# Warriors 03-04 Starting lineup?



## bigbabyjesus

Now that Jamison, Welsch, and Jamison are gone, it hurts the depth of this team, I think the rotation will be a little something like this --

PG Nick Van Exel - Speedy Claxton - Mike Dunleavy
SG Jason Richardson - Mikael Pietrus - Bob Sura - Mike Dunleavy
SF Mike Dunleavy - Calbert Chaney - Mikael Pietrus 
PF Troy Murphy - Clifford Robinson - Popeye Jones
C Eric Dampier - Adonal Foyle - Clifford Robinson

When Dunleavy is playing point guard it will go like this on 
DEFENSE

PG Mikael Pietrus
SG Jason Richardson
SF Mike Dunleavy
PF Troy Murphy
C Eric Dampier


----------



## themasterfulsoyking

> Originally posted by <b>hellbot</b>!
> Now that Jamison, Welsch, and Jamison are gone, it hurts the depth of this team, I think the rotation will be a little something like this --
> 
> PG Nick Van Exel - Speedy Claxton - Bob Sura - Mike Dunleavy
> SG Jason Richardson - Mikael Pietrus - Bob Sura - Mike Dunleavy
> SF Mike Dunleavy - Mikael Pietrus - Jason Richardson
> PF Troy Murphy - Popeye Jones
> C Eric Dampier - Adonal Foyle
> 
> When Dunleavy is playing point guard it will go like this on
> DEFENSE
> 
> PG Mikael Pietrus
> SG Jason Richardson
> SF Mike Dunleavy
> PF Troy Murphy
> C Eric Dampier


Hmm...sounds interesting. But I doubt that Pietrus will be playing at all this season, considering Muss' rookies-last type of mentality. I don't even know if Dunleavy will even by playing the point if we've got a good enough ball handler in Van Exel. I honestly don't think that we'll even be using all the players on the roster, except for our revised front court. But if we take a look at our backcourt, we've got a definite jam there:

PG and SG: Van Exel, Johnson, Claxton, Zimmerman (have we signed him?), Pietrus, Rigadeau (PG or SG?), Sanchez (PG or SG?)

We'll definitely have a solid frontcourt, now with the editions of Jones and Robinson, I think we can keep Damp, or use him as bait for a solid backup to Dunleavy (if we can't find one with all the guards we have already). 

But take a look at those guards! Think we'll still sign Logan? I don't think we've got enough guards....do you guys?


----------



## robyg1974

> Originally posted by <b>hellbot</b>!
> PG Nick Van Exel - Speedy Claxton - Bob Sura - Mike Dunleavy
> SG Jason Richardson - Mikael Pietrus - Bob Sura - Mike Dunleavy
> SF Mike Dunleavy - Mikael Pietrus - Jason Richardson
> PF Troy Murphy - Popeye Jones
> C Erick Dampier - Adonal Foyle


Keep in mind that Dampier is a goner, as well. And I agree that Pietrus is going to get plenty of minutes as a rookie UNLESS the Warriors end up getting a SG/SF in the Dampier deal. Wesley Person and Shane Battier are both possibilities. And, of course, as we all know, Sura is gone. Here's what I think:

Starting lineup

PG Nick Van Exel (36 mpg)
SG Jason Richardson (36 mpg)
SF Mike Dunleavy (36 mpg)
PF Troy Murphy (36 mpg)
C Adonal Foyle (28 mpg)

Key reserves: Wesley Person OR Shane Battier OR Mickael Pietrus (24 mpg), Clifford Robinson (20 mpg), Speedy Claxton (12 mpg), Popeye Jones (12 mpg)

Let me amend this a little bit. I see Person getting right at 24 mpg. Battier, I think that guy takes away 6-8 mpg from Richardson and Dunleavy. And Pietrus, probably he gets closer to 16 mpg, while Claxton gets bumped up to around 20 mpg, which means that we're going to see some two-PG lineups at various points during the game.

Keep in mind that Golden State may end up signing a dirt-cheap veteran PF if they don't have confidence in Popeye Jones in case Murphy gets hurt. They haven't touched their MLE, remember. Tyrone Hill could be had for the veteran's minimum, probably. A dirt-cheap backup SG/SF makes sense, too. Bryon Russell is still available, also for the minimum.


----------



## talula

The Golden State/Memphis talks are over from what I understand. And Jerry West would have never traded Battier. Stromile Swift probably could have been theirs however.


Calbert Cheaney will be added to that Warriors roster very soon.

Link to Article about Cheaney


----------



## robyg1974

> Originally posted by <b>talula</b>!
> The Golden State/Memphis talks are over from what I understand. And Jerry West would have never traded Battier. Stromile Swift probably could have been theirs however.


Dampier is a goner--he's got a bloated longterm contract, which is exactly the sort of thing that the Warriors are trying to get rid of this offseason in case anybody hasn't noticed--and it's impossible to imagine Jerry West entering this season with Lorenzen Wright as his starter again. Dampier appears to be his (and Scott Layden's) only halfway decent option.


> Calbert Cheaney will be added to that Warriors roster very soon.
> 
> Link to Article about Cheaney


This means that themasterfulsoyking (?) is right, that Pietrus likely will barely touch the floor, so here's a revised minutes distribution projection, with a Dampier-for-Wesley Person swap assumed:

Starting lineup

PG Nick Van Exel (32 mpg)
SG Jason Richardson (32 mpg)
SF Mike Dunleavy (32 mpg)
PF Troy Murphy (32 mpg)
C Adonal Foyle (32 mpg)

Key reserves: Clifford Robinson (24 mpg), Wesley Person (16 mpg), Calbert Cheaney (16 mpg), Speedy Claxton (16 mpg), Popeye Jones (8 mpg)

End of the bench (no PT): Mickael Pietrus, Evan Eschmeyer

Stashed on the IR: Pepe Sanchez

Bought out: Antoine Rigadeau

Waived (and subsequently added to the Mavs' enormous coaching staff): Avery Johnson


----------



## robyg1974

Never mind, I buy talula's info that he got off of Insider, that West has given up on trying to get Dampier (presumably because the Warriors were insisting on Battier... which makes today's Cheaney signing more understandable, since they've given up on getting Battier), that West is now talking with Atlanta about bailing the Hawks out on some unwanted multiyear contracts (Nazr Mohammed, Chris Crawford) and that West has set his sights on Theo Ratliff instead (with the unwanted enigma Stromile Swift as bait).

This means that Golden State will likely trade Dampier to the Knicks. If they don't trade Dampier to the Knicks soon, it's probably because they plan on trading Van Exel to the Knicks, as well, in a whopper that likely would involve the draft rights to Milos Vujanic and either Kurt Thomas or a 2004/2005 Knicks first round pick.

This deal works, too, if the two teams want to keep it simple:

*Erick Dampier to New York for Kurt Thomas and the expiring contract of Travis Knight*

The minutes distribution then looks like this:

Starting lineup

PG Nick Van Exel (32 mpg)
SG Jason Richardson (32 mpg)
SF Mike Dunleavy (32 mpg)
PF Troy Murphy (32 mpg)
C Adonal Foyle (32 mpg)

Key reserves: Kurt Thomas (28 mpg), Clifford Robinson (20 mpg), Calbert Cheaney (16 mpg), Speedy Claxton (16 mpg)

End of the bench (no PT): Popeye Jones, Mickael Pietrus, Evan Eschmeyer

Stashed on the IR: Pepe Sanchez, Avery Johnson, Travis Knight

Bought out: Antoine Rigadeau

The contracts of Thomas, Robinson, Harrington, and, apparently because of twist in the terms of his contract, Van Exel all expire in the summer of 2005, when not only will there be plenty of excellent free agents available but Golden State will have to re-sign Richardson and Murphy to longterm extensions.


----------



## Hero

Cliff HAS to start, he’s been starter his whole career. Adonal is the bench player his whole career (and do a very damn fine job of it). Cliff is ineffective not starting, while Adonal is ineffective starting (he’s a sparkplug off the bench on defense).


----------



## FanOfAll8472

NVE - Speedy 
JRich - Cheaney
Dunleavy - Pietrus
Murph - Jones - Cliff
Cliffy - Foyle

I think Damp will be gone.


----------



## Damian Necronamous

I'd currently have GS's lineup as...

PG: Nick Van Exel...Speedy Claxton...Avery Johnson
SG: Jason Richardson...Mickael Pietrus...Antoine Rigaudeau
SF: Mike Dunleavy Jr....Calbert Cheaney...Clifford Robinson
PF: Troy Murphy...Clifford Robinson...Popeye Jones
C: Erick Dampier...Adonal Foyle...Evan Eschmeyer

The Warriors could possibly start Robinson over Dunleavy Jr. or Murphy, and Foyle will probably end up starting half (or more) of the games at C.

I like the moves the Warriors have made this off-season a lot. They have eased up the logjam they had at the SG position, and they have a much greater sense of balance on their team than they have had in the past. They could be better than they were last season.

However, these things need to happen...

1) Van Exel needs to show leadership and average 20+ppg and 7+apg
2) Jason Richardson needs to step it up a notch and average close to 20ppg
3) Dunleavy Jr. needs to play the sort of ball that he was in the LA Summer Pro League
4) Troy Murphy needs to keep playing the way he did last season
5) Erick Dampier needs to get more consistent
6) Clifford Robinson has to contribute


----------



## FanOfAll8472

Sorry but I've said this many times on this board. Uncle Cliffy cant play 3 anymore! That's been the case for awhile...he never played 3 in DET, only their 4/5 spots (which r pretty similar in the DET O and D). So Cliffy will split time at 4 and 5 unless Muss is stupid (seeing Cliffy get burned time and time after isnt a good sight :no.


----------



## themasterfulsoyking

my lineup:

pg: NVE - Claxton
sg: J-Rich - Cheaney (if that pulls through)
sf: Dunleavy - Cheaney (if that pulls through)
pf: Murphy - Jones - Cliff - Foyle
C: Foyle - Cliff - Jones? - Damp (if he's not gone)

1. pietrus won't get minutes. 
2. they might run a 2 pg line up with either Claxton and NVE switching at PG and SG, like the Kings, if J-Rich is slumping again.
3. if they run it small, then MAYBE j-rich can be the backup sf to dunleavy or cheaney.
4. if they run it big, and everyone's so stubborn about placing cliff at 3, then fine, tell muss to put murph at 3, cliff at 4, foyle at 5. murph at 3 or 4 really won't change how they'll run things with their open offense (if they still run it). heck, if that's the case, then throw dunleavy at 2 also.
5. if anything, pepe sanchez, avery johnson, (rigadeau is out) etc. won't be getting much minutes either, unless muss is confident that either one'll be a boykins-type player with that spark off the bench. i doubt it though.

i honestly think it'll be decent this year and for the years to come--at least we weren't done with the jamison trade and left our team just for the long run and dependent on a future FA. at least we've made some short-term. Billy Beane moves to get some decent backup in cliff, jones, and cheaney (and maybe johnson), to at least make a good practice squad, and money later on.

but that's how i see the line up--subtract arenas and jamison, add NVE, and more front court presence.


----------



## Showtyme

Just visiting from the Bulls board...

You guys are putting together quite a decent team. The balance of vets that can drive the younger guys to perform at their best... amazing.

NVE/Claxton/A. Johnson
Richardson/Dunleavy/Cheaney
Cliff Robinson/Dunleavy/Pietrus
Troy Murphy/P. Jones/Robinson
Foyle/Dampier/Eschmeyer

It's really solid, and should be able to run with just about any team in the league on any given night. Guys like the Suns might blow you up, and the Spurs, but I think it'll be a high-scoring offensive team with defensively solid play.

If you were in the East, I'd lock you for at least a 6th seed, possibly a 4th.

Too bad.


----------



## Minstrel

I have to admit...this off-season has been quite masterful by the Warriors. I thought they'd leave things as they were after the Jamison deal and be content to be terrible while waiting for cap room.

Instead, they've gone out and picked up some sensible contracts and veteran players. None of these guys are expected to be a part of the next Warriors playoff team, but they'll allow the Warriors to give fans a decent product while waiting for the cap room to *really* re-tool. Plus, they get extended looks at Mike Dunleavy and Jason Richardson to decide whether they will be worth keeping long-term.

They get to build for the future and still be decent in the present. That's quite impressive.


----------



## MightyReds2020

I am definitely NOT going to buy even one of those radiculously expensive tickets, although I think they've done a decent job. Just not for this season, just not for the prices that are more expensive than those in Sacramento's.

BTW, I'm predicting the Warriors finished 25-57. Hope Muss can proves us wrong...


----------



## Northpole

I thought Claxton wanted to start. I guess he's back to being someone else's backup.


----------



## Minstrel

If Richardson is ineffective, I bet there will be a lot of time where Claxton is on the floor as the point guard and Van Excel is also on the floor as the off-guard.


----------



## FanOfAll8472

> Originally posted by <b>Minstrel</b>!
> If Richardson is ineffective, I bet there will be a lot of time where Claxton is on the floor as the point guard and Van Excel is also on the floor as the off-guard.


Agreed.


----------

