So here we are again... NBA Draft time. The interesting backdrop to this year's draft is whether there will even be a season in 2011-2012 given the labor negotiations. Let's assume there is and see what the W's might be able to procure.
Across the board, experts say this is probably one of the weakest draft classes in a long time. Therefore, there's really no place to look but up regarding who the Warriors would get. Given the uncertain tenure of Monta Ellis, you could say a play at SG/SF might be in order. However, I'll assume they get a quality SG/SF if they trade away Monta. The big glaring hole is probably at center. Ekpe Udoh has a ton of potential but he'll never be an offensive threat. He could develop into a solid defensive center but at 6' 9", he'll always be a little undersized to guard the better centers of the league. Andris has fallen off the face of the earth and I don't think anything can bring him back outside of a change of scenery. However with a bloated contract, he may be difficult to move. So what options are available at the 11th pick? Some draft boards have Lithuanian phenom Donatas Motiejunas available. He's gifted offensively but is a beanpole and would be pushed around by bigger NBA C/PF's. Also, he's a liability on defense (but nearly all the W's are). Finally there is a question re: his commitment/desire/work-ethic. I fear without a strong coach (not sure if Mark Jackson will be one or not) he'll regress and won't continue to improve year after year. Another player with lots of question marks but a ton of hype is Bismack Biyombo from the Congo. He has the makings to be Mutumbo-esque but feels like another version of Ekpe Udoh and I'm not sure the W's want to double up at the same position with two virtually identical players. At the end of the day, I don't hold out too much hope for this pick given the lack of depth in this draft and the W's drafting relatively late. But then again, I didn't have much hope for the W's pick last year and he's turning out ok.NBA Draft 2011
Warriors GM: ‘We are not shopping Ellis’ ... maybe
Just read the interview from Larry Riley in SI. I'm taking it with a grain of salt given that Riley is a lame duck GM who is just grooming his replacement Bob Myers. My guess is that a deal may still be in the works for Ellis but one of two things could be happening. Either the Warriors are trying to get more for Ellis or they are bracing the fans should a deal not materialize.
Ellis is a valuable trade commodity. He's young, scores in bunches and has a reasonable contract given his level of performance. He also plays no defense but in the right system, that might not matter as much. I'll believe Larry Riley when it's October and Ellis is still in a W's uniform.
Troubled Startup Color Loses Cofounder Peter Pham
via techcrunch.com
Looks like Color.com isn't doing too well. I wrote a quick blurb about them when they first launched - basically taking a wait and see position. Since launch, they've made some minor adjustments to the product but not enough in my opinion to get people to understand and use the product. Having one of your cofounders leave isn't quite a ringing endorsement. Hopefully they can recover from this and pivot to something that people will embrace. Best of luck to Peter.
Square's Wallet is VERY cool and works PERFECTLY ... Way to go @jack
I'm at Sightglass Coffee in the city, Jack Dorsey's coffee bar. Very cool space. Still under construction but should be open in a few weeks.
What was even more cool was the Square integration at the register. Since this was my first time here, I did the Square swipe. Nothing new, works fine. The really cool part was what happened after. I was prompted to download the Square Wallet which allowed me to add Sightglass as a "card". When I went to order a pastry, I didn't have to swipe my card again. They had me in their list of customers at the store (probably GPS based) and then I put it on my tab. How cool is that? I imagine when Square is at more of my most frequented stores, I would never have to pull out my card again. They just bypassed the whole NFC hoopla.