Earlier on draft day, there were a few rumors floating out there about what the Golden State Warriors were going to do. Were they going to stay put and simply draft whoever the best player standing was at number 7, or were they going to be involved in a big trade.
They were rumored to be involved in trades for both Vince Carter and Amar'e Stoudemire early in the day. Obviously, since Carter ended up in Orlando, that one was actually just a rumor. However, the Stoudemire rumor may have legs and a trade could still happen, even if it didn't happen on draft night.
The rumor consists of the Warriors trading Andres Biedrins, Brandon Wright, and Marco Belinelli, and some combination of another player and new Warrior, Stephen Curry. There are many theories about what was going on. The early rumor was that Phoenix would be interested in the trade as long as Stephen Curry was there for the Warriors to draft because that's who they wanted. After the Warriors drafted Curry at 7, most people who were following the situation figured that Curry was drafted for Phoenix.
Why would the Warriors draft a player for themselves whose weaknesses are very similar to the weaknesses of their current star guard Monta Ellis? Both guys are on the small and slim side, aren't noted defenders, and aren't really point guards. You'd think that if the Warriors were drafting for themselves, they would've taken someone who would compliment Ellis more.
But I actually like the pick, even if the Warriors keep him. What Curry gives them is another fantastic shooter to pair with Anthony Morrow. It gives them some instant offense off the bench. And with the way Don Nelson likes to go small, I could see them pairing Ellis and Curry for small bursts of time.
The trade for Stoudemire is expected to happen by many reporters (Ric Bucher says to wait until July 8), but Warriors General Manager Larry Riley stated that Curry was drafted to keep, not to trade. This could all be a big poker game between Suns GM Steve Kerr and Don Nelson. And if it is a big poker game, it won't help Riley's reputation as Nellie's puppet.
I'm not sure what I think about Stoudemire. He's obviously a great talent and the perfect big man for Nellie's system. But why he'd be ok with a deal to one of the most disfunctional franchises in the league makes me worried that he may not be completely healthy. Why wouldn't he want to play the season out and then basically choose whichever team he wants to play for after his contract is up? If he's willing to take a contract from the Warriors, the cynic in me thinks that he might not be confident that he's going to have a strong year leading into what would be his free agency year.
(If the trade goes down I'll update this post.)
Other thoughts on the draft...
- I have a hard time believing that Ricky Rubio fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves because of a lack of faith in his talent. I'm not sure if they were worried about the issues with his team in Spain, or simply didn't think he'd be able to play in the US this year. At least, I hope those were the fears. Because I don't buy Hasim Thabeet, James Hardin, or Tyreke Evans as players who will be game changing. They may be decent pros, and Thabeet could even become an outstanding defensive post player, but Rubio has the talent to become a game changer.
- I won't say that I've seen him a ton, but what I have seen of Johnny Flynn tells me that he may have a little bit of Tim Hardaway in him. Hardaway might've been a bit stronger (and bulkier), but they both have the quickness and the ability to score the ball. Why Minnesota took him when they just took Rubio is a bit odd, but maybe they have more moves to make.
- What I've heard about Terrence Williams' game is mostly on the positive tip. But what I've heard about him off the court isn't necesarily positive. He's going to be an interesting player in New Jersey where they're building around Brook Lopez and Devin Harris. With that young of a team, you'd hope the immaturity issues that you hear about him don't curtail his possible rise.
- I thought Jrue Holiday and Brandon Jennings could've been possible picks for the Warriors at 7. Holiday and his agent Dan Fagan kind of screwed themselves by not even working out with the Warriors because Fagan and the Warriors' brass don't get along. Holiday ended up slipping the most out of the top players as he went 17th to the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the early draft previews, Jennings was going in the top 5, and I even saw him in the top 3. Going 10th is still a solid spot for him, but he might've gone to one of the worst possible teams in Milwaukee. At least, if the Knicks or Warriors drafted him, he'd be in an uptempo offense that would probably suit him best.
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