Azubuike

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

http://www.slamdunkcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/00000000000000000000000000000000000000000a18.jpg

:wow

[Streakyshooter08]

Would be great to have him but I doubt the Warriors will let him go. IIRC he has a player option but he will probably opt out because he had a good year. It will be interesting to see if SA will really try to get him.

[mrspurs]

he wouldnt hurt....he's better then most of the guys on our roster...go spurs go

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Please Spurs, go after him.

[1Parker1]

I doubt the Warriors will let him go.

[T Park]

The warriors have to resign Baron Davis, Montae Ellis, and Him.

They probobly can only afford 2 of the 3.

Who do they let go?

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Azubuike

[T Park]

Maybe, you have to wait and see how it plays out.

I'm sure there will be other teams vying for his services as well who might be able to offer more money.

The other point I always make with the Spurs is, we are interested in him, that doesn't mean THEY are :lol

[SequSpur]

Whatever....

Go Jacque Vaughn!

[T Park]

I have no idea who this guy is, I'm still touching myself over Vince Carter though.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Maybe, you have to wait and see how it plays out.

It's no question that Baron and Andris are more important to GS than Kelenna is.

[SequSpur]

The Spurs ain't gettin shit. they are going to go with the parker, duncan, every fourth game manu, old ass bowen and old ass can't run finley.

same shit different day...

oh and vaughn and bonner off the bench....

whatever...

[T Park]

Yeah I forgot that Biedrins is a FA too, but knowing Don Nelson he would want to let Biderins go.

[T Park]

The Spurs ain't gettin shit. they are going to go with the parker, duncan, every fourth game manu, old ass bowen and old ass can't run finley.

same shit different day...

oh and vaughn and bonner off the bench....

whatever...


That would be a little tough seeing as Finley is retiring genius.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Yeah I forgot that Biedrins is a FA too, but knowing Don Nelson he would want to let Biderins go.

Well, if he does let Biedrins go, that's target #1 if Splitter stays in Europe.

[loveforthegame]

Big GS fan here so I've seen him play a lot. He's a fan favorite and Nelson likes his toughness and hustle. He loves going after rebounds, gets a lot of junk baskets, and has improved on his jump shot. He moves well without the ball too. Not to mention he plays some good defense. I'd love to see the Spurs get him but I won't get my hopes up.

Not sure how the Warriors keep him when they need to focus on Ellis, Biedrins, and Davis.

A lot of teams will show interest in him.

[T Park]

Well, if he does let Biedrins go, that's target #1 if Splitter stays in Europe.

I would rather play Mahinmi.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Warriors have some decisions to make.

Baron Davis
Pietrus
Barnes
Jasikevicius
Biedrins
O'Bryant
Croshere
Ellis
Azubuike
Mbenga
Lasme

All are free agents this summer for GS.

Assuming Baron and Biedrins both opt out (which I think is a safe assumption):

The cap will be about $58 million, and with those two opting out they'll be sitting at about $27 million in committed salary.

You have to figure they want Baron, Ellis, and Biedrins back for sure. I think they also want Pietrus and Barnes back for sure, but are willing to sacrifice one in FA to keep the other. They've also got a young big they like in O'Bryant and a couple of Euros in Lasme and Perovic they like.

My guess is that Davis, Ellis, Biedrins, and Petrius/Barnes eat up all their cap space, put them at 11 players on the books, and then they still have to fill out their roster with 1-2 more guys.

I realize some of those guys like Perovic, O'Bryant, and Lasme can be stashed in the NBDL, but they're running out of cash and roster slots in a hurry just bringing Davis, Barnes/Pietrus, Ellis, and Biedrins back in the fold.

Do it, R.C. :hat

[1Parker1]

^I don't think GS is that interested keeping in Barnes/Petrius.

[Bruno]

You also had to look at Warriors financial situation to know if the will keep him.

The Luxury Tax Threshold should be around $71M this year and it will be a hard cap figure.

Warriors have 5 players under contract (Harrington, SJax, Brendan Wright, Perovic and Belinelli). They also have a Foyle buyout. All this compute for $29.2M.

So Warriors have $41.8M to get at least 8 players.
Baron Davis has a $17.8 players option, it's a lot of money and even if there are some rumors I don't see him opting out.
Warriors have the 14th pick in the draft who will have a $1.7M salary.

So you have $22.3M left for at least 6 players.
Ellis and Harrington will be their first target . If they both get a new contract with a $8M starting salary, Warriors will have $6.3M to fill the roster. It's not a lot of money and Warriors will basically be able to keep only one of Azubuike, Barnes or Pietrus.

[T Park]

Jasikevicius is in Europe so I don't think they care about him :lol


^I don't think GS is that interested keeping in Barnes/Petrius.

Petrius is gone I agree.

Barnes I could see them resigning.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

^I don't think GS is that interested keeping in Barnes/Petrius.

I think you're wrong. The two of them have been Golden State's best two perimeter defenders not named Stephen Jackson the last two seasons. They want to keep one of them.

The bottom line is, how much money is Golden State willing to spend at its 2/3 spots?

Ellis will be a 10 million dollar guy at the 2. They have Buckets for about 8 mil at the three, and also like to go big and slide Al Harrington to the three. Then you've got Pietrus, Barnes, Kelenna out there. They can't keep them all.

You factor in that they've got two young cheap guys already on the roster that are capable/potential capable backups at the two (Belinelli for 1.5 million this coming season) and three (Lasme for cheap as he's unproven), and it's hard to see Golden State ponying up 40 million or so at the 2 and 3 like they'd have to do to keep all those guys.

And that's not even touching on the fact Baron's was on the books this past season for $17 million and will command similar numbers and Biedrins and Ellis will both be $10 million dollar men. To keep those three, Golden State is about out of cap room unless they take 'for the good of the team' deals that are smaller than market value.

Which frankly I can't see either Ellis or Biedrins doing as this will be their first big contracts in the league. I could see Baron taking a smaller deal, but still, say he takes $10 mil, those other two are $10 mil, that's $30 million combined right there and puts GS right up at the salary cap for 2008-2009 without even talking to Pietrus, Barnes, and Kelenna.

[T Park]

I think if New York tries to woo baron Davis, that would pressure them into a decision quicker as well.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

You also had to look at Warriors financial situation to know if the will keep him.

The Luxury Tax Threshold should be around $71M this year and it will be a hard cap figure.

Warriors have 5 players under contract (Harrington, SJax, Brendan Wright, Perovic and Belinelli). They also have a Foyle buyout. All this compute for $29.2M.

So Warriors have $41.8M to get at least 8 players.
Baron Davis has a $17.8 players option, it's a lot of money and even if there are some rumors I don't see him opting out.
Warriors have the 14th pick in the draft who will have a $1.7M salary.

So you have $22.3M left for at least 6 players.
Ellis and Harrington will be their first target . If they both get a new contract with a $8M starting salary, Warriors will have $6.3M to fill the roster. It's not a lot of money and Warriors will basically be able to keep only one of Azubuike, Barnes or Pietrus.

Unless I missed something Harrington's on the books for two more years, he's got $9.3 million due to him this coming season.

And I forgot that Baron's got a player option for $17.3 million, with his knee problems I don't see him opting out and taking a chance. Also, I think it's one more season for Foyle before the team has the option on him.

So guaranteed money you've got:

Davis $17.3 million
Foyle $9.8 million
Harrington $9.2 million
Jackson $7.2 million
Wright $2.5 million
Belinelli $1.5 million
Draft pick $1.4 million
----------------------
$49 million

And that's without even talking to Biedrins and Ellis.

We all know they want to keep Ellis, and he'll probably be a $10 million dollar guy, so they're already up against the salary cap. Then they have Bird Rights for any of Biedrins, Pietrus, Barnes that they want to re-sign, but Biedrins ain't coming cheap either.

I actually see them signing Ellis, Biedrins, one of Barnes, Pietrus, Kelenna, and then filling out the rest of the roster with minimum deals.

Of course there could be trades here and there, but you can't go crystal ball on those and have to evaluate the GS salary situation on its surface. Damn, this is actually looking better for us than I thought (assuming the Spurs front office has their eyes on the same young two guard from GS that could come and start day 1 for us and give us as many minutes a night as we need from him that I do).

[loveforthegame]

Nelson hates O'Bryant so I don't see him back.

Pietrus has opened his mouth so much about wanting to be traded that I think they let him go and keep Barnes instead. Especially if they keep Azubuike instead.

[T Park]

If O'Bryant is let go, that would not be a bad player to sign for a look see.

O'Bryant improved alot in the D League this year IIRC from Chump's reports.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Nelson hates O'Bryant so I don't see him back.

Pietrus has opened his mouth so much about wanting to be traded that I think they let him go and keep Barnes instead. Especially if they keep Azubuike instead.

I figured all along that Barnes would be the one they'd want to keep, but signing him for an MLE type deal on top of Biedrins and Ellis still puts them up against the luxury tax with 2 roster spots to fill...

[loveforthegame]

If O'Bryant is let go, that would not be a bad player to sign for a look see.

O'Bryant improved alot in the D League this year IIRC from Chump's reports.

I like his game but for some reason he is Nelson's doghouse. He hardly let him play junk minutes. They could be up or down 20+ and he would be lucky to play the last minute of the game.

Nelson was better about playing him towards the end of the season but no love there between those two.

[T Park]

I like O'Bryant's game too from the little I saw of him play, but others have seen him play alot more.

[DDS4]

Baron will NOT opt out. If he does, what team with cap money will spend 17+ million on an injury prone player that just so happened to play 82 games for the first time last season?

Baron, Ellis, and Biedrens are coming back to GS.

Barnes is gone. His play slipped dramatically last year, partially due to the death of his mother? and he was in Nellie's doghouse all year.

Pietrus is trickier. He has repeatedly asked for a long term contract and GS has kept their wallets tight on him.

Azubuike is quite similar to Udoka actually, but with a little more athleticism. Doesn't quite have Udoka's range, but his game keeps growing. I think under the Spurs, his defense can kick up a few notches higher. I'd rather take Azu over Pietrus at this point.

[K-State Spur]

If O'Bryant is let go, that would not be a bad player to sign for a look see.

O'Bryant improved alot in the D League this year IIRC from Chump's reports.

O'Bryant has really done very little except for the second half of the MVC season in '06 (a conference that had nobody who could match up with him) and the tournament that year.

He's a great athlete for his size, but I have huge doubts that he will ever develop a real set of basketball skills.

[manufor3]

Azubuike!

[Bruno]

I watched O'Bryant in D-League this year and I was impressed by him. With Splitter staying in Spain, he is an option to consider.

[T Park]

I watched O'Bryant in D-League this year and I was impressed by him. With Splitter staying in Spain, he is an option to consider.

MAYBE staying in spain. he hasn't made a decision yet :) :p:


I agree though, O'Bryant is a good big to look at.

[Bruno]

MAYBE staying in spain. he hasn't made a decision yet :) :p:


Splitter will LIKELY stay in Spain.
While there are a report saying that he hasn't made his choice, there are other reports saying that he should sign in Spain after the playoffs.

[Streakyshooter08]

Another great aspect of Azubuike is that he rebounds very well for a wing.

[E20]

Barnes had trouble signing with the Warriors this past offseason, it took them a while for GS to offer him anything decent, I think that shows their low interest level on Barnes.

Pietrus had a tough time being a steady rotation player.

Those two seem to be the oddmen out.

Azubuike is young and has room to develop so I think Nelosn will hold on to him and either one of Barnes or Pietrus.

[ChumpDumper]

I realize some of those guys like Perovic, O'Bryant, and Lasme can be stashed in the NBDL, but they're running out of cash and roster slots in a hurry just bringing Davis, Barnes/Pietrus, Ellis, and Biedrins back in the fold.Lasme was waived very early in the season and played for the LA D-Fenders until he was picked up by the Heat. He would have been a nice small ball PF project.

O'Bryant is done there I think. They didn't pick up his option after they drafted Perovic and Nellie rarely has anything good to say about him. I still think he has a chance at sticking in the NBA.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Lasme was waived very early in the season and played for the LA D-Fenders until he was picked up by the Heat. He would have been a nice small ball PF project.

O'Bryant is done there I think. They didn't pick up his option after they drafted Perovic and Nellie rarely has anything good to say about him. I still think he has a chance at sticking in the NBA.

Thanks CD, that clarifies the situation for those two. O'Bryant would be worth a look for summer league.

Still doesn't alleviate Golden State's problem of not really having much cap room left (IMO) after taking care of Ellis and Biedrins (assuming Baron doesn't foolishly opt out and is on the books for $17 mil).

[ChumpDumper]

Yeah, after signing those two, signing picks and using their exceptions, it might come down to choosing between Barnes and Azubuike , so we might be able to get one of those -- and Barnes is unrestricted.

[Velo]

when are other teams able to talk to FAs?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Yeah, after signing those two, signing picks and using their exceptions, it might come down to choosing between Barnes and Azubuike , so we might be able to get one of those -- and Barnes is unrestricted.

I wouldn't mind Barnes, but he's not really a shooting guard. As a Bowen replacement he'd be worth it.

But we need a 2guard who can put the ball in the hoop consistently, and the answer to that problem is Azubuike.

[Sway]

I wouldn't mind Barnes, but he's not really a shooting guard. As a Bowen replacement he'd be worth it.

But we need a 2guard who can put the ball in the hoop consistently, and the answer to that problem is Azubuike.

I think either one of these two guys will be huge for the Spurs. Which is a better fit will depend on what the Spurs do with the first round pick. Will they target a SG or SF in the draft.

[AFBlue]

Given that he's a restricted FA, I think it will be hard to pry Azubuike away from the Warriors and not overpay for him.

If the Spurs are looking for an athletic wing player, why not go for Bill Walker of K-State in the draft?

[A.H 21-50]

I wouldn't mind Barnes, but he's not really a shooting guard. As a Bowen replacement he'd be worth it.

But we need a 2guard who can put the ball in the hoop consistently, and the answer to that problem is Azubuike.

i'm not a fan of barnes , he seems to be a limited guy
imo azabuike will be a very good addition , i saw couple of warrior's game he impresses me and seems to have a potential

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Given that he's a restricted FA, I think it will be hard to pry Azubuike away from the Warriors and not overpay for him.

If the Spurs are looking for an athletic wing player, why not go for Bill Walker of K-State in the draft?

On the surface it looks bleak. But like we said, between Ellis and Biedrins and what they're already on the hook for with Baron, they're not just capped out but close to the lux tax threshold without even filling out their roster yet.

[AFBlue]

On the surface it looks bleak. But like we said, between Ellis and Biedrins and what they're already on the hook for with Baron, they're not just capped out but close to the lux tax threshold without even filling out their roster yet.

Azubuike does strike me as a "Spurs" guy, being an under-the-radar solid player that likely wouldn't command big dollars or expect a bunch of playing time.

Still, that "restricted" status is killer....I dunno.

[ss1986v2]

Azubuike does strike me as a "Spurs" guy, being an under-the-radar solid player that likely wouldn't command big dollars or expect a bunch of playing time.

Still, that "restricted" status is killer....I dunno.
this has been the issue with buike and delfino. if you want them, you are going to have to overpay. their teams wont let them walk with a modest contract offer.

[Mr. Body]

this has been the issue with buike and delfino. if you want them, you are going to have to overpay. their teams wont let them walk with a modest contract offer.

There is a winner's curse thing there: to win the auction you have to overpay. The Spurs do not generally overpay.

[AFBlue]

Maybe the Spurs make a play for Marco Belinelli...j/k

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Azubuike does strike me as a "Spurs" guy, being an under-the-radar solid player that likely wouldn't command big dollars or expect a bunch of playing time.

Still, that "restricted" status is killer....I dunno.

Here's the deal though...

Davis $17.3 million
Foyle $9.8 million
Harrington $9.2 million
Jackson $7.2 million
Wright $2.5 million
Belinelli $1.5 million
Draft pick $1.4 million
----------------------
$49 million

And that's without even talking to Biedrins and Ellis. Say they both command $10 million dollar deals. GS is now at $69 million in salary with a luxury tax projected at $71 million. That's only got them at 9 players, needing to fill out 3 more roster spots on the bench.

So even say a MLE offer for Kelenna at that point becomes a $10 million dollar contract to Golden State due to the luxury tax.

I agree if the cost to GS is only 4-5 million or so, then yeah, it's a no brainer for them to re-sign Kelenna. But at $10 million dollars? That one's a little harder for them to swallow.

We could also work something out to a S&T for Kelenna with us being willing to take Adonal Foyle off their hands. He's due $10 million this coming year, but the next year there's a team option on their deal.

Just throwing out ideas...

[AFBlue]

Here's the deal though...

Davis $17.3 million
Foyle $9.8 million
Harrington $9.2 million
Jackson $7.2 million
Wright $2.5 million
Belinelli $1.5 million
Draft pick $1.4 million
----------------------
$49 million

And that's without even talking to Biedrins and Ellis. Say they both command $10 million dollar deals. GS is now at $69 million in salary with a luxury tax projected at $71 million. That's only got them at 9 players, needing to fill out 3 more roster spots on the bench.

So even say a MLE offer for Kelenna at that point becomes a $10 million dollar contract to Golden State due to the luxury tax.

I agree if the cost to GS is only 4-5 million or so, then yeah, it's a no brainer for them to re-sign Kelenna. But at $10 million dollars? That one's a little harder for them to swallow.

We could also work something out to a S&T for Kelenna with us being willing to take Adonal Foyle off their hands. He's due $10 million this coming year, but the next year there's a team option on their deal.

Just throwing out ideas...

I'm really not trying to make this hard, but I'm pretty sure if Ellis and Biedrins get extensions, they'll be "base-year compensation" players and the full effect of their salaries won't be on the books until the following year.

I have to admit I'm not the cap expert, but again I'm not sure that signing Ellis and Biedrins to $10M/yr extensions reflects next year in their cap situation.

Bruno would probably know...

[ss1986v2]

I'm really not trying to make this hard, but I'm pretty sure if Ellis and Biedrins get extensions, they'll be "base-year compensation" players and the full effect of their salaries won't be on the books until the following year.

I have to admit I'm not the cap expert, but again I'm not sure that signing Ellis and Biedrins to $10M/yr extensions reflects next year in their cap situation.

Bruno would probably know...
i will try and help in place of bruno. the BYC status of a player only comes into play during trades when it comes to the salary matching. it doesnt effect the players cap number outside of salary matching. a 10 mil salary counts as 10 mil against the cap.

check out larry coons cap page for more info on BYC status:

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#73

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I'm really not trying to make this hard, but I'm pretty sure if Ellis and Biedrins get extensions, they'll be "base-year compensation" players and the full effect of their salaries won't be on the books until the following year.

I have to admit I'm not the cap expert, but again I'm not sure that signing Ellis and Biedrins to $10M/yr extensions reflects next year in their cap situation.

Bruno would probably know...

BYC is only for trades, GS's tax liability is the full amount.

[Spurtacus]

We need some Buike in SA. Lets sign him.

[E20]

Old article from last summer, talks about Azubuike. Also, talks about how Pietrus is basically out of GS and Azubuike as the primary back up in GS.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/DraftExpress-All-Summer-League-Honorable-Mention-2201/


Kelenna Azubuike looks like a completely different player than he did last summer. With a year of NBA experience under his belt, Azubuike has quickly developed into a legitimate NBA shooting guard, displaying a much more well rounded skill set than he did earlier in his career. With Mickael Pietrus likely on the way out in Golden State, Azubuike may very well be the team’s primary backup swingman when the season begins.

Azubuike has really come a long way, especially in the shooting department. It seems that he’s really bought into Don Nelson’s offense, and is thriving in transition and in the half court. Azubuike has embraced the role Nelson bestowed upon him, and his level of comfort within the offense is truly impressive. He is very consistent from the spots where he receives the ball, showing the ability come off screens from the baseline and knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers out to 20 feet. His range has also improved significantly, as he is completely comfortable shooting the NBA 3, which was a primary weakness in his game as little as a year ago. Few players in Vegas showed as much improvement in their overall shooting as Azubuike.

Azubuike’s guard skills go far beyond just scoring. His handle is much tighter than it used to be, and he actually played a few possessions at point forward in the Summer League. This improvement has really opened up his midrange game, allowing him to create separation for pull-up jumpers with ease. It has also allowed him to become a relatively effective distributor, but he should by no means be considering a position change. Azubuike has improvements on the offensive end have really overshadowed the things that he’s always done well, but his ability to get to the rim and use his athleticism defensively and on the glass can’t be overlooked. Depending on where Mickael Pietrus lands, Azubuike could find himself playing significant minutes for the Warriors.

[Avitus1]

If they picked him up I'd be shocked as hell.

[LakerHater]

When can teams start talking and signing players?

[timvp]

If they picked him up I'd be shocked as hell.:tu

I'd gladly take him but I just don't see it. Barnes saw his role diminish as the year went on, so he's probably out. Pietrus is unrestricted and will likely get a big offer elsewhere. Azubuike is the swingman that is by far the most likely to be kept.

Azubuike is a pipe dream at this point. We'll see if RC can pull off a miracle but he doesn't look like a feasible target.