turk3d wrote:I've probably been one of Pietrus staunchest supporters for a long time although I admit it's tough at times when he goes into trainwreck mode. I've said this before about Mickey Pete and I'll say it again, he's had quite a bit of misfortune (or bad breaks if you will) as a member of the Warriors.
Here's a guy who had the bad luck of playing behind the franchise player on this team, Jason Richardson his first 4 years (came into the league as a 2 guard and never really got much of a chance to play there) and was too physically immature until last year to play 3 effectively but wound up playing mostly 4 and then this year came into camp late for obvious reasons and wound up behind Bukie and then Monta at the 2 and then Jack (who some felt was the best player on the team) at the 3. So he was a victim of circumstance.
5 years in the league, a lottery pick but never really a chance to be a starter at a position he was suited for. Now (as some have finally figured out) due to Jack's injury, he gets a chance to start at the position he's best suited for (gained the strength needed to match up against most 3's) and you see a guy who could be pretty good. I think that I would make him Jack's backup when he comes back and let Barnes swing between the 3 and 4 (the way Nellie was doing with Pietrus) with Barnes at the 4 so that Nellie can get his daily fix of small ball.
I still say that Trainwreck (depending on where he winds up and who he plays for) has an eventual shot as an allstar (would just add to the list of former Warriors who make it).
Mike Pete was in the NBA already...at a pont when his fundamentals and experiance were about where a top HS player is in his junior year....he never got a steady role or minutes and 1/2 the coaching he got contradicted the other half.
He is a guy you need to teach/train. Monta...mostly you just get out of the way because he has the tools and figures out what to do with them if not restrained.
A lot of our fiascos were self inflicted. We get a player who does 2-3 things real well....then make him toss half that out the window and focus on stuff that's never been his strength or role.
Dun...Murphy...Diogu...Pietrus...POB...BeRight....what stood out when we chose to DRAFT those guys in the lottery? Well......if you forgot,don't feel bad because the W's policy has been to NOT build on strengths but to harp on weak spots and to try forcing round pegs into square holes at every opportunity.
Pietrus...6-6 and SCARY quick. Murphy,6-11 great MIDRANGE J and a tough rebounder. Ike? Feed him in the paint and he's a point a minuter-plus the opponent's bigs foul out...Dun...guard skills but tall. POB..full size 7 ft-young-can shoot a j but makes shot blocks and boards look easy. B Wright? Only LED THE NCAA in FG % as a FRESHMAN. That's EFFICIENT...something rare for a freshman. He's also 6-10 with hops-wingspan-speed. A second rate HIGH SCHOOL coach can make that mix work.
Punchline?
ALL those lotto picks will be GONE except the invisible kid-Wright...who's merely ignored. Imagine if the Spurs had 6-7 extra lotto picks to work with?
