FanPost

Two moves that would make the Warriors a Top 10 team

Vladamir Radmonavic + Reggie Williams + Rodney Carney for Trevor Ariza + Sean Marks


Why this would be a good move for the Hornets

With the recent dismay of Chris Paul, New Orleans' management should be searching for any possible way to acquire a star. Carmelo Anthony would be a perfect fit for the Hornets, and a running mate with Chris Paul. Obviously, Carmelo and Ariza play the same position, and at 6+ million a year over the next 4, it may run detriment in terms of acquiring a player like Anthony.

The prospect of Vlad's expiring erases the remaining years in Ariza's contract, and clears a roster spot for a big time scorer like Carmelo to fill in the starting line up. I can honestly say without prejudice to this trade scenario, that Carmelo is absolutely perfect for Chris Paul. Reggie WIlliams adds intrigue to this deal because he is not only an expiring contract as well, but his feet are big enough to fill Trevor's shoes, and he can man the 2 and the 3. This also allows Thornton to come off the bench in a 3 guard rotation, with Pargo receiving filler minutes. Carney would be included also as an expiring, to provide them with legitimate depth at the 3.

Having Reggie between Paul and Carmelo would make for one hell of a deadly scoring trio. Reggie is also a fairly good passer and can keep the ball moving on the perimeter.

Again, the main goal for the Hornets is to acquire a star so that Paul does follow the trend of looking elsewhere for wins. I'm not the biggest Melo fan, but Paul undoubtedly makes him a deadly, deadly scoring option. With Paul, Reggie, Carmelo, Thornton, Okafor locking down the post, and possibly resigning D. West as a pick and pop option, that's a title contender. Vladmir's + Peja's contracts coming off the books leaves the Hornets with over 20 million in cap room. If they choose not to resign West, it's close to 30 million. This trade completely opens the books for them to go out and prove to Paul that NO is home sweet home.

Why this would be a good move for the Warriors

I love Reggie Williams. I think he's really one of better scoring options on any team in the league. I actually would prefer not to trade him at all. I believe that Ariza is a better fit for this team for these reasons:

1. With our small back court, he maintains the length at the 3 position as a sixth man. They list Reggie at 6-6 but standing next to Curry or Ellis, he only seems to be about an inch taller. His length allows more effective help defense if Monta is having problems initially guarding his man.

2. He's a talented passer. He's an unselfish player, and moves effectively without the ball. Similar to D-Wright, he doesn't need to score to have an impact on the game, even though he is very capable. Subbing him in for Wright will not hurt our ball movement, as he is equally adept at seeing the floor and handling the ball. He is actually quite a similar player to Dorell in many ways.

3. He can effectively defend 3 positions. He is an absolute ball hawk - A better defender than Dorell. He causes a lot of turnovers every game. Having Curry, Ellis, and Ariza on the floor at the same time means menace. We're looking at 3 guys with the ability to be in the top 10 in steals, ladies and gentlemen. His on ball defense would be huge against the Kobe's and Durant's of the league. Keith Smart would become sexually aroused with the increased amount of ball deflections that this lineup would breed. Ariza is an elite defender by every implication of the title.

4. He's insanely athletic and fits the running style. His offensive game thrives in transition through his hawking defense. We truly maintain the blitzkrieg rush down the court. Ariza can spot up for three, he can run, he can pass, he can handle, and he can touch the rim with his head.

5. He's only 25 years old. Moving forward for the the next 4 seasons while he's under contract, he can grow with the team and legitimately be part of our core.

6. He takes care of the ball. With Andris and Lee gaining us a rebounding advantage, it is important to make the most out of these possessions by not turning the ball over. Ariza refrains from doing exactly this. He is an extremely good fit on both the defensive and offensive side.

Dan Gadzuric + Jeremy Lin + for Kirk Hinrich (Add Brandan Wright if necessary)

Matt Steinmetz recently gave an interview where he stated that the "Warriors need a player who can step in the game for either Ellis or Curry, and support their weaknesses with his own strengths."
One week before this interview, I posted this very same trade idea and was shot down by a few posters, namely Naticus. I'd like to reiterate the idea, with all due respect to DubsDominate's recent post.

Why this benefits the Wizards

John Wall is a phenom. The Wizards would do well to gain some cap room and begin to put the pieces around him. Kirk will earn 9 million next season. With he and Arenas logging 40 minutes some nights, they would be able to afford to give up a piece like Hinrich for a back up guard, given the team can remain healthy. Clearing up 9 million for next season would enable them to fill in a crucial position like center or add a player like Danny Granger to the mix.

Lin seems like a pretty meaningless addition to this deal, but Washington's recent circumstances would suggest otherwise. It's clear that they're on an agenda to fix their image and create a consistent fan base. Lin is a 6-4 combo guard who could add fuel to this rehabilitation for an extremely reasonable price. He will not demand minutes, and he is another young player to add to their long list of prospects, led by ROY candidate John Wall.

If I were the Wizards, I would consider this deal without the addition of Brandan Wright. However, it is hard to get a feel for Washington's patience, in regards to how quickly they would like to begin to form a roster around Wall, as opposed to doing the safe thing, essentially wasting Hinrich for a year at the expense of another position, and putting him on the block as an expiring the following year. The Wizard's eagerness to create a positive team image would support the former. With that said, I would happily involve Brandan Wright in such trade talks, if it meant a finalizing handshake.

How this benefits the Warriors

These are some of the ways Kirk Hinrich helps our ball club:

1. We can afford to let Curry grow at a more comfortable pace as a sophomore point guard in this league. Stephen Curry is having trouble with namely two things right now: Keeping his man in front of him, and taking care of the basketball. Interestingly and ironically enough, these are Kirk Hinrich's biggest strengths. Matt Steinmetz recently gave an interview where he stated that the "Warriors need a player who can step in the game for either Ellis or Curry, and support their weaknesses with his own strengths." (I will provide a link below)

Offensively, Ellis doesn't appear to have many weaknesses at the moment. However, Hinrich fits well with him, too. While Ellis' strengths rely on slashing to the hole and pulling up from mid-range, Kirk's offensive strengths as a spot up shooter from the perimeter would provide Ellis with a passing option. Kirk has always been a premiere ball handler. Ellis can hand off the ball to him and move around screens, while Kirk has the ability to get anywhere on the perimeter through his handling ability and find the angles to put Ellis at an advantage.

2. Financially, this also works out for us. Curry will not require a pay day until Hinrich is off the books, and the addition of Trevor Ariza would essentially spell Vlade's contract. All of our key pieces are already under contract.

3. Trevor Ariza and Kirk Hinrich would improve our defense to an almost unimaginable level, compared to what it is now. Teams would have very little chance of consistently finding good shots, and no chance at extra possessions, with a early 2nd quarter line up that looked like this:

-

Hinrich

Ariza

D. Wright

Lee/Lou

Biedrins/Udoh

-

If we can get ahead of teams early with Curry and Ellis' scoring, by the time they make the necessary coaching adjustment, we can insert Hinrich and Ariza in the game, while keeping one or both of our best rebounders on the floor. This will hold our spread advantage as our starters rest, while we maintain dominance on the glass. Hinrich protects the ball and is a veteran. He will not make the same silly mistakes Curry would. We can trust a lead in his hands while the starters are resting.

A few of Kirk's assist/turnover games this year so far:

12 to 2

6 to 1

8 to 0

4 to 0

9 to 1

2 to 6 (ouch!)

He won't take you out of a game with silly mistakes.

4. He's another coach's player/locker room guy. Watching Hinrich play defense is reminiscent of a miniature Jerry Sloan. He's got that grit and moxie that is hard to find in perimeter defenders. He plays every minute in your face, and it rubs off on teammates. If there's any player I want setting an example for Steph on that end of the floor, without question, it's Kirk Hinrich.

5. Kirk is a big guard at 6-4. He can guard the typical shooting guard effectively (6-4 to 6-6). With this understanding, it comes to mind that Stephen Curry averaged 30 points a game in college as a shooting guard. It also comes to mind that Andris and Lee are mobile, and set some of the best screens in the NBA. Steph's level of intelligence when it comes to knowing where to go on the floor and the proper way to come off a screen, is genius.

Kirk has been a point guard for a long time in this league and he knows how to deliver the ball. For measured stretches, we can get the most out of Curry's shooting ability by playing him off the ball. Accuracy increases when you don't have to put it on the floor. Curry is a playmaker, but not a natural point guard - Hinrich is. Stephen has never been a teammate to such a player during his short career. Shall we experiment?

In conclusion

These moves would make us into a lock-down, defensive team on the perimeter. Offensively, Kirk and Trevor's offense would more than make up for what we'd lose in Reggie (Respectively being the talented scorer that he is). If Udoh can become a defensive force, one-on-one in the post, our team could cause major problems.

Biedrins and Lee will shore up the rebounds, but our perimeter defense must first provide them with an abundance of missed FG's. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT. These moves keep us strong offensively, enable our advantage on the glass through tough perimeter defense, and finally gives us a mixture of veteran leadership and youthful talent. In my opinion, you make these moves, and the construction of your roster is finished. The only thing left to do would be to manage the check books and draft wisely. We would defeat many teams with this group.

Matt "Money" Steinmetz link!: http://www.knbr.com/portals/3/podcasts/razormrt/1109steinmetz.mp3

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!