The Granger Express

Straight to the Warriors?
Originally uploaded by atma brother #1.

DraftExpress details the current climate of the Warriors and why Danny Granger would be the ideal pick for them at #9.

Because of the up-tempo style the Warriors want to play Granger should be able to slide right into the rotation with little difficulty. He would essentially replace everything Dunleavy brings to the court minus the negativity. While this seams a bit foolish at first glance, the fact of the matter is that the pressure to produce has affected Dunleavy’s confidence level. Because of this, Dunleavy has a tendency to disappear for long stretches and his aggressiveness has never been at the level it needs to be for a starting forward on a playoff team.

Granger has an almost identical game to Dunleavy’s, but he comes in with a clean slate and without the expectations of being a team savior. Granger may even be able to start in place of Dunleavy as Pietrus’ streaky scoring ability make him an ideal sixth man option off the bench, think Tony Allen and Ricky Davis of the Celtics last year.

Although the Warriors have a few holes to fill in their rotation the team has a stellar starting five and should be very competitive no matter who they acquire. While the frontcourt could use a veteran to push Foyle further down the bench the team is pretty high on Cabarkapa’s potential and rightfully so as he can play three positions for spot minutes.

Trading Dunleavy should also help the team acquire more veteran depth considering the fourth year forward has shown enough flashes in his game to warrant some team’s attention. While Dunleavy still has a lot of upside and has improved every season in the league his production to date relative to the lofty slot he was drafted in, 3rd overall, have taken him out of favor with the home crowd and put the pressure on the Warriors to make a decision on his future.