Re: Warriors to select Gasol at #5?

["John Lyell" <johnlyell@hotmail.com>]

Their needs and plans seem very similar to ours. They have Jamison(is he a 3 or 4?)  Hughes, and not much else. Jackson will probably sign a larger contract elsewhere.

 

If Jordan does take Rodney White at #1, Chandler, Brown or Battier will likely be there at 5 also. If not, White could be there at 5. 

 

An interesting possibility

 

If White is available would you trade 10&11 for a chance at Rodney White? Will Jordan, who supposedly really wants White ,make a subsequent move for White similar to the draft day Warrior/Raptor swap of Jamison and Carter ? Could the Wizards be drafting for someone else at #1?

 

 

If the C's could move 10 & 11 for #4 or #5, which has been discussed, is it feasible we could we end up with Eddy Curry or Kwame Brown without moving Walker?

 

 

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: CeltsSteve@AOL.com

To: celtics@igtc.com

Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2001 9:39 AM

Subject: Warriors to select Gasol at #5?

If that is true, it would set off a ripple effect that would impact the
remainder of the draft and who might fall to the C's at #10. From today's San
Jose Mercury:


Published Sunday, June 24, 2001, in the San Jose Mercury News

Warriors in need of grand draft plan

BY TIM KAWAKAMI
Mercury News Staff Columnist

Think two or three moves ahead . . . Think two or three years ahead . . .
Move the knight so it frees up the rook's line of attack . . . Draft the
mysterious 7-foot forward to give you breathing room to land the milestone
point guard . . .Risk another year of unrepentant Mookie Blaylock/Bob Sura
lousiness for a mega-lotto jackpot down the line . . . Be aggressive, be
imaginative . . . Try to stay away from those guys who get hurt all the
time.I am searching for Bobby Fischer here, though, of course, he never had
to deal with Erick Dampier's gruesome effect on the salary cap or Tyson
Chandler's prom plans.

Can the Warriors stare at the NBA chessboard, take a look at their own
starkly mediocre roster, reflect on years of sloppy planning and woeful
decisions, and plot a solid, sane and ultimately prescient path to future
glory?Can they approach the NBA draft Wednesday -- which General Manager
Garry St. Jean concedes is crucial to the shape of this ill-fated franchise
and possibly his own tenure -- with a clue, instead of a nervous twitch?

I am going to take a huge leap of faith and assume the Warriors know what
they're doing with the Nos. 5, 14 and 30 selections in this draft.I am going
to believe that I heard the subtle whisper of a grand plan in the pre-draft
statements of St. Jean and assistant G.M. Gary Fitzsimmons, even though past
personnel strategies put higher premiums on old age and erratic play than
would seem wise.I am going to believe that I achieved a mind-meld with the
Warriors' executives -- and we all know how dangerous that can be -- and
their thoughts became clear and understandable to me.

I am going to take a risk myself and predict that they will do something that
could get them fired in a few months, but also could be the first step of the
best chance for a Warriors renaissance we have seen in years.I believe --
sort of -- that the Warriors' brass will do the right and risky thing.With
the fifth pick in the draft, the Warriors will select . . . Pau Gasol! (Ever
heard of him?)The thumbnail: Gasol, 20, is a spindly 7-foot forward from
Spain who has played two full seasons for F.C. Barcelona (averaging 11.4
points in 2000-01), might not be a major contributor for at least a year or
two, but reminds scouts of Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki or Atlanta's Toni Kukoc.

There might be some controversy if Duke's Shane Battier is still available
(and he might be), but Gasol is the more exciting, potentially
franchise-changing player for a team that sure needs something different.You
might wonder about the pick if one of the top teenage wunderkinds --
Chandler, Eddy Curry or Kwame Brown -- falls to No. 5. But Gasol, as
Fitzsimmons pointed out, is far less of a question mark than the
high-schoolers, having played pro ball since he was 18 and displayed
intriguing open-court and low-post skills against seasoned veterans.

You may question any decision to bypass ultra-talented Eddie Griffin, who
spent one cantankerous season at Seton Hall, if he slips down, or Charlotte's
Rodney White, who is coveted by Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards,
among others. But Gasol, who can pass and shoot, seems like a better fit than
Griffin, who might not exactly flourish in the Warriors' dank atmosphere, or
White, who seems awfully similar (nice mid-range offensive game, 'tweener on
defense) to Antawn Jamison, the one Warriors keeper. I look at Gasol (of
course I mean that figuratively, as I have never even seen him play on tape)
as a potential Ichiro Suzuki -- exotic and potentially thrilling.He could, as
corporate bigwigs would say, change the Warriors paradox.

No, he won't do it right away. Neither will their pick at No. 14, say,
Arizona leaper Richard Jefferson, who's kind of a mini-Vince Carter right now
-- all legs and effort, with an all-around game yet to develop.But that's OK,
because what the Warriors really need to make the important leap, up at least
to the Phoenix Suns/Sacramento Kings level, is a controlling point guard, and
there isn't one in this draft.Don't the Warriors need a point guard now?
Vonteego Cummings, Blaylock and Sura for 82 more games? Ay, carumba!

``Study what's out there next year,'' St. Jean said with a smile. ``It's
pretty special.''

Which leads us to Part II of the Supposed Grand Plan: Be just bad enough in
2001-02 to get a top-five pick for next year (I think the Warriors can pull
that off).That's when Duke's Jason Williams, who would have gone No. 1 this
year, leads what many scouts predict will be the best lead-guard class at
least since 1996 (Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Kobe Bryant) or longer.
Illinois' Frank Williams, Boston College's Troy Bell and four or five others
likely would be selected in the top 20 in this year's draft, far ahead of
this year's best point guard, Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley.The Warriors talk
all the time about the core group they're building, and so far that's been
mostly a fantasy.But if you start with Jamison and Larry Hughes, add Gasol
and maybe Jefferson, let it bubble for a developmental season, then drop
Jason Williams or Bell into the mix for 2002-03, and shoot for home court in
the playoffs . . .

I know that's a long time to wait. I know it could blow up. But when's the
last time you could look at the Warriors' roster and plot it even that far?