Griffin really appears the only sure thing. Harden is probably the second ‘surest’ thing, although there’s still question as to what his level of production will be at the next level. Thabeet? Rubio? They’re consensus top-5 players, but they have big question marks, as well.

That’s why I think a trade down or out still remains the most likely direction. Finding a partner is the hard part, but if they can find one, I think they would lean in that direction. That’s just me. I have no access or inside info to back that up, but that would appear the most logical direction for the team to take given the propensities of Nellie and the direction they want to head.

Curry and Hill make sense, too, but I think those are fall-back plans and could also be red herrings (something Nellie is known to float now and again to keep people from guessing his real intentions).

At least Curry seems like a great kid with a high basketball IQ and a sweet stroke. Morrison/Reddick anyone? Again, zero sure things, lots of opportunity to fail miserably with this draft
.

I think Hill is likely on the radar as a guy who could, at the very least, play backup C to Biedrins and allow Turiaf to see more time at PF. Hill’s acquisition will likely mean sayonara BW, though. Is that a good thing? Not if they just give BW away, but if they can use him to get an asset elsewhere, it could prove useful. I wish he could develop more here, but he’s been injury prone and unable to gain Nellie’s confidence that he’s worth more than short spurts of PT.

As for Evans, what he did in the workout only proves that teams can’t use PG to guard him, but proves little in terms of his ability to be a PG. Evans Ast/TO ratio was horrendous, and he didn’t impress me with his overall decision making. To me, he looks like a future Larry Hughes type, which isn’t bad, but not necessarily what the Warriors need.

We’ll see. I think if Tyreke is at #7, they might be able to find a good trade down or out, as some team may want to jump up and grab him. I’m thinking the top guys left on the board for the Warriors will be:

Hill
Flynn
Jennings
Holiday
Derozan
T. Williams
Clark

I think they’d like to see Curry drop out of the top-6, though he seems to be climbing not falling.

Two number one’s, and zero starters is hardly mortgaging the team. I pointedly avoided including Monta, Beans, Morrow and Randolph. ANYONE ELSE is readily available. Again, hardly mortgaging the future. Who wouldn’t happily build around a core youthful core of Ellis, Morrow, Randolph, Griffin and Biedrins?

The Warriors without a go to post scorer will habitually be an also-ran, even if they make the playoffs. Goose is close to maxed as a post player (15 per game as a realistic top end). Randolph may develop in the post but he’s better facing the basket with a plethora of potential skills. Star potential galore but he’d absolutely blossom with someone able to score in the post. Wright is the one guy on the team that’s actually got a gift for scoring in the paint but as a semi-permanent resident in Nellie’s doghouse (in part for his horrid defense) he’s an unreliable option.

I’d settle for taking Hill despite all the mixed signals in the media. I’m intrigued by Evans (Via Chad Ford : [Evans]…had his way with Flynn and Stephen Curry. He was relentless taking the ball to the basket. As one Kings scout remarked, “It was a man beating up boys.”) Rubio’s the big upside mystery man. Griffin’s the only prize worth trading up for, albeit without mortgaging the teams’s future. On that, agreed.

I think Warriors have to go w/curry if he’s there. I know Monta may be taken aback, but both curry and Monta can play interchangeably the #1. Plus with Monta driving, and kicking, curry will be wide open for long range J’s… Instant offense. Defense can be addressed next. There’s too much of a log jam at the 2/3 on the roster currently that it doesn’t make sense to get one of the athletes with update imo. Plus curry has played a full 4 yrs of college ball, is very very smart, has the nba genes…

Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Williams…

Yes, no won has won a NBA title yet, but at #7, you figure to find one of these than a Lebron James…

Randolph was rebounding at a very high clip all year (10.5 reb per 36, better than all rookies except Kevin Love this past year), and vastly improved his offensive efficiency while cutting down on his TO as the year progressed. He is, as I noted, 4 months YOUNGER than Griffin. He’s also, if recent reports are accurate, almost 2 inches taller than Griffin and with a much longer reach. His potential as a defensive stopper/shot-blocker is much higher.

The key to Randolph will be whether he can fully realize his offensive potential. Griffin will probably be able to dominate in the low-block immediately, even if his skills are not fully developed, due to his bulk and athleticism. Randolph is needing to develop an effective mid-range game to become a real offensive force. I’m not going to bet against Randolph, though, simply because he has the work ethic, the athleticism, and the youth.

So, while the draft may not look great after Griffin, I’m not so sure we absolutely need him, either. If the Warriors had the #1 pick, sure.. nab him. But since they don’t, I don’t think mortgaging the team to acquire him makes much sense. I’d much rather go and use those pieces to get an established player, anyway.

KS- Ric Bucher is saying via other GM’s, the Warriors “Untouchables” are Scooter, Goose, and the Ants. Tried to come up with a trade that dpes’t include them. Hard to imagine Clips going for it without at least one involved by gave it a whack.

I don’t really love any draftee outside of Blake and possibly Rubio. 7 spot seems like a total crap shoot. Despite Nellie’s puppet expressing a need for “beef” and Vets, the team is sorely missing a go to scorer at the end of games more than anything (we’ll save the lack of D for another day).