Grades

Steinmetz' posted an article as of late, grading all of the players' first half of the season. I was just curious to what everyone else would grade these players and why. Here are my grades so far:

Azubuike: A- ; Buike has shown us what he is capable of progressively every game. At the beginning of the season his shot was a little off, but after finding it again...he's lights out from the field and 3-point range, shooting the same percentage for both: 45%. Buike is definitely a keeper and will be a solid 6th man for as long as he's with the Warriors.

Belinelli: B ; Marco has made a 180 turn-around from the start of the season to now. I can't say that he was bad at the beginning of the season, because Nellie never really gave him a chance. But once it was given, he proved that he belonged in the rotation. He can pass, penetrate, and shoot the ball. The only downside is when he's not on, he is "really" not on.

Biedrins: A ; Biedrins does so much on the court that the stats really don't show. LIke Fitz pointed out, when Biedrins isn't on the court, we are simply not a better team. He provides energy and second chance points. He rebounds and also has improved a lot on his passing. He just needs to work on his free throws because it's just not working out. Also, I don't know if it's just me but has Biedrins not been making those "easy" shots lately like he could last year? Maybe playing with his national team in the summer wore him out a little.

Crawford: B ; I am a Jamal fan and like what he brings to the game. I think he is a very exciting player and he's a really cool guy off the court. Jamal has the ability to become the leader of the team (or one of them), but in order for him to do that, he needs to become much more efficient. That means not shooting so many jump shots whenever he feels like it and driving to the basket more when his shots not falling. I know he doesn't like contact, but he's so much better driving to the rim than settling for the mid-range shot. He just needs to switch it up a bit.

Davidson: Inconclusive.

Ellis: Inconclusive.

Jackson: B ; I know many will disagree, but Jack in my opinion is a really underrated player on the team. I won't deny that he does make A LOT of turnovers and tries to do to much at times, but take into consideration that Jack really isn't playing his role on the team like he did on past teams he's been on. Jack is best and most efficient as the 3rd option. He can score, rebound, pass, and basically do everything on the court that is needed...just not being the go-to-guy. I'm almost sure of it that when Ellis comes back, you'll see less turnovers from Jackson.

Kurz: C ; Kurz is not that bad of a player, but on any other team in this league, he would have been waived already. Kurz can occasionally knock down the mid-range shot on the top of the key and he also blocks out, which is a plus. He's your traditional basketball player and has good fundamental skills.

Maggette: C+ ; Okay, if this was "pre-hamstring injury" Maggette I would have given him a big fat F. But since he's returned from his injury, I have to say I'm impressed. Maggette has proved that his role is the 6th man on this team and I think he is truly great at it. He doesn't belong in the starting lineup because he is a scorer and we already have too many scorers on it. Maggette provides instant offense coming off the bench and at times, can get whatever he wants. If Maggette continues playing like this, I just might not regret signing him after all...

Morrow: B+ ; When I watched this kid play in summer league, I knew he would make it in the NBA some how. Morrow can flat out shoot the ball, but over the course of the season, he has also proved to be a very scrappy player and can do much more than just be a one-trick pony. He's a hard worker and is a great energy player coming off the bench. Like Buike, I think we should keep Morrow for a while because he has a lot of potential.

Randolph: C ; Randolph has loads of potential and can become a really great player in the league. He's only 19...and definitely plays like it. He needs to mature and gain some discipline in order to get playing time from Nelson...I think that will come after time though. Sometimes, Randolph tries to do to much and really needs to learn his role on the team. He has a lot of learning to do this year and really needs to either work on his mid-range shot or just stop shooting them because right now, because it clearly isn't working.

Turiaf: B ; A really great signing this off-season. Turiaf brings so much energy to the game and is a great shot-blocker. However, that can be a problem too. Sometimes, Turiaf focuses too much on blocking the shot than actually rebounding. He has the body to rebound, he just doesn't put it to use. Like Biedrins, Turiaf does so many things on the court that his stats really don't reveal. At times though, Turiaf needs to be more aggressive offensively because I've seen him pass up a lot of shots under the basket. Also he needs to stop biting off people's pump fakes as well, because that's a problem.

Watson: B+ ; There are a lot of C.J. haters out there, but I'm not one of them. C.J. is a great backup point guard in my opinion and is a really great shooter...he's hit a lot of big shots this season. However, he still needs to learn how to run a fast-break properly and penetrate the ball. Like Morrow, C.J. is a really scrappy player and can get a lot of rebounds at times too.

Williams: Inconclusive.

Wright: B- ; I am a huge Brandan Wright fan and hope he stays with the Warriors long-term. His only problem right now, is rebounding and staying consistent. Wright is one of those player's that is really capable of getting anything he wants because of his giant wing span. He needs to bulk up this off-season though because he is getting knocked around in the paint. He also needs to become more aggressive when he plays, maybe he should take a few lessons from Randolph. I think Wright would have become a more polished player had he stayed in college a few more years...

Those are my grades for the mid-way point to the season. Reply with your grades if you want. To read Steinmetz's grades / article you can click here.