GSoM Q&A with Tim Kawakami 11/15/06 (Part 3 of 5)

by Atma Brother ONE on Nov 26, 2006 3:07 PM PST in Interviews

Golden State of Mind friend Tim Kawakami did another great Q&A with us last week. It's fun to talk Warriors and Bay Area sports with Tim because he always has a fresh, witty perspective. Make sure to make Tim's blog Talking Points with Tim Kawakami a daily stop. Also, make sure to check out his work in the San Jose Mercury. Tim's always got the latest scoop on the Bay Area sports scene and some great insights. Warriors Nation is lucky to have Tim covering the Warriors.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

Here's Part III of our Q&A with the other parts to follow in the next few days...

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Golden State of Mind: The Warriors and Adonal Foyle are rumored to be working on a contract buy out. Is there any truth to this rumor?

Tim Kawakami: I can't answer that definitively, but everything tells me that they are and that Adonal is in no hurry to say yes. Why would he? He's getting his money no matter what. Every day he waits, he probably gets a better offer from Mullin and Cohan, who need to eat into the future payments because they've got to pay Biedrins, Ellis and possibly Pietrus.

I asked Mullin last year if he was thinking about releasing Foyle during the one-time amnesty period and he said no. But he didn't say it very forcefully. They probably thought about it, but didn't want to leave Montgomery without a center and didn't want to blow out four years of payments.

They should've bitten the bullet and done it, though. If there's any consistent them I have with this team is that they hesitate too much over mediocrity, which often prevents them from grabbing at the really good stuff.

Golden State of Mind: Nellie seems to have abandoned the idea of playing Troy Murphy at the center spot. Is this the last we've seen of Murphy at the 5?

Tim Kawakami: I think so. Maybe we'll still see Troy in there if the match-up is right (can't think of when that'd happen, though). But with Biedrins playing out of his mind and with Dunleavy out of the starting lineup, there's almost no reason to play Murphy anywhere but at the power forward spot. Toss him out there, see if he's making jump shots (like he was against Detroit). If he's missing early, yank him, go with Diogu or go small.

As you know, I never bought into Murphy at center. You just can't give away that much defensively, especially teamed with Dunleavy and if Murphy's starting at center, it's almost a lock you've got Dunleavy at the four.

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Related

Rumor: Warriors Looking to Buy Out Adonal Foyle's Contract
Anatomy of a Buyout by Adam Lauridsen for Fast Break

Stay tuned for the rest of Tim's second Q&A with us...

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

This past September we did another fun Q&A with Tim: Part I | Part II

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Comments

Tim Kawadumbi

What a foo' for wanting to release Foyle. He simply can't recognize greatness when he sees it.

But I do agree on him that it's evident the Try Murphy doesn't have the skills for C. He may have the body, but not the skills.

by Zorgon on Nov 26, 2006 4:34 PM PST 0 recs

I know you're probably joking

Zorgon- I know you're probably joking and we know you're a good guy, but this post could be interpreted as mean. Please show Tim that GSoM luv and respect that we're all about in this community. Tim is good folks and he took the time out of his busy day to help make GSoM even more fun for everyone. Let's show him that we appreciate his great insights and continued support. Thanks!

by Atma Brother ONE on Nov 26, 2006 10:43 PM PST up 0 recs

what happened to tough love?

not that i support keeping Foyle, but certainly we can't shield Tim from criticism (reasonable or otherwise) just because he's hooking GSOM up with some commentary.

i think the esteemed writer knows that to write about sports is to invite criticism of all kinds...

All-time Oakland Warriors starting five: Hardaway, J-Rich, Mullin, Mr. Mean & The Chief

by OaktownWarrior on Nov 27, 2006 9:12 AM PST up 0 recs

Definitely

I just think the GSoM community is above writing things like "Tim Kawadumbi". We're all hear to discuss- agree or disagree- but we're not here to call people names. That's all.

And again, Zorgon's a good guy. I doubt he intended to be mean or anything.

by Atma Brother ONE on Nov 27, 2006 11:14 AM PST up 0 recs

Good guy !

Butt, an anal analyst!! This was the guy that says JRich was not worth signing.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Nov 27, 2006 9:33 AM PST up 0 recs

Woes at center.

Nelson spoke of Murphy at center as if it was a novel idea that no one had tried before. Monty used him in that capacity some with very very little success, largely because the defense went to trash with Murphy "manning the middle." Seems that while Nelson can get much to work that Monty couldn't, turning Murphy into a center is not part of it. He's putting the ball in the basket though and grabbing rebounds, so he's probably in general an asset.

Foyle is a different story. A buyout seems to be the best they can do. Foyle has little incentive make things easy on the Warriors if they want to release him. I suspect he'll get a vet minimum contract from someone but probably not much more and with no guarantees. Still, he ought to be able to get a million a year or so from someone in each of the next couple of years. The advantage of a buyout for him is that he'd have the opportunity to get the million or so (conservatively figure that he could make about $4million over the next 4 years as someone's backup) and he'd get all the cash up front. From a financial stanpoint, this means he can invest it. If he's super conservative and just rolls it into CD's, a buyout of 25 million nets him more from the Warriors than he would make in salary and a buyout of about 22 to 23 plus whatever he'll pick up from another team still puts him ahead of what he'd get by sitting around waiting for garbage time minutes. They get to divide the buyout evenly over the length of the contract remaining (4 years) which, because of the 1 million guarantee in year 4 means that a buyout in this range 2-3 million in cap/lux tax computed salary this year, getting them under the lux threshold. Of course, it also means that they have the same ~$6 million for the next 4 years too and have no opportunity to package it away in trade, but buyouts happen when that's no longer anything realistic anyhow.

The big advantage for the Warriors is that if they get under the lux tax threshold, they get a share of NBA tax profit sharing that otherwise they do not get. Being a dollar over costs them a whole lot more than the dollar plus dollar tax and for that reason, I could see Roberson being cut just to make it under the threshold if Foyle can't be bought out. The dividend share may actually be more than Foyle's salary and getting this in return for losing him in buyout seems a no brainer as would cutting Roberson if it meant having several million to use in coming seasons when they may have to go over to keep Ellis and company.

by jae on Nov 26, 2006 5:23 PM PST 0 recs

Love Kawakami !

Where else can you get exclusive in-depth coverage? Tim brings a great sense of knowledge and the ability to explain the game.

On a side note I had the privilege to meet Tim at a recent Warriors game. We spoke about the Warriors and basketball in general. It was amazing to see him explain each Warrior player and their strengths and weaknesses! I mean here I was with Fantasy Junkie and Atma thinking we had a pretty good understanding of the game and our players, but he basically took it to a whole nother level (from Mad TV). He had some great ideas about positioning certain players around the court and mixing up the starting lineups. If you get a chance to read his articles you should. And if you ever meet him you'll know what I'm talking about. Great guy!

by YaoButtaMing on Nov 26, 2006 5:29 PM PST 0 recs

I wish

Nelson came earlier. He would've gotten rid of Foyle for damn sure.

by namjagerungbengi on Nov 26, 2006 7:00 PM PST 0 recs

Anybody know how Cohan is doing with...

that 400 million dollar IRS tax bill?

Maybe we can buy Foyle out and he can buy the Dubs!

But seriously, I wonder if there are any extenuating circumstances that would prevent Cohan from buying out the "Foyled One."

by bigcity7 on Nov 26, 2006 10:28 PM PST 0 recs

i like Kawakami

I respect Tim's knowledge of the W's and basketball in general. BUT...BUT, i would like him to explain that Jrich comment. Seriously, was that a mistake? I mean lumping Jason in with Dun, Foyle and Murph?
I would like an explaination. Tim...you out there? Please say it was a mistake or at least please give us your criteria on why you feel he is not worthy of his extension.