What do I want for Christmas? Well, I already feel greedy, given the fact that the NBA season is going to start AND it starts on Christmas. But if I could ask Santa for a couple of more presents, these are the players that I would love to see in a Warriors uni come this season. But these are only 5. There are plenty of free agents out there that would help the Warriors right away. This is to address our front court needs.
1. Nene, PF/C – I was honestly surprised how young Nene is. Maybe it’s the hair or maybe its the way he plays, but I thought he was older. Surprise! He’s only 29 and is (in my valued opinion) the most coveted big-man free agent. Both agile and a grinder, Nene gives defenses headaches with hustle play (something that is needed for the Warriors around the basket). While the Nuggets seem to be probably the best team to offer him big money, he turned down their extension and is looking for a max deal. Is it in the best interest for the Warriors to give a large amount of cash to one player? Nene is a game changer, but not enough to give a max contract. It would be nice to see him along side David Lee rather than Beidrins, but you can’t always get what you ask for.
2. Tyson Chandler, C – If the Warriors couldn’t get Nene, maybe Chandler would be a great consolation prize. If you didn’t watch, Chandler exploded for some massive momentum dunks for the Mavs. He gave them a nice alley-oop presence on offense and a basket defender on defense. Can you imagine him and Monte Ellis flying through the air along with Steph Curry throwing it up for Chandler to slam home? He would give the Warriors an automatic boost on both ends of the floor. But he is most likely going to be resigned by the Mavs.
3. Marc Gasol, C – I know, I know. Up to this point, all the players have been about big guys. Can I say that the Warriors are in desperate need of one? Yes. And while his brother had won a championship and is more of a European player than Marc, Marc brings a certain toughness that his brother doesn’t have. He is reliable, big body and can score, something the Warriors are in dire need at the big man position. But, like Nene, he will command a pretty big contract and I’m not sure if the Warriors are ready to shell out money for one player. Plus he’s a restricted free agent, so he’s not going to go away from the Grizzlies without them trying to keep hold of him.
4. Samuel Dalembart, C – Another big man who will command a pretty decent chunk of change. Like the previous three, Dalembart still owns the defensive end with big defense and rebounding. He’s also another big body that can help set up better screens and block out. While he’s sort of a liability on the offense (and Beirdrins isn’t?) he’s got enough talent left for other teams to be looking at him. Chances are, he’ll be given too much money for too little in return.
5. Shane Battier, F – While Shane won’t fill in the big-man role, he’ll fill the veteran leadership role. He’s known for his defense and basketball IQ, but old legs and injuries are starting to slow him down (watch out of for the next Ron Artest, er, sorry, World Metta Peace). But he can still spot up for that corner three and will give better perimeter defense. He’ll also take off the pressure of Ellis covering the other team’s best perimeter player, without giving up size and energy. He could potentially give that defense a boost and also provide valuable leadership when in crunch time.
Well those are the top 5 big men that are out there. Now, most likely we won’t be able to get any, but if we could, I’d love to see one or more in a Warriors uniform. The Warriors won’t be the only team looking for big men (as it seems that they are fewer and fewer effective big bodies out there) but the thought of playing with two great guards and in the bay area hopefully will overshadow the fact that they Warriors can’t over pay for a player. It’s a good year to start re-tooling and re-building with new owners and a new coach.
GO WARRIORS!!!