Bay Area Sports Blogging

Marco Belinelli is officially a bust.

I had been a big fan of his when he was drafted and lit up the Summer League a year ago.  He seemed like a dead-eye shooter.  Instead, he turns out to be a streaky shooter with an unorthodox shooting form with no defense whatsoever.

Rather than working to improve himself in the Developmental League during the season, Belinelli sat himself on the bench and played less than inspired ball in the few minutes he was given to showcase himself.

The official start of NBA free agency started today, and there has been several major announcements already.  The biggest move so far has to be Elton Brand signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for 5 years worth an estimated $82 million.  There has been some talk about how Brand and the Clippers had a predetermined deal in place for Brand to resign with the Clips, but that Brand and his agent, David Falk, turned their backs on the deal.  I doubt we will ever know the truth, but it does make for good drama.

The second biggest move is the Baron Davis move, which directly relates to the Elton Brand move.  Davis agreed to a long term deal with the Clippers days after Elton Brand opted out of his contract with the Clippers.  Some were reporting that there had been shady dealings under the table between the Clippers, Elton Brand, and Baron Davis.  Whatever agreements took place seems to have vanished as Brand bolted for Philly.  Also interesting is that there has not been an official report of Baron Davis actually signing a deal with the Clips.

Baron Davis, the face of the Warriors' resurgence, opted out of his contract yesterday night.  The choice was a bold move on his part as he leaves $17.2 million behind.

Rumors have Davis going to the Los Angeles Clippers were he will play in front of his hometown fans.  Elton Brand, who also opted out of his contract, is expected to resign with the Clippers at a lower rate thus giving them their own version of the Big-3 in Davis, Brand, and Kaman.

There have also been rumors with Davis heading to the New York Knicks to play under D'Antoni's wide-open offense.  Although Davis is a West-coast guy, there would be no complaints if the Knicks offer a max contract.

With the loss to Phoenix, the Golden State Warriors are officially eliminated from the playoff race. The Warriors gave it a good run this year, winning 48 games so far, with one game remaining on the schedule. The coming offseason will be filled with uncertainty and important decisions.

First and foremost is the contract situation with the players on the team. The only Warriors guaranteed to be back next year are Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Brandan Wright, and Marco Belinelli. Baron Davis has a player option for 2008/2009 that he could opt out, but early indication from Diddy says he will return. Baron could earn $17 million for the 2008/2009 season, so I think chances are good that he will return for one more year.

With the loss against Denver, the Golden State Warriors' chances of making the NBA playoffs is next to nill. To get in, the Warriors would need to win all three games against the LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Seattle Supersonics while the Denver Nuggets lose two out of three against the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and/or Memphis Grizzlies. It is mathematically possible, but I've stopped believing.

The Warriors don't have a bench. The starting five can match up against the rest of the league, but once any of the starters get into foul trouble, or need to take a rest, there is no help from the reserve players. Baron, Jackson, and Ellis simply cannot play 40+ minutes a game.

Those of us who watched the Lakers and Warriors meet in back to back games knew they were two of the most exciting games this season. The first game, played in Los Angeles, came down to Stephen Jackson making love to pressure. The second game was spoiled by a bad call that went against the Warriors with seconds to go in the 4th quarter of a close game. And the NBA has admitted that the call was incorrect.

Stu Jackson, executive vice president of basketball operations, has reviewed the play and has stated that "After looking at the play, the foul was on Fisher and not Ellis. It appeared that Fisher pulled Ellis down."

Golden State Warriors Chris Webber has announced his retirement from the NBA. While his current stint with the Warriors was ill-fated, Webber finishes with a solid career spanning 15 years.

Chris Webber was an All Star caliber player, taking the Sacramento Kings to the Western Conference finals before losing Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers. But that was years ago. His bum knee has robbed him of his mobility and quickness. It got to the point where Webber's per minute production was being compared to Austin Croshere.

Much like my March Madness bracket, the outcome of NBA games did not turn out as I expected. The Golden State Warriors rode into Los Angeles, against the Lakers, Sunday night and came away with an improbable win. Prior to the win, the Warriors had lost 9 straight in LA against the Lakers.

Stephen Jackson was money with two threes in the span of 40 seconds at the end of the game to preserve the victory for the Warriors. A loss after giving up a 26-point advantage would have ruined the morale of the team and likely pushed them out of the playoffs.