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Ronny Turiaf to the Warriors – Impact

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:26:54 +0000

The Golden State Warriors signed French forward Ronny Turiaf to an offer sheet that the Los Angeles Lakers declined to match. Turiaf is now official a member of the Golden State Warriors.

Turiaf isn’t an overly skilled player and he doesn’t have great size, however he hustles and he brings boundless energy to the court. He’s also a good shotblocker and has an emerging jump shot.

While Turiaf likely won’t start for the Warriors, he’ll be one of the first bigs off the bench. And with the way Don Nelson likes to run the ball up and down the court, Turiaf should see his number improve a little bit. That said, Turiaf isn’t quite at the level of being a solid fantasy basketball option. He’d have to win a 25 to 30 minute role, which doesn’t look likely at the moment.

For the Lakers, they won’t miss Turiaf too much — as long as they can stay healthy. In the middle, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will see most of the minutes. Lamar Odom can also slide over and play as a big. Those three players should eat up most of the minutes at power forward and center.

Photo: Newscom

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Baron Davis Opts Out – Possible Destinations?

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:54:09 +0000

Baron Davis opted out of his last year of his contract with the Golden State Warriors to become a free agent. His final year of his contract would have paid him around $17 million.

Davis opting out is somewhat of a surprise. Most experts thought Davis would collect the final year of his deal before hitting the open market next summer. Apparently, Davis has other ideas.

The most likely destination for Davis next year remains the Warriors. Golden State can pay him a lot of money and he has thrived in Golden State. That said, there is growing talk about Davis’ unhappiness in Golden State — specifically concerning his relationship with head coach Don Nelson.

If Davis leaves the Warriors, expect him to go to a big market team. The Los Angeles Clippers could come knocking and try to bring back the former UCLA Bruins player. Another team that could go after Davis is the New York Knicks. The Knicks don’t have a quality point guard and new head coach Mike D’Antoni would love to get his hands on a player with Davis’ talents.

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Don Nelson Returning to Warriors – Fantasy Impact

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:10:57 +0000

Don Nelson, Mr. Run-and-Gun himself, is returning to coach the Golden State Warriors in the 2008-09 NBA season. Nelson had previously contemplated retirement but he has decided to coach at least one more year.

Nelson is a fantasy owner’s dream. He doesn’t care much about defense or playing big, plodding centers. Instead, Nelson is all about scoring. He’ll put five perimeter players on the court if he thinks it will give him the best chance to win.

If Nelson were to retire, that would have had a negative impact on the fantasy stock of all the players on the Warriors. However, with him coming back, there really shouldn’t be a change in the value of any of the players. You can expect more of the same that we saw last season.

Baron Davis could potentially opt out of his contract this summer but he’s due approximately $17 million for next season and will most likely return. The Warriors, who missed out on the playoffs despite having a winning record, will aim to return to the 2009 playoffs in what could possibly be Nellie’s last season as coach.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy