| Who Will The Warriors Draft? Authored by Payam Jahromi - May 29, 2005 - 10:54 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Final Thoughts On The 2008 NBA Draft This year's draft was decidedly more calm and casual than the Oden/Durant showdown, which made for a more candid and personal experience.
Grading The Deal: Knicks Sign DuhonThe Knicks overpaid for a below average starting point guard, but the move should still pay dividends.
 |
The Best Laid Plans Of Mice And Men
The recent change in the free agent landscape, including the move of Baron Davis from the Warriors to Clippers, could prove costly for the 76ers.
|
 |
Oh Danny Boy
Danny Granger, who has just three years of NBA experience under his belt, will undoubtedly be the man in Indiana beginning this summer.
|
 |
$10 Million For Five Players?
The Orlando Magic will be limited by the NBA's Luxury Tax in terms of filling the remaining spots on their roster. It is also possible it could cost them Keyon Dooling or Maurice Evans.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
Forget all the speculation, the mock drafts, the private workouts and the rumors because I have the answer.
The Warriors will select……sorry can’t tell you. I promised my connections to keep it a secret. I also dumped Pam Anderson last week because she was calling too much.
Yes, I’m full of it.
But now that I’ve got your attention, the truth is I have no clue what Chris Mullin and the Warriors will do. But we’ll know soon enough. In the meantime, I don’t know if there’s anything more fun than pondering the various possibilities.
I love the NBA draft. The NFL draft is more hyped, but for my money the NBA draft is more exciting and watchable. It’s over in two hours. In the NFL draft, you’re at pick #8 at the two-hour mark.
Before looking at who the Warriors might take, let’s quickly look at the team by position:
PG: Baron Davis is the man but the team could use a backup. Fisher is fine while Baron is healthy, but the team might want to look for a pure PG as insurance.
SG: Richardson, Pietrus and Fisher – The team is set here. Richardson had a breakout season that had people talking about an All-Star appearance.
SF: Dunleavy, Pietrus, Cabarkapa – The team is fairly deep here, but Dunleavy’s contract is up after next year. Nothing has to be done now, but it’s something to think about. Zarko plays mostly PF while Pietrus is more of a pure SG. If Dunleavy isn’t re-signed, this could be an area of need.
PF: Murphy, Cabarkapa – Perhaps the biggest need on the team. Both guys are perimeter-oriented and neither is a great low-post player or defender.
C: Foyle, Biedrins – In my last column I wrote about how Biedrins could be the answer at center, but he’s only 19 and the Warriors could use some help here. They need to address their lack of low-post scoring at either PF or center.
Possibilities:
1. Channing Frye – Frye is a skilled and fundamentally sound player. Has a decent outside shot. Has been called soft and wasn’t the rebounder he should have been. Oh boy. He’s not a great back-to-basket player, something the Warriors desperately need. I’ve personally never been a huge fan, but I can see myself being wrong about him.
2. Tiago Splitter – Never seen him play, but from what I’ve read he seems to be very polished on offense but very skinny and not ready to bang down low.
3. Chris Taft – Great athlete but questions about his attitude. Personally I wouldn’t touch this guy. You never know, Amare had questions about his attitude too, but the last thing the Warriors need is a guy who might hurt team chemistry. He was a disappointment in college, what makes us think that will change at the next level?
4. Danny Granger – Likely a SF, meaning there would be a logjam there. They could draft him and dangle Dunleavy or Pietrus. I’ve only seen him play once, but I liked what I saw. He is very competitive, has great size for his position and he’s long and skilled defensively. He’ll be a good pick for somebody.
5. Sean May – I haven’t seen any mock drafts that have him going in the top 10, but he’s a big name because of his performance in the final four. He possesses the low-post game the Warriors need, but at 6-foot-8 some feel he’s undersized to play PF and definitely too small to play center. I can’t decide on him and it’s hard to project how his game will translate at the next level, but you can’t argue with what he did in that national title game. Will he be closer to Charles Barkley or Lonny Baxter?
6. Hakim Warrick – Another guy who would be projected much higher if he was two inches taller. Amazing physical talent and leaping ability but is still raw and doesn’t have a real position at the next level. With his athleticism, he could be a great defender in the NBA at the very least.
7. Fran Vazquez – Another European player and another player I’ve never seen. Mullin has spent a lot of time scouting these guys, and if he decides to take Vazquez, I’ll take his word for it. He seemed to get a steal with Biedrins last year so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
8. Johan Petro – He would give the Warriors the lead in French players. We can refer to them as “The Future” and “The Future II.” (Some of you will get that reference.)
9. Joey Graham – I haven’t seen him in the top 10 in mock drafts, but I like this kid. He’s a tremendous athlete with an NBA body. Will likely be a SF because of his size (6-7) but will be able to play the four at times. Very tough dude. I don’t know exactly what his role will be in the NBA, but he’ll definitely have a role.
10. Randolph Morris – Ok so there’s probably no way this guy will be taken at No. 9, but had Morris stayed another year, he could easily be a top 10 pick next year. Not as ready to make an immediate impact, but his long-term potential could be high.
Those are some possibilities for the No. 9 spot. So expect none of the players above to be the Warriors pick. That’s the best part about the draft – nobody knows. Enjoy this next month of speculation and before you we know it, we’ll have our answer. And a lockout.
I can be reached at pjahromi@sbcglobal.net |
