-
Nov4
Is there a point to moving Harrington for a point?
Filed under: Commentary; Tagged as: Al Harrington, Allen Iverson, Baron Davis, C.J. Watson, Chauncey Billups, Corey Maggette, DeMarcus Nelson, Don Nelson, Drew Gooden, Joe Dumars, Kelenna Azubuike, Kirk Hinrich, Marco Belinelli, Marcus Williams, Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey, Stephen Jackson, Thabo Sefolosha19 Comments[EDIT at 3:30 p.m.: I looked up and then forgot to list the team offensive efficiency stats from John Hollinger. The Warriors are 21st so far this season, averaging 85.0 points per 100 possessions. A year ago, they were third, at 96.6. Just another sign they need another facilitator to move the ball in the short term.]
It’s been a week now since Al Harrington put on his impassioned Elvis impersonation, and the Warriors seem no closer to moving their forward to happier climes.
In fact, I’m beginning to get convinced that Harrington and the Warriors might be stuck with each at least until Monta Ellis returns from his ankle surgery.
That fact was put into stark relief Monday when Joe Dumars struck almost without warning, collecting Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for three players, most notably point guard Chauncey Billups.
Pulling the trigger on that deal was almost comically easy for Dumars, since it represents a victory in both the short and long views — the immediate effect is an upgrade from Billups to Iverson and a desired shakeup in the team’s culture, while the two-year plan is the opening of a slot for rising guard Rodney Stuckey.
For the Warriors, however, there do not appear to be any such no-brainer trades lurking out there by which Harrington can be set free.
That’s because Golden State’s short- and long-term goals cannot be easily resolved by any one player.
In the short term, it’s indisputable that the Warriors need help at the point guard position. DeMarcus Nelson, while a find as an undrafted rookie, is a raw, unfinished combo guard who’s not yet ready to be the primary playmaker on an NBA team. C.J. Watson is a score-first guy with flashes of occasional passing creativity, but not enough consistent ability to get past his man on the dribble. Stephen Jackson is too turnover-prone to be a full-time initiator. Marcus Williams has, for better or worse, been banished to irrelevancy.
But the whole point of signing Ellis to a six-year, $66 million deal was to make him the Warriors point guard of the future. (Admittedly, the timetable had to be moved up on that transformation once Baron Davis opted out, but Don Nelson has said consistently and pretty much from the moment he got here that Ellis would need to be a point guard to attain greatness in the NBA.)
So while someone such as Kirk Hinrich…
Categories
- Commentary (138)
- HTLFMARC (52)
- In Their Own Words (7)
- News (139)
- The Morning Report (46)
- The Wrapup (10)
- Uncategorized (6)
Recent Articles
- Cohan hangs the “FOR SALE” sign on Warriors’ HQ, but how much will he get?
- Monta Ellis returns from six-game layoff to face Trail Blazers; Watson in, Turiaf out
- Radio alert: Tune in to KNBR 1050 at 12:30 pm…
- Game 63, Live: Warriors (17-45) at Hornets (31-32)
- Game 62, Live: Warriors (17-44) at Bobcats (29-31)
- Game 61, Live: Warriors (17-43) at Hawks (39-21)
- Game 60, Live: Warriors (17-42) at Magic (41-20)
- Game 59, Live: Warriors (17-41) at Heat (29-31)
- No Monta Ellis tonight vs. Kings
- Game 52, Live: Warriors (14-37) at Lakers (41-13)

Recent Comments