MORROW MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

I have to admit, that quick release and sick cross-over on Rudy Fernandez got me thinking ....playoffs.

Who would have thought that that an nonathletic, skinny young man that goes undrafted and is not signed by his first few Summer League teams could end up making such a commotion in the NBA? Morrow was a roster after-thought in danger of not making the team's final cut, and is now seen as a diamond in the rough that could become a key part of the young Warrior nucleus. He brings a dead-eye shot and additional boards from the guard spot, but most importantly, Morrow brings this team HOPE. I know I may seem Bi-Polar at times, but until proven otherwise, I'm thinking the Warriors could make the playoffs and perhaps upset a top seeded team IF Monta can return near full strength. I've always advocated learning from last year's mistakes by cutting down minutes for the vets and developing the youngsters as part of a playoff push. Nellie is doing this and it's paying dividends. Morrow is 'discovered', Wright and Randolph show glimpses of greatness and are getting better, others are at least seeing some playing time, and the vets are looking a little fresher in the 4th quarter. I'd like to see Belinelli in extended minutes (rewarded for his improved defense), but I'll settle for watching Morrow, Wright, and Randolph for now. The young Warriors are soon to embark on a brutal road trip that could derail playoff aspirations, but after watching their promising play over the last handful of games, they have me cautiously optimistic about coming out of the other end in fair shape. They may have enough pieces to keep their playoff hopes afloat in a Western Conference that seems to be up for grabs early on.

If Morrow is as good as I think he can be, he'll be the missing ingredient that will bring the Warriors closer to completing the puzzle. The minute he started draining 3's in Summer League at an un-godly clip (not just one game but several), I had a strong feeling we had something special here. I didn't want to get too excited because it was Summer League and because his stats at Georgia Tech did not match what I saw with my own eyes (14.3 ppg? REALLY?), but when I heard we signed him, I knew this was huge, and that he could eventually play a big role on this team. It wasn't until Morrow was given the opportunity to shine as an NBA starter and to back up his breakout game with another strong performance that I realized that my expectations would be confirmed much sooner than I could have hoped.

Morrow is the piece that forces defenses to hedge towards the perimeter and leave the middle open for other Warriors to exploit - Jax/Biedrins pick and rolls, Maggette drives, and soon, Monta slashes to the hoop. His presence on the floor makes every player's job easier. I'm expecting Wright and Randolph to be the future PF's in a run-and-gun system, so the Warriors are a very good PG away from having all the necessary ingredients for a strong showing in the playoffs. Harrington/Maggette/Belinelli/Williams could be used to land that true PG. And if Mullin is brought back as head of the scouting department (doubt Mullin will take a demotion though) along with Nellie's eye for talent, the Warriors can draft a very good PG in a PG heavy draft to grow along with the team and eventually run the squad.

What they need to do is keep playing the youngsters, regulate the veteran's minutes, hover around .500, and bring back Monta for the big playoff push. Last week I thought there was no chance of us ever making the playoffs - Morrow has got me believing again.

50 Wins and No Playoffs - A Case for Playoff Seeding Change

The Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks are engaged in a heated battle for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. We could potentially see a 50-win team be excluded from the playoffs in the West while a team with less than 40 wins gets in the playoffs in the East. The Western Conference team that just misses the playoffs would likely be the 3rd or 4th seed in the East, but instead is forced to sit at home to watch a flawed collection of teams fight for a title that they should have a right to fight for themselves.

It was said that the Western conference dominance is cyclical, but if you look at the young talent base brewing in the West, you will see that it will only get stronger. The best young point guards are in the West (Chris Paul, Derron Williams, Parker), most of the best young bigs (Stoudemire, Ming, Jefferson, Bynum, Boozer, Biedrins, Odom), and both current and rising stars that will be around for a long time (Kobe, McGrady, Roy, Durant, Ellis, Davis, Nowitzki, Anthony, Aldridge, etc.)

The west is a beast and it is unfair that we will likely see a repeat of this year's playoff race dilemma for years to come.

It's time for a change, David Stern. Revamp the existing playoff season in favor of one that will allow the best of the NBA to compete for the title. Warriors telecast man, Bob Fitzgerald put together a brilliant plan that not only fixes the current playoff system, but also addresses the current conference alignment and how to make it more schedule/travel friendly for all NBA teams.

http://www.nba.com/warriors/interactive/fitz_files_blog_june07.html

In his new plan the conferences would look like this:



According to Fitz:

Currently, the Warriors play each Eastern Conference team twice (home and away). They would continue to do exactly the same thing under this suggested format. Ten Eastern Conference teams would result in 20 regular season games for the Warriors.

Currently, the Warriors play teams such as San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Memphis four times (sometimes three). That is the same number of times they play the Sacramento Kings, Lakers and Clippers, which should be their divisional and geographic rivals. This makes no sense from a travel perspective and the time zone change doesn’t work well for television broadcasts either. Create a Central Conference and play each of the 10 Central teams twice, which would add 20 more regular season games.

This results in an 80-game schedule (once the amount of the league season), much less travel, better rest and health for players, better local TV broadcasting opportunities, the nurturing of geographic rivalries and familiarity with nearby opponents (think Red Sox/ Yankees).


This leads us to the playoffs. If Fitzgerald's plan was implemented, the top finishers in each of the 6 divisions would automatically receive playoff bids. The rest of the field would be made up of the 10 best teams based on record, regardless of region or division. Seeding of the teams would be based on regular season record, placed in a 16-team bracket, and playing a 7-game (2-3-2 format) series.


One wrinkle in this process I would add is that I would award the top 6 division teams the top seeds so that more importance is placed on winning your division.


Currently, the playoff seeding would look like this:

* click picture for larger view *

Oh the possibilities!!! Unlikely and thrilling match-ups that would only be possible if the two teams meet in the finals are now a reality!! Kobe vs. Lebron, Howard vs. Anthony, Paul vs. Agent Zero...on and on. And that's just round 1!!! In the Round 2, we could see Boston vs. Phoenix, Golden State vs. Cleveland, Detroit vs. San Antonio, and Orlando vs. New Orleans. Think of what that would do to the ratings.

The best of the best battle it out instead of weak Eastern teams that struggle to even reach .500. The best of each side of the bracket meet to find out, without a doubt, who is the best in the NBA. When the Western Conference Finals generates more interest than the NBA Finals, something is wrong.

Not only does this new playoff system and conference alignment make the NBA a more entertaining and fair product, it also has some pleasant side effects.

1. With the mixed seeding of the playoffs, teams will no longer be reluctant to trade within their own conferences. This will open up new opportunities to deal and more options are available for GM's to improve their teams, balance their rosters, and maximize their return on player assets.
2. Western Conference teams that just miss the playoffs after a 50-win season won't end up with a better draft pick than a weaker group of Eastern Conference teams that struggle to win 40 games. Lottery talent is distributed fairly among the worst teams.
3. Good teams and their fans get to enjoy more basketball.

It would be a shame to not be able to see all the best teams play in the post season. There are so many benefits to a change in a system. The NBA has a history of being open to change and I hope this season serves as a wake-up call that something needs to be done.