Either Monta moves over to PG and the Warriors find him a SG with point guard skills, or Monta continues playing the role of SG and Warriors search for a big PG in the mold of Baron Davis that is tough enough to defend SG's while taking on most of the playmaking responsibilities.
As of now, fans are on the brink of mutiny because the Warriors let their best player walk without compensation. They need to make a big splash soon to remedy the situation or season ticket holders will drop like flies and refuse to renew. The Warriors will be lottery bound once again while the West gets stronger and hope from the fans slowly fades away.
Enter Andre Iguodala
This is the guy that I feel is the best solution to the Warriors woes. With Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph set to take over the SF and PF positions, SG is where the Warriors should look to upgrade, particularly if that SG is able to fit well with Ellis. Iguodala is only 24 years old but he has already built himself a reputation for toughness on the defensive end, unselfish play on the offensive end, and a fabulous floor game to boot. He can electrify the crowd with emphatic dunks, lead the break with his advanced ball handling skills, help on the boards, lock down his man, and provide help defense when needed. On nights where his shot isn't falling, he is able to contribute in many other ways. Iguodala brings intensity, nastiness, and energy every night. He's the perfect guy to place next to Monta Ellis - strong, long, and versatile. He can even slide to SF while a sharp shooter like Marco Belinelli can light it up from long distance.
As a Warrior in Nellie's up-tempo style, he will thrive and likely average 25+ ppg and put up career numbers across the board, particularly in steals. He's a triple-double threat on any given night.
ESPN Game Log
ESPN Scouting Report:
2006-07 season: Iguodala blossomed after Allen Iverson was traded, getting more aggressive scoring off the dribble and taking over as the Sixers' go-to guy. It's easy to say that this only became possible because Iverson was out of the way, but I'm not sure that's totally true -- Iverson missed a bunch of games the previous two seasons and I don't recall Iggy blowing up then.
One big reason Iguodala broke out when he did is that he became a lot more comfortable shooting off the bounce from outside. In his first two seasons, over 70 percent of his shots came in the immediate basket area; last year it dipped to 47.7 percent. That's a huge, huge difference, and it wasn't because he took fewer shots around the basket -- he just took a lot more from other places.
In particular, he was much less reticent about shooting jumpers. Iguodala took only 68 long 2-pointers in 2005-06; last year he took nearly five times that amount (312). He didn't hit a great percentage (37.8 percent), but it was enough that defenses had to respect the shot and it opened more space for his fearless drives.
However, he might want to work a little on his moves on the left side of the court. Iguodala much preferred to operate from the right -- he took 27.0 percent of his 2-pointers from there compared to 15.0 percent from the left -- and with good reason. Iguodala's 27.2 percent shooting mark on 2-point shots from the left side was the second-worst of any player with more than 100 attempts. Only the Clippers' Tim Thomas was less accurate, and we expect that type of thing from Thomas much more than we do from Iggy.
Another thing Iguodala needs to do is stay under control. While his combination of driving ability and court vision yields tons of shots, he undid some of that good by ranking 60th out of 66 shooting guards in turnover ratio.
Scouting report: Iguodala is one of the league's most athletic players, with a reliable jump shot seeming to be the only barrier to stardom. The 6-6 swingman is strong on the drive, especially going right, and a skillful passer -- often behind the back -- who ranked 10th at his position in assist ratio. At many times he was the Sixers' de facto point guard, as he handles the ball comfortably and was the team's top offensive threat.
He's an explosive leaper who can finish with devastating dunks, but too often he'll hurriedly flip up slop rather than going up strong and letting his strength and athleticism do the work. Nonetheless, he ranked fourth among shooting guards in free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt, and magnified the effect of that by shooting 82.0 percent from the line.
Defensively, Iguodala is on the verge of becoming an elite player. He ranked sixth at his position in steals per minute and seventh in rebound rate, a testament to his superior athleticism. But he does much more than play passing lanes -- he's a dogged defender who can make up ground in a hurry when beaten, and only needs more experience and a few lessons in screen avoidance to become an All-Defense candidate.
Iguodala's skill from the line has yet to translate into reliable shooting from distance, but he has solid form and is only 23. Many players have started out this way before adding the 3 to their arsenal; if he's the next one he'll be an All-Star.
2007-08 outlook: The immediate future is much brighter for Iguodala than it is for his teammates, as he figures to be one of the few bright spots on a Philadelphia team that's likely to finish well out of the money. He might make the All-Star team anyway, as his second-half explosion last season seemed like the tip of the iceberg.
His strong second half is also likely to have financial rewards, as the Sixers are due to give him an extension. With Sacramento's Kevin Martin getting $55 million, expect Iggy to net at least that much, and more likely something in the mid-60s that establishes him as the Sixers' franchise player for the next several years.
Andre Iguodala is a restricted free agent, so the Warriors will have to put together a serious offer that will discourage the Sixers from matching the deal. Unfortunately, we have to overpay, but for a player with his skill and additional upside, he will be well worth it for the Warriors. His athleticism is tailor made for Nellie-ball and with more improvement in his perimeter game (similar to Jason Richardson's development) he will be a valuable piece to building a contender. A front-loaded offer of 5 years / $65-70 million might be enough to bring Iguodala to the Bay.
The Future Core
PG: Monta Ellis
SG: Andre Iguodala / Marco Belinelli
SF: Anthony Randolph / Kelenna Azubuike
PF: Brandan Wright / Richard Hendrix
C: Andris Biedrins
The core is made up of long, defensive oriented players with versatility and athleticism. We'll need a true backup point guard to help Ellis with his transition into a full-time PG. We need a backup center as well, but this is a great foundation to a future team that can contend as the the youth enter their primes.
Andre Iguodala - Somewhere i belong
From: N024
NBA- Andre Iguodala Mix
From: chezzy62
Andre Iguodala 06-07 Season Mix
From: chezzy62
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment