Here's an interesting tidbit via Sam Smith of ChicagoSports.com:
To the rescue?
A few thoughts on THud and Mighty Mouse after the jump!
You always hate to see a good man's career cut short because of injury. Let's hope that isn't the case for Hudson. People in Warriors land were very critical of the Troy Hudson signing and his on court play during the 9 games he played this season (probably justifiably so), but I'm in the camp that says he deserved more time to prove himself. Having said that from all indication it looks like THud's career with the Warriors ended faster than his rap career. Very unfortunate for a guy GSoM friend Marcus Thompson called a "really nice guy".
Who knows what the Grizzlies' asking price for Stoudamire was before the Warriors signed Hudson and who know knows what their price is now. Given his production (in 21:41 minutes- 7.7 points, 3.9 assists : 1.7 turnovers), age, and the 2 years remaining on his contract totaling $9 million you'd expect that it wouldn't be all that much. Who knows if the Warriors would consider Stoudamire a tangible option right now either. Mighty Mouse is a solid pro and savvy vet though and you'd think it wouldn't be that hard to pry him from Memphis. I'm not sure if he's still fast and quick enough to run and gun in Nellieball, but it's worth a shot even if his shot doesn't go in as much as you'd like.
I've been saying this for years and I'll say it again- it's a real head scratcher why the Warriors have been unable to find a suitable backup point guard for Baron Davis. Derek Fisher and his incredibly painful to watch Kobe impersonations weren't the answer and thus far Monta Ellis has been a fast, undersized, scoring 2-guard and not the guy you want steering your ship. The Aaron Miles, Keith McLeod, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Troy Hudson experiments didn't last long either. Given BD's injury history you'd think the Warriors would make backup PG who can distribute, run the offense, and defend more of a priority, but they just haven't.
Don't get me wrong I'd absolutely love to have a traditional backup PG right now, but I'd hope that Mullin and Nellie are looking to address bigger needs than that right now, especially with the sizeable $10 million trade exception. The Warriors are simply too young and soft, especially down low. Nellie doesn't think Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, Patrick O'Bryant, or Kosta Perovic can help this team right now, so that's a huge chunk of the roster that's collecting DNP's nightly (at least not for the Bakersfield Jam). Jack's having a career year right now, but I'm not sold that a team can go all that far if he's the 2nd offensive option. I'd like to see the Warriors go for a bigger fish right now with their young talent and the trade exception as bait.
A backup PG would undoubtedly be a nice addition, but look back at the Warrior losses this year. Do you honestly see a Damon Stoudamire, Earl Watson, or Jason Williams type changing some of those L's into W's? I doubt it. The Warriors still have a glaring need for a tough and rugged interior scorer, defender, and rebounder. They could also use some more consistent shooters and perimeter defenders.
I'm the first one to tell you Monta's upside is very limited and I don't ever see him being able to run the point for big minutes in this league, but I still think he deserves a shot this season to prove himself. If Nellie can work Kelenna Azubuike into the rotation more or even give Mickael Pietrus minutes at the 2 (instead of the 4) with Monta running the point to spell Baron and sub in when BD's injured, it's worth a try. I'm admitedly skeptical, but maybe the Warriors can get by with Monta as the backup PG if they upgrade the roster in other key areas.
Backup PG seems like a luxury right now, but the other glaring needs, at the very least another All-Star level player at any position other than PG, are a necessity if this team is going to make the jump from fringe Western Conference playoff team to elite squad. Find a way to get Ron Artest... Find a way to get Ron Artest... Find a way to get Ron Artest...
Do the Warriors need a backup PG right now? Are you willing to wait the rest of the season and see if Monta can learn on the job?
99% of rumors never happen, but 99% of them are fun to talk about!