Atlanta is sporting basically the same roster from the past few years to get into the finals. While they are holding their own in the East, I don't think Atlanta can make it past Miami, Chicago, or Boston. Indiana and Philadelphia have become even better since their post-season berths. Is it time for them to restructure their team?

Their best asset would be Josh Smith whose contract expires after next season. We can give them Monta, Udoh, Wright, and Thompson for Smith and Hinrich's expiring. This gives Atlanta fluid, offensive players that can drive, dish, and shoot. Joe Johnson is also a play maker that can set Monta up for scoring oppurtunities, and Monta can do the same by keeping his defender honest. Wright and Klay can be used to run fast breaks or provide spot-up shooting. Udoh can replace Josh Smith on defense or Atlanta can have Marvin Williams slide over and play PF. Atlanta would have a better second unit, with Teague joining the reserves.

For us, Smith can play SF or even slide over to PF and give us something defensively. I would trade Biedrins for peanuts at this point, but a draft pick and/or expiring contracts would be best. In the offseason, I think a capable center we should go for is Omer Asik. He's 7'0, wide, mobile, not afraid to be physical or make an mpact in the game. Hopefully, Dwight Howard stays in Orlando and lets us have a better look at the free agent market. If we can get the trade and Biedrins off the books, we would have a a good, solid and competitive team to go for Deron Williams. Where Deron lands will be a mystery, but he would have a team like this if he chooses GS:

PG: Deron Williams?
SG: Stephen Curry
SF: Josh Smith
PF: David Lee
C: Omer Asik

ESPN Player Profile.

7'1", 245lbs. 31 years old.

Pure center, former starter.

Banger. Defender. Veteran.

11.3 RB/36 lifetime (7.8 defensive)

12.3 PER lifetime.

Free agent.

He's been with Portland forever, and he's kinda injury prone. Generally good for ~20min/game. He's not playing right now simply because they've filled their roster already, and he's evidently not pushing to come back; I suspect he's waiting to see if a roster spot opens there. But I'm sure he could be per$uaded. Assuming he's healthy (and he claims that he is) he's clearly better than Earl "no minutes" Barron. And he's not afraid to be physical -- something we lost when Kwame went out. Of course, one downside is that he'd probably impact our draft position...

Thoughts? Discuss.

you lose a guy like Kwame Brown to an injury, who the Warriors' org took a lot of flack for paying him 7 mil for 66 games...and losing him to injury turns out being A BIG DEAL. Remember, this is a guy who is a 2nd string at best on any other team. A bonafide #1 overall pick BUST. This is the same guy that Kobe talked shiet about and the Warriors seem to have been in total disarray after he went down. Absolutely pathetic!

What does this say about our team?!?!?! The one and only guy that actually plays some decent defense consistently on this team is taken out of the equation and all of a sudden, this team falls into the black hole of mediocrity. And what has Andris Biedrins done to step his game up in Kwame's absence? Well, he's pretty much given up his minutes to Ekpe and even Maguire! You think Lacob would love to press rewind on WASTING that amnesty on Charlie Bell? You're damn right! That inexcusable decision will come back to haunt us every game we see Beans underperform.

We are a quarter way thru this season and I think its safe to say that Coach Jackson's claim to make the Warriors a defensive team is a complete and total fail. Yes, they are allowing about 7 less points a game, but they are also scoring a lot less on offense, which means, under MJ's scheme, they are slowing the game down. But its completely obvious this team still makes the same stupid mistakes on the defensive end. Missed assignments, not getting back on transition D, not switching up on back cuts and screens. How many times have you seen a player from the opposing team be wide open in the key or drive to the hoop with little to no resistance? Same ole, same ole Warriors!

I don't blame Coach Jackson completely for this. I really think this comes down to the defensive limitations of the players on this team. They are just not built to defend the way he wants them to. We rehash these facts time and time again: smallish starting backcourt...big men who are either not athletic enough or lack the skills to be a defensive stopper in the post...and an overall lackadaisical effort, especially in crucial moments of the game(4th quarter). I don't think canning Jackson is the right thing, for now... This all boils down to the roster he is coaching and the present day squad just isn't cutting it! Plain and simple. This team is not a playoff team and won't be unless moves are made to address their liabilities or in the most drastic cases, go back into rebuilding mode and just keep one of the 3 core players(Curry, Lee, or Monta) as someone to build around.

A lot of people might gimme heat for this, but here's my suggestion to the Warriors brass if they were to hear me out:

1. Keep Monta. Out of the 3 core guys, he's the most dynamic scorer on the offensive end. Defensively, its a wash. Neither of them can play defense so if we were just to keep one, its Monta. He can create his own shot, he's an adept passer for a scoring guard, and he just makes the game and this team exciting to watch. I admit, I didn't always think if I had to choose one guy to keep, he woulda been the first one to trade. Now, with Curry's shaky ankle and a good, but not great PF in Lee, who is grossly overpaid...the clear choice is Monta.

2. Since the chances of landing an elite player like D-Ho or CP3 is pretty much slim to none, let's use the 76ers model for building a contending team. Look at their roster-- no one really sticks out as "elite". Iggy could probably be put in the category earlier in his career, maybe Brand as well. But here's a team that was stuck in mediocrity but has made subtle, well calculated roster moves and put together a team of players who know their role, play good team defense, and have a great chemistry. No one scores more than 16PPG, yet they are one of the highest scoring teams and they win ball games! Yeah, this may not be the "sexy" way to put together a winning team like Miami or NY is trying to do but its working. We can't emulate the kind of roster they have but if Lacob thinks the team we have now somehow has the potential to become a better defensive team and be competitive with the top tier teams on a CONSISTENT basis, he's a fool. This team is what it is...one that shows a glimmer of brilliance every so often, but for the most part is a team with the wrong mix of talent. Yeah, we had a great win tonight vs. the Blazers but laying down a string of these type of performances is not likely. That so-called dream team of execs Lacob hired to assist him in managing this roster needs to pull off some creative deals to bring in that right mix. If that means giving up 1, 2, or all 3 of our star players to get the mix of talent we need, so be it.

3. Be patient. Mark Jackson's bold prediction they will make the playoffs is very ambitious, but also a big whiff trying to swing for the fences. Same with Lacob and his "win-now" attitude. We all want the team to be successful ASAP, but realistically thats not going to happen. Not with this squad. Move a player or two before the trade deadline...possibly for draft picks to position ourselves in the upcoming draft. Then also move Lee or Steph in the offseason if the right deal can be made. Then don't expect to make the playoffs next season either. If we do, great!

What the Warriors checklist for an ideal roster should look like:

- big man who's long with solid defensive skills(example: Camby, Bynum, McGee, Ibaka. Kwame can be a decent backup once healthy next season)

- at least 2 players who can create their own shot and get to the line consistenly(ex: Pierce, Wade-type. Monta can fill this role)

- 2-3 shooters who also play consistent D(ex. Aflalfo, Sefolosha, Prince. Rush can fill this role and maybe Klay if he can develop his defensive fundamentals)

- a veteran point guard with a solid assist-TO ratio(ex. Miller, Parker, Nash)

Again, we don't necessarily need superstars to be successful. Just the right MIX. Can Lacob's regime redeem itself??? We shall see...

So, I decided to go on a kick watching basketball movies lately, and last night I happened to watch 1996's "Eddie" starring Whoopi Goldberg. Our beloved head coach, Mark Jackson, features in a somewhat prominent role as a man known lovingly as "Preacher" in the film, in which Whoopi Goldberg ends up as head coach of the Knicks. Whoopi wins a fan contest to coach the team for the 2nd half, and ends up being offered the job for the entire season as a publicity stunt.

Hmmmmm... So you mean to tell me this isn't even the first time Mark Jackson has been a central character in a story about somebody with no real coaching experience being hired as an NBA head coach as a publicity stunt?

The really sad part? Whoopi's Knicks made the playoffs. Not looking so good for Jackson's Dubs...

The grizzlies debacle just cements this fate for us. Unbelievable. The starting lineup sucks. I'll take the bench over our starters any day. They play with more energy, they don't turn the ball over, the DON'T TAKE BAD SHOTS. I don't know why Mark Jackson never wants to play Andris in the 4th. He's not playing spectacular but he is playing solid, he rebounds, he defends, he doesn't force offense, he keeps plays alive and gets us extra posessions, most importantly he allows everyone else to play their natural position, especially Lee. If we're playing a team with good bigmen and we play Lee at center, we GET KILLED EVERY TIME. Why isn't andris on the floor?? Small ball in the 4th has killed us. We end up being totally perimeter oriented and suck. If we're not hot, we lose. Even with a 20 point lead. Blow this team up. We suck. We need a legitimate star. Monta is having a horrible year. FG% and late game decisions have been terrible.

Andris Biedrins was +12 this game! All other starters were negative. Klay +5, Nate +6

COME ON. Andris had 3 fouls and played 16 minutes. I thought we were done playing small ball. He’s the only center on the roster. Jesus christ.

Monta Ellis is inefficient, undersized, turns it over, makes stupid plays at the end of games. Dorrell Wright: Wtf is wrong with this dude? Took you so long to finally man up and do something? There's something wrong with this guy's mental game. When he's on he's on, and I like his length, but he is just a weird, awkward player. He does stuff where its like how long have you been playing basketball? Missing layups, turning it over, passing it to brandon rush way too early on the fast break. Disappearing for games. We should have traded him while his stock was high and his contract is still so low, after last season.

I would rather have Klay and Rush play than Monta and Dorrell. And then play Andris more. But this team is so seriously flawed, we need to think about moving forward.

Catharsis

It is not easy to compare the Golden State Warriors to any other franchise in the league. We now stand exclusively, as the undisputed champ of historically bad franchises. The Clippers are out of the dog house. Sure, the new ownership is the most important and first step out of hell, but what else? Where do we go now?

I was born in Oakland, and live there to this day. I get goosebumps when I look up on 880 and see the Arena. I'm proud to have a team in the city where I was born and raised - a luxury not all kids get to experience.

But, I'd gladly give up the scenery on 880, swallow a bit of pride, and make the B.A.R.T. trip under the water if the Warriors emerged perennial winners and gained overall credibility as a franchise.

Why does San Francisco change the situation?

Does the average non-Californian college prospect coming into the league realize how close Oakland is to San Francisco? Does the free agent? Do they know the relevance of the San Francisco, and even the greater Bay Area?....The gold in Silicon Valley?

I've never been to New York. Even still, if you show me a post card of Newark, New Jersey, and then flash another of Manhattan, New York, I'm going to quickly tell you where I'd rather spend my time. Why wouldn't the same principle apply to a pro athlete, when comparing Oakland to San Francisco? People are people.

Clearly, it matters. Once you associate what San Francisco means in relation to the rest of the United States, and as long as it's teams (Giants, 49ers) are winning, the city of San Francisco will be synonymous with two things:

1) Premium living 2) Winning

For the outsider, what is Oakland synonymous with?

Whether or not Oakland is 5 miles from San Francisco or 500 miles, is not relevant to somebody who doesn't know any better. Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not a team is serious about winning. Joe Lacob has said he wants to win. The money he put on the table, his whispers of moving the team across the bay, and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y10F_6VQ0WY......would help the cause.

Every athlete's dream is to play on the big stage. San Francisco is a big stage. Build it, and they will come.

We need to rebuild. Somehow we turned a team that featured Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, and J-Rich into a (boarderline) contender in one year. I am going to look at the core roster/transactions made to do that and see how it fits into the current situation.

Pieces we have:

A freebie contributor. Matt Barnes - was a nobody before he came. Signed him for cheap. Gave us a 3 pt spark and some good defense. This is the current Dorell Wright.

A guy who can create shots/score. J-Rich -drafted flashy SG that would score, was kind of streaky, and not known for great defense. This is our modern day Monta Ellis.

The captain to guide the ship. Baron Davis - 2 time allstar that was acquired through trading Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis. We have Steph Curry (a better building piece), so I will skip the step on acquire a solid PG. Steph needs to bring a little more of the B Diddy energy as well.

A sixth man. Ellis - drafted guard that came off the bench to cause some damage. Right now the man is Nate Robinson/Klay Thompson, who is doing a decent job, but I don't mind shopping this around.

What we don't have:

Stephen Jackson, and Al Harrington - the guys were acquired in a trade for Troy Murphy and Dunleavy. T-Murph and Dunleavy were at one point the faces of the franchise (when put that way- we have progessed!). Dunleavy was STRUGGLING and coming off the bench. Murphy was decent, but we knew he wasn't the future and he looked like a horse. This means we need to package D-Lee and Udoh to get some equivalent talent (two guys that cost ~$7M/year for salary purposes) and hope its a better fit. Names in a package that I may fit somewhere in this: Jared Dudley, Danny Granger, Andray Blatche or JaVale McGhee, Gerald Wallace (missed that shot last year), any forwards on the Kings (Hickson, Thompson, Cousins if he goes crazy), Shawn Marion, to name a few ideas.

Biedrins (double double edition, still kind of soft). The closest thing we have to this is David Lee, but we need him to land dudes in the previous scenario. Beans isn't close to being this guy. This is gonna have to be a free agent of some sort. I think there are sleepers that could turn into a double double man on this team (Dallas's Haywood type players). It may just have to be a veteran toward the end of their career that we know we can count on. The Marcus Camby type. Contenders always have a 1 year rental that they are giving a shot. Kwame was almost this guy. Who else is out there?

We are not THAT far off. We need to jump on it when a Gerald Wallace type guy is on the table for nothing because of bad behavior. Marc Jackson will turn the dudes attitude around.

The warriors future and success

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Plain and simple....Who cares if someone else picked him up? He is a waste of cap and turning into one of the worst contracts in NBA history. Talk about a guy who took the money and ran. At least Captain Jack with all his shananigans at least gives a damn when he is on the court.

Biedrins vs Pacers:
24 minutes (exactly half the game) vs Roy Hibbert (Slow stiff), Amundson (Not as slow stiff), and Tyler Hansborough (Kinda slow stiff)...

4 rebounds (0 offensive), 0 points, 1 block, 1 turnover, 0 assists, 0 steals, 4 fouls.

Hibbert on our home floor managed 16 rebounds (4 offensive) 4 assists, 10 points, 2 blocks, only 1 turnover, and only 2 fouls in 34 minutes on the court.

Biedrins IMO simply doesn't care. Every so often there are athletes who simply take the money and run, meaning after their first big payday they simply quit caring or doing what it takes to be worth a damn. They are content with the money they have guaranteed to them and never perform up to what was expected or shown from past efforts.

I believe that Andris Biedrins has now officially joined the ranks of Chan Ho Park and Eddy Curry.

Not knowing that Kwame Brown would have gotten hurt, our ownership would have been much smarter to amnesty Biedrins and go with Brown & Udoh for the time being and gamble that a servicable big could be acquired in some form or fashion with the money that amnestying Biedrins would have opened up.

If I am a GM of any other club in the league and I am looking at Biedrins I turn down anything that he and his contract is involved in.

I don't even think Biedrins brings us a 2nd round pick from a contender who loses a big to injury later in the season. He is that BAD.

Thoughts?

...insert dirty comment here.

But all jokes aside, I've been seeing a lot of comments lately around a rebuild movement. Trading Steph, Monta or a combination of both of them for draft picks, tanking this year and trying to get in the top 7 to keep our own.

What just occurred to me this morning is that I've missed the past two Warriors games, haven't even watched them on DVR. Now, some of you might read this and think, what's the big deal? Well, I don't think I've missed two games in my entire life. I at least do the honor of skimming through the games on DVR.

There is just a really bad taste in my mouth regarding this team currently. I think part of it has to do with the greediness of the owners/players and the shortened season, all the promises, all the hoopla around our front office saying how we're going to be a playoff team this season, all of the excitement around our young star Curry who can't seem to play 3 games in row anymore without rolling his own ankle.

The general feel that I have is that we're just not a good team, and not getting any better staying put with what we have.

Go to the jump to see what I think we should do.....

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