Monday, July 23, 2012

SUMMER LEAGUE ROOKIE EFFICIENCY RATINGS


It could be difficult to compare players just by looking at the standard statistical categories such as points, rebounds, and assists, so the NBA has come up with an Efficiency Statistic which allows one to quickly evaluate a player's overall performance.

Efficiency formula: ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field Goals Att. - Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. - Free Throws Made) + Turnovers))

Click on names to see full stats.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: 24.00
Damian Lillard: 20.50
Terrence Jones: 19.60
John Henson: 19.25
Donatas Motiejunas: 18.50
Bernard James: 18.40
Josh Akognon: 18.00
Meyers Leonard: 16.00
Jeremy Lamb: 15.60
Tyler Zeller: 14.80
Jae Crowder: 14.60
Bradley Beal: 14.00
Will Barton: 13.40
Harrison Barnes: 12.80
Andrew Nicholson: 12.80
Perry Jones III: 12.50
Miles Plumlee: 12.00
Maalik Wayns: 12.00
Drew Viney: 12.00
John Jenkins: 11.60
Royce White: 11.60
Jacob Pullen: 11.33
Kyle O'Quinn: 11.20
Tony Wroten: 11.00
Kent Bazemore: 10.75
Andre Drummond: 10.60
Jared Sullinger: 10.60
Derwin Kitchen: 10.50
Robert Sacre: 10.40
Denzel Bowles: 10.20
Thomas Robinson: 10.20
Evan Fournier: 10.00
Draymond Green: 9.80
Mitchell Watt: 9.80
Doron Lamb: 9.75
Tornike Shengelia: 9.60
Tyshawn Taylor: 9.50
Stefhon Hannah: 9.00
Kim English: 8.60
Scott Machado: 8.60
Mike Scott: 8.60
Kendall Marshall: 8.50
Terrence Ross: 8.40
Brad Wanamaker: 8.00
Drew Gordon: 7.60
Justin Burrell: 7.20
Kevin Murphy: 7.00
Dion Waiters: 6.67
Fab Melo: 6.60
Josh Owens: 6.50
Orlando Johnson: 6.20
Maurice Harkless: 6.00
Festus Ezeli: 5.80
Joe Ragland: 5.60
Kris Joseph: 4.80
Henry Sims: 4.25
Austin Rivers: 4.00
Marquis Teague: 1.60

Saturday, July 14, 2012

JEREMY TYLER'S SHORTCUT

Jeremy Tyler skipped important steps in his development - 1 more year of high school ball and 1 year of college to learn the basics of his craft. His size and athleticism allowed him to dominate weaker competition in San Diego, but it gave him an inaccurate picture of where he stood relative to all the other star high school players who shared the same dream. Tyler thought he was ready for the pros, but was in for a rude awakening after forgoing his senior season to play professionally in Israel.

Once you get to the pros, they assume you know the basics and don't have the patience to coach you from ground up. Instead of gradually building a solid foundation, he was forced to work with what he knew and try to use it against grown, seasoned pro players 5 years older and wiser. It was a recipe for disaster and most of the blame falls on his parents. The shortcut to the pros might have netted him a early payday, but it may cost him the ability to earn millions more in the long run.

It wasn't until he got to Japan that he was able to receive personal attention from a reputable coach in Bob Hill (former Pacers coach). It was the first positive step he has taken in the journey, but it's going to take a lot more time and quality coaching to erase the bad habits from his game and to rebuild that confidence and self-awareness he so sorely needs. If the Warriors want to get the most of their raw Bigs (Tyler and now Ezeli), it would be of the utmost importance to hire the best big man coach money can buy.

It a recent interview with Rusty Simmons, he said,
"You know that perfect you, the one you see in your dreams?" Tyler said. "I realized that I've never seen myself that way in reality. I came in believing that I was already all-everything. Now I know that there are a lot of guys who are better than me. Once you start respecting the skill in this league, you start getting a lot better."

Sounds like he finally realizes that he's not as good as he thought he was. He's behind the curve now and it's up to Tyler to commit to the work ethic and mental toughness required to catch up to the rest of his peers.








Thursday, July 12, 2012

UPDATED FREE AGENT WISH LIST


Now that the Warriors have gotten a quality backup PG in Jarrett Jack via trade, targets and priorities change. Brandon Rush is still expected to return and hopefully, they can get him at a salary that starts at around $4M. I would love to bring back Dominic McGuire with the Bi-Annual Exception at $2M. That would leave the Warriors with a little over $1M to sign one more player if they want to steer clear of the Luxury Tax.

If Rush and McGuire re-sign, the roster looks like this:

PG: Curry / Jack / Jenkins
SG: Thompson / Rush
SF: Barnes / McGuire / Jefferson
PF: Lee / Green / Tyler
C: Bogut / Ezeli / Biedrins

Beefing up the front court would appear to be the biggest area of need. Unless the young bigs behind our starters (Green, Ezeli, and Tyler) show promise in Summer League, it would be wise to lean towards a player who can backup the PF and C positions. If they appear to be in decent shape in the front court, the Warriors could also lean towards adding another wing player. Whichever player they target, it would be nice to be able to land a versatile player that can play more than just one position, whether it be a SG/SF, SF/PF, or a PF/C. These are the players I would be targeting with only $1M to spend:

PG Rankings
  1. Ben Uzoh
SG Rankings
  1. Terrence Williams
  2. Marquis Daniels
SF Rankings
  1. James Singleton
  2. Damion James
  3. Chris Wright
  4. Sam Young
PF Rankings
  1. Jordan Hill
  2. Sheldon Williams
  3. Anthony Randolph
  4. Shawne Williams
  5. D.J. White
  6. Vernon Macklin
  7. Kevin Jones (undrafted)
  8. Henry Sims (undrafted)
  9. Drew Gordon (undrafted)
Overall Rankings
  1. Jordan Hill
  2. Sheldon Williams
  3. James Singleton
  4. Terrence Williams
  5. Anthony Randolph
  6. Shawne Williams
  7. Devin Ebanks
  8. D.J. White
  9. Damion James
  10. Ben Uzoh
  11. Chris Wright
  12. Vernon Macklin
  13. Kevin Jones
  14. Henry Sims
  15. Marquis Daniels
  16. Drew Gordon
  17. Sam Young






Wednesday, July 11, 2012

TOP SUMMER LEAGUE PERFORMERS - 07/11/12

Pacers 77 Celtics 85
Miles Plumlee: 33 min, 6-12 fg, 6-8 ft, 8 reb, 4 to, 3 bs, 18 pts
Lance Stevenson: 29 min, 7-15 fg, 4-6 ft, 3 ast, 7 to, 6 pf, 1 bs, 19 pts
Julian Mavunga: 28 min, 12 reb, 3 ast, 3 st, 1 blk, 8 pts
Jared Sullinger: 30 min, 7-12 fg, 2-2 ft, 8 reb, 5 to, 2 bs, 16 pts
Kris Joseph: 29 min, 4-8 fg, 1-2 3pt, 3-4 ft, +26 +/-, 7 reb, 2 ast, 3 st, 12 pts
E'twaun Moore: 24 min, 6-11 fg, 1-3 3pt, 2-2 ft, 4 reb, 3 ast, 1 bs, 15 pts

Thunder 83 Pistons 62
Cole Aldrich: 28 min, 5-7 fg, 7 reb, 1 st, 2 bs, 10 pts
Reggie Jackson: 26 min, 6-11 fg, 3-3 ft, 7 reb, 5 ast, 7 pf, 2 to, 15 pts
Garrett Temple: 28 min, 5-9 fg, 2-5 3pt, +16 +/-, 6 st, 15 pts
Austin Daye: 27 min, 5-7 fg, 2-4 3pt, 6-7 ft, 4 reb, 3 to, 18 pts
Andre Drummond: 29 min, 4-9 fg, 2-4 ft, 9 reb, 4 bs, 10 pts

Nets 71 76ers 79
Tornike Shengelia: 27 min, 5-9 fg, 1-4 3pt, 6-6 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 4 to, 17 pts
Bryant Dunston: 33 min, 6-8 fg, 7 reb, 14 pts
Marshon Brooks: 30 min, 6-13 fg, 6-9 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 st, 18 pts
Tyshawn Taylor: 29 min, 4-10 fg, 1-2 3pt, 3-4 ft, 2 ast, 12 pts
Justin Holiday: 27 min, 6-13 fg, 4-4 3pt, 2-2 ft, 6 reb, 1 bs, 18 pts
Xavier Silas: 22 min, 4-8 fg, 1-2 3pt, 3-4 ft, 4 reb, 3 ast, 12 pts

Jazz 79 Magic 75
Jeremy Evans: 18 min, 6-8 fg, 9 reb, 2 ast, 1 st, 13 pts
Enes Kanter: 29 min, 5-9 fg, 12 reb, 2 ast, 1 st, 12 pts
Alec Burks: 25 min, 5-11 fg, 5-6 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 15 pts
Andrew Nicholson: 16 min, 4-7 fg, 8-8 ft, 2 reb, 16 pts
Maalik Wayns: 22 min, 6-11 fg, 4-5 ft, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 st, 5 to, 1 bs, 16 pts

UPDATED FINANCIALS


As of now, the Warriors are about to essentially trade Dorell Wright for Jarrett Jack in a 3-way trade. It's not official yet, but if the deal were to go through, the cap situation would like something like this...


*click for larger image

The rookie salaries are only estimates and Brandon Rush's Qualifying Offer will likely be adjusted later, depending upon what salary they agree to resign him. If these numbers are close, then the Warriors still have about $3.4M to play with before hitting the Luxury Tax threshold. That's theoretically enough to resign McGuire and a lower tier PF/C like Sheldon Williams.

Current Roster (if trade goes through)
PG: Curry / Jack / Jenkins
SG: Thompson / Rush
SF: Barnes / Jefferson
PF: Lee / Green / Tyler
C: Bogut / Biedrins / Ezeli

2 open roster spots
Needs: backup PF/C and Dominic McGuire

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

TOP SUMMER LEAGUE PERFORMERS - 7/9/12 & 7/10/12

July 9 : Nets 88 Magic 92
Andrew Nicholson - 32 min, 8-16 fg, 8-12 ft, 12 reb, 1 to, 2 bs, 24 pts
Kyle O'Quinn - 30 min, 8-10 fg, 0-2 ft, 4 reb, 2 bs, 16 pts
Maalik Wayns - 28 min, 2-7 fg, 7-9 ft, 10 ast, 3 stl, 3 to, 11 pts
Al Thornton - 25 min, 6-14 fg, 1-2 3pt, 5-7 ft, 7 reb, 1 bs, 18 pts
Carleton Scott - 19 min, 6-9 fg, 3-5 3pt, 1-1 ft, 6 reb, 3 stl, 1 bs, 16 pts


July 9 : Celtics 73 Thunder 65
Dionte Christmas - 30 min, 4-9 fg, 2-6 3pt, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 to, 10 pts
Jared Sullinger - 24 min, 6-12 fg, 7-7 ft, 6 reb, 1 bs, 20 pts
Perry Jones III - 29 min, 7-17 fg, 1-1 3pt, 1-1 ft, 8 reb, 0 to, 16 pts
Lazar Hayward - 37 min, 4-14 fg, 9-9 ft, 9 reb, 1 stl, 1 bs, 18 pts
Reggie Jackson - 29 min, 7-15 fg, 5-6 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 to, 19 pts


July 9 : Jazz 73 Pistons 76
Kyle Singler - 32 min, 6-8 fg, 2 reb, 2 stl, 3 to, 1 bs, 14 pts
Kim English - 30 min, 5-9 fg, 3-4 3pt, 5-6 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 18 pts
Brandon Knight - 30 min, 4-11 fg, 9-14 ft, 5 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 2 to, 17 pts

July 9 : Pacers 69 76ers 63
Mason Plumlee - 32  min, 3-4 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 9 pts
Orlando Johnson - 35 min, 6-17 fg, 6-10 fg, 9 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 5 to, 4 ba, 19 pts


July 10 :  76ers 80 Jazz 84
Jacob Pullen - 29 min, 8-14 fg, 4-7 3pt, 3-3 ft, 4 ast, 3 to, 23 pts
Enes Kanter - 27 min, 5-9 fg, 8 reb, 1 stl, 1 bs, 10 pts
Alec Burks - 29 min, 10-14 fg, 1-2 3pt, 10-11 ft, 3 reb, 31 pts


July 10 : Pacers 78 Thunder 74
Lance Stephenson - 34 min, 10-14 fg, 2-4 3pt, 6-9 ft, 3 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 28 pts
Lazar Hayward - 35 min, 7-16 fg, 8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 to, 15 pts
Reggie Jackson - 31 min, 5-15 fg, 3-5 ft, 2 reb, 4 ast, 13 pts


July 10 : Pistons 79 Magic 74
Austin Daye - 23 min, 8-10 fg, 3-3 3pt, 5-5 ft, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 to, 1 bs, 24 pts


July 10 : Nets 73 Celtics 82
Adam Morrison - 31 min, 3-9 fg, 4-4 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 to, 10 pts
Al Thornton - 27 min, 3-13 fg, 10-11 ft, 8 reb, 2 bs, 16 pts
Jared Sullinger - 31 min, 3-12 fg, 2-3 ft, 12 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 8 pts
E'twaun Moore - 28 min, 5-12 fg, 4-4 ft, 5 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 to, 1 bs, 15 pts
Jonathan Gibson - 14 min, 5-7 fg, 3-5 3pt, 4-6 ft, 1 ast, 17 pts

Monday, July 9, 2012

SUMMER LEAGUE TEAMS TO WATCH


Warriors
PG: C. Jenkins
SG: K. Thompson
SF: H. Barnes
PF: D. Green / C. Wright
C: F. Ezeli / J. Tyler

Bobcats
PG: K. Walker
SG: C. Higgins
SF: M. Kidd-Gilchrist / J. Taylor
PF: B. Mullens
C: B. Biyombo

Cavaliers
PG: K. Irving
SG: D. Waiters
SF: K. Jones
PF: T. Thompson
C: T. Zeller

Nuggets
PG: J. Stone
SG: E. Fournier
SF: J. Hamilton
PF: Q. Miller
C: K. Faried

Pistons
PG: B. Knight
SG: K. English
SF: K. Singler
PF: A. Daye
C: A. Drummond

Rockets
PG: S. Machado
SG: J. Lamb
SF: C. Parsons / R. White
PF: T. Jones / P. Patterson / M. Morris
C: D. Motiejunas

Hornets
PG: A. Rivers
SG: X. Henry
SF: D. Miller
PF: L. Thomas
C: A. Davis

Trail Blazers
PG: D. Lillard / N. Smith
SG: W. Matthews
SF: W. Barton
PF: L. Babbitt
C: M. Leonard

Mavericks
PG: D. Jones
SG: J. Cunningham
SF: J. Crowder
PF: D. Gordon
C: B. James


Sources:

SecretRival - 2012 NBA SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER
Golden St. Warriors

Saturday, July 7, 2012

WARRIORS WORKS FREE AGENT WISH LIST


The Golden State Warriors appear to be exercising patience this free agency period after making a big splash in last month's draft. They came away with three quality players in Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, and Draymond Green. There are only three more roster spots open, one of them likely reserved for a re-signed Brandon Rush.

Current Roster
PG: Curry / Jenkins
SG: Thompson
SF: Barnes / Wright / Jefferson
PF: Lee / Green / Tyler
C: Bogut / Ezeli / Biedrins

If Rush returns as the backup SG as planned, the biggest need becomes backup PG or combo guard that can run the offense. If Jenkins shows big improvement in his ability to run a team in Summer League, the Warriors may throw most of their remaining resources at a veteran backup PF/C. If not, they may invest most of their Mid-Level Exception ($5M) in a veteran PG. The later would also be true if the young fowards and centers show extreme promise in Summer League as well. Hopefully, this is the case so that the Warriors can just focus on signing the best available asset in their price range, regardless of position.

Here are a list of free agents who are attainable given the Warriors' desire to stay under the Luxury Tax:


Point Guard / Shooting Guard Rankings

  1. Ben Uzoh : 5.59 ppr (pure point rating)
  2. Jerryd Bayless * : 3.53 ppr
  3. Kirk Hinrich * : 2.35 ppr
  4. Marco Belinelli : -0.12 ppr
  5. Patrick Mills : -0.10 ppr
  6. Alexey Shved : 1.75 ppr
  7. Nate Robinson : 6.50 ppr
  8. Sundiata Gaines: 3.93 ppr
  9. Armon Johnson : -20.00 ppr (small sample size)
  10. Ishmael Smith: 5.33 ppr


Power Forward / Center Rankings
  1. J.J. Hickson * : 20.2 PER
  2. Jordan Hill * : 19.3 PER, 15.1 rp40
  3. Dominic McGuire : 1.47 ppr
  4. Darrel Arthur : 15.7 PER
  5. Boris Diaw : 12.1 PER, 0.75 ppr
  6. Chris Wright: 18.7 PER, 9.7 rp40, 2.8 bp40
* salary at or above $4M

Potential Roster
PG: Curry / Jenkins / Uzoh
SG: Thompson / Rush
SF: Barnes / Wright / Jefferson
PF: Lee / Hickson / Green / Tyler
C: Bogut / Ezeli / Biedrins

Ben Uzoh gives the Warriors another backup PG, but more importantly, he is a great compliment to Curry and Jenkins. His length, fearlessness attacking the rim, and ability to defend and rebound make him a valuable player. He's strong enough to slide over to the SG spot as well. He is only 24 years old, so there is still a little upside to his game. If he can improve on his jumpshot, sky's the limit.

Hickson is still a raw big man at 23 years old, but he has shown many times why he can become a future starter in the NBA. He'll be Lee's primary backup, but also has the experience and size to help Bogut at center. Hickson is a terrific rebounder and adept shot blocker. If coached to play to his strengths and to play within himself, he can be a special player.

Friday, July 6, 2012

WARRIOR FREE AGENT EFFECT


The lackluster track record on former Warrior free agents going to other teams will likely help us get a good price on Brandon Rush (RFA) and Dominic McGuire.

Teams have gotten burned on lower tier free agents like Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Morrow, Reggie Williams, C.J. Watson, Anthony Toliver, etc. Word is out that it's the Warriors' system that makes mediocre players look very good and that paying them based on what they did at Golden State could be a bad investment.

Rush and McGuire haven't established themselves in the league prior to coming here, so I could see GM's reluctant to bet that they would continue or improve on their career years at Golden State. At to the casual observer who has not followed the Warriors closely, their statistics don't seem to warrant big money. The Warriors are doing the right thing by playing it cool while other teams throw crazy money at more highly regarded free agents.

These seem like reasonable deals:
Rush for $3.5M (made $3.0M last season)
McGuire for $1.9M (made $0.9M last season)
Uzoh for $0.7M (made $0.2M last season)

Luxury tax avoided.

PG: Curry / Uzoh / Jenkins
SG: Thompson / Rush / Wright
SF: Barnes / McGuire / Jefferson
PF: Lee / Green / Tyler
C: Bogut / Ezeli / Biedrins

Wright at SG might seem like a stretch, but he's shown that he can guard that position. This roster looks very good and even our 3rd team could hold their own against some opposing 2nd teams.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

2012 SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER & SCHEDULE

Guards
20 Kent Bazemore G/F 6-5 195 7/1/89 Old Dominion
18 Justin Hurtt G 6-5 205 10/3/88 Tulsa
22 Charles Jenkins G 6-3 220 2/28/89 Hofstra
21 Joe Ragland G 6-0 185 11/11/89 Wichita State
7 Frank Robinson G 6-4 220 6/1/84 Cal State Fullerton
6 Garrett Sim G 6-2 185 7/10/90 Oregon
32 Dar Tucker G 6-4 205 4/11/88 DePaul
9 Maalik Wayns G 6-2 200 5/2/91 Villanova
19 Andre Young G 5-9 170 3/16/90 Clemson
11 Klay Thompson G/F 6-7 220 2/8/90 Washington State

Forwards
40 Harrison Barnes F 6-8 210 5/30/92 North Carolina
25 Justin Burrell F 6-8 244 4/18/88 St. John's
23 Draymond Green F 6-7 230 3/4/90 Michigan State
52 Dallas Lauderdale F 6-8 260 9/11/88 Ohio State
35 Wendell McKines F 6-6 230 8/18/88 New Mexico State
50 Rakim Sanders F 6-5 228 7/8/89 Fairfield
45 Andre Smith F 6-8 242 2/21/85 North Dakota State
34 Kyle Weems F 6-6 226 8/23/89 Missouri State
33 Chris Wright F 6-8 226 9/30/88 Dayton

Centers
31 Festus Ezeli C 6-11 255 10/21/89 Vanderbilt
3 Jeremy Tyler F/C 6-10 260 6/21/91 San Diego HS


Although Klay Thompson is likely not going to play due to his commitment to train with the USA Select Team, the Warriors will once again field a strong team going into Las Vegas. Players of note are:

PG: Charles Jenkins / Maalik Wayns
SG: Kent Bazemore
SF: Harrison Barnes / Wendell McKines / Rakim Sanders
PF: Draymond Green / Chris Wright / Kyle Weems
C: Jeremy Tyler / Festus Ezeli


Rakim Sanders
PER: 23.25


Positives: strong, athletic wing; excellent rebounder for size; excellent defender can guard multiple positions
Negatives: old for class; lasks a great perimeter game


Maalik Wayns
PER: 21.02


Positives: quick, athletic point guard; good court vision; crafty guard knows how to get to rim
Negatives: can be a bit turnover prone; needs to improve his jumpshot; plays below the rim







Wendell McKines
PER: 25.4


Positives: athletic, quick; great motor; ferocious rebounder
Negatives: undersized, needs to improve jumpshot











Kyle Weems
PER: 20.7 (27.8 last season)


Positives: strong frame; great scoring SF/PF; good 3pt shooter; blocks shots and rebounds well; takes care of the ball
Negatives: average athlete; needs to improve ability to drive and score in the paint; average lateral quickness



2012 Summer League Schedule

Friday, July 13
L.A. Lakers
5:00 p.m.
Cox Pavilion

Saturday, July 14
Denver Nuggets
3:00 p.m.
Cox Pavilion

Wednesday, July 18
Miami Heat
7:30 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center

Friday, July 20
Chicago Bulls
5:30 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center

Saturday, July 21
New Orleans Hornets
3:30 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center