Empty Rhetoric: The Latest Warriors Ownership Failure

Joe Lacob came in as an unpopular choice for the new owner of the Golden State Warriors when his group came in out of nowhere to slimly beat out the bid put in by the people's choice, billionaire and owner of Oracle Larry Ellison. People wanted Ellison's bravado, deep pockets, and insanely competitive spirit, essentially everything that previous owner Chris Cohan was not. Lacob eventually won over the displeased fans, playing up his fandom and 10 years of season tickets and talking passionately about bringing a winner to the Bay Area and that he wanted to make bold moves and bring a superstar to Golden State. Fans were excited. They thought while he might not be Ellison, he may be the next best thing. 18 months later, the Warriors are still not a winner, no bold moves have been made, and the Bay Area is still void of a superstar. All Lacob has proven to be so far is Chris Cohan with better PR sense.

The off-season started with talk of the Warriors both signing Tyson Chandler and swinging a trade for Chris Paul, immediately bringing national attention and respect to the Warriors franchise and giving them a legitimate core. It ended with the Warriors signing Kwame Brown, the most embarrassing bust of a number one draft pick of this generation, and giving him $7 million dollars for this season. This is being sold to the public as a smaller move that will help the Warriors defense and rebounding, and that Brown's former draft position shouldn't be held against him so many years later, and that line of thinking makes sense in theory, but when compared with Joe Lacob's bold proclamations of the past the logic falls apart. Incremental moves are for contenders looking for the final pieces. The Warriors, who compiled a record of 36-46 last season, are not contenders. The bold move Lacob had seemingly been waiting for was staring him in the face, in the Chris Paul trade and he blinked.

The Hornets number one target in a trade for Chris Paul was Stephen Curry. If the Warriors had put him in a potential deal with Ekpe Udoh, Klay Thompson, and a future pick, the Hornets would have made the deal, and Stern would have had no reason to step in and veto the trade. The Warriors balked at the trade because Paul did not give them assurances that he would stay beyond this year, as he can become a free agent at the end of this season. With this decision, Lacob showed that all of his talk was just that - talk. Thinking that a player is going to leave your team if he is not contractually obligated to stay for 5+ years is the mindset of a loser. Losers assume players will leave, Winners assume that they'll want to stay. Paul may have had his reservations going in, but he could have easily been sold on the Warriors within a year. With a Paul trade, Tyson Chandler almost assuredly would have followed him to the Bay, giving the Warriors the defensive presence in the middle they've been lacking for years.

Going further, Monta Ellis has been involved in a variety of trade rumors over the past 2 years for a variety of players. The two most persistent suitors for the scoring dynamo have been the Memphis Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers, with Memphis offering OJ Mayo and Philly floating an Andre Igoudala-Ellis swap. Philly was still willing to swap the Iggy-Ellis swap as recently as draft night, and possibly during the early parts of free agency. If Golden State would have parted with the talented but ball controlling Ellis and taken in the defensive specialist and all-around talent in Igoudala, they would have had an elite wing defender to guard the Kobe Bryant's and Kevin Durant's of the world.

Since parting with Ellis would leave a decent sized hole at the 2-guard position, they would need to use their mid-level exception to bring in a veteran. As it so happened there was a veteran Shooting Guard available that Warrior fans might be familiar with

A 4-year deal to bring J-Rich back to the bay using the full Mid-Level Exception would have cost $26.75 million dollars. On December 11th, Jason Richardson signed a 4-year deal with the Orlando Magic for $25 million dollars. Just saying.
 
With these moves, the Warriors would have put together a line-up of:
PG - Chris Paul
SG - Jason Richardson
SF - Andre Igoudala
PF - David Lee
C - Tyson Chandler

That instantly turns the Warriors into not only a playoff team, but also a real threat for a top 4 seed and homecourt advantage. And with a bench that would consist of Ekpe Udoh, Reggie Williams, Dorrell Wright, Lou Amundson, and 2nd round picks Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler, the Warriors would have a solid bench with a lot of upside to potentially be a dangerous group. Imagine how good this team would be. Now imagine them playing in Oracle 41 times, in front of the best fans in Basketball. Imagine Paul being a hailed as a savior, earning potential legend status in this hoop-starved area. Imagine a playoff series win in Oakland, with the arena rocking like during the We Believe era. Imagine the love and gratitude the fans would shower on Paul when they finally got eliminated, begging him to come back. What type of person thinks Chris Paul could possibly walk away from all that, to take less money to play somewhere else?

Someone who talks big but can't back it up. Someone scared, with a loser mindset.

Someone, apparently, like Joe Lacob.

Alabama-LSU: The Wrong Answer to a Question With No Right Ones

When I watched the BCS Selection show Sunday night, and it was unveiled that the BCS Championship would be a rematch between LSU and Alabama, I was filled with an emptiness that surprised me. Now, being a fan of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the #3 team in the BCS, I expected to not be happy if they were left on the outside.  I didn’t expect to not feel much of anything.  If the Cowboys had leapfrogged Alabama, I would have been left with the same feeling.  I would have been happy for OK State, but I still would have had the feeling that something was wrong.  The BCS, for all its claims that it creates excitement for the bowl games and the Championship game, managed to suck all of the excitement out of the post-season.  The BCS managed to do the one thing its (admittedly few) defenders always said it avoided.

There was no right answer to the question of “Who should be number 2?”  Alabama is, fairly clearly, the 2^nd best team in the country.  They have a half-dozen future NFL players on defense, they have the best running back in the country, and they have a sterling resume.  The problem? They already played LSU, at home, and lost. They already had their shot and failed.  Why should they be handed a 2^nd chance after not beating anyone of consequence since?  Their 3 games since the LSU loss were against Mississippi State, Georgia Southern, and Auburn, a fairly uninspiring stretch of opponents that posed no real challenges. I believe Alabama is the 2^nd best team in the country. Do I believe they deserve a rematch against a team they lost to at home, while playing fairly uninspired ball ever since? I don’t know about all that.

Oklahoma State has a legit argument for being the 2^nd best team in the country.  They have wins over 5 teams currently ranked in the top 25 compared to just 2 for Alabama.  They were the conference champions in the conference ranked the best in the NCAA by the computer polls, while Alabama didn’t even play in their conference championship game. They beat Oklahoma, the preseason #1 and current #10 team in the country 44-10.  Their only loss came on the road in double-overtime, on a day in which the school suffered a tragic loss. They have the best WR in the country and the 2^nd best passing offense in the nation.  They are an absolute blast to watch.  The problem? Calling their defense mediocre is unfair to mediocrity.  Louisiana-Lafayette scored 34 points on this defense.  Tulsa scored 33, Kansas State scored 45, Iowa State hung 37 on them in the upset.  For as talented offensively, and as fun to watch as they are, are they really the 2^nd best team in the country with a defense that had exactly one good performance against a top flight team?  I can’t really get on board with that.

Going down the list, the arguments get even worse.  Stanford has 1 good win (At USC), and got blown out by Oregon, at home. Oregon not only got beaten by double-digits by LSU, they lost again at home to USC later in the year.  USC is inelligible for the post-season, but had 2 losses anyway.  Boise State had one great win (At Georgia), but lost to TCU on their home-field.  Arkansas lost to both LSU AND Alabama.

Of all the years where a playoff would have helped increase interest in the BCS Championship Game, this would be the one.  There are questions abound as to every teams credentials to play in the championship game, but a playoff this year would have answered them all.  Alabama would have had the chance to real off a couple of big wins and get momentum and interest back on their side.  Oklahoma State could have proved that the Iowa State game was a fluke and their defense can consistently keep up against top-flight opponents.  Stanford could have showed Oregon was nothing more than a bad match up and they would have more quality wins if the schedule allowed it.  Oregon could have proved they were a different team than the won that opened the season with an L against LSU.  Boise State could have proven that the team that beat Georgia is the real Boise, not the team that lost to TCU.  Arkansas could have exacted revenge on LSU or ‘Bama in the early rounds, proving they were a legit championship contender.

Instead, we get the BCS and the feeling that nobody really deserves the #2 spot.  Even if Alabama wins, the question will be whether Alabama deserved to be their in the first place, and why doesn’t LSU get a chance at revenge now?  As fun and crazy as this college football season was, it deserved to go out with a bang, with an 8-team playoff that would have given fans great games and the feeling that the 2 teams in the championship game earned their way there.  What we get is a game we’ve all seen before and a whole lot of emptiness.

Mike Leach and Rich Rodriguez give the Pac-12 the most interesting stable of head coaches in the country.

Mike Leach and Rich Rodriguez give the Pac-12 the most interesting stable of head coaches in the country.

There will be very little drama on the field in the Pac-12 next year.  There will be one game of note the entire season, USC vs. Oregon in LA.  That game will also be the Pac-12 Championship game, at whichever team wins the first match up.  None of the other teams in the conference will be anywhere near USC & Oregon’s talent level next year, and those teams are going to run away with their divisions. I can’t wait.  More after the jump...

Why I’m Sad To See The NBA Lockout End

When news broke early Saturday morning that the NBA Owners and NBPA had tentatively agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that would save the season and start on Christmas Day, it was met with quite a bit of enthusiasm across the internet. Coming off the most successful season (by TV Ratings) in the NBA’s history, the public was anxious for the league to get back to work and give the fans another season of stellar play and myriad storylines. I, on the other hand, met the news of the lockouts end with feelings of sadness and resignation. I had accepted in my mind a year without an NBA season and had even gotten to the point where I was looking forward to it, for a couple of different reasons, after the jump.

Good Luck Is Not Enough

If Bill Polian is sitting on the number one pick in the 2012 NFL Draft next April, I’d 100% understand if he selects Andrew Luck as his QB of the future.  I understand how it would be near impossible NOT to take him.  He’s the most decorated college QB since Peyton Manning.  He would have been the number 1 overall pick last year if he declared. People have suggested that teams are tanking the season just to be able to pick him, also known as the “Suck For Luck” campaign. He’s a slam dunk to be a starter for 10 years and make a half-dozen pro-bowls and possibly even a championship or two. You can’t possibly go wrong hitching your franchise to Andrew Luck’s right arm.

But if I were sitting in that GM chair next April, with the #1 pick and that clock ticking down, the name “Andrew Luck” would not be what comes out of Roger Goodell’s mouth.

If I’m hitching my franchise to a QB, I’m hitching it to the right arm (and legs) of Robert Griffin III, and I wouldn’t think twice.

The above video is billed as the highlight video for the Baylor Bears football team from their upset victory over Oklahoma, but that isn’t accurate. What it really is Robert Griffin III’s emergence into the national consciousness, with a few plays not involving him accidentally included for some reason.  Griffin’s stat line doesn’t tell the whole story, but lets start there. RGIII was 21-for-34 passing for 479 yards (School Record) and 4 TD’s, while also managing 72 yards rushing, combining for 551 total yards of offense. Baylor as a team managed 616. To say Griffin was the focal point of the Baylor offense is an understatement.  He was the entirety of the Baylor offense.

It’s not like this performance came out of nowhere either. Griffin has been a Heisman Trophy candidate the entire season.  He has thrown for 3572 yards, 33 touchdowns, against only 5 interceptions, while also rushing for 550 yards and 5 additional TD’s. Through his first 3 games he had more TD passes than Incompletions. He’s completed at least 70% of his passes in 7 of his 10 games this season.  He is a statistical machine.

Griffin truly shines, however, when you have the privilege to watch him play and see how he racks up all those insane numbers. A world class track star in high school, he runs with long strides that disguise just how fast he’s really going, making it seem like it just isn’t very hard for him. He possesses an absolute cannon of a right arm, throwing the most gorgeous deep ball in all of College Football right now.  His accuracy is pinpoint, as suggested by his inhuman 72.9% completion percentage.

The bow on this package is his attitude. He is a tireless worker, transforming himself from purely an athlete as a freshman to now a true quarterback. He’s a great leader, evidenced by the glowing praise all his teammates constantly give him.  He also comes across as a very mature, level-headed individual, already having a fiancé and never seeming to be too high or low emotionally.

Andrew Luck is the safe play, the guaranteed success. He has the pedigree of a QB father, the experience of a pro-style system, a myriad of physical gifts of his own.  Andrew Luck will be an excellent NFL quarterback.  But Robert Griffin is a world class athlete. Robert Griffin has a better arm. Robert Griffin is an unimpeachable leader.

Robert Griffin, is better.

Alex Smith Is Redeemed. Alex Smith Must Go.

I never expected Alex Smith to be this good this year. I predicted the 49ers would go 5-11 as they struggled with a new coach in a shortened off-season, and that Alex Smith would occupy the QB position until Week 15 when rookie Colin Kaepernick would take over to gain some experience going into next season.  I believed whole-heartedly in the Jim Harbaugh era and its promises of future success. I didn’t believe that success would arrive in 2011.  And I definitely didn’t believe that success would come with Alex Smith running the team to near perfection.  The man has played well beyond everyone’s expectations, managing the game beautifully, almost always making the right audible at the line, and even racking up some impressive passing numbers when the situation has called for it.  I could probably count the number of ill-advised throws he’s made all season on one hand.  I would say no QB in the league has played smarter than Alex this season.  He has finally proved that he is not a bust of the Jamarcus Russell or Ryan Leaf vintage.  He is vindicated.

But if the 49ers want to fully capitalize on their newfound success and re-emerge as a football dynasty, Alex Smith must go.

Almost every facet of Alex’ game has improved under Harbaugh.  His confidence has soared, his decision-making has improved drastically, he’s reading defenses better, etc.  But there is one facet that hasn’t improved and it’s the skill that history has showed can’t really be improved.  Accuracy.  Now I know Smith’s completion percentage is at a career high, but that is a reflection of his improved decision making and always finding the open guy rather than actually being anymore precise with the placement of his thrown balls.  There are still 2 or 3 big plays every game that Alex gives away because he either overthrows his receiver and doesn’t give him a chance to catch it, or doesn’t hit his receiver in stride and allows the defender to make a play on the ball. 

He gets away with these accuracy issues because of his spectacular decision making, always finding the most open receiver and therefore not needing to be incredibly accurate. But in the playoffs as the defenses get better and the throwing windows tighten, this will rear its ugly head. The biggest problem will be when a secondary steps up and is able to blanket the receivers, and he needs to throw someone open. I have not seen anything out of him in the past to make me think he can do that.  The elite, franchise qb’s, the multiple super bowl winners, they all have the ability to throw a receiver open whose tightly covered, simply by putting the ball in the ONLY possible spot that it could be caught. An elite QB needs to make the throw that Ben Roethlisberger makes at the :58 second mark of this video.

I remember watching that game live. My first thought was “WHAT A THROW!” My next thought was “Never in a million years could Alex Smith have made that throw.”  And that is essentially why I can never fully get on-board with the Alex Smith movement.  He is playing the best football of his career, he may be the smartest QB in the league right now, but when it’s 4^th and 7 from the 19-yard line and his receivers are all blanketed, and he needs to put that football in a 6-inch window to win the game, I don’t think he can do it. And if he can’t, then the 49ers need to try to find a quarterback that can, or else waste this window of opportunity.