"Ultimately, putting aside all rotation speculation and cap figures, this trade means the end of Randolph, Turiaf and Azubuike as Warriors. That thought leaves me cold. I’ll miss Anthony Randolph’s scowls, Ronny Turiaf’s dances, and Kelenna Azubuike’s quiet confidence. When little else about this team was enjoyable over the past two years, they were. If they being moved to catapult the Warriors into the NBA’s elite, it would be easier to handle. As it stands, my guess is we gave them up for the privilege of moving from the mid to late-lottery. That’s not enough."

now, that's a spicy meatball!

An amazing critique of the deal hereby nominated for POD

Pharzeone wrote:

nyk4ever wrote:

playa2 wrote:

fishmike wrote:bigD.. AR is VERY young. He does not have Gallo's mental toughness and maturity. He will need a little coddling in my opinion but the guy really does have star potential, especially in this system. Not sure who said it but if AR is healthy last year there is ZERO chance we can make this trade. This is a great chance for the Knicks to get high caliber talent for below market value.

So are you saying that Randolph has more star potential than Gallanari ?

it was only a matter of time...

Not for nothing but I think it is only right. Many posters including myself took a lot of grief and now I see AR fans popping up everywhere on here. It's a little much to take.

Yes you are correct, we got bashed around here for identifying the guy we wanted to take in the 2007 draft instead of gallanari, but lets face it we went with a guy that Danphoney knew personally instead of an all-around dominate game changer in Anthony Randolph. This is what he maybe doing in a few yrs for the knicks.

How some after watching Randolph's last college season before the draft thought we should have taken gallanari ahead of him proved it was all about the community pick. This was college ball , but people with vision new this was a rare individual with stardom written all over him.

Lamar Odom was even quoted as saying "Randolph will be All 1st team NBA one day" Not many say that about guys they go up against.

PURE THOROUGHBRED

iSergio wrote:

misterearl wrote:iSergio - Randolph a bum?

I look forward to reading your utterly bitter quote again in November

How good do you think he can be? Marcus Camby? I'd be happy if he's Chris "Birdman" Anderson.

Maybe I'm alone on this one, but if AR can have the same impact on a game that Birdman can, then I'd be thrilled. That's not a knock on either player, b/c I am a big Birdman fan.

misterearl wrote:A GSW Fan Comment - Great Read

by Adam Lauridsen

Anthony Randolph was my favorite Warrior. As a fan-blogger, I’m allowed to have favorites. And as a fan, those favorites don’t have to be entirely logical. Randolph was a raw, frustrating and inconsistent force during his two years with the Warriors. But he was also ferocious, explosive, relentless and gifted. During his brief time on the team he made plays and changed games in ways that left a far bigger mark on my basketball memories than any box score or game log can capture. On a team long known for taking the conservative option and making the safe pick, Randolph was reckless — and I loved him for it.

The wild streak that made Randolph a favorite of some also likely lead him head first into a clash with coach Don Nelson. We will never know whether Randolph’s relationship with Nelson sealed his fate, what transpired between the two as Randolph fought to scrape together two or three games of consistent playing time, or what Randolph could have become if he had lasted until a new coach arrived. But it’s hard to watch the Warriors’ most highly regarded big man prospect since Chris Webber — not just in the opinion of homer fans, but of those around the league — pack his bags without being haunted by those questions. And those questions are just the tip of the iceberg.

Debating the Randolph trade is likely to devolve into a semi-religious exercise. Those who believe Randolph had the skills to be special will complain that we gave up on him too soon, based on their faith that he could have developed with a different coach and more playing time. Those skeptical of Randolph’s future will demand proof and point to the cold, hard, impressive statistics already logged by David Lee. My last post covered these opposing grounds, so I don’t see much point in rehashing them here. I’m in the camp of true believers who saw Randolph developing into a two-way threat, an intense gamer that could provide some fire next to Curry’s icy cool, and a rare mesh of big and small-man talents that could eventually make him an All Star or more. Time will tell whether I had it all wrong.

More interesting to me, now that the deal is done, are the questions concerning where exactly this leaves the Warriors. This is the biggest deal the team has made since the Baron Davis trade — possibly more significant when you consider the talent departing the squad — and it’s likely to produce some dramatic changes. Here’s what it has left me wondering:

Who is the best defender on the team? Pre-trade, that title likely went to Azubuike or Turiaf. When both were down last season, the Warriors’ PR front stressed how much the team missed them on the defensive end. Now they’re gone — permanently and voluntarily. Randolph’s departure also means the loss of an excellent shot blocker and a quality help defender. So the new leader of the NBA’s worst defense is now … Stephen Curry? Monta Ellis? Ekpe Udoh? Charlie Bell? These aren’t names that inspire confidence that we’re any closer to fixing our number one problem from last season (and beyond): the total inability to come up with stops. Given the names left on our roster, it’s hard for me to assemble a line-up where 4 out of 5 players aren’t defensive liabilities. That’s not how you build a team to make the playoffs, let alone compete in them.

Oh boy! And these guys wanted David Lee as a defensive stalwart?

Paladin55 wrote:

Sangfroid wrote:

misterearl wrote:A GSW Fan Comment - Great Read

by Adam Lauridsen

Who is the best defender on the team? Pre-trade, that title likely went to Azubuike or Turiaf. When both were down last season, the Warriors’ PR front stressed how much the team missed them on the defensive end. Now they’re gone — permanently and voluntarily. Randolph’s departure also means the loss of an excellent shot blocker and a quality help defender.

Oh boy! And these guys wanted David Lee as a defensive stalwart?

People rag on MDA for our D- Golden State just traded their 3 best defenders for David Lee.

Go figure.

I figured Nellie hates defense worse than MDA and have stated so in the past. Not surprised at all.