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    Warriors sign Dickau to shore up PG

    By Geoff Lepper
    48minutes.net

    OAKLAND — As the Warriors continue casting about for a suitable replacement for Baron Davis, they decided to bring in someone who’s already been there and done that: Six-year veteran Dan Dickau was signed Wednesday night in time for the team’s evening practice.

    This will be Dickau’s second stint with the Warriors, although he has never played a game for the franchise. He was acquired by Golden State executive vice president Chris Mullin from Portland as part of the package for Nick Van Exel in July 2004, then shipped off to Dallas along with Erick Dampier later that summer.

    “He’s a veteran point guard; they’re hard to find,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said. “He doesn’t turn the ball over. He knows what he’s doing. He’s right at the age now where he should be at the peak of his game.”

    Dickau, a 30-year-old who averaged a career-high 13.2 points per game with the New Orleans Hornets in 2004-05 after replacing an injured (and eventually traded) Davis, will provide competition to youngsters C.J. Watson and Marcus Williams.

    “He’s a heady player. I think he’s got some skills that can fit into what we’re doing,” Mullin said. “That stint he had in New Orleans, that would probably work anywhere. . . . He’s got to be thinking, ‘I can do this (again). I’ve just got to get to the right place.’ If this is where that turns out to be, that’d be good for everybody. Do I feel like that’s an automatic? No. But that’s why he’s here.”

    Dickau wasn’t supposed to be in North America at this point. In mid-August, he signed to play for Italian club Air Avellino this season, but Dickau’s agent, Mark Bartlestein, said the situation did not work out for the player’s family, so they quickly made plans to return. Avellino and Dickau agreed to void his two-year deal earlier this week, but the Warriors were awaiting receipt of the final paperwork before signing the 6-0, 190-pounder.

    Several NBA teams were interested in Dickau, who averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in 15.5 minutes per game last season for the Los Angeles Clippers, backing up Brevin Knight and Sam Cassell. But Dickau’s familiarity with Nelson — Dickau played for him in Dallas early in the 2004-05 season before joining the Hornets via trade — and the need to quickly come to a decision with training camps opening made Golden State the right opportunity.

    “He had a good experience with Nellie in Dallas, and always enjoyed the way he coached and his system,” Bartlestein said. “They had a good conversation a week or so ago.”

    Nelson wouldn’t go so far as to say that Dickau will get a shot at the starting spot, which currently belongs to Watson, but did allow that “I see all three of the point guards playing this year,” and said that he wants at least three on the roster for the entire season.

    Monta Ellis won’t be included in that number until he’s healthy enough to play, probably in December or January at the earliest, so the 15th roster spot might wind up coming down to a battle between Dickau and rookie DeMarcus Nelson, who is working at the point.

    There is room on the roster for Dickau to stick; among the point guards in camp, only Ellis and Williams have fully guaranteed deals. Watson can be cut loose prior to Opening Night at a cost of $150,000, and Dickau, like Nelson, is on a make-good deal that confers no guarantees.

    If Dickau makes the regular-season roster, he’ll earn $998,398, although the league would reimburse the Warriors $200,817 and he would only count for $797,581 against the salary cap and luxury-tax threshold.

    Notes: Center Andris Biedrins and forward Corey Maggette got the day off from Nelson. . . . One thing Dickau won’t do is appreciably increase the Warriors’ team speed, a fact Nelson noted in his own inimitable way, referencing the four-wheeled leg support Ellis is using to keep pressure off his surgically repaired left ankle: “The thing is, (Ellis) is probably faster than any of the point guards I’ve got out here, even on his scooter.”

10 Responses to “Warriors sign Dickau to shore up PG”

  1. James October 1st, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    No more “Mississippi Bullet” for Monta. From now on he’s likely to be known as “Scooter.”

    The Dickau signing is one of those things that probably shows the Warriors are committed to making use of stopgap measures while planning for Ellis to return at some point this season. There’s no real point in going out and getting a more big-name PG (cue the Marbury rumors) if Ellis is still their first choice, so the combination of Williams, Watson and Dickau should be able to pitch in for a while at the least.

    No doubt Turiaf is happy to have Dickau as a teammate again.

  2. starburst October 1st, 2008 at 6:47 pm

    He’s better than Dajuan Wagner, at any rate. Does this mean Marcus Williams isn’t showing much?

  3. ryder October 1st, 2008 at 7:43 pm

    well, at least we know that a Dan Dickau team’s a lock for the top end of the lottery

  4. Bob October 1st, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    We need to sign Livingston. I don’t care if he’s not ready this year, its a move for the future. Monta and Livingston complement each other perfectly.

  5. geoff October 2nd, 2008 at 2:44 am

    James: I think you’re right about the stopgap nature of the move. Consider that Nellie is saying he’s not going to alter his offensive scheme — keeping the same plan that was drawn up with the expectation of 35 minutes from Monta at the point — even though nobody on the team or in the league (save maybe Leandro Barbosa) can approximate what Monta does.

    Starburst: I still feel badly for Dajuan. Great kid, terrible luck. I don’t know that it means Williams isn’t showing much. I think it’s more of an insurance policy in case neither C.J. nor Marcus gets it done there.

    Bob: If Livingston was willing to take a one-year, non-guaranteed, minimum-wage deal, he’d have already been signed — if not here, then somewhere else. But would you be willing to guarantee two years, or even three, to a guy who’s coming off one of the ugliest knee injuries in NBA history? It’s going to be interesting to see where Livingston lands, and if his price has to come down now that training camps are open.

    – Geoff

  6. petaluman October 2nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm

    Regarding PGs, I have no problem with CJ being the ‘starter coming into TC’. He’s basically the incumbent, and looked solid in SL, albeit against a lower level of competition. Unfortunately, he was only with the team for part of last season, and rarely given PG responsibilities with the 1st unit.

    Marcus has 2 years in the NBA, missing the beginning of last season with a broken bone in his foot. He’s generally averaged around 16 mpg as a backup to Kidd and Devin Harris. The starter slot is his - IF he earns it in TC.

    With Monta out for awhile, we needed to find a 3rd PG. It’s not lack of faith – it’s numbers. We’d be an injury, illness, foul trouble, whatever from having only 1 PG available. Signing Dan doesn’t reflect on CJ or Marcus, but it doesn’t look good for DeMarcus. I suspect he’s not enough of an offensive threat – Dickau is a much better shooter and passer.

    This is not to say these 3 are all locks. Only Marcus has a fully guaranteed contract. Obviously, it helps their chances a good deal going through all of TC with the team. If someone really intriguing becomes available and the price is right, the others are expendable.

  7. GATORBAIT October 2nd, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    AZUBUKE SHOULD BE TRIED AT POINT GUARD.

  8. geoff October 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm

    GATORBAIT: Why? If they’re going to have a PG with less-than-PG handles, it’s going to be Jackson. That way, Azubuike can play the 2 alongside him.

  9. John October 8th, 2008 at 9:47 pm

    Where has the offense gone? About a week into the pre-season, the Warriors are one of the top scoring teams in the NBA. Nice article. Bad timing.

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