Maybe it’s the intense, dry, brain boiling heat of Las Vegas, or the conversation with outside basketball observers, but I feel a bit better than I did last week about the AR trade.

Trading young athletic forward Carlos Rogers, Anthony Randolph along with Kelena Azabuike, and fan favorite Ronny Turiaf to New York for all-star power forward David Lee, sent Warriors fans into a tail spin. This is a trade that angers fans because of ‘potential.’  Many feel that Randolph has more upside than David Lee.  This is a subjective and hopeful feeling that is fostered by the Warriors every time they draft a player and he has any kind of success.  As fans of a team that has made the playoffs once in the last 16 years, you have to allow yourself to hope. Hope can turn into tickets,  jerseys, and unrealistic player expectations.

Hope in the face of suffering is why I have 4 autographed Larry Hughes jerseys, why the arena was packed on draft night, and why the Warriors continue to draw some of the best attendance in the league.  If you scramble your roster every single year, you can always talk about how things are different.  There is always hope when there is change….if you market it correctly.  Change allows the Warriors sell tickets every year based on hope and potential. When a player they hyped as having amazing franchise turnaround capabilities gets traded for anyone short of a top 10 player, the fans have a violent reaction.

Face it, the Anthony Randolph trade is actually good for the Warriors.  Yes, it leaves me with yet another outdated autographed player jersey, but maybe the Warriors will let me trade it for a David Lee jersey. AR had potential, but it is a crap shoot if he ever realizes it.  His first year he wasn’t motivated, and needed a fire lit under him to get it together.  He bounced back with a great summer league, and a decent start to the season, but he was still a tweener without any solid back to the basket moves, an inconsistent jump shot and no real position.  AR is a project that may or may not pay off and a lot of that is dependent on his desire to work, improve, get better.

David Lee is an all star power forward who plays in an up-tempo system  and can be expected to put up similar numbers here in Golden State.  He works on his game, and tries hard every night.  He has character, maturity, and a high basketball IQ.  Warriors fans would have loved to have AR aspire to be a more athletic version of David Lee.

Lee has 40 lbs on AR, plays closer to the basket, generated a higher FG% in his first 2 years, is a better foul shooter,  rebounder,  and has shown improvement every year.  Lee plays a position that we haven’t had a solid starter in for decades.  The Warriors now have a pairing with Curry / Lee that could rival the Nash / Stoudemire combo that ran up and down courts in the west for years.  1 all star and 1 future all-star playing their actual positions, under Don Nelson, amazing.

Instead of rolling the dice on hope, we made a solid basketball move. It hurts, but it’s for the best.

Hey, remember when David Stern used an unproven loss of 400 million dollars to tighten screws on the players union? Stern played the pauper during a gilded All Star extravaganza. Since then, the NBA has grown either rich or deranged—maybe both. The League’s books aren’t open, we can only speculate. So I’ll spitball this: When Amir Johnson is getting that Goldman Sachs scrilla, basketball must be in decent economic straights. When it comes to poverty, the NBA’s crying wolf—just look at the Wolves.

So, what does this all mean to the Warriors management?

• Obviously there’s more for Morrow.

• A lot of thumb twittling as some team likely whisks Morrow away.

• A lot of coping with the emasculating feeling that other teams court superstars, while your boys have to worry about retaining Anthony Morrow.

• It means Rudy Gay has a hefty price tag, not that the Warriors should want to pry him from the Grizzlies anyway.

• It means teams will call the Warriors in pursuit of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins.

What’s the right play on Anthony Morrow? I say match whatever dollars are thrown his way (within reason). It’s not that Morrow’s incredibly good—it’s what he’s incredibly good at. Ammo’s elite shooting won’t fade with age, and is a known league quantity. If the market bears a steep price for Morrow today, it will likely bear a similar cost tomorrow. And sadly, he was our best statistical player according to 82games.com.

The trick is gauging whether this explosion of GM irresponsibility is a temporary Lebromenom, or part of a larger trend. Lacking a crystal ball, all I can say is that teams love floor spacers today, tomorrow, and as long as a curvy stripe separates three points from two. It would be difficult to overpay Morrow, even in this particular free agent bubble.

The weather was bleak, a greying sky that bore no contrast to Oracle’s concrete corrosion.  Inside the stadium, far too many fans bubbled with far too much enthusiasm.  After eons of Cohanese water torture, legions of Warriors supporters persevere like three-eyed fish near a nuclear plant. They simply won’t die, no matter the circumstances. Many have said that sports mean more on the East Coast. That’s a lot of crap.

Two swift stabs killed the collective excitement. First to the stomach–Cousins went to the Kings. Not everybody was sold on DeMarcus, but drafts are about dreaming. We envision the best-case scenario and Boogie can be great. When DC got King’d, some Oracle faithful unleashed pained yelps. Continue reading “Ekpe Udoh Night” »

First and foremost, tell us about yourself and your coaching/basketball background

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Started to get involved in the game of basketball at the age of five. Our neighborhood was racially mixed and we played basketball in Holy Name schoolyard all day, every day. I looked up to the older players in our neighborhood and living in New York, I became a huge Knicks fan. I started coaching basketball at the age 16. I have coached at the AAU, High School, Pro-Am, and College level. My high school playing career consists of 7 games (I wasn't interested in the commitment and discipline) I have participated in summer leagues all over New York City and have now since trained many players at all levels and most importantly have studied the game of basketball from all angles. I love the history of the game; I feel it should be learned by all. I'm an advocate of basketball development and I'm always preaching to play the right way. Playing hard, sharing the ball, defending and working on your game are most important to me as a coach.

Why do you think Kids in America are lacking in their fundamentals? Are our youth basketball coaches doing enough and properly teaching?

I think the lack of fundamentals is not as bad as people make it out to be. Sure there are players who lack them, but the players who possess outstanding fundamentals should get more publicity/credit. Ever since we lost the Gold Medal a couple of years ago in the Olympics, pundits had a field day. Players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade are fundamentally sound but their athleticism seems to trump their skill level. Fans would rather see them soar above the rim and dunk but the average fan fails to realize how fundamentally sound these guys really are and how much time they put in to improve. The media has gone in the direction of the individual (i.e., ESPN's Top Ten Plays of the Day usually consists of 90% dunks) so kids see that and want to emulate it. As for coaches at the lower levels teaching fundamentals, yes they are. What many people fail to realize is that it all starts at home-do the parents emphasize playing the right way or do they want Junior to score 30 points per game and get their name in the local paper? Bob Hurley, boys head basketball coach at Saint Anthony's High School in Jersey City, New Jersey has been teaching the game to his players for over 30 years. His teams have won 23 State titles. If more people realized you don't have to be the high scorer on your high school teams, the game will improve. Deron Williams (Jazz) and Shannon Brown (Lakers) were not the best players on their high school teams. Basically what it boils down to is the attitude of the individual player; are they willing to accept their role to help the team win or do they want to go out and score a lot of points?

What would you like to see done to improve the quality of coaching our youth receive?

I would like to see the lower levels eliminate competitive games. To me, there's no reason for 10 year old kids to be traveling to AAU tournaments across the country. At the younger ages fundamentals should be taught. Passing, catching the ball, shooting and guarding your man should be taught. Competitive games should start around 8th or even 9th grade. Teach the fundamentals and then move on to playing games. With coaching at the younger levels, you get guys who do it as volunteers. Some may be fathers of the players who are pressed into service and who don't have as much experience teaching kids how to play. And that's not taking anything away from them. But I'd like to see more college and NBA coaches conduct free coaching clinics for these types of inexperienced coaches. Thank heavens for websites that help on all of this.

Working with youth, what skills would you encourage developing first? Shouldn't they be taught how to properly play the game first and foremost?

Yes, exactly! Playing the right way should be the number one concern. I think it was the late great Pete Newell that once said, " the game is over-coached and under taught". Speaking of Coach Newell, his favorite topic in basketball, footwork should be taught. Kids need to learn how to execute a jump-stop. Using a jab step. Catching the ball and facing up on your defender and of course moving your feet correctly on defense. Players also need to learn how to go off the correct foot when shooting a lay-up. It amazes me how many high school basketball players have a difficult time jumping off the correct foot. Dribbling the basketball is another important skill I feel should be taught and worked on. Every single practice a team goes through should consist of dribbling drills. Workouts should always begin with dribbling drills. And of course shooting should be taught and worked on. Simple functions as catching the ball and knowing how to line your elbow up and your guide hand, amongst a few other things should be emphasized.

What part of the game do you feel most players neglect or don't properly put in the time to develop?

Shooting. No doubt about it! Players don't shoot the ball enough. Larry Bird used to practice with his high school team for two hours after school. On his way home he would stop at a playground and shoot the ball for two hours. I also feel kids should play one-on-one more. We used to play one-on-one full court and I know a lot of other guys in their 30's, 40's and even 50's used to spend all afternoon playing nothing but one-on-one.

Which coaches/staff in the NBA do you feel do the best job of implementing their system as well as improving their players?

Well there are some very good coaches in the NBA. I feel they are underrated. When I think of guys who do a great job I have to start with Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan. Longevity is important in any profession and Sloan has been with the Jazz longer than any other coach in the NBA. The Jazz play the right way. Greg Popovich of the Spurs and his staff do a great job. You can't look past Phil Jackson and the Triangle offense. And I really like what George Karl and his staff does in Denver. Karl's assistant coach Tim Grgerich is known throughout the league as one of the best at Skill Development.

Who are some of the most fundamentally sound players in the NBA? Best Footwork? Best form on a jumpshot?

There are a lot of players with picture-perfect shooting forms. When I think of correct form I think of Ray Allen. He gets excellent lift on his shot, he always seems to be on balance and his hands are always ready for the ball. There are also good outside shooters who have forms that make a lot of coach's cringe. Reggie Miller and Peja Stojakovic are great shooters with two different styles. When it comes to shooting, my philosophy is confidence, getting a high arc, balance and putting the time in to improve. In terms of footwork, I really love Kobe Bryant's footwork. On the catch he always squares up, gets in an attack position and performs a text-book jab step to get his defender off balance. I also love Tim Duncan's footwork in the post. Kevin Garnett is another post player with tremendous footwork. Duncan and Garnett catch the ball and face up on their defender better than anyone. Excelling at proper footwork takes a lot of work.

Would you rather have a team that is a high scoring offense or a stingy defense? Also, can you envision a high scoring up-tempo team which also plays great Defense?

I would rather have a high scoring offense (so do fans and players want to play that way) but you need defense if you want to win a championship. So it's a happy medium. If you play up-tempo, you have to have a lock-down mentality on defense. I think the Denver Nuggets are combining the two; offense and defense the best. The Cavaliers also do well at both ends. It's all about what your coach emphasizes and how much the players are willing to buy in. In the past the Phoenix Suns liked to play fast ball by rushing the ball up the floor and shooting as quickly as possible. Many basketball people felt they should've played better defense. But it's tough to excel at both; but it can be done.

What is the greatest challenge as a coach? The most rewarding aspect?

Most challenging is to get players to play hard, defend and share the ball. Let's face it, most players want to score, there aren't many players like Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs. Not worrying who gets the credit is something I am always preaching on a daily basis. Kids today are told they need to score. But if they buy into what their coach is trying to stress, everyone wins. Getting players to work on their skill development is difficult too. It takes a special player to go to the gym or an outdoor court and put in the time to develop. Getting up hundreds of shots per week is a goal all players should aspire to reach. The most rewarding aspect is working with a player who wants to commit himself to improvement and seeing that player perform at a high level. Also, seeing a team share the ball on the court by hitting the open man is also quite rewarding to a coach. Back in 1993 during Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns, Bulls guard John Paxson hit a game winning three-point shot with 3 seconds remaining to give the Bulls a 99-98 victory. What many fail to realize is that all 5 Bulls on the court touched the ball during that possession.

Describe how difficult it is to manage a team with 12 unique individuals, temperaments, personalities, backgrounds, and bring them together as a team to accomplish a shared goal.

It is very difficult and it's something people outside of your circle have no clue on. Everyone thinks you roll out the balls and just blow the whistle. Too bad it doesn't work that way. Depending on what level you coach, you are probably approaching each day a bit different. Players have different agendas. You will have jealousies, bitterness and resentment. We have a tough job as coaches to right the ship. But like I stated earlier; it starts at a young age-what are they preaching at home? Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets was brought up the right way; hence his attitude towards the game.

As a coach, who do you feel is the  better player, Kobe or LeBron?

Tough question. I think both players bring a ton to the table. Choosing who is better right now is difficult. They possess different traits. They would both be difficult to prepare for; James can play 4 positions, Kobe 3. I will be honest and say they are both impossible to stop one on one. You need help on the defensive end against them. Someone else is going to have to beat us. Taking the ball out of their hands is easy to say but they move so well without it. But if I was picking who was better and you were giving me $1,000 for an answer, I would say Kobe Bryant is the better player now. But I have a funny feeling if we are discussing the same topic in a couple of years, my answer may change. I love both players and would love to train them both.

Who are some of the coaches who you feel have contributed something new, innovative and different to the game of basketball?

Even though it's not new, I love the Triangle offense. I wish more teams would run it like Phil Jackson and his Los Angeles Lakers. At the collegiate level I believe Tom Izzo has put a premium on playing tough and rebounding the ball. The dribble drive motion offense has been around for many years but now it seems like more teams are driving the ball and kicking out to open shooters. Ball screens at the top of the perimeter have been used for many years but that's another concept that has taken on a new meaning. The bottom line, you can sit in a gym all day and try to conjure up some sort of new offense but the fact will always remain you have to put the ball in the basket.

Your thoughts on Coach Don Nelson?

I have been a big Don Nelson fan ever since he was a player with the Boston Celtics. I used to love the battles his team had with my beloved Knicks. Nelson, Dave Cowens and Paul Silas had legendary battles with the Knicks outstanding frontcourt. I believe Nelson was one of the last remaining guys in the NBA to shoot his free-throws one-handed. As a coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, I thought he did a very good job. He had guys like Sidney Moncreif and Marcus Johnson playing the right way. It was also the time of the invention of the "point-forward" position where he had Paul Pressey bring the ball up the floor and get the Bucks into their offense. It's too bad they had to face the Celtics and Sixers of the 80's. And of course who could forget his first time with the Warriors when he implemented "RUN TMC" with Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. We always said their slogan was "Run, Gun and Have Fun." I like the freedom and confidence Nelson gives his players. I love his passion. He has always been one of my favorite coaches in the league.

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About Steve Finamore

Steve Finamore has been the Men’s Head Basketball coach at Jackson Community College in Jackson, Michigan for the past three seasons.  Before coming to Jackson Finamore spent one season as an assistant coach at Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Finamore began his coaching career at Bishop Ford High School in Brooklyn, New York before moving on to become a Graduate assistant coach at Michigan State University with the men’s basketball team from 1999-2000.  He has worked as a counselor at numerous basketball camps around the country and has trained many players in the off-season.  “Player Development is a passion of mine.  When it comes to training players, I give everything I have.” said Finamore. He is currently working on a basketball book titled, ‘Play the Right Way’: 50 Traits for all Successful Players.

Steve resides in East Lansing, Michigan with his wife Mary and 10 year-old daughter Taylor.  

Blogs: Play the Right Way http://playerdevelopment.wordpress.com/

          Coach’s Blog http://hoopscoach.wordpress.com/

Twitter: CoachFinamore

 Warriorsworld.net hooked up with SF Chronicle Staff Writer Ray Ratto to get his thoughts on the Warriors ownership/management group.

If you were to script an ownership group's tenure, could you possibly script it worst than the reality of the Cohan regime?

I think we all fall into the trap of thinking our worst guy is worse than any other area's worst guy. But just to make a list, I think the Clippers are probably as bad (and the owner seems to be a worse guy), the Washington Nationals are certainly awful, the Phoenix Coyotes are bankrupt and trying to move to another city. The Raiders are, well, the Raiders. But if it helps, the Cohan regime would be in the team photo.

Do you feel that the Warriors inept ownership/management doesn't get enough heat because they're in a market surrounded by teams with equally if not worse management?

I think it's hard to hammer them much more than we already do, in part because their fans have been as stridently loyal as they have. There comes a point where beating them up almost becomes tedious when (a) it's typically the same failings year and year out and saying the same thing repeatedly only loses the audience, and (b) that there don't seem to be aggrieved parties, as in angry fans. I think that may be changing now, but we won't know until we see where season ticket and attendance figures sit next year. If most people still love the Warriors more than they are outraged by them after these 15 years, one has to wonder if there is anything the team coluld do to lose their allegiance.

When was the last time the media had access to talk to Cohan? Least accessible and most hidden owner in sports?

Years ago, at least more than a decade ago by my reckoning. But there's Dan Snyder with the Redskins, Don Sterling (again) with the Clippers, the Wilpons and Dolans in New York, Bill Bidwill in Arizona. There's a lot of competition.

With the latest PR blunder, are the Warriors more worried about business/perception than they are about putting a winning product on the court? Do they take advantage of their fans and take them for granted?

It's probably a safe inference to make. I think it's always dangerous to assume that a franchise doesn't want to win because of all the benefits that come from winning, but I think they are also fraught with internal issues and shortcomings that get in the way of a smooth and successful operation. History suggests that the Warriors have had only a few years where they had more tickets than fans in the Cohan era, so maybe they do take them for granted, but the fans love basketball so much that they often buy the tickets just so they don't get shut out of the Kobe, LeBron, Dwayne Wade, etc., games. As for taking advantage of them, they charge what they think the market will bear, and until people start walking away, they'll assume that the market will bear more.

Chris Mullin a man who did so much for this organization throughout his career both as a player and executive, was ousted in a very disrspectful manner, do you feel it was a Rowell v Mullin decision and Cohan went with his trusted buddy Rowell?

My own sense is that Rowell knows what Cohan wants, where he wants to go and what he's thinking, and if he ever forgot that or got too far ahead of Cohan's thinking he'd be fired as well. I think Cohan expressed his unhappiness with Mullin at some point in the past two years, and Rowell knew which way he needed to tack to retain his place of power and influence. He is a superb politician if nothing else.

What are your top 5 moves/moments under the Cohan regime?

1. Settling the Nelson-Chris Webber problem by getting rid of both of them within weeks of each other. 

2. Dave Twardzik

3. Baron Davis

 

4. Making the Monta Ellis problem a public rather than a private fight

 

5. Agreeing to bring back Nelson after suing him

Is there any chance of turning this thing around under the current ownership/management group?

I have always said no, but that's probably a kneejerk reaction to the events of the past 15 years. But I am profoundly pessimistic about such a thing occurring without Cohan doing what he actually did when he hired Mullin, which was to get out of the way for awhile and letting the people he hired do their jobs without interference. Maybe a few hours with Wally Haas asking him how his father ran the A's would be helpful, but then again, he's had a decade and a half to show curiosity about his responsibilities as an owner and hasn't changed much, so I doubt that will happen.

Nelson is on the verge of becoming the winningest coach in NBA history with that being said how bad was the blatant tank job he pulled during the tail end of last season?

I'm not sure what he was tanking to get; the draft looks weak, so there's no tangible benefit there. Maybe he wanted to clean out the roster by dispiriting the veterans (like Jamal Crawford) and start from scratch, but in this market nobody is giving up sure money for the open market. Maybe he was just disgusted in general with the roster. In short, I don't fully understand what the up-side to tanking was, so I wonder if maybe he wasn't just and sick and tired of the team and the season.

Thoughts on Larry Riley as GM? A Nellie puppet?

My impression is that he would never have gotten this job anywhere else, which I suspect was also true of Mullin when he was hired. That doesn't mean Riley couldn't be good but the evidence for such an argument is pretty thin at this point. As for whether he is a Nelson puppet, I think the general manager's job is not viewed as being terribly important in the Warriors' organizational table, so I suspect he will make any decision that Nelson or Rowell don't care about. I don't know that that makes him a puppet, though. I think it makes him an employee, and that's probably the better and kinder way to view it.

Visit warriorsworld.net? Any words to the fans?

I read a lot of sites for general information and tone, but I also know that the audience on most one-team sites is usually comprised of true believers who have a view of their team that's very hard to shift, so I take them with a grain of salt and curiosity that maybe there are different and fresh takes on the team. Nothing wrong with a little learning every now and then. As for the fans . . . I guess since I doubt that times will get better any time soon, I would say only that you shouldn't judge your brethren harshly. If you are a ticket buyer and the fan next to you decides not to be, don't judge them any more dismissively than if you give up your tickets and the fan next to you keeps his. I imagine it's hard enough standing with this team without turning on each other. In short, remember that there's no such thing as a fair-weather fan, especially in this economy and with this track record.

And thank you. Keep the faith in whatever way suits you best.