Maggette signs, Brand and Pietrus go east

After a flurry of moves and offers across I-5, the Warriors look to be in good shape.

Elton Brand, who had a max-deal offer from the Warriors, agreed to sign with the Sixers Thursday. While he would have been nice in Oakland, just having him leave the west is still a step forward.

Mullin however wasted little time in adding one of the top available free agents to the Warrior roster in former Clipper Corey Maggette. While the 29-year old small forward is not as talented as the departed Baron Davis, he is not a bad consolation prize.

In Maggette, Nellie gets a good scorer who excels in transition. He had good shooting percentages last year, a good sign since he was the best scorer on a bad team. The number that stands out is his free-throws, 9.7 per game and over 80 percent shooting from the line.

His D is questionable as is his attitude and ability to stay healthy but in the end this is a good move. With Maggette starting, he and Jackson can share the 2/3 spots. That is a very physical duo that brings size to both positions. Knowing Nellie he could put one of them at power forward though that would not work well in the long term.

The question it creates is, who goes to the bench? Wright should be starting so perhaps Harrington finally becomes a bench player or more likely is traded for picks or another point guard.

Maggette provides another scorer and, at the very least, shores up depth. This does however have some signs of a desperation signing after the Baron and Brand situation.

The move does however lead one to wonder of if this team is building or trying to win now. Maggette helps this team in the short term but they still need the younger players to step into prominent roles.

Brand to Philly

Since the Warriors made an offer to Brand, most fans have been waiting apprehensively to see if their team could return a favor to the Clippers by tearing the heart out of their team. Brand did not go for it but he did leave LA in a lurch by signing with the 76ers.

It seems cruel to slightly enjoy Baron’s predicament but he seemingly made his own bed. He is now on a team with Al Thornton and Chris Kaman as two of its better players. A team with Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and a crop of developing youngsters seems like a better place for a star point guard but as of now it’s just not to be.

A final piece of advice for Baron, never trust the Clippers to get something done, sorry you had to learn the hard way.

Pietrus out

Thus ends the tenure of a player who Warrior fans simply dubbed “the French Trainwreck.”

 It is difficult to pinpoint what Warrior fans will miss most about him. Will it be the way he played out of control or kept standing out of bounds while receiving passes? Perhaps it is the way that he showed flashes of a high energy player but often confined himself to corner jumpers. Maybe, just maybe it will be just how much potential his game had and how far he was from ever reaching it.

Pietrus agreed to sign with the Orlando Magic for a multi-year deal that will pay nearly the whole mid-level exception. His inconsistency has frustrated the Warrior faithful for years and is now finally gone. 

Pietrus came to Oakland as an heir apparent to Jason Richardson. He grew into a decent backup, using his athleticism for put-backs and occasionally playing decent defense. He even started sometimes but never could hold down a spot.

Through the last few seasons, however, Pietrus grew into a problem. The team did not sign him to a new deal last summer and he often spoke of the success he would have after he left Golden State.

Then, during the Warrior’s drive toward the playoffs last spring, MP suddenly came up lame. An injury kept him out for over two weeks and the already thin Warriors faltered, missing the postseason. His presence may not have made the difference, but his absence made a statement about him as a player and teammate.

Thankfully Air France is making his final departure from Oakland. With all the potential he never lived up to, Pietrus will not be missed.