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Golden State Warriors draft Washington State’s… |
When the Warriors were on the clock for the No. 11 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, not only was Klay Thompson still available, but also there were other intriguing options. But the Warriors stuck to their plan, plucking the 6-foot-7, 206-pound swingman from Washington State. “We’ve said before that we like him as a shooter, as an athlete and a basketball player,” Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Larry Riley said. “He has that NBA skill, and he will develop further skills as we get into working through the first season. This guy has a great future ahead of him.” The Warriors were almost assured they would be able to draft Thompson when Milwaukee, drafting one slot before Golden State, traded the No. 10 pick. Most mock drafts had the Bucks taking Thompson. But Sacramento wound up with the 10th pick in a three-team deal that also involved the Bucks and Charlotte Bobcats, and the Kings landed BYU guard Jimmer Fredette. That cleared the way for the Warriors to take Thompson, the player they had coveted all along. “Gives me chills just thinking about it,” Thompson said. “Before that trade, I had no idea (where I would land). The Bucks had a lot of interest in me. So I was kind of nervous about it.” At the same time, the Warriors also had interest in other players. One was Kansas swingman Marcus Morris, who was available. Then there was San Diego State small forward Kawhi Leonard. An athletic slasher who plays both ends of the court, Leonard was pegged to be a top-five pick at one point. Still, his defensive ability wasn’t enough for the Warriors to take their eyes off Thompson. “Leonard was not an option,” Riley said. “He was never an option on my list. It’s just probably a difference of opinion with some other people. So no disrespect to Kawhi, but he wasn’t somebody that we had considered for that 11th pick.” Had the Warriors traded down, Riley said they might have nabbed Leonard or Florida State small forward Chris Singleton. But with Thompson still around, there was no reason to consider moving out of the 11th spot. Golden State was enamored with Thompson’s outside shooting ability, which was among the best in the draft. The team also likes that he can make plays off the dribble. And the Warriors desperately need offense off the bench, especially if restricted free agent Reggie Williams goes elsewhere. “He’s shown that he can score,” Riley said of Thompson. “He should be able to play as a rookie and make a contribution to this basketball team.” Riley said drafting Thompson does not motivate the team to trade star guard Monta Ellis. The plan is for Thompson to come off the bench and play some small forward and shooting guard. If things go according to plan, Thompson will help cut down minutes for Ellis, who led the league at 40.3 minutes per game last season. “I feel like for my first year or two, I can come off the bench and provide a great scoring punch,” Thompson said. “Score in bunches as well as be a great playmaker. I feel like I swing between three positions well. I feel like I can fit in, be that versatile guard they need off the bench.” Drafting Thompson, however, will not improve the Warriors’ defense. Thompson’s biggest knock is at that end of the court. He lacks athleticism compared to other NBA swingmen. But he is tall and long, boasting a 6-foot-9 wingspan. The Warriors hope his length, high basketball IQ and the team’s new defensive scheme will hide some of Thompson’s defensive shortcomings. “We understand that team defense counts also,” Riley said. “I don’t see him as a lockdown, one-on-one defender coming into the league. But I think he can defend his position.” In the second round, the Warriors acquired the rights to the 39th pick from Charlotte, which had used the pick on Jeremy Tyler. A 6-foot-10 center, he was formerly one of the nation’s top high school prospects, from San Diego. But he skipped his senior season of high school to play in Israel. After that didn’t work too well, he played in Tokyo in what would have been his freshman year of college before becoming eligible for the draft. With their own second-round pick, the Warriors selected Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins, a scoring guard who has the ability to run the point. Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in nba, Uncategorized | Comments Off
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NBA Mock Draft 2011: Slam Has Marcus Morris To Golden State Warriors Over Donatas Motiejunas |
Read More: Marcus Morris (F – Kansas), Hawaii Warriors Project versus proven. That’s the challenge facing the Golden State Warriors with the No. 11 overall choice in the 2011 NBA Draft. As Slam Magazine’s latest mock is unfolded choice by choice leading up to the late June draft, writer Branden Peters admits that it’s difficult to choose between a pairing like Marcus Morris or Donatas Motiejunas. They’re just too different to compare. So it comes down to need, and given the Warriors state of the roster, the selection is Morris. That’s a good call at this point in the draft, given that Morris’ typical position falls somewhere around the No. 10 spot in the draft. Some have linked him as high as No. 8 to the Pistons or as low as No. 19 to the second Bobcats choice in the first round, but most draft pundits believe that Morris is lottery level talent for a team on the verge of making the playoffs. Enter the Warriors at No. 11. That’s where the Warriors currently sit, although it’s difficult to tell what they will need until after any much rumored deal for Monta Ellis goes down. A backcourt of Stephen Curry and Ellis is an exciting one to watch and full of scoring power, but it’s hardly a complementary backcourt in any way. If Curry is the keeper, then Ellis has to go, and that will also bring in some modicum of talent at a position of possible need — which might affect whether or not Morris is a sound fit. Then again, every team in the NBA would appreciate having another versatile low post option with solid baseline moves and a good jumper. There’s no real weakness in Morris’ game so he’s a good addition to a frontcourt with more one-dimensional players (a la David Lee). Gotta run!. |
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Sixers, Golden State talking Iguodala |
If you want to follow on Twitter, which is where all of this goes first, you can do there here: Deep Sixer. The 76ers and Golden State Warriors have discussed a swap of swingman Andre Iguodala for shooting guard Monta Ellis. The potential trade is a straight-up swap because the salaries of the two players match closely enough that no other players need be involved. Although there is no indication from any source that this deal is imminent, this is a trade that – if done – would be executed sooner rather than later. The timing of this trade is important because the Warriors’ draft strategy (they hold the No. 11 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft) would be altered if the trade were executed as stated above. The 2011 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23, but almost all NBA teams are currently in the process of working out draft prospects. For the Warriors, trading their starting shooting guard would, by all accounts, require them to shift focus in the draft. Again, this trade is not in its final stages, but there seems to be motivation to get it done – if it is to be executed at all – in the next 10 days. One factor to consider is Golden State’s recent hiring of head coach Mark Jackson and whether his addition, and his input, will affect a trade discussion that was already in motion. This trade makes sense for both teams because the Sixers need a consistent perimeter scorer, while the Warriors need size and defense on the perimeter to complement point guard Stephen Curry. Also of note, Curry and Iguodala played together for the USA in last summer’s World Championships. In the first part of our Sixers 2.0 series, which ran just over two weeks ago in the Sunday edition of the Inquirer, we outlined the scoring guards the Sixers would target in exchange for Iguodala. The No. 1 target on that list was Ellis – and for good reason. You can find that story here: Iguodala trade. For the Sixers, the trade makes sense because they played the entirety of the 2010-11 season without a consistent scoring option from the perimeter. While second-year point guard Jrue Holiday blossomed, he is not yet an everyday scorer. In addition, starting shooting guard Jodie Meeks is streaky from the outside and Iguodala is more of a capable defender and facilitator than an all-star level scorer. The drawback to dealing Iguodala is that the Sixers would be trading, by far, their best perimeter defender in exchange for a guy who stands 6-foot-X and is hardly known for his defense. The one thing to keep in mind with this swap is that it’s not an exact exchange in the starting lineup of Iguodala for Ellis. That is to say, Ellis would become the starting shooting guard, with Meeks moving to the bench. This would open up the starting small forward position, which would become a battle between Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young. So in essence, the Sixers are replacing Meeks with Ellis and Iguodala with either Turner or Young. They are not replacing Iguodala with Ellis. If this trade were executed, it would leave the Sixers with a backcourt of Holiday, Ellis, and Turner or Holiday, Ellis, and Young. –Kate Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com. Download our new iPhone/Android app for all of Kate’s Sixers coverage, plus app-exclusive analysis and videos. That’s all for today. |
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