Giants acquire Carlos Beltran

The San Francisco Giants traded pitching prospect Zach Wheeler for Mets OF Carlos Beltran today. The Giants had been pursuing Beltran for a while and finally got their guy. They gave up a talented pitching prospect in Wheeler; however, this team needs offense and Beltran provides that. Beltran will most likely bat in the 3 spot and play right field according to Bochy, while Schierholtz and Ross play in left. Sabean and the Giants have a good track record of evaluating pitching and if they really thought Wheeler was going to be a stud, they would have kept him. Because of this, I trust Wheeler will not be more than an average player in this league at best and believe the deal was a good move. Ultimately, Sabean and the Giants want to win now and this move gives them a greater chance of defending their title.

Grading the Warriors Draft

The first draft under the new Lacob regime was a good one and dissimilar to the common drafts in the Cohan era. Since the NBA Finals have ended, rumors have heated up involving Monta Ellis and whether or not he will be traded. He wasn't traded last night, but the Warriors' selections made it seem that Monta Ellis is no longer a core part of the Warriors' future. Ultimately, it was a good draft for the Warriors, and should impact this team in the upcoming season in various ways. Onto the picks...

11th- Warriors take Klay Thompson 6'7" SG from Washington State- Grade: B+. Thompson is a great shooter and has good basketball DNA. His father, Mychael, was picked first overall in 1978 and had a long, successful NBA career. Thompson is a below average defender, but has a decent sized frame and is tall for a two guard. His offense will immediately help the Warriors and, hopefully, he will pick up the defense with experience. This pick would have received a much worse grade from me if it hadn't been praised so highly by Jerry West. He is one of the best talent evaluators in the NBA and that leads me to believe that Thompson will be a great player and should have a long career with the Warriors.

39th- Warriors take Jeremy Tyler 6'10" PF last played in Japan, originally from San Diego, CA. Grade: A. This a great pick up by the Warriors. All it cost was 2 million dollars. Now, this would never have happened in the Cohan era. Cohan would have laughed at the idea of paying for a project player. Jeremy Tyler might not do anything good in the NBA, but he has the chance to be great. It is a slim chance, but it is a chance worth taking. He was rated very highly in high school before he left to play in Israel for a year and then Japan for a year. Overall, the Warriors made a great move by buying Tyler; low risk, high reward. If he is not good, Lacob and Co. only wasted 2 million, if he's great, it's an amazing deal.

44th- Warriors take Charles Jenkins 6'3" SG out of Hofstra. Grade: A. Draft Express says Jenkins in the best case scenario will be like O.J. Mayo. In the worst case scenario, he will be Randy Foye. Any team would love that at the 44th overall pick. He is a very good scoring guard and was supposed to be taken much earlier. Although this may signal that Ellis is gone, I still love the pick. In the second round, teams shouldn't go for need, they should go for anyone who they think has a chance of being an NBA player, and Jenkins can be an NBA player. He led his conference in points and assists and was second in True Shooting Percentage and Effective Field Goal Percentage for guards. This guy is a steal and is going to be a great player.

Overall Grade: A-. The Warriors did a great job in this draft. Klay Thompson was an iffy pick with Kawhi Leonard still on the board; however, if Jerry West wants Thompson, I'll trust his opinion. Tyler was a great pick considering he can be a great player and all the Warriors gave up was 2 million. Jenkins was another great find, an efficient shooter who always won on the collegiate level. Furthermore, I am very impressed with the Warriors draft and look for these players to impact the Warriors in the future.

Warriors hire Mark Jackson as Head Coach

Originally, I really did not like this Mark Jackson hire, but the more I read and think about it, it grows on me. It proves that Lacob wants to make his own mark on the franchise and be known around the league as someone who takes risk. Jackson was a great point guard and is a decent analyst; however, he has no coaching experience and no one really knows how he'd run a team. He brings passion and energy to the sideline, but how can he get those emotions out of the Warriors this upcoming year? Being overlooked to some extent was that the most important move was actually the hiring of assistant coach Mike Malone from the New Orleans Hornets staff. He was Mike Brown's right hand man in the Cavs/LeBron era and even though the prevalent mindset is that the Cavaliers were only good because of LeBron James, it is not true. Although they were offensively inept, their defense was great and the biggest reason for their success. The orchestrator of their defense was Mike Malone. He was with the Hornets this year and was part of the reason they were a strong defensive team.

The reaction that most fans should take is one of optimistic caution. Unlike any other Warriors regime in a long time, there are smart minds all in one room making decisions. If Jerry West approved of this decision, it makes me more confident about the hire. He is definitely one of the greatest evaluators of talent out there and likes to make risky albeit smart decisions. Mark Jackson is going to bring something very different to this Warriors organization. Ultimately, fans should be cautious because he has no experience and no other teams were pushing hard for him; but, should be optimistic because he was hired under Jerry West's eye and along with him came an outstanding assistant coach who knows X's and O's very well.

Warriors narrow down coaching candidates

According to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-
spears_warriors_owner_interview_coach_finalists_051511), the Golden State Warriors have narrowed down their coaching choices to "Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey... Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, Boston Celtics assistant coach Lawrence Frank and Lakers assistant coach Chuck Person have also received permission from their teams to have preliminary interviews with the Warriors soon."


Almost all of these candidates have previous experience and all are defensive minded coaches. These candidates are telling of what teams need to win championships: defense. If a team isn't good defensively, most of the time they are not going to win a championship. Although a team can win championships without great defense, they have to have two great players and still play average defense. The warriors do not even have one great player and cannot even play average defense. So, this is a step in the right direction.

The best man for the job is Lawrence Frank. Mike Brown is a great defensive mind, but is too limited offensively. I don't believe the Warriors get Brian Shaw or Chuck Person; Shaw might get the Lakers job and if he doesn't, he has no coaching experience anyway. The Warriors should pursue a guy who has prior coaching experience. It is not worth the risk of hiring a coach who has no coaching experience. The only exception to this would be hiring a really great defensive mind like Thibodeau. Dwane Casey would be a good hire as well, but has interest from multiple teams. Although he would be a good coach, Frank is the man for the job. He worked the Celtics defense this year and prior to the one of the most moronic trades ever, the Celtics looked like an incredible team that no one could stop. They were 40-14 heading into Oracle Arena after the All-Star break and beat the Warriors in every aspect of the game looking like a championship caliber team. He coached the Nets earlier in the decade and had some playoff seasons with them, proving he can win. Also, he worked under Byron Scott, a great coach, when the Nets went to the NBA Finals multiple years. Now he works under Doc Rivers, another great coach, and successfully ran the Celtics' defense. Furthermore, Frank is a proven winner in the NBA, has worked under successful coaches and knows how to run a great defense in the NBA, making him the best candidate for the Warriors.

NBA Playoff Preview: Western Conference

1) Spurs vs. 8) Grizzlies- Tony Allen and Shane Battier will shut down Manu Ginobili. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol can contain Tim Duncan and Dejuan Blair. The Spurs got very unlucky with this draw and this series is going to wear them down.
Pick: Spurs in 7

2) Lakers vs. 7) Hornets- Chris Paul is the best PG in the game, but no way Lakers come close to losing this series. Kobe, Bynum, Gasol and crew are way too much to handle.
Pick: Lakers in 4

3) Mavericks vs. 6) Blazers- The Blazers have all the right players to cause problems for the Mavericks. LaMarcus Aldridge can guard Nowitzki and who else do the Mavs really have? Gerald Wallace was a huge addition for Portland and him as well as Aldridge Batum and Miller will help Portland win.
Pick: Blazers in 7

4) Nuggets vs. 5) Thunder- This will be the best series in the Western Conference. The Nuggets have the deepest bench in the league and have been committed to defense since Anthony left; but, the Thunder are legit. Kendrick Perkins toughened this team up and although this series will wear on them, they'll get through with the toughness and defense of Perkins and Ibaka and scoring ability of Durant and Westbrook.
Pick: Thunder in 7

Semifinals

1) Spurs vs. 4) Thunder- The Thunder are athletic, better offensively, and have two of the best one on one defenders in the league. No way the Spurs will win this series, they are too reliant on three point shooting and have become less defense oriented.
Pick: Thunder in 6

2) Lakers vs. 6) Blazers- Lakers are the best team in the West, don't see how the Blazers will win. They will put up a fight, but they don't have an answer for Gasol, Odom, and Bynum.
Pick: Lakers in 5


Conference Finals

2) Lakers vs. 4) Thunder- This series is very similar to the Heat and Bulls series. Either team can win but the Lakers have a slight edge. Perkins can stop Bynum and Ibaka can stop Gasol. Sefolosha can contain Bryant and Durant can contain Odom. Every matchup that the Lakers have an advantage over against other teams, the Thunder have an answer for. The Lakers' experience is their biggest advantage and they should win, but don't be surprised if the Thunder pull it out.
Pick: Lakers in 7

NBA FINALS

Lakers vs. Bulls

In this series, the Lakers' size will be too much to handle and although Tom Thibodeau can think of every defensive scheme there isn't really a scheme to stop two fundamentally sound 7 footers and a 6'10" point forward. Phil will get his last three peat and 12th championship and go out on the high road.
Pick: Lakers in 7

NBA Playoff Preview: Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference

1) Chicago vs. 8) Indiana- Indiana should just be happy to be here. They are 10 games under .500, and will be lucky to win one game.
Pick: Chicago in 4


2) Miami vs. 7) Philadelphia- Doug Collins deserves credit for turning Philadelphia around and they have a very strong defensive team; however, they don't have an answer for both Wade and James.
Pick: Miami in 5

3) Boston vs. 6) New York- New York will give Boston a tough time and put more minutes on the aging Pierce, Garnett and Allen; but, Garnett will contain Stoudemire and Jeff Green and Paul Pierce can keep Anthony in check. Ultimately, great team defense is better than a strong offense.
Pick: Boston in 6

4) Orlando vs. 5) Atlanta- Orlando has Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson is a decent point guard, but besides that Orlando really doesn't have too much. However, the Hawks have less. Joe Johnson is one of the most overpaid players in the league and just looks bored when he plays. Al Horford is a great player, but he can't do everything. Bottom Line: the Hawks have no one to stop Dwight Howard.
Pick: Orlando in 5

Semifinals

2) Miami vs. 3) Boston- This is going to be one hell of a series. Boston hates Miami on and off the court. The X factor is Rajon Rondo, but he seems lost after the Kendrick Perkins trade. I just don't see how Boston can guard Lebron and Wade and still be strong offensively. Ultimately, Lebron's athleticism and size plus Wade's ability to get to the rim and score in crunch time will be too much for the aging Celtics.
Pick: Miami in 7

1) Chicago vs. 4) Orlando- Chicago has got a ton of big bodies to put on Howard and Thibodeau shut down Howard last year on the Boston bench. So, he will do it again, Orlando has no answer for Derrick Rose and Chicago has an answer for Howard.
Pick: Chicago in 6

Finals

1) Chicago vs. 2) Miami- Lebron and Wade have been here before, Derrick Rose has not. Every matchup between the teams this year have been close with Chicago winning at the end. I really could see this going either way. When Lebron and Wade go off and have that look, you can't stop them. Is Chicago's defense going to be able to contain these two? Thibodeau knows how to draw up every defensive scheme in the book to stop these guys. If Lebron and Wade go off, Miami will win, but I don't see that happening.
Pick: Chicago in 7


NBA Finals Prediction in Western Conference Preview

Great Piece about Buster Posey

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2011/04/14/postgame-notes-buster-poseys-picture-is-worth-1000-words-dodgers-are-tone-deaf/

Stephen Curry vs. Monta Ellis

Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. Fans tend to think that they have to pick one and trade the other; that isn't true. However, the organization needs to make this Stephen Curry's team, if Monta can't deal with that, then he should be traded. As for the who is better argument, it is clear and simple: Stephen Curry. The following link (http://basketballvalue.com/teamplayers.php?year=2010-2011&team=GSW), shows that Monta Ellis has a two year adjusted +/- rating of -6.17 and Curry has a +/- of +5.19. There is a difference of around 10 points in there which is quite substantial in basketball. Also, Stephen Curry's PER (Player Efficiency Rating) is 19.45 while Monta's is 18.48. Stephen Curry has a TS% (True Shooting Percentage) of 59.5 % while Monta has a 53.2 %. Curry is a better shooter, better passer, better dribbler, and has a higher basketball IQ. On the defensive end, they are both pretty weak defenders with no real edge going to either. However, Steve Nash is a very weak defender but his strong offense offsets his weak defense. This is very similar to the situation with Stephen Curry. Furthermore, it is clear that Stephen Curry is the better player and needs to be the leader of the team. Monta is a very good secondary player but cannot be the primary ball handler and is better when he is getting the ball passed to him in open spots and shooting. In 2007-2008 Monta Ellis had a PER of 18.92, his highest ever, and that was when Baron Davis was playing PG and distributing. That is the best role for Monta Ellis and if the Warriors go back to that they will be very successful.

Along with changing the roles of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, firing Keith Smart and hiring a coach who rewards and preaches defense, as well as getting a much stronger bench and back to the basket Center should be the main objectives for the Warriors in order to be more successful and fun to watch next season.

Can they do it again?

With the looming lockout in the NFL, the Warriors playing like the Warriors, and the Sharks in the midst of a playoff run, yet still unable to get to the Stanley Cup Finals, the focus in the Bay Area is on the 2010 World Series champion San Francisco Giants. The biggest question that comes up for the Giants is can they repeat? Yes, if the offense plays like it did the last half of last season, if the pitching is amazing once again and if Pablo Sandoval hits and fields like the Pablo of 2009. Last year, Buster Posey woke up the clubhouse and led the team on a tear after being called up going 67-48 and finishing the season 92-70. Aubrey Huff had a career year, Pat Burrell went back to his old National League self, and Cody Ross was unstoppable in the playoffs. Ultimately, the SF Giants offense needed some luck and caught lightning in a bottle to win the world series.

This year, all the talk is about the Phillies and their legendary pitching staff; however, the Giants staff is also pretty darn good and most of America tends to forget about that. Tim Lincecum is a two time Cy Young winner, three time All-Star and is arguably the best pitcher in the league. In the NLCS, he pitched better than Halladay and in the World Series he pitched better than Lee. Matt Cain is the most underrated pitcher in the majors and could be the ace of half of the pitching staffs in the majors. Although he lacked control throughout parts of the regular season and late in the playoffs, Jonathan Sanchez is one of the nastiest lefties in the game when he is on. Madison Bumgarner's World Series performance speaks for itself and as long as his innings are limited he will be a great pitcher this year. Barry Zito is an afterthought at this point; but, for a fifth starter is decent enough and he will give the team the innings it needs. In 2009, the pitching staff had an ERA of 3.55 and a WHIP (Walks and Hits/Innings Pitched)of 1.28. Many claimed that the staff couldn't get much better than that; however, in 2010, the staff had an ERA of 3.36 and a WHIP of 1.27. Unfortunately, without a capable offense, the Giants won't make the playoffs. It is up to Buster Posey and company to be an average offense and help this team make the playoffs once again. If they are able to do that, this pitching staff is capable of remarkable things and they will carry them once again to a title.

David Lee

He was brought in here to be a double double machine and turn the rebounding woes of the Warriors around. So far this season David Lee has not been worth 80 million dollars but, last night, his performance was worthy of his contract. The 23 points were nice; but, his season high 19 rebounds were what stood out. The Warriors had 14 more rebounds than the Thunder with a total edge of 47-33. Joe Lacob and Larry Riley expected David Lee to have this impact on the glass every night when they brought him here. They didn't expect him to get 19 rebounds every night; but, they certainly thought he would lead the Warriors to have an edge in rebounding every night. After the game, Lee mentioned that after the embarrassing loss to the Suns, they needed to improve. Lee said that, "One of the ways we can improve is by controlling the paint better, playing better interior defense and rebounding the basketball and out-rebounding teams." If Lee takes this approach to every game, the Warriors will certainly be a better basketball team. They aren't a contender yet, but with the addition of some defensive minded bench players and a defensive center with a post game, this team will definitely be playoff bound.

A good piece about the Warriors and Monta Ellis from Tim Kawakami

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2011/02/01/monta-ellis-positivity-statistically-hes-no-longer-making-the-warriors-much-worse/

Jim Harbaugh

The picture to the right clearly sums up 49ers fans and their feelings about the new head coach. You've heard it before, "college coaches cannot coach in the NFL". This is true; however, Harbaugh is not a college coach, he is a National Football League coach. He runs a true pro style offense that is exciting to watch and likes to run the ball. But unlike Singletary, when the defense commits, he likes to call a play action and air it out. Harbaugh is known for turning amateur quarterbacks with skills to professional quarterbacks. He worked with Josh Johnson at University of San Diego and was able to turn him into an NFL draft pick. His latest work with Andrew Luck has had critics saying Luck is the best quarterback in college football since Peyton Manning. There is no question that Harbaugh can teach quarterbacks; the exact position the 49ers need right now. But can he succeed in all aspects of the game? Harbaugh knows when the coordinators should make the calls and will let them have control at certain points. He has coached in the NFL before for a short amount of time and although he is arrogant, this arrogance only strengthens his ability to coach. In order to get him, it was a little pricey; however in the long run this move will be worth it. Look for Harbaugh to bring a new regime in the coming weeks and his imprint will be seen on this team shortly.