Thursday, February 02, 2006

The New Era: Golden State of Mind + Blowin' Up the Blogdome!

As heavily rumored and much anticipated, the Golden State Warriors BLOG is becoming part of SBNation as Golden State of Mind.

Update your bookmarks. We're now over at http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/

Shout out to J.Cob for winning The Name Game and narrowly beating (and saving us from) our own DJ Fuzzy Logic's proposed name "Thong in Your Mouth".

Like The Jefferson's we're moving on up! SBNation is home to the Bay Area favorite Athletics Nation as well as great hoops blogs Blog-A-Bull and Sactown Royalty. We're excited to join the nation and bring the Golden State Warriors BLOG faithful over. Being part of SBNation means an increased voice and forum for you- with more comments and diaries.

Before we move forward to our new home base, we'd like to thank all of you for your continued support. It's been less than a year, but we've grown faster than the Warriors payroll!

Here's some of the sites and writers that have shown us love:

About.com's look at the "brightest and most prolific bloggers to add to your bookmark folder."
Golden State Warriors Blog
Described as "Your one stop destination for Warriors news, hype, rumors, humor, science, history, and fashion." Yep, you need a sense of humor to be a Warriors fan and these guys have it in spades. The Dunleavy-bashing is worth the cost of a click.
Let's just say... we're all About the jokes! (sorry bad joke)


True Hoop
The Golden State Warriors Blog is right on top of every little Warrior detail, including the minutia of Baron Davis's training regimen.

BBallBlog
From the Golden State Warriors blog (which is one of the best blogs we've seen that focuses on one team)...

Deadspin Blogdom's Best: Golden State Warriors
Bright, snappy, well-written. If you’re a Warriors fan, will put a smile on your face despite the Pacific Division standings.

Thanks and see you on the SBNation site where we'll continue to drop science!


Golden State of Mind
news, hype, rumors, humor, science, history, and fashion
WE'RE A GREAT TIME OUT!


Update your bookmarks. We're now over at http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/


Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Recap: Warriors 107, Sonics 111

Not much to analyze here, just look at the 3rd quarter. The Warriors outplayed the Sonics in quarters 1, 2, and 4, but the 3rd quarter was disastrous, possibly the worst quarter of the season. Before getting into that, let's look at the first half. The Warriors started out blazing hot, scoring 38 in the first quarter and another 24 in the second quarter on better than 50% shooting. Andris Biedrins tore it up. He finished with 16 for the game on 7-10 shooting with 8 boards. He made some nice moves in the paint against the young Sonics frontline. He used both hands to finish moves and didn't get overpowered down there. After I write that article blasting him, he comes out and has the best game of his career. Either it's bad timing or he reads the site and wanted to prove something to me. I think it's the latter of the two.


2 of his 16 points

So, the first half ended with a Rashard Lewis breakaway layup on a ball that Mike Dunleavy gave up on. Lewis hustled to it, and cut the deficit from 8 to 6 giving them a little momentum going into the half. If Dunleavy doesn't give up on it, Lewis doesn't get a breakaway layup and the Warriors stay up 8 and the Sonics don't end on a high note. Then the 3rd quarter came. They were outscored 29-9, shot 2-21 from the field and basically gave the game away. Like I said before, not much to analyze, if they make a couple shots in the 3rd, they win the game. The 14 point deficit heading into the fourth was just too much. They cut the lead to 4 in the closing minutes but never were able to get closer than that. JRich was sorely missed during that 3rd quarter. If he's around they don't shoot 2-21 and put up only 9 points.

Boxscore


Baron using whatever he can to get by Luke.

Warrior Wonder
After talking trash about Andris Biedrins, he came out and had a big first half and so I'll give this to him. Baron had a big game, but we've come to expect that from him. Biedrins had a career best game, so I want to give this to him for probably the one and only time he'll receive this prestigious award.


Monty Reaches Into His Bag of Tricks

Finally Monty changes up something in practice as an attempt to get the team to shoot better free throws.

Montgomery's Warriors are 26th out of 30 teams in the NBA in free-throw percentage (71.6). Entering Monday, they were 29th over the past 10 games at 67.4 percent. In 10 of their 23 losses, the Warriors have missed enough free throws to cover the final deficit.

So Montgomery pulled out one of his trusty drills to help the Warriors solve their free-throw-shooting woes. The Warriors normally close practice by splitting up in twos and shooting free throws. But after practice Monday, Montgomery changed things up.

He put everybody on the baseline and called players one by one. Whoever he called had to walk to the line and make two free throws, alone on the court, while the others watched. A miss resulted in sprints for everyone.


I hated this drill in practice, Coach always put the worst free throw shooter on the line and we ended up running. Monty should adjust the drill so that the guys who shoot the most free throws during the game (Baron and JRich) punish the team more for a missed free throw than the 12th man to equal the pressure of being the star player. So if Baron misses, the team runs 2 suicides rather than 1. Actually Monty should change the punishment. So in addition to running suicides, you have to pay each player $100. Or you have to compliment Mike Dunleavy on his skills. Or you have to look at Troy Murphy in the eye and not laugh because he looks like a bum. Or better yet, if you miss a free throw, you have to watch Adonal shoot a bank shot. Noooo! Monty should get creative with this, I think he's onto something.


Monday, January 30, 2006

Madonna/Whore Complex in Sports

What is the role/function of cheerleaders? What is their specific role in Professional sports?

When I was in high school, cheerleaders—at times—tended to be social outcasts-cum-“spirit leaders.” Contrary to the media stereotype that cheerleaders were blond, skinny, bimbos and that cheerleading was an exclusionary activity for the popular kids, cheerleading at my high school was rather a democratization of coolness; it was a process of social mobility where nerds and honor students faked rhythm, hoping that their public support of jocks at games would translate into less beatdowns or acceptance into lunchtime social circles.

Far from the high school gymnasiums and the extremely robotic cheers (this might exclude cheerleading done in urban areas) and moves that make ballet look like breakdancing, Cheerleaders of professional sports are breaking all the rules, creating some tsunami type waves in the media, almost as much as high profile stars that they root and dance floor. While players along the lines of Artest, Owens, J.O’Neil, Shaq, Sprewell, Reggie White, Muhammad Ali, etc. have been policed for saying their piece (poignant critiques about race in sports), sexuality—what is and isn’t—seems to be the center of much debate the role of cheerleaders. Yet, from recent news about cheerleaders and their overflowing homo/sexuality, I think that we can conclude that Americans (men specifically) are rather schizophrenic when it comes to their attitudes about women’s sexuality.

A few weeks ago, the Detroit Piston’s cheerleader’s swimsuit calendar was blasted by the Michigan-based American Deceny Association for being, like myself, too sexy. This organization considered these representations of scantily-clad—some topless—women as equivalent to forms of prostitution (see here for recap). Ironically, a portion of the money made from the calendar goes to charity. A few months earlier, two Panthers Cheerleaders were dismissed from the squad for violating team conduct. But from the news report, its unclear what the violation clearly is. What is considered MOST important in the article is that the two cheerleaders were caught by club patrons for having sex with each other in the bathroom; what didn’t come until more than half way through the report is that they were belligerent, provided false information to police, and were publicly drunk. They were charged with battery, which is I guess the reason they were kicked off the team, but its interesting that that their sexuality is somewhat assumed to be part of their “violations of conduct.”

As much as professional sports try to market themselves, athletes, etc. as “family fun,” c’mon… you know that shit ain’t true! Based on my recent experience at the Warriors game (and the Warrior girls wearin’ some of the best outfits outside of strip clubs that won’t give you the ‘ho’ ‘slut’ or ‘prostitute’ label), the very sexuality that is being contested is in fact the very things that some—I would almost say MANY—men watching sports enjoy. Hell I admit it, I enjoy it!

Example: At the one game I attended this season, the cheerleaders were lined up along the stairs, staggered about 20 steps from each other. Atma, Hash and I were sitting next to some rowdy fans that the HBN approves of for their great high fives. Yet as one of the many beautiful Warrior girls danced right next to us, the fans behind began whistling and yelling what some/most might consider degrading statements. The one I remember most was, “Yea! I just wanna touch you girl!”

I will say that NOT everyone in the stadium is like this, nor are male arousals to cheerleader gyrations a recent phenomenon @ Warrior games (maybe more recently than before tho). I think the HBN can all agree that their outfits—along with other teams—have gotten progressively more exposed. But what has struck me in the recent news is the contradictory desire for cheerleaders to fulfill our heterosexual desires optically yet also needing to contain this sexuality at the same time. Professional sports strategically traverses the boundary between satisfying and objectifying women for their largely male audience, but simultaneously conscious of how not to offend another huge market—women and children. Is capitalism to blame for the unfair treatment of women—representations of sexuality as cheerleaders—in a society that perhaps instead of challenges the exploitative capacity of capitalism, rather criticizes and attacks women for doing jobs that many men are setting up for them? To what extent are capitalism and professional sports reflective and reproductive of our stereotypes and desires about women?

Well, I’m not proposing any solutions, nor am I criticizing men for the sexism that we’ve learned socially, but I am just raising some questions about the treatment of cheerleaders in mass media. Anyhoo…

Here at the HBN, we stand in solidarity with women in fighting sexism, homophobia (people gettin’ some in the bathroom is alright by me), and misogyny! We celebrate the Warriors for their commitment to racial diversity, local dance talent, and dancing in general. The lone bright spot in the Mullin “dynasty” of (mis)management is the increased visibility of dancers of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry—more than any other team in the NBA! Below is my tribute to, in my opinion, the top 5 dancers on the Warriors! Here is my “STARTING FINE” (or Starting Five)

The NEW SOLID GOLD DANCERS! I haven't seen gold look this good since the Golden Age of Rap and the heigh of Mr. T's popularity!


ROBIN

Representing FREMONT!

GERILYN

My friend knows her from high school, plus she's FINE!

ALLYSON

I'm not normally into White girls, but Allyson makes this list cause she is a non-stop Warrior Wonder! She's got some crazy back for a White girl; the type of back that makes Black women freak out that White people are not only appropriating their culture, but their booties too. No joke: My friend and I were both at different meetings where a groups of young Black women were discussing the state of white girls asses and the crisis of Black racial identity if white girls are now contesting them for having back.

SHANIA!

Man, Shania deserves rookie of the year. I swear she's Asian, too.


AUDREY

Rounding out the starting fine is Audrey, who offers veteran leadership on this all-star, all-nba cheerleading squad. As a 5th year, she knows exactly what moves provide the spark during timeouts.

Sixth Wo/Man of the Bench!

SANAE!



For Atma Brother #1....
I once ran into Sanae as i was picking up tickets for a Warriors game. She was walking out of the colesium and i said "Hey! You're a Warrior girl!" She looked at me and kept walking without saying anything... She's so awesome!


One Minute Man

Which Warriors player personifies a "One Minute Man"? Take a guess. My vote goes to Andris Biedrins since he cannot stay in the game for longer than a minute without fouling.


There's got to be a foul somewhere.


After all Ron Artest trade talk and how the Warriors didn’t want to give up some of their young talent, namely Ike and Pietrus, I was a little surprised to hear Biedrins’ name as one of the young players Mullin is having trouble parting with in a trade. From what I’ve seen, there has been little if any improvement in his game from last year to this. This may be a little premature considering he’s only 19 (will be 20 in April), but trade this guy away while he still has some value and upside. Most players his age show flashes of potential and play well over the course of a couple games. I’ve never seen Biedrins do that. Physically, he’s gotten stronger and he shows flashes of skill on offense and defense on one possession or another, but over a prolonged period he cannot put together a decent effort. It’s not even consistency that he lacks, if there was something to be consistent with, then he would lack it. He lacks skill and right now he’s not improving.

Let’s look at his numbers from this year versus last season. In his rookie year, in 12.8 minutes per game he averaged: 3.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, shot 57.7% from the field, 47.5% from the line and 2.9 fouls. Now this year in 10.4 minutes per game, he’s averaging: 2.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 63.3% from the field, 38.5% from the line, and 2.2 fouls.

First of all, he’s playing less minutes in his 2nd year than his first. Sure Ike has come in and played to take some of his minutes, but Biedrins should be taking minutes from Foyle and Murphy. He’s got to earn those minutes and should be averaging more minutes per game. This has affected his other numbers. His points, rebounds, and blocks are all below last year’s miniscule averages. What's more is that he hasn't scored or rebounded in double digits the entire season. Oftentimes, he has games where his points plus rebounds don't add up to double digits. I'm not really sure where this guy has improved from last year. You expect your first round draft choice to improve from year to year, especially if he's a project. There's a four letter bad word that can describe him, it begins with an "F" and ends with a "P".

Everyone knows about his propensity to foul in limited minutes, 2.9 fouls per game last year and 2.1 per game this year. It’s always fun to see what someone’s averages might be if they played all 48 minutes. So this year, if he were to play 48 minutes and there was an unlimited number of fouls you could get, he would be averaging 9.7 fouls per game. It’s funny when he comes into the game and we try to predict when he’s going to get his first foul (usually within a minute), but it’s hurting the team. First off, if he collects two fouls in a couple minutes, he’s already helping put the other team in the bonus quickly. This leads to more free throws and since the Warriors are an uptempo team it hurts them by slowing the game down. The second reason this hurts is that Monty can’t play him for extended minutes to give Foyle and Murphy a break. Those guys need rest. Foyle should not be playing more than 25 minutes per game and Murphy shouldn’t be playing more than 35 which is right around their averages. But when Biedrins gets into foul trouble these guys have to play extended minutes which tires them out later in the game. There are times that he shows he can play defense effectively without fouling, but more often than not, the whistle blows and the ref is calling out Biedrins' number as the culprit. Another one of the funny stats is his free throw percentage this year, 38.5%. I know he doesn’t take many shots, but you have to make more than 2 out of 5 free throw attempts. I'd like to see some improvement the 2nd half of the year from Biedrins in all aspects of his game because the Warriors are going to need him to eat minutes so Adonal and Troy aren't on the floor for extended minutes.

I cannot see a reason that Mullin would not be willing to trade Biedrins if he’s offered a tough veteran to help the team this year and next. The biggest problem the Warriors have is down low on both offense and defense, and Biedrins is no help on either end of the floor. Please Mullin, trade away the big man for a tough defender down low, a marksman from 3, or a backup point guard. You need to make a move before the season gets away from you. Biedrins is not one of your cornerstone players for the next decade. You already have Foyle and Murphy signed to long term deals plus Ike and Taft as two big men to develop. Either bring in a coach for the big man to improve his game or trade him while you can. For the Warriors sake, I hope the big man proves me wrong and turns into a very good player that can soak up 30 minutes per game at center, but I haven't seen anything in his short career that would lead me to believe he won't be another failure in the Warriors sorry draft history.


Sunday, January 29, 2006

Breaking News!

As much as I'd like this top secret news to be about the actual team, maybe a trade I heard from an inside source or some movement within management, this has even greater impact on your fan experience at the Arena. Sit down for this one...The Warrior Girls are going to break a new outfit. This uni is all about cowboy boots. But not your ordinary brown or black leather cowboy boots, these ones are a shiny Warrior orange and blue that go about to the knee. While the boots didn't look so hot while they practiced in their sweats and whatever other workout clothes they had on, they should definitely be hot when they break them out on the hardwood in front of the 20,000 fans.

And they'll be dancing to that song that goes:
"These boot were made for walkin, and that's just what they'll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you."

While we drop knowledge about the team, we also give you comprehensize Warrior Girl coverage as well. You just can't get better Warrior girl coverage from any other site. Expect to see these boots and whatever revealing clothes they will wear with them at a Warrior game in the future.


Saturday, January 28, 2006

Recap: Warriors 105, Lakers 106

Sure the Warriors lost, but this isn't a loss I mind. A one point overtime loss on the road without JRich is nothing to be ashamed about. For the most part they played tough. Are they headed to the playoffs? Well that's another story.

"What I have to pass the ball?"

Most of hoops nation had their eyes on their game to see how many points Kobe would drop. Pietrus played some pretty solid defense on Kobe on the first half (5 points) and then Monty used Derek Fisher to guard him for most of the second half (25 points). Yeah don't ask. I'm over simplifying it, but basically Monty doesn't have a clue about shutting down the other team's best offensive threat. Kobe didn't really seem to be trying in this game till the 4th quarter. Maybe the unfair criticism about his 81 point game got to him.

Air France took off!

Mikael Pietrus started in place of the injured JRich and showed some flashes of why many teams in the league are interested in him. Finally getting some minutes (39), MP2 dropped a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The points are nice, especially the 2 dunks, but what I like most about Pietrus' night was his rebounding. He's a big, athletic wingman. MP2 should be rebounding like this more often. Mikael can do wonders for his offensive game if he wasn't so in love with the three pointer, developed a midrange game, took it to the hole more, and focused on rebounding.

His 1 steal and 1 block hint at the defense he's capable of. With Monty foolishly going with Fisher on Kobe in the second half, Pietrus pretty much shut down Lamar Odom. Odom was going at Dunleavy before he was knocked out of the game with a rolled ankle (keep reading), but looked like a scrub against Pietrus.

Monty- START PIETRUS INSTEAD OF DUNLEAVY. Dunleavy has had every chance in the world and still hasn't shown he deserves to be starting. Pietrus gives the Warriors defense and aggressiveness- something they need to avoid being down by so many points early in games.

T-Double had 15 points and collected 14 boards. His defense has really picked up the past few games. Aside from one perfectly timed block on Odom late in the game, Foyle had a pretty bad night. 4 rebounds in 27 minutes from your starting center is unnaceptable.

Derek Fisher really likes to shoot. No, I mean he really likes to shoot. He took 15 shots, but at least he went to the line 10 times. Have you noticed that every time he plays the Lakers he tries to be like Kobe (more so than usual)? My theory is that Fish wants to play for Phil and the Lakers real bad and he's trying to put on a show for them.

Before he rolled his ankle, Dunleavy looked like he was headed to another bad game. He's usually a pretty solid free throw shooter, but he missed both of his attempts last night. But for the first time, I think I saw why maybe some clueless Warriors fans think he's so smart. I always thought people believed this because a) his dad is a coach (which is dumb since intelligence is not genetic) and b) he's white (which is dumb because race has nothing to do with intelligence). It's because he has a big head.
His head is 3x the size of Smush's!

Dunleavy rolled his ankle in the first half after landing wrong when trying to collect a rebound. If you've ever played hoops, rolling your ankle is pretty painful. It's usually not a serious injury, but one that lingers and isn't fun. On a side note- is Mike Dunleavy Jim Barnett's love child? After Dunleavy landed wrong, he blamed Mike's ankle roll on Andris Biedrins (aka the Human Foul Film) for being out of position. Huh? Look Andris might be pretty uncoordinated (his free throw stroke makes Ben Wallace's look like Ray Allen's), but how is he responsible for Dunleavy's rolled ankle? Just insane.
Baron: "Get this scrub out of here!"

Hate to say this, but the Warriors are a better team without Dunleavy getting 30+ minutes a night. Even Jessica Alba who sat courtside seemed happy to waive Dunleavy goodbye.
Jessica: "Seeya Mike! My post up moves are more fantastic than yours!"

Tough loss, but good effort. Playoffs? PLAYOFFS?! Let's not get into that.

Warrior Wonder
Aside from jacking up an impossible shot at the end of the 4th when he was triple teamed, Boom Dizzle played like a superstar last night. 29 points, 10 dimes, and 3 steals without JRich is incredible. Baron took it to the hole, set up his teammates, and played pretty good defense. Great game.

Boom Deazy even had time to tickle Devean George behind his knee as he drove past him!


Friday, January 27, 2006

Midterm Report Card for the Warriors

The Warriors are at the halfway point of the 2005-2006 season. After 41 games the Warriors stand 19 and 22 good for a .463 winning percentage. 11th place in the Western Conference and 3rd in the Pacific. Probably not what Warriors Nation was expecting, but honestly- when have things ever gone according to plan for the Dubs? Let's see how the Warriors have done in the first 41 games:

Baron Davis: B
Boom Dizzle has dazzled Warrior fans with his dimes (9 a game), but struggled with his shooting and shot selection. Baron's had some trouble defending some of the quicker guards in the league.

Jason Richardson: A-
Aside from hitting free throws (only 66.2%), there isn't much more you can ask for offensively (nearly 23ppg, 6boards, and 3 assists). Defensively JRich is improving as well. Near All Star effort.

Mike Dunleavy: D+
I don't think there is another team in the NBA stupid enough to play Dunleavy over 32 minutes a game. His scoring (10.9ppg) and rebounding (4.7rpg) have regressed from both last season and two seasons ago. Pretty sorry defense aside from a handful of suprising, but welcome games. There is no reason Mike should be shooting three pointers (23.8%).

Troy Murphy: C
T-Double's rebounding is down from nearly 11 a game last season to 9 this year, but he's showing us more offensive skills. Defense is Charmin' soft.

Adonal Foyle: D+
If you play Adonal 10-15 minutes a game he's amazing energy off the bench. Unfortunately he's a starter and paid like a star.

Derek Fisher: C
Good guy, not so good point guard. Streaky shooter at best. Never met a shot he didn't like.

Mickael Pietrus: Incomplete
He's only played 18 out of 41 games. It's tough to assess MP2 with the bizzare minutes Monty gives him. Absolutely no reason why he shouldn't be starting over Dunleavy. When the Warriors are always giving up so many points in the first quarter, you think you'd insert some defense into the starting lineup.

Andris Biedrins: D-
You love the guy's energy, but he's more likely to foul than grab a rebound, block a shot, or score. Still very raw and hasn't show any real improvement.

Ike Diogu: C
Nice kid, but a poor man's Corliss Williamson? Let's hope not.

Zarko Cabarkapa: D+
If he got Dunleavy's minutes, he'd probably put up similar numbers... and that's not a good thing.

Calbert Cheaney: C-
This former flop (#6 overall pick) brings some needed veteran leadership, but he should NEVER be playing (1.8ppg in 10.4minutes per game). Warriors Nation doesn't call him "the towel" for nothing. Still, his teammates seems to appreciate his influence.

Chris Taft: Incomplete
Too bad the kid's faced so many back problems. He might be able to help this team.

Monta Ellis: Incomplete
Honestly, who knows how good or bad this kid can be? When he does get some minutes, you have to love his hustle.

Coach Mike Montgomery: D-
He'd probably be fired by now on any other team.

Warriors Front Office: F
Unless some other team is dumb enough to trade for some horrendous contracts, this is your Golden State Warriors lineup for the next 2-3 years. Not bad enough to be at the top of the lottery, but not good enough to do better than the 7th or 8th seed. Aw good times!

Warrior Girls: A+
DJ Fuzzy Logic will cover this soon...

Junior Jam Squad: A+
The kids are off the hook!

Team Thunder: A+
Their jams are almost as good as JRich's.

Thunder and the big inflatable Thunder: A+
I luv that big Thunder and his headbutt!

Golden State Warriors BLOG: A+
We're a great time out!

You: A+
Thanks for your support! We love your comments. You guys drop more science than Jim Barnett (and I like the guy!).


Make sure to drop your grades in the comments.


The Kobe Show Comes To Town


Troy Murphy for first team All-Defensive! Turn around!

He scored 81 points the last time the Lakers played. 81. To put that into perspective, there have been entire teams who don’t score more than 81 in a full game. This past Wednesday the Hornets scored a whopping 68 in a game against the Spurs. Kobe nearly had that in 3 quarters. So what does this have to do with the Warriors? Well he’s playing them tonight. The Lakers aren’t playing the Warriors, Kobe and those other 11 guys are. I’m excited for one thing for this game, how many points will Kobe put up? I want the Warriors to win badly, but I’m also curious to see if Kobe will try to match his 81 or break it. If he scores 35, big deal right? Ho hum, you're averaging 35. I say he drops at a double nickel, 55. With no JRich tomorrow because of his injury, it might be a long night for Mike Dunleavy. Everyone knows that Monty isn’t playing Pietrus, the best perimeter defender we have. If Monty doesn't play MP2 on KB8 and chooses to go with MDJ with no JRich around, I say fire him on the spot. No post game news conference, no thanks for playing. Just a swift kick and tell him to go back to the Farm. Just promote Mario Elie. Knowing Monty, Mike Dunleavy will most likely be guarding Kobe if JRich can’t go. Dunleavy will be in more highlights on Sportscenter than he's been his whole career, it's just that the highlights won't be of his own. It will be Kobe with a turnaround jumper with Dunleavy standing there, Kobe for three with Dunleavy standing there, and then Kobe dunks with Dunleavy in some awkward pose between Kobe's legs. At least there will be some good pictures to put up on the site afterwards.

So go ahead Kobe, entertain me/ us. Shoot away (as long as Odom gets some more assists since he’s on my fantasy squad). If you’re tuning into the game, Kobe is the story, whether you want to see him score a ton of points or get shutdown, he’s the top attraction in this game.

I say he scores 55. How many points do you think he’ll score?


Thursday, January 26, 2006

GSW BLOG Droppin' Dimes

Golden State Warriors BLOG spotting on... ESPN.com's Daily Dime for January 27, 2006.
Thanks to Chad Ford for answering my question today. Chad's on point.


Chad Ford on the Warriors

ESPN.com's Chad Ford gave a pretty objective and fair analysis of the Warriors in his online chat today.
Atma Brother #1 (Golden State Warriors BLOG): Please tell Warriors Nation we're not headed to the lottery.... AGAIN!

Chad Ford: (12:11 PM ET ) I was high on them in the pre-season, but after watching them a lot and given the Artest trade, I think they're going to finish at the bottom of the Pacific again. I think Chris Mullin made a major mistake by not aquiring Artest. I think the Warriors would've preferred to get two young players like Diogu and Pietrus. I know Mullin feels that they both have a lot of upside, but at some time you have to decide that your franchise is going to more than a farm team ... you have to actually win. Artest was a great fit for that team and I think Mullin overvalued his young guys. In two or three years, they may look back and Diogu and Pietrus will be great players. But, another two years of missing the playoffs and Mullin may not have a job.
I'm with Chad on missing out on Artest. It was a colossal mistake that was exacerbated by Ron going to the division rival Sacramento Kings. The Kings gave up an All Star in Peja and Mullin was not ready to give up anyone on the roster aside from Baron and JRich? Artest gives the Kings a pretty solid lineup when healthy:

PG: Mike Bibby
SG: Bonzi Wells
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Shareef Abdur-Rahim
C: Brad Miller

The Kings starting frontline is vastly superior to the Warriors threesome of Dunleavy-Murphy-Foyle. Although not at the Boom-Rich level the Kings' backcourt is solid and clutch (Bibby). Look for the Kings to beat up on the Warriors in the 3 games left between the two Northern California squads this season. The Pacific Division could have 4 teams in the Western conference playoffs (Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Kings). That's just embarrassing for the Warriors who are 1 game out of the Pacific division cellar and showing no signs of life.

Ford made an excellent point about the Warriors being a farm team. At some point you have to stop worrying about how good your team is going to be in 3-4 years and play to win now. It's been 11 years since the Warriors made the playoffs. If every year is a "rebuilding year", you're doing something wrong. It's tough to buy that the Warriors young guns will ever be star players.

What are thoughts about Chad Ford's take on the Warriors?