"He's one of the most breathtaking rookies I've seen in person -- ever..."

I always check out Page 2 on ESPN.com and this time Bill Simmons aka the Sports Guy talks about how great Randolph is and how absurd how the Warriors don't give him more playing time. Looks like even people outside the Bay Area pay attention to Randolph. Good read.

Q: YES! YES, YES, YES!!! Please write about Anthony Randolph! I've been telling people about him all year long. There's never been an NBA player with his size and skill set. Ever. He's a looong 6-foot-10, runs like a gazelle, has great hops, and can handle the ball. Love it. As an added bonus, he looks like he's constantly crying or really getting his feelings hurt. He's fascinating. I get genuinely giddy any time the Warriors are on, for him alone. Can you please let America know about Anthony Randolph?
-- Aaron, Chicago

SG: He's one of the most breathtaking rookies I've seen in person -- ever -- for all the reasons you just described. There has never been anyone quite like him. He's like a cross between Josh Smith and Lamar Odom, only if you fed him 10 Red Bulls and told him right before the game, "If you can make 10 things happen during the 10 minutes you play tonight, we will quadruple your salary and you will start for the rest of the season" ... and then he does just that, but the coach reneges on the promise so Anthony has a near-crying meltdown on the bench. That's every Anthony Randolph game. I caught him once and, in the span of two hours, he made three "MY GOD!" plays and broke down on the Warriors' bench because Nellie wouldn't put him back in, followed by an assistant consoling him through an entire timeout like Randolph was a third grader who got in trouble for something he didn't do, then had a meltdown and got kicked out of class. It was riveting. The odds of me missing another Clips-Warriors game for the next five years are 10,000-to-1.

One other thing: There hasn't been nearly enough made of how screwed up the Warriors are right now. Their front office and ownership situation is a world-class mess. Their coach has been in "I'm Keith Hernandez" Mode since the 2007 Dallas upset and looks like he's actively trying to get fired. They have two young players everyone loves -- Randolph and Monta Ellis -- only they've been antagonized to the degree that it might affect them long-term. In Randolph's case, how can a lottery team not play a talent like Randolph 35 minutes a game? What the hell is going on here??? For some reason, the only media member who seems to care is Tim Kawakami. I don't get it. If I were a Warriors fan, I would be organizing protests outside the arena complaining about Randolph's playing time. It's insane. Imagine if Chicago was 16-50 and played Derrick Rose 10 minutes a game. Would you think that was weird? You would, right? Welcome to Anthony Randolph's world. This is the single weirdest subplot of the 2008-09 season, narrowly edging Zaza Pachulia's bacne.

via ESPN.com: Page 2

bonus Randolph highlights

Bay Area sports...

...has the worst upper management in the whole country. No Warner, no Housh, no Manny, no one good at all. And Warriors still suck. We're never gonna see a Championship in any sport. I already know the Sharks are gonna choke. That's all. That's my vent.

*jinx it to win it

Bosh to Warriors??

I like the idea of getting Bosh but this seems like way too much. But it could be worth it if they can lock him up to a long term deal agreement before the trade. What do you guys think?

ESPN: Five trades that should happen

1. Raptors send Chris Bosh to the Warriors for Andris Biedrins, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, Marco Belinelli and a future No. 1 pick

Why should the Raptors do it?
Because the writing is on the wall in Toronto. I'm not sure how the Raptors are going to keep Bosh in 2010, and, no, I don't think adding Shawn Marion really helps in the long term. This deal would give them a ton of young talent to rebuild. And the fact that much of it has an international flavor only makes it sweeter for Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo.

Why should the Warriors do it?
You don't get the chance to add an All-Star big man every day. And with Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette, the Warriors would have the building blocks to be special again.

Will it happen?
The biggest question is whether the Warriors, the most dysfunctional franchise in the NBA, could keep Bosh. They would have enough talent to convince Bosh to stay, but their situation is so messed up that it's a big risk.

The second biggest question is whether the Raptors would do it. Colangelo has been pretty adamant that they won't deal Bosh at the deadline. But if they were able to get this much talent in return, he'd have to take a long look.

"The speed of a cheetah, the body of a rhino"

- A quote from Jim Barnett during last night's heartbreaker.

Of course this was gonna happen again. Why was Turiaf guarding Lebron?? Welcome to Heartbreak Part "I've lost count already!"

"WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK"

i love the warrrriors....


BUT I HATE THEM EVEN MORE!!!!!!!


dammit!

Troubling news from Warriorsland...

Well, we're fucked. If you weren't paying attention, Anthony Randolph hasn't been getting any minutes, and it's looking like Nelson is the reason why. He deserves some burn. Him playing average-OK basketball during a lost season is better than bringing in Jamal Crawford, because he's so young and Crawford is owed some money, which ain't worth it because Crawford ain't that good. Randolph knows this, and he's mad. Now Kawakami reports that Monta is siding with Randolph, and could have the warriors, our warriors, fucked. Interesting stuff in this entry by Kawakami...

Ellis, Randolph and the further, future discontent of the Warriors

Posted by Tim Kawakami on January 6th, 2009 at 4:39 pm | Categorized as NBA, Warriors

I checked again with people who know Monta Ellis, and I will repeat and now can amplify what I’ve been saying for weeks:

Ellis is working to get back healthy, but he is not happy with the Warriors, it’s getting worse, and he definitely is not pleased about rejoining a Warriors universe that is ruled by Don Nelson and Robert Rowell.

In fact, the word is that Ellis’ recovery is coming along very nicely. Whether that means he’s ready to play in a few weeks or a month or in late-March, nobody knows. It’s just looking good for him as his ankle heals and he begins to get ready for some full-court work.

However, that is not a purely positive thing for the Warriors. It could be a very bad thing for the Warriors, unless a sudden ceasefire is called between Warriors management and Ellis.

Of course, if you’ve been following the last six months of Warriors activity, you know further ugliness is a far better bet than any semblance of tranquility. Rowell and Nelson are cultivating and attracting ugliness, for no good reason that I can see.

I’ve said that I don’t think Ellis will ever play for the Warriors again. Now I’ve got to allow that it’s possible that he plays for them merely to boost his value and increase his leverage, all after informing the Warriors that he wants to be traded. Possible.

I don’t think Ellis has requested a trade as of yet, but he’s also not healthy yet. He could also demand that the Warriors drop the $3M fine and/or immediately waive the right to void his contract, but I think the Warriors will definitely do the void-waiving at some point.

At this point, Rowell and Nelson can’t afford to let Ellis go for free. But if he demands a trade? It’s also not clear what his trade value would be. Watch how this one develops.

Because, as Ellis gets ready to play and begins to look more and more like a player worth his $66M contract, he and his associates are growing more and more confident in his position, and that means he has more leverage against the team that suspended him for 30 games and $3M.

Plus, it wouldn’t be shocking if Ellis’ stance has been sharpened after watching Nelson’s rough treatment of Anthony Randolph. I’ve been told that Ellis looks at Randolph and sees a version of himself from a few years ago: Bustling with talent, tough, young, and frequently mishandled by Nelson.

Ellis knows that Nelson wanted to trade him before the 2007 draft, straight up, for the rights to Acie Law.

Ellis sees a backcourt already stuffed with Jamal Crawford, Marco Belinelli, C.J. Watson, Kelenna Azubuike, Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson.

I believe that Ellis, like Al Harrington before him, is realizing that he doesn’t want to play for Nelson any more–he doesn’t want Belinelli and Crawford used as pawns against him, he doesn’t want to get caught up in this spiraling season as Nelson plays his mind games.

That is not a recipe for a wonderful comeback story, at least not for the Warriors.

Oh, and by the way, you had to know that the Randolph situation is reaching a boiling point. Nelson’s playing Rob Kurz ahead of him, not because of loves Kurz, but because he wants to demean Randolph and doesn’t like that Randolph is furious about it.

My point: Would Nelson and his staff rather see Randolph meekly accept playing behind a demonstrably worse power forward? No. So why are they bothered with Randolph’s fire?

I don’t understand it. But I do understand that Randolph is a very talented player that Nelson has already lost.

Guess who wants to come back...

Baron Davis Has Buyer's Remorse
December 29, 2008 11:14 AM
Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

How much of Baron Davis' homecoming to Los Angeles was predicated on Elton Brand's presence on the left block remains a mystery. Davis has been politic when asked about whether Brand left him in the lurch by signing with the Sixers after Davis inked his deal with the Clippers. On the court, Davis has struggled. He's shooting below 37% from the field, and his rebounding and FTA numbers are down precipitously.

Now there's word from Davis' former teammate, Stephen Jackson, that the Clippers' point guard would love nothing more than to press rewind on the past six months and return to Oakland. From Marcus Thompson II at the San Jose Merc:

The Warriors came to Hollywood a day before Sunday's game, giving Stephen Jackson a chance Saturday to hang out with former teammate Baron Davis. And discuss the possibility of Davis rejoining the Warriors.

"That's all we talked about," Jackson said. "I went to his house, spent some time with his mom and his grandmother. He wants to come back. And if he wants to come back, I want him back." Davis opted out of the final year of his Warriors contract in July and signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, who are 8-21.

It is feasible that the Warriors and the Clippers could pull off a deal. It would have to involve Warriors forward Corey Maggette (for salary-cap reasons) and/or guard Jamal Crawford (to make room in the backcourt).

Clippers owner Donald Sterling said last season that he had wanted Maggette around long term.

"I think that would be great for us," Jackson said. "Coach (Don Nelson) loves him. Him and (guard) Monta (Ellis) have good chemistry. If they could work that out, that would be great for the organization."

From Davis' body language, it's clear he's unhappy in Mike Dunleavy's system. But it's also clear that the Clippers have little interest in reacquiring Corey Maggette. Hypotheticals have a funny way of flourishing when you're visiting with old friends over the holidays. Once the soft lights come down and the world resumes its workaday rhythm, those conversations recede pretty quickly.

Link to article

Not sure if I want him back. He would be more useful than Maggette but he still isn't the answer and we still wouldn't make the playoffs this year.

Warriors/Comcast Ad on BART

I saw this riding on BART today and I thought it was pretty funny.

it should read: "IT'S NOT HARD TO FIND THE WARRIORS... TOO BAD THEY'RE HIDING IN THE FUCKIN BUSHES!"

And when's Monta coming back? It's December already. Maybe that's him in the fuckin bushes.

Warriors are just full of retards and idiots, from management to player personel. We even let Oklahoma City steal our mascot's name like its nothing. I guess they really stole our "Thunder" (pun).

Can we just trade everyone and join the 2010 Lebron Sweepstakes/Superstar Free Agency Bonanza?

"Warrrriors, come out and plaaaayy..."

Who is Anthony Morrow??

Anthony Morrow is sick, hella sick.

Wikipedia:

Anthony Jarrad Morrow (born September 27, 1985 in Charlotte, North Carolina), nicknamed A-Mo,[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 210 lb (95 kg/15 st) shooting guard went undrafted out of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2008 NBA Draft, but was later signed by the Golden State Warriors.

On July 25, 2008, Morrow was signed by the Golden State Warriors after going undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft.[2][3] In his first NBA start he scored 37 points on 15-20 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers, currently a season high for all rookies.

I really think the Warriors can make the 8th spot in the playoffs.

Monta, Morrow, Jackson, Maggette, Biedrins
Harrington, Azibuke, Wright, Turiaf, Watson, Belinelli

I like this squad.

And Ruel is right, Warriors management is horrible.

Dumb Warriors Execs...

I think we need a new president (and this time I'm not talking about Obama). These guys are gonna mess up the franchise... actually continue to mess up the franchise. I say keep Mullin and Nelson, don't piss off Monta, and sell the team to a new owner.

ESPN - Warriors fire assistant GM D'Alessandro in shake-up of front office

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors fired assistant general manager Pete D'Alessandro on Friday and replaced him with assistant coach Larry Riley in another sign of big trouble for Chris Mullin, the club's top basketball executive.

In Mullin's first five years of running the team, D'Alessandro had been his trusted lieutenant in the basketball operations department. But D'Alessandro might soon be followed out the door by Mullin, who is losing a power struggle with team president Robert Rowell.

Riley, who will leave the Warriors' bench immediately to focus on his new job, has two decades of NBA experience in various positions with four teams. He had been a Golden State assistant coach since Don Nelson returned to the franchise as coach in 2006.

The Warriors were 2-3 heading into Friday night's game against Memphis. Last season's team missed the playoffs despite winning 48 games, the most by a non-playoff club in at least a quarter-century.

Nelson agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract extension through 2011 last month. The 68-year-old coach insists he's still on good terms with Mullin, who played for Nelson in the pair's first stint with Golden State.

Instead, the fight is between Mullin and Rowell, the longtime right-hand man of Chris Cohan, the Warriors' much-criticized owner. The Warriors' internal trouble became public when Mullin and Rowell clashed over the summer on two major decisions.

Rowell first overruled Mullin's plan to give a contract extension to point guard Baron Davis, who then opted out of his remaining contract and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Rowell then sharply rebuked Mullin while announcing a 30-game suspension without pay for guard Monta Ellis, who injured his leg in a motorized scooter accident just a few weeks after signing a six-year, $66 million contract.

Mullin and Nelson apparently wanted to let the incident slide without publicly embarrassing the guard, who's expected to be the centerpiece of the offense when he returns.

Rowell, who has never played or coached basketball, has risen from a job as the club's assistant controller to the presidency, and now he appears to have Cohan's approval to usurp Mullin's power in basketball decisions.

Mullin, the four-time NBA All-Star and the Warriors' franchise leader in games played, was hand-picked by Cohan to become an executive in 2002. Mullin didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

In Mullin's tenure, Golden State traded for Davis, hired Nelson and finally reached the playoffs for the first time in 13 years in 2007, even engineering a historic first-round upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

Mullin also has signed several players to questionably lucrative long-term contracts, including underachieving forward Mike Dunleavy, center Adonal Foyle, forward Troy Murphy and guard Jason Richardson.

Yet Mullin has shown a serendipitous knack for getting out from under those contracts, memorably unloading Dunleavy and Murphy on Indiana in a one-sided trade for Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington.