Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Bigs, Playoff Prediction, and More!
December 18, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
In addition to Edgar’s question, Golden Gate Sports staff writer, Marc Grandi, submitted a similar question and added the question, if the Warriors do bring in another big man, who will it be? I will answer both parts of this question.
I don’t see the Warriors making a move for another big, as of now. It appears as if Festus Ezeli‘s injury isn’t too serious, and it also seems like Andrew Bogut will be back in mid-January. If those injuries become more serious or if Marreese Speights or David Lee suffer an injury (knock on wood), then I could see the Warriors potentially signing a free agent big or a big that has been waived, perhaps such as Jermaine O’Neal.
However, other than that, I don’t see the Warriors making a trade for a big. It would have to be one Houdini-esque trade that keeps the Warriors’ depth in tact, while finding a reliable, serviceable big with a desirable contract who could contribute off the bench. That’s much easier said than done though.
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There have been trade rumors recently involving some centers such as Kosta Koufos, Greg Monroe, and Emeka Okafor and trade rumors for power forwards such as Jordan Hill and Ed Davis. However, these players would either require the Warriors to give up too many assets, the player might not fit into the Warriors system, or the Warriors simply wouldn’t want to acquire their contract.
As mentioned before, the Warriors could potentially sign a free agent like O’Neal, but it’s unclear if O’Neal will even come back into the NBA. I also believe that even though fans would love to see the former fan favorite come back, I’m not sure O’Neal would provide anything that a healthy Ezeli wouldn’t.
As long as Ezeli is healthy, the Warriors are going to stick with him. They truly want to see what they can get out of Ezeli before they make a move. He’s still somewhat raw, at least offensively, and unproven, mostly because he was out all of last season with a knee injury.
Given his defensive skillset, he provides the Warriors with a great bridge from the starter (Bogut) to the reserve (Ezeli), while not losing the defensive edge. Because of this, the Warriors will want to give Ezeli as much of a look as possible, if he’s healthy and of course, when the Warriors aren’t going small.
Next: DLee, Iguodala, Draymond, or HB?