Warriors should try and land 76ers point guard Andre Miller

Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, April 24, 2009

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/24/SPL6178HO6.DTL&feed=rss.warriors

There's a lot of Andre Miller conversation in the Warriors' chatrooms, and rightly so. It's always nice to watch someone who knows how to run an offense, and as an unrestricted free agent, Miller is free to sign with any team this summer if he chooses to leave the Philadelphia 76ers.

Chicago's Kirk Hinrich will most likely be available, maybe a few others, but Miller will be the best option among veteran point guards. With his substantial quickness and defensive mindset, he's a youthful 33 (Chauncey Billups is just six months younger) and making the painfully ordinary 76ers look respectable as a playoff entry.

It seems clear that while the Warriors haven't said so outright - do they ever say anything outright? - they'll be seeking a point guard who can free Monta Ellis to play the "2," his natural position. It also seems clear that coach Don Nelson, after a grumpy and tumultuous season, could be a major obstacle to this plan.

As one critic mentioned in cyberspace, "Why would anyone want to come and play for Nelson right now?" Perhaps a veteran, such as Miller, could see the bigger picture and recall the exciting, high-energy Warriors in better times. After running a Philadelphia team that doesn't have much future, he could see the beauty in working with Ellis,Anthony Randolph and Andris Biedrins in a very up-tempo mood. Then again, Miller could ponder the fate of Jamal Crawford, who joined the Warriors in a swirl of optimism and became a veritable dead man walking.

To afford Miller, the Warriors would have to cut through a salary-cap mess forged by the unwieldy contracts of Crawford, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Which raises another question: If they choose the draft to land a point guard, would he be mentally strong enough to survive the inevitable first-year torment under Nelson?

History shows that NBA championships are often won by freaks of nature: the oppressive defense of Bill Russell (never matched; not even close) or the otherworldly talent of a Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. For teams dealing with the real world, it's all about point guards. Check around the playoffs: Billups, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Mo Williams, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Brandon Roy (not the point, technically, but running his team). That's where the stories are told, and that's where any proper foundation is built.

As for the upcoming draft, I can't recall a year with so many attractive options among pure point guards or potential team leaders: Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, Patty Mills, Ty Lawson, Tyreke Evans, Willie Warren, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, maybe a half-dozen more. It's just an astounding well of talent. Under a mellow, forgiving coach, most of those guys could step right in and run the Warriors. I'm a big Nelson guy, always have been, but with this team, at this stage of his life, I wonder if he's the right man for the job.

Chris Bosh

ESPN is reporting that the Golden State Warriors have expressed interest in acquiring Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors. The conversations took place before the February 19th trade deadline, but Toronto obviously was not willing to trade their All-star Olympian, at least not yet.

There are some that suspect the Raptors will mix up their roster this summer, and one of those changes could be to move their young power forward. Bosh's contract runs until 2010, the same season that both Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are eligible to become free agent. He was paid $14,410,581 for the 2009 season, so we would have to match that with a combo of players.

To make this trade happen, the Warriors will certainly have to give up either Brandon Wright or Anthony Randolph. I assume that Wright would be more likely to be traded since he seems to have less upside, but is still an asset nonetheless. In addition to either Wright or Randolph, Golden State would have to include a number of other incentives. I am not sure what exactly would have to get included to make the trade both compatible and appealing for Toronto. The Warriors could use a first round draft pick, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Corey Magette, Kelenna Azubuike, Marco Belinelli, or Ronny Turiaf.

This is honestly just pure speculation, and its hard to tell what would be needed to make this deal go down. My ideal combination would be Andris Biedrins, Corey Magette, Marco Belinelli and a first round pick for Bosh. Toronto would most likely want us to take Jason Kapono or Marcus Banks.

Regardless of what happens, the Warriors are obviously very interested in making this trade. It is just a matter of how willing Toronto is to part with him if they choose to, and at what price. In addition, Chris Bosh's contract expires in 2010 and there is no guarantee he would sign with the Warriors. Lastly, the Chicago Bulls, as well as many other teams in the league I am sure, would be fighting to make the deal as well. We'll see how this plays out over the next couple months.

See official story here: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/58155/20090328/warriors_to_make_another_pitch_for_bosh/#

TJ Ford or Stephen Curry...or both

If you haven't heard, T.J. ford and Jarrett Jack got into a bit of a scuffle during a timeout in the 3rd quarter of an Indiana Pacers game a couple days ago. Sources say the tension between the two had been increasing for a while, and the end result was a little bit of yelling and shoving during a game. Jack's response was much better than Ford's, who are both point guards. Jack filled up the stat sheet in the next Pacers game after receiving the starting nod from the coach over T.J. He scored 31 points on 13-of-14 shooting, had 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block, and lead the Indiana Pacers to a dominating 108-83 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats to snap a five-game losing streak. Looks like the Pacers have their starting rotation set. Small note: T.J. Ford had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal in only 21 minutes that game.

For now the second season in a row, and on a different team, T.J. Ford has lost his grip on the job of starting point guard. Ford was replaced by Jose Calderon in Toronto last season, and Jarrett Jack started at the point for Indiana on Saturday night. "I know how to handle this situation better than I did in the past," said Ford. "It's not a big issue to me. Just do what you're supposed to do, whether they put you in the game or not. It's your job to be ready and be prepared for whatever happens. "I'm not a person that asks questions or reasons why certain things happen. He's the coach and he has the right to make whatever adjustments he wants."

I have always been a fan of T.J. Ford's game, ever since he was playing at Texas. His nasty fall on a hard foul during a layup attempt definitely (see blow) had an impact on him losing the starting PG position over Calderon. While he says that he is O.K. with the benching, this kid could be starting for a number of teams in the league, including the Golden States Warriors. It doesn't make any sense for the Indiana Pacers to have two starting-quality point guards on their team, especially when it comes time to pay them both starting point guard money.

The Warriors have a gaping hole at point guard, with a solid backup in C.J. Watson. This move could also allow them to move Monta Ellis over to his natural 2-guard position and would limit the number of times Stephen Jackson or Marco Belinelli are forced to distribute the ball and lead the offense. They are both better shooters anyways. The loss of Baron Davis is not that big of a deal considering what Davis was asking for and what the Warriors were willing to pay. He is certainly not the same Baron as the Warriors knew now that he is on the Los Angeles Clippers, but then again how can one be motivated on that team where the GM and coach are the same person.

The other option the Warriors could take would be to draft Stephen Curry from Davidson, barring that he is still available when Golden State's draft pick comes up or is Curry makes the unlikely decision to come back for his Senior season and try to take Davidson back to the NCAA tournament for some prime time basketball. The latter scenario could also help his draft stock, especially since there is no way he is going number one overall with Blake Griffin in them mix.


Most of the chatter surrounding the Warriors future revolves around the Don Nelson, Chris Mullin, and upper management issues and how to deal with Monta Ellis' 66 million dollar extension, not so much their bright future. Some argue that the warriors need a scoring power forward, but that could be provided by Anthony Randolph (rookie, only 19 years old), Brandon Wright (who still hasn't played a full season), or a combination of both. While Randolph and Wright are skinny as sticks, an off season of weight conditioning could help and they would both not necessarily be asked to guard the opposing center; that would be up to Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf as backup. The 3-guard is filled by Stephen Jackson, Marco Belinelli, Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Morrow, or Corey Magette (though I would rather see him come off the bench even though he is making way too much money).

The roster is deep, the future is bright, the first round draft pick is high. Just a resolution of the Ellis situation as well as the management quarrels and we got a good squad for 2009-2010.

The Chaos Continues with the Warriors

No less than two days after the ABA-style, lack of defense, disaster loss by the Golden State Warriors to the Phoenix Suns, the team has some more detrimental drama on their hands.

We all know that this season is over, and has been since the Monta Ellis "moped" injury. And we also all know that Don Nelson has requested that the recently acquired point guard, Jamal Crawford (who came over in the Harrington to the New York Knicks deal) should either inform the Warriors that he will opt out of his contract at the end of the season or the Warriors will attempt to trade him. While I don't have a problem with this decision from a long-term team standpoint since Crawford is due 20 million over the next two years, making him quite an expensive commodity given that the Warriors have already locked up almost 150 million in the contract extensions of three players (Ellis, 66 million, Biedrins 50-something million, and Jackson, 40-something million). The problem I do have is why make such a statement by the head coach towards the tail end of a worthless season. It just adds more negative vibes to the already uninspired team.

Nellie announced earlier today that Crawford will be benched for the next two games. This is definitely a direct result of his recent statement regarding the long-term position the Warriors have with Crawford. Not sure if it is going to get the intended results. Crawford would be smart by sticking with his current contract given the economic conditions present. There is no way that a team is going to give him more money, especially is such a short amount of time. Yes I know that he has the best handles on the team. Yes I know he has put up more than a few 50 point games in his career. Yes I know he leads the league in 4 point plays this season. The fact remains that his expensive contract and shoot first approach does not work for what the Warriors need in their point guard of the future.

There is no doubt the warriors need a PG, as well as a PF who can score. Watson is a nice D-league addition, but his size and ability will limit him to a solid backup role at the point. Golden State does have the emerging Anthony Randolph and Brandon Wright, but both of those kids need to put on the some serious weight/muscle to bang down low with the premier, front court players in the league. A guy like Amare Stoudemire would have been a nice addition before his optical nerve damage, but even then his contract was running out and even then he was not a long-term solution.

So once again, the Warriors continue their state of chaos and dire straits. Marco Bellinelli will be coming back from missing a couple games with a turf toe injury and will start in place of Crawford. If Bellinelli learns to take care of the ball and play better defense, he could be a good point guard solution, but then again it is not his natural position. The team needs a slasher and distributor, not one who is going to be tempted to hoist up the three-ball when he starts the offensive set. There are too many scorers on this team, and not enough defense and creating with the intent of distributing. Oh well. Maybe we can look to the draft and pickup a PG or PF, but then again it will be an adjustment process for the young player regardless of who he may be.

Warriors Tonight: Los Angeles Clippers @ the Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, 7:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES:

• Stephen Jackson will not be playing tonight due to exceeding the limit of technical fouls allowed per player per season by the NBA.
• Kelenna Azubuike takes Jackson's spot in the lineup
  
• Baron Davis will be playing at Oracle for the first time since leaving the Warriors this offseason

Warriors Show Their Holes, But Find A Way To Win Ugly Against the Nets

Source: ESPN

The Golden State Warriors were able to snap their three-game losing streak Wednesday night against the New Jersey Nets at home. Stephen Jackson scored 29 points. The return of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins to the starting lineup added an obvious boost. Ellis added 19 points and Biedrins contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds. At times beautiful slash-and-dish plays and other quick passing combination seemed to hint at the potential good times to come. It is just a matter of when.

Ironically, the Warriors would not have been able to hold onto this game if it weren't for the stellar plays made by Jamal Crawford, who scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, including six free throws in the final 24 seconds. He finished with team high 29 points in 46 minutes, the most of any Warrior. Coach Don Nelson had recently voiced his displeasure for keeping the former New York Knicks point guard in terms of how he fits in the Warriors long-term plans and insisted that Crawford should opt out of his contract or the team will be forced to trade him.

Ronny Turiaf also had a nice game, with a number of key blocks and hustle plays (as usual) throughout the game. His role on this team looks so much better when he doesn't have to star and be a significant scoring option. His 15 points on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks is something that Turiaf has the ability to do on any given night, I would just prefer that the majority of point scored by the Warriors come from somebody else on the team. But then again a team can always use that extra, unexpected scoring from a role player like Turiaf, Azubuike, Bellineli(in street clothes tonight), Morrow, or Watson.

With 5 players in double figures (four of them starters), this balanced scoring attack that is still lacking some pieces (Brandon Wright, Marco Bellineli, or a true Point Guard)

Maybe it's Don Nelson's Ellis-Jackson-Azubuike-Randolph-Biedrins idea that was unveiled Wednesday against New Jersey that should be credited with the win tonight. There hasn't been a single game this year that this combination has been used for the starting five, and so far so good.

Even though it still has all the typical Nelsonian advantages of minimal defense and rebounding, the scoring potential combined with balance and depth seem to give the Warriors enough firepower to compete with any team on any given night. As long as one of their bread and butter aspects of the game (three-point shooting, net points off turnovers, fast break points, scoring 140-or-so points) show up in the stat sheet, the Warriors will continue to be a fun team to watch.

Source: ESPN

Note: Corey Maggette has been flourishing lately off the bench, and he continued that tonight in his usual fashion, but with an unusual twist: essentially nonexistent shooting from the field (1 for 4), but he got to the foul line TWENTY TIMES and cashed in on SIXTEEN of them from the charity stripe. Although at times the pace of the game was slowed by constant whistles (which obviously doesn't favor the Nelsonian Style), the Warriors were able to heat up at just the right time in the fourth quarter, and then hold on late for the win.

As for the Nets, Devin Harris torched the Dubs with 31 points and 12 assists for the New Jersey, who have lost five of six on the road and missed a chance to move into eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

NEXT GAME

Opponent - Dallas Mavericks
When - Friday March 13, 2009 @ 7:30 p.m.
Where - Oracle Arena

Nelson Offers Details Of Lineup Changes

Janny Hu, San Francisco Chronicle

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A day after saying that the Warriors "obviously" were going to make changes this summer to avoid having a second straight bad season, coach Don Nelson offered more details Tuesday of his planned makeover.

Among the possibilities:

Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson starting in the backcourt, Jamal Crawford coming off the bench, Corey Maggette and Kelenna Azubuike returning to their natural small-forward positions, and Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright splitting time at power forward.

It might not happen all at once, or begin tonight against the Nets, but Nelson reiterated that he'll use these last 19 games to look at some experimental - and even traditional - lineups.

"We've got our center position pretty well taken care of," Nelson said. "We've got a great sixth man (Maggette). The people that we've invested our money in ... (Ellis) hasn't been able to play all year," Nelson said. "We've got a lot of talent at the other positions that's either going to help us acquire somebody who's a good fit, or going to be able to rise up and be part of what we're doing."

A high draft pick notwithstanding, the centerpiece of Nelson's long-term plan appears to be a backcourt of Ellis and Jackson, both of whom are under contract for at least another four seasons - assuming Ellis' deal is not voided by the Warriors over his moped accident. The pairing would help solve some of the Warriors' size and rebounding issues and allow Jackson to return to his natural shooting-guard spot.

It also would squeeze Crawford out of the starting lineup, assuming he does not opt out of the final two years of his contract or is not traded. Crawford, who has started all 45 games he's played for the Warriors, hasn't come off the bench since he played behind Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis with the Knicks at the start of the 2006-07 season. Now, the Warriors' guard may be asked to join Maggette as a highly paid reserve. "You have to ask coach that, but I think I can play wherever. You have to be able to do more than one thing," Crawford said. "I just have to go out there and play when my number's called." Jackson said he preferred to start alongside Crawford and Ellis, but would do whatever Nelson asked, joking that given his coach's ever-changing lineups and free-flowing system, "I'll end up playing '2,' '3,' '4' again."

As for the frontcourt, Nelson says he is happy with his center combination of starter Andris Biedrins and backup Ronny Turiaf. The question mark, as it has been for the last decade, remains at power forward, where the Warriors have two potential impact players in Wright and Randolph, whom Nelson projects to be a small forward. Nelson has spent most of the season playing the undersized Maggette and Azubuike at the '4' because of his preference for small-ball and a combination of injuries and inexperience, but said that could change as he gets his full roster back. Wright practiced for the first time since dislocating his left shoulder two months ago, and Nelson said the second-year forward looked better than expected after his long layoff. Would Nelson be fine with giving up his trademark mismatches for a more traditional lineup? "The bigger you are, the less you do those kinds of things and the more you rely on your positions to hold your own," Nelson said. "It's not that I want to do those things. I do it to stay competitive and give our team a chance to win."

BRIEFLY: Ellis has been cleared to play after a checkup with Dr. John Belzer after Monday's practice. ... Turiaf was held out of most drills Tuesday with soreness in his left knee, but is expected to be available tonight. ... Guard Marco Belinelli (sprained right big toe) is doubtful.

NEXT GAME
Who: Nets (28-35) vs. Warriors (21-42)
Where: Oracle Arena When: 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: CSNBA/680

Nets update: New Jersey is coming off a 106-101 home win over the Knicks on Sunday. ... Point guard Devin Harris leads the Nets with 22.5 points and 6.9 assists per game and recently was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. ... Former Stanford big man Brook Lopez has started 56 games and is sixth in the NBA in total blocks. ... Ex-Warrior Eduardo Najera is done for the season after having surgery for a right abdominal strain this week. Forward Bobby Simmons (strained left shoulder) is questionable.