Our Starting PF

by Ro3ert0 on Aug 21, 2008 1:11 AM PDT

The Power Forward position is the most debatable position with the Warrior's starting lineup. Many say that if we had a PF that fit our needs, we would have gone much further in the playoffs two years ago and make us more formidable this season with the development of our rookies. Al Harrington, arguably, has been the best PF we've had since Antawn Jameson's departure yet still he is criticized for not being adequate enough in our system.

Through the draft and off season trades, we've acquired players that many of us believe could replace Harrington as starting PF and reduce Al to either a sixth-man/bench player or even expendable for trade. If you were Don Nelson, who would you select as your starting PF?

1) Al Harrington - He can spread the floor, rebounds like a small forward, streaky and shaky in the post. He has reached his potential and his 6 boards per game will be the best we ever get out of him as a PF. ( Make Wright backup PF, Turiaf backup C)

2) Brendan Wright - Has got to put some meat on them bones, showed brilliance in the open floor and in using his length well, hasn't shown full rebounding potential yet, needs to increase his offense and defensive awareness. Having Wright as a starter will develop him much faster. (Moves Harrington to sixth-man)

3) Corey Maggette/Stephen Jackson - Yes, we love to play small ball but this is too much, I know that we will see one of them play the PF position depending on game situations but to make one of them as the starting PF is foolish. We already aren't a good rebounding team and we will just get worse with this lineup. Don Nelson did say to reporters that with the loss of Baron Davis, we will have have to get faster this season and this is an obvious way to do so. (Harrington or Wright becomes 6th man, one of them has to get phazed out, makes Harrington expendable or gives up on Wright's potential)

4) Ronny Turiaf - Now people that want him as our starting PF confuse me because this is just wrong. I like the acquisition of Turiaf because although I hate to say it, his energy reminds me of Matt Barnes'. Unfortunately, the Dubz let Matt go to the Suns and in my opinion, Turiaf is the closest thing we have to Matt's energy off the bench. I think he'll be an upgrade over any of the backup Centers we've had lately but as a PF he is slow, doesn't have range to the 3 pt line nor even a consistent jump shot and would clog the lane. (Makes our backup C position pretty much non-existant, again makes Harrington/Wright expendable)

5) Kosta Perovich, Anthony Randolph & Austin Croshere - Kosta? reminds me of Notorious POB, rookie & no experience. Anthony Randolph? Rookie who plays like a SF than anything else..No. Austin Croshere? .......no

Who would you have?

Poll

U R Don Nelson, Who is your starting PF?

Al Harrington

138 votes

Brendan Wright

84 votes

Corey Maggette/Stephen Jackson

18 votes

Ronny Turiaf

23 votes

Some Random Fools

16 votes

279 votes | Poll has closed

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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Comments

brendan wright is the guy

i hate to say this, but the dub franchise must justify the j rich trade…..brendan wright was a top 10 pick in the draft and has undoubtedly shown signs of being a legitimate power inside. he does need to improve his shooting and offensive skills, and he needs to prove he can be a force in the low block….all of which can be accomplished through hard work and PT……we will likely be a fringe playoff team at best with so many “what-if’s” (from the monte ellis pg experiment to the plethora of rooks on the team). mully and nelly must justify this youth movement and the moves they’ve made instead of spinning their wheels while not making any progress. play the kids…start brendan wright and give randolph decent pt. you can’t develop youth and improve as a team if you try to be mediocre with peaked older players like harrington (he should be a sixth-man if anything), and players who should play in certain game situation but shouldn’t start (turiaf).

you only win when you put in.
-J.

by dons on Aug 21, 2008 1:35 AM PDT 0 recs

warriors already justified the trade

with the 6 year contracts to monta and andris

by 3Kings650 on Aug 21, 2008 10:49 AM PDT up 1 recs

Big AL

I still see Harrington as the starting PF to open the season. He’s just the only one i feel can legitamately play the position at this time. Wright is my pick to ease into the position later down the line, but i don’t think he’s really ready to throw into the fire so quick. The best case scenario is that he gradually acclimates to the position and eventually excels. I’m not so sure that starting him from jump is in his best interest for the sake of his confidence and his body.

But i agree that the youth movement needs to begin. By midseason i hope that Wright, Randolf, and Buke are significantly locked into the rotation with meaningful minutes… win, lose or draw.

I pray i never have to use a gun again...

...unless i'm at a strip club parking lot...

...and somebody tries to run me over with their car...

...But how often does that happen??

by ssmokinjoe on Aug 21, 2008 5:05 AM PDT 0 recs

As a starter, we'll spell his name right :)

It’s Brandan, btw, not Brendan.

Great post and rundown of the only starting spot up for grabs, however. Do we need another Nowitski-type in the PF role for Nellie’s system? Brandan has reportedly been working on the three point shot in the offseason, so clearly, our starting 4 will be asked to hit from range.

I think Al gets the start as he has the proven ability to defend and penetrate the lane. I’m thinking Turiaf is a back up center and won’t see much time at the 4. Can he defend the perimeter? I’d like to see Wright earn the starting spot, however. If he can

Now, is it possible Don throws a curveball and keeps Mags as his 6th man moving Al to the 3 spot allowing him to interchange with Wright? All of a sudden our small ball era is over. Anyway, let the mad genius figure out his matchups. I just hope we can get some playmaking ability from the low post whether its from Biedrins, Turiaf, Wright or Al.

"We're Menudo," -BB

by eshock on Aug 21, 2008 7:58 AM PDT 0 recs

Brendan Wright is Brandon’s evil twin. (Neither are any relation to Brandan Wright, who is a professional basketball player.)

by jae on Aug 21, 2008 9:07 AM PDT up 0 recs

hmm..

Maggette is being paid to much bank to be made into a sixth man. Nelson has played small ball his entire coaching career and if he was 10 years younger, maybe he’d throw that curve ball and give up on small ball and focus just on mismatches, but he isnt. Don Nelson is known for small ball, its what hes best at and its really unlikely that in what possibly might be his last year coaching, that he changes his offense to something else. However, I think we’ll get playmaking from Turiaf cause he is an unselfish player, Ive seen him catch the ball under the rim and pass it out to an open Vujacic many times, which angered Phil Jackson.

I make love to pressure - Stephen Jackson

by Ro3ert0 on Aug 21, 2008 2:45 PM PDT up 0 recs

I totally agree.

Flattop wouldn’t have shelled out all that dough for a sixth man.

by Baked Biedrins on Aug 21, 2008 5:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

he is an unselfish player, Ive seen him catch the ball under the rim and pass it out to an open Vujacic many times

Maybe he’s just stupid? ( not in the good way)

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Aug 23, 2008 11:49 PM PDT up 0 recs

good luck

skeptic still insists that it’s “montay” ellis

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Aug 23, 2008 10:47 PM PDT up 0 recs

i dont think they know

who the starting PF is going to be. i think that nellie doesnt like any of his choices. if they cant make trade for a starting PF then i think it will be by committee depending on the match up.

wrights not ready yet. i dont think his lack of weight is the issue. he is just not strong enough to hold his own in the paint yet against other pf.

al’s ability to stretch the floor isnt greater than his inability to defend and or rebound.

be the change you wish to see in the world.

by Rach on Aug 21, 2008 9:14 AM PDT 0 recs

Put all in the starting lineup and throw wright in there as backup so that he can develop. And occasionally start Wright with Harrington being the sixth man. Either way, we cannot rely on Wright starting at PF all season long, hes got to develop into that role first and not just get thrown right in there.

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by JustSomeName on Aug 21, 2008 9:48 AM PDT 0 recs

na...

Everything Wright has done since he began his career has been aimed at developing him as a PF…he may not be fully there yet but thats why you start him…put him in a position where he feels important and he is more likely to do good things….and if/when he struggles you have a proven starter in AL to come right in…Starting BWright is a very safe and potentially genious move

by c-lap on Aug 21, 2008 10:24 AM PDT up 0 recs

or

it kills his confidence when nellie busts out the quick hook in games. nellie won’t play a lineup that isn’t his best option for long. if the idea is that harrington is a proven starter and wright needs to develop, you up wright’s minutes, but do it from off the bench, where guys only expect to be in for a few minutes at a time. i just don’t see why you’d want to start wright, only to pull him four minutes into the game because he’s out of his depth. that seems like a high risk move, not the safe and potentially genius move you described it as.

by cap'n hack on Aug 21, 2008 12:02 PM PDT up 0 recs

Al starts at beginning

Harrington needs to startthe beginning of the season. Wrights only in his second year and needs a little bit more time to develop. ALthough we already saw some flashes of good play last year so I’m not expecting this development to be so far away.

Im thinking for the first 1/3rd of the season Harrington should play around 25-28 minutes a game with Wright playing about 20..and then if hes doing well, switch their roles, or have them playing half and half. Harrington is still very effective though, I think alot of the criticism about him came from the fact that he was often playing center, which is not his primary position. this year with Turiaf, Al wont have to play center very much at all…

hopefully Wright will develop into a solid player that can move Harrington to the 6th man role where Don Nelson has said he would be best.

by 3Kings650 on Aug 21, 2008 10:56 AM PDT 0 recs

unless..

The Warriors play the Rockets, then Nelson loves to make Al break his back while guarding Yao Ming and torching him from the outside when Al is on offense.

I make love to pressure - Stephen Jackson

by Ro3ert0 on Aug 21, 2008 2:40 PM PDT up 0 recs

Since they all suck

I’d try Kabuki. He can’t do any worse and he would appreciate the minutes.

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Aug 21, 2008 3:36 PM PDT 0 recs

really?

by flipgatey3 on Aug 23, 2008 10:48 PM PDT up 0 recs

i'd like

to see harrington as a sixth man. his inconsistancy could be masked more, and if he’s having a good game he could just stay on the floor. the problem is if his threes aren’t falling then he’s basically worthless to have out there. at least wright COULD provide some rebounding and blocked shots

by AJC3317 on Aug 21, 2008 10:31 PM PDT 0 recs

Don't give up on Al too quickly now.

Al is quite a versatile player having played the SF positions and PF positions in Indiana and Atlanta and now C position with the dubs. He has plenty of experience with those positions. The thing is, Nelson focuses on Harrington to be our spot shooter which sometimes doesn’t work well. Harrington has low post moves and can still prove to be a viable mismatch against opposing PFs. Carlos Boozer and Yao Ming are examples of players who have trouble against Al when guarding him. As long as Al isn’t asked to just take 3 point shots, he has a nice spin move in the post and has a nice mid range game.

I make love to pressure - Stephen Jackson

by Ro3ert0 on Aug 21, 2008 11:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

Versatile? Yes. Effective? No, not really. He’s played 3 positions, but that doesn’t mean he’s really helped his teams by playing those positions. For almost all of his career, his teams have performed better when he’s been on the bench than when he’s been on the floor. A year or two and I’d suggest that it’s a statistical anomaly. Put together more than a half dozen such seasons and there’s a real trend there.

Harrington’s most effective season of his career (in terms of his team’s performance when he was on the court vs when he was on the bench) was last year when he camped out for more long range shots. That he found success in this one-dimensional role and only showed some illusions of success (points scored, ignoring the number of attempts to get said points) suggests that he’s not so versatile.

Harrington’s post game is terrible. I don’t care if he’s got a “nice spin move”. More important is that he’s got a terrible “convert the easy layup” move.

by jae on Aug 22, 2008 8:21 AM PDT up 0 recs

he’s got a terrible "convert the easy layup" move

I second that notion:
http://www.nba.com/games/20080121/MINGSW/recap.html

I hate Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and Russel Peters because they make fun of white people like me. They also make fun of other kinds of people, which hurts me deep down because my ancestry is so mixed that I don't know what my official "race" is... so I get offended for all races!

by Dubs fan in Boston on Aug 22, 2008 9:20 AM PDT up 0 recs