Bleacher Report - Articles by Garlic boy

Jason Kidd: The Mentor for Monta

Garlic boy — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:38:23 -0400

The Golden State Warriors have a bunch of good players, but they lack a pass first point guard to maximize the running and shooting ability of the roster.

With no immediate impact PG available in the draft (assuming the Ricky Rubio reports are true and he stays in Europe), the only other PG options available for the Warriors are through trades (not likely), free agency and the hope that Monta develops into a PG.

Bay Area native Jason Kidd is an upcoming free agent who has always stated that he would love to play in the Bay. What better way to end a career than in your hometown playing as well as mentoring?

Jason Kidd would be the perfect part-time PG and mentor for Monta. As a player, Kidd would get the ball to Belinelli, CJ, Buike and Morrow, for open threes, get the team running as players who run would be rewarded with lay-ups or dunks.

He would also get the team to play defense as Kidd is a PG who has always hustled and played hard on the defensive end of the floor.

As a mentor, Kidd has helped Deron Williams, and hopefully he can help Monta in his approach and how to view the game as a PG.

The Warriors have the talent to be good team. Anthony Randolph has the look and desire to be a superstar. Monta has superstar quickness and scoring ability. Jackson is a do it all wing. Biedrins is a double/double center. Turiaf is AB's shotblocking energy flowing back-up.

Buike, CJ, and Morrow are hungry free agents who take nothing for granted. Maggette is primed to be the first player to win the sixth man of the year award four years in a row. And the Warriors still have two young players in Belinelli and Wright who have shown that they are NBA level contributors.

Sign Kidd to be the PG leader that this teams lacks. He's not the long term solution, but he can help this team find it's way.

Mosley Beat Pacquiao to the Punch, Manny Would Have Beaten Margarito

Garlic boy — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:07:54 -0500

Freddie Roach didn't think Margarito could be beaten by Manny Pacquiao. In fact most experts had Margarito destroying the elder Mosley, but the exact opposite occurred. Mosley knocked down and TKO'ed Margarito in the ninth, and in the process took away Manny's chances of shocking the welterweight boxing world.

Mosley boxed the bigger, but slower Margarito. Manny could very well have done the same, using his speed and quickness to box Margarito, and Manny's never waning stamina would have seen him through all 12 rounds if it lasted that long.

The filp side is that Manny could very well have been caught before then, but Margarito even with plastered and casted hands didn't have one punch KO power.

Now a fight with Margarito or Manny would lose it's luster after Margarito lost the way he did.

Hopefully, Manny can face the winner of a Mosley Cotto showdown.

Are We Done Sipping The Kool Aid? The Warriors Suck and Trades Need to Be Made

Garlic boy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:16:40 -0500

After going 4-3 and being competitive in the last seven games, Warriors fans were beginning to believe that the current Warriors could be a competitive team in the future.

Maggette was averaging 23 points and seven rebounds off the bench; Crawford had a streak of games with 28 points or more. What many Warrior fans failed to realize is that we went 4-3 against some of the worst teams in the league.

We beat the Clips missing four of their starting five, the Pacers, the Hawks without Horford, and the lowly Wizards. We lost to the Kings, the Thunder, and the Cavs who were without two starters Delonte West and Z. In short, we barely beat teams that a good team would crush and we lost to some of the worst teams in the league.

During this stretch we were a varsity team playing against j.v. teams and we barely went 4-3. We should have gone 6-1, blowing out the majority of these teams. It's amazing how far the Warriors have fallen in less than a year.

Tonight against the eighth seeded Mavs, the Warriors got hammered 117-93 and completely outplayed in every facet of the game. Our defense was appalling to announcers Mark Jackson and Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy said it best in reference to wide-open transition buckets by the Mavs.

"It's five on five, it's not that hard, there's somebody for everyone to guard." It wasn't as if the Warriors played a great team, we played a team that could very well be in the lottery, and my belief is that they will not make the playoffs this year, and will be overtaken by the Mavericks.

Recent trade proposals involving Corey Maggette and Jamal Crawford have been met with angst and disbelief with the recent play of Maggette and his role off the bench.

Maggette will not average 23 points and seven rebounds for the rest of the season. He's a career 18 to19 point, five rebound-type of player on an average team. He's been in the league nearly 10 years, highly unlikely that he suddenly becomes a superstar and continues to average 23 points and seven rebounds.

Jamal Crawford is a shooting guard trying to play point guard. He's been trying for close to a decade in the NBA. Perhaps he should try playing some defense since the point guard thing has not been working out too well.

Tonight he had one assist to four turnovers getting handcuffed by old man Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. When Jamal gets fancy, he gets in trouble. Even Rafer Alston retired Skip to My Lou when he got to the NBA, Jamal needs to decide whether he wants to be an NBA star or and And1 Clown.

Warriors’ fans are used to losing. However, unlike other losing teams this season, the Warriors’ season has no silver lining. The silver lining that ALL, losing teams have this season is that their young players have shown that they do indeed have abilities and are capable of being stars in this league. Rose, Mayo, Beasley, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Jason Thompson, even JaVale McGee. Every non-playoff team has given their young guys tons of playing time.

Instead of playing Anthony Randolph at PF, we play undersized Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson, and Azubuike, everyone but Anthony Randolph. He makes mistakes, but every player makes mistakes. More importantly, what is the team doing that causes him to make mistakes?

How about expecting him to do things that no PF in the league does?

We expect Anthony Randolph to grab a rebound, dribble coast to coast and make the correct decision with the ball in his hands, either passing it shooting it or driving to the hole. Our point guards and shooting guards still make mistakes leading the break, yet we expect the youngest player in the NBA who is a Power Forward to do it? These are unrealistic expectations.

How about limiting his game by asking him to just rebound and block shots?

He can take the ball up court, but then he has to hand it off to a guard. How about limiting his shot selection? Allow him to shoot only inside shots, shots off the block or wide-open shots after the ball has been swung, but no jumpers or 15-foot turnaround fadeaways?

Brandan Wright has also played well when in the game although his rebounding and defense leaves something to be desired. How about giving him an incentive to rebound. If he can't increase his below 10 rebounds a game per 48 min average, he will lose his already scant playing time.

Jamal Crawford is playing a ton, when he has dropped strong hints that he will opt out. Not necessarily meaning he's crossing the Warriors off his list, but he will opt out and if the Warriors want to resign him, they can resign him (which the Warriors should avoid doing at all costs). We should trade Jamal and give Monta the minutes at the point guard position, giving Monta a chance to develop his PG skills. CJ Watson should get Monta's back-up minutes.

The Warriors’ season is lost, but there is still a chance to regain some hope and some semblance of a future if only the youngsters are given a chance to play and develop. And that will only happen if the veteran players in front of them are traded.

Here are two possible trade scenarios to get rid of Jamal and Maggette. I like the first trade scenario.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=3045~831~2416~1731~165~497~3039&teams=25~9~9~5~25~5~5&te=&cash=

OKC gets: Jamal Crawford and Tarence Kinsey

Cavs get: Corey Maggette, Chris Wilcox, and Marcus Williams

Dubs get: Wally Szczerbiak, Robert Swift or Saer Sene, 2009 first round pick from Cavs

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=165~497~831~3029~1731&teams=25 ~5~9~9~5&te=&cash=[/url]

Three Team Trade.

OKC gets: Jamal Crawford, 2010 second round pick
Cavs get: Maggette and Chris Wilcox
Dubs get: Wally Szczerbiak, Saer Sene or Robert Swift, 2009 first from Cleveland (28th overall)

Will the Warriors trade? Two new pickups? Yes. Maggette is expendable, and Jamal has hinted he will opt out, so in essence you’re giving up Maggette. More importantly, this trade also gives Monta time at the PG position. Jamal is good, but if you saw the game the other night, you know that Monta is WAY better.

Will the Cavs want Maggette? Maybe... but with a half a season rental of Chris Wilcox, definitely! Maggette and Wilcox add significant depth to the Cavs and make them even stronger.

Will the Cavs give up a first? If it’s close to the last pick in the first round, and you’re a title contender, does it matter? Spurs used to sell their first round picks.

Will OKC trade for Jamal Crawford? Big IF. Jamal has hinted he'll opt out, but it does give them a chance at looking at how he would do if they were to sign Jamal during the off-season.

Does OKC want Jamal for half a season in exchange for a second round pick? Tough call, but Jamal will bring some fans to the stadium (i.e. $$$), and with around 30 games left, it's doubtful he wins enough games to keep them from getting a top five pick. More importantly, he'll bring excitement to the team and a possibility that he resigns with the Thunder if it's a fit for both sides.

Can the Thunder get more for Wilcox and Sene? Sene is looking more and more like another POB and the Thunder not exercising their team option means he must really be bad. The may get more for Wilcox, but what will they receive an expiring in return? More importantly, the Thunder also have Joe Smith, Desmond Mason, and Earl Watson that they can move.

Another Moral Victory and the Joy From a Wretched Golden State Warrior Fan

Garlic boy — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:23:03 -0500

With a 9-33 record, what are the Warriors playing for? As a Warriors fan, all I care about player development and losing games for a shot at Blake Griffin. And tonight I got a healthy shot of both. As a basketball fan it's a bit pathetic, but unlike years past, this Warriors team has a lot more upside than the "No Man's land" teams of Jaminson, J-Rich, and DunMurph.

What's a No Man's land team you ask? A team that is not good enough for the playoffs, but not bad enough for a top 10 pick and has no cap space to sign a top free agent. That's no Man's land.

These Warriors are different. We're currently slated for the seventh pick in the draft and we do have a star player, he just happens to be a little to fond of riding his Moped real fast. Now back to tonight's moral victory.

Our young guards got a ton of playing time, and they continued to blossom. Unfortunately Randolph got sparse playing time once again. I thought he could've definitely been given some minutes at Center against the outside shooting Nenad Krstic. Morrow, Buike, and CJ had nice offensive games and CJ came up with a clutch steal and bucket.

The game was close with the Morrow, CJ, and Buike playing down the stretch and coming back to take the lead. Only a Jeff Green turnaround at the buzzer kept them from the victory. Natural reaction forced me to groan at the unexpected, but then visions of Blake Griffin dunking down low in a Warrior uni made me grin.

I realized that the Thunder may play themselves out of the Blake Griffin sweepstakes. The Cavs come in on Friday, and I can't wait for another moral victory. As a Warrior fan call me whatever you want; pathetic, pitiful, deplorable, sorry, whatever. I'm just a wretched Warrior fan seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

60-40 Split Backed By Millions Of Filipino Nursing $$$ Around The World.

Garlic boy — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:57:29 -0500

The Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao fight is simple. Hatton's team concedes that Manny is the draw, but they also believe that Manny fans do not bring money to the table unlike Hatton's fans.

Wrong. Hatton's team brings out the Philippine PPV and yes it's peanuts, but do not acknowledge where the real money is coming from. Educated Filipino immigrants working around the world in white collar jobs, primarily healthcare all contribute to PPV buys and at the live gate.

The Brain Drain is a term coined during the 1960s and 1970s that referred to the immigration of Filipino white collar workers from the Philippines to foreign countries. The Brain Drain has continued to this day.

The United States alone has millions of Filipino-Americans working in white collar jobs, working as doctors, engineers and nurses. Go to any hospital in the United States and you can find a handful of Filipino nurses working.

Filipinos are the largest Asian American group in California reaching a population of one million in 1996. Nationwide figures in 2000 were at 2.3 million. In the state of New Jersey 1999 census figures showed Filipino Americans per capita income was $80,000. Prior to Pacquiao many Filipino Americans living in California went to Vegas for fun, now they go to watch s Pacquiao fight.

Malinde://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:m6bH67u7sIgJ:personal.Saunderson.ucla.edu/eloisa.borah/filfaqs.htm+How+many+filipinos+in+America&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a. http://www.ops.gov.ph/speeches2003/speech-2003sept26c.htm

There is an underlying sentiment that Manny's fans are third world farmers from the Philippines, which is in part true. Well, the entire country of the Philippines supports Manny as well as the nearly three million Filipinos in America today all of whom contribute to PPV buys and live gate buys.

There are also Filipino white collar workers living in Canada, Italy, England, the Middle East, Australia and other countries around the world.

Bob Arum, Freddie Roach and the fans need to be educated as to the reality of the buying power of just Manny's Filipino fans and the 60/40 split is more than reasonable. Factor in that Manny is the global draw and 60-40 starts looking like a good deal for Hatton.

Manny has fought 15 times in the United States in various cities, San Francisco, Memphis, San Antonio and of course Vegas. He has fought Thai's, Indonesians, Japanese, Australians, Dominicans and Mexicans. He has fought all over the world.

2008 was a year in which Pacquiao received great publicity. He was the only non-Olympic athlete to carry the flag for his country, which was seen by the entire world. He was voted 2008 Fighter of The Year. He was also 2008 ESPN International Athlete of The Year. As a testament to his popularity his name was the most searched on Google.

He fought in three different weight classes, 130, 135 and 147 and won all fights. Additionally, he has never given the fans a boring fight.

Even Hatton's team admits that Manny is the bigger draw. Being the bigger draw and showing how much financial clout his Filipino American fans and Global Filipino Americans fans have; it makes you wonder why Hatton doesn't just sign his name on the dotted line for the 60-40 split.

Corey Maggette's Possible Destinations

Garlic boy — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:03:00 -0500

Corey Maggette has played well lately, and now would be the perfect time to trade him.

I'm not a Maggette hater; I'm just a realistic Warriors fan who accepts that the Warriors are more than likely out of the playoffs and into the lottery.

And if we're going into the lottery, I'd rather have my young wings: Morrow, Belinelli, and Azubuike getting the minutes and building a rapport with the team core of Biedrins, Turiaf, Monta, Jackson, and Randolph.

I'd also like to note that I am more than willing to package Brandan Wright along with Corey Maggette. I've had my doubts with Wright and regardless of how he progresses offensively, he has never proven to be an average rebounder at the NBA or even college level where averaged only 6.2 rebounds in his only season at UNC.

So without further adieu, here are some possible destinations for Corey Maggette. Important to note that possible teams that would be interested in him are playoff contending/title contending teams and likely destinations are the Eastern Conference and absolute must in the return for the Warriors are expiring contracts or two-year contracts.

These were a few of my criteria, although the last couple scenarios don't follow the rules.

1. Maggette to the Cavs

Delonte West just broke his wrist. Seriously, this trade could DEFINITELY happen. Consider that the second leading scorer on the team is Mo Williams at a meager 16 points a game.

In addition, you can actually take LeBron out of the game and give him a bit of rest and not worry too much about scoring with Corey picking up the slack. Possible trades are Maggette for Eric Snow and a first-round pick or second-round pick.

2. Maggette to the Magic for Hedo Turkoglu

Pietrus is often injured and is currently out. Hedo is good, but Maggette is a better defender, rebounder, slasher, and gets to the line more than Hedo...all things that Stan Van Gundy values.

Hedo is a better shooter, but the Magic are loaded with shooters; Nelson, Lewis, Pietrus, Lee, Bogans and Redick. Maggette may fit much better on this team than Hedo with his defense and rebounding.

3. Maggette to Toronto

It may be too late to trade with Toronto, as the Raps may be resigned to try and rebuild via the draft. Maggette is that high-scoring wing they so desperately need, but is he that much of an upgrade over Anthony Parker?

4. Three-team trade involving Eddy Curry, Maggette, and Nocioni

I've heard that Knicks coach D'Antoni has coveted Maggette in the past. Eddy Curry has also been on the radar of a few teams in dire need of a big man, including his hometown Bulls.

How about Curry back to his hometown Bulls, Maggette to the Knicks, and the expiring contract of Gooden to the Dubs? Okay a stretch. But Nocioni would work.

It's more of a lateral move for all in terms of contracts as all are under contract until at least 2011. But the Knicks get better as they get yet another Warrior 20-point scorer, and get rid of a bench warmer, and the Bulls get rid of a duplicate player who plays the same position as Deng and Tyrus Thomas and get a local big man.

In fact, I think the Knicks have to give up at the very least a second-round pick, as this trade rids them of a fat slob and the Warriors are getting a lesser player in Andres Nocioni.

However, I like Nocioni; he's tougher and more rugged than Maggette and a better three-point shooter. Also, he'll play PF/SF for Nellie and do so with gusto.

Do I like Nocioni more than Maggette? Yes, because in addition to the above, he'll be content playing fewer minutes, as he averaged fewer minutes than Maggette throughout his career.

5. Maggette to the Nets for Bobby Simmons

Okay, this would contradict everything the Nets are trying to do in terms of clearing cap space for 2010 and developing young players. But they are the eighth seed in the East, and after Harris and Carter, their third-leading scorer is Brook Lopez at a meager 11 points a game.

This trade may make them a solid fourth seed...WAIT, I forgot Rod Thorn is their GM and actually has a plan and knows what he's doing as opposed to our pseudo-GM Robert Rowell.

6. Maggette to the Thunder

This is a much more unlikely scenario, as the Thunder is the worst team in the league and rebuilding. But a similar type of trade occurred when we traded J-Rich to then and still talent deprived Bobcats.

We could trade Maggette to the Thunder for a late first-rounder or Maggette and Brandan Wright to the Thunder for a 2009 first round pick from Spurs or Nugs (earlier pick) and a 2010 or 2011 Thunder first round pick, top 10 protected.

The last few years, the Thunder have stockpiled picks by first absorbing Kurt Thomas' contract from the Suns and then trading Kurt Thomas to the Spurs, netting them a total of three first-round picks.

However, Corey Maggette is whole different animal than Kurt Thomas. Corey is a 20-point scorer with a lot more left in the tank than Kurt Thomas had last year.

The Thunder are so young, and in need of:
A.) Veteran leadership
B.) Another 20-point scorer
C.) A wing player
D.) PF/C

Corey fits the bill on A-C while Brandan fits D. Wright is having a pretty good year in limited minutes at the PF spot. Wright would make a pretty good duo with Nick Collison, and Brandan is only 21-years-old and still improving.

Corey adds the veteran sooner, rather than waiting during the offseason, and this still enables the Thunder to land a top six lotto pick. So in essence, the Thunder can have their cake and eat it, too.

They get a veteran high-scoring wing and one of Griffin, Thabeet, or Greg Monroe. Trading for Maggette for the last third of the 2008-09 season would better prepare them for the 2009-10 season.

In addition, why wait for the 2009 summer free agency? The free agent list is thin and old (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9608).

2010 free agents...no offense, but who wants to go to Oklahoma? Ben Gordon is the only other viable 2009 option, but there is no guarantee that Gordon signs with the Thunder this off-season. So the Thunder are gambling on a vet signing with them.

Maggette has a five-year $50 million contract. That's long, yes, but it's shorter than any free agent you'd sign in upcoming offseasons, and what I love is his attitude and consistent production.

Corey is the only big name 2008 free agent signing who has performed at the level that he is capable of. Brand and Baron have declined.

He averages close to 20, increased his rebounding, accepts coming off the bench, and dives on the floor without a second thought.

The only reason why he's expendable is that we have Monta coming back, and Belinelli and Morrow have proven to be solid and improving wing players.

With how well he's been playing and his acceptance of the sixth man role, now is the time to trade Corey Maggette.

Pacquiao Vs. Hatton: Manny Has Earned The Lion's Share

Garlic boy — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:51:22 -0500

Reports have surfaced that Manny Pacquiao is not going to fight Ricky Hatton on a 50-50 split, and I don't blame him. Manny is the draw and Manny deserve's the lion's share. Manny's wants a 60-40 split and I believe he deserves it.

Why is Manny the draw? Besides beating De La Hoya, he has fought in the U.S. over 15 times in various cities such as L.A., San Francisco, San Antonio, Memphis, and of course Las Vegas. He has fought in different countries; Japan, Thailand, and of course the Philippines. He has also fought opponents from a variety of ethnicities, Thais, Japanese, Koreans, Kazakhstanis, Colombians, Dominicans, South Africans, Australians and of course Mexicans. The majority of these fights were televised title fights.

What does all this information mean? It means that Manny has been seen all over the world not only by his fans, but his opponents' fans, whom he defeated with grace and humility.

Let's not forget that in the United States, Manny is the man. Manny is more popular than most American fighters. In fact after beating Oscar De La Hoya he is more popular than any American, Mexican-American, or Mexican fighter out there. He has hung out with the Celtics and has been visited by NBA stars and Hollywood stars.

Hatton's U.S. and global popularity pales in comparison to Manny's. As a testament to Manny's 2008 success, he was voted as 2008 fighter of the year on many media outlets and ESPN rated Manny as 2008 international athlete of the year.

In contrast Ricky Hatton has fought only six times in the United States, including the second fight in his career. He has fought one other fight in Germany. The rest of Hatton's fights have occurred in England.

Hatton's supporters may claim that Hatton is the champ and has the belt. Who cares?!!! When Pacquiao fought Marco Antonio Barrera for the first time, there was no belt on the line. In fact, the biggest fight and most-watched fight of Pacquiao's career was a non-title beat-down of Oscar De La Hoya.

Prior to that fight Oscar harped on Manny's rating as the pound-for-pound best. More important than the belt, and the pound-for-pound title, is the star power that a fighter generates. Manny clearer is the star with the recognizable face and crowd-pleasing style literally seen and known around the world.

Manny also has a great Plan B if Hatton were to decline. Floyd Mayweather is said to have interest in fighting Manny and it is a fight that would do as well if not better than Manny vs. Hatton.

Hatton's supporters may also say that Hatton can sell out Wembley Stadium—a moot point when we consider that most of the money the fight can generate would be in the United States due to PPV sales.

However there is no doubt that Hatton can generate PPV sales. To account for Hatton's Euro popularity, I believe Hatton should be entitled to a 50-50 split on any English PPV buys. I'd give Hatton a 50-50 split of PPV buys in all of Europe, but Hatton has failed to consistently fight outside of Europe and there are many Filipino immigrants in Europe who will buy the fight because of Manny. In fact the majority of Euro-Filipino immigrants will be watching the Manny fight on May 2.

If the Hatton-Pacquiao fight is to take place on May 2, 2009, Manny Pacquaio should get the 60-40 split he demands and Ricky Hatton should be entitled to a 50-50 split of all PPV buys in England. Manny's status as the pound-for-pound best fighter, his popularity globally and in the United States, his 15 fights in the United States and winning the title of 2008 fighter of the year and 2008 international athlete of the year entitles Manny to the lion's share of the pot.

Why Shane Mosley Will Beat Antonio Margarito

Garlic boy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:46:31 -0500

Miguel Cotto beat Shane Mosley and Antonio Magarito beat Miguel Cotto, so logic would lead one to beleive that Margarito will also defeat Shane Mosley. Not so fast. As the old saying goes, styles make fights and Shane Mosley has the style to beat Antonio Margarito.

To understand why Mosley will win, we have to look at how both fighters have lost. Let's look at Mosley first. Mosley has lost to Winky Wright and Vernon Forest twice and Miguel Cotto once. They beat him because all were better boxers than Mosley. The first two were not only better boxers, but longer, taller and heavier. Mosley can take a punch, and has NEVER BEEN ON THE CANVAS!

Margarito like Mosley also has five defeats the last three came from Paul Williams, Daniel Santos and Rodney Jones. All of whom are better boxers than Margarito. Margarito not only has trouble with boxers, but with busy fighters like Paul Williams, Joshua Clottey and even Sebastian Lujan who like Margarito is a brawler.

What compounds Margarito's problems with busy fighters is his tendency to be a slow starter during fights. However much like Mosley, Margarito has a chin. Not only does Margarito have a chin, but he has arguably the strongest chin in all of boxing.

So what happens when you have two warriors meet, both of whom have never been on the canvas? The smarter, busier, better boxer will win the fight. In this case it's Shane Mosley. If Mosley can rack the points up early and use his speed and quickness to avoid Margarito and attack Margarito's body early on slowing him down, Mosley will become victorious.

The only factor going against Shane Mosley is his age. He's 37. If age doesn't catch up with Mosley and he fights a smart fight boxing rather than brawling, Mosley should pull off the victory.

The Biggest Obstacle For Ricky Hatton: Manny Pacquiao's Southpaw Stance

Garlic boy — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:25:37 -0500

Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquaio are going to have one of the biggest fights in 2009. Many people have wondered how Hatton will deal with Manny's speed, but the bigger question is how will Hatton handle Manny's southpaw stance? To gain more insight in Hatton's ability to deal with southpaws, one must look at all the previous fights Hatton has had with southpaws in his professional boxing career.

According to Boxrec.com, Hatton has faced six southpaws in his professional career. All wins, however, four of the six went the distance, one was KO via a bodyshot, and the other was a second-round DQ.

Hatton's first two fights with a southpaw were against Mark Ramsey, who took him to a six-round decision win, at a time when Hatton was knocking out everyone he faced.

2002 was the year of the Southpaw for Ricky Hatton as he faced three southpaws in succession. His first fight was with southpaw Eamon Magee. To be fair, Magee had lost but never had been knocked out.

What's significant about this bout is that Magee had Hatton on the deck for the first time in his career. It was also the closest fight that Hatton had been in at that point in his career.

The next fight was DQ win against Stephen Smith that only went two rounds when his corner stepped on the apron in protest of an elbow thereby stopping the fight.

The third fight was a charm as Hatton fought Joe Hutchinson and put him down and out with a liver shot. It took four years for Hatton to face another southpaw.

In 2006, Hatton faced Luiz Collazo and eked out a controversial victory 115-112 on two cards and 114-113 on the third. The only thing that saved the victory was a flash knockdown in the first round. Collazo not only had the southpaw advantage, but he had the size, length, and a stylistic boxer advantage over the brawler Hatton.

Not including the welterweight Collazo, all the other southpaws that Hatton faced at the light welterweight division ranged between 5'7"-5'8", about the same height as 5'7" Hatton.

In comparison, Pacquaio's is 5'6 1/2". Eamon Magee and Steven Smith had a significant reach advantage at 70" compared to Hatton's 65". Pacquiao's reach is 68".

Size wise most of these southpaw welterweights fought at welterweight, while the Stephen Smith's highest weight was at light welterweight and he started at junior lightweight.

Thus, Pacquaio lacks roughly 1" in height and 2" in reach to the southpaws that have given Hatton trouble. However, the difference is slight and what Pacquiao lacks in length, he more than makes up for in speed and power.

Ricky Hatton is 45-1 with 32 KO's. Against southpaws, Hatton has only a 1/6 KO%, roughly 17 percent KO percentage against southpaws. Against orthodox fighters, Hatton has a 31 KO's from 39 wins or a KO% of 78 percent.

History shows that Hatton has had trouble with southpaws. We shall see how he will adapt to the southpaw and how much Floyd Mayweather Sr. can help him with his troubles.

Josh Smith: The One Player the Warriors Could Have Landed, But Didn't...

Garlic boy — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:12:59 -0500

After Baron Davis opted out, the Warriors threw money at everyone Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand and panicked and signed 29 year old shooting guard Corey Maggette to a 5 year $50 million contract. The two positions of need for the Warriors was PG(after Baron opted out) and PF. We spent and additional $4.2 million per year on Ronnie Turiaf for 4 years. Basically, we spent $14.2 million per year on Maggette and Turiaf.

This summer, 22 year old Josh Smith was the last big name free agent to get signed. He was upset at the way the Hawks delayed on their contract offer. He was offered a contract by the Grizzlies. $58 million for five years. Less than $12 million per year. Instead of Maggette and Turiaf, the Warriors could have saved money and attempted to sign Josh Smith for five years and $13.5 million.

They would have saved roughly $700,000 a year, a roster spot and more importantly filled a position of need. Say what you want about Josh lack of offense, but he can rebound at 8 a game, block two to three shots a game, get 1.5 steals a game and is young improving and EXTREMELY ATHLETIC. Perfect Warrior fit. The fact that he's more defensive oriented is actually a benefit and blends in well with our team of gunners.

Now that is a young team with Biedrins, Monta, and Josh Smith, none older than 23. This would have allowed Al to play the three and Jackson to play the two.

Watching Josh Smith walk off the court after the Hawks whupped the Warriors, I couldn't help thinking that the one player that we didn't pursue this summer, is the the one we should've landed.

Robert Rowell Digs The Golden State Warriors' Own Grave

Garlic boy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:27:13 -0500

The downfall of the Warriors can be placed one person: Robert Rowell.

Chris Mullin came to the Warriors as a special assistant in 2002. As he was promoted to GM he had made a select few mistakes with the long term contracts handed out to the likes of Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Jason Richardson and Adonal Foyle.

He erased three of those contracts by trading them and netting Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington and Brandan Wright. He also acquired the other three starters for the Warriors in Baron Davis via trade, Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins through the draft.

In essence the 2006 Warriors playoff team was slowly and diligently built by Chris Mullin. The effort was taken in acquiring the right types of players while creating cap space for the future.

It took Robert Rowell one summer to demolish everything that took Mullin so long to create.

1.) Robert Rowell refused to extend Baron Davis' contract.

*This would be okay, if the Warriors decided to rebuild and go completely young but instead Rowell spends money on a wing...

2.) In a panic move Rowell signs Corey Maggette for five years and 50 million dollars. A player who duplicates what we already have on the wing with Jackson, and does not address the areas of necesity at power forward and point guard since Davis was not resigned.

3.) Further weakening the Warriors salary cap situation and flexibility for the future, the Warriors gave Stephen Jackson a three year extension. Instead they could have traded him for a younger more team oriented Tayshaun Prince, or traded him and Harrington for picks and expiring contracts.

4.) Robert Rowell then trades Al Harrington for another guard in Jamal Crawford, who has an extra year on his contract and adds another wing, further depleting the playing time of young guards like DeMarcus Nelson, Anthony Morrow and Marco Belinelli.

For Warriors nation, things are not looking good. We have a non-basketball guy, making basketball decisions. The Warriors have no direction. This summer we had two choices, resign Davis and maintain our current squad, or go completely young.

Rowell chose to do neither and put us back into mediocrity, the worse place for a franchise to be. We're not bad enough for a top three pick, but not good enough for the playoffs. No question about it, Rowell put us in no man's land and spent our future salary cap space.

Instead of Maggette and Crawford playing we should be giving time to Wright, Randolph, Belinelli, Morrow, Nelson, Watson, Kurz and Hendrix.

It's sad that after years of waiting through the Antawn Jamison, Mike Dunleavy JR, Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle era's to be treated to the 2006 "We Believe" team, it only took Rowell one summer, JUST ONE SUMMER!!! To completely destroy everything.

Warrior fans should bring "Fire Robert Rowell" signs to the arena or better yet not even go to the games or purchase merchandise until this idiot is fired.

We are going to lose one of the best young GM's in the game in Chris Mullin when we should be losing Rowell.

FIRE ROBERT ROWELL!!! Enough is enough!

Why Are The Warriors Searching For a PF, They Already Have One in Randolph

Garlic boy — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:10:36 -0500

In our endless search for a power forward for our team the Warriors, we have come up with literally hundreds of trade scenarios and draft possibilities. Less than five months ago we drafted 18-year- oldAnthony Randolph, all 6'10" and 197 pounds of him, making him the youngest player in the NBA.

The majority of Dubs fans watching the draft were turned off by the selection because of the comments made by NBA draft analyst Jay Bilas. As video played of the skinny power forward, Bilas stated that Randolph was "painfully thin and makes Brandan Wright look like Mr. America."

Like Brandan Wright, he was labeled a project player at least 2-3 years away from being able to contribute anything of significance. Immediately after the draft, writers were hesitant to praise the Warriors for their draft because of Randolph's physical similarities to Brandan Wright and slight build. The Warriors were applauded for the selection of second round pick, Richard Hendrix, who was called a 2nd round steal, which lessened the sting from the drafting of Anthony Randolph in the 1st round.

Feelings of angst subconscioulsy settled on the psyche of the Warriors faithful in regards to the selection of Anthony Randolph at 14.

During the start of the summer leauge most Warrior fans were excited to watch the play of last years first round draft picks Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli and this year's second round pick Richard Hendrix, who was being compared to 2006 2nd round stand out Paul Millsap. There was little excitement about Randolph and the post draft comments made by Chris Mullin in regards to Randolph possessing "star quality" were interpreted as words used by Mullin to justify the pick.

His comments were dismissed as hogwash and typical GM speak for a project player. In turned out the Chris Mullin was not lying about Randolph and his star quality.

After the first Las Vegas summer league game what was more impressive than Randolph's stat line; 30 pts, eight rebs, two steals, two blocks, was how he obtained those stats and who he was matched up against.

Randolph faced second year players Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith. In Young and Smith, Randolph was not playing against the typical summer league fodder. Combined, both these players averaged close to 40 minutes a game during the regular season and the playoffs for the 76ers.

Randolph played like Lamar Odom—a 6'10" player who rebound, pass, dribble and shoot. He shot lights out going 12 of 18 from the floor. His first game was no fluke as Randolph finished Vegas with averages of 21 pts, eight rebs, one steal, one block, shooting 85 percent from the free throw line and continued his stellar play in Utah where he was able to increase his assists to 3.3 per game.

Beyond the skills, he displayed toughness and fearlessness attacking the hoop averaging 9 free throw attmpts per game.

After the summer leagues, many people have labeled Randolph as a small forward due to his size and skills as to power forward.

One thing people fail to recognize is that Anthony Randolph is the perfect power forward on a team coached by Don Nelson. Don Nelson loves the mismatch. Randolph will have the offensive adavantage every time down court and will be able to spread the floor and draw the teams opposing power forward out of the lane.

Don Nelson's last team, the Mavs had Dirk Nowitzki at power forward whom Don Nelson traded for. In the mid-90's, undersized shooting Tom Tolbert played the power forward spot. More recently Don Nelson brought back Chris Webber in an attempt to fill the void at power forward, coveting Webbers' passing and shooting ability, two skills Randolph has displayed in the summer league.

But is Randolph ready to play power forward for the Dubs? There's obviously tons of room for improvement, but offensively he can more than hang. Defensively he needs to gain more weight, at least 10-15 pounds this year. Height and length wise, there is no doubt that Randolph could play the power forward position as he is taller and longer than Brandan Wright and the scary thing is that he is still growing and has another inch or 2 of growing left in his body.

So with all this talk about the need for a power forward, the Warriors may have finally find the "perfect" power forward in Anthony Randolph. He may not be ready this year, but in his second year look for Randolph to take off much like Garnett and Nowitski did their second years in the league. We can only hope that he has the desire and work ethic to be great.

This was written a few months ago, so far Randolph has not exceeded my expectations. I didn't think he was going to be such a black hole, and I thought he'd get to the line more and would be given some set plays in the post as he displayed post game/post moves during the summer league. Still, the potential is there and he definitely has the desire to be great.

Changing of the Guard? Naw Just Added Firepower

Garlic boy — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:14:03 -0500

With the addition of Jamal Crawford, it gives the Warriors another versatile guard and automatically upgrades our PG position.

The Warriors now have five guards capable of scoring 20 pts on any given night; Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Morrow and now Jamal Crawford. We'll have six when Monta Ellis comes back.

What does Crawford bring to the table? Well he is a 6'4" combo guard who can drive and shoot. He is a poor rebounder at two a game and an average passer at four assists a game. He will definitely be able to drive and kick and find Morrow for his three's.

Yes, there are contract ramifications and someone else may ask for a trade, but I'm just anxious and excited to see Crawford play in a Dubs uni. It looks like Don Nelson is trying to surround Biedrins by 13 guards, leaving the 15th roster spot for Ronnie Turiaf at times when Biedrins is in foul trouble.

All that off the court stuff aside, watching the Warriors with a new weapon for Don will be fun, Fun, FUn, FUN to watch!!!

*On a side note, I would love to see a trade of Andres Nocioni for Corey Maggette. A tough undersized hustling PF who shoots 40 percent from 3-point land would look great in Don Nelson's system. Please let this one happen!!! I mean do we really need six 20-point scoring guards on our team? 10 guards in total, CJ, DeMarcus, M. Wiliams and Belinelli.

*Just checked, and Jamal Crawford has a Player option for 2009-2010. However, does anybody know if it is applied before or after the season??? If it is before the season. This dude is more than likely opting out, searching for one more big pay day.

Don't Worry Al Harrington, You're Going Home Too

Garlic boy — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:17:52 -0500

It's being reported that Al Harrington is going to be traded to the Knicks. Al is being traded to the Knicks for either Jamal Crawford or Malik Rose. Malik Rose is an expiring contract, while Jamal Crawford has a three year $30 million dollar contract. There may also be other players involved such as Marco Belinelli, Marcus Williams, etc. There are positives and negatives to both trade scenarios.

1. Malik Rose = undersized PF with expiring contract = youngsters play.

2. Jamal Crawford = Three year $30million = youngsters don’t play and Monta possibly on his way out. But Crawford can be REALLY good in Nellie's style. Think Larry Hughes but more consistent.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jamal_crawford/career_stats.html

In regards to talent, no doubt I take Jamal Crawford. Guy gets 20/2/4. If we get Jamal Crawford there is no doubt that somebody has to go when Monta comes back, if not somebody will request a trade.

With Malik Rose and his expiring contract, it leaves us with $10 million in cap space. With this money we can pursue a mid-level free agent Power Forward at the end of the year such as Paul Millsap, Leon Powe, Brandon Bass and "Godzilla" look-a-like Chris Wilcox.

If we had more money left I would say pursue Carlos Boozer, but many teams will be after the big guy this summer. I'd be ecstatic if we're able to snag Millsap. However, a lot of things can happen in eight months, who knows who will have the cap space and what else will happen to our team.

Can't comment too much on this trade, because I'm not sure who else is involved.

Things are getting interesting indeed.

So Many Warriors, So Little (Playing) Time, and Somebody Has to Go

Garlic boy — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:32:32 -0500

Oh what the 'Morrow brings. A week ago, the Warriors nation was down and out. A 107-102 loss to the Pistons, the team once again wilting down the stretch. At 3-6, with two losses to the Grizzlies and a two game losing streak it wasn't a question of a being a lottery team, but who to pick in the lottery.

Fast forward one week and the Warriors are riding a two game win streak behind the shooting of UDRFA Anthony Morrow and the Warriors are 5-6 and are currently holding onto the eighth seed in the West.

Currently the Warriors have three wings signed for five years or longer Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson, and Monta Ellis whose expected back in roughly two months.

They have two young shooting guards in Anthony Morrow and Kelenna Azubuike both capable of scoring roughly 20 a game, a young back-up PG in CJ Watson who seems to be improving every game and a possible future superstar small forward in do-everything-but-pass Anthony Randolph.

In short, one of our long term contract wings has to go. Some will say Jackson, but he just signed long term and ownership and teammates love him and he's going nowhere.

That leaves Monta and Maggette. Maggette is good, but Monta can be great. Maggette is solid on and off the court. He's a hard worker who definitely spends some time in the weight room. He scores 20 a game and is our best Free throw shooter and could be the best wing PF to every play under Nellie.

Unfortunately, the emergence of Azubuike and Morrow and their cheap contracts makes Maggette expendable. However, if Monta Ellis is not the same player he once was, look for Monta to be traded or his contract to be voided by Rowell and co.

That said, who wants Maggette and where can he land and what do we want in return for him? The trade scenario's and possibilities are endless. What we want in return can be debated for hours on end by fans. However, the most important factor is the bottom line and final say; finances and ownership. In other words, an expiring contract or contracts.

But why do we want nothing in return but a salary cap space? Reason No. 1: Ownership would love to save money. At the end of the day Warriors basketball is a business.

Reason No. 2: The Dubs have young players to play the wing spots: Morrow and Azubuike and notice I havent' even mentioned Belinelli and Nelson.

Reason No. 3: We need a Power forward. David Lee, Paul Millsap, Brandon Bass, and Carlos Boozer are all free agents at the end of this season. That's just off the top of my head, there could be others, but that is a solid short list.

It is important to note that Maggette is not eligible to be traded until sometime in December, and Monta is not expected back until the same time. So look for a trade to happen in January after the new year and is contingent upon the continued stellar play of Morrow and a healthy return by Monta with all conflicts resolved.

Here are some trades that 1) work, money matches, 2) net the Warriors cap room/picks, 3) Involve players on the trading block: Marbury, Al, Stackhouse and teams looking to make a move, and 4) may involve other lesser players like Marcus Williams, Marco, Kurz, etc.

No. 1 Stephon Marbury and a pick for Al Harrington, Corey Maggette etc. Will save the Knicks roughly $10 in luxury tax penalties this yr. Could also involve other players/picks.

No. 2 Eddie Curry and Malik Rose for Al and Maggete. I couldn't stand to look at Curry for three years.

No. 3 J-Kidd and picks for Al, Corey, etc. Will also save the Mavs $10 mil, but I doubt Cuban would even look Nellie's way.

No. 4 Three team trade involving the Mavs, Dubs and Knicks.

Well, for those of you who want to play the young guys (we do have nine players with two years of experience or less), that inolves getting rid of one of our vets excluding Centers Biedrins and Turiaf. Leaving Al (who's not playing and is definitely on the trading block), Jackson, Monta and Maggette.

By default, Maggette has to go (preferably with Al) unless Monta is not Monta. Getting rid of Al and Maggette for an expiring contract like Marbury would free up $20 million with which we could pursue Boozer, Millsap, David Lee, or Brandon Bass. I would love to sign Paul Millsap for a cool $6 million per year for four to five years.

I welcome your thoughts come at me with as much criticism, disdain, agreement, corrections (but not spelling this is not English grammar class and I never proofread for this kind of stuff) and trade scenarios. I love trade scenario's.