Jerry West see's a player.

Klay Thompson is better than Kawhi Leonard. He's the 2nd best player taken in the 2011 draft. Similar to Rick Barry, it is unclear whether Thompson's best quality is his shooting prowess, or his ability to see the floor. As a rookie, Thompson already has the strongest fundamental foundation on the team. He simply plays the game the correct way. He's very good. I believe he will be the best Warrior since Rick Barry played in Oakland.

In an age where players like Kevin Love are swept under the rug because they are not athletic enough to compete in the NBA, Klay Thompson faced a comparable dynamic when his ability to defend in the this league was questioned, along with his potential to be more than Kyle Korver. Even the beloved Steph Curry went through the same thing. The majority of the fans on Goldenstateofmind.com, had no idea who Thompson even was as a player, immediately calling out for Kawhi Leonard or even Marcus Morris before even giving him a chance to prove himself.

Shooting

Not since Ray Allen has a more laser perfect stroke been introduced to fans of the game. With Klay, it no longer seems to come down to hitting or missing shots, but simply the execution of his form. It does not matter if he is drifting around a screen, dribbling backwards, or streaking down the court to stop on a dime, Thompson has shown a very unique ability to square up on or off the dribble, and execute his form with perfect replication.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson make up for the most efficient backcourt in the NBA, easily. given 30-36 minutes a night each, teams would be unable to stop that sort of firepower, especially considering that both players are the son's of ex-NBA players, and are exceptionally well versed in matters of basketball IQ.

Both are unselfish and understand the manipulation of defenses through ball movement and constant threat of the high percentage shot. Great shooters understand that giving up the dribble weakens their greatest weapon, and thus allows the defense to cheat. Curry and Thompson understanding this, would make for a much more potent offense.

Court Vision and Passing

I watched a play where Thompson's court vision impressed me:

He caught the ball in motion as he crossed the three point line on the left side and met a charging defender who emerged from the paint. Klay switched the ball to his left and executed a hesitation move, which forced the defender to pause against his momentum, leaving him staggered. In the midst of the hesitation, a help defender behind Thompson reached for the ball, and sensing this, Klay then threw the ball ahead of himself, passed the staggered defender to his right side, took a long step to catch up with the ball, and then quickly secured it with both hands as he was now at the rim. The center left Jeremy Tyler, and challenged Thompson as he left his feet for the attack. As soon as the center left the ground, Klay threw a wrap-around pass that led to a Tyler dunk.

His head is always up. His awareness and cool allowed him to stay in the play long enough to see how it fared out. And when it did, he made the right decision.

"I watched Klay all through grade school (played against my son in Portland before moving to LA) and on the tube when he was at WSU. When he was a kid, he excelled at seeing the floor and playmaking. The best I had ever seen. His shooting came along as he got older. The only thing that will hold Klay back is himself. As long has he gains sufficient confidence and doesn't get down on himself he will excel as a starter." - David, Warriors Fan

Getting down on himself seems to be Klay's biggest enemy. Jim Barnett stated that he'd like to see Klay smile more. So would I. I speculate that he is unhappy that he is not playing well enough to decisively take Dorell Wright's position, even though it is obvious that he is the better player in all facets of the game.

Pride and Confidence

Klay has an edge to his game - A quiet determination that drives him to compete. He does not seem so impressed with the national attention the game receives, not enough so that it will make or break his mentality. This is extremely rare for a young player.

It was a preseason game that he shot 2-15 and had a terrible game, but he was determined to find his touch, and was not afraid to sacrifice what seemed like a futile effort in order to prepare himself for the real thing. As the season progressed into the very early stages, Thompson absolutely struggled to score on a very fundamental level. This did not slow him down one bit. As a rookie, missing a high volume of consecutive shots can be devastating to your confidence.

This guy believes in his game. He finds conviction in his talent, and believes in it. That's the kind of true grit that great players are made of.

Defense

It comes back to his pride as a player, and as Mark Jackson loves to say, "holding himself accountable".

He has not fouled out of a game this season, and he understands how to defend without fouling. He does not put his hands on players, he moves his feet, he stays down, and he forces his opponent into the help. Watch him off the ball. He understands how to disable passing lanes, and he always takes the correct angle on his man relative to the ball.

He isn't scared of crashing the glass, and understands his length as an advantage. He challenges shots at the rim and tries to block them. He is not a quitter.

Scoring

How does Stephen Jackson score despite being an average shooter and a poor ball handler? He understands how to use triple threat.

Klay Thompson does not terminate the dribble. He does not waste dribbles. Like Jackson, he understands that triple threat can keep your defender in a limbo, and is great for setting up drives, especially when you are ambidextrous. Thompson makes great use of the left hand, and can pass or finish with it.

He has wonderful body control in close, which allows him to finish under the rim over the bigs. He never loses his head at the rim and takes his time in a hurry. This allows him to make use of an assortment of moves. He's aware of how to get an open shot in traffic without being in a rush.

Conclusion

He's the perfect running mate for Stephen Curry and David Lee. All three of them have a high BB IQ (Lee, especially) and Thompson takes some pressure off of Curry, (not being a natural point guard) allowing him a teammate to take on some of the decision-making duties.

Curry's strengths are tremendous off the ball, as a spot-up shooter. Klay allows him to be this, as Thompson understands how to secure the ball, create an angle, and set up teammates.

Thompson's strengths are tremendous of the ball, as a spot-up shooter. Their strengths are symmetric. Curry does for Thompson off the ball, just Thompson does for Curry.

Thompson is the real deal and a pure basketball player. He understands the game much more than Monta Ellis, and should be awarded his position as the Warriors' starting shooting guard. He is the perfect running mate for Stephen Curry, and at the end of the day, both players will be better for it.

Would you rather have Monta Ellis or Klay Thompson as your future starting 2 guard?

I am sort of new to this site and have been looking around trying to search to see if the site sells t-shirts or sweatshirts with the Golden State of Mind logo on it. I don't see it anywhere. I have looked pretty much all over.

Am I missing it or is no such thing available? If its not available, why not? I would love to buy one and I think other might, too. Thanks

The Warriors will face the Denver Nuggets in the high altitude of Denver, Thursday night. After a devastating loss Tuesday against the NBA’s best team in the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors will have to rebound strong against a Nuggets team that has some problems of their own. Their starting small forward and up and coming young star, Danillo Gallinari will miss at least one month after fracturing his foot Tuesday night against the defending champs. But nevertheless, there will definitely be no shortage of scoring and fast paced play from two of the best scoring teams in the league.

What to Watch for:

Al Harrington Against Former Team: Harrington’s minutes have been on the rise of late, after averaging 14 points and seven rebounds over the past week. His inconsistency is glaring, but if he gets into a groove, David Lee will have trouble slowing him down on the offensive end. Harrington isn’t your typical power forward, though. Not many “true” power forwards attempt nearly six three pointers per game, and in a high action game such as tonight’s; he could very well get hot from beyond the arc.

Frontcourt Battle: Andris Biedrins will play the first few minutes of each half, but other than that, the majority of the minutes will be given to Ekpe Udoh and David Lee. That frontcourt court tandem will try to match a much more skilled and bulkier frontcourt in Nene and Kosta Koufos/Timofey Mozgov. The Nuggets extended Nene to a five year deal worth about $67 million this offseason, but his 2011-2012 campaign has been a bit of a disappointment. Averaging just ten points and six rebounds over the past week, Nene hasn’t been the force the Nuggets have come to know over the past couple of years. If the Warriors are to have a shot at taking home a victory, they will have to make sure that Nene remains quiet.

Can Monta Ellis Stay Hot Against A Good Defender In Aaron Affalo? Monta Ellis had a career night on Tuesday against the Thunder, scoring a career high 48 points, but the Warriors came up short of a victory. He will clearly have to stay hot Thursday, but Affalo has been known to frustrate some elite shooting guards throughout the league. If Ellis has an off night, the Warriors chances of winning decrease dramatically.

This game should bring out the best in the players offensively, but the Warriors need a win to regain the confidence they lost Tuesday night. Their chances of making a playoff run are low, but it’s not out of the question yet.

All feedback is appreciated

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Over the years, the constant debate over Steph v. Monta, has been a mainstay of GSoM. Here's my attempt as a fresh perspective on it-

We've seen many versions of Monta. The popular 07-08 version with Baron Davis who was super efficient, .580 TS%, 53fg% on 19.2 pp36. The not so popular 09-10 Monta who had a poor attitude, struggled with consistency and playing with teammates. And the mixed review 10-11 version who's skill set grew, became a better passer, a more willing passer and a better teammate, but who's scoring efficiency still left something to be desired.

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The Warriors opened up the lockout-shortened season with a 7-12 record, tempering the immediate expectations some had for a "new brand" of Warriors basketball under Mark Jackson. Home wins against high-profile teams such as the Bulls, Knicks, and Heat showed promise, but the Warriors struggled on the road and against the Western Conference (only 2 wins!), which is who and where the Warriors will find themselves playing in the coming months.

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Last night's game against OKC was a barn-burner. Nobody could miss shots. Unfortunately, down the stretch of the game, the Warriors couldn't score enough, and came up empty on their last two possessions. Let's look at those last possessions.

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The Warriors may have to force their hand with the Andris Biedrins situation, one way or the other. They may try to deal him, or they may keep him for the remainder of his contract.

If they decide to keep him, their best option may be to send him to play for their D-League affiliate. This would be a huge insult to many players who have started consecutive years in this league, and especially a slap in the face to a starter who should arguably be in his prime.

It could go 1 of 2 ways:

1) Ideal: Biedrins would probably be the best center in the entire D-League. This means he would dominate. This means he would gain confidence through his dominance. After 4 weeks of destroying semi-pros, he gets recalled and his confidence carries over to NBA games on a consistent basis. He finds the fire again. Remember those summers playing in Latvia? Remember how confidently he spoke of a "new Andris Biedrins" all those years ago? Maybe this situation mirrors those past experiences, and positively effects his consistency.

2) Disaster: Andris completely loses confidence and his feelings are hurt. He plays even worse, in a worse league. He makes the gag reel on ESPN. He loses all value, and we can no longer trade him.

I realize this is a highly unlikely situation, given the fact that he's the only real center on the team, and Mark Jackson probably would protest the move of even happening in the first place.

But what do you guys think?

After Lin went crazy against the Nets and Jazz, many Warriors fans were up in arms about his release. The Warriors had released him to make a slightly larger contract offer to DeAndre Jordan. This seemed like a dumb move because Jordan was a restricted free agent, and a few million dollars wasn't going to make the Clippers not match the offer sheet. However, after thinking it though, there may be another reason that the Warriors let Lin and Williams go:

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Curry + Biedrins for DJ Augustin + Diaw + BJ Mullens + 2012 1st Rd Pick (won't work in the trade machine just yet because Mullens can't be traded for a few more weeks).

Curry is the one player that has the ability to put NBA basketball on the map for Charlotte. He's also a hometown boy AND he's shown tremendous interest in playing there. Charlotte should be willing to "move mountains" to nab Curry -- it's a franchise-changing move for them. I honestly think we could also get another future pick out of them for this deal.

While getting rid of Curry doesn't seem ideal at face value, this move actually would be a huge win overall: it nets us a decent PG (Augustin) who won't command a huge contract this offseason when his contract expires, an expiring contract for Biedrins (Diaw), a young, cheap Center to replace Biedrins "void" (Mullens), and surefire top 5 draft pick this year. It will also definitely make sure we suck enough to keep our pick as well. We'll be in full rebuilding mode.

From there, we let Monta run the team (into the ground). Play him 40 minutes a night, get his numbers up, and move him in the offseason for the pieces we aren't able to grab in the draft or Free Agency (with our newly found extra $13M or so to spend). Perhaps this is when we can pull off the Monta for Noah trade with Chicago.

The time to trade Curry is now while he's healthy and before we win our way out of keeping our 1st round pick. I think we can all finally agree (even J-RIDAH is finally capitulating) that this team isn't going anywhere as constructed, so now is the time to deconstruct it. This moves helps us do that, and fast.

Quick recap:

Curry for: the ability to dump Biedrins contract, get ~$13M in expirings, get a cheap young Center, and get TWO top 7 draft picks in the 2012 draft.....

Would you do it?

I just think that D. Wright getting his rhythm back. Steph Curry seeming healthy. Monta Ellis being consistent. Klay Thompson hitting his Jump Shot. Andris Bierdnis sucking little bit less, now is the time to make a trade if we want to get better. I do believe in the current Warriors, but after not being able to grab a rebound during the most important time, we need a legit team. That just doesn't rely on the jump shot.

I think anyone on the Warriors is tradeable. Everyones value is high right now. David Lee is doing great, putting up decent numbers. Epke Udoh is playing defense out of his mind, and Jeremy Tyler is getting playing time.

Something can happen. (Dwight Howard)

I know its a long shot, but I can hope.

Long shot, but a possibility. Tell me, who you would like to see be traded, why, and for who.

Also how it will help the Warriors.