48minutes.net

By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

By now, you’ve undoubtedly read Marcus Thompson’s blog item regarding the report from Stephen Jackson that Baron Davis wants to be traded back to the Bay less than six months after bolting to go back home.

Aside from the usual eye-rolling that comes with most Baron pronouncements, there’s a very specific and immoveable obstacle to this scenario: BD can’t seriously think that the Warriors (i.e., team president Robert Rowell) — who didn’t want to be on the hook for four fully guaranteed years because of concerns about Davis’ health and motivation — are suddenly going to be willing to pay for FIVE seasons.

Here, then, is a helpful guide to 30 things more likely to happen than Baron Davis coming back to the Bay:

1) Barack Obama arrives at the White House on the afternoon of Jan. 20, spots George Bush ducking out the back door, tosses him the keys and says, “You can keep it. I just got Hank Paulson’s last report, and I’m outta here.”

2) Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter each play 82 games — in the same season.

3) Clay Bennett goes bankrupt and the City of Seattle picks up the Thunder for $42,598 plus court costs in an Oklahoma City repo auction.

4) Warrior fans make it through a broadcast without being reminded that they’re missing (insert number here) points per game.

5) Larry Brown quits the Bobcats out of sheer frustration with Sean May.

(Wait, that one could actually happen.)

6) The L wakes up to the fact that Kevin Garnett has crossed the line from “hard-nosed” to “wantonly overaggressive” and finally takes some punitive action.

7) Allen Iverson takes two weeks off from the Pistons, undergoes 274 laser treatments and comes back without any tattoos.

8 ) Jose Calderon misses a free throw. But only one.

9) Gilbert Arenas announces that he’s quitting the NBA to switch to blogging full-time.

10) Jamal Crawford starts to play lockdown defense.

11) Barry Bonds is named the San Francisco Giants’ new strength and conditioning coach.

12) Kobe Bryant drops 71 on the Suns, then tells a live ABC audience: “Shaq, your ass taste like chicken. At least, that’s what Steve Nash said.”

13) Al Harrington tells Jackson that he’d like to come back to the Warriors, too.

14) Erick Dampier acknowledges that he hasn’t played up to the seven-year, $73 million deal he signed in 2004 and gives Mark Cuban an oversized posterboard check for $30 million in a halftime ceremony at a Mavericks home game.

15) Cuban’s attorneys immediately take half as a retainer.

16) The San Jose Sharks turn yet another glittering regular season into a Stanley Cup title.

17) Stephon Marbury returns to the Knicks at the All-Star break, scores 22.8 points per game the rest of the way and leads New York to the playoffs.

18) Corey Maggette misses 17 games after tearing his lat during a particularly vigorous weight-training session.

19) Eric Gordon takes a rainbow jumper that gets caught among the banners at the TD Banknorth Arena and never comes back to the court.

20) Thanks to a general outcry from critics, “ER” gets renewed.

21) Newspapers in the United States report a 450 percent jump in readership for 2008 over 2007.

22) Dikembe Mutombo stays retired.

23) Dennis Rodman doesn’t.

24) Gregg Popovich promises to dress like Gandalf for the duration of the Spurs’ playoff run.

Will Pop . . .

. . . pick up pipe-smoking as well?

25) Derrick Rose actually breaks Andre Miller’s ankle.

26) Kerri Walsh announces that because it’s too hard to choose a new partner while Misty May-Treanor recovers from her torn Achilles tendon, she’s just going to play solo on the AVP Tour.

And she still wins every tournament.

27) The luxurious manes of Pau and Marc Gasol are revealed to be nothing more than wild wigs when Ron Artest yanks on Pau’s hair during one particularly intense Rockets-Lakers confrontation.

28) Kevin McHale goes 1-62 as a coach. AND STILL KEEPS HIS JOB.

29) No, really: Jamal Crawford starts to play lockdown defense.

30) The Clippers wake up on the morning after the trade deadline and find that not only is Davis still clad in red and blue, but they also still employ Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby.

Contact: geofflepper@48minutes.net

(aka How To Lose Fake Money And Real Credibility, Part 35, today’s installment of your faithful reporter’s quest to prognosticate all 1,230 NBA regular-season games this season)

As usual, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott was first on the scene this morning, putting together a list of potential landing spots for Stephon Marbury, assuming he and the Knicks agree to stand down from their current Defcon-1 status.

Personally, I like three options the best:

1) Miami. I am not really sold on Mario Chalmers/Chris Quinn combo at the point, and Dwyane Wade is certainly going to be able to keep any ego outburst in check.

2) Orlando. To me, the Magic are a little too vanilla. It’s one thing to be even-keeled, but if you don’t mix that with a killer instinct (i.e., Tim Duncan and the Spurs) you get a team that’s just not tough enough. I think here, Marbury might bring some swagger with him that rubs off on the club, similar to Stephen Jackson’s effect on the Warriors, or what Ron Artest has brought to the Rockets this season.

3) Philadelphia. If the 76ers aren’t freaking out, they ought to be. They’re 7-10, and three of those wins came at home against the Thunder, the Clippers and the Warriors. They’ve got a brutal roadie coming up before and after New Year’s (Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Dallas and San Antonio, with the Clippers being the only thing standing between them and an 0-5 spot), Louis Williams was MIA for a good three weeks, Elton Brand still isn’t getting shots where he’s most comfortable, and Andre Miller will have to spend the rest of the season living down this:

For what it’s worth, I think the Warriors can safely be judged a Marbury-free zone now that they’ve traded for Jamal Crawford. Even if it would be on a minimum-wage pro-rated deal for the rest of the year, there is still only one ball in use at a time, right?

Onto the picks, and let’s not discuss my record, because I don’t want to jinx anything:

Heat (8-9) at Warriors (5-12), 7:35 p.m.
Pick: Heat -1.5
I don’t think the Warriors are as bad as they seemed on that road trip. I don’t think they’re good enough to win here, however.

Timberwolves (4-11) at Bobcats (5-11), 4:05 p.m.
Pick: Bobcats -3.5
One of the league’s worst offenses (Charlotte) against a weak defense (Minnesota) that just got worse with Corey Brewer’s injury.

Magic (13-4) at Celtics (16-2), 4:35 p.m.
Pick: Celtics -8.5
I love the strides that Rajon Rondo has made, but 57.6 percent from the line? As Cheese would say, that shit is unseemly. (Video language NSFW.)

Yesterday: 4-1
Season record: 126-122-3

– Geoff

Warriors forward Al Harrington is finally telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, apparently.

After claiming early Tuesday afternoon that he “wasn’t at that point” of demanding a trade, Harrington hours later did in fact march into executive vice president Chris Mullin’s office to demand a trade, according to his own testimony in other outlets.

Not much I can add to that. Obviously, my earlier report — while accurate in terms of quoting Harrington — was proven inaccurate because of the underlying deceit. Mea culpa.

One thing I will be asking Al later this morning is why he didn’t go public over the summer to try to force the Warriors’ hand. Doing it the day before the season makes him come off as the bad guy, his team-first claims notwithstanding; a concerted effort in June and July would have allowed him to hold the upper hand in the PR war at this point.

Until then, here are some possible trade partners and targets for the Warriors:

CHICAGO: Kirk Hinrich
He’s a superfluous hybrid guard on a team that also has Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon and No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose. Of course, he’s also got $36.5 million remaining on a deal that runs through 2011-12, and a defensive pairing with Monta Ellis would be akin in some ways to laying a welcome mat to the hoop.

MEMPHIS: Javaris Crittenton
Long of arm but short on accomplishments, Crittendon is probably the biggest reach in this group, although there are other bonuses to be had: Because the Grizzlies have so much room under the salary cap, the cost-conscious Warriors don’t have to take any other contracts back, although Memphis will presumably try to foist a Marko Jaric or Greg Buckner on them.

CHARLOTTE: Raymond Felton
This might be the best fit of these choices. Not only is Felton available because of the presence of D.J. Augustin, but the Bobcats are desperate for frontcourt help because they chose Augustin over Brook Lopez, and don’t want to play Emeka Okafor out of position at power forward.

OKLAHOMA CITY: Earl Watson
Another situation where a highly touted rookie (Russell Westbrook) has been brought onboard, making Watson more sellable. With the addition of a second player to balance out the salaries, longtime potential Warrior Chris Wilcox could also be discussed.

ATLANTA: Speedy Claxton
When Josh Childress was still in the fold, there wasn’t that much need for Harrington in Atlanta. With Childress plying his trade in Greece, the Hawks suddenly have room alongside Marvin Williams and Josh Smith.

MILWAUKEE: Charlie Villanueva
Villanueva has been ticketed out of town ever since the Bucks added Joe Alexander and Richard Jefferson, and his game is everything Nelson wanted a reluctant Harrington to do. Would require a second player on the Bucks’ end to balance paychecks.

In the longshots category:

LA CLIPPERS: Cuttino Mobley
Mobley is standing in the way of rookie gunner Eric Gordon, and he’s another strong locker-room personality on a team that just added Baron Davis. The Clippers would also be able to plug Harrington in whenever Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman inevitably go down with injuries. (Oh, wait, they already are.)

NEW YORK: Stephon Marbury
Given that coach Mike D’Antoni runs the closest thing out there to what Nelson wants like to do in a perfect world, it seems absurd that the Warriors would want a luxury-tax monster like Steph — moody, intractable and crazy- not-in-a-good-way — whom Mike D has all but kicked to the curb.

DENVER: Allen Iverson
Hey, if the Warriors are really going to take on $21.9 million worth of expiring contract, they might as well get the highest quality $21.9 million worth of expiring contract. This, of course, is only an option if the Nuggets decide to blow everything up and start from scratch.

– Geoff

There’s no denying it: Anthony Randolph has star power. The only question is how quickly he can learn to harness it.

Friday night (Saturday afternoon in Beijing), Randolph looked a bit like the NBA’s answer to Amy Winehouse. To be sure, there were lapses in judgment (the traveling call for no good reason and the wild, off-balance 17-footer come to mind), but there were also plenty of instances of an incandescent raw talent on display.

Foremost on that list — even better than the ridiculous hops that led to putback dunks or the defensive rebounding, which has historically been such a weak point for this franchise — was Randolph’s shot-blocking ability.

He had four on the night, the first three in rapid succession during a 2 1/2-minute stretch of the first quarter.

Randolph kept his feet when Bucks rookie Joe Alexander — who was selected six spots ahead of Randolph in June’s NBA draft — tried to shake him on the box, and totally snuffed Alexander’s 5-footer.

He zoomed in as a weakside help defender when Andrew Bogut tried to flip up a hook shot, and quickly deposited that attempt behind a row of camerapeople arrayed along the baseline.

Finally, he blasted a scoop runner from Luke Ridnour as though this was beach volleyball and he was trying out to be Kerri Walsh’s new partner. The ball crossed midcourt on its first bounce, whereupon Corey Maggette scooped it up for a breakaway dunk.

Last season for the Warriors, of the nine players who got more than 400 minutes on the floor (i.e., at least 5 per game), Andris Biedrins was the most prolific shot-blocker at 2.17 per 48 minutes. This year, he could easily end up fourth behind Randolph, Brandan Wright and Ronny Turiaf. And that would be fantastic news for Golden State.

** As much as I liked several things Wright did at the offensive end Friday, the fact that he was one of the Warriors’ worst scorers on the +/- scale (-8, tied with Richard Hendrix) for a second consecutive game is a little worrisome. Wright did not seem comfortable defensively when matched up with Alexander. I think we’ll see is Randolph playing against smaller guys he doesn’t have to worry about defending in the low block, while Wright gets the heavier defensive assignments.

** Anyone who thinks Al Harrington is not going to play is deluding themselves. He’s the only power forward the Warriors have who can shoot the 3 (unless Rob Kurz is going to make the club). And even if he does eventually decide to split the position between Wright and Randolph, Nelson will continue to run Al out there in the short term, if only to pump up his trade value.

** Did anyone else find it hilarious that ESPN’s technical glitch — the audio portion of the broadcasting running half a second ahead of the video — caused play-by-play man Matt Winer, stationed half a world away in Connecticut, to erroneously say Kurz’s game-winning 3-pointer came after the final buzzer?

** The half-court offense is looking rough, as it has from the first game. I still think C.J. Watson will make the squad, even though his contract is only partially guaranteed ($150,000), but I expect any team with an extra point guard is hammering Chris Mullin’s phone right about now. (Or maybe it’s Robert Rowell’s.) Raymond Felton, Javaris Crittenton, Stephon Marbury, Steve Blake — all the old names are going to resurface between now and Oct. 29.

** Interesting to see the hookups between Biedrins and Stephen Jackson via a lob pass from Jackson. The Warriors need to find creative ways to keep that pairing productive since opponents are really keying in on their screen/roll plays.

** With his brief cameo in front of the camera, it looked like someone used the “big head” cheat code from NBA Jam on Chris Mullin.

– Geoff

By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

OAKLAND — Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson has always seen himself as a do-it-all performer in the NBA, yet even for him, this season’s list of responsibilities is getting a little out of hand.

Lead defender. Twenty-points-per-game scorer. Point forward. Point guard, possibly. Captain responsible for providing veteran leadership to one of the youngest teams in the NBA.

Is any single player capable of filling all those roles?

“I have to be,” a resolute Jackson said last week. “I’m not going to say I’m not, I’m not going to say I am, but I’m going to go out and give my best effort.”

No one doubts that. But after watching Jackson sputter to a halt in the final weeks of last season — when he set career-high averages in scoring (20.1 ppg) and assists (4.1) but also logged the most minutes played (39.1) in his eight-year NBA career — it’s fair to wonder how on Earth he can be asked to do more without burning out in similar fashion.

“He thinks he can handle it,” said Warriors forward Al Harrington, who did an old-man shuffle to illustrate his next point. “The thing about Jack is, as much as he walks like he can’t do it, and all that type of stuff, he finds a way.”

This year, that way may involve taking a different path. After previously serving as the big-shot sidekick to Baron Davis and Monta Ellis and the pick-and-roll partner of Andris Biedrins, Jackson will be the focal point at either end of the floor for the Warriors this season.

Whether he plays a true point guard for the first time since high school or simply initiates the offense from the 2 or 3 spots, Jackson knows it’s incumbent on him to do more in the way of shot creation — even if it means allowing his own scoring to wilt during what could be a contract drive if talks about an extension break down.

“I don’t think I’m going to average 20 points this year,” Jackson said. “I think I’m going to have to take away some of my points to be more defensive and make more plays for other guys, because BD was a big part of guys getting open shots. So I’m going to have to be more of a playmaker now and just try to sacrifice myself for the other guys a little bit.”

With Davis gone, Jackson will shoulder the burden of guarding the opposition’s best scorer on an almost nightly basis, especially while Ellis recovers from surgery on his left ankle. Jackson was often tasked last season with taking the best 2, 3 or 4 — he once guarded the Knicks’ Zach Randolph and Stephon Marbury in the same game, then drew the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce the next night — but Davis could fill that role for several minutes, freeing Jackson to either expend his energies elsewhere, or just catch a breather.

Finding another player to fill that role could be critical to keeping Jackson fresh and avoiding another April such as this past one, where his output tumbled to only 14.2 ppg on 33.9 percent shooting from the floor.

“A guy like Corey (Maggette), I think can ease his pain defensively,” Harrington said. “I just think as the season goes on, we need guys maturing in their roles so we can take more off him, so that he can get back to being a defensive guy and one of our top scorers.”

Said Maggette: “I think (Jackson) is going to be alright. You look on this team, he’s the only player with a championship. So he knows how to play. He knows how to win. He knows how to handle the ball. Plus, he’s a captain. So you put it on his shoulders and you see what he can do.”