Looks like the Warriors struck out again. Al Harrington is reportedly headed back to the Indiana Pacers after being rented by the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons. The Pacers' crafty move to obtain a $7.5 million trade exception as part of losing Peja Stojakovic to the Hornets, who wanted to block the Warriors from improving, probably helped seal the deal. It looks like there's a group conspiracy to punk Chris and Rod. The exact details of the trade are supposed to emerge tomorrow morning.
Here's some of the Con's of the Warriors missing out on Al Harrington:
- The Warriors missed out on a chance to add some much needed athleticism to their forward tandem. Troy Murphy is solid, but pairing him with Mike Dunleavy is a recipe for disaster.
- Unless Mickael Pietrus comes to training camp with a newfound understanding of the game or Coach Montgomery stops handing out undeserved playing time, Mike Dunleavy is still the starting small forward for the Warriors.
- Contrary to what Warriors' (mis)management would like you to believe, Troy Murphy and his remaining 5 years at $50 million are not easy to move. They paid over market value for TMurph two seasons ago. Not Adonal Foyle or Mike Dunleavy bad, but Derek Fisher bad.
- With a starting frontline of Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington, and Danny Granger, the Pacers are highly athletic at the 3-4-5 spots and not too far away from making some noise in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. They don't have as big of a reason to trade O'Neal as they did at the beginning of this summer. Look for Jermaine, who's Bad!, to stay with the Pacers this season and not be dealt. They aren't in rebuilding mode anymore.
- If the only move the Warriors make this offseason is trading Derek Fisher to the Jazz (who by the way has yet to report to Utah), then the Warriors have actually gotten worse this offseason. Maybe they're tanking it for Yi?
Here's some of the Pro's of the Warriors missing out on Al Harrington:
- A trade for Al would most likely require the Warriors to part with Troy Murphy. Murphy is the team's only legitimate rebounding force. Double-double guys don't grow on trees and the Warriors shouldn't trade Troy for the sake of making a move, especially when they are already such a terrible rebounding team.
- Al Harrington is not worth the 50-60 million that the Warriors would have to dish out to obtain him. He's a solid player. A slightly above average starter, but not a star.
- Harrington shot 69% and 67% from the charity stripe the past 2 seasons. The Warriors are already terrible in that area and Harrington would just make them that much worse.
- Avoiding false hope. Even with Al Harrington the Warriors were still not going to be a Western Conference contender. With him they could maybe, maybe sneak by for the 8th spot.
- The Warriors don't really seem to have a clue. Why's that a Pro you say? They're remarkably consistent!
- And finally, more guaranteed Funleavy Foto Fun...
Warrior fans can still see this happen twice a year.
What are the other Pro's and Con's of the Warriors missing out on Al Harrington?
The rumors that didn't materialize:
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Rumor: Hawks in No Rush to Sign-and-Trade Al Harrington
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Rumor: Harrington for Murphy + MP2 or 3 team deal
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Rumor: Troy Murphy + Mickael Pietrus + Chris Taft for Al Harrington + Tyronn Lue
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Rumor: 33% Chance of Al Harrington to the Warriors
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Rumor: Warriors in Deep Pursuit of Al Harrington
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Rumor: Bet on Harrington to the Warriors
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Rumor: Warriors More Likely Than Pacers to Get Al Harrington
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Rumor: Al Harrington's Agent Thinks the Warriors are a Stable Organization
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Rumor: Al Harrington Genuinely Interested in Warriors
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Rumor: Warriors Interested in Al Harrington