Player Breakdown: What Jermaine O’Neal Brings to the Golden State Warriors

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This article was originally published on Let’s Go Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors have agreed to a one-year contract worth around the league minimum of $2 million with 17-year NBA veteran and six-time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal.

O’Neal has experienced a lot of trouble with injuries in the past few years, but, last year with the Phoenix Suns, he was in great shape and was rarely injured. Last season, O’Neal had a resurgent year with the Suns when he averaged 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in just 18.7 minutes per game in 55 games. He claims his improved health comes from a knee treatment he received in Germany before last season and again recently. O’Neal missed most of those 27 games last season because his daughter had to have surgery to repair a leaky heart valve.

The Warriors needed to add another center that could back up Andrew Bogut while Festus Ezeli recovers from his knee surgery. O’Neal will probably only play about 18 minutes per game when Ezeli returns, but he can still provide some extra defensive help to the Warriors. Here are three things that O’Neal brings to the Warriors:

1. Size
O’Neal is 6’11” and 255 pounds. With the departure of Andris Biedrins and Ezeli’s injury, the Warriors will certainly benefit from O’Neal’s size, ability to block and alter shots, and his presence in the paint.

On offense, O’Neal can use his size and length to post up and score in many different ways in the paint. Also, given Bogut’s history with injuries, O’Neal’s size will come in handy if he needs to start in place of Bogut.

2. Defense
O’Neal was arguably one of the Suns’ best interior defenders last season. He’s clearly an excellent shot blocker, as he’s averaged 1.8 blocks per game over his career. He’s also a good rebounder, as he’s averaged 7.3 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game over his career.

He also does the little things well on defense too. He positions himself well, he contests shots aggressively, and he doesn’t foul too much.

3. Veteran Leadership
O’Neal has played in 90 postseason games in his career and has averaged 12 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game. He has played for six different NBA teams before the Warriors including the Portland Trailblazers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and the Phoenix Suns.

After playing in the league for 17 seasons, O’Neal will definitely be a valuable veteran off the bench, and he can share his vast playoff experience with this young Warriors team. For example, he could provide some mentoring to Ezeli. His veteran perspective and leadership will be a great asset for this Warriors team.

San Francisco Giants: Why Fans Need To Move On From the Carlos Beltran Trade

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Yesterday marked the first time the San Francisco Giants faced Zack Wheeler since the infamous Carlos Beltran trade, which occurred in 2011. Now two years later, many Giants fans are still showing bitterness over this trade, which is understandable given how much the Giants are struggling.

Jul 10, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at AT

Giants fans are still frustrated over this trade for several reasons. First of all, some fans are still bitter that Brian Sabean traded Wheeler in the first place, given that he was the Giants’ top pitching prospect at the time. Many of these fans were even more upset that Sabean gave up Wheeler for an aging Beltran, who’s dealt with many injuries throughout his career.

This is a valid reason to be frustrated given how weak the Giants’ farm system is, in terms of starting pitching. However, Sabean didn’t really have another choice, given the circumstances.

The Giants acquired Beltran to not just help them make a playoff run, but also to block the Phillies or Braves from getting him. Sabean probably wouldn’t have been able to pull this off unless he traded away a highly-touted prospect like Wheeler.

Second, some fans continue to blame Beltran for the Giants not making the playoffs in 2011. However, this is an unfair and unjustified accusation.

Beltran’s main job when he came here was to provide that middle-of-the-order spark the Giants were missing after Buster Posey went down with his ankle injury. It took him time to adjust to a new team dynamic, a new setting/fan base, a new ballpark, and new teammates. In Beltran’s first 45 at-bats with the Giants, he had 11 hits, which equates to a .244 average (which was still better than 12 of the Giants’ regular players’ averages throughout the season).

A couple weeks after being signed, Beltran strained his right hand and wrist, so he was placed on the DL. Getting injured is not a player’s fault. He cannot be blamed for the team going 5-8 while he was injured and losing several series against non-playoff teams, including Pittsburgh, Florida, and Houston. The period that Beltran was injured proved to be one stretch that severely dampened the Giants’ playoff hopes.

After his initial adjustment period to the team and his injury, Beltran hit .352 with seven home runs and 16 RBI’s. He finished the year with a .300 average, 22 home runs, 84 RBI’s, a .385 OBP, a .525 SLG, and a .910 OPS. Those are all fantastic numbers.

He provided that surge of energy that the Giants were asking for and desperately needed from him. He did everything he could, but with no Posey and inconsitent hitting from Jeff Keppinger, Pablo Sandoval, Aubrey Huff, and Cody Ross, the Giants weren’t able to make the playoffs behind just Beltran’s production.

September 9, 2011; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Carlos Beltran (15) takes off his batting gloves after striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at AT

Third, some fans are frustrated now because, given the Giants’ recent struggles with pitching, the Giants really could’ve used Wheeler this season in their starting rotation.

This is a fair accusation, given how Wheeler’s first five starts have gone so far. In his first big-league start, Wheeler pitched six shutout innings and struck out seven, but, unfortunately, he gave up nine earned runs in his next two starts. However, in his next start, he only gave up one earned run.

“Possibly,” Wheeler said when asked if yesterday’s game was a good chance to show the Giants what they’re missing out on. “It would be nice to have a good outing there, let’s put it that way.”

He certainly did have a nice outing yesterday against the Giants. Wheeler pitched seven innings and allowed three hits and one earned run. He struck out five, walked three, and threw a total of 101 pitches (64 strikes).

The frustration from Giants fans over wishing Wheeler was pitching for the Giants right now shouldn’t be directed toward the Wheeler/Beltran trade though. It should be more general frustration that the Giants’ only legitimate starting pitching prospects are in Single-A San Jose.

If Clayton Blackburn or Kyle Crick, two of the Giants’ best pitching prospects right now, were major-league ready and in the Giants’ starting rotation right now, it doesn’t seem like Giants fans would even care how Wheeler was doing or wish he was still in the Giants organization.

Fans can’t start thinking “Where would the Giants be if Wheeler was pitching for them now?” because it’s irrelevant. That trade happened two years ago, and Giants fans need to move on.

Player Breakdown: What Toney Douglas Brings to the Golden State Warriors

This article was originally published on Let’s Go Warriors.

Photo courtesy of NBA.com

Photo courtesy of NBA.com

The Golden State Warriors have reached an agreement with point guard Toney Douglas. Although the exact terms of the deal are unknown at this point, it will most likely be a one-year deal.

Per 48 minutes last season, Douglas would have averaged 19.9 points, 5.6 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.6 steals on 40.3 percent shooting, 38 percent shooting from three, and 90.5 percent free-throw shooting.

The Warriors were in need of a backup point guard with the departure of Jarrett Jack. Douglas is a very different player than Jack is, but he will fit in nicely with this Warriors team.

First of all, he’s a quality defender. The 6-foot-2 guard has been known for his defense in his three years in the NBA. He’s quick, he gets deflections, he gets steals, and he strongly pressures the ball.

“(My mindset is) don’t let him feel comfortable, be physical with him and take on the challenge,” Douglas said about his approach on defense. “I like doing it because I know my capabilities. I’m a big, strong guard and I’m just as athletic, just as quick.”

Stephen Curry certainly knows how good of a defender Douglas is. In a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 6th, Douglas guarded Curry, the eight-leading scorer in the NBA at the time, and held him to 13 points on 3-for-11 shooting.

Second, Douglas is a pretty good three-point shooter. Last season, he shot 38.9 percent from three, matching a career-high. On March 17th, 2011, when Douglas was on the New York Knicks, he tied a Knicks’ franchise record with nine three-pointers made in one game. That night, he shot 9-for-12 from three-point range.

Third, Douglas is not necessarily a great shooter or passer, but he has a high basketball IQ. With the Kings last season, coach Keith Smart often turned to Douglas in crunch time situations because of his high level of expertise on defense and his understanding of situational basketball. He knows when to pass to his teammates and when to take the shot himself.

Lastly, Douglas is a hard worker and will provide veteran leadership to this team. Now that Nemanja Nedovic is expected to sign with the Warriors and play for them next season, Douglas could act as a mentor to him. Also, Douglas credits playing with Chauncey Billups on the Knicks as to why he puts so much effort into studying the game.

“I learned a lot from Chauncey Billups – he helped me out a lot when he was there – and then when he was hurt, I ended up starting,” Douglas said. “Playing with (Carmelo Anthony) and (Amar’e) Stoudemire (when I was) starting my second year really helped me, too.”

The addition of Douglas also gives Mark Jackson some flexibility in terms of what lineups he could use. Jackson could decide to sometimes play Douglas at point guard and slide Curry over to the shooting guard position, just like he did with Jack last year.

Douglas wasn’t acquired to be a primary scorer off the bench. He’s a solid defender, he’s a veteran, and he will provide solid minutes for the Warriors off the bench.

San Francisco Giants: Should They Be Sellers at the Trade Deadline?

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Jun 17, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito (75) hands the ball to manager Bruce Bochy (15) after being taken against the San Diego Padres during the sixth inning at AT

The San Francisco Giants are in a dangerous slump.

In the month of June, they had a 10-16 record. Since June 15th, the Giants have a 5-18 record. As of today, they are a season-high nine games below .500 with a record of 40-49.

They have been plagued by injuries, inconsistent pitching and poor situational hitting. All of these issues have caused fans to question if the Giants need to be active at the trade deadline.

If the Giants want to be buyers at the trade deadline, they could look to acquire a starting pitcher, a relief pitcher, and a veteran outfielder. However, the Giants haven’t been playing well enough to be able to score a deal (other teams could be wary of the Giants’ struggles or raise the price due to San Francisco’s desperation). In addition to that, the Giants are wary about giving up top prospects and getting just a rental player or a player who won’t make much impact on the team in return.

“We have to ride it out. The team has to play better for us to move forward,” Brian Sabean said. “If we don’t start playing better — the team at hand, especially the lineup itself — there’s not enough help in the world that’s going to turn us around from this.

The Giants also have a lot of areas to be addressed, and they can’t all be fixed via trade.

“You get a little leaky, and you can fill one hole, but if it gets to be too many, you’re asking too much there,” Bruce Bochy said. “It’s gonna come back to these guys getting back to the players they are and executing.”

Hank Schulman, the Giants beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, suggests that if the Giants have a bad homestand, they should concede the season now and be sellers, in order to at least acquire prospects for the future. If the Giants do well on this homestand, then he believes that the Giants should become buyers and make a serious run to win the NL West.

He also suggests that if the Giants decide to be sellers, they should try to trade Javier Lopez, Hunter Pence or Tim Lincecum, because they will all be free agents after this season. Also, the Giants could possibly get some quality prospects in return, especially from Lopez and Pence.

So, should the Giants be sellers at the trade deadline? Should they essentially try to acquire talent for the future?

The simple answer is no. First of all, there’s still a lot of baseball to be played. The Giants have 73 games left, and a lot of things can change in 73 games. The All-Star break is in a week, and it might be just the physical and mental break the Giants need.

Second, the Giants have shown that they like being underestimated and and are able to come back from adversity. In 2010, the Giants were trailing the San Diego Padres in the NL West for much of the season, and they didn’t clinch the NL West title until the very last day of the season. In 2012, the Giants were on the brink of elimination in two straight series, and they ultimately won the World Series.

The Giants have been in tough situations before, and they’ve shown time and time again that they can always come back. The Giants have won two World Series titles in three years for a reason.

“This is a club that’s always been resilient,” Bochy said. “They’ve had the ability to bounce back from tough losses, streaks. They’ve been down before. They find a way to get it done. I don’t think that they’re doubting themselves that it will happen.”

Oct 28, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Members of the San Francisco Giants celebrate on the field after game four of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Giants won 4-3 to sweep the series. Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Third, the Giants are a loyal organization. They’re going to stick by their players, win or lose. This is essentially, minus a few injured players, the same team that won the World Series last season. The Giants organization believes in this group of guys.

“These are our guys, though,” Bochy said. “These guys have done a lot of good things here. You know [the slump] feels like it’s been forever, but it’s been maybe three weeks. It’s getting long, but still, they are our guys and we’re going to stay behind them.”

Lastly, the team still believes in each other, it’s still as confident as ever, and it’s still working hard. The players believe as much today as they did at the beginning of the season that they can win another World Series this year. That seems like a tough task now, but it can still be done.

“They’re fighting. I know when you go through something like this and you don’t score a lot of runs, you look flat,” Bochy said. “But they’re doing the work, they’re doing all we’re asking. It’s all we can do, just keep coming out here every day and keep believing that you’re going to come out of this thing.”

If the right deal presents itself, Sabean has said that he’s not afraid to make a deal. He’s not going to make a trade just to make a trade, though. He has had success in the past bringing in players at the trade deadline that make a difference in the second half of the season.

In 2010, Sabean signed Pat Burrell to a minor league deal, acquired Cody Ross off of waivers and traded for Lopez and Ramon Ramirez. In 2012, Sabean traded for Pence and Marco Scutaro.

Will he decide to sell instead of buy this season, though?

“You know, who knows,” Sabean said about the Giants possibly selling at the trade deadline. “I think you’re going to have an open mind going forward to whatever’s in best interests of the organization, the present and future.”

The Giants should not be sellers at the trade deadline. Even though they’re in a potentially disastrous downward spiral right now, they shouldn’t sell some of their most valuable assets, in order to acquire talent for the future.

The season is far from over. A comeback at this point might be tough, but the Giants are reigning World Champions for a reason.

Will Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes Start Next Season?

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This article was originally published on Let’s Go Warriors.

The addition of Andre Iguodala brings up questions as to whether Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes will come off the bench for the Golden State Warriors next season. It would make more sense for the Warriors to start Thompson and have Barnes be the sixth man. Here are four reasons why:

1. Thompson plays both sides of the court better than Barnes does, so Thompson is more valuable as a starter.
Although Barnes has potential to become a quality one-on-one defender, Thompson proved in the postseason that he’s the better defender of the two. Thompson shut down Ty Lawson in the series against the Denver Nuggets, and he also did a fantastic job guarding Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in the series against the San Antonio Spurs. He was able to use his length and size to prevent Parker and Ginobili from penetrating to the basket and scoring on easy mid-range baskets or three-pointers.
Iguodala is a versatile defender who can guard several positions, and he’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Having him alongside Thompson and Andrew Bogut would certainly make this team even better defensively.

2. If Barnes came off the bench, it would allow him to excel even more, given the fact that he’d play against the reserves of the opposing team.
Although some people fear that the addition of Iguodala will stifle Barnes’ growth, Barnes actually would have the opportunity to show off his game even more coming off the bench. Instead of competing against LeBron James or Kevin Durant, Barnes would be able to play against the small forward or power forward in an opponent’s weaker lineup.
Also, with the departure of Brandon Rush, Barnes could become the Warriors’ sixth man and primary scorer off the bench. Given Barnes’ athleticism, he could really excel in this role and become even more of a key component in the Warriors’ rotation.

3. Barnes’ skillset is similar to Iguodala’s, offensively, so it would benefit the Warriors more to have Barnes come off the bench.
Both Barnes and Iguodala are strong, athletic, and quick, so it would make more sense for the Warriors to avoid having two players who play the same position, with very similar skillsets, on the floor at the same time.
Having Thompson start would give Iguodala more room to drive to the basket. It would also allow the Warriors to spread the floor more with an extra three-point shooter, since Thompson is a better three-point shooter than Barnes. If Iguodala, Stephen Curry, or Nemanja Nedovic (if he plays for the Warriors this season) drives to the basket, they will require more attention from the defense in the paint, which would free up Thompson on the three-point line.

4. If Barnes comes off the bench, the Warriors have more range in the types of lineups they can use.
The Warriors would start Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, David Lee, and Bogut. However, the Warriors could decide to go small at any point in the game and use a lineup of Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Barnes, and Lee or Bogut.
The Warriors have had success before with a small lineup like this one. In their series against Denver, Barnes played power forward several times and did well. He was more active on the boards, and he was able to use his quickness to his advantage against slower power forwards. In addition, Barnes’ ability to play power forward gives the Warriors some flexibility if Bogut gets injured again.

Let’s Go Warriors 2012-2013 Report Cards: Stephen Curry
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

This article was originally published on Let’s Go Warriors.

Stephen Curry is the best player on the Golden State Warriors. In fact, he should’ve been an All-Star this past season. After averaging 21 points, 6.6 assists, four rebounds, and 1.6 steals on 43.4 percent shooting, 44.7 percent shooting from three, and 90.5 percent free-throw shooting in the first half of last season, he was more than deserving of his first All-Star selection.

NBA legends such as Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Chris Mullin all believed that Curry should’ve been an All-Star too.

“The biggest omission was Stephen Curry,” Mullin said. “He has been the key player in the Warriors’ 26-15 record. He has played great and has had to do so without Andrew Bogut and Brandon Rush – two key players out with injuries. Curry is the main reason for the Warriors’ first-half success, and he’s the NBA’s best shooter.”

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 8: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 8: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Instead of being disappointed about not being selected as an All-Star, Curry raised his game to a whole other level in the second half of the season. Curry averaged 26 points, 7.4 assists, four rebounds, and 1.7 steals on 47.6 percent shooting, 46.1 percent shooting from three, and 89.4 percent free-throw shooting.

The second half of the season also included Curry’s unbelievable 54-point game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. In that game, Curry shot 18-for-28 on field goals, 11-for-13 on threes, and 100 percent from the free-throw line as well. He set a franchise record with 11 made 3-pointers in the game, and he scored the most points in NBA history for a player with 10 or more 3-pointers made. This performance was arguably one of the greatest shooting displays ever.

Curry finished the season averaging 22.9 points (seventh in the NBA), 6.9 assists, four rebounds, and 1.6 steals on 45.1 percent shooting, 45.3 percent shooting from three (third in the NBA), and 90 percent free-throw shooting (second in the NBA) in 38.2 minutes per game in 78 games.

The fact that Curry was able to play 78 games was an impressive feat in itself. Curry had two right ankle surgeries in the past two offseasons, which led many people to label him as “injury-prone.” In the shortened 2011-2012 season (66 total games instead of 82 games), he only played in 26 games and was shut down due to his right ankle injuries. He tweaked his ankle a few times during the 2012-2013 regular season, but given how minor they were, he only had to miss four games. He also played in 12 postseason games and 90 total games this past year, which is incredible.

(April 25, 2013 - Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)

(April 25, 2013 – Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)

In the postseason, Curry officially became a superstar. He had some incredible performances, including his 31-point effort in Game 4 of the series against the Denver Nuggets. He scored 22 points in the span of about five and a half minutes, and 19 of those 22 points came in the final 4:22 of the quarter.

In the postseason, Curry averaged 23.4 points (sixth in the NBA), 8.1 assists (second in the NBA), 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals on 43.4 percent shooting, 39.6 percent shooting from three, and 92.1 percent free-throw shooting. Curry stepped up when David Lee went down with his right hip flexor injury in Game 1 of the Denver series. Curry also badly sprained his left ankle in Game 2 of the Denver series, but he knew he had to play through it and lead his team to victory.

“He embraced the moment,” Mark Jackson said. “It was like this was something he’s been waiting his entire life for.”

Curry is considered a superstar and one of the best point guards in the NBA by many people, but every superstar can improve their game in some way or another. Curry needs to work on limiting his turnovers, getting physically stronger, drawing more fouls, and becoming a better one-on-one defender. If he can do that next season, he will raise his game to a new level of superstardom.

With Monta Ellis not on the team anymore, Curry knew he had to become more of a leader and a vocal presence on and off the court this past season, which he certainly did. Curry is the face of this franchise, and he’s ready to lead this team to even higher levels of success next season.

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