Bleacher Report - Articles by Marin Perez

The Golden State Warriors: A Look Ahead

Marin Perez — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:54:31 -0400

The Golden State Warriors had more than a decade of futility. Then Don Nelson came back and you know the story: run and gun, playoffs, first-round upset, The Dunk, and general good times.

Last year saw more wins, but a rough and tumble West still left them two games out of the playoffs. The off season wasn't supposed to be a big deal. Conventional thinking was the team would re-sign Baron Davis, Monta Ellis and Andris Biendris and make another playoff run.

But Davis bolted to make movie trailers, the Mississippi Bullet got a big fat contract and promptly got hurt under suspicious circumstances, and Warriors fans should prepare themselves for another year without the playoffs.

Additons:

In a move that was probably somewhat panicky, Corey Maggette got a big fat $50 million contract. The buff swingman is not known for defense, passing, or being a team player, but the last time he averaged over 22 points and 5 rebounds last year. He gets to the line and hits a good clip, and with the green light, he can be a legitimate 25 points a game scorer. I still don't think him and Steven Jackson can co-exist for extended periods of time.

Looking to shore up the back court, the Warriors gave the Nets a first-round draft pick for Marcus Williams. Besides a brief laptop incident, Williams was seen to have great potential in the draft a few years ago. He slipped, and never quite found his groove. This could be attributed to him being out of shape, or just never having time to play behind Jason Kidd, but Warriors fans are pinning a lot of hopes on him.

He should have the starting point guard spot, and if he's in shape, the offense will suit his skills. While he's not a dead-eye shooter, I could easily see him developing into a steady, Andre Miller-type point guard in the next few years. There's going to be some growing pains, but it was a very nice low-risk move.

Ronnie Turiaff can do more than star in viral videos, and his hustle and enthusiasm will quickly make him a fan favorite. At $17 million, his contract is a bit high, but he'll give the team good defense, boards, heart, and of course, dancing.

The Dubs drafted the skinny lefty Anthony Randolph out of LSU with the number 14 pick. The always-excellent Draftexpress said he's "6-10 or 6-11, incredibly long, left-handed, fluid, quick, explosive off his feet, with great open-court speed." The rook had a good summer league, but I don't see how he's going to find time with the crowded swing rotation, not to mention second-year, 6'11 lefty Brandon Wight.

Richard Hendrix is a scrappy rook who may find time because he plays bigger than his 6'8 frame suggests.

Subtractions:

BDiddy, BD, The Beard. Davis move to the Los Angeles Clippers stings Warriors Nation. I maintained that Nellie teams had gone as far as they could, and rebuilding around Monta, Biedrins, and Wright was the right thing to do long term. But it still hurts to see Davis go. He gave the team an incredible swagger, would hit the big shots, and will it to win.

But for all the good memories and fast food clips, the franchise will overcome losing an injury-prone, shoot first point guard. It's hard now, and will be even harder come May, but Warriors fans will overcome.

Outlook:

The upcoming season's going to be very testing for Warriors fans. If Ellis was healthy, I would have thought there was a slight chance the team could have made the playoffs. But now, I think it's just best to sit back, enjoy the scoring, and scout next year's draft.

Don't get me wrong, Williams, Jackson, Maggette, Al Harrington and Biedrins is a solid starting unit. And with Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Randolph and Turiaff coming off the bench, this team can win some games. It'll be entertaining too—I'll be going to at least the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and 76ers games.

The non-playoffs teams in the West have only gotten stronger (I'm looking at you Portland), and the Warriors should finish with around 35 wins. If anything, this year should be used to get Ellis back in shape and ready to take over this team for good.

Photo Credits: Monta, Williams, Jackson

Philadelphia 76ers: Breaking It Down

Marin Perez — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:51:35 -0400

The first full post-Allen Iverson year was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the 76ers. Let Andre Iguodala get comfortable as the No. 1 option, save cap space for the summer, and maybe get a high draft pick.

But something funny happened—the team gelled under the steady leadership of Andre Miller and Reggie Evans while youngsters like Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams, and Rodney Carney evolved. The team made the playoffs and gave the Detroit Pistons a scare.

With a flurry of big moves this offseason, the 76ers are poised to step into the top tier of the East.

In the biggest move, Philly nabbed Elton Brand, the double-double machine. In his last full season, the 6'8" power forward averaged 20.5 points, 9.3 boards, and 2.2 blocks a game while shooting over 53 percent from the field.

An excellent on-ball shot blocker, and a quiet leader, Brand has a good-not-great offensive game that mainly revolves around mid-range jumpers and garbage buckets. His low-post game isn't devastating, but it's far more effective than anything the 76ers had.

But the biggest question is how Brand will bounce back from a ruptured Achilles. If he can come back to his 2006 form, it will make his nearly $80 million contract worth it.

The Sixers also re-signed Williams to a five-year deal at a fairly reasonable rate. The part-time radio DJ is coming off a year in which he averaged 11.5 points in about 23 minutes, and he is getting better. His shooting percentage and defense need work, but the Sixers have a nice piece locked up.

One of the main weaknesses of the team was its lack of outside shooting. The team had shipped out Kyle Korver in a cap-friendly deal earlier in the year, and they never really recovered. To address this, the team signed Kareem Rush.

Despite a sweet stroke, Rush has bounced around the league and was recently replaced by his younger brother Brandon in Indiana. If he can keep his head straight, Rush should help create space for Brand down low.

The Sixers also signed combo guard Royal Ivey, who probably won't see much time but is a good defender. Their draft pick Marreese Speights is a big body that may be pressed into service now that promising young big man Jason Smith suffered a season-ending injury.

But there's still a major cloud hanging over the franchise. Iguodala is still haggling over a long-term contract extension. Similar players like Luol Deng and Josh Smith have already signed contracts worth $70 milllion plus and $58 million, and it's kind of surprising that the Sixers haven't inked a deal with Iggy.

If he doesn't get a deal he likes, potential bad feelings could drag his play down this season. The Sixers need him to take another step forward and become the go-to-guy in the clutch.

I expect the team to reach an agreement with Iguodala soon, with a deal nearly identical to Deng's. It will take some time to integrate Brand into the offense, and outside shooting will still be a concern, but Miller at the point and Sam Dalembert in the post make this a tough team.

I see the 76ers as the third or fourth best team in the East, and, depending on the team's playoff matchups, they could easily get to the Eastern Conference Finals.

How Good Would Wilt Chamberlain be in Today's NBA?

Marin Perez — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:35:06 -0500

Ok, so my roommate is completely convinced that if Wilt 'the Stilt' Chamberlain was in the league today, he'd be a good player, (20 points and 10 rebounds), but not a superstar. I think he is full of shit.

There's a tendency to compare people from different eras, and it's unfair for a lot of players due to advances in physical training and medical science. I have no doubt that if Chamberlain came up in the modern systems he would be an unstoppable force.

But, I still say if you plucked him from his prime and put him against modern athletes, he would still be a 30 and 15 guy.

Am I wrong?

Laker Letdown: What a Difference a Week Makes

Marin Perez — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:36:51 -0500

About a week ago, I wrote about getting excited about the Lake Show—and now, there's only agony.

The Lakers had the best record in the freaking Western Conference before last night's loss to the Suns. I don't think any Laker fan would have predicted that at the beginning of the year.

It was all rolling, and then a fucking subluxation hits Andrew Bynum, and things seem bleak.

Kwame Brown had a comically bad stretch in last night's game that included a missed dunk, a missed layup, two bad passes and a truckload of boo's. While he'll never live up to his draft pick (nor recover from MJ's tough love), Brown quietly developed into a solid player last year. His position defense and rebounding were good-not-great, and he was able to use his little girl hands to get easy buckets from Kobe.

But, Brown is coming off injuries, out of shape, and probably cried himself to sleep last night.

It's bad times for Lakers fans right now—bad times.

Los Angeles Lakers: Is There Reason to Believe in Tinseltown?

Marin Perez — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:07:17 -0500

I'm trying not to get too excited about this Laker team.

But damn, it's tough.

After last night's win against a very nice New Orleans Hornets team, 109-80, it's getting even harder.

I know, I know: The Lakers had the same 23-11 record last year and then dramatically fell off and barely made the playoffs.

But this year seems different.

One of the main reasons, of course, is the "young hoss," Andrew Bynum. He's averaging about 13 points and 10 rebounds a night with about 2 blocks a game.

Sure, he started strong last year too, but he just couldn't maintain it.

This year's different: his conditioning's better, his footwork's better and his work ethic is through the roof (all it took, apparently, was Kobe dissing him in a parking lot).

But 13 and 10, while good for a young big, isn't what makes this team dangerous.

It's Kid Skills, the Black Mamba, KB24, the soon-to-be-MVP.

It's Kobe Bryant.

Kobe's currently racking up 26 points, 6 boards, 5 dimes, and 2 rips a game while shooting 44 percent from the field. Yeah, those are great stats, but they're actually kind of a step down from his more-amazing years.

The reason Kobe's the MVP this year isn't just in those numbers.

Now, he's trusting his teammates. Detractors will say, "He's supposed to be applauded for that?" But Kobe's been justified in years past for doing the opposite; his non-Shaq teams haven't stepped up.

Sadly, Kobe taking a contested J (especially during that period where he was hitting from the parking lot) has often been a better option than a wide-open teammate.

And now, he's healthy. Despite the strong start last year, careful observers could tell Kobe wasn't right physically.

Recovering from a knee surgery, Kobe was getting used to how his body worked. He committed turnovers, his body failing him; he'd step up to lock down the other team's best player and would grasp at air.

But this year, his knee looks right.

A fully-recovered Kobe is the league's MVP. (And I'm not forgetting about Garnett.)

Okay, I'm done fellating Kobe. The other guys are worth some praise, too.

Lamar Odom seems more confortable as the second or third option. Derek Fisher has brought his grit and shooting back. Vlad Rad is showing he has game. Javaris Crittenton and Jordan Farmar could be young studs. And Phil Jackson has adjusted the offense to fit the personnel.

I could go on and on, but, like I said, I'm trying not to get too excited about this team.