Polling GSoM: Should the Warriors pick up Brandan Wright's 4th year option?

What would be the contract price?

$3, 398,071

Could we get something better for the money??

Dollar for dollar unless it’s a rookie I doubt it although I will note that Kelenna Azubuike is making ~$3 million. My fav and your fav Anthony Morrow makes $736, 420 too. (See Warriors salaries on HoopsHype)

It might be the case that in this economy Wright has more value in a trade package as an expiring contract, but I could go either way on that.

Would Wright’s trade value be higher than our costs to keep him???

Andris Biedrins + Brandan Wright + expirings for Amare Stoudemire. Let’s do it already!

Ha ha. Will he blow fire, too?

He’s already built better than some centers. Also, he’s shorter, which gives him more stability. I am quite excited at the rate at which he’s gaining weight. It’s pretty impressive. No, I am not worried about his frame. It’s kinda like Garnett’s frame.

My question is, who do we get? What we need if we trade Biedrins is a center that can defend the post that is better than Biedrins overall. Good luck finding that. I don’t think that’s available, unless you insist on getting Amar’e, which is not a big improvement, IMO. I don’t know why we want to trade Biedrins. Why not Monta, Wright, expirings and a first? If Monta and Curry play really well this year, I think a good move would be to nab a star or superstar 2 or 3 like Hamilton or Kirlenko, which directly addresses our other big weakness, perimeter defense. (Besides, Turiaf can defend the post, so we’ll be getting something a little redundant. Our perimeter defense is nearly non-existent, though).

If we can get 1 or even 2 strong defenders to improve our perimeter defense, that seems like an easier way to improve. Maybe if we us blackmail or work with the mafia, we can get Dwayne Wade.

If we wait until next year, he’s a free agent. We compete with other teams. We have to extend him before the end of October.

So what? He can just wear goggles.

The first one was successful, but he got poked again.

I think Wright will do well in our system, given a chance. He put up good numbers, when he played. If he stops getting lost on defense, I think he’ll get more playing time.

Nellie disagrees . . .

Don Nelson today:

I thought Wright was on a nice track as well. I wasn’t disappointed in him at all. I thought Randolph beat him out and was a better player last year, but Wright was also improving nicely until he dislocated his shoulder. He was on a nice track, too.

I’m anxious to see him. See how he plays early this year.

I think Wright has more potential than Morrow, Azubuike or Watson. Morrow isn’t very athletic (although I love him). Azu and Watson are what they are. Wright, if he can smooth out a couple things, has the potential to be a top-tier offensive force and a very good defender, too. (If by some strange chance, he starts rebounding well, then he could be a top-tier big man, period).

Brandan Wright is a B-U-S-T

Yup. This cry is heard around here every so often, generally not supported by anything other than a quasi-fetishitic aversion to his lack of muscles. Wright’s per-minute numbers in the NBA as both a skinny 20 year old and a skinny 21 year old were very promising. Last season by Wins Produced per minute, he was the second best player on the Warriors last season, after Biedrins. And by PER he was the seventh best small forward in the NBA (why they consider him a small forward is another question). Word is now he’s been working hard on his game and has gained 20 pounds of bulk. He’s far from perfect, obviously, but it’s just silly to say he’s a B-U-S-T.

Trade his skinny azz for Amare already.

Well for one, that’s not the deal that was rumored. The Warrior package that was rumored was Wright (all of him, not just his azz ;-)), Biedrins, and Curry. We have no idea that Phoenix is willing to take the deal with expirings instead of Curry, or even that the deal with Curry is still on the table. For all we know, Phoenix has decided to move on and take their chances with re-signing Amare, or maybe go hard after Bosh if they lose out. Or maybe the Ws have heard enough about Amare’s eye issues to make them walk away for good. Or maybe they’ve been scouting Wright’s workouts and love what they see. In any case, until we hear otherwise, for now it seems best to assume this deal is D-E-A-D.

This team hasn’t had a superstar, let alone an allstar since Latrell Sprewell.

First, I think you may need to learn the meaning and usage of “let alone” — you seem to have it backwards. ;-P Second, “All-star” is often not the best gauge of a player’s contributions to winning. Jamison, Baron, JRich, Monta, Biedrins have all been as good as Sprewell, imo. I agree that a legit superstar — the type of player who can add 15-25 wins to a mediocre team — is something we’ve been missing since Webber (and even he was borderline). But, as detailed above, I don’t think the 2009-10 version of Amare really fits that bill.

Amare is a beast, a dominant all-nba big man we haven’t seen since young Webber! Ancient times!

He’s really nothing like Webber. Webber was an elite passing big man who loved to get his teammates invloved. Amare’s exactly the opposite. Further, if you look at the history of elite-scoring defensively challenged ball-hog PFs like Amare, it’s not that pretty. At the low-end there’s the ZBos and Jeffersons of the world who exasperate their fans and torpedo their teams. But even at the absolute top end — young Amare, Barkley, Boozer, Malone — no players of this type seem to have been capable of taking their team all the way. And of course: the aforementioned “big four” all had elite or historically great PGs setting them up (Nash, KJ, Deron, Stockton, respectively). Our Ws, as you know, have nothing resembling this.

I’ve had enough of this "wait and see / youth movement / maybe good in the future" crap. Vets win, young teams lose. No suprise that this team started winning finally with a lineup of mostly vets: Baron/JRich/S Jax/Harrington/Biedrins.

I totally understand the frustration. But frustration is not a good reason to do something rash like trade all our productive players for a big-name “all-star.” Former all-stars Iverson and Starbury are probably available too … would you sell the farm for them?

Things become easier when you have that #1 option allstar to build around. Just about every playoff team has a star player. It also attracts other players to actually want to come to GS. So instead of constantly wondering who’s going to "hopefully" step up from our roster of 2nd rate players, trade for the sure thing.

Agreed with all the above, except the idea that Amare’s the “sure thing” you say. Last season somehow the “sure thing” wasn’t even Top 15 at his position. If he’s as all-that as you say, why do so many Suns fans seem so eager to dump him? Some time you should go over to the bright side of the Sun and gauge the overall sentiment about their so-called “franchise player.” My guess is that the responses will be pretty mixed.

I don’t understand the fans who would rather have a team of 2nd rates than a proven superstar. Makes no sense. The risks he has are exaggerated

You haven’t been reading very carefully, then. I think there are reasonable arguments for the deal, but don’t act like the arguments against haven’t been laid out clearly and logically. To date, Adam Lauridsen still probably laid it out best.

Fake edit: plus, as Skep says,

Apparently Amare don’t want to play here?

Yes, I would rather have Biedrins, Wright, and Curry than Amare Stoudemire.

I’m awake. I’m not particularly wedded to any “future-movement.” I’d happily trade those three players for LeBron, or Howard, or Paul, or Wade, or Deron, or Roy, or Rose, or Rondo, or Griffin, or Gasol … and maybe 5-6 other guys. (Maybe Durant, maybe Horford, maybe Oden, maybe Love…) Amare doesn’t make that list. No need to rehash the reasons for the 4,786th time.

Stay up! ;-)