Saltzman Says...Hello Andrew Bogut

The Golden State Warriors have revamped their team with the additions of Andrew Bogut and Richard Jefferson as well as adding two draft picks in the upcoming draft.

If they end up with a top 7 pick, they will have 4 draft picks in which to add many pieces to challenge the incumbent Warriors next year.

No Warrior besides David Lee and Klay Thompson are signed past 2013-14, so there is no commitment to any other player beyond two years.  That allows the Warriors two things.  Patience and flexibility.  In that order.

They don't have the trade pieces anymore to make a major change, and they don't have the salary cap space to make any big free agent splash.

However, if they bring back Brandon Rush, Dominic McGuire and/or Nate Robinson, the majority of their roster next year is accounted for.

The only major difference will be if someone decides to take on Andris Biedrins, Dorell Wright, or Richard Jefferson.

Locked in for next year are the following: [IF HEALTHY]

PG Stephen Curry
SG Klay Thompson
PF David Lee
C Andrew Bogut

Curry and Bogut make that a big if.

Point Guard: Nate Robinson has proven to be a nice addition off the bench.  Rookie Charles Jenkins has shown enough flashes to see why the team liked him enough to let Jeremy Lin go {not the blog entry to get into that turn of events}

Both could be brought back to give Jenkins more time to develop and give the team some scoring off the bench.

PG: Curry, Robinson and Jenkins

Shooting Guard: Brandon Rush needs to be signed beyond this season to remain a Warrior, and the team had an offer on the table to get Chris Kaman if they included Rush, and passed.  That shows he is someone they really like.  If they re-sign him, their isn't any further need at the 2 guard spot.

SG: Thompson and Rush

Small Forward: Richard Jefferson hasn't played a game yet under Mark Jackson, so it is way too early to say if he will be a great fit, a long term answer, or even a starter.  He could start over Dorell Wright, which would allow Wright to contribute off the bench.  Either way, both are expendable if the team lands a top 7 pick in the upcoming draft.  Chris Wright, an end of the bench SF right now, will be a long shot to stay with the club next year.

SF: Jefferson and D. Wright

Power Forward: David Lee is your starting PF for the next several years no matter what.  That being said, Dominic McGuire has certainly proven he is worthy for playing time.  His effort on the boards, ability to play defense on the perimeter, and down low, and his overall hustle, makes him as valuable to this team as anyone.  They may bring in another banger to replace Udoh, but only because McGuire can play multiple positions.

PF: Lee and McGuire

Center: Andrew Bogut can easily become the best center in Warriors history since Nate Thurmond simply by being competent on both ends of the floor.  If Healthy, he can be dominant on either end at times.  This does two things.  It allows Andris Biedrins to simply be a backup despite his salary.  Also, it let's Biedrins become expendable.  An twist in the trades made this week would be if the team brought back Kwame Brown next year to backup Bogut.  Jeremy Tyler is way too raw for any kind of consistent minutes at this level.  He won't be moved to another team because why let him blossom somewhere else.

C: Bogut, Biedrins and Tyler

That leaves three open spots if these 12 players are brought back.

The Warriors currently have 2 guaranteed draft picks, both in the 2nd round, and have two draft picks that are conditional.  Their own, which is Top 7 protected and now the Spurs 1st round pick, which is Top 14 protected.

IF the Warriors end up with 4 draft picks, they will either need to release or trade one of the 12 players above, or simply draft a player that is playing overseas and just obtain his rights.  Regardless, the team looks to have a full 15 man roster next year.

These moves allow the Warriors to be much more balanced next season.

Saltzman Says...Warriors must learn from the Buford/Presti Way

The two best GM's in basketball, R.C. Buford of the Spurs and Sam Presti of the Thunder have a simple philosophy about what to look for in the players they bring into their organizations:

"We know what we are looking for (hard-working, high-character, team-oriented, mentally tough, coachable and unselfish players), and the important component of it is knowing what works and what doesn't work — and that qualifies your risk," Buford said. "There are NBA players who aren't necessarily Spurs, and there are Spurs who may not fit someplace else."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/2007-05-21-cover-buford_N.htm

"Then I thought about it for a minute, and I couldn't do that to my guys," Durant says (when asked why he ran suicides up a hill at the Oklahoma City practice facility voluntarily) . "It wouldn't have been fair to them." The Hill does not afford preferential treatment. Front-office executives drop their Blackberries, swap dress clothes for practice gear and run suicides. Entry-level assistants join them. When they are all sufficiently gassed, they head back to the pickup trucks, Durant sneaking a spot in a bed before coaches wisely point him to a passenger seat.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1176118/1/index.htm#ixzz1G8kTt4ss

If you believe Stephen Curry, David Lee, Ekpe Udoh and Dorell Wright fit this mold, than maybe the combination of Keith Smart and Larry Riley make sense going forward.  However, does Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Charlie Bell fit that mold?  That would mean half of the highest paid players on the roster don't fit the mold for success. 



hard-working, high-character, team-oriented, mentally tough, coachable and unselfish players

Saltzman Says...Map to NBA Championship has never changed

The road to a title in the NBA is very simple.  So simple in fact, that more than half of the championships won (34 of 64) have been by two teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics (17 each). The Lakers and Celtics have not only won the most championships in the history of the NBA, but they have faced each other for the title 12 times. 

It really comes down to 5 facts about your team.  If you have these 5, you can win a title too:

1. A center who can defend the paint.

Not every championship team has a dominant center.  In some cases, they didn't have a dominant scorer at either center or power forward.  However, there has yet to be a championship team who didn't have a big man who can defend.  The first step in stopping every other team in the league is to force them to score from outside the paint.  Teams that can intimidate their opponents from entering the paint in the first place, have already won the most important battle.

George Mikan, Bill Russell, Willis Reed, Nate Thurmond, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Robert Parish, Bill Cartwright, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Ben Wallace, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and even Andrew Bynum are all examples of big men who can defend the rim and have titles to prove it.

2. A great defender on the perimeter. 

Whether it is the best player on the floor, such as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, or whether it is a man who plays solely for his defense like Bruce Bowen or Michael Cooper, having a swingman who can take the other team's best scorer is critical.  All championship teams have at least one great defender who can control the game on the defensive end outside the paint as well.  By limiting the opponents in the paint and controlling teams on the perimeter, the half court game becomes very difficult.  All great teams have a defensive identity that is clear and intimidating.

3. A point guard who can facilitate

Many teams, especially recently, have had average point guards help them win championships.  However, no championship team has had an average leader running the offense.  Whether it was Derek Fisher in L.A., Ron Harper in Chicago, or Sam Cassell in Houston, every championship point guard knew how to run the team's offense to perfection.  Both Fisher and Harper ran the "Triangle Offense" for Phil Jackson and Sam Cassell helped facilitate to sharp shooters Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell and big men Hakeem Olajuwon and Otis Thorpe in Houston.  They controlled the game and let their teammates shine more than them.  Fisher and Cassell were able to make some big shots during their championship runs, but it always started with them controlling the tempo of the offense.  Harper knew his biggest role was at the defensive end to help Michael Jordan have the legs to dominate on both ends for four quarters.  However, he also made sure the team ran the offense smoothly too, even if it meant letting Jordan take over.  That kind of team mentality is essential to a winning basketball team.  There can be no egos at the point guard position. 

4. Perimeter scoring

No team can win if they can't score from the outside as well as the inside.  Most teams today have added shooters to their championship teams.  Role players like Jason Kapono, Trevor Ariza, Eddie House, Brent Barry, Robert Horry, John Paxson, Steve Kerr and Vinnie Johnson have all been able to help their teams win titles.  This is where team becomes huge.  These will always be players who could average more points playing for someone else or maybe make more money being the focal point somewhere else.  However, these shooters must be content with not doing much else.  Often times these are not starters, and if they do start, they are only asked to shoot.  So many good shooters want to contribute more nowadays and get lost in the importance of being a deadly sniper.  These players are critical to overall team success but not ultimate financial success.

5. A Closer

Very similar to baseball, basketball in the final two minutes, is left up to one player.  This doesn't always mean they have to take the last shot.  Jordan proved that by winning six titles, but passing off to Paxson and Kerr for two of those titles.  However, you need one player that is clearly your go to guy and will force the defense to do whatever it can to beat him.  This establishes two essential roles.  The role of the other four players, which is to find open space to spot up and shoot or to get great position for an offensive rebound.  It also establishes who is in charge at the end of the game.  The point guard becomes a quarterback with a great running game in this situation often times.  They must make sure they can get the ball to the best player on the floor.  Sometimes it has been the point guard who was the closer (i.e. Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson)  but usually it is one of the other perimeter players.  If the only dominant player is the center, often times it is impossible to get them the ball at the end of games.  The defense is usually so good by the time a team reaches the finals, that the paint is almost always unavailable.  What made a player like Kareem Abdul Jabbar so great was his ability to score outside the paint with his sky hook.  It allowed the Lakers to use their best player, Magic Johnson, but always have the ability to feed it to their other best player just outside the paint.