Kawakami left a couple of facts out of his article. You could use any of the players he’s discussing as an example. I’ll look at Branden Wright:

Hard to say Brandon Wright is in the playoffs when he didn’t even get off the bench for the Mavs, a number 7 playoff seed, in their opener. Why don’t we just agree that until he logs 20 minutes total in a playoff series he’s not a playoff player. I’ll give you 20-1 he doesn’t help a playoff team win a single game or log any significant minutes in the playoffs for his career. That the trajectory his career has been on and continues to be on.

Silly to argue that Riley didn’t get fair value for Wright. If Branden Wright has so much trade value why could the Nets get nothing in return for him?

Hard to say If Branden Wright so talented as Kawakami has written many times. He signed a $915,000 contract with the Mavericks. Isn’t that the veteran minimum? By that contract Wright is a journeyman veteran. He’s not a young promising 4. He hasn’t been that since his first shoulder injury. He’s a long, quick, 4 with good touch around the basket with his left hand, who otherwise provides a team with minimal presence in the post on offense or defense.

A few other things that are super obnoxious….

Riley wasn’t the guy who traded Jason Richardson for Branden Wright. He also didn’t write a column saying what a great trade (Kawakami did). Riley also didn’t write a column saying the Warriors should take Wright over Joakim Noah (Kawakami did).

Also let’s maintain some perspective on the Greg Monroe miss. Monroe is better than Udoh. He’s got excellent skill and agility for someone his size, but he’s still a 1-dimensional player who’s athletically challenged and can’t defend the 4 or 5. He’s a solid player, a little bit better than Udoh, but it’s not like the Warriors would be any better off had they drafted him.

Also Anthony Randolph has done nothing at all in the NBA. Not sure why but that’s the fact. The Knick’s traded him for Corey Brewer and Eddy Currie’s expiring deal. Not a huge haul. David Lee is overpaid but he’s still an 11 million/year forward (imo). His average salary is 13.8 so he’s about %20-25 percent overpaid. In terms of salary it has some negative impact but it’s hardly the catastrophic mistake Kawakami makes it out to be. He’s also way, way, way better than Randolph will ever be. So on talent Riley got over on that trade.

Bottom line is that Riley, was dealt a super crappy hand by Mullin. He did some good things and some bad things but the Warriors are in a much better than they were when Mullin left. In three years that’s a pretty mediocre job by a GM. It’s time for a new GM but Riley can honestly say that the table has been set for the next guy. Unlike Mullin who squandered way too many draft choices and salary moves.

And finally the trade Riley made to lower the protection on the lottery pick was idiotic. But the greater crime was the trade Mullin made for Marcus Williams was infinitely dumber – and oh yeah – guess who wrote a column saying it was a great move. Tim Kawakami. Also Riley never wrote a column titled, Patrick O’Bryant – He’s my guy. Kawakami did. And he never wrote a column called “The Case for Jordan Hill.” Kawakami did. He also never wrote a column saying that the warriors had to sign Andris Biedrins for 10 million a year. Kawakami did. He also never proposed trading Monta Ellis for OJ Mayo, Kirk Heinrich, Samuel Dalembert+Thadeus young, Yi Jianlian,+Terrence Williams+ Rafer Alston, or DeMar DeRozan + Marcus Banks. (Kawakami did). Talk about some funny archives… Weird how those never get mentioned, especially by a journalist who loves to insert himself into the story! Ellis + Udoh, for Bogut+Richard Jefferson’s salary+1st round draft pick was the best deal Warriors were EVER going to get.

So Kawakami needs to knock off the holier than thou tone. If Riley is the village idiot Kawakami proposes who never had the vision to get a big man, and all of Kawakami’s pathetic second guessing is worse than Riley’s results, doesn’t that make Kawakami the bigger idiot? Or is that too mean for all of the Kawakami apologists?

Warriors created cap space to sign free agents, but no one wanted to come to losing team. SO, to get players, they had to do trades, and draft players:
- Trade for Bogut, one of the top centers
- Buy round 2 draft picks
- Trade cap space for a 1st round pick

LATER, Warriors will be able to sign free agents, hence the “want to have $15 million space” comment, but that only happens later. In a year, Biedrins and Jefferson becomes TWO BIG EXPIRING CONTRACTS, and Myers will be able to do a big trade – or else just wait until the year is over and sign up to $20 million of free agent(s).

So, Myers comment cannot apply to the year ahead, because no other team has any reason to take either AB or RJ off our hands, and there is no other way to get $15 million cap space.

Riley has been coach, scout and GM. However, the past few years shows that Riley is less talented at SALES. Warriors were unable to convince free agents to sign, and was unable to convince other GMs to do trades (For example, Perkins was a good fit for Ws, but deal did not happen.)

Myers entire experience is as a Player AGENT, in other words a SALESMAN. So, the new concept is that the GM is going to be the guy who convinces free agents to join Curry, Lee and Bogut, and who convinces other GMs to trade us their good players in exchange for all of our crap.

As FANTOM mentions above, Myers has no track record of recognizing talent, and “magically”, Riley is now Chief Scout – head of recognizing talent like Rush.

Since the GM is the person that free agents and GMs talk to, Warriors have emphasized Myers as the guy in charge, but reading between the lines, Myers will be signing guys whom Lacob, West and Riley suggest to him.