The first week of the NBA season is over and the Warriors have one win against the worst team in the league [Warriors 102, Blazers 89: Preview | Recap] (great fans though!) and two blowout losses against two teams that they were supposed to be neck-and-neck with for a lower seed in the Western Conference playoff race [Warriors 98, Lakers 110: Preview | Recap | Recap Part Deuce & Warriors 82, Jazz 106: Preview | Recap]. The always on point comments and diaries that you've been dropping at a Monta Ellis pace (that's FAST) highlight the many problems plaguing this team:
- mike d with what's dunleavy's trade value?
- pineriver with It Might Be a Long Season
- mistererickk with Run N' Gun
- CatchAndShoot with what the hell is nelson doing
- straightfromthebay with My Thoughts
- Sleepy Freud with Open Wide ... Say Aaahhh...
- travisl212 with How Long?
- hella handlez with Playoff Basketball
- Skeptic con Urquell with Warriors as a fantasy
- jgodoski with Something Positive: Philadelphia!!!
 It's time for the Warriors' front office to take a few swigs of this. |
So here's what I think and I'd be surprised if most of you didn't agree with me: The Warriors need to make some trades PERIOD. Even if it's just for the sake of making a trade. The Warriors have already shaken the wretched curse of The Dirty Dozen (see Part I | Part II | Part III) coaching-wise and now it's time to dismantle a "core" that just can't cut it in the Western Conference. Guys like Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy have never won in this league and haven't shown that they know how to win. Baron Davis has won and has been an All Star, but that was when he was surrounded with older and more mature players. Jason Richardson, the heart and soul of this team, obviously wants to win badly, but will it happen here? Good ol' Adonal Foyle? Well any GM that trades for him is just asking for a pink slip. This roster needs a jolt. |
If there's one thing this roster has proven (not including newbies Patrick O'Bryant aka the Notorious POB, Matt Barnes, Anthony Roberson, and Dajuan Wagner since they just got here) it's that they aren't a winning combination. Together this roster has won absolutely nothing, which shouldn't surprise anyone given that it's populated with personnel that score at a low percentage (Ike Diogu being the welcome exception), but give up a high percentage of points on defense. Regardless of how great Coach Nelson is, he can't go out there and hit free throws or wide open shots or crash the boards. It's really a pity that the Warriors are wasting the last chapter in a hall of fame coach's esteemed career with this collection of sub-par talent.
I'm usually against making a trade for the sake of making a trade, but this team is headed nowhere fast in the West. This summer was like an episode of MTV's Punk'd for Chris Mullin and company in the Warriors' front office as they got abused on the trading front (dumb contracts will do that to you), but maybe with hoops genius Don Nelson on board they'll be able to actually pull something off. 'Cause they need something. Anything to shake the losing culture and history on this roster.
And yes the Warriors have some of the least desirable contracts in the league, but hey there's plenty of foolish GM's in this league and others who are absolutely desperate to get rid of players like Darius Miles, Kenyon Martin, (insert Knicks roster here), etc. Deals can happen. It's just going to take some creativity, buying low, and cap maneuvering. It's time for the Warriors' front office to earn their paychecks.
Scott Howard-Cooper recently dropped one of those gossipy columns hyping up looming trades that we all love to read (haha, but never come true) for the SacBee: Warriors could be in position to make deal. I don't necessarily agree with Howard-Cooper's logic about why the Warriors have "several coveted pieces", but hey- I'm not going to rain on the parade. The point is that there's GM's and analysts out there who would actually trade for what many of us consider broken parts.
I know people in the Warriors organization read this blog and what you all have to say, so let me make the message as clear as possible:
For the first time in 12 years please do something creative. You owe it to Warriors Nation and you've got a mastermind in Don Nelson who knows how to run game on the trade market.
Track of Day: 2Pac- "Changes"