Rumor: Warriors Interested in Jeff McInnis

by Atma Brother ONE on Mar 2, 2008 10:44 AM PST in Rumors

The Warriors struck out during this year's in-season trade sweepstakes, but have no fear my friends. Help could be on the way in form of a recently cut Charlotte BETcat [The Charlotte Observer]:

[Jeff] McInnis, a 10-year veteran, started 26 of 54 games, averaging 26 minutes. His agent, Steve Kauffman, told the Observer McInnis left with no hard feelings.

"In the end somebody had to make a decision and Sam and Rod (Higgins, the Bobcats general manager) were very fair with Jeff," Kauffman said.

Kauffman wouldn't discuss possible destinations for McInnis, but two informed sources say Dallas and Golden State might have interest.

It's all falling together nicely.
Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

Make the jump to see if Higgy's trying to hook up his alma mater!

Jeff McInnis is a few years past his "prime" and to tell you the truth his prime really wasn't all that great. I don't know how much truth there was to the rumors that he wasn't a saint in the locker room and somewhat of a coach killer or even if that's all in the past, but he doesn't seem to be worth the risk as a backup PG option for the Warriors. But who knows? Maybe his ball distribution skills are worth the poor shooting, questionable D, and rumored bad attitude. I could be wrong, very wrong. I'd rather stick with CJ Watson aka KBLX for the remainder of the season or bring back Gary Payton.

I hate to shock anyone out there, but this would be a pretty meaningless move in itself. The more interesting thing would be who the Warriors would waive to make this happen. The candidates:

Patrick O'Bryant: Nellie's 3 second man might not even be in the NBA in 3 months. Seems pretty foolish to take a shot at a hall of fame coach when you've done next to nothing but collect fouls on the NBA hardwood.
CJ Watson: Great nickname, nice scorer, but a pretty questionable extension for a another combo guard who doesn't have the best court vision for the rest of the season.
Kosta Perovic: Quite possibly the worst use of the midlevel exception of all time. Isiah Thomas could legitimately claim Jerome James was a better "deal".
Marco Belinelli: It's way to early to give up on Marco, but he has bust written all over him right now. The shooter who can't shoot that can't rebound, pass, or play D. Um, no thanks. People always say the 2-spot is the easiest to fill in the NBA.

Back to McInnis... yawn.

But before we cut out, here's a juicy tidbit from the latest ESPN Weekend Dime with a lot on Warrior blood Brent Barry:

There were actually two interested teams in the Brent Barry hunt -- as much as we love Bones, not sure we can call it a full-fledged sweepstakes -- that could have claimed Barry off waivers.

Neither Phoenix nor Golden State had anywhere close to the requisite salary-cap room to absorb Barry's $5.5 million salary, but both teams possess a sizable trade exception that, according to league rules, could have been used to snag Barry before he had the right to choose his next stop after clearing waivers.

...

Golden State, meanwhile, quietly chased Barry (and his Bay Area ties) hard and still has a $9,999,999 trade exception from its Jason Richardson trade with Charlotte on draft night. The Warriors, furthermore, are some $8.3 million under the luxury-tax threshold, meaning that they could have claimed Barry off waivers with no tax liability.

Yet it appears that the Warriors preferred to hold onto the trade exception -- which doesn't expire until four days after this June's draft -- to save it for something bigger. Which is likewise hard to argue given that many more player-acquisition possibilities present themselves closer to the draft.

Right... save the trade exception for "something bigger". I'll believe it when I see it. Under Chris Mullin's tenure the Warriors have let 2 other trade exceptions expire. I'm not saying use them for the sake of using them, but the Warriors don't exactly seem adept at knowing what to do with them. The $10 million trade exception from the J-Rich trade has been nothing but hype. We'd be making a run at the championship here in the Bay if the Dubs swung it on over to the Kings for Ron Artest. Instead we're planning for a future when Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson will be past their primes and Nellie will probably be sippin' lemonade in Hawaii. Is Gary St. Jean still on the Warriors payroll?

Should Warriors add Jeff McInnis to their roster? If so, who should they release? Do you see the Warriors ever using that $10 million trade exception before it expires?

Also check out gsfn58's diary for more thoughts and discussion.

99% of rumors never happen, but 99% of them are fun to talk about!

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No

we would not benifit a whole lot by bringing McInnis to GS

brb, going to ORACLE

by warrior510 on Mar 2, 2008 10:58 AM PST reply actions

How the hell

does Marco Belinelli have bust written all over him? Such is the fickle nature of the NBA, people only have short term memories. I hope you weren't saying the same thing about Wright before these couple stints. In my opinion a bust is someone who plays, but doesn't play well. Or someone who is very injury plagued. Marco is neither, he is just developing. Biedrins didn't play his first few years either, and people were calling him a bust as well.

Note: I am not definitively saying he will be a star either, but he does not have bust written all over him, at least not yet. Wait until he plays.

by belilaugh on Mar 2, 2008 11:13 AM PST reply actions

McInnis, Barry - or Payton?!

there isn't a difference-maker among them

except Payton, he'd definitely make us worse

by hardcore on Mar 2, 2008 11:20 AM PST reply actions

I still don't understand...

...why someone would think Ron Artest would send us on a championship run. Our two biggest issues are defense and rebounding. Artest and Jackson play the same position. Neither Baron nor Ellis is gonna play off the bench, nor likely will Jackson, so Artest's acquisiton would force him to take the 4 spot, or push Jackson to the 4. In either situation, we'd be asking a player to guard power forwards who isn't physically equipped to do so. And also, it bears repeating, Artest is not an amazing rebounder throughout his career. And sometimes he implodes.

But that's not even the main point of the post. As far as McInnis goes... my understanding of him's always been a mild malcontent who can run but not shoot. It's possible that I'm wrong, and veteran backup guards are valuable in the playoffs. I'd rather see more of CJ, but that obviously won't happen, so I guess I'm as open to it as anything. He's at least a better choice than an ultra retread like Gary Payton.

As far as I'm concerned, I think it's wrong to say the Warriors "struck out" at the trade deadline. I think the big misfire would've been to use the exception to absorb a big contract that takes Monta or Biedrins away from us, to say nothing of Wright.

Speaking of Wright, by the by, I was at the game against Philly, and I must say... he looks noticibly larger than he did early in the year. His muscles are still lean, but very toned and strong looking, not unlike Monta. You can really tell he's been hitting the weights, likely harder than he'd normally be able since he hasn't played much.

by Zack Vank on Mar 2, 2008 11:29 AM PST reply actions

not equipped to guard 4's??????

artest is better at defending bigger players than any other player in the league. besides marion and maybe kirilenko, there isnt a better fit in the league for the 4 in nellie's small ball system. you said our weaknesses are d and rebounding. when playing small ball, rebounding is always going to be a weakness unless you have the matrix. artest may be the leagues best one on one defender. and he's tough, athletic, and has range and a better post game than anyone on the roster not named baron. yea sounds like a guy who totally wouldve been a bust in nellie's system.

passes it to the man...and boom goes the dynamite!

by sam23 @ Golden State Of Mind on Mar 2, 2008 11:40 AM PST up reply actions

Artest's a good defender, no doubt

but I think you're over-hyping him. Agreed, he's one of the better if not the best 3-2-1's guarding bulkier 4's (though I saw a game where Boozer gave him fits), but has problems guarding longer guys like Gasol, KG, Bosh, or Duncan who just shoot over the top of him.

And yes, rebounding is always a problem with small ball, but it can also always be worse. Like a -7 rebounding differential to a -5. This is one reason, that it's questionable that the W's would actually be a much better team with JRich instead of BW. On paper, they do. But Nellie'd be rocking BD,ME,JR,SJ,AB or AL the majority of minutes. And even though JRich is a great rebounder at the 2, this makes the team even smaller which would likely make the rebounding differential even worse. On offense, with the W's, JRich duplicates what Al does for the team (spot up 3's) except at a smaller position.

I doubt Artest would bring a championship, like the OP believes. It's an Isiah mindset. Great on paper, but Artest duplicates a lot of what Jack does in the half court. This is a problem b/c Artest probably wouldn't be willing to provide Harrington's role on offense of spacing the floor by drawing out bigger defenders and knocking down the 3 point shot. And neither Artest or Jack is as good a shooter from 3 as Al is. If you're going to upgrade Harrington's role, it'd probably be someone like Okur or Sheed.

Let's say they go in a slightly different direction while still keepig who they are. The missing piece is really a Zo in his hey day, a KG, or even a Sheed type of player. A big who is an intimidator defensively, who can defend the post, who is at least reasonable when switching onto smalls, who can shoot the mid range jumper (for floor spacing purposes) and as a bonus, provide the occasional post ups. Said player would also have to be willing to possibly be a 3rd or 4th option.

I could be wrong, but as constituted, if this is going to be a championship level team, that's the kind of player I feel they need.

by the evil monkey on Mar 2, 2008 2:04 PM PST up reply actions

Yup

We have bingo.

by Sleepy Freud on Mar 2, 2008 2:24 PM PST up reply actions

well yea

sheed or kg would be perfect, but since we dont want to give up what it takes to get perfect (monta or beans) i think artest wouldve been a gamble worth taking. i'd love to see matrix or josh smith end up here next year in a sign and trade deal for some combination of the 1st round pick, tpe, or tmnt.

passes it to the man...and boom goes the dynamite!

by sam23 @ Golden State Of Mind on Mar 2, 2008 5:07 PM PST up reply actions

i agree

with everything you said. mcinnis probably isnt worth it, but theres no one on the bench right now that can distribute and give baron a breather. barry wouldve been a nice addition and i still think even payton could be useful. but artest wouldve put us in great position right now with the suns reeling, portland all but out of the hunt, new orleans looking a little more vulnerable, denver still underachieving, and houston yao-less. artest appears to have been born to play nellie ball so i hope that scenario is revisited in the offseason. a 10 mil tpe is a huge trade chip, i hope they can find some way to spend it wisely before it expires. (marion?, kirilenko?, artest?, brand?, oneal?)

passes it to the man...and boom goes the dynamite!

by sam23 @ Golden State Of Mind on Mar 2, 2008 11:35 AM PST reply actions

uh

the two other TPE's the W's let expire were roughly ~3 mil each. Not exaclty enough to land a player that would make any kind of difference. Now, this 10m TPE would definitely enable them to land a difference making type player if the opportunity presents itself. I would expect the W's to use it either right before the draft or right after it.

Let's Go Oakland! Gas, Brake, Dip.

by OaktownFunk on Mar 2, 2008 11:49 AM PST reply actions

league minimum of $750,000

that is all micinnis is making this year, it wouldn't cost us much, but I like Watson, but Jeff would have more experience then watson at this point in time, and nelson may look at that. He wasn't bad when he played for the clippers awhile back. I am sure he lost a step or 2 but he is probably better equipped then hudson was and Watson.

by celicadriven27 on Mar 2, 2008 12:11 PM PST reply actions

lmao.

Lol. Sometimes I'm flabbergasted by the crap that comes out of your mouth, Atma. Just utterly retarded things. Some people in a position where people read their awful writings need to realize that the stupid things they say rub off on other likeminded stupid people.

by xcoma on Mar 2, 2008 12:32 PM PST reply actions

uh

shut up and relax.

Reppin the Bay at UCLA

by Blitz6k on Mar 2, 2008 1:33 PM PST up reply actions

medication, meditation

something must have the power to achieve greater chillification than you've attained at this point.

by mikej @ Golden State Of Mind on Mar 2, 2008 8:41 PM PST up reply actions

how

is marco a bust? we know he can play.. he just needs to develop

by saintdee on Mar 2, 2008 1:02 PM PST reply actions

"Development"

I was struck a few weeks back by a scout's take (anonymous, I think) along the lines of "he needs to totally resculpt his body for the NBA." Not to be fetishistic about it, but guys as "soft" as he is don't generally succeed in the NBA, particularly at his position. Not saying he should or could be ripped like Kelenna, but he could and should be more lean and toned, a la Ginobili or Roger Federer.

He certainly doesn't have "bust written all over him," a la Guy Pearce in Memento, but he might well have it written on his soft arms and legs and incipient love handles. It wouldn't surprise me his drive to become a fitness freak, or lack thereof, is the difference in his career between boom and bust.

by Sleepy Freud on Mar 2, 2008 1:26 PM PST up reply actions

Artest and Jackson Don't get along!

The warriors did pursue Artest before the trade deadline. Yet Jim Barnett, told one of the reporters who asked about inquiring Artest, that it would not be a good idea.

The reason being, because Jackson, hasn't doesn't get along with Ron Artest, not since the brawl. Mullin would have made the trade, but I heard they talked to Jackson about it, and he didn't like it.

It's startling how so many people watch basketball, yet so few actually play it.

by 3 The Hard Way on Mar 2, 2008 11:51 PM PST reply actions

Wow!

Bellinelli a bust? POB taking a shot at Nelli?
You have to give Perovic and Bellinelli time to develop, which they won't get this season under Nelson. I do agree that they should not have signed Perovic this season, but he wasn't too shabby in his brief stint this season so there is some hope.

Blowing up POB's comments to be a shot at Nelli is just overblowing the situation. Look at it pragmatically, Nelson isn't playing him, why would he come back if Nelson is still the coach? Why make his comments into him ripping into Nelli.

As far as that scouts opinion on Bellinelli needing to reshape his body; what European player comes over here looking like a gym rat? He needs to play and gain confidence on offense and needs to improve his defense. We're not asking him to be Ginobli, just Navarro or Kapono.

by tangel29 on Mar 3, 2008 1:21 AM PST reply actions

Perovic can't miss!

Perovic's never missed a shot in his NBA career! Right now there's not a player with a higher career fg% anywhere.

Honestly, his D-league results don't inspire too much confidence and I'm not sure he'll ever get a chance for fans to know what the coaching staff probably already knows, but Perovic, in the grand scheme of things, has been a cheap gamble.

by jae on Mar 3, 2008 12:22 PM PST up reply actions

By the way.....

forget Mcinnis! I thought he was out of the league until I saw him play us when Charlotte was in town. Nelson is starting to develop his bench unit giving Baron a breather here and there.

by tangel29 on Mar 3, 2008 1:23 AM PST reply actions