No Baron? No Problem! Golden State Warriors Should Target Josh Smith

"Baron’s gone to Clips!  We’re fuct.  Same old Warriors."  (A text I received last week from my buddy)

Because of their franchise's incompetent history, Warriors fans all over were sending similar texts to each other, when Davis, the catalyst for their turnaround, bolted the Bay for L.A. and a five-year, $65 million deal.

While losing an All-Star point guard—he was an All-Star last year, nobody can convince me otherwise—coming off the best year of his career hurts, the Warriors have many options to retool. 

Mention the word rebuild to a die-hard W’s fan and you will likely be subject to an expletive-laced tirade aimed at owner Chris Cohan and GMs of the past and present (Mullin, St. Jean, etc.). 

Throughout the '90s and 2000s, the Warriors were perpetually rebuilding.  Whether it was smart drafting (Todd Fuller over Kobe, Mike Dunleavy over Amaré, Adonal Foyle over T-Mac), shrewd free agent signings (Derek Fisher: six years, $37 million), or frugal extensions for their existing players (Troy Murphy: five years, $58 million; Adonal Foyle: five years, $41.6 million), the Warriors’ front office found ways to stay in mid-lottery purgatory. 

Excuse me, after writing that, I spent seven minutes fighting the urge to stab myself in the eyes with freshly sharpened pencils.  Everything changed on February 24, 2005.  On the day that brought Baron to Oakland in exchange for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis (and a season crappy enough to bring the Hornets Chris Paul), the Warriors' fortunes seemed to change. 

That trade, along with moves for Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington, seemed to finally put the “build” back in rebuild. 

With or without Davis, the Warriors have a strong young core of players to build around—Monta Ellis (age 22), Andris Biendris (22), and Brandan Wright (20).  They must focus on this young trio, and add players that are going to be entering their primes around the same time. 

Warriors fans and pundits have clamored for names like Brand and Iguodala—but there is one guy from the city of snap who would be the best fit for the new-look Dubs.

With some of the “old guard” Western powers (Spurs, Mavs, Rockets) starting to get older, the Warriors should focus on becoming a team who will peak around the start of 2010.  The guy who would perfectly fit in with that schedule is Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith, also 22 years old.  Smith would be a perfect fit for the up-tempo game that the Warriors play.  He is an extremely versatile player, who can guard almost any position on the court.  He is one of the game’s best shot-blockers (2.8 bpg) and is a solid rebounder at the forward spot (8.2 rpg).    Though some question his ability to play the three, he has improved his outside shooting and ball handling.  Though he is not a great outside shooter yet, Al Harrington will be able to stretch the floor enough for him to be effective. 

It does not really matter who is technically the starting power forward.  Smith is a versatile enough defender to guard the other team’s better forward, and a forward tandem with that kind of size and skill would create the mismatches Nellie covets.  Some have questioned his character—but Nelson has been able to get the best out of guys like Davis, Jackson, and Harrington, who all had major character issues before their moves to the Bay.  If the Warriors were to sign Smith to sign to a contract in the neighborhood of $12 million per year for five years, they would still need to address the point guard position.  With the $18 million that Baron leaves them, they would be able to sign a mid-level point guard, while still being able to bring back Ellis and Biendris.    There are two guys who could be had for the right price, who would fit well into their young nucleus.  The first guy that they should look at is Louis Williams of the 76ers.  Though there are questions about whether he is a “true point”, he is a supremely athletic, 6'2" youngster (21 years old), who still has time to learn the position. 

Ironically, Williams has been compared to fellow Southern preps-to-pros star Monta Ellis.  He has shown flashes of brilliance in Philly, and the Warriors up-tempo system built around versatility will be perfect for him.  If he can develop his passing and decision making, he would be a great fit in Oakland.  But the better option for the Warriors—health permitting—is unrestricted free-agent Shaun Livingston, formerly of the Clippers.  He has been cleared for full-contact basketball, but his injury history makes many front-offices nervous. 

When healthy, however, the 6'7" 22-year old has been fantastic during his short career.  His size creates the kind of matchup problems Nelson loves, and it would allow Monta Ellis to play alongside him at the two. 

Livingston is a true, pass-first point guard, who makes everyone around him better.  While he has to prove that he is durable enough to play extended minutes, he is a low-risk, high-reward option for Mullin.  Because of his youth, it is a decent bet that he will be able to return to full strength after that horrific knee injury.  If they acquired Smith and either Williams or Livingston, while re-signing their free agents—I do not expect the Warriors to bring back both Barnes and Pietrus, with Barnes being the more likely player to return—their depth chart would look something like this: 

PG: Ellis (22)/ Williams (21) or Livingston (21)/ C.J. Watson (24) SG: Jackson (30)/ Kelenna Azubuike (24)/  Marco Belinelli (22) F: Smith (22)/ Mickael Pietrus? (26)/ Matt Barnes? (28)/ Anthony Randolph (18) (R) F: Harrington (28)/ Wright (20)/ Richard Hendrix (21) (R) C: Biendris (22)/ Austin Croshere (63)/ Kosta Perovic (23) 

While the point guard situation is worrisome, Monta Ellis’ passing and ball handling have improved massively.  He should be able to make the transition to a scoring point guard who is still a playmaker, a la ex-Warrior Gilbert Arenas. 

Jackson showed last season that he is capable of initiating the offense, if Ellis or Williams/Livingston is struggling.  Watson, a D-League call-up from last year, also looked a competent NBA backup point last season.  While the youth (read: inexperience) of this team may be terrifying next season, these moves would solidify the Warriors as one of the most exciting, talented young teams in the league.  This is a team, if given time to grow together and mature, that could make a serious push around 2010, and be extremely exciting till then.  Yeah, I wish Baron would come back.  It would also be great to get Elton Brand, but I don’t see either of these things happening.  Since the Warriors seem determined to blow big dollars on a free agent this summer, they should use them on J-Smoove.