(If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS/Atom feed. Thanks for visiting! - Michael)

Jose Calderon is the next Steve Nash. Just watch below:

Actually, if you watched the mix above, it’s kind of boring. The mix is just Calderon shooting 3’s. But look at the stats:

8.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.04 steals, 11.3 points in 30.3 minutes a night. 52.3% shooting, 42.9% on 3’s, 90.8% on free throws.

Oh yeah, and 5.32 assist to turnover ratio.

Steve Nash: 11.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, .66 steals, 17.1 points in 34.6 minutes. 50.4% shooting, 47% on 3’s, 90.6% on free throws. 3.04 assist to turnover ratio. I don’t know how well Calderon defends, but Nash is not supposed to be very good, and it doesn’t seem insane to think Calderon could become Nash. (Calderon is 26 right now, Nash was averaging 9 points and 5 assisters per game when he was 26.)

The Raptors have 2 really good point guards, Calderon and TJ Ford, but the way Ford’s been going (injury-prone), they’d probably rather trade Ford.

So why am I talking about Jose Calderon?

The Warriors this summer run a great risk of going back to 1995-1997 era. One name says it all: Vonteego Cummings. I thought he was going to be somebody.

I was wrong.

For 13 years, I thought the Warriors could be somebodies.

I was wrong.

Here’s the risk:

• Baron Davis
• Andris Biendrins
• Monta Ellis
• Mickael Pietrus
• Matt Barnes
• Kelenna Azuibuike

And coach Don Nelson.

All the above are the Warriors’ big potential free agents. The wrong moves in the next 4 months launch us into the Vonteego Cummings/Sam Jacobsen/Todd Fuller years again. It is seriously that easy from becoming a 48 win team to a 25 win team. Remember, this is the the same franchise that went from Chris Webber behind-his-back slam on Sir Charles to “the first pick in the 2005 NBA Draft is Joe Smith” in 1 year.

First, Don Nelson:

Don Nelson is just as likely to leave as he is stay. Actually, he is just as likely to trade Baron Davis to get back Speedy Claxton and 2 #1’s (if he convince Mullin) as he is of staying another 2 years.

Second, Baron Davis:

I hear a lot about how Baron is injury prone and becoming 30 next year. Actually, all that doesn’t bother me. Nash is 34, Kidd is 35, people are lasting longer nowadays. What bothers me is what happens when Don Nelson takes off and Baron’s in the middle of his max deal. Will Baron return to his lazy ways, or will he remain a leader, able to take the Warriors to 48/49 wins a year. That’s the risk.

Third, Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis:

It’s easy to be down on Andris. He didn’t have a bad year by any means, but I don’t think he improved so much. As for Monta, it’s probably easy to be in love with him right now. He shot 53% from the field this year, averaging 20+! Yet, isn’t it odd that during his first year with Mike Montgomery coaching (go Bears!), he’d get put in for defense, and now that’s his weak spot. Reminds me of Pietrus a little bit; starting off as a big time defender, and then losing a bit of that. Monta’s definitely quick enough to lock down on people, he’s just gotta elevate his game. As for Andris, 10 pts and 10 rebounds on 63% shooting and only 27 minutes per game from a just-turned 22 year old? Amazing.

The others: Pietrus, Barnes, Azuibuike:

These three guys are pretty similar: athletic swingmen who can shoot the 3 and defend when motivated. Barnes didn’t play too well this year, but I’d still love for him to be a Warrior. Pietrus can be a real good bench player worth 25 minutes per game if he has his head on straight. Kaz has a real spot in the NBA, and I think he will get better.

So what should the Warriors do?

I’m not someone who’s saying if they don’t resign everyone, they suck. I don’t think they should get everyone back even if they could. At the same time, I’ve learned that you can’t win big (not even Championship level here, just saying getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs) without a superstar.

That must mean I want to keep Baron right?

Wrong. I love Baron. Not as much as J-Rich, but Baron’s my favorite Warrior now- but I’m sure everyone says that now.

At the same time, look at the risk of Don Nelson and Baron Davis. Plus, I wonder why Nelson benched Baron for the second half of the game in which the Warriors got eliminated from the playoffs. They’ve had good relations, but trusting either of them reminds me of Nelson and Chris Webber, and like I said, this whole things scares me like 1995.

So I gotta say, Nelson is going to let us down. When? Don’t know. But he will. And Baron’s too much of a risk in that scenario, especially for the kind of money he’s going to demand.

Let Baron go.

Keep Andris and Monta. In this scenario, I realize Warriors lack that superstar again. But I think Monta will be it. Sure, he’s got to improve his ball handling and D, but I think he can put up 25 points a game, he can be the next almost-Gilbert Arenas. Monta’s also 6 years younger. Andris, if he just improves a little, gets a little stronger (10+ pounds), adds a little bit more in his post game, defends his man a little bit better, you’re talking about a guy in 2-3 years could average 15 pts, 12 boards, 1.5 blocks on 55%+ shooting every year, a guy who’s a presence on both ends of the court. Those aren’t superstar numbers, but that’s an excellent center.

You also have to remember that the Hornets trading Baron for Speedy Claxton ended up being a steal, for the Hornets. They got Chris Paul. There is life after BD.

As for the other three swing guys, keep at least 1, try to keep at least 2 for no more than $3-4 Million a year.

So lock Monta and Andris both up, both will get $10-12 Million/a year, hopefully no more. Keep hoping Andris improves, Brandan Wright gains 20 pounds of muscle, Captain Jack keeps it together, and while the Warriors won’t reach 48 wins again, they will be fun and primed for the future. They’ll need a good backup pass-first point, which they can find….somewhere. Brevin Knight?

Unless.

Again, Jose Calderon?

This is where Jose Calderon comes in. The next Steve Nash. Imagine him in the Warriors offense. As crazy as this will sound to Warriors fans, maybe with improved Wright, Ellis, and Biedrins, Calderon really does become Steve Nash. The Warriors don’t have trouble scoring you know, as long as they have a creator. I think they can pick up the slack in points with Calderon and be more efficient at it. With Calderon and Ellis in the backcourt, Baron was a lot stronger but height wise, there’s no change.

Or if not Calderon, what about a guy like Kirk Hinrich of the Bulls? The Bulls are going to unload somebody this year, guaranteed. They have a bunch of good players, but no superstars to elevate them. This year they found out, not good enough.

Hinrich, as far as I know, is just a good player. He had a bad year, but he’s a good athlete who can shoot, defend, pass, and he’s tough. Think he could benefit from being a Warrior under Don Nelson?

Calderon’s the perfect fit though.

But what would it take to get either of these guys? The Warriors do have a lottery pick now, around the 15th pick in a very good draft. A lot of interesting big men this year. Maybe the Raptors would like one to team with Chris Bosh, or like the pick + Marco Bellineli, the young Rambo look-alike who will probably end up being a decent player. Add in a Pietrus or another swingman if the money doesn’t work. I don’t think anyone will take TMNT Harrington- he’s got close to $20 Million for two years left. Or if you want to go really crazy, sign and trade Baron for Calderon and junk, but I don’t think that’s realistic.

I guess the Raptors might be happy to deal TJ Ford instead, but I think of him as a slightly better Speedy, and I liked Speedy. But he’s not an all-star PG, while I think Calderon on the Warriors could be.

I was 13 when the Warriors turned bad. I’m now 27. If they self-destruct again, I will 40 when they get out of it, and Don Nelson may not be alive to rescue them once more.

Jose Calderon! Come on Warriors!

Related posts

• Warriors vs Nuggets, Dec. 28, 2007: I Will Be There! (0)
• Warriors vs Kings (3)
• Hoop Junkie (0)
• The NBA Draft is Here! (Almost) (0)
• Rollerblading SheMale: Baron Davis - One Shot (1)

The beauty of the Internet, and why living in Vietnam isn’t too bad at all: Downloading Saturday’s Warriors game less than 5 minutes after it finished from DavkaBT, and having it less than 5 hrs later.

I download as many Warriors games as I can (as long as they turned out to be good games) and so I actually see enough to see what’s going on with the team- I think I’ve watched 8 or so games so far this way, not too bad honestly all considering I’m in Hanoi.

Lots of basketball news recently, with Shaq -> Suns and Gasol -> Lakers, and even Webber going to the Warriors.

See my homage to the Warriors: (Baron, J-Rich, Reggie Miller):

Impressions from the game and other basketball notes:

- Monta Ellis is insane. Sometimes, you’ll hear analysts say X needs to add a 3 point shot or mid-range game to be unstoppable, but Monta is basically unstoppable now. His mid-range is ridiculous, he’s so quick, and he finishes….well, I’m not sure if he’s a better finisher than Baron, but he’s up there. No one can stop that mid-range, simply because you’d rather he take that than drive it in, and he’ll drive it in on you anyway. The biggest thing is that he can shoot off the dribble extremely well, a not like a slow dribble, but full speed I’m-about-to-go-by-you-but-wait-I-will-stop-on-a-dime-here-and-shoot-right-NOW and can get massive separation any time on it. Bob Fitzgerald (Warriors TV announcer) mentioned his overall game (defense, rebounding, passing) has been improving as well (I think he had 9 boards last night and had tons of hustle plays), and he’s shooting 52% from the floor. He doesn’t even need to take any 3’s (it’s good he doesn’t take them anymore, doesn’t need to), he’ll be just fine the way he is. I’m a bit worried how much money he’ll get next year as a free agent, I seriously think he’ll get somewhere in the Gilbert Arenas area, $12-13M a year. Gilbert was really similar as a player (could shoot, super quick, could pass but maybe more of a good passer as a combo guard rather than a pure point) when he left the Warriors; I don’t think anyone expected him to breakout and become Agent Zero at that point, but he was already damn good. Just imagine how many 22 year olds out there can do what Monta can do, and how he projects over the next 4-5 years. Here I was thinking about Monta’s And1 commercials he being the fastest guy in the NBA as “hold on there Monta”, but now….he could be. I haven’t seen Gilbert play in a long time, but when he was with the Warriors, he was freakin’ fast.

[youtube qKbaRMFR80A&rel=1 nolink]

- Baron, of course, is MVP.

- Favorite former Warrior Jason Richardson really started the year poorly, but he’s doing ok now. I’d say stop shooting so many 3’s, but if you’re hitting at 42%, I guess why not? I think J-Rich has hit his peak as a player though, not sure if he’ll ever be a guy who can get to line 6-7 times a game. Hai said something last week that just might be true, “Jason Richardson is a great fantasy player (someone who fills out the stat sheets) but he’s a loser.” As in the teams he plays for lose, unlike maybe a Tim Duncan, who has good but not fantastic stats, but he always wins. I love J-Rich, but deep down I know this is true.

- Stephen Jackson takes a lot of 3’s. In fact, all the Warriors do. But, like Latrell Sprewell back in the day, he doesn’t just sit there and take only 3’s. He does drive, he does shoot the midrange, overall he plays a balanced game even though the stats make you think he just jacks stuff up. (Yeah, sometimes he and Baron get a little crazy, but I think Baron has been less guilty about that this year) J-Rich, I think, was slowly becoming that guy who just shoots 3’s, but I haven’t seen him play as a Bobcat yet.

- Ron Artest- that is probably the one guy you would have to avoid at all costs in a boxing match. I think his dad was a boxer, or something, and that background is what helped him become so quick as a defender. But Artest is just so built (with quick hands and some insanity built-in), you know that guy is going to mess you up. Shaq is huge, but he’d probably just eat you. Dwight Howard same kind of thing, he just looks like he’d pick you up and break your back rather than fight you.

- Speaking of Dwight Howard, I saw the Magic-Warriors game, and he just looks like a giant. Among basketball players even. He’s not even 7ft or 300 pounds, but he just looks physically like he is so much bigger than everyone. And he’s such a great athlete, seeing him around the basket is ridiculous. He looks like he’s playing on a 9 foot rim.

- I think Shaq will do fine with the Suns. I’m excited to see him. I’m rooting for him.

- Mike went to yesterday’s game and said Chris Webber was awful. Kyle said the same on the first game with him: slow. I actually didn’t think it was that bad. Webber definitely can’t jump, he looks sluggish, but you can see some solid things already. I just hope that he lethargy is from being out-of-shape and not laziness. If so, it’s a good pickup. Just get into shape, get into the Warriors style of play, and contribute about 25 minutes a game, 9 pts with 6 boards and 2 assists/game.

- Andris Biedrins is….not improving? At least not like Monta. I suppose that’s an unfair. But I wonder why Andris isn’t stronger. He’s not Brandan Wright or anything, but I wonder why if he hasn’t improved is related to lack of strength. Definitely from last year to this, he seems the same. From his stats, he hasn’t seemed to improved much, rebounds are good, blocks are lower (could be a lot of reasons), everything else the same. Still a great finisher around the basket and has great hands but doesn’t show what he can do without a good pass or offensive rebound much. He’s still only 21 though, so not sure where he projects 3-4 years down the line. At least he’s improved on free throws a lot. Like with Monta, I think he could easily get $10M a year, and I don’t know how the Warriors do that when Baron will probably have to be locked up for the max.

- When he first joined the Warriors, and I couldn’t download games at the time to watch and know otherwise, I thought Matt Barnes was more of an energy guy who just shoots 3’s. But that’s not true at all, he’s really skilled, plays good defense, and really hustles. He definitely belongs in the league and can do a lot of things. He’s a great fit for the team, a good athlete, and pretty quick.

- Mike Dunleavy is kicking ass. I’ll quote myself from October: “Holy cow. I can only say in response, it’s preseason. I think he’s always had confidence issues, but I don’t think it’s ridiculous to say that at his best, he could average 15pts/6 rebounds/3 assists on 45% shooting, 35% on 3pt’ers, 75% from the line.”

• He’s actually averaging, through 51 games, 17.5 pts/5.8 rebounds/3.4 assists on 47.6% Shooting, 38.9% on 3’s, 85% from the line. Pretty impressive. I remember a Pacers blog saying that he can be super inconsistent still and he’s had a bad run last 5 games.
• Pacers have kind of fallen as a team, and they’re much better without Jermaine O’Neal it looks like, at least this version of O’Neal. I think they’ll get better as the season continues.

- I’d like to see the new budding All-Star Andrew Bynum play. Actually, how about play Shaq and the Suns in the playoffs. Drama!

Related posts

• Warriors vs Nuggets, Dec. 28, 2007: I Will Be There! (0)
• Could Jose Calderon Be a Warrior? (2)
• Dunleavy quietly making bold statement (0)
• Rollerblading SheMale: Baron Davis - One Shot (1)
• More J-Rich Memories (For the Obsessed) (0)

I love the Warriors. I love watching live basketball. I also live in Vietnam.

That is often a game over. But not on December 28th! I will be back in the US and enjoying my favorite team of all times playing b-ball in Oakland! Merry Christmas to me!

Friday, 7:30 PM. Oakland Arena. (will be taking pics)

The Fans:

• Kyle x 2
• Emil
• Midland
• Me
• My sister Kim
• Daniyel Garcia x 2
• Andrew

The players:

• Baron!
• Steve Jack!
• Matt Barnes!
• Kabuike!
• Andris the Giant!
• TMNT Harrington!
• Ellis to the Rim!
• Air France!
• and….
• AI
• Carmelo
• K-Mart

Hells yeah! I think the photos below describes the fun to be had (take out J-Rich):

Related posts

• Warriors vs Kings (3)
• Could Jose Calderon Be a Warrior? (2)
• YouTube - Adonal vs. Amare (0)
• Rollerblading SheMale: Baron Davis - One Shot (1)
• More J-Rich Memories (For the Obsessed) (0)