I am writing this for the second time...Grrrrr as I went to "preview" my completed post (as per Atma's recent request of us all) only for the pop-up blocker to block the preview and when I enabled the pop-up...my post was gone...lost in the SBNation abyss!

Anyway, back on topic.

Summer is progressing and I had a phone call from senior season ticket holder rep, Jake the other day, to discuss the current state of the team, my thoughts on sumer league.... potential new signings etc. Oh and discovered that my article written about the STH meeting is now on my STH record!!! Not sure if that is good or bad...but oh well! Basically he was looking to see if I would renew and I said I am holding off making a decision until we see what develops over the summer. As I had no desire to see Monta decide to do something like skydiving, or some other "Goat Brained" decision while he was rolling in all his "loot" in these tough economic times!!

Anyway, the result of this conversation got me thinking;
I believe we are one piece away from being a contender in the West. We have proven that on the right day, playing our game fast, we can run with and beat the best of them. Add one key experienced piece... and we have quite an exciting team!

So who is he?

It seems our starting 5 at the moment is likely to be:

Ellis

Jackson

Biedrins

Randolph

Buike

with a reserve line-up of:

Curry/Law

Marco/Morrow

Turiaf

Wright

Magette

To me, this says we are missing that key player in the PF/SF slot that could make a significant difference to our chances in this years coming season:

So...who do we try and get?

I noticed today at NBA.com that there are reports that David Lee is a little "Frustrated" with negotiations with the Knicks. Last year Lee lead the league in Double Doubles and was third in the league for Rebounds! Ahhhh the perfect fit then for GSW and possibly the missing piece, or is he?

Lee seems to be one of those players that gets on with his job quietly and efficiently and no one really notices. But with those numbers he fills a gap we currently have, as we have more than enough firepower, but if we lose Biedrins or Turiaf, we hurt badly on the boards. The problem I have with him, is the fact that he seems to go up and down the court like a "Lumbering Ox!" and when a player makes Maggete look fast, then question mark is raised as to whether he could fit into the GSW "RunNGun" style of play?

His agent wants $10m a year.... His agent does what all agents do... and try to get what he can for the player, personally I dont think he is worth $10m a year, but I wonder what the Knicks think he is worth?

So... there also remain possible trades talks for Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Lamar Odom, etc but more and more pieces are fallng into place at teams and so what exactly does GSW do?

Another post describes whether Buike has reached maximum potential or not? I tend agree with the poster that I believe he may "max out" in the next year or two, but is very much one of thoe players that you REALLY want on your team, if the price is right, due to his versatility.

So who else do we think is tradeable? Personally I would love to dump the Magette contract, however as a player I actually like the dimension he brings, and there will be certain games where we need his "get to the line" 20 points a game, as our shooters are simply off, that night...

Stephen Jackson..... Again personally, I feel like his turnaround as a person and his efforts in the community are beyond comparison..however I see storm clouds brewing... Monta Ellis has made it clear he wants to be seen as GSW's "Leader". Now that may not be "floor general" leader but overall leader. (I think he has a couple of years to go yet to learn HOW to lead, but thats another topic).

Jackson on court can be super hot from the 3, can defend most key NBA players well (his job on Kobe is always good to watch) however, he has a horrible turnover rate, he thinks he is a better handler of the rock than he truly is, he spends WAY too much time arguing and complaining to the refs when he should be back on "D" and due to the players we now have, I can see his time being reduced and this is not going to go down well with him.

The pure form and potential of Randolph, along with the shooting ability of Morrow and the handling ability of Curry, seems to reduce the impact Jackson can make to our team and honestly, all 3 have considerably more potential going forward than Jackson has.

We also have Brandon Wright, who I am sure will develop into a good player, Randolph is developing faster and we are always going to be keeping Randolph over Wright, yet Wright has the right potential for a team looking to add a young Randolph style player and so his value to us is in a trade.

So... do we trade Jackson/Buike to the Knicks for Lee? or Wright/Jackson for Lee? Do we look to trade or keep Buike if we can, but if the right deal came along, do we trade all 3 players (if possible) to get the perfect fit of veteran for our youngsters?

Your thoughts please below: