Hey fellas,

Long-time lurker, first-time thread starter.

My basic thought is this: The Giants have done a fantastic job in the last few years of drafting pitching, and now is actually a surprisingly good time to move some of that for hitting that has some long-term potential and fit.

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There have been a great deal of posts about the 2009 and 2010 offseasons, so I figured as a salary cap guy, I'd post the actual #'s for players along with some background.

If a number looks wrong, call me out on it and I'll either explain it or correct it.

NOTE: I put most of the work in for the 2010 stuff (in response to another thread), so if you're looking for explanations, look down a little bit and it should be there.

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Hey guys,

It's been a tough few days, but honestly this short-term pain and frustration can be turned into long-term success. First of all, the Warriors were not going to be title contenders in the short term, and the likely best that they could do considering the %!*@%@^ owner is a team in that vicious 2nd/3rd tier or Western Conference teams, which is now even more brutal.

As such, it's time to lick our wounds and make a smart battle plan for how to best come at this strong for the future. Here's how I'd do it:

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I'll explain the rationale for each team afterwards, but I'll post the trade first:

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Hey guys,
I write for a blog (Vegan Fish Tacos) and have been working on a feature called "Framework of a Franchise" where I go through a team and talk about what they have and where they should go to maximize their roster. Finally got around to doing my hometown Warriors, and figured I'd post it here. I don't want to whore out our blog, but I'll link to the post below and at the bottom, because the formatting is nicer and it would help the blog out alot if you Digg/Reddit/Ballhype/whatnot it should you like it, and those links will stay on the site (of course). Put your mittens on your kittens and away we go!
Here's the link to it on the site (Vegan Fish Tacos)

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I'm sorry for posting this seperately than the other thread, but I need some new eyes on the question than will see it buried deep in the other thread, especially considering the time constraint.

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Reported by both Mr. Dohn and the BRO fellas.

It'll be interesting to see if it's more injury related than playing time related (here's hoping it's a PT issue), and Coach Howland can always remove James' redshirt if need be later on down the line.

At its best, this could be a great way for Keefe to bridge the gap between classes that we'll see in the next few years and be a part of the 2010-2011 squad should he want to be, which would help our depth dramatically at that point. He has a ton of potential to play the 4 spot, and it could give him 2 years as the starter after Luc's senior year (should Luc stay, and I expect him to).

At its worst, Keefe's redshirt gets removed later in the current season because of some injuries and we have him in Westwood for the same length of time we expected when he committed. Naturally, it would be a distinct negative if the injury was more serious than expected, but I sincerely doubt that given that he was already practicing with the team and I thought I had heard that he was doing well.

Anyway, here's the Dohn link for all y'all: http://www.insidesocal.com/ucla/2007/12/keefe_to_redshirt.html

It's abundantly clear that the Warriors need a back-up PG and ideally someone who they can develop into the starter long-term (especially if Monta stays on the team and becomes a SG like I think he should be). Naturally, the best place to look would be the draft. I think that Darren Collison, DJ Augustin, and Ty Lawson would be fantastic options for the Dubs should they be available at that time. However, there is a distinct chance that none of them will be on the board (drafted or stay in school).

What I'm thinking is that taking a flier on Shaun Livingston would be a fascinating option for this. Yes the guy is starcrossed like no one's business, but the fact remains that he has amazing size and court vision for his position. What's more, he'd provide a compelling back-court foil to both Monta and Baron, bringing a size and skill that could complement both of them.

Of course there is a risk involved with a guy like him, but the Warriors also have the benefit of having Bird Rights on the multitude of FA's on the slate this year, so fitting in a guy like Livvy would be possible, even without going into Lux Tax range.

Another possibility is that if Nellie takes a stronger liking to any of the young guys (POB, BWright, Marco), it would lessen the need to have Pietrus around, so Mullin could trade him to the Clippers for Livingston at the deadline, essentially working in a 2 month or so tryout.

Thoughts/Comments/Flames appreciated.

http://www2.presstelegram.com/moresports/ci_7646248

Bruins won't pursue Leach as coach
By Brian Dohn, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 12/05/2007 10:20:45 PM PST

LOS ANGELES - UCLA is still in the exploratory phase of its football coaching search, but when the short list is compiled, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is not expected to be on it, sources said Wednesday.

Leach built the Red Raiders into an offensive force with his spread formations and affinity for throwing the ball. He is interested in the job, sources said, but UCLA is not reciprocating such interest.

Leach has a reputation as being quirky, and outspoken, and that may not sit well at UCLA, sources said. Also, sources said Leach, who is scheduled to make $1.85 million next season and $2.15 million in 2010, is not salary driven and would come to Westwood for under market value. But finances could still be an issue with hiring Karl Dorrell's replacement. Dorrell made $600,000 annually when he was hired, and was guaranteed $850,000 this season.

Although UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said increased revenue in the athletic department should make it possible for the school to be competitive when it comes to salaries, sources said UCLA doesn't appear willing to spend more than $2 million per season.

Meanwhile, Guerrero moved closer to hiring a search firm to aid in the task of doing background checks and gauging the interest level of potential candidates. According to sources, there is still no official list of candidates, and there will not be one until after a search firm is hired.

Honestly, it feels like I got kicked in the groin- he'd come to UCLA for UNDER MARKET VALUE and won't be considered?

I've been looking over his resume and it's impressive to say the least. He has done a great job at BYU and sure seems to embrace the challenges of that institution (as UCLA would bring its own). Also, he has been extremely impressive working with the history and people of BYU which would definitely be a plus at a school like ours. Furthermore, he has a Pac-10 background as an Oregon State alum and coaching experience there previously. In many ways, he combines the experience that so many of us want with the youth and enthusiasm that others are clamoring for in a way that makes me wonder why he is getting ignored instead of guys like Mike Leach, who is interesting but has not won anything significant at Texas Tech (though if he could bring Crabtree with him, I'd throw a big party).

What I'm wondering is what you fine people think of him and whether or not we could get him.

For me, he'd be an amazing long-term option as he's only 41 and has coaching experience and success.

Naturally, someone like Steve Spurrier would work too (he's my favorite candidate, though Bronco is a close second), but who knows if DG could give the Ole Ballcoach the sales pitch he's looking for, especially if the LSU job opens up.