RECAP: Warriors 113, Lakers 123 - The Drought Continues

by Fantasy Junkie on Dec 9, 2007 10:59 PM PST in Recaps Comment 40 comments

Final Boxscore

Yup, that's how I felt too.

Even Jessica's presence wasn't good enough luck

So the drought continues. No, that 13 year drought ended last season. This drought, hopefully, won't last that long. The Warriors still haven't won in Staples since January 2003 and now have lost to the Lakers 9 straight times. They'll get a rematch this coming Friday in Oakland, to hopefully end one of the droughts. On to the game...

The Lakers are so precise. Everyone knows where to go, where they should be, and what their role is. They may not be the most talented players, but they are extremely well coached and disciplined. That discipline is the key to their success because even when Kobe has an off shooting night like tonight, the other guys can step in and pick up the slack.

The Warriors were looking up for most of the game

One HUGE thing that playing disciplined within a system helps with is closing out quarters. Tonight, that is exactly where the game was won. Just look at the play by play at the end of each quarter. The Lakers just took over.

1st quarter
Warriors are up 31-28. Trevor Ariza of the Lakers gets fouled and goes to the line for 2. He makes the first (31-29 Warriors), but misses the second. Sweet! Oh but Lamar Odom grabs the offensive rebound, passes to Ariza who gets fouled again. Nooo! This time, Ariza makes both free throws to tie the game and nobody else scores in the final 20 seconds. So what could have been at least a 2 point lead, possibly a 4 or 5 point lead turned into just a tie.

2nd quarter
With 3:18 to go, Kelenna Azubuike makes a shot and pushes the Warriors lead to 7, 56-49. The Warriors were playing well, but the Lakers knew how to close out a quarter. A Fisher 3 point play followed by a Bynum 3 point play, a couple Ariza free throws, a Kobe free throw, and "poof", it was a 58-56 Lakers lead. The halftime score was 60-59 Lakers.

3rd quarter
Like a broken record, the end of this quarter was no different than the other two. 5:50 to play and the game was tied at 73. Fisher hits a quick 3, Bynum made a layup, and the Lakers never relinquished the lead. The lead eventually grew to 11, but the Warriors were able to make a quick run and enter the fourth with a 6 point deficit. Again, the Lakers closed out the quarter strong and kept the Warriors scrambling.

4th quarter
I guess this wasn't so much that the Lakers closed out the quarter strong, but at one point just simply took over. At 8:45, the Warriors had cut the lead to 4 points, 95-99, but that was the last time the Warriors even sniffed the lead. In just under 2 minutes, bam, the deficit was 11 points, 97-108. Fast forward another minute to 4:41 and bam, the deficit is 17 points, 99-116. Game over. Good night. Go home.

Tonight, it was as if the Warriors just couldn't get the game under control. Despite surprisingly outrebounding the Lakers 47-38, the Warriors just never appeared like they were going to control the game. What it really felt like was the Warriors just scratching and clawing their way to just keep themselves in the game. That's what helped the Lakers close out quarters. The Warriors had to play catch up during the quarter and couldn't make the late push.

Yuck, I feel sick

THUD
I understand the need to give Baron a rest but is Troy Hudson really the answer? If Troy Hudson is going to play, he's got to be productive. Everytime he's on the court, I get this sick feeling in my stomach. He just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the players. Maybe Nellie is giving him minutes so he does develop some sort of chemistry so that he can be productive later in the season when Baron's legs may not be as fresh. Here's the thing, Hudson is horrible at shooting. Tonight he was 2-7 (28.6%). On the season, he's 6-25 (24%).

He's okay with setting people up and moving the ball but when he tries to shoot, he shoots too early in the shot clock and too often. His role should be in a similar fashion to DJ Mbenga. Everyone knows Mbenga is in there to play tough D, hustle, and pretty much not shoot the ball unless he has a dunk. Hudson should also be playing tough D and hustling, and on offense, he should be running the offense. Stop taking shots early in the shot clock and get the ball and players moving. Limit his role as DJ's role is limited, and we'll hopefully get better results out of our backup PG. He wasn't the reason we lost tonight, but sure didn't help much.

Baby Bynum
I gotta say that Bynum looks very very good. This was one of the best games of his career, but the guy looks smooth, poised, and has a major presence down low. He's very strong down there and is pretty athletic too. He had this nice little spin on the block where he elevated over Al and banked a little 4 footer. It looked like he'd been doing that for many years, but I think he just added it to his arsenal this year. If Bynum keeps getting stronger, works on his low post game, he's going to be scary in a few years.

Monta wasn't aggressive enough tonight
I thought he should have been more aggressive because none of the guards on that team except Kobe can defend him one on one. He could have taken more shots or got in the lane and kicked it out, but either way, he needed to make more of an impact given the mistmatches he had tonight.

It was a disappointing game to watch because the game was there for the Warriors to win if they could have just got some consistent play. Not enough guys stepped up today for the Warriors compared with the Lakers who had 7 guys score in double figures. The Warriors just couldn't disrupt the game and play at their own tempo. The Lakers played as a team and that's where the difference was tonight.

Next up are the world champion Spurs...

Baron gets the Warrior Wonder again. He had a huge first quarter in points, but didn't score much the rest of the way. He had a very nice floor game ending with 20 points (7-17), 8 boards, 7 assists, 4 steals, and just 2 turnovers. What I also really thought Baron did well was play tough D on Kobe especially in the first half. Baron's so strong that Kobe's post up game struggled because he stays rooted to the ground and has quick enough hands to bother Kobe. Overall a nice game from Baron, just needed some help from his friends.

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terrible

they all sucked. they went to la got relaxed after their great win against miami and promptly got the beat down they deserved. where was barnes, azubuike, biedrins, monta and capt. jax. This is supposed to be the kind of game that jax takes over shows his teamates that we are not scared of anything especially a few mikey mouse celebrities what the hell. they mailed in tonight's game and this could come back to haunt them it could be the difference in seeding at the end of the season. everyon sucked and they all should donate their game checks to charity because no one earned their money tonight.

by bioecon on Dec 9, 2007 11:29 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

i just wanna say

troy hudson is garbage. seriously garbage. if he's not the worst player in the leauge, he's damn close. he can't shoot, he can't pass, he can't play defense. i'm glad it was mentioned in the review. jackson was also garbage tonight.

by AJC3317 on Dec 9, 2007 11:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

i will be

seriously dissapointed if THud is still on the roster at weeks end.

straight g

by RC650 on Dec 9, 2007 11:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Hudson should NEVER have more mins

in a game then Al, Barnes or even MP2. Its sad. He got 6 mins of MORE burn than AL. What the fvck was Nelly thinking!

Best duo since...

by Tim N Chris Burger on Dec 10, 2007 12:02 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

3 more mins of burn than AL

7 more mins of burn than Andris

Best duo since...

by Tim N Chris Burger on Dec 10, 2007 12:11 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bingo

Everytime he's on the court [Troy Hudson], I get this sick feeling in my stomach.

You and me both. And when someone passes the ball to him, I find I have to take my eyes off the tv set. Someone please refresh my memory, how did we end up with him again?

I cannot understand why Nellie puts him in before POB or Wright -- especially when you look at a team with the height of the Lakers. When Kobe, Odum and Turiaf are on the floor it looks like Land of the Giants.

by centerre on Dec 10, 2007 12:47 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

How did we end up with him?

Because Ainge outsmarted Mullin. Hudson was all eager to try to make Ainge's team but Ainge just shut the door. He recognized that even a young, no-jumper Rondo is better off running the team than Hudson. Unfortunately for us, our front office (and coach) apparently didn't have that much trust in Monta and thought otherwise.

by lightz0ut on Dec 10, 2007 1:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

asdf

the reason why Thud is on court is this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4ZgHmAZ5Dw
just problem is that it is not anymore summer outside
-warriors have another summer star -Marco Bolo

ok -problem is that it is hard to be a 3. PG in team like W's -remember Jasie -@ end of the season he was more part of cheerleaders squad then player -he was playing trashy because of minutes he get -but now he have a record contract in Europe

Thud is not Jasie but he needs some minutes because if something (knock on wood) happens with BD then Thud is better then nothing

build a team & destroy the roof

by Lat We N Trash on Dec 10, 2007 1:39 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

thing

im surprised t hud has played for so long and he sucks this much?! wtf! oh yeah who won the spurs tix?

What you thought that I only played basketball? I AM A Golden State WARRIOR!

by 24k state fan since 87 on Dec 10, 2007 1:57 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Hudson

I find it both funny and frustrating to watch Hudson. Funny because he'd always just fall down, not like he was flopping or taking a charge. He was just tripping on somebody's foot or just getting caught in somebody's body. And on defense. He's either at least 2 feet away from his defender. Or alot of times he was just behind them.

Then, half-a-second later, it becomes frustrating because I have to accept the fact that he's playing for my team and not the opponent.

What I don't get is, how come POB makes a couple of bonehead mistake and he sits down yet Troy Hudson has not done much positive the whole game and he still manage to stay on the floor. I mean, don't you think he should have the shorter leash because he's a vet and should know his place. Yet he's chugging shots like he's Jax and Baron's offspring. Not to mention his horrible defense.

No wonder Marco doesn't want to go to the D-League. I mean, they're playing at the same level right now with all the bricks they're throwing and layups they give at the other end. So, he just needs to start knocking all of 'em in practice and Nellie might re-consider.

Oh, last but not the least. No Mbenga for Warrior Wonder??? C'mon, he deserve to at least get an honorable mention. He got 7pts on 3/3 shooting. That is only 1 off his career high!!!! Plus, he got two Mbengads.

by lightz0ut on Dec 10, 2007 2:09 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

PLEASE MULLIN

can we PLEASE try to trade for Chris Quinn or Jason Williams now.. PLEASE Mullin

by jlagace on Dec 10, 2007 2:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

THud

I could sort of understand if he was in there to give Baron a rest, but some of the time he was subbed in for Monta, which doesn't make much sense. All he should be doing is givin Baron a rest and distributing the ball. He had an ok layup or two, but his outside shots were ill-advised and painful to watch.

by Snesley Wipes on Dec 10, 2007 2:42 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Nellie's experimenting

T Hud simply won't play if his shot doesn't turn around. Nellie would rather have Barnes play point than play a pg that can't shoot.

Good job complimenting Baron on the D. He was really impressive I thought. Baron bothered Kobe into a ton of tough shots (Kobe's poor shooting was not of the fluky variety). Baron showed that when he puts his mind to it he can be an elite defender.

On the other side of the ball he was amazing like always of course

It's almost like the Warriors have 6 guys out there... they always have a guy open! - Jon Barry commentating game 3 last year

by gsw4life on Dec 10, 2007 4:01 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

this "experimenting"

Couldn't Nelson have "experimented" during blowout games?? I always see Baron playing way too many garbage minutes than he should be.

Yet, Nelson chooses to play Hudson extensive minutes in a close, crucial game against a division rival. This game is important, it would be nice to have the tiebreaker advantage against the Lakers if we end the season with the same record as them (like we did last year).

Maybe this game is a blessing is disguise. Hopefully Mullin and Nelson see that Hudson is NO GOOD

by jlagace on Dec 10, 2007 4:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

y'r both right

by hardcore on Dec 10, 2007 10:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I am in Beijing, China....

and I had to make a critical decision last night. Stay up until 2:00am and watch the Raider game until 5:00am in the hopes of seeing either a Raider victory or J Money play, or get up real early in the morning and watch the Warriors. I chose the Raiders. This was the first Warrior game that I have failed to see from Beijing, and its disappointing. I guess it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other really, cause they both lost, and lost bad. I cannot comment on the game cause I did not see it, but I will say this.....PAYBACK IS A BITCH!! The Dubs will get there chance at home very shortly, and I promise I will not miss that one.

I Still Believe!! Go Dubs!!
OakFoSho

P.S.-I will be home in late December and will be able to put to good use my season tix that my brother has been hogging while I have been away. The Brothers Will Be Back In Force!!

by Sneaky275 on Dec 10, 2007 5:09 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

how?

I was in germany last year and couldn't find the warriors games anywhere or online. How do you get them?

by mikey J on Dec 10, 2007 2:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts

I'm not going to hate on T Hud. I think he doesn't fit. He doesn't understand our offense. Also, his shot seems to have gone downhill. We had another cold shooting night. I mean how many threes did we miss in the first half? If we would have hit even 3 more, it would have been a lot closer. We also seemed to take a lot of contested shots, instead of the wide open looks we've been getting. I would say that Pietrus was the culprit of more than a few of those. Biedrins had a rough game, not only offensively, but had a lot of trouble with Bynum. Mbenga played really well, IMO. Maybe I am dumb, but with a big lineup, for just a bit, what about using Mbenga at C and Biedrins at PF?

WELCOME TO THE GUN SHOW!

by tadams1080 on Dec 10, 2007 6:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Are you serious???

Seriously tho, I don't want to be in this position but people are just hating on MP too much and someone needs to defend him. On a night where he shoots 5-9 and scores 14pts in 17 minutes (which includes garbage time) he was the culprit of taking bad shots????

Barnett summed it up pretty well for MP when he took that 3pt shot. So many times, he's right there wide open (not just him, but pointing him out since he's the subject) behind the 3pt line and our "playmakers" failed to get him the ball. Again, I blame it on our oftentimes, playground system that relies and one player to create shots.

by lightz0ut on Dec 10, 2007 2:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

THUD was awful but...

the brick house from three did not help. The Warriors need to get more points in the paint

by belli nellie on Dec 10, 2007 8:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

T Hud is not the problem

Yeah, its easy to hate on him. But, the reason we lost this game is that the Lakers executed their game plan and the refs were allowing muggings in the lane. We responded by not beating their weak full court press, not pushing the tempo, and instead of playing good body contact defense, we slapped at the ball and forced the refs to make the calls. Positives was rebounding, staying close to a team that was clicking and FT line performance looks like it has at least become NBA-acceptable. Reality check for sure. We need chaos first, 3 pt shooting only in the flow without a hand in the face. Odom closes out on the outside shooter better than anyone I've seen in a while.

by eshock on Dec 10, 2007 8:18 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

He is not the problem

But we have a problem on him playing extensive minutes. There's a big difference.

The problem is we can't pass the ball consistently. On one night, we have great movement. The next, we don't.

The problem is our players have too much freedom. Yes, it's good to see them hit that 1 on 5 pull up 3pter. But when it's not falling, it's hard to stop them from not taking it. Because a bad shot on our system as described by Nellie himself is "a shot that doesn't go in." And the only way to find out is launching it.

by lightz0ut on Dec 10, 2007 3:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Glad...

to atleast know that everyone (well most ^^^) hate Thud as much as me. I seriously find myself just yellin at the tv to get him the hell out of the game as soon as he gets in....which was way too much last night. He really just doesnt fit, ide rather see Bellini get minutes then him

by Ganzr12 on Dec 10, 2007 9:05 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Bellinelli

You are really only looking for Beli because you haven't seen him in games that much. Nellie has in practice, and from what little we've seen on the court, he's not there yet. He doesn't shoot well, he has more TOs than assists, and he's -38 points in 90 minutes of game time. Let's not push for PT just yet.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 10, 2007 9:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

but

would belinelli really hurt this team anymore than hudson is right now? i think not. i'd much rather live through belinelli's growing pains then watch hudson stink it up night after night

by AJC3317 on Dec 10, 2007 9:37 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

here is difference

THud is vet but Belinelly rookie
Belinelly in Italy was a star and he proved it in summer league -now he have to prove again just in non-test level and here is confidence problem because he had nothing to prove for a long time
-forget him now -he's a rookie

THud is a different story -he is a vet and he don't give what he is payed 4
attitude problem? -probably
time to punish him -make Wright a backup PG

build a team & destroy the roof

by Lat We N Trash on Dec 10, 2007 10:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

a

build a team & destroy the roof

by Lat We N Trash on Dec 10, 2007 11:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not a terrible loss...

Basically, it looked like we had a cold shooting night and they shot well (over 50% from 3s), and that's about it. I couldn't see the game, but did we give them loads of open shots? Did they do a good job closing out? Al should definitely be sent to the bench if he's missing 3s, but he should be replaced with Beans. I want to know why Beans played only 12 mins? I understand he picked up some fouls, but he needs to be given opportunities to duke it out with bigger players if we're ever going to see if it's possible.

And for those of you bashing THud, he was +14 on the night. Ignore the +7 in garbage time, he was still +7 when it mattered. O'Bryant, meanwhile had a -8 for a single minute (a rate of -310 points/48 mins) during which we gave up 2 dunks and a layup with 2 "and-1"s. Sounds like he probably missed a defensive assignment or two. Oh, he got blocked on two consecutive shot attempts on the other end. Yeah... get him off the floor and don't put him back.

All in all, we need to look at this as a road loss against a good team. It was a game we could have won, not one we ever should have. Next we have the Spurs at home, hopefully no Timmy. Go upset!

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 10, 2007 9:10 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

That plus seven is misleading

If you watched the game the team looked awful with him there. He slipped about 2-3 times. He didn't move well w/o the ball. He didn't move well with the ball. He kept allowing deep penetration by farmar. He also played with the first unit and since he's the first line of defense, his mistakes get counted on his teammates stat line since they get out of position covering up for him.

THUD's performances transcend simple stats - in a negative way.

Best duo since...

by Tim N Chris Burger on Dec 10, 2007 9:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sadly, I can't watch games

I can only see them play the Celts and when they're on Nat'l TV.

I think my point about PoB still stands, and it was more a comparison of the two. Somebody said that they wished PoB had a longer leash than THud. THud must have done SOMETHING mildly useful, while PoB did NOTHING useful. He's got some talent (see made jumpshots), but doesn't seem to have any defensive presence and doesn't seem to have much of an IQ or ability to listen to his coach.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Dec 10, 2007 10:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

too many egos

we lost this game mentally. baron and jax got hung up in a "me versus kobe" game, rather than focusing on team ball. we ended up in a slow-down game with too many half court one-on-one's. we're never gonna win a game like that against the lakers.

baron looked like he was trying to send a "superstar to superstar" message to kobe, but kobe doesnt care what you say or what you do. kobe just wants to win. he knows he's kobe and you arent, and nothing you say or do will change his opinion that he's the greatest player in the game.

note to jax and BD: if you want to send a message to kobe, just win the game.

by djbizyb on Dec 10, 2007 9:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Too Much Partying

Seems like one of the reasons we might have lost is because Jax and Harrington were doing a little too much late night Vegas partying at the Mayweather/Hatton fight...

Stephen Jackson, after going to Las Vegas with Harrington for the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton fight Saturday night, shot 8-for-21. They were back in L.A. by 2 a.m., a regular night by NBA standards. But as soon as I saw them at the MGM, it seemed apparent that those at the sports book picking the Lakers would be making a good call.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-071210

Now, I'm all for Vegas partying, but if Jax and Al take a few less shots (alcohol), then I think they make a few more shots (basketball) and we win the game.

by BALLINelli on Dec 10, 2007 10:10 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Disappointing and yet some Positives

Positives first, nice to see the Warriors claw back on the road after being down from a couple of Laker runs in the first half and then in the 3rd quarter. Baron was the man in the 1st Qtr and played great D on Kobe. Kelenna hit some nice shots, Monta was playing a fine game and SJax hit some key shots.

But there was way too much one on one in the 3rd and 4th Qtrs. SJax only had 3 or 4 TOs but they seemed like more.

Kobe goes for 28 but how does everyone else get hot? Defensive breakdowns for easy buckets to Radmonovic and Turiaf.

Monta has got to get more aggressive when he's got a nice iso. He instead backs off.

Still it was roadie and the Lakers come here on Friday. (I'm skipping the Spurs on Tues.)

Nothing better than "The City".

by philsmith75 on Dec 10, 2007 10:17 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Oh Yeah

THud has got to go. Too many shots, not enough passing and not enough D. You guys got it right he stumbled several times which led to wide open looks for Farmar.

Nothing better than "The City".

by philsmith75 on Dec 10, 2007 10:18 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Remember when he ran into capt jack

Fell flat on his arse and famar busted a wide open three - I would never have thought one could laugh and cry at the same time until that moment.

Best duo since...

by Tim N Chris Burger on Dec 10, 2007 10:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The Triangle

The swarming defense we play is perfectly countered by the triangle.

Whether Bynum/other post player is on the low block or mid-post, the off-ball movement is built right into the system- they do it every play. Much like against the Jazz, it's hard for us to double and attack like we normally do because the men we're leaving are constantly in motion.

Even guys that can't create their own offense become competent scorers- Turiaf, Vujacic, Ariza, because in the system, they're sent to open spots on the floor or toward the bucket for layups or open 3's. Because it's their normal system, they're practiced in it and execute it, for the most part, very well.

The counter would be better fundamental individual defense, but outside of Jack and Davis, we don't really have guys disciplined or talented enough to do it. Bynum is a poor matchup for Biedrins because he's as strong and skilled in the post as a Curry or Kaman, but more athletic and "spry". Kareem musta showed him so moves as well.

The damage was compounded by Nellie running Hudson for so many ineffective minutes; not giving any shots to Ellis/Azubuike, and unforced turnovers by Jack and Baron.

Add it up: painful loss.

24 > 23

WE NEED A BACKUP POINT GUARD

AIM: Jetforze

by OptionZero on Dec 10, 2007 10:40 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

hopefully

educating loss

build a team & destroy the roof

by Lat We N Trash on Dec 10, 2007 10:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Zone Defense

Just throwing this out there, but can anybody tell me why we didn't mix our defense up and go with a zone? I know the Lakers were shooting pretty well, but using the zone might have helped us pack it in and make their offensive movement irrelevant. It also would have let us double Bynum easier.

by BALLINelli on Dec 10, 2007 11:12 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

THUD didn't lose us the game

Ronnie Turiaf, Kobe and Bynum kicked our butts when it mattered. We lost that game with 7 minutes left in the 4th and gave up once we were down by 9.

I thought we were on cruise control the entire game and when we needed to step on the gas, there wasn't much left in the tank. We were missing shots all night as it was, Baron was walking back on D, Monta wasn't utilized enough and Donatello, I mean Al Harington couldn't make a shot to save his life-S Jax too.

We were right there, but Kobe and crew, especially Turiaf and Bynum shut us down offensively in the 4th and we had no answer for their spacing and ball movement. The Dubs on the other hand keep standing around watching BD or SJax or Al going 1 on 1 for very well defended shots that had very little % of going in.

The Dubs are good, not great. This is yet another stepping stone that will help us get into the playoffs and have a chance at beating a team like LA, Denver, Houston or Utah over 7 games. Aside from the 6 games we lost out the gate, we have lost to the likes of Boston, Orlando and the Lakeshow. Basically, when we've played top tier teams, we've lost. THUD doesn't have much if any responsibility for the losses against Boston and Orlando. As far as the game last night-he wasn't Jason Kidd or anything, but give the guy time. He hasn't played too much this year. Remember, the reason Nellie is playing THUD is because Baron WILL go down with an injury, especially with the amount of floor time he put up this season, so THUD needs the playing time to fit into the team. THUD will play better. Give him the opportunity to do so. Not just 6 or so games he played thus far.

by gabezgsw on Dec 10, 2007 1:47 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Earl the squirrel?

cut Thud and pickup the squirrel? Has it been discussed? I read that Earl would only sign for the midlevel.... the W's don't have the full MLE available. Not sure if they could do anything to get him, but I think he would be nice backup to BD.