Bleacher Report - Articles by Stephen Lurie

Golden State Warriors: A Strategy for Getting Somewhere, Someday

Stephen Lurie — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:54:42 -0500

Luck Is Not a Strategy

Losing is getting old. Worse than losing, however, is the impression that the organization doesn't seem to know what it is doing.

The coach, Don Nelson, who won rings and was a model of consistency as a player, is unable to communicate what he wants to his team—effort and consistency on defense and rebounds, spacing and ball movement on offense. Is that so hard to understand or explain?

An unclear hierarchy and dubious alliances have seemingly paralyzed management. Cowan and Rowell with their agenda and Nelly and Riley with their own. Meanwhile, I get the impression that either nobody is communicating with players or they are giving them mixed messages.

I imagine now that the bulk of the players are just confused and tired of the drama. One of their leaders, Jackson, nearly imploded (his praying with a gun tattoo is more understandable now) and burned down the building on his way out. The other, Monta, just ripped them in the press and looks like he is checking out.

All is not lost, but the Warriors, and by this I mean those management clowns, need to start acting maturely and with some foresight.

The Monta Debate

I suggest that Monta, while not grossly overrated, is not going to get the Warriors anywhere and he is arguably heading down the same route as I-think-I-am-as-good-as-Kobe-Bryant Jackson.

To compete for a championship with a small two, he needs to be elite with good to great talent around him—think Allen Iverson with Dikembe Mutombo. Monta is at best no Answer to the Warrior's many problems and as a player, teammate, and human being I think most will agree he is done growing here.

Now ask yourself if Monta really helps with the following:

Leadership: No! He put it best when he said, “He won't do it!” Tip to players: Don't call out your coach in front of the press, after being late, if you want a fat contract extension.

Defense: No! While he thinks he is a good defender his guy always seems to have a career or near-career night and he averages 1.5 steals less than the Answer did for his career. I think this goes to effort and lack of basketball intelligence.

Ball movement: No! While every once in a while he breaks out and gets some assists, for the most part once he gets the ball he is either going to the hole or pulling up. Pretty one-dimensional and you won't get very far in the playoffs on that.

Frankly, you'll be lucky to ever beat the Lakers because they have that guy Kobe who does that really well and has long three-point range too (again something Monta can't do).

Team building: No! He just threw his teammates under the bus and when he was asked if he needs to communicate with his team better, said no. While communicating with them through the press. Good job. Let’s see how this works out for you.

Intelligence and integrity: No! Sorry, Monta, but it is your turn to see the underside of the bus. How he handled the moped episode and the fact that he rides mopeds leads me to think that his feet are faster than his brain.

Oh yeah, and so we don't forget, if Monta had played a little better (likewise for Jackson) the Warriors might have been competitive against Utah in that series. Instead, he pooped on himself.

The worst part of it is he seems to lack the ability to remember that his “teammates” didn't punk him to the press the first chance they got.

The Warriors, who have a long history of trading off their talent, shouldn't let that cause them to build around the wrong guy. Simply put, the Warriors cannot afford to build around him at this point and trying to do so will only waste time (bye-bye next two seasons).

That being said, Monta has a lot of value and it will grow as this year's playoffs near and a GM out there needs someone to come in to fill-it-up. I think he is a great potential Vinnie Johnson-type player.

As a coach I would love to look down my bench and see Monta. Playoff defenses tighten up and he could be a big-time spark plug for a team.

Getting There

Here is the road map and, unlike so much I've read, is actually possible:

1. Explain to him that if he says the right things and plays well this year he will be traded to a good team.

2. Explain that if he is not nice, he will be traded to NY so he can learn to lose gracefully and eat Vaseline under a magnifying glass like Starbury.

3. Showcase his game this year and start subbing the young guns more. Tell them they are going to be playing a lot soon so they better get ready.

4. Trade Monta before the deadline for some talent, cap relief, and/or picks to the team that gives you the most in return and stab him in the back.

Since Monta has been drafted, he has shown very little other than the ability to light it up with the ball in his hands. This is probably the easiest player to find in today's NBA.

It is time to trade this undersized-baller for a future that will hopefully involve the playoffs.

Golden State Warriors: Where Do They Go From Here?

Stephen Lurie — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:26:19 -0400

Well, here we are in mid-July, and many people are depressed about recent happenings with the Golden State Warriors.

Let's just have a quick review:

The Warriors lost Baron Davis, the team's star point guard, because the front office were unwilling to commit so much money for such a long time. Just the fact that the Clippers took him should tell us we probably made the right choice. You just can't give up that kind of money for personality. You must have consistent production.

The Warriors also lost out on the Brand sweepstakes. Remembering what Alton Lister looked like after his Achilles injury, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing for a team whose identity is to run—and maybe run even more in the future.

They did, however, get Corey Maggette for five years and $50 million.

True, this might be a lot of money to spend on such a player. However, he scores, creates his own shot—important, when you don't have a first-rate point guard—and gets to the line frequently.

In addition to Maggette, the Warriors also landed burly Ronny Turiaf.

While many of you would have liked to have kept Baron, all you Mullin haters have to remember that most often you have to pay a lot and get lucky to make good players come to (or stay on) bad teams, and that overpaying for an injury-prone star would have probably doomed us to more years of mediocrity.

Ronny Turiaf

Turiaf may leave us numb and indifferent, but he does fill a need and will probably create the court dynamics needed for Andres Biedrins to be even a better player.

Someone who can play defense at the four- and five-spots while rebounding will definitely allow Biedrins to foul more freely, knowing someone will be there to rebound with him off the court. That's something he couldn't permit himself to do last year as the sole consistent rebounder on a poor rebounding team.

I only have one question: Can he run?

Corey Maggette

At least on paper, Maggette was the best signing available. He replaces the points and gets fouled consistently. For five and fifty, he looks like the safest bet of the bunch.

In addition, he will also be a good fit in the fast-paced system. In the worst case, he should be usable as a trade bait to a contender if he's a bust with the Warriors.

What's next?

Does anyone really think Davis or Brand's legs would have been there on a running team for 82 games a year for five years? Or that they wouldn't be seriously injured at some point?

Now, if I understand this right, we have $10 million coming off next year for the contract of Al Harrington and another $10 million for *cough* Adonal Foyle. With this money, we should be able to sign someone young that can, according to Mullin, become a "difference maker."

The real question is: What do we do with the pieces we have?

First, move Harrington in the beginning of the season back to the small forward position. This move will hopefully increase his trade value. If the Warriors' front office decide to trade, they should trade him to the Knicks along with Belinelli for a point guard and some Fritos.

Belinelli should go, because with his lack of defensive skills, he should never be paired with Ellis. He is not a real option at shooting guard in the future. It would lead to lay-up drills by opposing teams.

Mullin seems to like doing business with Donnie Walsh, so that should be achievable.

Until then, we'll have Corey and Al. That should mean fresh legs and better than average production at the three-spot.

With the power forward position more open for Turiaf, the W's can find out if Brandon Wright is a player. Don't wait until year three of Wright's contract.

Monta Ellis—point guard?

Now, what do we do with the winged angel named Monta Ellis. I love his game, but I don't see him starting at the one-spot and us ever winning a championship—let alone getting to the playoffs.

So many times last year, he lead the break with his speed. As a point guard, this part of his game will have to be at a minimum curtailed, as he will have to hang back to bring up the ball. That kind of defeats the purpose of his speed, doesn't it?

Firstly, however, let's see if he can run the point productively and prove everybody other than Don Nelson wrong. In Nelly's system, all the point really means is bringing the ball up the court and then getting someone with handles to initiate the offense.

However, if he can't, then consider highlighting him at the two-spot and trading him while his value is high. We are already starting to hear rumors about Memphis and New York being cities "of interest" for him, and losing yet another star for nothing would be devasting.

Or, see if Anthony Randolph can run (or co-run) the point. If he can initiate the offense, he could use his size, handles, and athleticism to create havoc on both sides of the floor, and make up for Ellis' defensive liabilities. This is a reach, but for us to contest one day, we have to find a "special" player.

Think Magic, Pippen, or Livingston and the match-up nightmare that Ellis and AR would create for opposing teams. For this to work, Randolph needs to have a decent assist-to-turnover ratio—something he couldn't do at LSU.

If Randolph can't, then get him back to the three, and trade Harrington and Ellis for talent and future picks. Ellis at the shooting guard position without a defensive-minded, good point guard is not a plan for long-term success, but the lottery.

2008-09 Season Warriors' Focus

This upcoming season, the Warriors should focus on three aspects: Player development to be kept or traded, fiscal responsibility for 2010 free agent signings (or trading before), and figuring who stays and who plays where.

The team wasn't going anywhere with Baron (still, thanks for the memories), and was one injury to Captain Jack or Baron from the crapper. We have a future, but need just a little patience and vision.

If you can't buy good players (or have them given to you) like the Lakers or Celtics, then you need to learn to develop and trade for them.

This means that the Warriors need to play young talent, so that they could start thinking a little even more outside of the box.