What is the Biggest Challenge of being an NBA Head Coach? What is the normal day to day routine?

E Muss: Daily preparation is critical, especially for a young coach.

- practice planning
- practice
- media time
- communication with players and management
- film work - film study
- meeting with asst coaches
- eat, sleep, and work out

Warriorsworld.net: What Coaches do you admire?

E Muss: There are a bunch of coaches I really admire, but I have a great deal of respect for the coaches I've had the honor of working with.
Chuck Daly, Mike Fratello, Doc Rivers, Lon Kruger, and Hubie Brown, who I worked for one summer on a tour of France.

I've always admired Pat Riley and Flip Saunders, who I've known for more than 30 years. And Avery Johnson is a guy I admire, as well.

Warriorsworld.net: What do you miss most about coaching in the NBA?

E Muss: The social aspect, the relationships. You build lifetime relationships with players and coaches and the staff. I've always enjoyed that camaraderie and teamwork.

Warriorsworld.net: What is an aspect of coaching that fans don't see or understand?

E Muss: That's hard to say. I don't care if you're an NBA coach, an accountant, a salesman, or a reporter -- every profession has unique challenges. I'm not sure people realize how much work the assistant coaches do on film work and the hours the video guys put in. It's off the charts.

Warriorsworld.net: What 3 tips would you give to a youth basketball coach?

E Muss: First, be positive with the kids and bring energy and enthusiasm.

Two, really work on fundamentals. I think ball-handling work is critical regardless of position.

And three, focus on helping the kids get better. Teach them the game.

Warriorsworld.net: Any rule changes you'd like to see in the NBA?

E Muss: I like the rules as they are.

Warriorsworld.net: Thoughts on Team USA? Areas for improvement?

E Muss: Coach K and the staff have done a great job with the team. The only soft spot I've seen in the last few games is perimeter shooting and free-throw shooting. Rebounding might be a factor down the line.

Warriorsworld.net: Your Thoughts on Warriorsworld.net?

E Muss: You've got a great site with tons of information for any Warriors fan. I know it's a lot of work and you guys do a great job with it.

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Specal Thanks to Eric Musselman for spending some time with Warriorsworld.net

There is too much short-term thinking on this board, maybe because long-term plans over the past decade and a half have not turned out so great, but I digress.

This is a flexible, talented team. There are no horrible contracts. None of the recent contracts were doled out solely based on potential. A 20 pt scorer is worth about $10 mil a year. A 7-footer that averages 10/10 is worth $9 mil a year. You could probably argue that Turiaf and Buke were paid a bit on potential, but Turiaf definitely brings something that this team needed and Buke tossed in 30 a couple times and had a few double-doubles last year, so banking on his potential is hardly unfounded.

The way I see it, there are 6 big question marks from this offseason: Should they have kept Baron? Why Maggette for $10 mil? Can Monta play the 1? Where's the D? Nellie's future? Where does BWright fit in?

The Baron in the room

I love reading about how the Warriors should have paid Baron the $65 mil. I love Baron Davis, but that is not a good investment. He's a flawed star. Too stubborn to realize he can hurt the team as easily as he can help it with his unconscious hoisting and petty one-up-manship mindset. His attitude is part of what makes him great, but it also made him a sub-par teammate.

I just made case for not resigning him without even mentioning his injury history and his suspect dedication to keeping his body in top shape for the entirety of that next contract. I also didn't mention how much he wanted to go home, and at 28, with his mileage and his injury history, I think he knew this would be the last chance he would have at playing in LA.

So could he have been had for $65 mil by the Warriors? I say no possible way. Once he opted out, he was not coming back. That's why his departure was so amicable. Mully and Nellie knew there was nothing they could do.

Maggette

No one likes Maggette. He is a selfish, one-dimensional player. But he's pretty efficient with that one-dimension. If you simply replaced Baron's ability to get to the line with Maggette's you would come out ahead.

But why $50 mil when his only offers were the MLE and why does the team even need him?

It happened quickly, so people didn't notice, but as soon as Brand went to Philly, things changed with regard to Maggette. Everyone assumed Maggette was gone from the Clips, but they never renounced him. To sign Baron and Brand they would have had to renounce him, but that never happened. So, the Clips could have offered Maggette more money to stay, which he said they did before he signed with the Warriors, or the Clips could have worked a sign and trade to get him more money from one of the teams that offered him the MLE (provided they got value in return). So the Warriors were not competing with just the MLE.

So why does the team need a selfish scorer? Because he can score by himself. Monta will have a lot on his plate, carrying the team offensively all the time might be asking a bit much. Here's a guy in Maggette that will replace Baron's scoring with very little help from anyone else. He doesn't have to be set up, he just needs the ball. That takes a lot of pressure off Monta. I wasn't thrilled by the signing, I also preferred they go after Iggy or Smith, but I think that the team felt Monta would be their biggest offseason investment and if they were to strike out on the RFAs, they would leave too much on Monta's shoulders. They had to make a decisive move, and not be forced to wait for another team to make a decision (which had a high probability of not working out in the Warriors favor). Which begs the question of why is Monta so important?

Monta

Anyone who watched games last year could see who the most dynamic player on the floor was. Monta gets to the rim effortlessly. And he finishes with incredible consistency. And there are still areas for him to grow. With his first step, he can be a better distributor. With his shot, he can be a better 3 pt shooter. With his handle he can be a better ball handler. With his quickness he can be a better defender. As good as he is, he can be better.

Can he be a true PG? Probably not. Most think it is something you are born with. He has a scorer's mentality. But you know, Baron was a true PG, but how often did he squash that impulse to take over games? Everyone but Baron could tell that if he focused more on being a PG the team would be better off. Monta has already shown he can play within his limits. He doesn't jack 3s and he reduced his TOs while keeping his assists steady from his second to third year.

So what is the difference between Baron being a true PG, but choosing to focus on scoring while Monta is a true scorer choosing to focus on distributing?

Nellie is not stupid. Monta's PG duties will consist of occasionally bringing the ball up and running the pick and roll. Both things he did plenty of last year. The only question mark is how they deal with the fast break.

Defense and the starting 5

Before I move on to D, let me address that fast break question. The biggest problem with Monta at the one is who throws him the ball when he is on one of those patented one-man fast breaks? The starting lineup needs more ball handlers to get Monta the ball past the half court line on missed shots. That is why I think Anthony Randolph starts at the 4.

That notion also plays into the next two questions on Nellie and BWright, but let's talk about D first.

Here's the starting 5: Monta, Jax, Mags, Randolph, AB. Skinny group, with the exception of Maggette, but also a very long group.

Compare that to the starting lineups of last year: Baron, Monta, Jax, Harrington, AB or any number of small lineups that put the team's best defender Jax on the other team's PF.

We all know how Baron's interest in D could come and go, but if Monta defended the 1 and Baron the 2, and everyone else their opposite number that D was not that great.

With this new lineup Jax and Mags can swap allowing Jax to take the better offensive wing. Randolph and AB are long and quick help defenders. The biggest weakness is one-on-one inside, but help will come from equally long (Jax) and quick (Monta) or strong (Mags) players.

And, Randolph has to be a better rebounder than Harrington. And Jax's lack of rebounding will be less noticed if he plays the 2.

At worst, the D of this starting lineup is the same as last year, but I think it will be better.

Nellie's future

That starting lineup happens because Nellie is at the helm. He'll see Randolph as a big mismatch with his ability to take big guys off the dribble and the ability to push the ball on the break.

But, the team has to think about life after Nellie. Randolph might be playing PF, but he will be developing his SF skills in Nellie's offense. Nellie is going to play a certain style to win games, it will emphasize running and offense. But the players can fit into a conventional system as well. IMO, we won't see the full potential of Biedrins until Nellie retires, then we will see a guy who has a quickness advantage over almost every center in the league. An efficient 15 and 10 is not out of the question.

The team has young players lined up at every position, Williams at PG, Belli and Buke at SG, Randolph at SF, Wright and Hendrix at PF, and Turiaf at C. Most of that crew figures to be the second unit, with the exception of Wright, who will have to fight with likely sixth man Harrington.

Wright

Wright has talent, but he's not ready to play a conventional PF. But Nellie doesn't particularly like conventional PFs anyway. BWright will have to bide his time on this team next year. With Randolph's skill set, Nellie will choose him over BWright every time. The team could deal him, but Wright would have a future role.

If he focuses on getting stronger, improving his post game and his range, he'll be in line to be the PF when Nellie retires. A front line of AR, Wright and AB could be pretty dynamic if any of them can beef up a bit.

It seems the only way people would have been satisfied with this offseason is if Baron re-upped for like 3 years at $45 mil (which Baron would not have), we acquired one of the RFAs (which was not realistic, which high profile RFAs have switched teams in the last few years?), or we traded for a superstar (Kobe, Lebron, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are not available).

The team has a nice core of quality players. None of them are outrageously overpaid (ie. Damp, Foyle, Murphy, Dunleavy), and most of them still have a lot of untapped potential, so reimagining the team after seeing them play for a few months is not out of the question

g-drive's original post in the warriors forum