2k6-2k7 REPORT CARD: Al Harrington

by Fantasy Junkie on Sep 17, 2007 8:05 AM PDT in Report Cards

Al Harrington started out last offseason as one of the free agents the Warriors tried hard to get. There were rumors flying all over the place about him joining the Warriors, but in the end, the Pacers swooped in and picked him up. At the time, it was a disappointing to miss out on a player who could have helped the Warriors with his scoring ability. Well what do you know. Halfway through the season, Mullin gets his man while unloading He Who Shall Not Be Named (I’ve been reading too much Harry Potter). As a throw in, we get Stephen Jackson and some loose changed, Sarunas "this team doesn’t pass the ball" Jasikevicius and Josh POWell. Excited about the trade? I was ecstatic. Al Harrington a Warrior.

Some folks in the GSOM community said he looked like a Ninja Turtle with the headband, the tongue hanging out, and the way his eyes and cheeks were shaped. Just like TMNT, he certainly was tough as he played center down the stretch run, holding his own against big bad Yao and other of the ugly big men in the league. He toughened up in the paint and allowed the Warriors to create mismatches on offense, something that Nellie lives for.

You won’t be seeing him in any dunk constets

Al still has lots of areas to improve, but with a full training camp from the newly signed Nellie, I think we can look forward to some very positive contributions from Big Al. Jump higher, run faster, and get stronger.

An interview of Al on FSN looking into his past (coming straight out of high school) and where he fit into the current Warriors team. Good stuff.

Jump on over to the grades

Unstoppable Baby!

Who said Al Harrington was soft?

Lastly, an Al Harrington 2006-2007 highlight reel.

Adam Lauridsen (Fast Break)

Grade: B-
We traded for Al to get a SF/PF that could run in Nellie's offense, hit open looks, and clean the boards. He did a great job with the first task, a solid one with the second, and a really poor one with the third. His defense improved as the season went on and he hit some big threes for the team, but of "the core" he seems the least essential (and the worst at converting lay-ups). Still, he always gave great effort and played selflessly in the Warriors' system.

Fun Score: 8
Al was always ready to lead a "We Want Foyle" cheer from the bench.

Atma Brother #1

Grade: B
Al was the 2006 free agent prize in Chris Mullin's eyes and at the time I really couldn't understand why. I guess Mullie was one of the few people out there who knew how hard this man worked on his 3-point shot over summer. He wasn't exactly Big Game Al in the playoffs, but let's not discount his shut down defense against much bigger players such as Yao Ming, Carlos Boozer, and Pau Gasol while holding down the center spot in Nellie's crazy small ball lineup during that thrilling run to make the playoffs. Without that D and his willingness to play out of position as an undersized center, we'd be talking about drought x13. I'd like to see Al hit the weights, improve his hops, and work on finishing layups this summer. Those three things are all very doable and will make Al a much, much better player next season and beyond.

Fun Score: 7
TMNHarrington just has such an infectious smile and presence even when on the bench. You gotta love the man's enthusiasm.

DJ Fuzzylogic

Grade: B+
I've never been a huge fan of Harrington's game. Yet, give who he replaced at 4 spot, Harrington mid-range and low-post game greatly improved the general skill-set of the Warriors. Harrington did a relatively good job on defensive, often guarding guys way stronger and bigger than he was. He seemed like the consummate team player, too, even in his diminished roles, platooning with AB in the playoffs. Plus, he had great cheers during the games leading to great TMNHarrington photos. Check my signature photo for details! Plus, he does some great work in the community dancing with kids (see Warriors.com for more info).

Fun Score: 9

Fantasy Junkie

Grade: B
Al Harrington was a welcome addition to the team in the mid-January trade. He didn't really find his role on the team until the last season run where he manned the center spot taking over for Andris Biedrins. He created so many mismatches because he could hit the 3 and make the opposing big men do things they weren't comfortable doing. Without Al, the playoff drought would not be over.

Fun Score: 5

Hash

Grade: B-
Big Al showed some glimmers of solid play throughout the regular season but he just didn't answer our low post/rebounding woes down low. Ironically enough, he was our premiere pickup in the Pacers trade, yet it was Jackson that really ended up bleeding lightning bolts for us. Still, solid potential for Al in the future.

Fun Score: 8

YaoButtaMing

Grade: B+
Wow. Everything Dunleavy should have been. Great shot behind the arc, passing abilities, some defensive moves, and plays with heart. No problem giving him a higher grade then he really deserves.

Fun Score: 7

Overall Grade: B

What grade would you give Al for last season with the Warriors?

Hello ladies…

2006-2007 GSoM Report Cards

Chris Mullin & Rod Higgins (B+)
Don Nelson (A+)
Jason Richardson (B)
Mickael Pietrus (C)
Sarunas Jasikevicius (D+)
Zarko Cabarkapa (F+)
Troy Murphy (D+)
Mike Dunleavy Jr. (D-)
Josh Powell (C)
Adonal Foyle (D+)
Ike Diogu and Keith "Who?" Mcleod (Double D+)
Kelenna Azubuike (B-)
Patrick O’Bryant (F)
Monta Ellis (B+)

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Comments

A Solid "B" can't complain!

Al's a great contributor to the team and stepped up where Dunleavy couldn't... there's always room for improvement and I think Al's found a place he can call home coz' Oakland loves him! The Kid's nice! I can't wait to see what he can do! I'm glad we swooped him and Jackson up with some loose change!

"Warriors in a halfshell!

"Warrior Power!

by Tony.psd on Sep 17, 2007 8:41 AM PDT 0 recs

Harrington

You know, Harrington's taken some knocks, and I've been guilty of ragging him at times as well, but I gotta think over a fullseason, we'll learn to appreciate how well he fits in.

The poor Dallas series where he was totally off with his J and couldn't capitalize against Damp/Diop was disappointing, but Utah showed us how useful he can be when his shot is falling.

This year I expect overall he'll be somewhere in the middle- not scorching hot, not totally useful, but a nice 40% 3P shooter. That's big from the PF spot.

What I want to see him improve on, and Nellie to push, is to put him on the block or on the elbow more. With a simple pick and roll we can draw a smaller or slow defender for him, and Al definitely has the post game to punish SG's and SF's.

Also underrated is how his footspeed is a necessity for our defense. The highlight reel showed how many charges he can get simply by being in the right spot- Murphy and most PF's could never do it because they never got there in time. Sure, a shotblocking freak would be useful (Smith or Ak47), but a mobile defender on the pick and roll and rotation is huge as well.

Now that all our starters know the system we should be able to fuel our break consistently with steals and forced turnovers. That all our rookies are pretty quick on their feet should help as well. Heck, maybe Croshere will be effective enough in 10 minutes of play to give Al a rest now and then. He's already a better rebounder than Pietrus or Barnes was.

Questions? Complaints?

(AIM: JetForze; email: Jon.d.ma@gmail.com)

by OptionZero on Sep 17, 2007 12:03 PM PDT 0 recs

C+

At this point, I think we know what we're going to get from Al. It's tough to do so, but I'm not evaluating him in comparison to Dunleavy or Murphy but on his own merits, and on his own merits, he wasn't much above average if above average at all.

Despite the outward look of a power player, he doesn't rebound consistently enough to be a force at the 4. It doesn't look like his inability to be be an interior force has anything to do with a lack of strength. He's got the build of a 4, so hitting the weight room isn't going to do it. He just lacks whatever it is that you need to be a competent rebounder. He doesn't pass well enough to be a regular 3, but his offense is more perimeter oriented. If his 3 point shooting doesn't stay at the high level it was last year (and since he had no history of shooting it that well, it's a possibility) his offense wouldn't really be much of an asset since he seems unable to get to the line and is no better than average from inside the arc.

Given that he's been in the league as long as he has been, I don't expect much to change. He's good enough that there's no reason to dump him in a fire sale, but if any sort of deal comes up that includes his name, Mullin should think very carefully about sending him on his merry way.

by jae on Sep 17, 2007 12:13 PM PDT 0 recs

i love

the video with the "Scenario" jam. It's awesome to see highlights from my favorite team, with Tribe backin it up.

Nellieball

by tadams1080 on Sep 17, 2007 2:03 PM PDT 0 recs

everything dunleavy should've been

with twice the team spirit. my favorite player to watch on the bench (except during the playoffs where you could tell that he was disappointed by his own performance and not as jubilant as normal). He's such a refreshing change from Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle, Marc Jackson, crap, etc. B+

by sadleavy on Sep 17, 2007 2:41 PM PDT 0 recs

Adonal Foyle and Marc Jackson

are very team-spirited and good natured people. They always had the team spirit. Where do you think "Unstoppable, Baby!" and "The Face After Barons Dunk" came from? Don't pull out random names just because they play bad. Murphy, maybe.

Tony.psd = Da Man

by Zorgon on Sep 17, 2007 9:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

perhaps i was too vague

his numerous SKILLS and TALENTS are a refreshing change from the Troy Murphy's, Adonal Foyle's, and Marc Jackson's of the past...he also seems much funnier...

by sadleavy on Sep 18, 2007 4:54 AM PDT up 0 recs

Adonal = Komedy King

Tony.psd = Da Man

http://adonalobsessed.blogspot.com/

by Zorgon on Sep 18, 2007 1:34 PM PDT up 0 recs

b-

cant complain but i wish his rebounding was better maybe he will play some 3??

Best seat in the House

by kaszowski on Sep 17, 2007 2:42 PM PDT 0 recs

ugh

Scenario is so played out.

http://westcoastbiased.blogspot.com

by coma on Sep 17, 2007 3:31 PM PDT 0 recs

For Reals, man

For reals....

Tony.psd = Da Man

by Zorgon on Sep 17, 2007 9:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

coma

do you need a hug?

Nellieball

by tadams1080 on Sep 17, 2007 4:01 PM PDT 0 recs

Does anyone else...

panic everytime you see him try to dribble to the hole? He's eractic at best and a steal waiting to happen at worst everytime he tries to dribble through traffic...

C+ from me, he needs to learn to rebound and to either bust the j or pass out if he's got the ball 10+ feet from the rim...

by Prophit on Sep 17, 2007 4:19 PM PDT 0 recs

actually

i think he does a pretty good job of getting to the basket (even if its a little jerky ala Jax). I just think he needs to work on becoming a better finisher.

by sadleavy on Sep 17, 2007 4:33 PM PDT up 0 recs

I was thinking along the same lines

about his finishing drives a few months back, but I remember someone else(I forget who it was)mentioning something about his lack of "nellyball conditioning" affecting his shot. I think that was more of the case of his missing layups late in the season as anything. It was probably why his shot started to fail him in the playoffs, too. That last stretch was pretty brutal for him, defensively, having to guard Yao, Booser, Duncan, etc. I'm tired just thinking about it.

The best duo since...

by Tim N Chris Burger on Sep 17, 2007 6:20 PM PDT up 0 recs

interesting point

i hope that with more conditioning he'll have the legs to finish around the basket. i remember reading a quote by jerry stackhouse talking about how it was near impossible to make fadeaways when it's the final minutes of a game, deep in the playoffs...you just don't have the legs for it. He said something along the lines of "MJ was the only one who could do it...and we're all still wondering how". So maybe the Harrington situation is just a conditioning thing that can be resolved with training camp.

by sadleavy on Sep 18, 2007 4:58 AM PDT up 0 recs

His learning days...

...are probably over. Damn few players finally learn to rebound in the 10th year in the league. I suspect that we've seen exactly what we're going to get, with the only question being whether or not his 3 point shooting comes back to earth. Expecting him to do more than improve ever so slightly is expecting too much.

by jae on Sep 17, 2007 5:41 PM PDT up 0 recs

stretch drive = extra credit points

as much as he was underwhelming in the playoffs, there are no playoffs without him and while he is not a perfect PF much less a SF he is suited to Nelson's style with the right complimentary players who can drive and kick ... B+ with a nod to the stretch drive contribution

in Nelson we trust

by hardcore on Sep 17, 2007 5:34 PM PDT 0 recs

b-

i thought harrington was way overrated last offseason with the way teams were puruing him. i personally didn't want him at that price, but was more than happy to get him in a trade that also got rid of dun-nothing. at this point in his career i think he is what he is and i don't really expect him to improve next year.

by AJC3317 on Sep 17, 2007 6:06 PM PDT 0 recs

I give him an A+++

for not being the dunmurphy sisters. If we dumped them for nothing, I'd be pumped. Harrington was just icing on the cake, IMO.

The best duo since...

by Tim N Chris Burger on Sep 17, 2007 6:25 PM PDT up 0 recs

C-

I dunno...he seemed to fade whenever I watched him play...I hope we could trade him for somebody better, even if he seemingly fits in to the Warriors' game

Billy Beane for Warriors GM! Time 4 sum Moneyball -Crypt0naut