Coach: Don Nelson 2006-2007 Record: 42-40 06-07 Expected Record: 40.5-41.5 Offensive Rating: 107.0 (11th in NBA, league average 106.5) Defensive Rating: 107.4 (19th in NBA, league average 106.5) eFG%: 50.1% (12th in NBA) Possessions per 48: 99.1 (1st in NBA)
Roster (You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)
Baron Davis is one of the scariest players in the entire league to play against because he can put a team on his back and single-handedly win games like he did against Dallas. He's so quick and so strong that you can't keep him out of the lane, he rebounds as well as any point guard in the league, and he can be a great defender when he puts his mind to it. Not only that, but he can also do this. On the other hand, Davis will also drive you crazy if he's on your team. He's injury prone, and he also falls in love with his jump shot and shoots you out of games. With his talent, Baron should've been a hall of famer, but injuries and complacency have gotten in the way. He's still incredibly scary to face in a playoff series, but not a tremendously reliable guy over the course of the regular season.
Both Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington played better after the trade brought them to Golden State, but neither were all that great. They were both pretty average offensively, shooting poor percentages and mostly scoring a lot of points because of the pace the Warriors play at.
I was surprised at how effective Andris Biedrins was last year. I didn't realize just how good he had been, but he was an extremely effective scorer and defended the rim well. Sure, he can't make anything outside of 5 feet, but he's a developing young big who takes the shots that are given to him and rebounds well. I know the Warriors love their smallball run and gun lineup, but the development of Biedrins will be crucial if they want to make the playoffs.
I don't know if he has much left in the tank, but I've always liked Austin Croshere. He's a good complementary guy who rebounds well and works hard.
The rookies will be a huge factor in determining how well Golden State does this year. Marco Bellnelli will fit right in here, though I don't know how effective he'll be. He's got no conscience, he'll shoot any shot, any time. He doesn't add much new to the lineup, since he's another streaky high-volume scorer who doesn't play a lot of defense. Brandan Wright is more interesting, because he's a huge talent who runs the floor as well as any big man out there. If nothing else, I think he's at worst a more athletic version of Biedrins (shoots high percentage close to the basket, blocks shots). Watch his development, because if he and Biedrins can come out and contribute regularly, the Warriors become a much better defensive team. Lastly, who knows if he'll get much burn, but Stephane Lasme is a special defensive talent. I really liked this guy in college, and though he's really undersized, he has natural shot blocking timing and has unbelievable vertical burst.
X-Factor: Monta Ellis - Ellis won the NBA Most Improved Player award mostly because of his gaudy PPG average, but he was really an average player who was an inefficient scorer. He finishes extremely well, but he has to improve his jumpshot if he wants to jump to another level. Ellis is a 3rd year guy who still has a lot of promise to improve on. If he can become a more efficient and consistent player, Golden State will be much more likely to end up in the playoffs.
Overview
Honestly, the Warriors were lucky to make the playoffs last year. They actually were outscored last year, and the only way they made the playoffs was with a torrid April in which they went 8-1. They were a slightly above-average offensive team and a poor defensive team. They were also one of the league's most inconsistent teams, which is to be expected from the streaky nature of many of their players. Other than that strong end to the season, the Warriors were a below .500 team both before and after their trade that brought Jackson and Harrington over. The only player on the team that shot over 50% was Andris Biedrins, who shot 60%. So, what's the good news for the Warriors? They have a lot of young talent that should improve this year (Ellis, Biedrins, Barnes), some promising rookies, and when they're on they're an incredibly difficult opponent.
Prediction
It's a bit difficult to predict the Warriors because they have so many volatile elements. How well will the Jason Richardson replacements do? (pretty well) What are the odds that Stephen Jackson gets suspended for a significant period of time? (off the charts) How many games can Baron Davis stay healthy for? (around 60) They could finish as high as 6th or as low as 10th and I wouldn't really be surprised. Personally, I'm not sold on them as a playoff team. They're really not a great regular season team and a lot of the thinking about them is influenced by their strong postseason run. I certainly wouldn't want to play them in the playoffs where they can get hot and Davis can carry them to a few wins.
Ugh, I just finished writing this whole thing, then had a problem with my PC and lost it all. Alas. Such is my dedication to bringing you people all the latest and greatest NBA news that I will tirelessly type it all up again...or I'm just really bored right now and need something to do.
You know what I love about the NBA summer league? It isn't seeing how all the highly drafted rookies do. No, it's seeing all the guys who I remember from their college days, but who dropped off the face of the planet after failing to make it big in the pros. Guys like Josh Powell (who ruined a promising college career by leaving too early, not that I'm bitter), Brandon Bass (ditto), Von Wafer (seeing a trend?), my boy Julius Hodge (please Jules, do something this year so I have a State player to cheer for), and D'Or Fischer (anybody else remember him leading the nation in blocks?). Heck, we've even had a Mateen Cleaves sighting. Can't beat the NBA summer league for seeing those former college stars...well, except for maybe the NBDL.
So, sifting through the worthlessness that is most of the summer league, what are the few things that we can take from what we've seen so far?
Tyrus Thomas has apparently developed a solid mid-range jumpshot, which is big trouble for the rest of the league. Thomas might be the quickest big in the game, and if defenders can't lay off him from 15 feet, we might be seeing a whole lot more highlight reel dunks next year.
Marco Bellinelli has no conscience. Through 3 games, he's taken 56 shots at a rate of a shot every 2 minutes. Even in the notoriously foul-heavy summer league, Bellinelli has taken almost twice as many 3-pointers as free throws. The phrase "quick trigger" does not do the man justice. In other words, he'll be perfect for Nellieball.
Outside of 1 quarter against Cleveland, Yi has been thoroughly unimpressive. He's shooting a terrible percentage and most of his points have come from the line, which is deceptive because of the increased amount of fouls called in the summer league. Well, at least he's got a pretty free-throw stroke.
Is it just me, or is Desagana Diop morphing into a poor man's Dikembe Mutumbo? They even kind of look alike.
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J.J. Redick has been on fire at the Orlando summer league so far, though on one play he saw there was too much traffic in the lane and promptly pulled a U-turn to get away. Sorry, that was a low blow. J.J., if I hurt your feelings, I can send some tissues.
Other than summer league play, the other big NBA news is that the salary cap was announced today ($56.6 mil), meaning that free agent deals can officially be finalized.
Apparently, the Magic have worked out a sign and trade with Seattle where they send a second rounder to the Sonics in order to get Bird rights to Rashard Lewis so they can sign him for 6 years instead of 5. Lewis' deal will start at around $16 mil (max for a 9-year veteran) and end up at around $25 mil in his last year. Yeah, have fun with that one Magic fans.
Mo Williams is seriously considering signing with Miami, and I'm puzzled as to why. I mean, that team is going downhill fast, and you can get twice as much money from Milwaukee, which is a young, quickly improving team where you're one of the leaders. It really wouldn't surprise me at all if the Bucks were better than the Heat next year if Williams comes back. Again, I don't understand the motivation.
Trey Johnson on Williams' decision,
"It's hard to tell where he's leaning. I just told him it would be lovely if he comes to Miami and I make the roster, too." Lovely, Trey? What are you, an 80-year-old woman? Weird quote.
The big free agent mystery now? Darko's final destination. With Charlotte reportedly close to inking Gerald Wallace, Darko is the biggest catch still available. However, there aren't many teams that can offer him the $8-9 mil a year that he wants. Memphis is apparently interested, and Milwaukee would probably make a move pending the Darko and Williams situations. The other option is Charlotte, who would still have enough cap space to offer him what he wants if they sign Gerald Wallace to a $12-13 mil deal.
Well, KG and Kobe trade talks have settled down, and it appears that we'll spend another season with 2 of the league's biggest stars toiling away in futility on bad teams. Sigh. NBA GMs have no spine. Seriously guys, we know you don't like to trade your superstars, but you've got to know when to cut bait and rebuild. Really, you can actually hear KG's trade value plummeting if you listen hard enough.
That's it for now, your daily (and by "daily", I mean "whenever-the-heck-I-feel-like-it") NBA update. I'll leave you with my trivia question of the day, and the imaginary prize goes to the first person who can answer it.
Q: There are 3 players in NCAA history with over 1000 assists on their career. They all played in the ACC. List them in order (most assists to least) and name the school they played for.
I'm going to move on to the Eastern conference draft analysis tomorrow, but tonight I want to take a more in-depth look at the draft day trades, of which we had 3 major ones and a lot more minor ones.
ESPN has a full list of all the trades here, so you can check there for all the minor trades.
Trade #1
Boston sends Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, the #5 pick (Jeff Green) and a future second rounder to Seattle for Ray Allen and the #35 pick (Glen Davis)
First of all, this deal is a slam dunk for Seattle. They get younger by dumping Allen, get a solid player in West, and get the perfect guy to complement Durant in Green. There really is no downside to this trade for the Sonics. For the Celtics, it's a bit of a tougher call. I'm of the opinion that Boston needed to revamp and rebuild, but for the last few weeks, we've known that wasn't going to Danny Ainge's plan. From the perspective of improving the team to win now, which was apparently management's goal, this move makes a lot of sense. They paid a relatively low price for a guy who might be the league's best shooter and should pump in around 22 points a game fairly efficiently. Allen is also a guy who has wanted to play for Boston, which is always good. The real concern is that he is 31, coming off surgery for bone spurs in both his feet, and doesn't particularly strike you as a guy who will age well. Was it a perfect trade? No, but the cost was so low for Boston that I think they had to take a swing at it. They didn't give up Gerald Green or Al Jefferson to get him, and a core of Allen, Pierce, and Jefferson should put them in contention in the east. They also didn't trade away Theo Ratliff and his expiring contract, which gives them one more piece to work with to bring in more help. In addition to all that, it also paired Ray Allen with Allan Ray, which is just too awesome for words. Icing on the cake for Boston is that Glen Davis inexplicably fell to them at #35 with that pick, which gives this trade even more value. In the end I think it was the right thing to do for both squads, the deal was just too good a value for Boston.
Trade #2
Portland sends Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau and Fred Jones to New York for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.
I think I'm one of the few people who sees this as a terrible move for the Knicks. Sure, it's great value for a 20-10 guy. they basically traded Channing Frye for Zach Randolph, which is a pretty amazing deal. Why is this trade so bad then? First of all, aren't Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry basically the same player? they're both adept post scorers who have no interest in passing out of double teams or rebounding, and they've both had weight problems. Do you really think you can win a championship with a frontline of Curry and Randolph? You better, because they'll make over $100 mil together over the next 4 years. Also, does anybody actually believe that Randolph isn't going to get in trouble in New York? You take a known head-case guy and put him in New York, and you can bet we'll be hearing more from Zach Randolph before the end of next season. Lastly, how does David Lee get on the floor now? He played as well as anyone in a Knicks uniform and was easily their most efficient player last year, but how does he find PT behind Randolph and Curry? Now, I know this was a pretty low-cost deal, but the cost wasn't so much in the talent the Knicks gave up as it was in the cap space they destroyed. Now, the Knicks cap situation was nothing to be happy about, but at least they had some of their terrible large contracts coming off the books soon. Now they've taken Francis's nearly expired deal and replaced it with Randolph's monster of a contract. Sorry, I just don't get the reasoning. For Portland, I think it was an excellent move. I would've preferred if they'd gotten a lottery pick for trading him, but Frye is a pretty good prize all the same. A year ago, he was untouchable, but New York cooled on him after a lukewarm 2nd season. Just in case you're wondering, Francis is in the deal simply for salary purposes. Portland is reportedly working on a buyout with him that would probably cut his impact on the salary cap by about half before he comes off in 2 seasons.
Trade #3
Charlotte trades the #8 pick (Brandan Wright) to Golden State for Jason Richardson and the #36 pick (Jermareo Davidson)
First of all, like I said in my analysis of their draft, I love this trade for Golden State. They gave from a position of strength (aggressive wing players) to address a position of need (athletic posts who can defend the rim). Wright is, at very worst, a better version of Andris Biedrins. He's got huge potential and is hugely reminiscent of Chris Bosh coming out of college. I would not be surprised at all if he contributed immediately for them. For the Bobcats, I think the trade is a little more interesting. With Richardson's history of knee injuries, this one is a little risky, but if he stays healthy than the deal is a good one for Charlotte. Even after taking on J-Rich's contract, the Bobcats are still nearly $20 mil under the cap, which should be plenty to resign Gerald Wallace. Throwing Wallace and Richardson out on the wings is a scary prospect for the rest of the east. They took a chance and bought low on J-Rich's value, and I can't really fault them for that. They do have a serious frontcourt depth issue though. Okafor and May are the only 2 real competent posts (put your hand down Primoz Brezec, you don't count), and they both have injury history. If they don't pick up some sort of frontcourt answer in free agency (Anderson Varejao maybe?) then I think they're going to look back on this trade with regret, as they let a great young post go.
The long-awaited draft is over, so now its time to take a look at the results. It was actually a rather subdued draft until we got to the 18th pick or so, with the only real surprise being the Ray Allen trade. After that, things started going all kinds of crazy as Portland began to wheel and deal. Anyway, here's my team-by-team analysis of the draft. It's not grades, cause I don't like grades (btw, if we were to give teams a GPA based on their draft grades over time, what would Atlanta's be? 1.5? 2?). I'm going to give either a thumbs up, thumbs down, or on the fence for each team. So, starting with the Western Conference...
Now, I understand that Dallas didn't have a lot to work with here, but they didn't exactly make the most of it. I'll give them the last two, cause there's not that much talent that late, but they took Fazekas, who is quite possibly the worst athlete in the draft, in front of Glen Davis and Josh McRoberts, both much better talents. I don't see Fazekas being any kind of player in the NBA, he's just too slow, and slow big guys whose trademark is their shooting don't have a great track record.
Big thumbs up to the Warriors, who had my second favorite draft (behind Portland's masterpiece). Not only did they manage to grab some fantastic talent, but they got rid of Jason Richardson's contract too. I questioned their selection of Bellinelli instead of Jason Smith, but it makes sense with the acquisition of Wright. Take note that there's still a possibility that Yi will end up here for a package including Wright, though Milwaukee looks like they want to keep him. Wright is a perfect player for them. He has very little range to his game, but he's money near the hoop and he's a very good shot-blocker. At worst, he's a much more talented and athletic version of Andris Biedrins. Bellinelli is a dynamic 2-guard who has great range and can slash, but he's streaky (which should mean he fits in perfectly here). Lasme was one of my favorite second round guys, and I can see him contributing immediately as an energy/defense guy for the Warriors. Very good draft.
I really don't get their draft. They had McRoberts and Davis staring them in the face at both 26 and 31, and they passed them both times for inferior players. Brooks was a solid sleeper, but that's only a good pick if you don't reach for it, and they reached big-time for him. What's more puzzling is that they didn't even reach for a need, they've already got Mike James and Rafer Alston at the point and a gaping hole at PF. Landry is a gritty player, but he's undersized and can't rebound. McRoberts would've been perfect here, I'm really puzzled that they passed on him.
L.A. Clippers - Thumbs Up
Picks - Al Thornton (14), Jared Jordan (45)
The Clippers basically just sat back and took the best value that was available, and they ended up with 2 really good players who are both good fits. Thornton allows them to put the disgruntled Corey Maggette on the trading block. He's a terrific athlete, and I've been saying all along he's the second coming of Shawn Marion. He was easily the best value available for them. Jordan is a pure point who should be able to back up Sam Cassell right away. His ceiling as a player isn't very high, but he's a smart guy who should be able to carve out a niche in the league. I would've gone with Taurean Green there, but I can't fault them for taking Jordan.
L.A. Lakers - Thumbs Down
Picks - Javaris Crittenton (19), Sun Yue (40), Marc Gasol (48)
This rating is contingent on them keeping Kobe Bryant, which they have repeatedly said that they want to do. Were the Lakers set on building for the future, I would be ok with the Crittenton pick. He's the ultimate high-reward point guard prospect, with a good shooting touch, suberb athleticism, and a 6'5 frame. However, he's at least 2 years away from being able to run a team, and I doubt he'll contribute much next year. I'm not sold on Yue. From what I saw of him, he's not a great athlete and he didn't really impress me that much. They did get a steal in Gasol, who most mocks had up at the top of the second round.
Memphis Grizzlies - Thumbs Up
Picks - Mike Conley (4)
Not much to say about this. They took Conley, who was the best point guard in the draft and, in my opinion, the best player on the board at #4. He got better and better as the year went on last year, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him be a big contributor this year for Memphis. He's impossibly quick and has tremendous floor vision. Absolutely the right pick for the Griz.
Minnesota Timberwolves - On The Fence
Picks - Corey Brewer (7), Chris Richard (41)
As far as their draft goes, I think they made the right moves. Brewer was the obvious pick when he fell into their laps at #7, and Richard is a great value in the second round, he would be a first rounder if he'd played anywhere but Florida. However, I can't help but feel like the Timberwolves wasted their best chance to rebuild by not getting a KG deal done. They were adamant about what they wanted in return for him, and as a result of that they miss the chance to grab draft picks in the deepest draft in recent memory. I'm fine with the picks they made, but what they didn't do with KG devalues this for me.
New Orleans Hornets - Thumbs Up
Picks - Julian Wright (13), Adam Haluska (43)
They get a thumbs up because Wright at #13 is an absolute steal. He could've easily gone 6 picks higher than that. He doesn't fit a need quite as well as Nick Young would've, but there's no question that he was the best talent left on the board. On potential alone, he's probably the 3rd best guy in the draft. He had games at Kansas where he absolutely destroyed the opposing team. If the Hornets can get some consistency out of him, this is a great pick. Haluska was a surprise, as he wasn't really on anyone's radar. Really though, once you get into the last 20 picks, everything is a stretch.
Phoenix Suns - Thumbs Down
Picks - Alando Tucker (29), D. J. Strawberry (59)
Is there anything more depressing than seeing your team trade away a first round pick for cash? Yeah, the Suns have done that 4 straight times. Not only that, but they then took Tucker at 29, who is a PF in a SF's body. Oh yeah, he can't really shoot either. They had McRoberts and Gabe Pruitt sitting there at 29, and they took Alando Tucker instead. Ugh. The Suns have really made some disappointing moves in the last 2-3 years, and it's a shame cause I think their window for winning is closing. They had the chance here to either take players or trade for players who could bolster a championship level team, and they blew it. I do like the D.J. Strawberry pick at 59 though. He'll carve out a spot in the league as a lock-down defender.
Not only did the Blazers make an absolute killing with their picks but they also managed to bring another piece over in the Zach Randolph trade, Channing Frye. This is the best draft I've ever seen a team have. They drafted a franchise center in Oden, they got rid of head-case Randolph and his monster contract and brought in another good young big in Frye, they drafted two lottery-level talents in Fernandez and Koponen who will continue to mature overseas (something they had to do with all the guys they were bringing in with this draft), they got the steal of the draft in McRoberts at 37 (who is a perfect complementary post guy and also a good friend of Oden's), and they picked up Green about 20 spots later than most people had him ranked. That, my friends, is one heck of a draft. Here's the really scary thing about this team. By trading Randolph's contract for Francis's shorter deal, the Blazers made sure that they will be well under the cap in 2 years when guys like Aldridge and Roy start signing extensions. They've done so well building with young talent, and it's entirely possible that they will be able to keep all of it. Can anybody in the league match the young talent on their frontline with Oden, Aldridge, Frye, and McRoberts? This team is ridiculously scary.
Sacramento Kings - Thumbs Down
Picks - Spencer Hawes (10)
It's not that I don't think Hawes is a bad player. He's probably more-or-less the next Brad Miller, and Miller has had a very solid career with a few All-Star games tossed in there. However, with all the rebuilding that Sacramento has to do, they needed a high-ceiling kind of guy, and Hawes isn't it. Julian Wright would've been the much better pick here.
San Antonio Spurs - Thumbs Up
Picks - Tiago Splitter (28), Marcus Williams (33), Giorgos Printezis (58)
It's just not fair sometimes. The best team in the league adds a lottery-level talent who will wait a year before coming over. Splitter was a perfect fit for them, and they'll be reaping the benefits in two years. Williams is a great prospect with a ton of potential, but he never put it together in college. I was a little surprised that they didn't go with Derrik Byars, but if anyone can get Williams to put things together, it's the Spurs.
Seattle Supersonics - Thumbs Up
Picks - Kevin Durant (2), Jeff Green (5)
Big props to Seattle for being gutsy with their moves. Trading Ray Allen wasn't even something I was thinking about, but it makes a lot of sense. The word from Seattle is that they want to try and resign Rashard Lewis and be able to throw Green, Durant, and Lewis out there all at once. It's a remarkable idea, and I think that they could pull it off. There are very few players in the league versatile and athletic enough to run the 2,3,and 4 spots, but these guys could do it. Can you imagine trying to match up with that? Anyway, even if they don't bring Lewis back, Green is a great compliment to Durant. Overlooked in the Allen for Green deal is that they also brought in Delonte West, who is a solid player and should be the starter at the point for them next year.
Utah Jazz - Thumbs Up
Picks - Morris Almond (25), Kyrylo Fesenko (38)
I have no opinion on Fesenko, but Almond was a great pick at 25. He was obviously the best talent left on the board, and he fills the Jazz's need for a perimeter shooter. Considering where they were picking, the Jazz did a solid job.
Just as a final note, is anyone else as excited as I am that Ray Allen and Allen Ray are on the same team? I've been waiting for this since I learned that Villanova was bringing in a freshman named Allen Ray. It's fate, it had to happen, the basketball gods brought it about.
PG - Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Sarunas Jasikevicus SG - Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson SF - Al Harrington PF - Andris Biedrins C - Adonal Foyle, Patrick O'Bryant
The Warriors are in a really interesting place right now. On the one hand, they just completed a great end to their season that got everybody excited about Golden State basketball again. On the other hand, they've got a lot of bad contracts and guys who are not very dependable (Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis with his injury history). They've also got a very unique style of play, and Nellieball requires a much different lineup than most teams. I was a little puzzled about how I felt about the Warriors. My initial thought is to try and trade Davis to someone like Atlanta in order to score a draft pick or some young talent. Baron's value is never going to be higher than it is now, they've got a good replacement being groomed in Ellis, and he's a risky player to have on your team. However, the Warriors have had tremendous success when they're clicking, they keep most of their core together, and they've got 3 draft picks to build even more. Reports are that Golden State is desperately trying to move up in the draft to get Yi, and that they're also looking at Jason Smith with 18 if they can't get Yi.
What They Should Do: Resign Mickael Pietrus and draft Smith at 18. The Warriors are one of the most unpredictable teams in the league, but when they're on they might be the toughest matchup in the league. Add a few draft picks who can contribute immediately, and you've got a team that has the potential to make a run if they get hot. Smith and Yi are very comprable players, but Smith is more likely to contribute immediately as Yi will have to adjust to a culture shift and get stronger before he's a solid contributor. I'm not as big on Yi as most people, and I don't think it's worth what they'd have to give up to move up when they can get a pretty comprable player in Smith. With the second round picks, they could look at an athletic guy like Wilson Chandler or a proven commodity like Jared Dudley. With their final pick, a great fit would be Russell Carter, who is one of my favorite sleepers in this draft.
What They Will Do: They'll probably move up to get Yi, which isn't a bad move, as he's a very solid prospect who would be a great fit in Golden State.
Houston Rockets
Roster For 07-08
PG - Mike James, Rafer Alston, John Lucas, Vassilis Spanoulis SG - Tracy McGrady, Luther Head, Bob Sura, Kirk Snyder SF - Shane Battier PF - Steve Novak C - Yao Ming
Picks
1 - 26 (26 overall)
Well, if it weren't obvious from that roster, the Rockets need some frontcourt depth. The most important issue at this point is to resign Chuck Hayes and Dikembe Mutumbo to shore up their frontcourt. In addition, they should try to use their mid-level exception to bring in a veteran like Grant Hill or Chris Webber. At 26, there are a few guys that I really like for them. Marco Bellinelli and Derrick Byars are both options to come in and play at the 3; I particularly like Bellinelli with his experience and shooting touch. The other option is Glen Davis or Josh McRoberts, both solid complementary players at the 4 position.
What They Should Do: Resign Hayes and Mutumbo, and go for Hill if they can get him, Webber if they can't. For their pick, I would rate them Bellinelli, Davis, McRoberts, Byars.
What They Will Do: I can't see what else they can do, they don't have a lot of options this offseason.
't keep him out of the lane, he rebounds as well as any point guard in the league, and he can be a great defender when he puts his mind to it. Not only that, but he can also do 
time. He doesn't add much new to the lineup, since he's another streaky high-volume scorer who doesn't play a lot of defense. Brandan Wright is more interesting, because he's a huge talent who runs the floor as well as any big man out there. If nothing else, I think he's at worst a more athletic version of Biedrins (shoots high percentage close to the basket, blocks shots). Watch his development, because if he and Biedrins can come out and contribute regularly, the Warriors become a much better defensive team. Lastly, who knows if he'll get much burn, but Stephane Lasme is a special defensive talent. I really liked this guy in college, and though he's really undersized, he has natural shot blocking timing and has unbelievable vertical burst. 
prove this year (Ellis, Biedrins, Barnes), some promising rookies, and when they're on they're an incredibly difficult opponent.
