What Underachiever Will the Warriors Draft This Year?
One of the biggest days of the year is coming up for me next week–the NBA draft. Throughout the year, I keep an eye on the draft projections, researching them and trying to figure out which of the many names will one day be household. It’s kind of like gambling, or trying to predict the future. Mind you, each year I probably watch about 1/3rd of a college game at most so I haven’t seen the majority of the players play. I just like to read about them and their scouting reports.
The Golden State Warriors have made a name for themselves of having awful drafts. Count on the Warriors to pick up clumsy white big man Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, while also later trading for Erick Dampier of the same draft. Count on the Warriors to vacillate between young high-school phenom Tracy McGrady, and undersized center from a tiny conference, Adonal Foyle, and pick Foyle because they thought he might turn out to be a poor man’s Tim Duncan (the fact they gave Stone Hands a ridiculously large salary when he shouldn’t be playing in the league at all, let alone starting for a team, is insult to injury). The Warriors once badly needed a point guard in a draft that featured Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Andre Miller and Jason Terry, and instead, traded the pick for a geriatric Mookie Blaylock to Atlanta, who promptly used the pick on Jason Terry. Let’s not forget the 2002 draft where the Warriors had the #3 pick, and while their camp was high on Amare Stoudamire, management was worried about “character issues” and instead, went with the safe, “can’t miss” pick of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. My friend Nate put it best when he described Mikey as…”half man, half deer.” The guy looks like he’s perpetually caught in headlights.
So with the draft in a week and the Warriors holding the #9 pick in a weak draft, I figure there’s not going to be anything get excited about but it doesn’t stop me from obsessing about the board. Keep in mind that the only things I know about most of these players are from what I’ve read on the internet, but I think the player I’d be most excited about the Warriors getting this year is Ronnie Brewer. He plays the 1-2-3, is strong and quick, is a great passer and a good defensive player. I hear his shot is atrocious because of a freak childhood injury that left him with an elbow that doesn’t extend all the way, but as long as it goes in, I don’t care how it looks (ie Shawn Marion). I also like the way he expresses himself in interviews. He sounds like someone with heart. I also like Leon Powe and Rajon Rondo.
The one guy there’s a lot of talk about the Warriors picking is Patrick O’Bryant. He’s a big center with a frame that can take on more, but in his interviews he sounds an awful lot like Erick Dampier. And to a Warriors fan, the only thing worse than a guy who reminds you of Erick Don’t Care is a guy who reminds you of Chris Webber.
Personally, whatever happens, I think the problem lies in the inability of the Warriors system to develop good players and have their young guys meet their potential. If you’ve got someone who’s got a heart like Wade or Arenas, he’s gonna succeed in almost any system that gives him room to develop because they have that internal fire and good instincts. For example, I have a theory that Dallas has the best staff (best trainers, doctors, etc) because their players come back so quickly from injuries and perform at a high level, while every player I’ve seen who landed in Dallas has suddenly bulked up without losing their agility, speed, etc (ie Nowitzki, Howard, Terry). I think a player like Leon Powe, who is going to drop into the 2nd round because of injury concerns, would do well on this team because he would have the best trainers and doctors to keep his major red flag, the injuries, in check. Without injury concerns, he’s a guy with fire in his heart and an incredible motor who could play Dallas’ running game and gives them an athletic post presence. Someone like Rondo would do well with Phoenix because he’s fast and athletic, and while he’s not a shooter, he’s a great distributor and slasher. But no matter who comes to Golden State, they’re faced with a few problems, mainly a team that doesn’t know what it’s identity is, a management that doesn’t know what it would like the team’s identity to be, a coach that can not earn the respect of his players, and an owner who is cheap.
They say that the Warriors are the farm club for the NBA, the place where young players have break out seasons as soon as they leave the team. All I ask is that they draft someone who truly has the fire, the desire and the talent, and let him and all the other young guys play rather than playing guys like Foyle and Dunleavy (and Davis). Or trade the pick for something that will actually make this team better in the long run.