Dubs Re-Sign Biedrins & Ellis
So much for a quiet, uneventful Summer vacaction for the Dubs! Seemingly every day the team has made a new transaction, after the surprise opt-out of team leader Baron Davis. While it's not clear the flurry of activity has made the team better, there is no doubt this should prove to be one of the most intriguing seasons in recent memeory for the team.
The biggest news of the past week comes with the re-signing of six-year contract extensions for arguably the team's two most important players in Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins. Ellis nabs $67 million, while Biedrins pulls in a guaranteed $54 million, with incentive potential that could bring the total package to $63 million. This is a huge investment on the Dubs' part, but one they absolutely needed to pull off, especially given the departure of Davis. Both players are still only 22 years old, and should have their best years ahead of them. More importantly, each player has continued to improve considerably every season, and the Dubs will be counting on that again this year, as both players loom large as key pillars in the franchise's future.
Assuming the Warriors' front office have no more tricks up there sleeves, the team should head into training camp with one of their deepest lineups in recent years.
Here's a look at the potnetial roster as it stands right now:
PG - Ellis, Marcus Williams, CJ Watson
SG - Stephen Jackson, Marco Bellinelli, Kellenna Azubuike
SF - Corey Maggette, Anthony Randolph
PF - Al Harrington, Brandan Wright, Richard Hendrix
C - Biedrins, Rony Turiaf, Kosta Perovic
This lineup gives Don Nelson plenty of flexibility to throw different looks at opponents, but there are plenty of question marks as well. The biggest being how Ellis responds to the challenge of running the offense and transitioning into a team leader. In what could be the last season on the bench for Nelly, it will certainly be a challenge for him to put together all of the pieces in a cohesive manner. If he can coax some magic out of this exceedingly youthful unit, it may go down as one of his greatest coaching jobs ever.
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