Alternative Perspectives on the Kaepernick Controversy

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 Colin Kaepernick kisses his bicep following a 49er touchdown. (photo by Kevin C. Cox)

By John Honea

Quick question- how many verses are in the Star Spangled Banner? Let's let that question simmer while we move on for a moment...

Colin Kaepernick sat down during the National Anthem. Sorry if that lacked any shock and awe but that in and of itself is no longer news. What is news, however, is the constant string of reactions that have continued to come in since the 49ers preseason game against Green Bay last Friday. The response has naturally and overwhelmingly been critical, even angry. Some supporters have stepped in, naturally, as protesters rarely stand alone. The focus, however, has leaned on simple courtesy and etiquette: the flag waves, the song chimes in, and we all stand. It is a ritual so ingrained in our minds that one single person out of a stadium of tens of thousands easily distracts from the entire game (granted it was a preseason game).

So who is right? Everyone, really. Who is wrong? Well... everyone, too.

National anthems have played a role in kicking off sporting events for a long, long time. So has the disrespect of those anthems, sorry to say. Consider the NHL, a league in which both the Canadian and American national anthems are played before every game, with the home team's anthem playing first. In Montreal, Canadiens fans have been known to boo the Star Spangled Banner. In St. Louis, Blues fans have booed during the playing of "O Canada." But this is just sport, right? "You're on our turf, and we'll boo your anthem." Little uproar has ever been caused by this. 

Kapernick's decision to sit down during the national anthem was unashamedly a blatant sign of disrespect. But that's what he was going for, so what good is pointing this out? The disrespect to the flag was his goal, but where he angered fans most was in his refusal to take part in a ritual that seems to level the social field. All of us -- fans and multi million dollar athletes alike -- stand at the same time to take part in a ceremony that identifies us as the same. So, for that fan who worked from 9 to 5 on Friday before the game, seeing their starting quarterback whose very name is embroidered on the back of every other replica jersey in the stadium, taking a seat during the national anthem could be considered a bit of a slap in the face. Consider the point missed there, Colin.

But now the follow up interviews have been conducted and his opinion has been voiced. Now we know why he sat. So, allow for a moment the point of view an American veteran.

The natural reaction is of spite and anger. That flag, for a veteran, is an emblem, much as the 49ers logo is. The National Anthem is comparable to a fight song, like one you might find at a university like the University of Nevada-Reno. It is understandable, then, how so many people can immediately react with resentment and even rage. But patriotism may be masking the point here.

The critics of Kaepernick's lack of flag etiquette, while not totally off base, are missing a few considerable points. His actions are, in fact, a practice in freedom. Consider it like this: a man thinks to himself, β€œI don't like what's going on here,” and sits in protest. Now, there are many other places in the world Kaepernick could have come from, and many, many of those places would have had him imprisoned, possibly beaten, or worse. In this case, social backlash is the worst the accused will have to endure. THAT is the sort of freedom promised in our country. THAT is the freedom Kaepernick is currently practicing. His right to do so is a swinging door. On the one hand what do we think freedom is? The freedom to choose between pizza delivery? Or is it the freedom to stand in front of 160 soda options and mix them to your hearts desire? No, this is it, the freedom to pick and choose your fights, and take a stand (or seat) for it. On the other end, of course, everyone has the right to oppose his view, and state their opinions of it. The whole thing is a picture perfect example of the freedom we enjoy. If Kaepernick were severely punished on a state or federal level for his actions, we really would be oppressed. All of us. 

This is not necessarily to condone Kaepernick's actions, but to say a moment should be taken to consider this as a sign that those freedoms still exist. That we can highlight issues like this through sports can be celebrated. The fact that an athlete can become the center of a social movement says a lot about what is still right in America, whether you agree with it or not. 

All things considered, his choice to sit out for the National Anthem doesn't have to be considered  so disrespectful, as long as he does something with it. Find your audience, Colin, because it isn't Joe Smith sitting in Section 120. You have the ball now. Do something with it. Don't just scramble and throw it away. You have all year to do that.

The answer to the initial question, by the way, is four. There are four verses in the Star Spangled Banner, and anyone ready to cast the first stone should know them all by heart. 

PAC-12 teams set to kick-off college football opening weekend

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The Golden Bears started off their season a week early by beating Hawaii 51-31 in Sydney. (Photo by Mark Nolan)

By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com

Thursday, September 1st:

Southern Utah at Utah

The Utes had an impressive start to last year's season, before sputtering toward the finish. Kyle Whittingham has himself a bona-fide program up in Salt Lake these days. It will be interesting to see if he can replace his starting QB, running back and core wideouts in 2016. If anything, they will fall back on their stout defense that shut down Jared Goff in last season's College Gameday showdown in Utah. 

Oregon State at Minnesota

The Beavers went 2-10 last year under the leadership of new coach Gary Anderson, who came to Corvallis from Wisconsin. This season might not be much easier as they start on the road as 13 point underdogs. 

Friday, September 2nd: 

Colorado State at Colorado

Unfortunately for the Buffs, Kordell Stewart isn't walking through that door. Expect another rough go of it in Boulder this year. Too bad Cal doesn't get to play them this year. 

Kansas State at #8 Stanford

The Cardinal start the season at home with perhaps the best player in the country running the ball for them in Christian McCaffrey. If they can replace Kevin Hogan with a consistent signal caller, you can bet Stanford will be in the hunt for a Final Four birth by season's end. They will give 15 points to K-State on Friday night.

Saturday, September 3rd: 

Rutgers at #14 Washington

Lots of hoopla surrounding the Washington Huskies this year, as no one can seem to decide to long or short their stock. Because of Jake Browning's natural arm and Myles Gaskin's speed, many talking heads are picking Washington to overtake Oregon in the northwest. We'll see. They start vs. Rutgers as 26 point favorites. 

#16 UCLA at Texas A&M

The Bruins find themselves as three point underdogs in Game 1, even though A&M isn't even ranked. It certainly points to the respect people have for the SEC, the 12th Man, and summer heat in College Station. Josh Rosen will lead UCLA at QB, a kid who has received more than his fair share of hype this offseason. 

UC Davis at #24 Oregon

Once the darlings of the PAC-12, the Ducks will start the year barely in the Top-25. They'll try to get their speed offense rolling vs. upset minded UC Davis at Autzen in their opener. 

#20 USC vs. #1 Alabama (Cowboys' Stadium)

The Trojans will take a crack at current college football royalty when they roll into Jerry's World to face 'Bama in the weekend's marquee game. No doubt, many folks will use this as a barometer in the never ending SEC vs. PAC-12 debate.

Eastern Washington at Washington State

Mike Leach is back in Pullman for what should be another year of "PAC-12 After Dark" shootouts in the great northwest. 

BYU at Arizona

Expect a barn-burner in this one as Rich Rod leads his troops against a traditionally solid BYU team. The over/under on this one is hovering around 60 and 'Zona is favored by a point. Keep in mind Arizona won't be technically at home, as the game will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.  

Northern Arizona at Arizona State

A-State expects to finish in the middle of the PAC this year, well-heeled by a stout defense, in particular at linebacker. They start things off with a cupcake matchup at home vs. Northern Arizona.

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Forged in the Windy City, Charlie Moore embarks on a career at Cal

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Charlie Moore has drawn comparisons to another Chicago turned Berkeley point guard, Jerome Randle. (photo courtesy CalBears.com)

By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com

It’s early August in Berkeley and Charlie Moore has no idea he’s late for his scheduled interview. Seemingly oblivious of his surroundings, the soon-to-be college freshman is planted on the wing on the north side of Haas Pavilion, launching three-pointers in perfect rhythm. Rarely hitting the rim, his calm facial expression doesn’t waver. Catch, release, swish, repeat. The pattern, reminiscent of a Steph Curry pre-game warm up show at Oracle Arena, never seems to change.   

By this time in the evening, members of the women’s Cal volleyball team have taken over the better part of the floor as hip-hop music engulfs the gym. The crowded floor now pushing him further into the corner, Moore remains intent on continuing his shooting bender for as long as possible. At this point, the idea of sitting down and talking about himself for 45 minutes is the last thing on his mind.

β€œI apologize for making you wait, I was just getting a few shots up,” Moore sheepishly explains to me when he is finally corralled off the court. His baby-face and calm voice providing all the sincerity one could ask for. Now that he’d had his daily fix of basketball, young Charlie had my undivided attention. Beside maybe on a game of NBA 2K17, the basketball junkie from Chicago had nowhere else to be.

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To understand Charlie Moore’s story, it helps to first look at his resume. And the most impressive bullet point reads as follows: β€œ2016 Illinois Mr. Basketball.” Fortunately, the accolade speaks for itself, as Moore seems to have no intention of reminding others of how good he really is.

Generously listed at 5’11”, 170, if you saw Moore walking through campus this fall, you’d surely suspect him of being a Berkeley High student sampling the college life, long before guessing he is the latest prized recruit on Coach Cuonzo Martin’s Cal basketball team. And when you learn that Moore was recently named the best player in the best basketball city in America, it almost requires a double take. This kid did what?

The last four winners of Illinois’ Mr. Basketball Award are a who's who of star players. Ryan Boatright won the award in 2011, and went on to lead UCONN to a national title in 2014. Jabari Parker won in both 2012 and β€˜13, then went on to star at Duke before being drafted no. 2 overall by the Bucks. Jahlil Okafor followed in 2014 and won the national title with Duke as a freshman before going no. 3 overall to the Sixers. 2015 saw Jalen Brunson win the award and proceed to win the national title with Villanova this past season. In 2016, Moore quietly etched his name onto the prestigious list of Illinois greats.

His explanation for his success you ask? β€œMy dad (Curtis Moore) put me in the gym at a young age, and I love basketball, so I kept myself in the gym,” says Moore. β€œI always stayed focused and kept working at my craft.” The simple recipe led Moore to extraordinary results on the court, and goes far in explaining his personality in general.

On the court, Moore plays with a passion and toughness you would expect from an undersized guard who grew up in the gyms of Chicago’s gritty South Side. Fearless with the ball in his hands, Moore attacks the rim repeatedly during games, often finding himself on the free-throw line completing a hard earned three point play. When he’s not throwing his body around on drives through the paint, Moore is equally comfortable launching three-pointers from well beyond the arc. He’s repeatedly squared off with Chicago’s toughest guards, in the city’s biggest games and matched or exceeded their intensity. A showman on the court, Moore often breaks out the Draymond Green signature flexing gesture after laying waste to a defender. His quiet rage sometimes bubbling over a calm, floor-general-type presence.

But off the court, there are no signs of the brutal toughness needed to succeed in the windy city Moore is from. Instead, he comes across as patient, calm and cordial. The type of person who would rather gloss over his laundry list of basketball accomplishments in favor of talking about his older brother’s master's degree classes or all the time his father put into helping Charlie improve as a youngster. A person who enjoys going to class everyday and has no qualms about staying home on a Friday night to watch his favorite show, β€œLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit.” It’s a simple life, and Charlie seems to like it that way.

Charlie running the point for the Mac Irvin Fire, one of the top AAU programs in the country. (photo courtesy of MacIrvin.com)

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Born and raised in basketball-crazed Chicago, Charlie quite literally had a basketball placed in his crib by his father Curtis. From day one, Charlie hardly held interest in other sports, instead following his dad’s lead and dedicating himself to hoops. A friend of the late Benji Wilson growing up, Curtis taught Charlie everything he knew about the game of basketball, never hesitating to drive him to another tournament or pick him up from a late-night practice across the city. If there was trouble in the neighborhood surrounding Charlie, he hardly was affected by it. β€œMy father never let me get involved in negative things. He would drive me if I needed to get to a practice or game. He always kept me in the gym which helped a lot,” explains Charlie.

By middle school, Moore was a star on Chicago native Michael Finley’s β€œBumble Bees” AAU team. By the end of his eighth grade year, Moore took a step up and was selected onto arguably the best AAU team in the country, the Mac Irvin Fire. From there, rumors of an undersized guard from Chicago with slick handles and unlimited range began to build. Moore began traveling the country with the Fire, proving himself against the best players he could find, never coming close to backing down.

For high school, Moore chose Morgan Park, a team coached by Mac Irvin’s son, Nick. It certainly didn’t take long for little Charlie to shine at the high school level, as the 5 foot 5 freshman helped contribute to a state championship for the school. As a sophomore and bigger contributor, Moore would win the state title yet again. But despite his success, major Division I colleges weren’t exactly beating down Moore’s door with offers. β€œSome of my offers in high school came relatively late,” explains Moore. β€œBut Cal was definitely one of the early ones.” 

When it came time for Moore’s senior season and time for him to pick a college, he was faced with his life’s biggest challenge as his father suffered through a sudden stroke and became extremely ill. While Charlie helped nurse his father back to health, he chose to follow in Derrick Rose’s footsteps and play his college ball at Memphis for young coach Josh Pastner and his assistant Damon Stoudamire. But things changed in the eleventh hour when Pastner left to coach Georgia Tech and Stoudamire was named the head coach at the University of the Pacific, leaving Moore time to reconsider his future and eventually choosing to come to Berkeley and play for Coach Martin. The tumultuous year ended with Moore averaging 28 points in his senior season, despite not meeting the team’s expectations of another state title run. But more importantly, Charlie’s dad health slowly began to improve.

When Moore takes the floor at Haas Pavilion this November he will be following in a long line of Chicago stars who have found success in Berkeley including Dennis Gates, Sean Lampley and Jerome Randle. Randle, who’s game mirrors Moore’s in both style and stature, was named the PAC-10 Player of the Year as the Bears' point guard in 2010. Naturally, Moore has looked up to Randle over the years. β€œJerome and I have a great relationship. He’s a great guy and had a great career out here in California, and I have always respected the way he played coming out of Chicago,” said Moore.

Coach Martin was also thrilled to land a player like Moore when one considers that Martin fashioned himself as a resilient player from an inner-city in the Midwest (East St. Louis). In many ways, Moore sets up as perfect fit to run Martin’s offense and overall style of hard-nosed basketball he brought to Berkeley two years ago. β€œWhen people think about Chicago basketball, they think, β€˜where can I get tough players that will run through a wall for me?’” explains Kurtis Ellison, Charlie’s assistant coach at Morgan Park. β€œThat’s what Coach Martin is going to get in Charlie.”  

Since Moore has moved across the country to start a new chapter of his life in Berkeley, he’s had time to reflect on the career he left behind in Chicago. One filled with record breaking performances, multiple state championships, and one β€œMr. Basketball” crown. Mention him in the same breath as Chicago high school legends such as Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway and Dwayne Wade and you will likely get more nods than arguments in gyms across Illiniois. Up to this point, his body of work speaks for itself.

But now in the Bay Area, far from familiar friends and family, Moore will be forced to start over and build a new basketball legacy from scratch for west coast fans to appreciate. Fortunately for Moore, he’s more than happy to do so. Just don’t ask him to tell you about it, he’d rather prove it to you out on the court.

Charlie receives a hug from his high school coach, Nick Irvin. (photo by Eddie Quinones, chicagotribune.com) 

San Francisco pushes in their chips at the trade deadline amidst losing skid

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The first place Giants are 5 and 13 since the All-Star break. (photo by Elsa)

By Ryan Ward | @RyanJWard

For the San Francisco Giants, the second half of the season has been nothing short of a nightmare. Somehow, the Dodgers haven’t been able to leapfrog the Giants during this multi-week tailspin in which they have been blown out, have blown saves, and have just generally blown.  Fortunately, their lead in the NL West, however dwindled, still exists for now. Thus, it was curious to watch the trade deadline approach and wonder what, if anything, the front office could do to inject some life into this club. After all, It’s an even year, right? Let’s make a deal (or three)!

All superstition and even-year magic aside, there was a clear message sent down from the Giants front office at the non-waiver trade deadline this week as they pulled off three separate deals, each addressing San Francisco’s immediate needs. The clear message from Bobby Evans (GM), Brian Sabean (VP of Baseball Operations), and Larry Baer (CEO) was that the time to win is now...again.

As a Giants fan, my immediate reaction to these deals was that of mixed emotion, however. In the span of a week, we saw the Giants trade away a top pitching prospect in Aldaberto Mejia, 2015 first round pick Phil Bickford, former top prospect and World Series champion Andrew Susac, and of course, our beloved Matt Duffy, runner-up in the NL ROY race last season. The last of which stung the most, because no one could have seen it coming.

Most trades these days occur because one team is willing to mortgage its future for a chance to win now, trading minor league prospects for big league stars. Of course, it always comes back to dollars and cents. Prospects are valuable not only because they may become future studs, but because they are cheap as dirt for the first 4-6 years of their careers, and are under complete team control.

Which is why the Duffy trade hurts. We (at least on the west side of The Bay) are not accustomed to saying goodbye to our favorite big league players, at least not via trade. Rather, we're used to shipping away prospects that we never really got to know that well anyway, in exchange for useful players we covet from other teams. Take Phil Bickford, for example: he could pan out and become a star. But hell, we’ve got a first place team right here and now, so let’s make a move and make this team better, and worry about 2018 and beyond later.

It’s a risk/reward game, of course. As with all trades pulled off at the big league level, and especially by the mastermind that is the Brian Sabean/Bobby Evans tandem, the return in these trades was substantial and fair. The Giants acquired three players who have all seen success at the big league level, and none of them are three month rentals (a la Carlos Beltran of 2013) and come with multiple years of club control.

The biggest impact player is Matt Moore from Tampa Bay, a former All-Star lefty who throws hard and has impressive stuff. He’s still on his way back to form after Tommy John surgery two years ago, so he doesn't come without risk, but the general sentiment is that he’s coming into his own again. At age 27, he’s young and under contract for a few more years, and now rounds out a β€œcore four” of Giants starting pitchers who will be here a while. My guess is that he’s a guy the Giants will look to keep around for a long time and build many, many marketing campaigns around, as they seem to do so well.

In addition to Moore, the Giants also acquired the lefty reliever they so desired in Will Smith from the Brewers, as well as 2016 American League All-Star Eduardo Nunez, who provides an impact bat. Nunez will get an opportunity to be the regular third baseman, replacing Duffy, and Smith will be relied upon to get the NL’s best lefties out late - guys like Harper, Murphy, CarGo, Rizzo, and Seager.

Interestingly enough, the Giants didn’t just signal a β€œwin now” mentality with their deadline deals. Another subtle message that was sent was that the Giants truly believe in top prospect Christian Arroyo, and fashion him to be their future third baseman. Prior to Duffy’s departure, Arroyo was blocked at every infield position on the big league team for the foreseeable future. Now, third base opens up as a possibility as soon as 2017, if not later this September. Stay tuned, because the kid can hit.

The NL West title was once a sure thing for the Giants this season, but their recent slide has changed the landscape of the division. The Clayton Kershaw-less Dodgers are hanging around and are sure to battle it out until the end. The Colorado Rockies are an upstart bunch, despite just losing NL ROY candidate Trevor Story for the season, and could pose a threat in September. And outside of the division, the national media is quick to tell us, definitively, that this is the Cubs and/or Nationals year - so the Giants have a tough task at hand to get back to the World Series. Those clubs might be overhyped, but they are still damn good.

After a few trades, the Giants are hoping that they are just as damn good, if not better, and ready to make good on that even year magic San Francisco faithfully believes in.

Matt Duffy will be sorely missed by Giants players and fans. (photo by Scott Cunningham)

The Golden Bears hire gunslinger Davis Webb for a one-year ride in Berkeley

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Webb and the Bears open the season on Friday, Aug 26th vs. Hawaii in Australia. Kickoff is 7pm PST on ESPN. (photo by Ronald Martinez)

By Connor Buestad | Connor@Section925.com

When CAL Head Coach Sonny Dykes arrived back in Berkeley and plopped down into his Memorial Stadium office chair following the 2015 season, he no doubt had a lot of reflecting to do. With arguably the best quarterback in the nation (Jared Goff) leading his β€œBear Raid” offense for the third year in-a-row, CAL turned in an exciting, but less-than-fulfilling year that included a three week stint in the Top 25, a losing record in the PAC-12 and a blowout win at the Armed Forces Bowl.

Early 2016 brought about the departure of offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to Middle Tennessee State, while Dykes’ decorated pupil Jared Goff jetted off to Chicago to shake hands with Roger Goodell as the very first pick in the NFL Draft. Dykes reliable group of veteran receivers were also long gone, leaving the fourth year head man left to wonder where to steer his ship next.

With Goff’s wake of passing records still rippling through Strawberry Canyon, Dykes knew he needed a new QB, and a good one at that. His stable of young quarterbacks coming up the pipeline in Berkeley weren’t going to cut it, he thought, at least not this year. So Dykes headed home to Texas to hunt for football talent. There he found Davis Webb, sitting on the bench at Dykes’ alma mater Texas Tech, hungry to lead an offense.

At 6’3”, 220 pounds, Webb fits the mold of your prototypical pro-style quarterback. Kyle Boller comes to mind if you were to compare him to a CAL QB of the past, and indeed, Webb will wear Boller’s #7 this fall for the Blue & Gold. The 21-year-old will only suit up for one year in Berkeley, as a Public Health graduate student. But for a variety of reasons, Dykes is banking on Webb making an immediate splash in the Bay Area.

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As you could have almost predicted, Webb grew up in a household led by a Texas high school football coach in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, an area where amateur football is treated as religion. Webb originally was the QB at Keller High, but when his father was let go, he followed him up to Prosper High to play his senior year and win a district championship. Webb’s successful move between high schools and a stellar senior season landed him a gig at pass-happy Texas Tech. A perfect fit for a Texas born high school QB looking to put up big numbers with dreams of the NFL.

When Webb arrived on campus in Lubbock, he found himself thrown into a quarterback battle with Baker Mayfield, now a Heisman favorite at Oklahoma. Webb earned six starts as a freshman at Tech, while Mayfield got seven. Webb didn’t disappoint when he got his chances under center, throwing for 20 touchdowns, including a 45 for 71 performance vs. Oklahoma State. By season’s end, Webb set records for true-freshman QB’s in the BIG-12 and in the Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona State that year Webb got the start and won MVP of the game.

Webb had the Tech job all to himself as a sophomore, but his productive season came crumbling down due to various injuries including a broken ankle and a torn labrum. His job would be lost to the upstart Patrick Mahomes, and Webb was never able to get it back. Last year, as junior, Webb served as the backup. The restless competitor found time to not only get himself healthy and push Mahomes in practice, but also graduate from Tech with an undergraduate degree in only three years. Thus, making him a college football free agent of sorts. So long as he could get into grad school somewhere, he could play right away.

Webb originally committed to Colorado to play out his senior year in the PAC-12 and get back on track toward his NFL dreams (Mel Kuiper Jr. has Webb slated as the no. 1 senior QB draft prospect). But things changed when a perfect quarterback situation opened up in Berkeley and Dykes invited #7 onboard in Berkeley. It wasn’t long before Webb packed his car up with his mom and drove the 20 hour trip from the Texas plains to the Bay Area. If Webb could be the starter, you didn’t need to tell him twice.

CAL’s new offensive coordinator is 31-year-old Jake Spavital, who comes to Berkeley from Texas A&M where he cut his teeth coordinating SEC-level offenses. Part of Webb’s draw to CAL stems from Coach Spav’s β€œAir-Raid Offense” background which includes time at the innovative U of Houston. While at Texas A&M, Spavital coached with Kliff Kingsbury (Webb’s coach at Texas Tech). On top of that, Dykes coached offense at Texas Tech from 2000-2006, further solidifying the bridge between Lubbock, Texas and Berkeley, California (at least as far as football ideology goes).

With a familiar playbook under his arm and a healthy/mature body, Webb will try to lead the Bears to a breakthrough season they couldn’t quite pull-off with Goff the last three years. Webb will need to mesh with an inexperienced receiving corps extremely quickly, as the Bears will be playing for real on August 26th vs. Hawaii (in Australia). September 17th brings the improved Texas Longhorns to Berkeley in what will be a tall-task, not to mention Christian McCaffery’s Stanford Cardinal, Oregon, USC, and the rest of the usual suspects up and down the coast.

Whether CAL’s defense can summon the strength to slow down PAC-12 offenses enough to push Dykes and the Bears into a major bowl game is a tough question to answer, even for the most optimistic Old Blue. Fortunately, Bear fans can take solace in the fact that 2016 will have a battle-tested, shoot-first-ask-questions-later Texan to lead them into battle. 

Section925 Podcast Ep. 126 - Baseball Insider Jon Zuber talks with Trip

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Baseball Insider Jon Zuber steps back inside the Outdoor Podcenter to discuss the impending A's sell-off, division races, the professional launch of former Campolindo and CAL star Robbie Tenerowicz in the Appalachian League, and who the Insider says is the greatest hitter of his lifetime.

Baseball Insider Jon Zuber steps back inside the outdoor podcenter to discuss the impending A's sell-off, division races, the professional launch of former Campolindo and Cal star Robbie Tenerowicz in the NY-Penn league, and who the Insider says is the greatest hitter of his lifetime.

Giants’ gamble on β€œJohnny BΓ©isbol” paying off in SF

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Johnny Cueto has been pumping the pearl at Pac Bell Park in impressive fashion so far this season. (photo by Tony Avelar) 

By Ryan Ward | @RyanJWard

Last December, at the press conference announcing the official signing of Johnny Cueto, Giants’ President/CEO Larry Baer was quoted as saying that adding Cueto to the rotation would be the single most transformative move the team made all offseason. The type of move that would go the furthest in upholding the "Even Year" rallying cry heading into San Francisco's latest World Series push. 

Just three months into his 6-year, $130 million contract, β€œJohnny BΓ©isbol” is making Mr. Baer’s statement look less like hopeful hype, and more like a statement of fact.

What Cueto has done for the Giants is more than anyone could have expected. Despite his past success with the Cincinnati Reds and as a rental player for the Kansas City Royals championship club last year, he has never quite lived up to the expectations placed on him after his MLB debut in 2008, when he struck out 10 and walked none -- the first player in MLB history to do that in his first career start. The Reds surely thought they had found a perennial All-Star, Cy Young candidate, and top-of-the-rotation ace. But fortunately for the Giants, that's not how Johnny's story unfolded. 

Sure, his resume now includes an All-Star appearance, a 20-win season, and runner-up for the 2014 NL Cy Young award, but the Reds had hoped they would get that sort of performance year-in and year-out, and Cueto only flashed such brilliance; he never quite sustained it.

So when he hit free-agency last November on the heels of a rocky three months with the Royals (but one hell of a World Series performance), GM’s around baseball weren’t quite sure what to make of him, and subsequently what kind of offers he would receive. Was he an elite starter in the middle of his prime, a la Zack Greinke? Were his regular season struggles with the Royals last season cause for concern? Was his outstanding World Series performance a sign of things to come?

What the Giants saw -- and what other teams didn’t -- was a dynamic, charismatic starter that would eat up innings and fit perfectly behind their own certified ace, Madison Bumgarner. That isn’t to say that other teams weren’t interested, but it’s clear that the Giants had no reservations about Cueto’s abilities, and made their best offer to him before he could consider signing elsewhere.

And boy, does that look like a stroke of genius. Zack Greinke signed the most lucrative SP deal in baseball history at 6 years, $206 million to join the Diamondbacks, and the Dodgers were apparently never interested in Cueto (despite losing out on Greinke), instead going with two lower-cost replacements in Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda. Both of those teams find themselves chasing San Francisco’s huge lead in the NL West, and Cueto has become a beloved fan favorite and consistent performer for the Giants.

Three months into the season, Cueto is among the league leaders in wins (11), innings pitched (115), ERA (2.42), and is a shoe-in to make the NL All-Star team headed to San Diego next month. Yes, he’s been partially overshadowed by Bumgarner’s dominance at times, but that’s exactly what the Giants envisioned, isn’t it? They own the best 1-2 punch in the National League, complete with the bull-headed, old school lefty Bumgarner, and the quick-pitching, fun-loving righty Cueto. If the Giants’ success continues and they reach the postseason, they will feel confident going against any of the other elite rotations in the National League.

We all know what the Giants can do when they reach the postseason; they haven’t lost a playoff series since 2003. The issue for them has been consistently getting there. The thing that kept the Giants from reaching the postseason in 2015 was their lack of quality starting pitching, and the front office made it clear that signing Cueto was key...the key...to 2016 and beyond.

They took a chance on Johnny Cueto and his inconsistent past, and he’s rewarding them in style with his best season to-date. If he and his Giants teammates keep it going, they might find themselves in a position to leverage that even-year magic come October.

Section925 Podcast Ep. 123 - Baseball Insider Jon Zuber

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Section925 Baseball Insider Jon Zuber joins Tripper in the Outdoor Podcenter to talk shop. The two chat about the divisional races as we near the All-Star break, Ichiro's case for being the Hit King and Zuber's fond memories of playing professionally in Japan. The topic of college baseball is also discussed, as Zuber gives insight on his former players in Omaha and game as a whole. 

(Watch Section925's Omaha road trip recap here)

Trevor Bettencourt (#4) threw five innings of one hit ball vs. Arizona at the College World Series on Wednesday. The St. Francis Lancer played travel ball with Zuber's Zoots Baseball Club and was recently drafted by the Phillies. 

Life on Death Row: A Warriors 1993-2016 Draft Retrospective

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"With the 8th pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select Adonal Foyle from Colgate University." (photo by Craig Jones)

By Josh Hunsucker | @JPHunsucker

For the majority of my life and Warriors fandom, NBA draft week brought upon me the mindset of a death row inmate hoping against hope, but ultimately accepting my inevitable execution.  For almost twenty years, I sat in front of the TV on draft night praying my death sentence will somehow get commuted.  With the exceptions of 1993 (Chris Webber) and 2001 (Jason Richardson) the Golden State Warriors carried out my draft day execution until they miraculously stumbled into Steph Curry in 2009 and General Managers Larry Riley and Bob Meyers outlawed the draft day death penalty in 2012.

Not to deny the entire morbid draft history of the Warriors, but 1993 seems like a good place to start. I could have started in 1980 when the Warriors made the single worst trade in the history of the NBA.  I could talk about how before the 1980 draft the Warriors traded Robert Parish and the 3rd pick to Boston for the 1st and 13th pick in the draft.  And how the Warriors ended up with a one time All-Star, Joe Barry Carroll, and a career 4.4 PPG guy, Rickey Brown, and how Boston got a slightly better deal in The Chief and Kevin McHale, considering they combined for four World Championships (three with the Celtics), 16 All-Star appearances, two spots on the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and two hall of fame plaques.  But I won’t start there, mostly because I would have to painstakingly relive every Warrior draft blunder, every year, until 1993 with the exception of 1985 (Chris Mullin), 1988 (Mitch Richmond), 1989 (Tim Hardaway), and 1992 (The Oakland Strangler Latrell Sprewell), and OK, the 1991 Chris Gatling pick but that is for sentimental reasons more than anything.

Hope in Reality is the Worst of All Evils

In 1993, I was 11 years old, mesmerized by Michael Jordan, had a favorite player in Chris Mullin that I could completely identify with (white, lanky, left-handed, forward), exposed to the Fab Five and second favorite player Jalen Rose (lanky and left-handed, trash talker), and just witnessed the greatest basketball team ever assembled win the gold medal in Barcelona.  I was completely hooked on basketball and excited for the possibility that the Warriors would draft Chris Webber.  I knew that Orlando would likely pick him but the night before the draft I prayed to God for the Warriors to get Chris Webber.  The next day when the Magic drafted him I was sad but not surprised.  Ten minutes later Penny Hardaway and Webber were trading hats (and the Warriors were giving Orlando three additional future 1st round picks).  "There is a God," I thought.   

The 1993 trade draft night trade that sent Penny Hardaway to Orlando and no. 1 pick C-Webb to Oakland (photo by Nathaniel S. Butler)

However, my prayers were only answered for a year.  Webber, citing irreconcilable differences with then coach Don Nelson, exercised an exit clause in his contract and forced a trade with the Washington Bullets for Tom Gugliotta.  Webber’s rookie season, 1993-94, was the last time the Warriors would reach the playoffs until 2007.

Stranded On Death Row – The Chris Cohan Era Begins

1994 - The Warriors had the 16th pick in the 1994 draft, after making the playoffs the previous year.  They selected Cliff Rozier a forward from Louisville.  Cliff gave the Golden State two solid years of 5 PPG and 5 RPG (I’m rounding up) before getting shipped to Toronto a game into his 3rd year.  The Warriors missed out on the majority of the top players in the draft by having the 16th pick (Jalen Rose went to Denver at 13) but just for fun let’s mention, all of whom they passed up, Aaron Mckie (17th), Wesley Person (23rd), and Heisman Trophy Winner Charlie Ward (26th).  I can live with passing those guys up because no coach or GM will ever get it right 100% of the time or even 60%.  Oh yeah, the Warriors picked Anthony Miller (39th) and Dwayne Miller (44th) in the second round.  Who are they you ask?  Good question.

1995 - After going 26-56 the Warriors had the 1st pick in the draft for the second time in three years.  Golden State selected Joe Smith who the previous year was the National Collegiate Player of the Year at Maryland.  Smith wasn’t a bad pick but I wanted them to either pick Jerry Stackhouse or Rasheed Wallace, players that had a game more suited for the NBA.  Smith was the classic tweener that the Warriors habitually picked from β€˜93-'08 and only learned how to effectively fit into a championship roster in the last three years.  In case you are not privy to a β€œtweener,” it’s a player that is between 6'8" to 6'11", that played in the post in college, does not have a developed outside or face-up game, took advantage of smaller and less skilled opponents growing up, is too small to play in the post in the NBA, but too slow to guard anyone on the wing. Overall, it's a player that no team in the NBA effectively used in the Pre-Draymond Green era.

Smith played only two years for the Warriors, earning First Team All-Rookie honors and averaging 17 and 8 before moving on to his second of 11 teams in his 14-year career.  The Warriors could have drafted literally anyone else but for the sake of clarity, the the Warriors passed up: Kevin Garnett (5th), Rasheed β€œHash Weed/Ball Don’t Lie” Wallace (4th), Jerry Stackhouse (3rd), Michael Finley (21st), Damon Stoudamire (7th), Antonio Mcdyess (2nd), and Eric Snow (43rd).  Hindsight being 20/20, passing on KG leaves a deep, slow burn.  They did however draft Andrew Declercq in the second round, starting the trend of picking under-talented white big men, which is nice.  At least they didn’t draft the legendary Constantine Popa, although maybe they should have.

The Nadir

1996 - This was, hands down, not only the worst pick in Warriors history, which I discussed in detail here (yes, worse than Chris Washburn), it was the worst pick in NBA history.  GM Dave Twardzik and the Warriors selected, gulp, Todd (pause…look down) Fuller with the 11th pick.  It’s ok, I am wearing footwear without laces.  They passed up on the greatest player of the post-Jordan/pre-LeBron generation, whether you like him or not, Kobe Bryant (13th), Steve Nash aka Steph 1.0 (more on that later) who was on the top of my draft board (15th), Jermaine O'Neil, but hey, at least we got Zombie Jermaine in 2013 (17th), Peja Stojakovic (14th), and Derek Fisher (24th).  In completely a completely related story the Warriors went 30-52 thanks directly to Fuller’s 4 PPG and 3.3 RPG he chipped in every night.

The Class of '96 (not pictured: Todd Fuller)

Just to recap, we passed on Hall of Famer Kobe and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash for a guy who almost pulled out of the draft to pursue a Rhodes Scholarship and hosts the β€œTodd Fuller Math Competition” at NC State (all true).  Let it soak in.  Is your skin crawling yet?  OK, let’s move on.

Dave Twardzik and Gary St. Jean – General Mismanagement

1997 - Apparently, the Warriors scouts in 1996 and 1997 rated College GPA as the most important characteristic in a potential draft pick because they followed the unforgivable Todd Fuller pick with another college wiz-kid, Adonal Foyle, with the 8th pick a year later.  Adonal spent 10 fruitless years on the Warriors averaging no higher than 6 PPG and 7 RPG.  Personally, I hated Foyle for the first eight years he was on the Warriors.  He was a five-tool player: slightly overweight, inept offensively, slow defensively, had terrible feet (my dad’s number one pet peeve for big men), and combined that with atrocious hands. 

The Warriors twisted the knife when they flushed $42 million dollars down the toilet for six straight years when they re-signed Adonal in 2004.  The next year Foyle finally found a place in my heart.  I accepted that although he was a terrible player, he played harder than anyone on the floor every night for teams that consistently went through the motions every season. For that alone, Foyle reached cult status in the East Bay, albeit for all of the wrong reasons.  In the end, Foyle did set one NBA record with the Warriors, most games played without reaching the playoffs (641).

Oh by the way, Golden State passed up on Tracy McGrady (9th), Bobby Jackson (23rd), and pre-career ending injury Derek Anderson (13th) in '97.  They also picked the infamous Marc Jackson at no. 37, who gave the Warriors one good season and one amazing quote β€œUnstoppable Baby” after scoring a layup in a 29-point blowout.

1998 - The Warriors had the fifth pick after finishing with 19 solid wins in 1997.  Thank God they didn’t win the lottery because they would have picked Michael Olowokandi.  Golden State really wanted to pick Antawn Jamison but didn't want to pay him the rookie salary for the number five pick.  So, in an underhanded, cheap, stupid, and classic Warriors draft move, they agreed with Toronto to draft Vince Carter and then swap players after they picked one spot after the Raptors.  Jamison disappointed his rookie year as Carter lit up the NBA and highlight reels on his way to the rookie of the year.  Jamison did have a few decent years on some bad Warriors teams and had the back-to-back 51-point games against the Sonics (RIP) and Shaq/Kobe Lakers.

However, mostly Jamison is remembered for the bad taste his Warriors career left in the mouths of fans because we traded Vince Carter for him straight up.  Just for fun, that year the Warriors passed up the aforementioned Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki (9th), and Paul Pierce (10th).

Karmically, Jamison was dealt to Washington where he a) transformed his tweener game b) turned into an all-star and c) went to the playoffs with essentially the same nucleus (Arenas/Jamison) as he had in Golden State.

1999 - Due to some bad trades, the Warriors got stuck with the 21st pick in the 1999 draft and threw it away with tweener Jeff Foster, not to be confused with Oakland legend Greg Foster.  Golden State could have picked Andrei Kirilenko (24th) but opted for the β€œsafer” Foster who was then traded for three time All-NBA Cool Name first-teamer Vonteego Cummings.  Coincidentally, Vonteego’s career was cut tragically short due to lack of talent as he only played three years in the NBA.  Golden State also picked their third white center and second left-handed white center when they drafted Tim Young with the 56th pick.  On behalf of all Warrior fans, I’d like to thank Tim Young for only making us suffer through a 137-minute Warrior career because it was mercifully shorter than his predecessors.

2000 - Golden State did not have a first round pick in 2000, a lingering after effect of the Webber trade years before.  They did have the 55th pick in the draft though and they used it on, wait, guess the height…YUP 6'7"…guess the position…YES! Power Forward… guess his style of play…WOW three for three, TWEENER.  Chris Porter lasted one year in the NBA and has been plagued by drug arrests ever since.

Execution Stayed

2001 - Finally a good draft, Gary St. Jean is back baby! The Warriors picked Jason Richardson with the 5th pick in the draft.  He won two dunk contests that brought some minor media attention to Golden State.  He played hard and had a nice all around game that continued to develop every year.  He was the right pick, finally they made a good choice. 

The Warriors also picked up Troy Murphy at no. 14.  Although he fit into the classic tweener mold, he extended his game outside and became an effective player for the Warriors averaging 15-11 in his fourth season and finishing three seasons averaging a double double.  The Warriors best pick that year was the diamond in the rough of the draft, Gilbert Arenas, who they picked in the second round with the 30th pick.  In his two years with the Warriors he began to blossom into a potential elite point guard.  After his second year, even though he publically said he wanted to stay in Golden State, and after the Warriors had a nice nucleus of Jamison, Richardson, and Arenas the Warriors failed to resign him.  Good thing the Warriors saved the money because he only averaged 22.4, 25, and 25.8 PPG over the next three years for Washington and was a perennial All-Star until knee trouble and locker room gun trouble began to catch up to him. 

A hidden gem of the 2001 draft, Gil Arenas (Rocky Widner)

Snap Back to Reality – Stranded on Death Row Part 2

2002 - The Warriors found themselves near the top of the lottery in 2002 after an abominable 21-61 record in the 2001 season.  They ultimately lost out on the Yao Ming sweepstakes and had the number three pick.  They picked Mike Dunleavy from Duke.  Dunleavy had become β€œthe sexy pick” that year after his hot shooting propelled Duke to the National Championship.  The truth was, Dunleavy was too soft, too weak, and not quick enough to guard perimeter players in the NBA.  Golden State got four solid years of Dunleavy getting dunked on and falling down regularly, but only got 13.4 PPG and 5.5 RPG from him in his β€œstandout” season as a Warrior. 

At this point, I am not going to even mention Jiri Welsch.  I will mention however, that Golden State could have selected Ama’re Stoudamire (9th), Caron Bulter (10th), Tayshaun Prince (23rd), John Salmons (26th), Roger Mason (30th), and Carlos Boozer (34th).

2003 - The Warriors picked Mikael Pietrus, from France, with the 11th pick.  When I heard about the pick I naturally assumed he was a white foreign center, likely a lefty, who had played against nobodies in Europe and would be a bust.  Boy was I wrong.  He was a black guard from Europe, who played against nobodies, could only average around 10 PPG, and would be nothing more than a role player.  Thank God we wasn’t a bust. 

Pietrus actually was a nice asset for the Warriors coming off the bench.  Not really what you want out of your lottery pick but I can’t complain, given the Warriors draft history.  The Warriors did manage not to pick Davis West (18th), Kendrick Perkins (27th), and Josh Howard (29th).  It also hurt to see Pietrus’ near inability to miss corner threes during the 2009 Orlando Magic playoff run (until the Finals).  He and Adonal were two blown games away from heading to L.A. with a 3-2 series lead.  I just can’t fathom Adonal Foyle and NBA Champ in the same sentence. Does he get a ring as Warriors Community Ambassador? Maybe.

Appeal Denied – Chris Mullin Made That Pick? I’m Just Going to Tell Myself it was Dave Twardzik or Gary St. Jean

2004 - After the 2003 Pietrus-white-European player scare, I didn’t dare fathom the Warriors going that route again.  Wait, yes I did. Never underestimate the power of the β€œGolden State Principal of Draft Counter Intuition,” which scientifically proves that picking Andris Biedrins, a left-handed white center from Latvia was the illogical but inevitable move for the Warriors.  Bad words were said, emotions were high, I was again floored.  I would have rather had Trevor Ariza (43rd), Richard Jefferson (15th), or maybe even Josh Smith (17th), just not Andris. At one point I even talked my way into this thought, β€œIf Biedrins can learn to move his feet, not foul, get some meat on his bones, make free throws, work on his game in the off season instead of Disk Jockeying, and not get hurt at the thought of playing basketball, he could be a solid double-double guy for the Warriors. I was wrong.

2005 - After the turn of the millennium it looked like the Warriors might be fixing their draft karma after solid overall drafts in 2001 and 2003.  Then the Ike Diogu incident happened.  Even I bought into Diogu from the outset.  Well, after one year and 7 PPG I stopped being a believer and so did Golden State.  Good thing they passed up world champion Andrew Bynum (10th), Danny Granger (17th), and Nate Robinson (21st).  There is absolutely no way they could have used those guys.  They did find their second diamond in the rough in Monta Ellis, however. 

On a side note, shouldn’t the NBA have a mandatory motorcycle, ATV, and MOPED safety course?  Monta was a quintessential Warriors overrated draft pick. Since he wasn't a total bust and actually became the team’s first or second banana for the majority of his Warriors career, fans tend to forget that he shot the Warriors out of more games than he shot them into, that he led the league in foot on the line three-pointers, that he played no defense, and wasn’t the greatest teammate in the world (β€œMe and Steph can’t co-exist in the same backcourt”). Fans loved him mostly because he was a good player on a bad team and maybe because he got a Dubs tattoo and said β€œI’m Warriors for life.”

Monta repping The Bay to the fullest extent.

2006 - The Warriors improved marginally in 2005 (although the win column did not reflect it) and carried that momentum into the 2006 season.  Golden State, on the other hand, tried relentlessly in the 2006 draft to sabotage their future and unfortunately they succeeded.  For starters, they selected Black Irishman Patty O'Bryant, a classic tweener over Rajon Rando (21st).  I would have even taken JJ Redick (11th) over O'Bryant.  I am not even going to get into it about Kosta Perovic.  Except for the fact that he, Marco Belinelli, and Biedrins looked like the Russian mob when they are on the bench in suits and I suppose that intimidation factor is important.

The Warriors did however win 42 games that year and snuck into the playoffs, where they staged the greatest upset in 1st Round history by beating the number 1 seeded Mavericks in five games (the Warriors are the only 8 seed to beat a number 1 seed in a 7-game series, yay).  WE BELIEVE!!

2007 - When the Warriors drafted Marco Belinelli I was so numb and beat-down from the Warriors previous draft decisions that I felt absolutely no emotion.  I did not try to feel hopeful or doubtful.  I just chose not to feel.  During Summer League, Belinelli played outstanding.  The NBA even named him to the All-Summer League Team.  All Summer League is more akin to getting the β€œCoach’s Award” for showing up to all of the practices.  The Warriors hyped him as the next great foreign player and I completely bought in.  I convinced myself he was the next Dirk or at least the next Drazen Petrovic.  Consequently, I will never ever buy into anything that happens during any NBA Summer League game again.  Belinelli played only 7 minutes a game and averaged only 3 PPG.  I also received constant and incessant taunts from my friends for hyping Belinelli. 

During the draft, the Warriors also acquired the rights to Brendan Wright, a tweener, from Charlotte in a trade that sent the Warriors best draft pick since 1993, Jason Richardson, to the Bobcats.  In two years of work for Golden State, Wright averaged 6.2 PPG and 3.3 RPG in only 14 MPG.  Wright spent his Warriors career deep on the bench considering he showed little toughness and no outside game.  Belinelli reinvented himself in San Antonio under Greg Popavich and ultimately turned into about 65-75% of what Warriors fan thought he would be. As far as the 2007 goes, We continued to Believe until the last day of the season when the Warriors won 48 games and failed to make the playoffs, another NBA record. 

2008 - History repeated itself when the Warriors selected Anthony Randolph at number 14.  The Warriors drafted a 6'10" tweener.  Additionally, the Warriors missed the playoffs but unlike the past, Golden State’s draft pick had nothing to do with it.  Randolph was an electric player for the Warriors last season.  He was guaranteed every game to have an unbelievably athletic block, where he flew out of nowhere to swat the ball.  He also had at least one steal where he looked like he was completely out of control but somehow stole the ball, went coast to coast, and slammed it home.  Finally, every game he would make a bad play, as rookies do, hustle back, try and make up for it, and get yanked by Don Nelson at the next whistle.  He would then have a nervous breakdown on the bench until Marco Belinelli could talk him down by speaking Italian to him.  It was breathtaking.  I just hope that he gets considerable playing time this year and that they resign him when the time comes because I can just sense him leaving Golden State and playing a major role on a contending team in the next few years.

So, You’re Saying There’s A Chance - Larry Riley, You Beautiful Son of a Gun

2009 – This is why I am not an NBA GM.  I emphatically thought that we should draft Johnnie Flynn out of Syracuse.  I watched the 6OT thriller against UCONN in March of 2009 at The Garden and thought the guy was just a beast.  Throw out that he was undersized, throw out that he had a hard time creating his own shot, the guy could play.  Another undersized and unheralded β€œshooter” out of Davidson also caught my eye, Stephen Curry.  I too watched his performance in the Garden and his previous year’s NCAA tourney performance where he dropped 40 on Gonzaga and nearly pulled off an Elite 8 upset of Kansas.  I thought then if Johnnie Flynn isn’t available then Curry might be ok. I literally thought that maybe Threesus himself would be a nice consolation prize if the future 2014 Orlandina Basket Itialian Serie A league point guard isn’t on the board.  This is why I am not a GM (although I would have never picked Todd Fuller).  With that pick, the fates of the franchise unknowingly began to shift.

The Class of 2009.

2010 – Every GM strikes out.  Even GM's who pick Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Ekpe Udoh is Larry Riley’s Spaghetti Incident.  Udoh on paper seemed like the rim protector that the 2010 Warriors desperately needed.  Udoh was long, had a 7-foot plus wingspan, and led the Big-12 in blocks.  Unfortunately for Udoh and the Warriors he couldn’t stay on the court.  A lingering wrist injury delayed his debut in 2010 and in his year and half of service for the Dubs he played just under 20 minutes a game, averaging about 1.5 blocks per game.  He was ultimately traded to Milwaukee with Monte Ellis for Andrew Bogut in 2012.  He plays hoops in Turkey now.

2011 – For as underwhelming as the 36-46 were, I kind of like the Monta, Dorrell Wright, and Curry three point threat coupled with David Lee inside.  Going into the offseason I had no real opinion on who the Warriors should pick.  Despite what developed into a sold draft class, aside from Kyrie Irving (who at the time was even a risk due to being label injury prone) the 2011 class was somewhat underwhelming.  When the Warriors drafted Klay Thompson my reaction was very Klay Thompson-ish, kind of a β€œwell…OK [shrugging].  Well that unassuming sharpshooter from Pullman Washington has turned into the best two-way guard in the NBA. Who knew.  On a side note, the Warriors also selected Charles Jenkins out of Hofstra. Jenkins found it hard to get on the court with a suddenly frisky Warriors squad.  By the end of the 2012-2013 season Jenkins was on to Philly and the next year was out of the league.

Maybe We Aren’t Doomed - Bob Meyers Strikes Gold

2012 - In 2012, the Warriors promoted Assistant GM Bob Meyers to GM and moved Larry Riley to Head of Scouting.  Riley and Meyers started their new partnership with a bang, going three for three in the 2012 draft.  Despite his disappearing act in the Finals this year, Harrison Barnes has been an effective player but somewhat frustrating for the Warriors.  Barnes went to North Carolina for college with much fanfare.  Heralded as the next, fill in the blank, Barnes was good at UNC but tended to shrink on the big stage and ultimately was not as good as advertised.  The Warriors took him with the 7th pick and he immediately broke into the starting line up for the 2012 Warriors.  In his rookie year he upped his scoring from 9.2 ppg in the regular season to 16.1 ppg in the playoffs.  Despite his unbelievable athleticism, still upward potential, and his key roll in the 2015 title run, Barnes may not be in the roster next year as he will likely command a near-max deal on the free agent market.

The Warriors also selected Festus Ezeli with the 30th pick in the draft. Festus, although injury prone, has been a nice big off the bench in his three years.  He played huge minutes in Game 6 of the 2015 Finals and conversely threw up a stink bomb in Game 7 of this year’s Finals.  Ezeli is also free agent this offseason that the Warriors have to make a decision on whether to keep or not.

The hands down best pick in the 2012 draft came in the second round at pick 35,  Draymond Green.  We all know the story, Saginaw Pride, Michigan State, constant winner, but a tweener. Ah yes, the dreaded tweener that Warriors drafted year in an year out in the 90’s and early 2000’s.  Yes, Draymond is a tweener but what separates him from all of the other guys we drafted is that he is a maniac that is solely focused in getting better, being a great teammate, and proving everyone wrong.  You can’t put that rating into verticality or length or explosiveness.  You can’t put something so intangible on a draft chart.  The best you can do is say, β€œhey, this guy has been successful at every level, he has gotten better at every level, he has leadership qualities, and Tom Izzo says he is a good dude.”  The rest is belief and a hope that he will give you quality minutes.  Anything like being a virtual Swiss Army knife on the court, anchoring a defense like no one since KG, dropping a triple-double in the NBA Championship clinching game, going toe-to-toe with LeBron James in the 2016 Finals, and nearly winning Game 7 on the strength of his will to have the Warriors win is just icing on the cake.  I love Draymond Green.  He will always be an all-timer for me. I never thought that anyone would shake Chirs Mullin off the pedestal for my favorite Warrior but I think Draymond is on the path.

Oh yeah, we drafted Ognjen Kuzmic with the 52nd pick.  He is a World Champion and not playing in Greece.

I would be remise if I failed to mention Kent Bazemore. Yes, he went undrafted but Meyers saw him playing in Summer League for OKC and signed the guy.  He will forever be an all-time Warriors bench-mobber. The guy’s sideline celebrations of a Curry three or Warriors’ dunk are the stuff of legend.  It was tough to see him go but I’m glad that he has found a home on the Hawks and has become a key contributor there.

2013 - No picks.

2014 - No picks, just this.

2015 – In the glow of the 2015 Championship the Warriors picked Kevon Looney out of UCLA.  On paper, the guy seemed like a pseudo-Draymond.  He’s 6’9”, can play inside-outside, pretty athletic. Looney was hobbled by a hip injury early and then had to battle for playing time on the best regular season squad of all-time (yes, it si so brutal to have to write that).  So I will reserve judgment.

Of the first round picks the Warriors had from 1993-2009 (including 2nd-rounders Arenas and Ellis) Golden State first round picks (22 total) have combined to averaged on 10.5 PPG while on the Warriors.  Moreover, Golden State first round picks up to 2002 average only 3.6 years with the team (with Foyle being the clear outlier with 10 years on the team), that is not much staying power for a team to build a future with.  They drafted 13 tweeners Rozier, Smith, Declercq, Foyle, Jackson, Jamison, Foster, Porter, Murphy, O'Bryant, Diogu, Wright, and Randolph.  None of which panned out on the Warriors, save for Randolph who the jury is still out on.  They drafted 3 terrible white centers Fuller, Foyle, and Young.  Oh, Adonal Foyle isn’t white, my bad.  Considering all that, no wonder they ran off these win totals from 1993-94 to 2008-2009: 52, 26, 36, 30, 19, 21, 19, 17, 21, 38, 37, 34, 34, 42, 48, 29. 

Thank God for Larry Riley and Bob Meyers, the only GMs that have effectively stayed my annual execution.  No matter how bad losing the 2016 title hurts, at least I can take solace that the front office is competent and get more hits than misses in the draft.  With so much riding on this offseason and management claiming they will be β€œvery aggressive,” it looks as though the Warriors will shift their a focus on free agency, rather than trying to build within the draft (30th pick).  As Bob Meyers knows though, this year’s Draymond Green or Kent Bazemore is out there, he just has to keep his eyes open.