MVN - Most Valuable Network

Golden State Warriors: Azubuike kept away from Clippers

Kelenna should be excited to get a raise and without having to move

The Warriors have been known for having tweener forwards/guards for  a very long time.  It’s always been the big guys that they seemed to be short on.  With the recent draft and the players that they’ve retained, it was beginning to look like they would be taller this season and be short on those guys that can play the two or the three.  Maybe that’s why they decided to match the Clippers’ offer sheet for Kelenna Azubuike.

The contract is a three year $9 million dollar deal, but with the way Azubuike has progressed since becoming a Warrior, it’s money well spent.  Last season, Azubuike played in 81 games averaging 21.4 mpg.  His stat line was: 8.5 ppg, 4 rpg, .9 apg, .445 FG%, .364 3p%, .717 FT%.  He clearly needs to work on his shot, but he’s a good defender and if the Warriors are serious about playing defense this year that will come in handy.

The Warriors released the following quotes from Chris Mullin:

“We are pleased to have Kelenna back in the fold.  He’s a young and talented player who has continued to improve during his two seasons with our team. His versatility, athleticism and ability to shoot the 3-pointer certainly fit our style of play. Additionally, we think he will continue to improve and expand his game.“

The Warriors now have Monta Ellis, C.J. Watson, Corey Maggette, Marco Belinelli, Stephen Jackson, Marcus Williams, and Azubuike that can man the two and three spots, with all of them having the ability to run the offense if needed.  That’s not a bad group of players if Nelly wants to play ‘Small Ball.’

In ‘Big Ball’ news, the Warriors were also busy signing second round pick Richard Hendrix.  So those of you that were concerned that the Warriors wouldn’t keep him, you can rest assured that they will.  Terms of the deal were not released, as per team policy.  Hendrix has been a rebound machine in summer league so far, hitting double figures in every game he’s played in.  He’s averaging 7 ppg and 11 rpg in only 20.6 minutes per game.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 4:02 pm and is filed under C.J. Watson, NBA News, Warriors transactions, Warriors News, 2008 offseason, Richard Hendrix, Players, Marcus Williams, Monta Ellis, Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.