Time to admit mistake on Jason Richardson-Brandan Wright trade

July 30, 11:53 AMGolden State Warriors ExaminerMatt Steinmetz

Previous Next

36 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Golden State Warriors Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

J-Rich: Sorely missed

It’s easy for an NBA analyst, sideline guy, radio talk-show host or sportswriter to take credit when he’s right. We hear it all the time … “I knew that guy was going to be good,” “I predicted that team would win the title,” “I told you months ago that trade wasn’t going to work.”

It’s harder to admit you’re wrong. So, I got to remembering some things I blew it on _ like picking the Los Angeles Lakers to beat the Boston Celtics in this year’s NBA Finals or thinking Danny Fortson was going to really help the Warriors back in the day or saying that Mark Jackson, out of St. John's, would never be a factor in the NBA _ and that Walter Berry would

But it’s time to add another to the list, even if it seems a tad premature: I was wrong to think that trading Jason Richardson to the Charlotte Bobcats for Brandan Wright last June was a good move for the Warriors.

The first mistake I made was overestimating Richardson’s on-court shortcomings and underestimating the intangibles that he brings. In March and April of last season, Richardson’s name seemed to be coming up more and more frequently in the team's locker room.

Players were beginning to wear down and some of them talked about the previous season (2006-07), when a healthy Richardson returned for the stretch run that culminated in a playoff appearance and first-round upset of the Dallas Mavericks.

Of course, Richardson wasn’t around last year, and Wright was no factor.

Richardson’s biggest on-court weakness is his inability to handle the ball and create for others. He’s also an average defender, at best, and he was a terrible foul shooter for the Warriors.
 

Walter Berry: The Truth

I harped too much on the fact he wasn’t a playmaker and tried to do too much off the dribble. I figured the Warriors wouldn’t lose a whole lot at the position if Mickael Pietrus, Stephen Jackson, Kelenna Azubuike and Monta Ellis got his minutes.

But it wasn’t until Richardson was gone that you realized how much you needed him. He could get you 20 points a game, and you never had to run a play for him. At the same time, he could get you that little turn right, post-up fadeaway from the box anytime he wanted.

It's a bonus when one of your leading scorers can get you points without worrying about having to get him the ball.

I never thought they would miss his 3-point shooting. Richardson shot 38 percent and 36 percent, respectively, in his last two years with Golden State. He shot 40 percent from 3-point range for the Bobcats this year. And he shot 75 percent from the line last season.

The Warriors also missed Richardson’s rebounding. He is a great rebounder for his size, and the Warriors needed all they could get. He played hard every night and was one of the team’s most competitive players. Richardson had a personal stake in the franchise and he played like it.

Richardson came to post every game, which was particularly important because there were times when Baron Davis, the team's most vocal and visible leader, didn’t or couldn’t.

Davis played in 82 games last year and was the unquestioned team barometer. But because he was so crucial to the Warriors, it was virtually impossible for Davis NOT to set the tone. That meant when Davis was going well, so were the Warriors. But when Davis wasn’t going well …

The bottom line is that because Richardson was such a pro and so intense, it helped lessen the team’s overall reliance on Davis. Richardson was key in pushing the team through Davis’ injuries, ejections and random foul trouble.
 

Fortson: of little help to Warriors

As for the rest of the trade, we know the Warriors did not use the $10 million trade exception they received from Charlotte. You can argue that moving Richardson allowed the Warriors to re-sign Ellis and Andris Biedrins this summer. Fair enough.

But what about Wright?

It is fair to begin expressing concern. And not just because he didn’t play as a rookie _ although that’s part of it.

I’m sorry, you can’t look at it any other way than troubling that Wright couldn’t get onto the court last year for a team desperately in need of frontcourt help, any kind of frontcourt help.

I know Don Nelson’s reputation for not playing first-year guys but c’mon. The Warriors got pounded on the inside last year. Not that Wright is a banger (furthest thing from it), but he’s young, can run and is quick. He should have been able to make things happen, at least.

There are some whispers, too, that Wright isn’t the toughest guy in the NBA and that his pain tolerance isn’t exactly off the charts. Nelson raised the possibility of playing Wright the final week to 10 days of the season, but Wright said his left groin strain wouldn’t allow it.

Wright was mainly ordinary in four games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas a few weeks back.

It’s entirely too early to give up on Wright. He's got way too much natural ability to not be a contributor. But I don’t see Wright having as much of an impact in the NBA as Richardson.

And I was wrong for not realizing Richardson had a bigger impact on the Warriors.