http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/22699 Recent articles about Marco Belinelli en-us I wanted to see some of our rooks and young cats play minutes to get an idea of what this season is going to be like, so I dropped some fat ducats ($20) on a couple of pre-season tickets for this evenings' Warriors / OKC Thunder game (preseason game 10/11). Firstly, I've got to say how much I already miss the Supersonics. I've got lots of good memories of GP, Detlef Shrempf and X-Man ballin' up in the Pacific Northwest. This relocated franchise ain't got nothing on the Supersonics. Could they have gotten a more generic name and uni? Might as well be the OKC Mudkips, and be a D-League team. So, the Arena was less than half full. It reminded me of the bad old days when the likes of Vonteego Cummings and Bobby Sura graced the roster. Anyhoo, this allowed me to move down to the good seats and get a better look at the action on the floor. It was also the first game I have been to without Thunder---the mascot. Pour one out for our MIA homie. Biedrins, 'Buke and Maggette got DNPs. That didn't bother me so much, considering we know what they bring to the floor. Earlier in the day I had heard some noise about how the PG spot is up for grabs (due to Monta being out of service 'til Dec), so we got a good look at a few different ball handlers. 3rd year man Marcus Williams and CJ Watson both got a few minutes of play, but the bulk of the ball-handling minutes seemed to go to undrafted rookie DeMarcus Nelson and Marco Belinelli. Nelson impressed with a couple of dunks thru traffic, but Belinelli was the bigger surprise to me. This kid can shoot. And he has a little bit of floor vision too, dishing out 6 assists on top of his game high 22 points. I am a bit afraid that Marco is going to be the proto-typical Euro player. Gifted on the offensive end, soft on the defensive end. I think I saw him fall down while guarding Thunder players at least 3 or 4 times. He should be able to work his way into Nellie's rotation, even with Jax and Maggette playing somewhat similar roles. Beanpoles Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright both saw some PT. If these guys get any significant playing time this year, the Dubs will have the most willowy front line in the league. Both of these cats can jump, and float pretty well to the rim. Unfortunately, neither are real bangers, and will get eaten alive by the more talented (bigger) PFs in the league. The Dubs really need a forward with a Gary Trent type body. And that guy is rookie Richard Hendrix. This kid is 6'9", 260# and looks like he can bang underneath with the best of them. Unfortunately, I also saw him miss a few lay-ups, including one uncontested. The Dubs need big men with solid bodies, but not ones with bad hands ( ie. DJ Mbenga). Hopefully the missed lay-ups were just preseason jitters. Ronny Turiaf played a few uneventful minutes. It looked like his head wasn't in the game, cause he had a couple of turnovers, including one on an inbounds play. If anyone watches the Lakes, you already know what he brings to the floor. Intangibles, hard work, good energy. I don't know if I would have paid this kid so much money for the intangibles alone, but if he can bring 8 and 8 a night, it will be worth it. The other surprise of the night, besides Belinelli, was Al Harrington. Al was SUPER aggressive tonight. He drove to the hoop, had a couple fade aways and a dunk. I've got to say that I am not a big fan of his game. The league doesn't really have much use for 6'10" shooting guards with no post game. He's streaky, and overpaid ($9.2M this year) for what you get (40% shooting and 13ppg and 5rpg). Al was a black hole. When someone tossed him the ball, it just got sucked in and never came back out. He also shot 0-4 from behind the arc (not a surprise). I am pretty sure it's a contract year for him, so expect him to be extra selfish this year. The Dubs play two games against Memphis early in the season, so I don't think they will go 0-6 for the 2nd year in a row. Other than that, I am crossing my fingers and hoping that they can play some decent basketball this season. 42-40 seasons are MUCH more fun to watch than 21-61 seasons. Oh yeah, the Dubs won 122-102. For the Thunder, Damien Wilkins looked solid. Kevin Durant played alot of minutes and scored 16, but had a terrible field goal percentage (shot 4 of 16). The Thunder are probably going to have a lackluster season. Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:23:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/349158 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/349158 Let me just start off by saying YEAH YEAH YEAHHHHHH!!!! It's freaking basketball (pre) season!!!!!!! I don't care if it's only pre-season I am just excited to get back to the arena & eat some nachos, drink some beer and watch some ball! Now I'll tell ya what I'm NOT excited about. I am not excited about our options at the pg position. Both Watson and Williams played just like what they are BACK UPS! I feel like both of them could make a solid contribution off the bench, but I don't like either as a starter right now. I love that even though there were so many roster changes this off season we are still playing at a high tempo. This is one of the reasons I love the Warriors. I am also feeling very very good about Turiaf. He had 7 assists in 24 mins! On a side note - my friend met him last week and said he is so nice and he goes by the nickname Mac-a-ronny. I hope that Belinelli can keep up his momentum from Summer league. He had 14 points. Randolph is scary with all his turnovers. Harrington's performance was spotty as it was last season. Although he is looking especially buffed and yummy. I've provided a photo for all my lady friends. You're welcome. I am hoping that David Stern will introduce a new rule that completely negates any activity that happens in the 3rd quarter. I think the Warriors game plan includes a full turkey dinner at half time cause they are always looking SLLLOW out of the locker room! There are so many unknowns going in to the season it is hard to take away a solid sense of how things will turn out. It will remain to be seen how the new meshes with the old. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:16:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345706 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345706 LAST SEASON The Warriors were an impressive 48-34 (their best record since '93-94), but they failed to make the playoffs in the ultra-tough Western Conference. Fantasy-wise, they were one of the top teams, as their 98.8 pace factor (2nd) helped them to finish 1st in points, 1st in field goal attempts, 1st in three point attempts, 2nd in steals, and 6th in total rebounds. OFFSEASON MOVES Key Additions: Corey Maggette, Marcus Williams, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph, Richard Hendrix Key Losses: Baron Davis, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, Austin Croshere, Patrick O'Bryant It was a VERY busy offseason for Chris Mullin & company. After Baron Davis exercised his opt-out clause at the last minute to bolt for L.A., they were left scrambling to try and replace the man who revitalized their franchise. Step 1: sign Corey Maggette to replace Baron's scoring punch. I think $50 million for 5 years is way too much money (3 years, $20 million sounds right to me), but there's no denying his ability to put the ball in the hole. Step 2: add the high-energy Ronny Turiaf for interior defense and frontcourt depth. The Warriors have been missing an athletic banger for years, and for $17 million over 4 years, I like this move a lot. Step 3: bring in a talented point guard (Marcus Williams) with the potential to blossom. Step 4: bring back Azubuike to lessen the blow of losing both Pietrus & Barnes. Step 5: re-sign Monta Ellis & Andris Biedrins to long-term deals. At just 22 years old and improving every year, both guys are franchise cornerstones. Not to be forgotten are the Warriors' rookies. Randolph is a super-skinny forward with versatile skills and a promising future. He proved to be very adept at getting to the free throw line in Summer League action, but it remains to be seen how much he'll contribute as a rookie. I was hoping the Warriors would draft Richard Hendrix in Round 2, and they did just that. He's a coach's son who graduated college in THREE years, and has been compared to fellow 2nd rounders Paul Millsap & Carl Landry. And last but not least is the undrafted Anthony Morrow. In 7 Summer League games, Morrow averaged 18.1 points and made 17-of-23 threes, and was so impressive that the Warriors inked him to a 2-year deal. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME Let's start at center, where Biedrins started 59 games and played 29 mpg in those, but then came off the bench for 17 games and played just 21.9 mpg, resulting in a 27.4 average. Al Harrington also started 59 games and averaged 27.0 minutes of action. For '08-09, I'm projecting 30 minutes for Biedrins, 24-26 minutes for Harrington, and 20-22 minutes for the newcomer Turiaf. Brandan Wright played just 9.9 minutes per in 38 games as a rookie, but he should get at least 12 minutes per in 60+ games as a sophomore. Kosta Perovic & Hendrix will battle for the remaining big man minutes. At the swingman spots, Stephen Jackson (39.1 mpg) and Maggette (35.7 mpg) will likely start and play big minutes once again. I'm currently projecting 36-38 minutes for S-Jack, 34-36 minutes for Maggette, and 18-20 minutes for Azubuike off the bench. Monta Ellis (38.0 mpg) is currently slated to start at PG for the Warriors. I'm projecting him to play 38 minutes once again while he splits his time evenly at both guard spots. Marcus Williams could potentially start at point (which makes him worth a last round gamble), but right now I'm projecting him to come off the bench and play 16-18 minutes per game. This means there won't be many minutes left for Marco Belinelli and the Anthony rookies (Randolph & Morrow) unless someone gets hurt. DON'T SLEEP ON: Andris Biedrins Last season, Biedrins was just a few rebounds shy of averaging a double-double, a feat that only 9 players accomplished. Of course, this didn't stop him from pulling down an NBA season-high 26 boards against the Knicks, and if you throw out the 17 games in which he didn't start, Biedrins averaged 10.5 rebounds per game (would have ranked 8th instead of 11th). He also led the league in FG% at 62.6%, a year after finishing 3rd at 59.9% FG. Not to be forgotten is Biedrins' steadily improving FT%. After shooting an embarassing 30.6% FT in '05-06, he improved to 52.1% FT in '06-07, and then finally a semi-decent 62.0% FT in '07-08. However, the main reason I'm high on Andris is because his blocks are sure to go up. He swatted just 1.24 shots per game last season, which was well below his career-high of 1.66 from the season prior. With more minutes and some help from Ronny Turiaf (5th in blocks per 48 minutes), AB should have no problem increasing his blocks in '08-09. Some people might be afraid that Andris will take it easy now that he has a fat contract, but I know my Warrior centers, and Biedrins is no Erick Dampier. BE CAREFUL OF: Al Harrington From a fantasy hoops perspective, here's what to like about Harrington: he's a center-eligible player who made 1.9 threes per game last year. Now here's what NOT to like: he's a horrible rebounder & shot-blocker, he's shot over 78% FT just once in his career, he shoots a poor FG% because of the threes, and he's likely going to play less in '08-09 because of Turiaf, Wright, and Hendrix. Some people are going to use a Top 100 pick on Harrington because of the treys, but I suggest waiting until Round 11 at the earliest. ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) Click the link to find out! Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:07:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309885 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309885 The Golden State Warriors are now rebuilding the franchise and adding much needed depth to their bench. Because star point guard Baron Davis opted out of his 17.8 million instead to play for the LA Clippers and his hometown, Golden State has done everything possible to fill his playmaking, scoring void and then some. Other former Warriors that have earned spots on other teams (including Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, and female fan-favorite Matt Barnes). With their star PG leaving, two swingmen, and 2006 draft pick center, the Warriors made drastic moves trying to land 2 big names in this years free-agency market: Gilbert Arenas and Elton Brand. We didn't end up landing either one of those players, but did lure another Clipper to the team: swingman Corey Maggette. This means that Monta moves up to the PG position, Stephen Jackson plays the 2 guard spot, and leaves Maggette at small forward. Al Harrington is still projected to start at the PF position while Andris Biedrins is rounding out the Warriors front court. There is much talk about whether or not Monta can truly facilitate because Monta is much better at scoring than creating for others, Warriors management and personel still have high hopes to see Monta develop his playmaking skills. Returning Warriors include the italian sharpshooter Marco Belinelli, Brandon Wright, Al Harrington, Kosta Perovic, CJ Watson, and Kelenna Azubuike (who had been offered a deal from the Clippers, only to be matched by golden state) as well as newly re-signed center Andris Biedrins, who was signed to a lengthy 6 year 63 million dollar deal. Newest additions to the team are draft picks, both from the SEC, Anthony Randolph and Richard Hendrix. Both showed much talent in the Las Vegas and Salt Lake summer leagues, and put up some impressive numbers. Randolph showed some dazzling putback dunks and a great knack for getting to the line and converting on freethrows. The Dubs have signed both former SEC stars and added along another Anthony to the team, Anthony Morrow, who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech. He Salt Lakes summer league MVP and posted up great numbers in scoring as well as field goal precentage, especially beyond the arc (.692). Warriors also added to their bench signing PF/C Ronny Turiaf and PG Marcus Williams. The Dubs hope that Marcus can provide a good 12-15 minutes off the bench as a back-up PG in order to spell Monta at the '1' spot, while Turiaf is projected to be a solid back up and arge presence in the paint for Biedrins. Warriors got younger and a bit more athletic , and hopes to have a more productive bench this upcoming season. The question now is not whether the Dubs can put up as many points, but rather if a sense of ergency comes to them so we dont have to see them come back from such large deficits, as well as gel...seeing as how the face of the team has changed. One this is for certain,the team may have gotten faster, and with Monta as the new face of the franchise, the Warriors have a very bright future ahead of them. check out the dope ass background i made for myself...go ahead , copy and paste ...haha Feel free to leave a comment on who you think will be the primary starting five, as well as the second string and back up positions for this upcoming season... Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:17:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/297314 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/297314 The Warriors are leaving Las Vegas as one of the three top teams in the NBA Summer League at 4-1. Tied with the Nuggets and Bucks, their only loss was to Northern California rival, the Sacramento Kings. 'We Believe' fans should be delighted that first round pick, Anthony Randolph, was a star for the Warriors while averaging 20.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:58:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293231 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293231 Well - got back yesterday & I can safely say that 4 days in Vegas is too much. Just wanted to throw some thoughts out there for discussion... CJ Watson looked pretty good. He was a total ball thief which was nice - I think he will make a mighty fine back up for whomever we get. Brandan Wright is still looking like he has a lot of potential but the guy gets thrown around alot! He still needs to bulk up considerably - especially if the rumors about Harrington leaving are true. Belinelli....what can I say about Belinelli? He played very nice - he was leading the team very well - he had 30 points. Lets just hope this carries over to the regular season to make up for some of what will be missing with Baron gone. The question I still have is - what does everyone else think of Amundson? He looked like a nice option to fill in some space under the basket. If they do get rid of Harrington the Warriors will be looking very malnourished & need someone that can clear space for Monta to drive through. Plus they will also be lacking some eye candy if they don't match the Clips offer for Azubuike. He will fit this role very nicely. ;-) I didn't get to see Randolph or Hendrix play which was kind of dissapointing - but there's always the regular season. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:50:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292400 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292400 With 5 games in play, Jason Thompson highlighted the whole day when the Kings won with his game-winning 3 point play in OT to edge the Blazers by one point. Along with two 30 point games by Marco Belinelli and D.J. Augustin, the summer league's top stars continue to shine. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:43:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291359 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291359 Bobby Brown rises in summer league scoring 20 points including the go-ahead shot, while Arron Affalo and Marco Bellinelli each scored 25 points leading to wins for their teams, and see why Clippers' lottery pick Eric Gordon is out for the rest of summer league after playing 2 games. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:32:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290271 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290271 Now that the whole Baron Davis, Elton Brand saga has finally been decided, it is important to look at the remaining players on the Warriors' roster to see what the team will have to deal with. Monta Ellis will probably be moved to the starting PG position, and this raises some questions. Can Monta still look for his shot and score at a high level while running the team? Most of the roster doesn't need a PG to set up their offensive game, with the exception of Andris Biedrins but he gets all his points off of boards and hustle anyway. Marco Belinelli is playing well this summer and there are a few young players trying to make the roster that could help out, one of them being former Duke starter DeMarcus Nelson. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:20:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290268 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290268 Rookies tend to get most of the hoopla during Summer League action, but the reality is that very few of them will make an immediate fantasy impact. So here are a few non-rookies to look out for. Not all of them are worth drafting, but all have the potential to put up nice numbers if they continue to improve and the opportunity presents itself. Some non-rookies who looked great in Summer League 2007 and carried that momentum into the regular season include: Louis Williams, Francisco Garcia, Kelenna Azubuike, and Jason Maxiell (all had solid fantasy value at some point last season). Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:19:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287882 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287882 Nellie officially announced he's coming back for another season. He expects Baron to do the same. He plans to work Wright & Belinelli into the rotation. Good news for the core of the team that was worked to the bone last season. I am happy to hear he is exploring the option of subbing. :) He also talks about his hope for a big man. He says that he won't trade away the 14th pick. The Warriors will start working out prospects today. Can't wait to see who they pick! Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:51:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274438 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274438 We are at the point of the season, well to be honest, where our attention begins to wane. The basketball season is long, really long. Plus, we have to start preparing for our fantasy baseball drafts, right? So to help you make the most of the time you have left to spend on your fantasy basketball teams, let's take a look at a group of players that could have a significant impact in the last month and a half of the season: the rookies. It is hard to still call these first year players rookies, as many have played the amount of games that would be an equivalent to almost two college basketball seasons. Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:09:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179194 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179194 Area 51 (Sean Williams) leads a talented class of mid-first round rookies. Take a look as Mike analyzes the current draft class in depth at Fantasy Basketball Pros! Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:44:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/139955 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/139955 FIO staff writer Jorge Menocal takes a look at how some of this year's top NBA rookies coming into the season are presently performing. Find out which players are exceeding expectations, and which are having some first-year struggles (and could be potential busts). Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:42:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49784 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49784 Ahh the life of a Bay Area Sports Fan..The Positive Spin All I can say is I am happy it is basketball season. The Warriors are the most exciting team in the NBA right now and the hottest ticket in town. While tickets are harder to come by, it's refreshing to see Oracle jumping every night with adrenaline filled fans cheering on fast break dunks and alley oops. The best part is the Warriors are a perfect blend of savvy veterans, all-star caliber players and improving young guns. As for the A's, the trade of Dan Haren appears to be the first step in the rebuilding process. Joe Blanton and Huston Street have been mentioned in trade rumors, and Blanton is sure to make a big splash on the free agent market next season. However, there are some positives heading into 08. Nick Swisher had a bit of an off year in 07, but is still one of the most promising young stars in baseball. Kurt Suzuki, Travis Buck and Daric Barton probably all would have been star prospects coming into this season, however, injuries to the A's brought them up early. The growth of these players and the health of the core, Chavy, Crosby and Ellis could lead to competition before many A's fans would have expected. (This has Mark Mulder-Tim Hudson trades written all over it to me.) While the Niners seaon has been disappointing, some positives have emerged. Patrick Willis was an absolute steal at the 11th pick of the draft, and his rookie season was nothing short of spectacular. I hope to see him patrolling the middle of the field for a long time in the burgundy and gold. Nate Clements lived up to his contract and nickname of Lockdown, all season long. And finally, the Sharks. How can you not be happy when you look at the team's roster. Despite some struggles at home, the Sharks still lead the Pacific and feature three All-Star caliber forwards to go along with a solid goalie and gritty D. On a side note get Eric Byrnes his own show on KNBR, QUIT THE DBACKS AND STAY IN THE BOOTH BYRNSIE! or just come back to the A's that would work too. So life is good as a Bay Area Sports Fan Oh yeah and GO CATS- FINAL 4 I'm calling it Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:13:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49521 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49521