With the 7th pick of the 2009 NBA Draft...

and1GS · Post #201 » by **and1GS** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:41 am

-bob- wrote:Al Davis would draft Patrick Mills #7, fastest player in the draft!

haha, I laughed out loud at this.

BROWN · Post #202 » by **BROWN** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:31 am

Imagine if AL Davis ran the Warriors, would we be in better shape?

Star-Lord · Post #203 » by **Star-Lord** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:25 am

God, no.

But we'd be more entertaining.

Twinkie defense · Post #204 » by **Twinkie defense** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 7:34 pm

I know it seems like eons ago, but let's not forget that the Raiders played in the Superbowl as recently as 2003. I'm pretty sure we would have felt pretty good about the Warriors if instead they played well enough to win three consecutive division Championships, even if they did get knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Champions each time, culminating with a Finals appearance (but not a ring).

BTW has any other Bay Area sports franchise had as much success in recent years? I want to say the Sharks, but they're basically the Dallas Mavs now aren't they?

Post #205 » by **FNQ** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:51 pm

What does anyone know about James Johnson? Listed from 6'7.5 to 6'9... 230 to 245 lbs... I hear he can handle almost as well as a guard, and his #s paint the picture of someone improving his outside shot and his passing... If I could see more of him, I might want him at 7...

watch1958 · Post #206 » by **watch1958** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:00 am

FireNellieQuick wrote:What does anyone know about James Johnson? Listed from 6'7.5 to 6'9... 230 to 245 lbs... I hear he can handle almost as well as a guard, and his #s paint the picture of someone improving his outside shot and his passing... If I could see more of him, I might want him at 7...

Never seen him play, my only take is from reading draft evaluations. Taking that with a big grain of salt, he may not be a bad choice. Since they have a lanky power forward who may actually be a small forward, they could probably use a muscled SF who can play against bigger guys. Supposed to be inconsistent.

Star-Lord · Post #207 » by **Star-Lord** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:29 am

Very inconsistent. Everyone blamed Jeff Teague for Wake Forest's struggles in the second half of the season, but it was James Johnson's passivity and seeming lack of interest on defense that hurt them the most.

He's incredibly talented, and has all the physical tools necessary to compete in the NBA, but he's soft mentally, something the Warriors already have in abundance.

watch1958 · Post #208 » by **watch1958** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:46 am

CCIIIs Hair wrote:Very inconsistent. Everyone blamed Jeff Teague for Wake Forest's struggles in the second half of the season, but it was James Johnson's passivity and seeming lack of interest on defense that hurt them the most.

He's incredibly talented, and has all the physical tools necessary to compete in the NBA, but he's soft mentally, something the Warriors already have in abundance.

If he was decently motivated (a big IF)do you think his skill set would be a good fit with AR?

Star-Lord · Post #209 » by **Star-Lord** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:56 am

Yes, yes I do. Johnson's got a big, strong body, and is also a decent athlete. He actually reminds me of a less interested Jeff Green, without the range. His form looks strong, though, so it's not out of the question that he adds the three pointer to his arsenal. Also, while he isn't a very hard worker on defense, he shows more potential than most on that end. Again, when he's into it, he can be a pest defensively, and could definitely help our team defense by making shooters drive around him right into Turiaf, Randolph, or Beans.

If it was all about talent, Johnson would be a lock for the lottery. Thing is, there are just so many question marks surrounding his passion and work ethic. If he ends up in the right situation, with a franchise he's comfortable with and a patient coach who can motivate him, he could become quite good, I just don't know that this is that place.

Post #210 » by **FNQ** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:03 am

Dear everyone who is still trying to find a backcourt partner for Monta:

THIS.

watch1958 wrote:motivated (a big IF)do you think his skill set would be a good fit with AR?

is what matters.

CCIIIs Hair wrote:If it was all about talent, Johnson would be a lock for the lottery. Thing is, there are just so many question marks surrounding his passion and work ethic. If he ends up in the right situation, with a franchise he's comfortable with and a patient coach who can motivate him, he could become quite good, I just don't know that this is that place.

Playing next to AR will be a huge motivator... think of how bad you'd look w/AR playing his heart out and James Johnson slugging a log at Dampier's pace...

Star-Lord · Post #211 » by **Star-Lord** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:14 am

FireNellieQuick wrote:Playing next to AR will be a huge motivator... think of how bad you'd look w/AR playing his heart out and James Johnson slugging a log at Dampier's pace...

Maybe... That really depends on what kind of person Johnson is. He could either be motivated by Randolph's play, or it could frustrate him, and he could go on to resent Randolph for, "Showing him up."

Honestly, I don't know which reaction Johnson would be most likely to have. One positive note is that he doesn't really pout all that much on the court. Mistakes, bad calls, and bad luck seem to roll off his back rather easily. In fact, he's sort of the opposite of Randolph, in that Johnson seems to be in control of his emotions at all times. Of course, this could just be yet more evidence of his perceived lackadaisical attitude.

Individual work outs are going to be huge for a guy like James Johnson. NBA teams are going to push him as hard as they can both mentally and physically to see how much he can handle. If he puts forth his best effort, his draft stock could shoot up more than anyone's.

5Strong · Post #212 » by **5Strong** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:43 am

James Johnson is a former world champion in martial arts. I really doubt he lacks motivation, but rather a refined game that can he can turn to consistently. Johnson is very raw. His problem is that he can be taken out of the game by smarter and more experienced players. It has nothing to do with his attitude or effort. It's that when opposing teams throw certain looks at him and gameplan for him a certain way he doesn't know how to adjust. Johnson is actually a very intelligent kid, so his lack of basketball smarts is only due to inexperience. He will get more consistent with time, and the flashes you see here and there will materialize into his overall game.

Quazi81 · Post #213 » by **Quazi81** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:10 am

CCIIIs Hair wrote:Everyone blamed Jeff Teague for Wake Forest's struggles in the second half of the season, but it was James Johnson's passivity and seeming lack of interest on defense that hurt them the most.

He's incredibly talented, and has all the physical tools necessary to compete in the NBA, but he's soft mentally, something the Warriors already have in abundance.

This literally could not be more wrong. You could add 2+2=5, the sky is brown, the moon is made of orange pineapples...and all it would do is make your post more accurate. Honestly, how many games have you seen? The cleveland state game in the tourney right? That's it? Oh yeah, Johnson still put up 22/8 on 8/13 shooting with 4 blocks. Hard to get those stats you are passive and quit on defense. I am sorry, I normally don't get fired up and call people out on the internet but this is just such an awful statement it has to be contradicted. I watched about 90% of Wake's games, and all the ACC home games in person, where you see the little things that you can see (and obviously didn't watch anyways) on TV. Now, he had some bad games, but he didn't quit. In terms of intensity, he is tops on the team. Watch him dunk..he's angry. He wants to break the rim. That's the same way he goes for rebounds. If anything, he's too aggressive, leads to some turnovers and over the back fouls that really hurt the team since Wake needed him (see the arguments about blake griffin's lack of D and how it was so important for oklahoma to have him out there that he couldn't risk fouling out)

Now, in terms of his fit with the warriors, who know? He is probably too slow to guard most 3's in the NBA so he would have to play PF. He has good range on his jumper, probably not to the NBA 3 but he was a legit 3 pt shooter in college. He plays strong, but he would probably be playing the same role as AR, so might not see time (or might take time away from AR against the milsaps of the world). I don't really know how he would fit in, I just had to correct the quoted statement. Don't base your opinions on mock drafts and/or one game that you saw. I bet you have some great opinions on how Brandon Jennings has been doing in Italy too, right? Tell us about Donatas Motiejunas's intensity while you're at it.

5Strong · Post #214 » by **5Strong** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:25 am

Pretty spot on. You also pointed out the one thing about him that concerns me, his lack of lateral quickness. He's a great athlete, but one better suited for football or, say, karate, if you ask me. I don't think he'll be a star in this league, but he can be a very good high energy role player.

Sid the Squid · Post #215 » by **Sid the Squid** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:08 am

Holiday's going to zoom right up the draft board as soon as the workouts start...

Star-Lord · Post #216 » by **Star-Lord** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:25 am

Quazi81 wrote:
CCIIIs Hair wrote:Everyone blamed Jeff Teague for Wake Forest's struggles in the second half of the season, but it was James Johnson's passivity and seeming lack of interest on defense that hurt them the most.

He's incredibly talented, and has all the physical tools necessary to compete in the NBA, but he's soft mentally, something the Warriors already have in abundance.

This literally could not be more wrong. You could add 2+2=5, the sky is brown, the moon is made of orange pineapples...and all it would do is make your post more accurate. Honestly, how many games have you seen? The cleveland state game in the tourney right? That's it? Oh yeah, Johnson still put up 22/8 on 8/13 shooting with 4 blocks. Hard to get those stats you are passive and quit on defense. I am sorry, I normally don't get fired up and call people out on the internet but this is just such an awful statement it has to be contradicted. I watched about 90% of Wake's games, and all the ACC home games in person, where you see the little things that you can see (and obviously didn't watch anyways) on TV. Now, he had some bad games, but he didn't quit. In terms of intensity, he is tops on the team. Watch him dunk..he's angry. He wants to break the rim. That's the same way he goes for rebounds. If anything, he's too aggressive, leads to some turnovers and over the back fouls that really hurt the team since Wake needed him (see the arguments about blake griffin's lack of D and how it was so important for oklahoma to have him out there that he couldn't risk fouling out)

Now, in terms of his fit with the warriors, who know? He is probably too slow to guard most 3's in the NBA so he would have to play PF. He has good range on his jumper, probably not to the NBA 3 but he was a legit 3 pt shooter in college. He plays strong, but he would probably be playing the same role as AR, so might not see time (or might take time away from AR against the milsaps of the world). I don't really know how he would fit in, I just had to correct the quoted statement. Don't base your opinions on mock drafts and/or one game that you saw. I bet you have some great opinions on how Brandon Jennings has been doing in Italy too, right? Tell us about Donatas Motiejunas's intensity while you're at it.

Actually, I didn't even bother watching the game against Cleveland St. I did however watch Wake play UNC, Duke, Virginia, Maryland, and Richmond. And no, he's not aggressive or intense. It's common practice to look as angry as possible after a dunk in today's game. Gerald Green dunks pretty hard, too. Is he aggressive, too? Honestly, he wasn't all that impressive. He played inspired against Duke twice, but couldn't help his team win one of those, he was a non factor against UNC, didn't even bother showing up for the Richmond game essentially, and he put forth completely pedestrian efforts against both Virginia and Maryland, when his team needed him the most.

It's like 5Strong said, when opposing teams game plan for him and throw him different looks, he goes away. He tried to come up with excuses for Johnson's disappearing acts. I, however, am not. I don't care if he knows karate, this is basketball, and from what I've seen, his motor and interest level in the goings on of a game are lacking. You can throw out as many ridiculous insults as you like, but at the end of the day, I'm just expressing my opinion. Trust me when I say that yours is no more valuable than mine. I think it's ridiculous that people on basketball message boards immediately go to the most immature insults they can think of, and start saying silly things like, "Well, you're just a casual fan." Or other ridiculous statements that presume to know the viewing habits of other posters. Weak. Even for a 13 year old.

If you don't like people expressing their sometimes not glowing opinion of a player, then a message board isn't for you. If you think you know it all, watch enough basketball that your viewpoint is infallible, then start a blog, or better yet, get a job covering the beat for a newspaper.

St.Nick · Post #217 » by **St.Nick** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:12 am

Sid the Squid wrote:Holiday's going to zoom right up the draft board as soon as the workouts start...

Is that a good thing for the team drafting him? I'd say its not.

Let them earn their draft slot on the court, unless they are 7 feet tall and athletic.

Post #218 » by **FNQ** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:33 pm

5Strong · Post #219 » by **5Strong** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:34 pm

FireNellieQuick wrote:

LOL, he looks terrified.

Sid the Squid · Post #220 » by **Sid the Squid** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:43 pm

St.Nick wrote:
Sid the Squid wrote:Holiday's going to zoom right up the draft board as soon as the workouts start...

Is that a good thing for the team drafting him? I'd say its not.

Let them earn their draft slot on the court, unless they are 7 feet tall and athletic.

Holiday is a lot like Westbrook..Both were held down at UCLA...Both are incredibly talented...