After a long, long hiatus due to a number of excuses, I am back. But not to talk about fantasy. For now I want to talk NBA and whats going on with my favorite team. You see, when the fantasy baseball season rolls around I am honestly much better at taking advice than giving it, so I've found myself at a loss for things to write about. But thanks to some friendly advice I'm going to take a look at how the Warriors summer of wheeling and dealing has shaked out.
At the end of the '07 season, for ever the briefest of moments, the Warriors became America's team. They toppled the 67-win Dallas Mavericks, had the wildest fans to ever frequent an NBA arena and played the fastest version of basketball the sport had to offer. I was amazed when I was visiting D.C. during the Western Conference semifinals and a motel security guard actually told me, "Wow, that's Warrior Country," when I told him I was from the Bay Area. Those words were music to my ears, for I had been watching every game the team played through ten years of dismal failure. It was then that I knew my team was doing something special. But not only the team, the fans too, who were almost as well known with their yellow "We Believe" t-shirts.
So now you get a glimpse of what I felt when we fell just short of returning this year. The only good news being I can save my voice from all the screaming and my heart for the attack that would happen if and when we went out then the break that would shortly follow.
The Warriors have made a plethora of moves in the offseason that were instigated by the departure of our
superstar point guard Baron Davis. You see, Baron was a special type of point guard who fit our style of
play to a T. Some say his star was too bright to stay trapped beneath the fog that is the Bay...he was meant for the bright lights of Hollywood. But I know where Baron would rather be and what team he'd rather play for, but that's a story for another day.
When he left the Warriors were in a bit of trouble. We needed to fill the void that Baron left while trying to build towards the future. Win now and win later...difficult sounding task. So how'd Mullin do? He brought in Corey Maggette to replace Baron's scoring and Marcus Williams to replace Baron's size at the point. Two players to make up for one. In the process we lost a conditional first round pick in three years and ended any chance we had at signing one of the big restricted free agents of the offseason whom we probably wouldn't have gotten anyway.
The best thing Mullin did this offseason though was re-signing Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins and to a lesser extent Kelenna Azubuike. Monta is officially the franchise now and has finally recieved his long awaited pay day. On top of that the Warriors drafted a real basketball player in Anthony Randolph who has the drive and passion we wish would carry over into the spirit of Brandon "You" Wright. Randolph looked great during the summer, like a slender raw version of Lamar Odom spliced with a bit of Derek Coleman (aren't NBA comparisons fun?). With him, Wright and Biedrins up front the Warriors future looks very bright...shining with long, lean athletic southpaws. All with seven foot plus wing spans. All whom can block shots. All very talented.
To add a new dimension to the team the Dubbs brought in a couple of bangers: Ronny Turiaf (signed for 4 years and $18 million) and Richard Hendrix (that Paul Milsap-like player everyone looks for in the draft these days). Ronny is athletic and has a big heart. Seriously though in 2005, his rookie season, the guy had to have open heart surgery to take care of an enlarged aortic root. He shows no ill-effects of it on the court though. The man has a motor that never stops, and will be a sure-fire hit with the Bay Area faithful.
This coming year will not likely result in a championship ring, but it will bring an intense level of excitement even without our most exciting player, the one dawning the heading of this out-dated blog. We'll get to see our veterans coach, Don Nelson, in his last season coaching a very young team...and he'll make it work. Monta will shine through and be this years Warriors snub for the All-Star game. And the big controversy over how he will handle the point will be put to rest after the first half of the first game when Stephen Jackson helps lighten the load and eventually Anthony Randolph comes in for added support. We still have Captain Jack, aka the King of Klutch, aka the Night Club Terror, aka the Palace Rumbler...And we still have Rick Barry and the sweep of '75...And last but certainly not least We Still Believe!
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