SUMMER LEAGUE SUPREMACY

Summer league rosters are starting to take shape. Thanks to Marco Belinelli, the Warriors always put on a show with their high-octane offense. Belinelli is not going to play this year, but here is the roster so far:

Warriors 2009 Summer League Roster
PG: Stephen Curry | Acie Law | Jared Jordan
SG: Anthony Morrow | Cartier Martin
SF: Joe Ingles | Lawrence Hill | Quan Prowell
PF: Anthony Randolph | Lawrence Roberts
C: Jermareo Davidson | Jamal Sampson | Conner Atchley

It would have been nice to see Wright, but potential trades prevent that from happening.

Other teams with impressive summer league rosters include:

76ers/Nets
PG: Jrue Holiday | Blake Ahearn
SG: Chris Douglas-Roberts | Dionte Christmas
SF: Terrence Williams
PF: Marreese Speights | Rob Kurz
C: Brook Lopez

Thunder
PG: Russell Westbrook | Shaun Livingston
SG: James Harden | Kyle Weaver
SF: Robert Vaden
PF: DeVon Hardin
C: Serge Ibaka

Clippers
PG: Mike Taylor
SG: Eric Gordan
SF: Al Thornton
PF: Blake Griffin
C: DeAndre Jordan

Bucks
PG: Brandon Jennings | Dominic James
SG: Salim Stoudamire | Jodie Meeks
SF: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
PF: Joe Alexander

Kings
PG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Donte Green | Omri Casspi
PF: Jason Thompson
C: Jon Brockman


The 76ers/Nets super-team looks to have the strongest roster. Clippers look formidable with Thornton returning for the 4th year running with #1 pick Blake Griffin. The Warriors are among the favorites to do well, but it will be a tougher going without Summer League legend, Marco Belinelli.

Las Vegas Summer League Schedule
More Summer League Rosters - Ridiculous Upside

POLL RESULTS: POINT GUARD

Who is the best point guard for the Warriors?

Ricky Rubio: 60 votes (29%)
Jrue Holiday: 37 votes (18%)
Jonny Flynn: 33 votes (16%)
Brandon Jennings: 32 votes (15%)
Stephen Curry: 26 votes (12%)
Tyreke Evans: 16 votes (7%)

Very interesting results. The least popular player, Evans, was drafted ahead of all the point guards in the poll, even Ricky Rubio. Curry, the 2nd lowest, is now considered a very popular pick after the Warriors select him at #7. Nelson is talking Curry up big time, so that may be changing a lot of people's minds. He is known to be a very shrewd evaluator of guard talent and had Curry ranked as the #2 overall prospect behind only Blake Griffin. Let's hope his right.

SUNS CRY FOUL

Rumors began circulating hours before the draft of a trade that would send Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, and the #7 Pick to the Suns for Amare Stoudemire was going to take place. Even before the pick, however, ESPN was assured that the Warriors were picking for themselves. The deal wasn't official and was still in the negotiating stage. It was only verbal and it was non-binding. Don Nelson even went out of his way to alert everyone that a deal for Amare was far from being struck. Why do the Suns assume that Curry is theirs? After learning that their 2nd ranked prospect fell to them at #7, the Warriors decided to nix the original deal and go in a different direction. The Suns are now being offered an entirely separate proposal that doesn't include the 7th pick. Suns need to negotiate from there, not cry foul.

If they had the original deal, including the #7 pick, in writing, that's a different story. But that would be almost impossible to do without the Warriors first conducting a physical and sitting down with Amare to hammer out an extension.

Now the Suns have the option of accepting the latest proposal or to make concessions to have Curry included. Kerr and his staff need to stop acting like the victims - trying to make the Warriors look like they are crooks. They are only embarrassing themselves by allowing too many details of the deal to be leaked prematurely, getting their fans' hopes up, and now finding that what was agreed to verbally was no longer on the table. This happens all the time. The Suns look like amateurs and should get deals in writing with the terms clearly outlined before they go to the press. Lesson learned.




Related Links
Suns admit talks to G.S., not comment on particulars - KRAR.com
Curry likes Warriors' style ... seriously - Ray Ratto
Don Nelson to Stephen Curry: Unpack your bags and relax - Marcus Thompson II
Nelson: Curry will stay with Warriors - AP
Suns won't get Curry for Stoudemire - The Arizona Republic
Curry pick part of likely Amare deal - The Arizona Republic

NBA 2009 MOCK DRAFT 6.0

1. Clippers - Blake Griffin
   
2. Grizzlies - Ricky Rubio
   
3. Thunder - Hasheem Thabeet
   
4. Kings - Tyreke Evans
   
5. Timberwolves - James Harden
   
6. Timberwolves - Stephen Curry
   
7. Warriors - Brandon Jennings
8. Knicks - Jordan Hill
   
9. Raptors - DeMar DeRozan
   
10. Bucks - Jrue Holiday
    
11. Nets - Terrence Williams
    
12. Bobcats - Earl Clark
    
13. Pacers - Jonny Flynn
    
14. Suns - Austin Daye
    
15. Pistons - Ty Lawson
    
16. Bulls - B.J. Mullens
    
17. 76ers - Eric Maynor
    
18. Timberwolves - James Johnson
    
19. Hawks - Jeff Teague
    
20. Jazz - Tyler Hansbrough
21. Hornets - Gerald Henderson
    
22. Trail Blazers - Omri Casspi
    
23. Kings - DeJuan Blair
    
24. Mavericks - Patrick Mills
    
25. Thunder - DeMarre Carroll
    
26. Bulls - Sam Young
    
27. Grizzlies - Nick Calathes
28. Timberwolves - Chase Budinger
    
29. Knicks - Jonas Jerebko
    
30. Cavaliers - DaJuan Summers
    

IS CURRY THE ONE?

There has been a lot of chatter in the press about Stephen Curry (and Jordan Hill) being the Warriors target at #7 tomorrow. How can we be so sure that Curry is not another J.J. Redick struggling to be relevant in the NBA?

Some say he's a PG, but I'm not so sure that's the case. He just recently made the transition from SG to PG last year and only did a fair job in a weak conference (1.5 A/T, 3.7 TO). He may continue to improve, but after watching the Patty Mills vs. Stephen Curry match-up, I still see a lot of question marks that give me pause when drafting. He wasn't automatic, could not lead his team to victory against a lower ranked opponent, and was the 2nd best player on the court that night. I suspect that there will be more nights where he 'struggles' than not in the NBA.

Curry is an incredible shooter, but he's not particularly adept at doing anything else. I see him having the same problems at getting his shot contested as Redick and I have my doubts about whether he can fill the role of PG for this team. He's not particularly quick or explosive, has average handles for a 1, not a creative finisher at the rim, and is only 6'-3" with a slight frame. Why not target a true PG and let Morrow and Belinelli be our designated 3 point assassins. It would make for a more balanced roster in a roster already loaded with tweeners and offensive punch.

For Curry to be worth the trouble, he'd have to continue to develop as a PG, prove that he can play vs. the best athletes in the world, maintain the supreme confidence in his jumpshot (something Redick and many other highly touted shooters from the college ranks have failed to do), and hope that his intangibles and basketball IQ allow him to become more than just a fringe starter inthe NBA. With all that said, if he falls to 7 and Nelson believes he's worth the gamble, then I'll give it a chance.

ESPN Game Log

WARRIORS DRAFT WORKOUT LIST

The following is a list of players that have worked out or are scheduled to work out for the Warriors in a private or group session:

June 1
Luke Harangody - Notre Dame PF
Joe Ingles - South Dragons (NBL) SF
Damion James - Texas PF/SF
Jeff Pendergraph - Arizona State PF
Marcus Thornton - LSU SG
Sam Young - Pittsburgh SF
Derrick Brown - Xavier PF
Taj Gibson - USC PF
Eric Maynor - VCU PG
Patrick Mills - Saint Mary's PG
Jeff Teague - Wake Forest PG/SG
Patrick Beverley - Dnipro PG

June 2
Chase Budinger - Arizona SG/SF
Dionte Christmas - Temple SG
Gani Lawal - Georgia Tech PF
Ater Majok - Connecticut PF
Terrence Williams - Louisville SG/SF
Omri Casspi - Maccabi Tel Aviv SF
Darren Collison - UCLA PG
Austin Daye - Gonzaga SF
Daniel Hackett - USC PG/SG
BJ Mullens - Ohio State C
Luke Nevill - Utah C

June 4
DeMar DeRozan - USC SG/SF

June 6
Earl Clark - Louisville SF/PF
James Johnson - Wake Forest SF/PF
Marcus Johnson - UCS SG/SF
K.C. Rivers - Clemson SG
Garrett Temple - LSU SG/PG
Dar Tucker - DePaul SG

June 10
DeJuan Blair - Pittsburgh PF
Josh Heytvelt - Gonzaga PF
Gani Lawal - Georgia Tech PF

June 11
Gary Wilkinson - Utah State PF
Brandon Jennings - Lottomatica Roma PG
Jonny Flynn - Syracuse PG
Lawrence Hill - Stanford PF
Courtney Fells - North Carolina State SG
Aron Baynes - Washington State C

June 12
Jordan Hill - Arizona PF
New Jersey Group Workouts:
Lester Hudson - Tenn-Martin SG
Austin Daye - Gonzaga SF
Omri Casspi - Israel SF
Darren Collison - UCLA PG
Derrick Brown - Xavier PF
Gani Lawal - Georgia Tech PF
Eric Maynor - VCU PG
Jimmy Baron - URI PG/SG
Chase Budinger - Arizona SG
Joe Ingles - Australia SF
Jeff Teague - Wake Forest PG
Paul Harris - Syracuse SG

June 13
Lee Cummard - BYU SG/SF
DaJuan Summers - Georgetown SF
Damion James - Texas SF
Nick Calathes - Florida SG/PG
Wes Matthews - Marquette SG
Danny Green - UNC SF
Greivis Vasquez - Maryland SG
Wayne Ellington - UNC SG
Taj Gibson - USC PF
Patrick Beverley - Ukraine PG
Ahmad Nivins - St. Joseph's PF

June 14
Ryan Toolson - Utah Valley SG
Luke Harangody - Notre Dame PF
Jack McClinton - Miami SG
Josh Heytvelt - Gonzaga PF
Luke Nevill - Utah C



Warriors Draft Blog

WARRIORS SUMMER LEAGUE SCHEDULE

Once again, the Warriors will be conducting their Summer League action in Las Vegas. I haven't heard if they are doing Salt Lake City, Utah again, but I hope so considering they only have 5 games to see how everyone is progressing.

Fri. July 10: vs. Rockets
Sat. July 11: vs. Kings
Mon. July 13: vs. Pistons
Tue. July 14: vs. Bulls
Thur. July 16: vs. Hornets

Current Warriors (and some that may return) that could possibly play:

PG: Watson
SG: Belinelli
SF: Morrow
PF: Randolph / Wright
C: Davidson / Kurz
#7 Pick

ROAD TRIP!!!!

WARRIORS HOT SPOTS 2008/2009

Thanks to EA Sports' "NBA Hot Spots", we are able to track how well players shoot from all over the court. Here are all the Warriors charts for the 2008/2009 season. Red indicates hot shooting, grey is for average, and blue is for cold. Click on each chart to enlarge.

BRANDON JENNINGS HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

I have a feeling my first choice, Jrue Holiday will be gone by the 7th pick. Time for a backup plan - Brandon Jennings.

I know it's a highlight mix but the things you see in the video (apart from the shooting) are things that are established parts of his game: ball-handling, creativity, passing, quickness, explosiveness, steals, and a true point guard's mentality. I believe he got a better education on how to play the right way in Europe. Jennings got humbled, man-handled, and was forced to grow up quickly and he handled himself as well as anyone ever expected (he even donated $50K to the Earthquake relief fund). The last few games he played were shown on NBA TV and he looked much improved from what I've been reading when he first arrived in Europe. That's a great sign with regards to his coachability.

He's only 19 and his offense will get better. He has good mechanics and can get his shot anytime he wants. Nellie commands respect, so he's the kind of coach that can continue to break his bad habits and instill efficient and effective play.

Jenning's speed and court vision will greatly benefit the Warriors style of play. All the tools are there - so is the competitive fire.

NBA 2009 MOCK DRAFT 5.0

1. Clippers - Blake Griffin
   
2. Grizzlies - Ricky Rubio
   
3. Thunder - James Harden
4. Kings - Jrue Holiday
5. Wizards - Hasheem Thabeet
6. Timberwolves - Tyreke Evans
7. Warriors - Brandon Jennings
8. Knicks - Stephen Curry
9. Raptors - Jordan Hill
10. Bucks - Jonny Flynn
11. Nets - DeMar DeRozan
12. Bobcats - Earl Clark
13. Pacers - Ty Lawson
14. Suns - DeJuan Blair
15. Pistons - Terrence Williams
16. Bulls - James Johnson
17. 76ers - Eric Maynor
    
18. Timberwolves - B.J. Mullens
19. Hawks - Patrick Mills
20. Jazz - Tyler Hansbrough
21. Hornets - Austin Daye
22. Mavericks - Chase Budinger
23. Kings - Gerald Henderson
24. Trail Blazers - Jeff Teague
25. Thunder - Wayne Ellington
26. Bulls - Omri Casspi
    
27. Grizzlies - Gani Lawal
28. Timberwolves - Darren Collison
29. Lakers - DaJuan Summers
30. Cavaliers - Marcus Thornton
    

On the bubble: Toney Douglas, Tyler Smith, Damion James, Sam Young, Derrick Brown