2005-2006 REPORT CARD: Mike Dunleavy

by Fantasy Junkie on Aug 31, 2006 9:29 PM PDT in Report Cards

Despite all the Don Nelsom mania, we still continue the report cards. The last player we haven't given a grade to is Mike Dunleavy Jr. Oh how this will be a fun topic and I'm sure many of you will agree, and many of you will disagree. After this one, we have one more report card. But let's get this started. Keep in mind, these grades were done at the end of the NBA season. Make sure to leave your grade in the comments section.

He's so fundamentally sound!

Ouch.

Dunleavy practicing his acting. (Photo: )

A couple Dunleavy videos from FiveTenEntertainment.

Not sure what happens here...

Mike showing some emotion!

Oh but for you Dunleavy fans we have a highlight reel too.

Overall Grade: D

Atma Brother #1 (Grade: D)
He's been a bust. He makes excuses. He swears at the fans. But starting this upcoming season, Mike's 5 year 44 million dollar contract kicks in this year (see 44 Reasons why giving Mike Dunleavy 44 million wasn't the brightest idea Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV ). Maybe he really is as smart as they say! A change of scenery would be nice for him, for the Warriors, and for the fans, but probably not for the photographers. Word on the street is that the LA Sparks are in the market for a small forward. Let's make a deal!

DJ Fuzzylogic (Grade: D)
Other than JRich and maybe Murphy, is there any Warrior that works on their game in the off season? Wildly inconsistent. Manages ways to play himself out of the game. Needs to learn from Adonal how to win over fans with minimal game.

Fantasy Junkie (Grade: D+)
The most controversial Warrior on the site. You either love him or hate him. After 4 years, is this what we expected from our #3 pick? If he can contribute off the bench next year, he can be a decent role player, but he's overmatched as a starter. Just think, we have 5 more years of this guy. Well look at the bright side, wait there isn't any.

Hash (Grade: C)
Okay, let's ignore the contract for a second and evaluate Dun for Dun. Zero consistency. One day he goes out and scores, the next day he puts in 5 points in 40 minutes. The bottom line is that the Warriors can not count on him to deliver. Frankly, his highlight this year was when he was coming off of the bench. Seriously, I don't mean that as a crack at him, I think he played with a higher intensity off of the pine. All that being said, he's at about a C. If I were to take into account how much we are investing in him I'd drop that grade to a D in a heartbeat. But then again, that doesn't start until this year, right? Pick it up Dun. The bar is officially raised.

YaoButtaMing (Grade: C-) Basically his GINORMOUS contract is making everyone hate on Dun. I've stopped defending him when he started yelling back at his fans. You just don't do that. I don't want to go into specifics because I'm sure Atma has already done so, I'm just hoping he is working on his game right now to prove all of us wrong next season.

Leave your grade for MDJ in the comments section.

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Comments

D-

I would have given him a C (he does have strengths, even though he's inconsistent with using them), but the worst part in my opinion is the fact that he padded his stats and played really well at the end of the season when nothing mattered.

by John Patrick on Aug 31, 2006 9:34 PM PDT reply actions

C

He's average. Not a good score for the 3rd pick in the draft. Not a good score for his salary although the NBA has worse guys getting more.

With the creative Nellie coaching, it's make or break time for Mike's NBA career.

by joe sez on Aug 31, 2006 10:02 PM PDT reply actions

D

There is one thing Mike Dunleavy has done consistently, failed to live up to contantly lowered expectations. First he wasnt the next Larry Bird, understandable, Hall of Fame talent doesnt come by all too often. Then he wasnt even a good top 3 pick, but hey sccouting players isnt easy, rarely are #1 picks sure fire stars. Then he couldnt even live up to a starting job... I want this guy to be good more than you can imagine, he just plain wont ever be that great. Good punch off the bench, versatile offensive player, but no way he deserves a starters minutes or salary.

And if the Sparks really are looking for a SF, maybe we can shore up our frontline with players that have offensive moves in the post, id rather have lisa leslie dropping hook shots than adonal..... plus she dunks better

Well theres always next year x12

by FoyledAgain on Aug 31, 2006 10:07 PM PDT reply actions

Lisa Leslie

Fantasy Junkie always clowns me on this one, but Lisa Leslie is the WOMAN!

93 'til Infinity: The Warriors' playoff drought?

by Atma Brother ONE on Aug 31, 2006 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions

D+

He is consistently non consistent. Reminds me of my crazy math teacher talking about how the sets of all numbers there are not members of itself is actually a member of the set of all numbers that are members of itself or whatever. IDK but he confuses the hell out of me as does Mullin's Money Management.

Where's lil Willy Bynum? If you're going to do Cheaney you might as well do Bynum as well.

by DaAzNJRiCh on Aug 31, 2006 10:13 PM PDT reply actions

d

you know its bad when you see him taking charges on the highleet reel. however, some props to the guy who made the reel. its hard to make 7 minutes of highlights for dunleavy and yet the impossible is done every day. im hoping nelson help management come to their senses and put him on the bench. by the end of the year id like to see bd and monta in the backcourt with jrich at sf

by mydedgerbil555 on Aug 31, 2006 10:31 PM PDT reply actions

F

After all the criticsm and ridicule heaped on MD on this site, the grades above are surprisingly soft

my grade is not influenced by the bloated contract, nor that he was a #3 pick

it's based on performance, or lack there of, as a starting SF

MD ranks in the bottom quarter of SF in scoring and barely average rebounding - and for his height that is not an accomplisment

His playing on a team having little low post fire power is a mixed blessing - he gets more opportunities to shoot, but fewer open looks on kickouts from double teams

Moreover he is an abysmal defender putting every other defender on their heels knowing they have to leave to help stop his man, often putting teammates in foul trouble and the other team in the bonus.

maybe he has value as the NBA's most expensive 6th man

or maybe Nellie makes him a point forward

last year he was a failure, bottom quarter, and inconsistent at that

the good news is expectations are low now, and any improvement will be a welcome change - if we get to that point perhaps including the contract, draft etc would be relevant to assessing MD, and more to the point, Mullin

by hardcore on Aug 31, 2006 11:31 PM PDT reply actions

C-

We wanted so much more from him this guy. Horrible at times on offense, defense lacking. There was several times during the season where he took it hard to the rim. He needs to man up and take care of business. I was at the game where he got ejected and ripped his shirt off in frustration. Where's that Mike Dunleavy?

Big Ton

by tadams1080 on Sep 1, 2006 2:07 AM PDT reply actions

C

i like the idea of ignoring expectations and the contract and just looking at him as a starting small forward in the NBA. so, i went over to ESPN.com's stats to see how he ranked against other small forwards, stats-wise.

scoring percentage: 29 out of 31. no shocker, but surprisingly, tracy mcgrady and ron artest are worse

assists/turnover: he's actually 2nd on this one, only behind LeBron James! wow, that's surprising.

rebounding: he's 17 out of 43. not exactly a failing grade.

ok....so, i'll give him a C. by the way, if you think i'm too generous, i don't think i'd give anyone on my team a lesser grade. so a C is pretty bad on my curve.

by TMC Forever on Sep 1, 2006 12:20 PM PDT reply actions

Mr Average

I'll give him a C-.

If you figure the average points per minute of all NBA players (total points divided by all minutes logged), Dunleavy is ever so slightly above average. He's ever so slightly below average in rebounds too. Very average. He's better than that in taking care of the ball but a below average shooter. I tend to put a bit more weight on his shooting at his position, so I'll rate him a bit below the average C.

Of course, the "average" NBA player isn't a starter getting 32 mpg but a reserve who gets in for a little more than a quarter. And hence the problem. Without a viable alternative at the position, the Warriors played an average player like he was some more than that and as a team, they wound up being below average.

His best performances didn't come as a SF. He did better when challenged to 'play big' or to handle the ball. We've got a 1-2-4 swingman, seemingly incapable of being a 3. Since he never played the 3 in high school (usually running the point) and was recruited as a guard at Dook who played most of his time at PF there, it's not really as much of a shock as it seems.

I'm hoping that Nellie realizes this as he's famous for figuring out the strengths of players and hiding their weaknesses. If not, it's going to be a long 6 years.

by jae on Sep 2, 2006 12:09 PM PDT up reply actions

C+

He just needs to learn to play under pressure. He never wins a single game that matters. Although I don't know about with Don Nelson and all, if he performed consistently as well when he was under pressure as he did when he was not under pressure, we'd have won 10 more games. I think he'll step up to the plate this year, maybe even Don Nelson will really bring out the strengths in his and eneryone elses games. I give him another year.

LARRY JOHNSON LIKES TO SLAM ARRRR!!!!

by Zorgon on Sep 1, 2006 3:30 PM PDT reply actions

D/B

With Davis playing - D

Without Davis playing - B

by Ace Fury on Sep 1, 2006 4:19 PM PDT reply actions

Good point

Dunleavy had a real bad year last year, no doubt, but -- in the larger scheme -- his year was hardly as problematic for the W's as was the simply horrible way Baron Davis -- that $17 million guy -- played, making it impossible for anyone to play a team game. With Davis in, all the defense had to do was stop him, which turned out to be so easy because -- as badly as MD shot last year -- Davis was far worse; one of the worst "big" shooters in NBA history. But the guy has no shame, cuz he wouldn't change his game and just kept flinging up horrible shots. (For those old enough to remember, World Free played the same way; but HE could shoot.) Yet, because BD can look good, street ball fans think that's enough -- and this site has actually graded Davis out as a "B" player last year, when he almost single-handedly took this mediocre team down three notches. Dunleavy could only make a difference when BD was out, and yet if BD were big enough to keep that over-inflated ego in check (which is hard when people inply he should have made Team USA -- and go figure THAT out) he and Dunleavy should be able to play together beautifully -- because more than any other players on this team, they can see the entire floor. Ideally, next year we'll be able to give both players better marks: both need to shoot better, and BD has to learn there's more to playing point than . . . .well, anyone who's really watching knows.

by johnl on Sep 2, 2006 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions

Really Curious

Johnl- I'm really curious what your grade for Dunleavy is for last season. I won't get into any Baron vs Dunleavy discussion, but I'm just honestly curious what a Pro-Dun fan thinks.

Drop your grade when you get a chance. Looking forward seeing it.

93 'til Infinity: The Warriors' playoff drought?

by Atma Brother ONE on Sep 2, 2006 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Bah

I'm a dunleavy fan, I gave him a C+. IF my word is not enough, I bought his jersey.

LARRY JOHNSON LIKES TO SLAM ARRRR!!!!

by Zorgon on Sep 2, 2006 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions

Dunleavy/Davis Grades

I'd give SDunleavy a "C" for last year, tho he started out for the first two month much lower. I'd give Dabvis a "D" -- and that's somewhat charitable. Both played well below expectations (mine, anyway). But I thought Dun's weaknesses really boiled down to two: he missed far too many shots (and seemed to be at his worst when he was most open -- go figure), and he wasn't strong in the clutch (tho no W was -- with a mild exception of JR, who got better at this as the season wore on). BD's weaknesses, in my opinion (as you know) were manifold, but his biggest sin was in his absolute refusal to play team ball -- making it very difficult for him and Dun to be on the court together (when they SHOULD be a natural pairing). Let's hope Dun's shooting improves and Nellie can bring BD around; otherwisa, it's going to be a very bumpy ride again.

by johnl on Sep 5, 2006 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm sorry

but after seeing Dunleavy's third video posted ... i have to upgrade my score to a C if not C+. hahaha nice montage.

by YaoButtaMing on Sep 1, 2006 5:48 PM PDT reply actions

Just disgraceful

Dunnyboy gets a D from me because I'm a nice guy! He is awful but at least he gives us something to laugh at

by migya on Sep 1, 2006 10:17 PM PDT reply actions

D+

Dunleavy reminds me, sadly, of Billy Owens. Like Owens, he can do any number of things well, with seemingly little difficulty; and like Owens, there seems to be a psychological barrier to actually doing those things consistently in a game. Mental weakness is more difficult (because more complicated and, obviously, harder to see) to remedy than weakness of mechanics or conditioning. Anyone remember Johnny Rabb? The Giants called him up to play catcher, about twenty years ago; he had one of the best offensive profiles of any young catcher coming up at the time. Shortly after arriving, Rabb lost the ability to throw the ball--back to the pitcher. Kept throwing it into center field. Never had that problem before. Never fixed it. It was scary and sad to watch, this talented young guy going to pieces before your eyes.

by mikej @ Golden State Of Mind on Sep 3, 2006 4:16 PM PDT reply actions

Owens and Dunleavy

It's tempting to bring parallels, but there are some significant differences. Owens, while never the player he should have been, was instrumental in the last two winning seasons the Warriors had.

It's easy to forget that RUN-TMC had one winning season together (44-38) and that the team jumped to 55 wins when Owens arrived. Owens was injured and missed much of his second year, but in his only other full season here, they also won 50 games. Owens came in, hit more than 50% of his shots, had signficantly more assists and FGs and grabbed 8 rebounds a game. The team won when he was here. Owens achieved this in large part without a reliable jumper, but he did prove effective in what really counted: winning games. He had nice stats when he was here consistent with that.

Dunleavy hasn't played for a winner here (the team did seem to improve much with his arrival, though this was with him playing sparcely in the Mussleman era). Dunleavy hasn't come close to 15 points, 8 rebounds or 4 assists and has been signficantly less than the 50%+ shooter that Owens was when he was here.

by jae on Sep 3, 2006 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Parallels and temptations

Clearly Owens played better than Dunleavy has to date; the parallel that strikes me is in the nature of their gifts and the nature of their failures. Owens played as well as he did not only in spite of having no jump shot but in spite of sleepwalking through many minutes of most games. Watching him steal a ball and go coast to coast through traffic--easily--jarred against watching him fail to get into position to score, fail to run down loose balls, fail to box out, and fail to move his feet on defense. He had more talent in his pinky finger than most players have in their whole selves, but he left an awful lot of it somewhere outside the arena. Dunleavy hasn't got the same level of talent, but he has a similar problem connecting his in-practice abilities with his on-court game; thus the echoes of Johnny Rabb.

by mikej @ Golden State Of Mind on Sep 6, 2006 7:05 PM PDT up reply actions

oops

Should have said "as with Owens" instead of "like Owens," but couldn't figure out how to edit once I'd posted.

by mikej @ Golden State Of Mind on Sep 3, 2006 4:18 PM PDT reply actions

F+

Failed at leadership. You didn't hear anyone else on the team bitch to the media? He campaigned himself as the team player while calling out others. Usually, the one doing the squaking is the guilty party in my book. He hasn't earned one iota of respect. Not to get a blocking call on Nowitski, not on his defensive positioning. This kid needs to play consistently with no excuses day in and day out to deserve a passing grade.

by eshock @ Golden State Of Mind on Sep 4, 2006 9:14 AM PDT reply actions