St. Mary's Gaels radio broadcaster Alex Jensen sits down with battery mate Brett Thomas to look back on the NBA Finals and the Warriors' historic season at large. The duo also discusses the NBA draft and how the Warriors should approach their offseason moves.
Section925 Baseball Insider Jon Zuber joins Tripper in the Outdoor Podcenter to talk shop. The two chat about the divisional races as we near the All-Star break, Ichiro's case for being the Hit King and Zuber's fond memories of playing professionally in Japan. The topic of college baseball is also discussed, as Zuber gives insight on his former players in Omaha and game as a whole.
Trevor Bettencourt (#4) threw five innings of one hit ball vs. Arizona at the College World Series on Wednesday. The St. Francis Lancer played travel ball with Zuber's Zoots Baseball Club and was recently drafted by the Phillies.
"With the 8th pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select Adonal Foyle from Colgate University." (photo by Craig Jones)
By Josh Hunsucker | @JPHunsucker
For the majority of my life and Warriors fandom, NBA draft week brought upon me the mindset of a death row inmate hoping against hope, but ultimately accepting my inevitable execution. For almost twenty years, I sat in front of the TV on draft night praying my death sentence will somehow get commuted. With the exceptions of 1993 (Chris Webber) and 2001 (Jason Richardson) the Golden State Warriors carried out my draft day execution until they miraculously stumbled into Steph Curry in 2009 and General Managers Larry Riley and Bob Meyers outlawed the draft day death penalty in 2012.
Not to deny the entire morbid draft history of the Warriors, but 1993 seems like a good place to start. I could have started in 1980 when the Warriors made the single worst trade in the history of the NBA. I could talk about how before the 1980 draft the Warriors traded Robert Parish and the 3rd pick to Boston for the 1st and 13th pick in the draft. And how the Warriors ended up with a one time All-Star, Joe Barry Carroll, and a career 4.4 PPG guy, Rickey Brown, and how Boston got a slightly better deal in The Chief and Kevin McHale, considering they combined for four World Championships (three with the Celtics), 16 All-Star appearances, two spots on the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and two hall of fame plaques. But I won’t start there, mostly because I would have to painstakingly relive every Warrior draft blunder, every year, until 1993 with the exception of 1985 (Chris Mullin), 1988 (Mitch Richmond), 1989 (Tim Hardaway), and 1992 (The Oakland Strangler Latrell Sprewell), and OK, the 1991 Chris Gatling pick but that is for sentimental reasons more than anything.
Hope in Reality is the Worst of All Evils
In 1993, I was 11 years old, mesmerized by Michael Jordan, had a favorite player in Chris Mullin that I could completely identify with (white, lanky, left-handed, forward), exposed to the Fab Five and second favorite player Jalen Rose (lanky and left-handed, trash talker), and just witnessed the greatest basketball team ever assembled win the gold medal in Barcelona. I was completely hooked on basketball and excited for the possibility that the Warriors would draft Chris Webber. I knew that Orlando would likely pick him but the night before the draft I prayed to God for the Warriors to get Chris Webber. The next day when the Magic drafted him I was sad but not surprised. Ten minutes later Penny Hardaway and Webber were trading hats (and the Warriors were giving Orlando three additional future 1st round picks). "There is a God," I thought.
The 1993 trade draft night trade that sent Penny Hardaway to Orlando and no. 1 pick C-Webb to Oakland (photo by Nathaniel S. Butler)
However, my prayers were only answered for a year. Webber, citing irreconcilable differences with then coach Don Nelson, exercised an exit clause in his contract and forced a trade with the Washington Bullets for Tom Gugliotta. Webber’s rookie season, 1993-94, was the last time the Warriors would reach the playoffs until 2007.
Stranded On Death Row – The Chris Cohan Era Begins
1994 - The Warriors had the 16th pick in the 1994 draft, after making the playoffs the previous year. They selected Cliff Rozier a forward from Louisville. Cliff gave the Golden State two solid years of 5 PPG and 5 RPG (I’m rounding up) before getting shipped to Toronto a game into his 3rd year. The Warriors missed out on the majority of the top players in the draft by having the 16th pick (Jalen Rose went to Denver at 13) but just for fun let’s mention, all of whom they passed up, Aaron Mckie (17th), Wesley Person (23rd), and Heisman Trophy Winner Charlie Ward (26th). I can live with passing those guys up because no coach or GM will ever get it right 100% of the time or even 60%. Oh yeah, the Warriors picked Anthony Miller (39th) and Dwayne Miller (44th) in the second round. Who are they you ask? Good question.
1995 - After going 26-56 the Warriors had the 1st pick in the draft for the second time in three years. Golden State selected Joe Smith who the previous year was the National Collegiate Player of the Year at Maryland. Smith wasn’t a bad pick but I wanted them to either pick Jerry Stackhouse or Rasheed Wallace, players that had a game more suited for the NBA. Smith was the classic tweener that the Warriors habitually picked from ‘93-'08 and only learned how to effectively fit into a championship roster in the last three years. In case you are not privy to a “tweener,” it’s a player that is between 6'8" to 6'11", that played in the post in college, does not have a developed outside or face-up game, took advantage of smaller and less skilled opponents growing up, is too small to play in the post in the NBA, but too slow to guard anyone on the wing. Overall, it's a player that no team in the NBA effectively used in the Pre-Draymond Green era.
Smith played only two years for the Warriors, earning First Team All-Rookie honors and averaging 17 and 8 before moving on to his second of 11 teams in his 14-year career. The Warriors could have drafted literally anyone else but for the sake of clarity, the the Warriors passed up: Kevin Garnett (5th), Rasheed “Hash Weed/Ball Don’t Lie” Wallace (4th), Jerry Stackhouse (3rd), Michael Finley (21st), Damon Stoudamire (7th), Antonio Mcdyess (2nd), and Eric Snow (43rd). Hindsight being 20/20, passing on KG leaves a deep, slow burn. They did however draft Andrew Declercq in the second round, starting the trend of picking under-talented white big men, which is nice. At least they didn’t draft the legendary Constantine Popa, although maybe they should have.
The Nadir
1996 - This was, hands down, not only the worst pick in Warriors history, which I discussed in detail here (yes, worse than Chris Washburn), it was the worst pick in NBA history. GM Dave Twardzik and the Warriors selected, gulp, Todd (pause…look down) Fuller with the 11th pick. It’s ok, I am wearing footwear without laces. They passed up on the greatest player of the post-Jordan/pre-LeBron generation, whether you like him or not, Kobe Bryant (13th), Steve Nash aka Steph 1.0 (more on that later) who was on the top of my draft board (15th), Jermaine O'Neil, but hey, at least we got Zombie Jermaine in 2013 (17th), Peja Stojakovic (14th), and Derek Fisher (24th). In completely a completely related story the Warriors went 30-52 thanks directly to Fuller’s 4 PPG and 3.3 RPG he chipped in every night.
The Class of '96 (not pictured: Todd Fuller)
Just to recap, we passed on Hall of Famer Kobe and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash for a guy who almost pulled out of the draft to pursue a Rhodes Scholarship and hosts the “Todd Fuller Math Competition” at NC State (all true). Let it soak in. Is your skin crawling yet? OK, let’s move on.
Dave Twardzik and Gary St. Jean – General Mismanagement
1997 - Apparently, the Warriors scouts in 1996 and 1997 rated College GPA as the most important characteristic in a potential draft pick because they followed the unforgivable Todd Fuller pick with another college wiz-kid, Adonal Foyle, with the 8th pick a year later. Adonal spent 10 fruitless years on the Warriors averaging no higher than 6 PPG and 7 RPG. Personally, I hated Foyle for the first eight years he was on the Warriors. He was a five-tool player: slightly overweight, inept offensively, slow defensively, had terrible feet (my dad’s number one pet peeve for big men), and combined that with atrocious hands.
The Warriors twisted the knife when they flushed $42 million dollars down the toilet for six straight years when they re-signed Adonal in 2004. The next year Foyle finally found a place in my heart. I accepted that although he was a terrible player, he played harder than anyone on the floor every night for teams that consistently went through the motions every season. For that alone, Foyle reached cult status in the East Bay, albeit for all of the wrong reasons. In the end, Foyle did set one NBA record with the Warriors, most games played without reaching the playoffs (641).
Oh by the way, Golden State passed up on Tracy McGrady (9th), Bobby Jackson (23rd), and pre-career ending injury Derek Anderson (13th) in '97. They also picked the infamous Marc Jackson at no. 37, who gave the Warriors one good season and one amazing quote “Unstoppable Baby” after scoring a layup in a 29-point blowout.
1998 - The Warriors had the fifth pick after finishing with 19 solid wins in 1997. Thank God they didn’t win the lottery because they would have picked Michael Olowokandi. Golden State really wanted to pick Antawn Jamison but didn't want to pay him the rookie salary for the number five pick. So, in an underhanded, cheap, stupid, and classic Warriors draft move, they agreed with Toronto to draft Vince Carter and then swap players after they picked one spot after the Raptors. Jamison disappointed his rookie year as Carter lit up the NBA and highlight reels on his way to the rookie of the year. Jamison did have a few decent years on some bad Warriors teams and had the back-to-back 51-point games against the Sonics (RIP) and Shaq/Kobe Lakers.
However, mostly Jamison is remembered for the bad taste his Warriors career left in the mouths of fans because we traded Vince Carter for him straight up. Just for fun, that year the Warriors passed up the aforementioned Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki (9th), and Paul Pierce (10th).
Karmically, Jamison was dealt to Washington where he a) transformed his tweener game b) turned into an all-star and c) went to the playoffs with essentially the same nucleus (Arenas/Jamison) as he had in Golden State.
1999 - Due to some bad trades, the Warriors got stuck with the 21st pick in the 1999 draft and threw it away with tweener Jeff Foster, not to be confused with Oakland legend Greg Foster. Golden State could have picked Andrei Kirilenko (24th) but opted for the “safer” Foster who was then traded for three time All-NBA Cool Name first-teamer Vonteego Cummings. Coincidentally, Vonteego’s career was cut tragically short due to lack of talent as he only played three years in the NBA. Golden State also picked their third white center and second left-handed white center when they drafted Tim Young with the 56th pick. On behalf of all Warrior fans, I’d like to thank Tim Young for only making us suffer through a 137-minute Warrior career because it was mercifully shorter than his predecessors.
2000 - Golden State did not have a first round pick in 2000, a lingering after effect of the Webber trade years before. They did have the 55th pick in the draft though and they used it on, wait, guess the height…YUP 6'7"…guess the position…YES! Power Forward… guess his style of play…WOW three for three, TWEENER. Chris Porter lasted one year in the NBA and has been plagued by drug arrests ever since.
Execution Stayed
2001 - Finally a good draft, Gary St. Jean is back baby! The Warriors picked Jason Richardson with the 5th pick in the draft. He won two dunk contests that brought some minor media attention to Golden State. He played hard and had a nice all around game that continued to develop every year. He was the right pick, finally they made a good choice.
The Warriors also picked up Troy Murphy at no. 14. Although he fit into the classic tweener mold, he extended his game outside and became an effective player for the Warriors averaging 15-11 in his fourth season and finishing three seasons averaging a double double. The Warriors best pick that year was the diamond in the rough of the draft, Gilbert Arenas, who they picked in the second round with the 30th pick. In his two years with the Warriors he began to blossom into a potential elite point guard. After his second year, even though he publically said he wanted to stay in Golden State, and after the Warriors had a nice nucleus of Jamison, Richardson, and Arenas the Warriors failed to resign him. Good thing the Warriors saved the money because he only averaged 22.4, 25, and 25.8 PPG over the next three years for Washington and was a perennial All-Star until knee trouble and locker room gun trouble began to catch up to him.
A hidden gem of the 2001 draft, Gil Arenas (Rocky Widner)
Snap Back to Reality – Stranded on Death Row Part 2
2002 - The Warriors found themselves near the top of the lottery in 2002 after an abominable 21-61 record in the 2001 season. They ultimately lost out on the Yao Ming sweepstakes and had the number three pick. They picked Mike Dunleavy from Duke. Dunleavy had become “the sexy pick” that year after his hot shooting propelled Duke to the National Championship. The truth was, Dunleavy was too soft, too weak, and not quick enough to guard perimeter players in the NBA. Golden State got four solid years of Dunleavy getting dunked on and falling down regularly, but only got 13.4 PPG and 5.5 RPG from him in his “standout” season as a Warrior.
At this point, I am not going to even mention Jiri Welsch. I will mention however, that Golden State could have selected Ama’re Stoudamire (9th), Caron Bulter (10th), Tayshaun Prince (23rd), John Salmons (26th), Roger Mason (30th), and Carlos Boozer (34th).
2003 - The Warriors picked Mikael Pietrus, from France, with the 11th pick. When I heard about the pick I naturally assumed he was a white foreign center, likely a lefty, who had played against nobodies in Europe and would be a bust. Boy was I wrong. He was a black guard from Europe, who played against nobodies, could only average around 10 PPG, and would be nothing more than a role player. Thank God we wasn’t a bust.
Pietrus actually was a nice asset for the Warriors coming off the bench. Not really what you want out of your lottery pick but I can’t complain, given the Warriors draft history. The Warriors did manage not to pick Davis West (18th), Kendrick Perkins (27th), and Josh Howard (29th). It also hurt to see Pietrus’ near inability to miss corner threes during the 2009 Orlando Magic playoff run (until the Finals). He and Adonal were two blown games away from heading to L.A. with a 3-2 series lead. I just can’t fathom Adonal Foyle and NBA Champ in the same sentence. Does he get a ring as Warriors Community Ambassador? Maybe.
Appeal Denied – Chris Mullin Made That Pick? I’m Just Going to Tell Myself it was Dave Twardzik or Gary St. Jean
2004 - After the 2003 Pietrus-white-European player scare, I didn’t dare fathom the Warriors going that route again. Wait, yes I did. Never underestimate the power of the “Golden State Principal of Draft Counter Intuition,” which scientifically proves that picking Andris Biedrins, a left-handed white center from Latvia was the illogical but inevitable move for the Warriors. Bad words were said, emotions were high, I was again floored. I would have rather had Trevor Ariza (43rd), Richard Jefferson (15th), or maybe even Josh Smith (17th), just not Andris. At one point I even talked my way into this thought, “If Biedrins can learn to move his feet, not foul, get some meat on his bones, make free throws, work on his game in the off season instead of Disk Jockeying, and not get hurt at the thought of playing basketball, he could be a solid double-double guy for the Warriors. I was wrong.
2005 - After the turn of the millennium it looked like the Warriors might be fixing their draft karma after solid overall drafts in 2001 and 2003. Then the Ike Diogu incident happened. Even I bought into Diogu from the outset. Well, after one year and 7 PPG I stopped being a believer and so did Golden State. Good thing they passed up world champion Andrew Bynum (10th), Danny Granger (17th), and Nate Robinson (21st). There is absolutely no way they could have used those guys. They did find their second diamond in the rough in Monta Ellis, however.
On a side note, shouldn’t the NBA have a mandatory motorcycle, ATV, and MOPED safety course? Monta was a quintessential Warriors overrated draft pick. Since he wasn't a total bust and actually became the team’s first or second banana for the majority of his Warriors career, fans tend to forget that he shot the Warriors out of more games than he shot them into, that he led the league in foot on the line three-pointers, that he played no defense, and wasn’t the greatest teammate in the world (“Me and Steph can’t co-exist in the same backcourt”). Fans loved him mostly because he was a good player on a bad team and maybe because he got a Dubs tattoo and said “I’m Warriors for life.”
Monta repping The Bay to the fullest extent.
2006 - The Warriors improved marginally in 2005 (although the win column did not reflect it) and carried that momentum into the 2006 season. Golden State, on the other hand, tried relentlessly in the 2006 draft to sabotage their future and unfortunately they succeeded. For starters, they selected Black Irishman Patty O'Bryant, a classic tweener over Rajon Rando (21st). I would have even taken JJ Redick (11th) over O'Bryant. I am not even going to get into it about Kosta Perovic. Except for the fact that he, Marco Belinelli, and Biedrins looked like the Russian mob when they are on the bench in suits and I suppose that intimidation factor is important.
The Warriors did however win 42 games that year and snuck into the playoffs, where they staged the greatest upset in 1st Round history by beating the number 1 seeded Mavericks in five games (the Warriors are the only 8 seed to beat a number 1 seed in a 7-game series, yay). WE BELIEVE!!
2007 - When the Warriors drafted Marco Belinelli I was so numb and beat-down from the Warriors previous draft decisions that I felt absolutely no emotion. I did not try to feel hopeful or doubtful. I just chose not to feel. During Summer League, Belinelli played outstanding. The NBA even named him to the All-Summer League Team. All Summer League is more akin to getting the “Coach’s Award” for showing up to all of the practices. The Warriors hyped him as the next great foreign player and I completely bought in. I convinced myself he was the next Dirk or at least the next Drazen Petrovic. Consequently, I will never ever buy into anything that happens during any NBA Summer League game again. Belinelli played only 7 minutes a game and averaged only 3 PPG. I also received constant and incessant taunts from my friends for hyping Belinelli.
During the draft, the Warriors also acquired the rights to Brendan Wright, a tweener, from Charlotte in a trade that sent the Warriors best draft pick since 1993, Jason Richardson, to the Bobcats. In two years of work for Golden State, Wright averaged 6.2 PPG and 3.3 RPG in only 14 MPG. Wright spent his Warriors career deep on the bench considering he showed little toughness and no outside game. Belinelli reinvented himself in San Antonio under Greg Popavich and ultimately turned into about 65-75% of what Warriors fan thought he would be. As far as the 2007 goes, We continued to Believe until the last day of the season when the Warriors won 48 games and failed to make the playoffs, another NBA record.
2008 - History repeated itself when the Warriors selected Anthony Randolph at number 14. The Warriors drafted a 6'10" tweener. Additionally, the Warriors missed the playoffs but unlike the past, Golden State’s draft pick had nothing to do with it. Randolph was an electric player for the Warriors last season. He was guaranteed every game to have an unbelievably athletic block, where he flew out of nowhere to swat the ball. He also had at least one steal where he looked like he was completely out of control but somehow stole the ball, went coast to coast, and slammed it home. Finally, every game he would make a bad play, as rookies do, hustle back, try and make up for it, and get yanked by Don Nelson at the next whistle. He would then have a nervous breakdown on the bench until Marco Belinelli could talk him down by speaking Italian to him. It was breathtaking. I just hope that he gets considerable playing time this year and that they resign him when the time comes because I can just sense him leaving Golden State and playing a major role on a contending team in the next few years.
So, You’re Saying There’s A Chance - Larry Riley, You Beautiful Son of a Gun
2009 – This is why I am not an NBA GM. I emphatically thought that we should draft Johnnie Flynn out of Syracuse. I watched the 6OT thriller against UCONN in March of 2009 at The Garden and thought the guy was just a beast. Throw out that he was undersized, throw out that he had a hard time creating his own shot, the guy could play. Another undersized and unheralded “shooter” out of Davidson also caught my eye, Stephen Curry. I too watched his performance in the Garden and his previous year’s NCAA tourney performance where he dropped 40 on Gonzaga and nearly pulled off an Elite 8 upset of Kansas. I thought then if Johnnie Flynn isn’t available then Curry might be ok. I literally thought that maybe Threesus himself would be a nice consolation prize if the future 2014 Orlandina Basket Itialian Serie A league point guard isn’t on the board. This is why I am not a GM (although I would have never picked Todd Fuller). With that pick, the fates of the franchise unknowingly began to shift.
The Class of 2009.
2010 – Every GM strikes out. Even GM's who pick Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Ekpe Udoh is Larry Riley’s Spaghetti Incident. Udoh on paper seemed like the rim protector that the 2010 Warriors desperately needed. Udoh was long, had a 7-foot plus wingspan, and led the Big-12 in blocks. Unfortunately for Udoh and the Warriors he couldn’t stay on the court. A lingering wrist injury delayed his debut in 2010 and in his year and half of service for the Dubs he played just under 20 minutes a game, averaging about 1.5 blocks per game. He was ultimately traded to Milwaukee with Monte Ellis for Andrew Bogut in 2012. He plays hoops in Turkey now.
2011 – For as underwhelming as the 36-46 were, I kind of like the Monta, Dorrell Wright, and Curry three point threat coupled with David Lee inside. Going into the offseason I had no real opinion on who the Warriors should pick. Despite what developed into a sold draft class, aside from Kyrie Irving (who at the time was even a risk due to being label injury prone) the 2011 class was somewhat underwhelming. When the Warriors drafted Klay Thompson my reaction was very Klay Thompson-ish, kind of a “well…OK [shrugging]. Well that unassuming sharpshooter from Pullman Washington has turned into the best two-way guard in the NBA. Who knew. On a side note, the Warriors also selected Charles Jenkins out of Hofstra. Jenkins found it hard to get on the court with a suddenly frisky Warriors squad. By the end of the 2012-2013 season Jenkins was on to Philly and the next year was out of the league.
Maybe We Aren’t Doomed - Bob Meyers Strikes Gold
2012 - In 2012, the Warriors promoted Assistant GM Bob Meyers to GM and moved Larry Riley to Head of Scouting. Riley and Meyers started their new partnership with a bang, going three for three in the 2012 draft. Despite his disappearing act in the Finals this year, Harrison Barnes has been an effective player but somewhat frustrating for the Warriors. Barnes went to North Carolina for college with much fanfare. Heralded as the next, fill in the blank, Barnes was good at UNC but tended to shrink on the big stage and ultimately was not as good as advertised. The Warriors took him with the 7th pick and he immediately broke into the starting line up for the 2012 Warriors. In his rookie year he upped his scoring from 9.2 ppg in the regular season to 16.1 ppg in the playoffs. Despite his unbelievable athleticism, still upward potential, and his key roll in the 2015 title run, Barnes may not be in the roster next year as he will likely command a near-max deal on the free agent market.
The Warriors also selected Festus Ezeli with the 30th pick in the draft. Festus, although injury prone, has been a nice big off the bench in his three years. He played huge minutes in Game 6 of the 2015 Finals and conversely threw up a stink bomb in Game 7 of this year’s Finals. Ezeli is also free agent this offseason that the Warriors have to make a decision on whether to keep or not.
The hands down best pick in the 2012 draft came in the second round at pick 35, Draymond Green. We all know the story, Saginaw Pride, Michigan State, constant winner, but a tweener. Ah yes, the dreaded tweener that Warriors drafted year in an year out in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Yes, Draymond is a tweener but what separates him from all of the other guys we drafted is that he is a maniac that is solely focused in getting better, being a great teammate, and proving everyone wrong. You can’t put that rating into verticality or length or explosiveness. You can’t put something so intangible on a draft chart. The best you can do is say, “hey, this guy has been successful at every level, he has gotten better at every level, he has leadership qualities, and Tom Izzo says he is a good dude.” The rest is belief and a hope that he will give you quality minutes. Anything like being a virtual Swiss Army knife on the court, anchoring a defense like no one since KG, dropping a triple-double in the NBA Championship clinching game, going toe-to-toe with LeBron James in the 2016 Finals, and nearly winning Game 7 on the strength of his will to have the Warriors win is just icing on the cake. I love Draymond Green. He will always be an all-timer for me. I never thought that anyone would shake Chirs Mullin off the pedestal for my favorite Warrior but I think Draymond is on the path.
Oh yeah, we drafted Ognjen Kuzmic with the 52nd pick. He is a World Champion and not playing in Greece.
I would be remise if I failed to mention Kent Bazemore. Yes, he went undrafted but Meyers saw him playing in Summer League for OKC and signed the guy. He will forever be an all-time Warriors bench-mobber. The guy’s sideline celebrations of a Curry three or Warriors’ dunk are the stuff of legend. It was tough to see him go but I’m glad that he has found a home on the Hawks and has become a key contributor there.
2013 - No picks.
2014 - No picks, just this.
2015 – In the glow of the 2015 Championship the Warriors picked Kevon Looney out of UCLA. On paper, the guy seemed like a pseudo-Draymond. He’s 6’9”, can play inside-outside, pretty athletic. Looney was hobbled by a hip injury early and then had to battle for playing time on the best regular season squad of all-time (yes, it si so brutal to have to write that). So I will reserve judgment.
Of the first round picks the Warriors had from 1993-2009 (including 2nd-rounders Arenas and Ellis) Golden State first round picks (22 total) have combined to averaged on 10.5 PPG while on the Warriors. Moreover, Golden State first round picks up to 2002 average only 3.6 years with the team (with Foyle being the clear outlier with 10 years on the team), that is not much staying power for a team to build a future with. They drafted 13 tweeners Rozier, Smith, Declercq, Foyle, Jackson, Jamison, Foster, Porter, Murphy, O'Bryant, Diogu, Wright, and Randolph. None of which panned out on the Warriors, save for Randolph who the jury is still out on. They drafted 3 terrible white centers Fuller, Foyle, and Young. Oh, Adonal Foyle isn’t white, my bad. Considering all that, no wonder they ran off these win totals from 1993-94 to 2008-2009: 52, 26, 36, 30, 19, 21, 19, 17, 21, 38, 37, 34, 34, 42, 48, 29.
Thank God for Larry Riley and Bob Meyers, the only GMs that have effectively stayed my annual execution. No matter how bad losing the 2016 title hurts, at least I can take solace that the front office is competent and get more hits than misses in the draft. With so much riding on this offseason and management claiming they will be “very aggressive,” it looks as though the Warriors will shift their a focus on free agency, rather than trying to build within the draft (30th pick). As Bob Meyers knows though, this year’s Draymond Green or Kent Bazemore is out there, he just has to keep his eyes open.
Basketball Insider Jon Wheeler joins Tripper Ortman to discuss the end of the Warriors' season. The two share reasons why they believe the NBA conspired to fix the series and extend it to seven games, what the Warriors could have done differently, and what to look for from Golden State next year.
Kyrie Irving hits the game winning three-pointer with 53 seconds left in Game 7 to beat the Warriors 93-89. (photo by Ezra Shaw)
Alex and Brett of "The Battery" come to us on Father's Day weekend to chat about the latest in the U.S. Open and the Warriors going into Game 7 at Oracle.
Section925 reports from inside the Stadium Pub in Walnut Creek before, during and after Game 6. Brett, Alex, Jordan and Dylan of "The Battery" share their thoughts on the Warriors attempt to clinch back-to-back titles.
Two hockey greats meet at center ice following a hard fought Stanley Cup. (photo by Ezra Shaw)
By Ryan Ward | @RyanJWard
The San Jose Sharks turned 25 this year, and for a team so accustomed to outstanding regular seasons and consistent postseason runs through the years, this was far and away the most exciting and memorable single-season in team history.
In the end, there was no celebration, no champagne shower, no parade. No Marleau, Thornton, or Pavelski carving their names into the Stanley Cup to live on for eternity. But by reaching the Cup Final, they accomplished what no team had in franchise history, and for that, Sharks fans should be proud. They fell just two wins shy of the Stanley Cup as a team that had many doubters and reduced expectations. Dismissing them as a failure would be shortsighted to say the least.
The Sharks have a lot of question marks heading into this offseason, and some analysts foresee struggles ahead for the club. The future of aging of stars such as Marleau and Thornton are unknown, and the defense needs to add pieces after clearly being exposed in the Final by an elite Penguins offense.
Despite the changes that may come, the Sharks have a lot to be excited about and have plenty of reason for hope. There is something to be said for a group of overachievers marching through the Western Conference, as it sets a new standard for the younger players and remaining veterans going forward. Just ask the Giants what a little taste of fame does for the culture of a team in the coming years. As they say, success breeds success.
The Sharks' Justin Braun in Game 6 (photo by Ezra Shaw)
Of course, we would be remiss if we discussed the future of this team and did not reflect on just how great the young Martin Jones was this postseason. The Sharks clearly have found a star in the making, someone who put his team on his shoulders nearly all the way to a title. Without Jones and his remarkable goaltending, it’s hard to imagine the Sharks winning a single game in this year’s Cup Final, and perhaps they don’t even get that far to begin with without Jonsie. All goalies are hot and cold, but when you find one that gets white-hot on the world’s biggest stage and flashes signs of greatness, you hold onto that player. Sharks fans should be excited about Martin Jones.
When it was all said and done, they did not claim their own chapter in hockey history, and it may be that the greater NHL fan base forgets the 2015-16 Sharks and their improbable postseason run within a few years. But these Sharks made a lasting impression on their fan base, going further than ever before, defying odds along the way, and proving that expectations can be surpassed when a gritty team comes together. And that, in and of itself, is very promising.
See you back at the Shark Tank for year 26. The city of San Jose shall drink from the cup sooner than later.
The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate their world championship in San Jose. (photo by Thearon W. Henderson)
"The Battery" welcomes first time guest Dylan Tonneson ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. As part of a three part series, the boys discuss the Sharks memorable season and debate the suspension of Draymond Green. "The Battery" then heads out to Stadium Pub in Walnut Creek to report at the half and finally wrap up the loss in a somber postgame report.
Kyrie Irving erupted for 41 points in Monday's Game 5. Golden State will have two more chances to close out the series, starting on Thursday. (photo by Ezra Shaw)
By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com
If ever there was a theme of the the 2016 NBA Playoffs, the cliche “expect the unexpected” does well to describe it. From Steph Curry’s overtime outburst versus Portland on a bum knee, to the historic rally down 3 games to 1 against Oklahoma City and everything in between, these playoffs have surprised us at virtually every turn. The only thing we’ve been able to count on is that every time the media convinces us of a trend or a sure bet, the opposite has reliably unfolded. Monday night in Oakland was no different.
Even with Draymond Green serving a suspension at the A’s game with Marshawn “Forest Gump” Lynch, it still seemed as though the Warriors would seal the deal at home on Monday. The fans wanted it badly, could taste it even. It all made sense, considering the Warriors have proven their superiority over the Cavs time and time again up to this point. Add on the fact that they were at home where they don’t lose, and you had yourself a mortal lock. But this is the 2016 Playoffs, so inevitably the exact opposite happened. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving went into NBA-Jam-Mode, to the tune of 82 points and the Dubs were left packing a bag back to Ohio while cold champagne was wheeled out the back door of Oracle.
I suppose it seems safe to count on the idea the Warriors couldn’t possibly lose three games in a row, especially when you consider that they made it through an 82-game schedule without once dropping back-to-back games. Dubs fans can also hang their hat on the stat that zero teams have successfully clawed back from down 3-1 to win a Finals series.
Things looked more than promising for the Warriors as they headed into halftime of Game 5. Klay Thompson’s jumper was silkier than normal, pouring in 26 points with six three pointers by intermission. Yes the score was tied at 61 and LeBron and Kyrie were in a groove, but it still felt like Golden State had taken Cleveland’s best punch and withstood it in style; not to mention Oracle was rocking. “The Cavs can’t contain that type of shooting,” the talking heads told us. There again, they were wrong.
Irving and James picked up where they left off in the second half, wearing out a Warriors defense that lacked Draymond and, eventually, Andrew Bogut due to a knee injury (MRI is looming). The Cavs duo was clicking in all facets, including from beyond the arc, which makes them virtually impossible to stop. Can the Cavs continue this type of Splash Brethren shooting form for two more games? If not, they are likely done, but what if they do? Well pass the Prilosec in that case.
Golden State woke up on Monday with three chances to nail down the greatest season in basketball history, against a player in LeBron who has plenty of chinks in his big game armor. At this point it’s hard to say who has the upper hand. Is it the Cavs riding high off a win in Oakland and a favored spread (-2) at home in Game 6? Or perhaps it’s the Warriors, who won their championship last year in Game 6, against the same team, on the same court? And if it goes to Game 7, who does the pressure fall on? The Warriors battling the ghost of the ‘96 Bulls or the Cavs trying to slay the Curse of Cleveland.
At this point, it’s anyone’s guess. In the meantime I’ll try to figure out what to expect, then bet the opposite.
Folau Niua of the Eagles fends off an opponent from South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup in London. The U.S. will play Italy at Avaya Stadium this Saturday evening. (photo by Paul Gilham)
By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com
This Saturday, June 18th, the USA rugby team will face off with Italy in a match at Avaya Stadium in San Jose. Saturday's event is a part of the the "Summer Series" which includes two matches in Northern California, the second of which will be on Saturday, June 25th in Sacramento versus Russia.
The U.S. side is coming off a five-match stretch in the Americas Rugby Championship that resulted in a second place finish for the Eagles. The Summer Series rugby event will give fans a better feel for new coach John Mitchell, who will be selecting his own roster for the first time at the helm.
Tickets to Saturday's match vs. Italy can be purchased here for what should be a great venue to watch rugby in. Fans who can't make it out to Avaya (also the home to this year's MLS All-Star Game vs. Arsenal) can watch the match on the Rugby Channel.
Bay Area rugby fans are used to being spoiled by getting to watch the National Champion CAL Bears, but now they will get to see the pros get after it on the the international level as well. Add this to the fact that the Olympics in Brazil are just around the corner to boot. CAL alum Danny Barrett will be suiting up for the USA in August as Rugby Sevens is set to make its first appearance in the Olympic Games. The last time rugby of any kind appeared in the Olympics, the United States outlasted France for the Gold Medal in the 1924 Paris games.
So get out there and enjoy the rugby coming your way. Draymond Green may very well be watching too.
Martin Jones has been standing on his head as of late. (photo by Justin K. Aller)
By Ryan Ward | @RyanJWard
In their biggest game of the year, facing elimination on the road in a city that had all but hoisted the Stanley Cup already, the Sharks came out firing in Game 5 like we hadn’t seen this entire Stanley Cup Final, scoring twice in the opening minutes and surviving a thrilling 4-2 marathon of a regulation game, leaning heavily on goalie Martin Jones along the way.
The fast start was just what the doctor ordered for San Jose - they hadn’t led a single minute in this Final until Brent Burns opened the scoring - but the real story of Game 5 was Jones. After the second goal gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead after 2:53, the floodgates opened and it appeared the Sharks had lost their spark, coughing up two goals in 22 seconds. But from that moment on, Martin Jones was simply unbelievable, even historically so; with 44 saves, it was just the 3rd time a goalie registered more than 40 in a Final game in the last 30 years.
It’s a problem that the Sharks weren’t able to slow down the Pittsburgh onslaught, allowing them to dominate the final two periods and pepper Jones repeatedly with shots, but what isn’t a problem is the fact that they weathered the storm and find themselves heading home for Game 6 Sunday night in San Jose.
We’ve seen it elsewhere as recently as this week. When it comes to a championship series, nobody cares (least of all the players) how the job gets done or how pretty it is, as long as you win. The Warriors hadn’t felt the presence of Klay or Steph through three games in the NBA Finals, and still led their series 2-1. If they go on to clinch the title Monday night at Oracle, nobody will remember the Splash Bros disappearing act through the first three games.
Same goes for San Jose, who now have 60 minutes of ice time Sunday to scratch, claw, and fight for the right to head back to Pittsburgh and finish this historic season the way they have dreamed since training camp. And to do that, they’re going to need Martin Jones. A LOT of Martin Jones, and whatever other pieces to the puzzle they can figure out along the way.
Brett Thomas and Alex Jensen of The Battery talk about the Sharks' chances of storming back in the Stanley Cup and the Warriors heading into Game 4 in Cleveland.
Host Tripper Ortman welcomes Section925's Basketball Insider Jon Wheeler back into the Hoop Cave to discuss the NBA Finals.
San Jose's season is on the brink as they head back to Pittsburgh for Game 5. (photo by Bruce Bennett)
By Ryan Ward | @RyanJWard
Four games into a best-of-seven postseason series, a Bay Area team finds themselves in a deep hole against an opponent that has overmatched them, facing insurmountable odds that suggest a comeback is next to impossible. Sound familiar?
It should. The above statement would have applied as recently as two weeks ago, when our beloved and resurgent Golden State Warriors were all but dead in their Western Conference Finals matchup against the OKC Thunder, down 3-1 after two straight miserable defeats and the weight of a larger-than-life 73-win season pressing down on them. And where are they now, a short 14 days later? Well, in case you’ve been living under a rock, things are looking a bit up for the Dubs, and the Sharks should draw from that as they take on a seemingly impossible comeback climb. The Sharks head back east to face the Penguins in Pittsburgh, down 3-1 in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final series after falling 3-1 in game 4 at The Tank, and it’s time to draw from the deep well of hope and optimism.
It was more of the same for the Sharks in Game 4, as they went down 1-0 for the 4th straight game and were again sent chasing the Penguins for nearly 60 minutes. In fact, the Sharks have not led for a single minute in this series, their only win being in overtime of Game 3. At this point, it's hard to foresee a scenario where they win one or more of the remaining games unless they can fix that issue and take control of the play against Pittsburgh.
The magic formula for a turnaround might be simpler than Sharks’ critics believe, however. Looking back two weeks, the message from the Warriors’ after falling behind 3-1 to the Thunder was that of “we know who we are and what we’re capable of,” and commentary along the lines of “we know we can fix this and what we have to do to win.” In other words, it was their deep confidence that allowed them to stay loose, play their game, and eventually prevail. Although the Sharks did not have as dominant and decorated a regular season as their companions up Interstate 880, they know that their roster is full of capable goal scorers, stick-handlers, penalty killers, and overall winners who can take their destiny into their own hands and win three straight games. No, it’s not the same battle the Warriors fought - the Sharks must play Game 5 and a potential Game 7 on the road - but after going 28-10-3 away from home, the confidence should remain.
Of course, it may be too deep of a hole and the Sharks may have missed the best opportunity in franchise history to bring the Stanley Cup home to San Jose. But then again, maybe this is just another page in the final chapter of a remarkable season...and two weeks from now, we might all be saying, “Remember when the Sharks were down 3-1? Yeah, me neither.”
Battery mates Brett Thomas and Alex Jensen welcome longtime listener/first time caller Jordan Lowe to the show. The three discuss the passing of Muhammad Ali, Golden State's 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, and the Sharks' struggles in their first Stanley Cup.
Tiger Woods at the difficult Oakmont Country Club, site of the 2016 U.S. Open. (photo by Ross Kinnaird)
By Matthew Van Fossen | @MVF510
Officials at the USGA have, more than once, turned perfect courses into dog tracks. The course conditions at the 2004 US Open at Shinnecock Hills became so brutal on Sunday it became impossible to hold the green at the par-3 seventh hole. With three triple bogeys and another bogey, the first four players played the hole in a combined 10 over par. The USGA then decided to water the green after every two or three groups came through. As the story goes, they didn’t water the greens before Jeff Maggert’s group and he made a special request to water the green before he hit his tee shot. Maggert said they told him, “We water it when we feel like it.” No one likes greenskeepers with attitude.
Billy Mayfair hit the green with his tee shot but his first putt rolled into a greenside bunker. He ended up shooting an 89. After a seemingly perfect Charles Howell III shot rolled into the greenside bunker, the gallery actually booed the hole. Retief Goosen ended up winning the tournament on a day when not one player broke par.
The prototypical U.S. Open setup features long holes, narrow fairways, deep rough, and firm, fast greens.
And how do they get super fast greens? They don’t water them. In 1989 at the Olympic Club, fast greens and an ill advised pin position made it impossible to stop a downhill putt anywhere near the hole. Seeing his putt pick up speed after it passed the hole a frustrated Kirk Triplett put his putter in front of his ball while it was still moving, invoking a two stroke penalty (he was going to miss the cut anyway).
Poor Billy Horshel didn’t like the greens last year at Chambers Bay at all. “We’re not looking for perfect greens. We’re not looking for Memorial’s greens or even last week in Memphis. But we’re looking for something that’s very consistent and this week they’re not…four is Godawful. Ten is not much better…that hole is in dirt. It’s literally dirt. There’s no grass around that hole.” And hearing Billy Horshel complain about anything would be like hearing Jay-Z complain about Beyonce’s cooking; there’s zero chance I would feel any sympathy. However, he makes a good point.
Why not just play the course moderately fast and firm? Why take a risk that it gets out of control? Why make the courses so difficult? People like to see birdies! A ten-footer for par is like wheat toast. Yawn.
In addition to the tweaks to the course conditions, the USGA will shorten two of the par 5s to make them par 4’s and changes the course par from 72 to 70. The purpose is to make the winning score close to even par. I don’t really get the point. By that logic, you could make par whatever you want. Why not change a couple of the par 3s to par 2s and then 8 over would be the target winning score? And wouldn’t that really show how incredibly difficult it is to win a US Open.
The other problem with changing par 5s to par 4s is that it significantly modifies the aesthetic and strategy of a hole. For example, think about the two shortish par 5s at Augusta National, 13 and 15. They both have a creek in front that forces players to make a great shot to get on the green in two. If you shorten them slightly and make it a par 4 then the strategy goes away. You have to go for it every time. If the USGA were able to hold the U.S. Open at Augusta they would absolutely make one of those holes a par 4. What a ridiculous thought.
The other course setup tradition, deep rough, makes hitting the fairway very important as it is difficult to stop approach shots on the fast, hard greens from the rough. But deep rough also removes some of the strategy of approach shots. There is little a player can do from deep rough except to swing hard and play to the fat of the green. There is no chance of working the ball from 4 inch rough. One of the great things about watching professional golfers is the incredible shots they make from trouble. Watching a player try to hit a low runner or a high cut to avoid a tree and then seeing them pull it off is an incredible thrill. Think about Phil Michelson’s approach from the pine straw on 13 at the 2010 Masters. And compare that to all those memorable deep chunks from 4-5 inch grass at US Opens through the years. Oh, that’s right, there aren’t any.
Recent setups have changed some of this. The USGA moved away from the deep rough setup for the 2014 event at Pinehurst. In an attempt to have the course play more like the original Donald Ross design they only had two cuts of rough. The USGA might have been alarmed as Martin Kaymer blitzed the field with an overall score of nine under. But Eric Compton and Rickie Fowler tied for second at one under so, USGA, you can be comfortable that your fake par was not compromised.
One thing that the USGA has done right recently is to use public courses for their venues. For the time being, it looks like municipal courses Bethpage and Torrey Pines will be in the rota. And why is that important? The list of courses that have hosted multiple times is mostly made up of private courses with notable exceptions being Pebble Beach and Pinehurst (Pebble Beach costs $495 to play. You have to stay there to get a reservation. The cheapest room at the lodge is $790.)
In this era where golf is struggling to stay relevant it’s necessary to promote affordability and inclusivity. There are stupid-rich men building ultra-private vanity courses to feed their own ego. Do an internet search for The Institute Golf Course in the Southern Silicon Valley or the Alotian Golf Club in Arkansas. Oh, you didn’t find anything. That’s right, there are no websites for either of those courses. It’s like they’re ciphers whose sole bragging rights come from how few members they allow. That’s not good for the game. And in perennially dry Northern California it’s not a good use of water.
The list of courses that have hosted the US Open used to be nearly all private clubs. Winged Foot and Olympic have each hosted 5 times. This year’s host Oakmont Country Club has hosted 8 times, more than any other course. Those three are private but now Bethpage and Torrey Pines have each hosted twice. So bravo, USGA, for making your championship more accessible. Here’s hoping you can also make your course setups more accessible in the future.
(Photo by Ezra Shaw)
Joonas Donskoi celebrates his top-shelf game winnning goal on Saturday night. (photo by Bruce Bennett)
By Ryan Ward | @RyanJWard
The official NHL Twitter account called it “Possibly the biggest goal in @SanJoseSharks history.” Uh, ya think?
It was fitting that a rookie, Joonas Donskoi, scored the Game 3 winner in OT of the first-ever Stanley Cup Final game at the Shark Tank. And yes, that was undoubtedly the biggest goal in Sharks history. After so many years of playoff letdowns despite a consistent core of All-Star caliber veterans, this year has been different for the Sharks - which they proved again Saturday as they capped off an electric night inside The Tank. San Jose once again played uphill most of the game and had to overcome two one-goal deficits, but they forced extra hockey and ended the most exciting OT period of these 2016 playoffs with a precision goal by Donskoi.
It was another new star - new to the Sharks, anyway - in Joel Ward that tied the score in the 3rd period by willing the puck past Penguins goaltender Matt Murray with a blast from between the circles, giving the fans in attendance, who waited so long for this night, renewed hope that this wasn’t the beginning of the end for the 2016 Sharks.
The OT winner was perhaps a goal of destiny, taken from a near impossible angle by a player the Sharks signed as a free agent last offseason and whose name some more casual fans might not even recognize. But it’s been Donskoi and Ward, the rookie and the veteran, each new to San Jose, who have proven why this isn’t just another Sharks playoff run destined for disappointment. The duo has combined for 13 playoff goals this season, and are demonstrating why it didn’t take a changing of the guard by the Sharks front office for the team to reach this point...they just needed a little fresh blood.
Section925's Josh "The Rogue" Hunsucker ventures down to Santa Clara to cover the Copa America Centenario at Levi's Stadium. The Rogue eats, drinks and talks soccer with our nation's most important fan club: The American Outlaws.
