The Tank Thread

[Run BJM]

I figure since there's no use in game threads for every game I might as well make a single thread for discussing individual games, the tank standings, and discussion of the players as we head toward the end of the season.

Last night's win over the Hornets featured Klay going off and looking really good as well as Jeremy Tyler's first start and he showed some skills. Here is a nice highlight vid:



We won, and somehow Cleveland and Detroit blew victories in the final possession or two of their games. Still, Cleveland was right there with the Hawks and they're playing well. The Kings have also been on a bit of a streak lately. Warriors won but losing to the Hornets is tough LOL.

[Run BJM]

Nice blurb from yahoosports on Klay replacing Monta:

The Golden State Warriors caught a lot of flak from their fan base for trading away Monta Ellis. Even more upsetting to some was that they not only traded away the teams' best and most popular player, they did so for an injured player who wouldn't even see time on the court this season - Andrew Bogut. The trade was the straw that broke the camel's back and resulted in the booing of owner Joe Lacob during Chris Mullin's jersey retirement ceremony.

I'll be one of the first ones to say that Monta Ellis wasn't the answer for the Warriors. He was a part of the 2006-2007 playoff run that sparked the "We Believe" era, but aside from that, all Ellis ever did was score a lot of points - which is not a bad thing. The backcourt of Ellis and Stephen Curry had to be broken up and with all of Curry's injuries Ellis' trade value was much higher. However, I don't think it was as high as most Warriors' fans believed. They obviously thought they could have done much better than Andrew Bogut.

Ever since the Ellis trade, Warriors' rookie Klay Thompson has stepped into the starting lineup at the two-guard. Thompson is 6'7'', lengthy, can shoot the lights out, and a smart player. Since Ellis' departure, Thompson is averaging 20 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game, and 4.3 assists per game. To me, those numbers are impressive for a rookie who has been thrown into the starting lineup. Most importantly, I cannot remember thinking once about how I missed Monta Ellis on the floor for the Warriors. I'm not sure if I'm alone on that front, but Ellis' departure really doesn't seem to have affected the team.

I think Klay Thompson may be the real deal. It's hard to say definitively whether or not he will develop into the two-guard the Warriors need for their future, but all signs are pointing in the right direction with Thompson. To be honest, I find it hard to believe he's a rookie sometimes with the confidence he plays with. Then again it can't hurt that his dad is Mychal Thompson, former two-time NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. I'm sure his dad gave him plenty of advice, even though the NBA was a little different back then.

Thompson scored a season-high 27 points with five rebounds and five assists as the Warriors snapped their four-game losing streak against the New Orleans Hornets. That performance alone right there proves to me that he is up for the task of becoming the Warriors' two-guard of the future.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-11141772

[philsmith75]

I worship the memory of the Spurs' run to Tim Duncan.

[Custodianrules2]

It's pretty pathetic when the warriors are in a race to finish in the bottom 7 just so they can keep their stupid lottery pick they pissed away on the Marcus Williams trade. Can we please fire Larry Riley? He's a horrible, no-good, very bad manager.

[i hate the warriors]

It's a complete mystery to me why we haven't fired him yet.

Every year, I hear a lot of people say we should start tanking as soon as we're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs...this is the first year I have ever truly hoped that we lose games, and it's really all for nothing (aka Marcus Williams). I want to see good play from the young guys, and then lose every game by a point. It's a shortened season anyway, let's just call it a wash and start again in November. Depressing perhaps, but lets just hope that next year is a new chapter for the franchise.

Tank City!

[Run BJM]

FWIW Chris Mullin was the one who traded the pick for Marcus Williams. Riley did some dumb ass finagling with the protections in hopes of trading the pick, which he never did. But none the less, I'd put more blame on Mully for getting literally nothing (Marcus Williams) for this pick.

And I still don't have issue with Riley as the "GM". It seems clear that hes just one of several voices in the FO, but reading into it more it appears Jerry West and Bob Myers are being impactful decision makers. West seemed to be the catalyst in drafting Klay. Riley himself said Myers was keyed in on acquiring Bogut since last offseason. West is too old to be doing the BS legwork and media stuff, no reason to rush Myers into it. Its hard to say who is responsible for things like trading Amundson for Rush, signing McGuire, drafting Charles Jenkins, etc. but I don't think its a detriment to have Riley among the braintrust of Lacob, West, Myers, Schlenk, etc.

And I am usually not pro-tanking, though I'm usually apathetic toward what they do by this point in the season anyway, since they're pretty much always out of the race. This season I'm very pro-tanking though. The team could be pretty solid for the next couple of years and this could be our last top 10 pick for the forseeable future. I think adding a top 7 talent would really solidify the talent level on the roster. A core of Steph, Klay, Lee, and Bogut with RJ/DW/Rush/McGuire at the 3 and some decent bench players seems like a low seed playoff team to me. If you add another valuable prospect with that top 7 pick you really up the talent level in acquiring a potential solid starter. Perhaps more importantly, a deal centered around Klay or Curry plus whoever we draft could potentially be enough to land the legitimate star that this team still lacks. Adding that prospect makes a big difference for the future of this franchise IMO, more so than usual.

[Run BJM]

BTW here's a fantastic image from Golden State of Mind visualizing the tank battle down the stretch:



The Warriors are 2-8 in their last 10, Cavs are 1-9, but the rest of these teams are all 4-6 in their last 10. NJ is on a 3 game win streak.

[philsmith75]

Warriors will tank to #4 then us it on the next Darko, history folks.

[Run BJM]

Good day for the tank. We're now .5 games behind Detroit (8), 1.5 behind Sac (7), and 2 back of Toronto and NJ (6 and 5 respectively).

[CohanHater]

Consider this thread officially dead

[Custodianrules2]

Man, this is the worst of both worlds. We lose our pick in a deep draft and we don't make the playoffs.

Dammit, this is why Riley ought to be fired this summer. He is no good

[CohanHater]

And with Lee sidelined, consider it revived?