Warrick would be a helluva player to bring in off the bench. I've only seen him in a couple of games in the NBA, but when he left the 'Cuse he had some sweet jumper moves from the elbow and could always run, jump, block, or otherwise do anything athletic that you would want someone to do.
Here's Hollinger's breakdown from ESPN
2007-08 season: Warrick probably has a Pau Gasol voodoo doll in his locker, as once again he played both far better and far more often when Gasol was out of the lineup. After the Gasol trade, Warrick averaged 16.0 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting; for the season he ranked in the top third of power forwards in usage rate and TS% and 22nd in PER.
Warrick's development of a jumper is a positive story, but last year he got a little too confident in it. Nearly a third of his shots were long 2s, and he made only 37.7 percent. He needs to remember that he's still at his best around the basket, where he made an eye-popping 66.9 percent of his attempts.
One pleasant surprise was how Warrick slashed his turnover ratio from a year earlier, moving into the top third among power forwards after posting consistently poor rates throughout college and the pros. The increase in jumpers might have had something to do with this because it allowed him to keep the ball out of harm's way more often, but he needs to find a happy medium between attacking and pulling up, and he isn't quite there yet.
Scouting report: A slender, quick big man, Warrick struggles to keep up at the defensive end and that's the reason he hasn't played more despite solid offensive production. Warrick is a below-average rebounder and has trouble keeping opponents out of prime post position, and though he's quick for his size that hasn't translated into especially vibrant defense on the perimeter.
Warrick also has some of the worst on-court versus off-court numbers in basketball during the past two seasons, though the fact that most of his minutes have come with Gasol hurt or gone via trade undoubtedly contributed.
Offensively, Warrick likes to face up and use the threat of his quickness to launch a turnaround J; he's become reasonably accurate on these but tends to fade to his left, and when he misses it's usually to that side. He's better when he blows by bigger opponents to either draw fouls or rise up and finish for dunks in the paint.
2008-09 outlook: Fortunately for Warrick, Memphis' newest Gasol isn't as likely to impinge on his playing time because Marc is a pure 5. That should leave Warrick as the unquestioned starter at power forward, and he should be able to put up very solid offensive numbers with a full season at the spot.
Of course, that's only half the game. In order to stay a starter for long, Warrick will have to show he's capable of playing far better defense than he showed a year ago. He's always going to give up pounds, but if he can harness his quickness and leaping ability to become more of a factor, he might be able to establish himself as a long-term solution.
Alan Hahn:
Nate Robinson has been on a ridonkulous scoring tear lately (remember when he couldn't hit Jerome James with a Big Mac in early January?)
7/19/2009 9:59 PM