Golden State Warriors Sign Davidson, Waive Nelson

This just in: Warriors-Examiner~y2009m1d5-More-bad-news-for-Anthony-Randolph-Warriors-sign-Jermareo-Davidson">The Warriors have signed Jermareo Davidson to a 10-day contract and waived DeMarcus Nelson.

If you're at all like me, everything about the Warriors lately has you scratching your head in confusion. They've gone from one of the most exciting up-and-coming teams in the league to bottom-dwelling tank machine in less that two years. Golden State is on track to becoming the Miami of last year.

In the spirit of all this, we have this latest move. Now its obvious that the Warriors lack a true point guard. While I don't really agree with Steinmetz's Marcus Williams love (cited in the article above), it's true that the Warriors need a true point. In the limited minutes he has gotten this year, DeMarcus Nelson has looked far better than Williams. And he's one of the few Warriors who actually tries on defense.

But, you might say, the Warriors have a glut of guards. The other reason this move is troubling is the waiving of never-seen draft pick Richard Hendrix. He was hanging out in the D-League when he was waived to make room for Rob Kurz. This move screamed sacrificing the future for the here-and-now.

Kurz is more NBA-ready than Hendrix, which would make sense if the Warriors had a team in playoff contention. But Hendrix is a true post banger, a dirty-work kind of player. And the Warriors desperately need toughness at the 4-spot.

In comes Davidson, a known commodity. Now granted, he's only in his sophomore year, but you pretty much know what you're getting with him—a role player. He's 6-foot-10, athletic, and will probably be about a 10-and-5 type of guy.

On the flip side, Hendrix was loaded with potential. True, he's not ready for the NBA, but the squad this year is going nowhere. Why not see what you have with the kid rather than throwing him under the bus for someone who is mediocre at best?

Worse still, this move will take minutes away from star rookie Anthony Randolph, the Warriors' prized first-rounder. Now there are reports of a clash between him and Nellie, possibly an attitude problem ... but the kid's gonna be a star. And his average already beats Jermareo's. Work it out, management. Work it out, coach. That would be the logical thing to do ... if this were any team but the Warriors.

Develop for next year. Sure, games will be lost, but at least the fans would get to see what the team has, and the team would develop the rookies. The argument of hurting a rookie's ego by letting him get burned by bigger, better players all the time doesn't fly here because the rookies don't get much burn. I won't rehash the old "Don Nelson hates rookies" arguments here, but it rings truer and truer by the day.

Of course, as I said, the Warriors are on track to become the Miami of last year. The upshot of that is this: Blake Griffin. It's a gamble, but if we can tank without appearing to tank, which may be the strategy (to keep bodies in the seats), then Coach Nelson is doing a pretty good job. The risk he runs here is frustrating the entire team and ruining the chemistry, which is what looks to indeed be happening.

But as a Warriors fan, I guess I'm naturally impatient. After suffering 20 years of mediocre basketball, I got a glimpse of the possibilities. And they were exciting. I'm ready now, dammit.

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