I'm warming up conceptually to the JRich trade.  The guy was our heart, but this could be a good move and if it brings us closer to the thing I dare not mention than it could be really good.  But I'm saying too much already.  Back to sitting and watching.

-Liz Robbins
NY Times

Is it me or is the drafting of Belinelli evidence that Monta will stay: Belinelli is a (relatively) big guard who can play solid defense, is athletic, and can shoot 3's.  Basically, he's a great compliment to both Baron and Monta.  

When playing with Baron, Belinelli can bring the ball up the floor and camp on the outside while Baron runs the O.  With Monta in, Belinelli becomes the PG but Monta can still create a ton of offense.

I don't see the warriors trading both Monta and JRich in the same offseason, even if it nets KG.  At this point, if something happens, I see the warriors trading their exception for a talented player and adding that player to Harrington or Foyle (depending on how good the unknown piece is), a first, and Wright to get KG.  

Hopefully Andris and Monta are off the table at this point but we will see.

I feel the same way about American players complaining about where they want to play. It is an honor to play in the NBA, a player receives great compensation and high status for playing the game of basketball. Everyone that wishes to play in the NBA should understand this.  Some might think it is selfish for the Bucks to draft Yi and "hold him hostage," but Yi and his representatives are also selfish for trying to get what they want when a lot of other draftees accept the decisions made by the franchises that draft them.

21 players!  There will be some interesting players available after training camp from the NW, my friends.  

With that said, I think the best player for the Warriors to go after is Gerald Wallace. Im a big fan of his game, and I believe he wouldnt fit in better on any other team than the Warriors. We then move Harrington and Sarunas for ONE better player with maybe 1 or 2 yrs left on his contract. Then we use that cap room to resign our core.

Then Foyles contract comes off the books in two years, by then we will have had a chance to give our youngsters some developement, we would still have Baron, and we could add another big name, and make a serious shot at the title.

Portland will be the team to beat.

I like trading maybe Wright and Harrington, or Ellis and Harrington, along with Foyle to get Garnett. If we did that, and signed Gerald Wallace, we would be good and ready. But to include all 3 prospects, and another player to get a 30 yr. old Garnett... it might get us to the finals, or even a championship, but then we would be throwing away a team that could be a GREAT team for the next decade. Do you agree?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pNxZ4_O8R8M

3 team trade:  

Warriors trade: Al Harrington, Adonal Foyle, next yrs. 1st rd pick

Sonics trade: Rashard Lewis, Chris Wilcox

Heat trade: Antoine Walker, Jason Williams

Warriors receive: Chris Wilcox, Jason Williams

Sonics receive: Al Harrington, Warrior's 1st rd pick, Antoine Walker

Heat receive: Rashard Lewis, Adonal Foyle

We would be getting rid of Foyles contract, plus we would be addressing a need, getting a young, athletic rebounding big man in Chris Wilcox. Several people have mentioned that they wouldnt mind seeing Wilcox in a Warriors uniform. I think we might have actually made a run at him last year, during free agent signing. Jason Williams is an expiring contract. He would really fit in Nellie's style. He plays at 100 mph, shoots 3s, and would be perfect off the bench. Then he would be gone, and we would have more cap room.

Seattle would be getting Walker, who the Heat want to trade. He might fit in nicely with their team with his perimeter shooting.(I hate his game)They would be getting Al, who I believe has trading value, and they would get our 1st rounder as well, and they are trying to get younger, and more talented it seems. We on the other hand, DONT need anymore young talent right now.

The Heat would be getting Rashard Lewis, who league sources have said is coveted by Miami. Plus Foyle's game is made EXACTLY for the style they play. He could be a nice compliment to Mourning or Shaq, since they both are hurt so often.

WELL, WHAT DO YOU GUYS SAY? YOU LIKE THAT??? I want to hear from ATMA on this one.

But with his departure, comes a bright future for our Dubs.  This trade came as no shock to me, especially with the excess of swingmen on the perimeter.  In my opinion, this move bodes well not only from a business standpoint, but from a basketball standpoint as well.  

Let's look at this from a hoops point of view first.  In trading away Richardson to the Charlotte Bobcats, we traded away a player who wasn't stellar defensively, an above average rebounder, a poor ball handler, a lackadaisical passer, and an inability to get to the rim with his athleticism.  

Richardson's defense left something to be desired, so much so that it was the turnover prone Matt Barnes who was logging those minutes in the fourth quarter of the playoffs this season more often than Richardson.  Nelson made absolutely no qualms about his lack of fondness for Richardson's defensive lapses.  All you have to do is read any of the newspapers covering the team or listen to KNBR to know that.

In my estimation, Richardson had the potential to be one of the best rebounding guards in the league if not the best on account of his athleticism, but for whatever reason (lack of desire, lack of positioning, staying on the perimeter) had a career average of 5.4 RPG.  

Although Richardson made his teammates better by being a stand up locker room guy who led by example, he certainly didn't do that with his passing ability.  It's kind of hard to believe that he only averaged 3.4 APG this season considering the fact that he played for a team with the second best offense in the game.

Richardson's inability to handle the ball was maddening at times not only because he was vulnerable to getting picked, but also because it prohibited him from getting to the rim.  Richardson is just as athletic as Dwyane Wade if not more athletic, so why can't he finish at the rim?  It's not good to let that athleticism go to waste when you're shooting more 3's than free throws.  That shows a lack of aggressiveness, and is something we could have used during the Utah series instead of continuing to hoist up perimeter shot after perimeter shot.  

I'm sure one of the things on an NBA scouting report on Jason Richardson would read "Can't drive to the hoop; close out on him on the perimeter."  This was problematic because Richardson ultimately became a one dimensional player for the Warriors, and to compound matters, was taking contested shots; thereby, leading to an inconsistent shooting touch.  If all you're doing is staying out on the perimeter, you're bound to shoot 35% from 3.  You have to keep defenses honest and mix it up.  I would have loved to see J-Rich drive more and post up.

Having all of that said, I do think he's a good player.  Being able to score 20 points on any given night is tough to do in the NBA.  But considering the fact that he'll be playing in the East, I have a good feeling that he'll make his long awaited All-Star debut.  He richly deserves it.  So thank you to Jason Richardson for all you have done for the Warriors.

But taking a look at Brandon Wright, we know what his deficiencies are.  He's listed anywhere between 200-210 pounds.  Anyone can see Wright is going to have to bulk up in order for him to play at the NBA level.  In addition, he needs to work on a mid range shot and his free throw stroke.  However, word on him is that the sky is the limit.

Despite being 6'10", Wright has a wingspan of about 7'3".  Combine his length with his athleticism, and you have a player who can block shots, grab rebounds, and finish at the rim.  Furthermore, with Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson creating plays, it'll be exciting to see that length be paired up with another lengthy player in Andris Biedrins.  

Remember for all of Wright's deficiencies, Coach Don Nelson will more often than not put him in a position where he will not be exposed.  I would expect to see Wright on the high post on offense, often setting high screens and rolling to the basket very much the same way Biedrins did.  It would be counterintuitive to place him on the low block because he wouldn't have the strength to establish deep position.  

Defensively, you may have to give Wright help if he is being isolated, but I think with his length and athleticism, he would be an incredible help defender.  So have Biedrins or whoever is on the other low block body up the post player, while Wright comes from the weak side to block shots.  It also should be worth noting that with his length, he will invariably cause many deflections, a key stat the Warriors coaching staff keep due to the fact that it fuels the running attack.  So I think from a basketball standpoint, it may bode well for our Warriors.

Marco Belinelli on the other hand is unknown.  He's been said to be a combination of Vinny Del Negro and Brent Barry.  He has a quick release from the perimeter when spotting up, and he can go off the dribble to a pull up shot going left or right.  

With no limitations in Coach Nelson's offense, anyone can hoist up shots, including Belinelli who can give us something Richardson did not: a more consistent stroke from the outside.  

So from a basketball standpoint, I thought the Richardson trade worked out well for both sides involved.  We added talent at a position of need and filled in the position we traded away.  No one is going to ever replace J-Rich.  You're talking about the heart and soul of our team, but from a basketball standpoint, I have to trust the eyes and ears of Coach Nelson and Executive VP of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin.  

After the 2007-08 season, the Warriors are going to have to re-sign Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins long term.  They are the future of this team without a doubt.  Furthermore, if Brandon Wright, Marco Belinelli, or Stephane Lasme pan out, one would be led to believe that we would have to re-sign one or more of those players as well.  

We certainly would not be able to do any of the aforementioned things with Jason Richardson's contract still on the books.  It would be an invitation to luxury tax hell.  Not to mention the fact that Baron Davis will be looking to possibly sign for a maxed out contract after the 2008-09 season.  

In addition to receiving Brandon Wright in the trade and instant salary cap relief, we were able to also obtain a trade exception of $10 million.  This trade exception can be used to go after a top flight free agent who can make an immediate impact for next season such as Gerald Wallace or Rashard Lewis among a host of others.  In addition to that, the Warriors could use the trade exception to re-sign Matt Barnes or Mikael Pietrus if they wanted to.  

In theory, the trade of Jason Richardson would result in the Warriors receiving an athletic 4, a shooting guard to fill in for the void left by Richardson, and a Gerald Wallace type player.  Three players for the price of 1 sounds like a good trade off to me.  

But even if the Warriors did not use the $10 million trade exception to go after a free agent or re-sign one of their own free agents, it would still prove to be useful because they could use it as part of a package in a trade.  So if the Dubs were to put some players together in a trade, they could use the $10 million trade exception to take on some contracts that the other team may want to dump.  This gives the Warriors a lot of leverage at making a trade come to fruition.  

Whatever way you look at it, the Warriors have given themselves a lot more options and a lot more flexibility to work with.  I wouldn't be surprised to see them continue to wheel and deal in this off season.  Personally, I would love to see them lock up Biedrins and Ellis for sure.  If the Warriors determine Wright, Belinelli, Lasme, or even Patrick O'Bryant to be ballers, then they could certainly make a long term investment on those guys as well.  

That's 6 players on the Warriors roster who are 21 years or younger.  You lock up Ellis and Biedrins for sure and one or more of the four players listed above, and you're talking about a team that will be a perennial contender that will compete in the playoffs for the better part of a decade.  If you're a long suffering Warriors fan, this is music to your ears.  Call it retribution for the decade of mediocrity that we all had to endure.  I love Richardson as much as the next guy, but right now, I'm loving the future of our team even more.    

He mentioned there's a reason the Warriors drafted Bellinelli - to fill in a missing SG spot, unless Jax slides over to that position or Azubuike steps up.  

He interviewed Tim Kawakami who really thinks the W's are one of 2 teams in the run for KG - Suns & Warriors.  Tim was saying the W's might dangle Monta Ellis, Brandon Wright, Adonal Foyle, Al Harrington, and maybe Patrick O'Bryant, plus give them a $10 million trade exception that we got from the J-Rich trade for KG and some other scrub like Marko Jaric.  

Is it possible the Warriors are one of the frontrunners for KG?