Welcome to the first-ever Rookie 50 Awards. We're naming our all-rookie teams (we're going three...

ya!

big ups to the anthony’s!

You know I spit technique to the freshest freak
Gimme a call you will see results in just a week
With the soul of a LOST HAWK
Is there a heaven for a Rap Cat, let's talk

by LostHawk on Apr 9, 2009 9:21 PM PDT reply actions

right on point

could be good or not we’ll see if he can learn some post moves and how streaky his jumper is.

by Warriorfan on Apr 9, 2009 9:21 PM PDT reply actions

Give him a break.

Biggest Upside/Bust Potential: Anthony Randolph
Shows great potential as a shot-blocker, rebounder and transition finisher. Also plays with great energy. But inside reports of laziness and a lack or maturity still haunt him, to a degree.

Well, he is nineteen.

Kelenna is mine...;>

Life is too short, give everyone a smile or a hug.

by girltothemax on Apr 9, 2009 9:23 PM PDT reply actions

That David Thorpe guy is annoying. If your ever read his chats? He doesn’t even answer the questions. He’s not even funny or insightful. Anhow I was listening to the KNBR show last night with Nellie and even called in. Sounds like Nellie wants to get defensively better next year. So when draft time comes? He said it wont just be picking the best play avalible. So with that we may go big in the draft. He alsop said some good things about Morrow. In how he had his worst shooting night and how the kid was in the gym all night last. I like that. The kid has passion. Within a couple years he could become something good for our team. He also said AR is going to have a lot of things they want him too work on in summer camp. I see AR as Odom type player with more heart and hussle. Just a FYI for the GWS Nation!!! Warriors!!!!! Peace!!

by Degenerate on Apr 10, 2009 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions

Laziness?

I think the reports of laziness that he’s mentioning are coming from when Nellie wasn’t playing Randolph for a majority of the season.

Nellie said some bad things to the media about Randolph, which surprised a lot of us since we all knew Anthony had great potential. Nellie kept saying things like Randolph was immature and was even rumored to want to get rid of him.

All of a sudden, Brandan Wright gets injured with the dislocated shoulder and Nellie is somewhat forced to play Randolph. Now Randolph has been doing great ever since, I don’t think Nellie would talk bad about him now. He’ll point out mistakes that Anthony does, but nothing to put him down.

Also, I still think that Anthony is better than most of the rookies on that list. I’m too lazy to check the stats, but i’m assuming that all the other rookies ranked higher than Randolph played more MPG than him. Randolph wasn’t really given a chance most of the season to show what he’s capable of. Non-Warriors fans need to know that the reason why Randolph didn’t get playing time is because Nellie is crazy, not because Anthony Randolph “sucks”.

But for now, getting the best three point shooting rookie and the rookie with the best upside is pretty good for having a low lottery pick last year.

by Precise Films Productions on Apr 9, 2009 9:29 PM PDT reply actions

+100000000000000000000

by 123707THIZZ on Apr 9, 2009 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Lazy?

The problem was that AR didn’t get coached well before going to the NBA. His High school coach supposedly wasn’t very strict and let him do what ever he wanted, and then in college his coach was fired.

He isn’t lazy, he simply did not have self control since he never was coached. Nellie tried to figure out the best way to do this, and doghouse and 1-1 coaching with Smart was what he choose.

Looks like it worked – we can argue if it was the best choice though :)

by mosdl on Apr 10, 2009 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions

<3

Brandon Jennings or Ty Lawson. A Warrior in 09.
With the 6th Pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, the SF Giants pick Donovan Tate.
Andre Smith in Silver & Black in 2009.

by ejdacanay on Apr 9, 2009 10:47 PM PDT reply actions

this is so dumb

obviously he’s not a bust.

hes the 14th pick… since when does the 14th pick have high expectations?

hes already shown he can play in the league. now he just has to prove he is not just a role player.

by saintdee on Apr 9, 2009 11:35 PM PDT reply actions

what about this part of the article?

Best 3-Point Shooter: Anthony Morrow
He’s simply the best 3-point shooter in the NBA right now (80-of-164).

by Run Dubz on Apr 10, 2009 12:02 AM PDT reply actions

haha

That’s ironic to me for some reason.

The best three point shooter in the NBA is an undrafted rookie.

by Precise Films Productions on Apr 11, 2009 2:58 PM PDT up reply actions

i love everything about the warriors!

by jchao204 on Apr 10, 2009 12:33 AM PDT reply actions

Except their record and their management issues maybe?

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 Apr 10, 2009 5:05 AM PDT up reply actions

A Mo is 16 on the list

and AR didn’t make it into the top 20 (not an insider so I dont know where he wound up). Soulds like more East coast bias to me

There's a party in my mind.
And I wish that I was there.

by qin on Apr 10, 2009 7:39 AM PDT reply actions

Someday we will play this lineup

1. Monta
2. Ammo
3. Buike
4. Randolph
5. Biedrins

With Jack as coach (on permanent suspension by the league, coaching via text messages from the BART parking lot while smoking a blunt)

And all will be right with the world

Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!

by Supafishal on Apr 10, 2009 10:02 AM PDT reply actions

Here's a question

If you could re-pick from that draft right now, how many players would you pick ahead of Randolph?

I think the only guy I’m pretty sure I would take ahead of him is Derrick Rose. I’d rather have AR than any of the rest of the so called “first team” (Westbrook, Mayo, Love, Lopez), “second team” (Augustin, Gordon, Fernandez, Beasley, Gasol), or “third team” (Chalmers, Lee, Mbah a Moute, Thompson, Speights).

Yeah, I’m factoring in a bit of friendly projection, given AR ‘s tender age, but even based on pure production to date, the fact that Randolph doesn’t crack the top three rookie teams is pretty ridiculous.

Thing 1

by Sleepy Freud on Apr 10, 2009 10:26 AM PDT reply actions

the fact that Randolph doesn’t crack the top three rookie teams is pretty ridiculous.

I don’t think these are based on projections or blind faith, probably on full season stats and team contribution? rudolf just waited too long to get his act together to make it this year.

Now wheres the rubbers? Whose got the rubbers?
I noticed there's so many of them
and there's really not that many of us.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Apr 10, 2009 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions

Totally

The idea that Jason Thompson is better than Anthony Randolph is crazy. Maybe you could say so 3 months ago, but not now. That’s just silly and ignorant, IMHO.

by Neon on Apr 10, 2009 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions

AR werent playing 3 months ago

by 123707THIZZ on Apr 10, 2009 5:11 PM PDT up reply actions

Really?

Good question, here’s who I’d take. And this is based on players I’d rather have, not counting existing Warrior needs (i.e. I’d take Lopez even though we already have Biedrins), I’d take that entire first team, Beasley, Fernandez, and maybe Eric Gordon over Randolph. He’s not the 14th best player but he’s not top 5.

Randolph has done some good things but let’s not get carried away. I think if one of those other guys was on our team and we got to watch them on a regular basis, we’d have a different view of them. I’d wonder how many of those guys, some Warrior fans would take over Morrow.

Tell me what you think but I think AR’s age relative to those other guys is being overplayed. He’s 6 months younger than Beasley, 7 months younger than Gordon, 8 months younger than Westbrook, 10 months younger than Love. Does under a year really make that big of a difference?

by Fantasy Junkie on Apr 10, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Yeah

I probably make too much of the age thing — Randolph will be 20 in three months. And I’m a homer, for sure.

Still, I can’t fathom why anyone would rather have Beasley than Randolph. Beasley looks to me like a young, thin, worse rebounding version of Zach Randolph: all smoothness and O, never saw a shot he didn’t like, way too “cool” to spend any effort on the defensive end.

Randolph per 36
15.8 pts (.458 fg, .713 ft)
11.9 reb
1.4 ast
2.7 blk
1.3 stl
2.7 to

Beasley per 36
19.6 pts (.465 fg, .774 ft)
7.5 reb
1.5 ast
0.6 blk
0.7 stl
2.2 to

Further, while Randolph’s numbers have been trending up all year (he’s cut down significantly on TOs and improved his efficiency from the field, while remaining consistently aggressive on the glass), Beasley’s #s have been pretty flat. His scoring and FG% has been good the last couple of months, but his rebounding has actually declined from earlier this season.

I dunno, to me AR’s mammoth edge in boardwork and defending the rim is just impossible to ignore. Tweener forwards who can score 20 points a game on 45% shooting are pretty common. Guys who can average 12 rebounds and 3 blocks per 36 (with still nice handles, a nice touch around the rim, and a smooth-looking stroke from 10-14) are much more rare.

Thing 1

by Sleepy Freud on Apr 10, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I just think Beasley’s going to develop into a much better scorer than he is right now. Something like the leap that Durant took this year in his scoring ability. I don’t think Beasley will do what Durant is doing offensively, but with a little maturity and offseason work, in the next couple years, Beasley will be a very good scorer. The rebounding numbers are very disappointing though. I’m a sucker for scorers, particularly those who can create matchup problems which Beasley does.

As far AR’s, he may have a smooth looking stroke but it’s a tool I’d like to see him using. He’s not a good shooter from outside. He’s shooting just under 29% on anything outside of 5 feet in the key. It’s a good thing over half of his shots come from there though. His handles aren’t “nice”. I really don’t want him dribbling in traffic. The only time I want him dribbling is he’s starting the break. He makes turnovers when he dribbles too much. We don’t need our big man turning the ball over so much. The comparisons people have made to Lamar Odom are a little ridiculous. Odom has handles and a jumper, AR does not.

He blows away Beasley in boards, but as far as D, I’m not sure yet. I haven’t seen Beasley play. And there are times when I see AR lost on defense. Guarding the wrong man, leaves his guy at inopportune times, poor rotations. He gets the blocks but that doesn’t necessarily translate to better D. I love the hustle and the nonstop motor though (He learned something from Turiaf?).

Anyways, I’m excited for AR’s development and hope he works hard in the offseason to improve:
1) his hoops IQ
2) his hoops IQ
3) his hoops IQ
4) working on his offense from inside of 10 feet. stop taking so many jumpers from outside of 10 feet!

by Fantasy Junkie on Apr 10, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

A quick look...

at some of the other bigs on a per minute basis

Per 36 min.

Randolph
FGA FG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
13.8 45.8 4.4 71.3 11.9 1.4 1.3 2.7 2.7 15.8

Love
FGA FG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
12 46.3 6.0 79.3 12.8 1.5 0.6 0.9 2.0 15.8

Lopez
FGA FG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
12.1 53.3 3.0 80.1 9.4 1.2 0.7 2.1 2.1 15.3

Beasley
FGA FG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
16.9 46.5 4.4 77.4 7.5 1.5 0.7 0.6 2.2 19.6

Gasol
FGA FG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
9.3 53.4 5.3 72.6 8.7 2.0 0.9 1.2 2.3 13.7

Thompson
FGA FG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
11.3 49.9 4.5 69.9 9.5 1.5 0.8 0.9 2.3 14.4

Speights
FGA FG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
14.4 50.8 3.8 77.8 8.3 0.9 0.8 1.6 1.4 17.7

Excuse the poor format but Randolph came in first in blocks and steals, second in rebounds, but last in FG% and turnovers.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on Apr 10, 2009 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions

How I'd rank those guys if I were re-picking today

(Based on some unholy combo of eyeballing, numbers, and personal affinity)

1. Randolph
2. Lopez
3. Speights
4. Love
5. Thompson
6. Beasley
7. Gasol

Thing 1

by Sleepy Freud on Apr 10, 2009 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions

I think I struggle with the small sample size that Randolph has. Yes he’s playing well right now, but teams haven’t really seen a whole lot of tape on him. On the other hand, most of the other guys (except Speights) have been playing a decent amount of minutes all season. After awhile, teams figure you out and you have to adjust. But I also recognize that Randolph is all hustle and it’s hard to game plan against someone who just outhustles you.

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching him play and am excited to have him on the team. He has the highest ceiling, but also has the greatest risk. I think he’ll fall somewhere in between. Call me risk-averse but that’s why I think I’d rather take Love or Lopez as big men. You have an idea of where they’re going and where they’ll end up. Randolph, I have no idea. He could be the next Amare or Stromile Swift

by Fantasy Junkie on Apr 10, 2009 5:36 PM PDT up reply actions

I think I struggle with the small sample size that Randolph has.

He does have a significantly smaller sample size than most of those guys. One thing that is nice is that his production has been trending upward (more accurately his mistakes have been trending downward). We’d all love to have more data when making a judgment but I think we’ve seen enough of him to start making some reasonable projections.

Yes he’s playing well right now, but teams haven’t really seen a whole lot of tape on him. On the other hand, most of the other guys (except Speights) have been playing a decent amount of minutes all season. After awhile, teams figure you out and you have to adjust.

I’m not sure if this is actually the case. I think if anything it is more so for offensive minded players. Teams certainly aren’t going to figure out a way to stop him from rebounding, blocking shots and getting steals which are his biggest strengths. I think it will still be a while before Randolph can be trusted to make plays on offense. Only then do we have to worry about anybody figuring him out.

He could be the next Amare or Stromile Swift

I don’t know what his offensive upside is but I don’t think he will ever be as good as Amare on that side of the floor. The good news is that he looks to be a significantly better rebounder and defender.

On the other hand I think that he’s already shown enough to say that at worst he will still be better than Swift. He has similar shot-blocking ability to Swift (a little better actually) but he is a much better rebounder.

I don’t think that Randolph will be the kind of guy that you build your offense around but he looks like he will have a big impact on the game in other ways. He could end up being a very good, very important player for us and still be a “disappointment” because he doesn’t score 20pts a night or handle the ball as well as Odom or whatever other expectations people want to put on him.

I’m looking forward to seeing how he develops. If he can just limit his mistakes, get that jump-shot to the point where he can hit it if he’s wide open, and dribble around a slower defender I think that will be enough. If you combine that with his rebounding, defensive potential and all around scrappiness he could be great.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on Apr 10, 2009 7:14 PM PDT up reply actions