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.

Looking Ahead to Next Year

The San Francisco 49ers have had a terrible, disheartening football season. Ironically, the quarterback they should have drafted, Aaron Rogers decimated the 49ers this week and pretty much ended their season. Many analysts and fans believed this team had the NFC West wrapped up before the season started. They were clearly wrong. Mike Singletary is simply not a football coach. He can motivate people; that is it. He has no knowledge of the game anymore. It is not the 80's anymore and it is a passing league. The Colts and Saints were the super bowl teams last year and they both had quarterbacks who excelled at throwing the ball down field accurately and strongly. The 49ers have a good core with Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. Their offensive line is decent and they have good upside with Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis.

The franchise can be turned around but two things need to happen: an offensive minded coach and a quarterback that has a strong arm and can command a team. At this point, Alex Smith means nothing to this team. You can still say he never got a chance, but even with his chance it isn't going to matter. He just is not a quarterback. Troy Smith is a career backup. He holds the ball too long in the pocket and is too reliant on scrambling and throwing outside the pocket. Draft a pro style quarterback and hire an offensive coach and hopefully this franchise can return to where it used to be.