Golden State Warriors: 7 Reasons Why Klay Thompson Is the Future Star for Dubs

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jun 212012
 

Klay Thompson turned a lot of heads last season after finishing strong and earning himself a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Now he is one of the cornerstones of the Golden State Warriors, who are looking to finally break out of their rebuilding process and make a run at the playoffs.

With former starting shooting guard Monta Ellis getting shipped out of town in exchange for new starting center Andrew Bogut, Thompson now has room to grow in the backcourt with fellow guard Stephen Curry.

While Curry has already shown his potential to be the star for Golden State, Thompson may be looking to take some of that spotlight after a solid rookie campaign. Let’s take a look at seven reasons why Klay Thompson could become the next star for the Warriors.

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JR Smith vs. Monta Ellis: Most Interesting NBA Tattoos Part 2: BR5

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jun 182012
 

Welcome to BR5, your daily source of sports and pop culture news.

Toronto Raptors forward Gary Forbes stopped by to talk NBA tattoos with BR5.  Forbes has quite a few tattoos himself, and after two years in the league, he was able to offer some great insight into the culture and meaning of a lot of tattoos around the league. For your benefit and ours, Gary Forbes provides his top-five list of NBA tattoos.

Forbes has keen insight into what it means to get ink in the NBA. He touches on the former sixth man of the year, Jason Terry. Terry had some divine insight into the future of the Dallas Mavericks when he got the Larry O’Brien trophy tattooed on his bicep. We all know what happened after that, but really, how did he know?

Forbes comments on Monta Ellis’ commitment to his family with his personal tattoo. Ellis is known for his prolific offense on the court, but it seems that under that NBA swagger there is a real family man. He makes it in at our No. 4 spot.

DeShawn Stevenson is known for his unstoppable play and his fondness for ATMs in his house, but his neck tattoo stands as one of the most memorable in the NBA. Forbes knows why Stevenson got the famous Abe ink and shares with us his inside knowledge. 

Finally, Forbes breaks down his No. 2 and No. 1 most interesting NBA tattoos. We don’t want to spoil the surprise, but they involve two of the most polarizing players in the NBA: Stephen Jackson and J.R. Smith. 

Check out the video to see who Gary Forbes chooses! 

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Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

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NBA Rumors: Brandon Roy Would Be Better off Retired Than on Lakers or Warriors

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Jun 012012
 

After retiring last year due to chronic knee problems, Brandon Roy now appears to be on the verge of making a return to the NBA (via Peter Vecsey’s Twitter):

Brandon Roy is considering Lakers should he come back. I say he’s coming back 4 sure…but to Warriors, where ex-agent Bob Myers is GM

— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) May 31, 2012

While a return to the NBA ranks would be a heroic story for the once-spectacular 27-year-old, he should keep his options open.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors only make sense for Roy on a superficial level, at best. Los Angeles is a perennial contender—for now—and the Warriors are certainly headed in the right direction.

Upon deeper reflection, though, these particular situations wouldn’t be ideal fits.

The Lakers could use help on the bench, but Roy would have trouble spending most of his minutes at the point or small forward, which would be crucial with Kobe Bryant getting the vast majority of minutes at shooting guard. Roy isn’t big enough to guard forwards, and he’s not quick enough at this stage to keep up with opposing point guards.

It doesn’t help that Los Angeles is on the downside of its dynastic trajectory. Unless general manager Mitch Kupchak can turn Pau Gasol into a younger star, the Lakers’ best days will go as Kobe goes—which is to say, not for much longer.

Meanwhile, Golden State is still in the midst of building a playoff team out of one that epitomizes mediocrity. The Warriors are young and probably on the right track, but they wouldn’t offer the kind of experience and environment Roy deserves.

He’d have to share minutes with Klay Thompson, whom the Warriors believed in so much that they were willing to part with Monta Ellis in a trade for Andrew Bogut.

While Roy would be an outstanding mentor for Thompson, he’d find himself spending more time teaching than winning.

Even if Roy would accept less, he deserves more.

In his first four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, the 2-guard quickly became one of the most well-rounded scorers in the game. The No. 6 overall pick in the ’06 draft, if Roy returns in good form, he could potentially resurrect his career in much the same way Grant Hill has with the Phoenix Suns.

Ideally, that would be with a club on the way up, with genuine championship aspirations on the horizon.

The other LA team would seem to be a much better fit. The Clippers need a shooting guard, and Chris Paul was built to extend teammates’ careers. The franchise would certainly fit the profile of an up-and-coming contender, one Roy’s veteran leadership might put over the top.

Unless the right opportunity presents itself, Roy is better off staying put. Forcing a comeback prematurely might derail an otherwise promising encore performance from a player we’d all like to see in action again.

Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

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Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson Garnering Recognition: Fan Reaction (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 LA Lakers  No Responses »
May 232012
 

If there was one thing about the Golden State Warriors’ 2011-2012 season that truly disappointed me, it would be the fact that Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson was left out of the All-Star festivities – both the three-point competition and the rookie/sophomore game. He was a fantastic three-point shooter and on the year averaged .414 from beyond the arc. He also stepped into a starting role and contributed heavily after the departure of star player Monta Ellis. In the final 28 games of the season Thompson averaged 18.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.11 steals per game.

Golden State’s Klay Thompson Makes 2012 USA Men’s Select Team: Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 Golden State  No Responses »
May 222012
 

With just one NBA season under his belt, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has already established himself as one of the faces of the franchise. He has demonstrated that he can be an all-around scorer with his ability to attack the rim and spot up from the three-point line. In 66 games, Thompson averaged 12.5 points per game, but once Monta Ellis was traded to Milwaukee in March, he upped his scoring to 17.5 points per game in the final two months of the season. Given Thompson’s potential, he could easily improve in all areas.

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2012 NBA ‘Popeye’ Awards: Top 10 NBA Players Whose Teams Are Not in ’12 Playoffs

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Apr 302012
 

Sixteen of the NBA’s 30 teams are in the midst of the playoffs. For the other 14 teams and their players, the offseason has begun.

But for some of those players on teams that did not make the playoffs, we have a few awards to hand out.

In honor of Popeye Jones, who played in the NBA from 1993-2004, playing in 535 games but never playing in a playoff game, we present the First Annual Popeye Awards, given to the top 10 players in the NBA whose teams did not make the playoffs this season.

 

Kevin Love, Minnesota (Popeye Awards Player of the Year)

Averaged 26 ppg and 13.3 rpg, finishing in the top five in both categories (fourth in scoring, second in rebounds; the only player this year to finish in the top 10 in both categories).

Began the season with 15 straight double-doubles, had a career-high 51 points, missed final two games of season after suffering a concussion.

 

LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland

Top 10 scorer with 21.7 ppg, grabbed eight rebounds per game, shot a career-high 51.2 percent from the field, missed final two weeks of the season (will have surgery on hip during the offseason).

 

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento

Averaged 18.1 ppg and 11 rpg, had 36 double-doubles for the season, scored 84 points in last three games of the season, led Kings in points, rebounds, steals and blocked shots.

 

Monta Ellis, Golden State/Milwaukee

Traded from Golden State to Milwaukee in March deal, averaged 20.4 ppg and six apg for the season, scored a career-high 48 points in a February game, formed a high-scoring backcourt with fellow Popeye Award recipient Brandon Jennings.

 

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland

Averaged 185 ppg and 5.4 apg in his rookie season, was NBA Rookie of the Month in four months,  led Cavs in assists and was second on team with most points scored, shot 47 percent from the field, likely ROY for 2011-12.

 

Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee

Other half of current Bucks backcourt with Monta Ellis, averaged 19.1 ppg and 5.5 apg, increased his points, minutes played, assists and shooting percentage for third straight season, led Bucks in most points, steals and assists.

 

David Lee, Golden State

Season ended early with abdominal injury, averaged 20. 1 ppg and 9.6 rpg, led Warriors in both categories, made over 50 percent of his field goals for the seventh straight season.

 

Greg Monroe, Detroit

Averaged 15.4 ppg and 9.7 rpg, leading team in both stats, led team in steals, had 30 double-doubles, most for the Pistons since 2003-04, strong candidate for league’s Most Improved Player Award.

 

John Wall, Washington

Averaged 16.3 ppg and eight assists per game, the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 draft, led Wizards in minutes played, points, steals, assists and third in total rebounds.

 

Deron Williams, New Jersey

One of the top point guards in the league, averaged 21 ppg and 8.7 apg, had a career-high 57 points in March contest, All-Star selection for third straight year, led team in points scored, assists and most three-pointers made.

 

Honorable Mention

Andre Bargnani, Toronto; Marcin Gortat, Phoenix; Kris Humphries, New Jersey

Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp

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Golden State Warriors’ Dismal Season Made Slightly Better After Draft Tiebreakers: Fan Breakdown (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 LA Clippers  No Responses »
Apr 282012
 

I’ll be the first to admit the Golden State Warriors have looked pretty horrific the last 20 years. Aside from a couple of playoff appearances, the Warriors really have nothing to show for the efforts put forth by the team year in and year out. The 2012 NBA season was no different for a team that played with a rookie head coach and without stars Stephen Curry, who they lost to numerous injuries, and Monta Ellis, who was traded by the team for injured center Andrew Bogut late in the year. …

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