Golden State Warriors: The Difference This Season

It has not been the easiest start to the 2011-12 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors. Three games in four nights, and all of them against teams penciled into the NBA playoffs before the season began.

However, Golden State played tough in a loss against a hyped Los Angeles Clippers team on Christmas night, then dominated both the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks -- two Eastern Conference powerhouses.

So what do we make of this Warriors team led by Mark Jackson, Mike Malone and Monta Ellis so far?

They're not bad, to start.

In fact, we can argue the Warriors are one of the better teams in the NBA by how well they have played through the first three games of the season. Of course, they have not left Oracle Arena yet, so there is still a little left undiscovered.

What we do know is that this team can contend with the best. They are doing that by playing improved defense, the traditional electric offense and, most of all, a bench filled with depth.

The depth on the bench is the reason Golden State is a thrill to watch thus far and the difference in how they play on the court compared to recent seasons.

No more Vladimir Radmanovich, Jeremy Lin or Acie Law. Give me Dominic McGuire, Brandon Rush and Kwame Brown.

In the past, we saw the "filler roles" they put into the hands of Radmanovich or "insert player name here." Joe Lacob, Mark Jackson & Co. are acquiring players with meaning, not just players to fill a few minutes before Ellis and Curry get their breaths back.

McGuire shut down Carmelo Anthony on Wednesday night, Rush put up 19 points against the Knicks in just 26 minutes and Kwame Brown put up respectable rebounding numbers against both Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah.

Yes.....Brown. For how many people were shouting down that acquisition, he is still 6'11" and 270 pounds. I am pretty sure the Warriors can find a role for him.

And Brown is exactly what this Golden State team is all about so far: Players with a specialty and succeeding in that respective part of the game.

Brown rebounds, McGuire guards the prototypical 6'7"-6'9" small forward, Ish Smith plays for his next contract and Rush can score.

Leave everything else up to the starters, who are fulfilling their roles, as well. But the sole reason the Warriors have been impressive thus far this season is because they can rely on their bench to produce when called upon.

It is a luxury Golden State has not had in awhile, and it is thanks to careful planning and managing from the Warriors' front office that has the team from Oakland looking ahead to bigger and better things in 2012.

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Report: Oakland A's Granted Permission by MLB to Move to San Jose

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted this morning that the MLB is very much leaning towards allowing the Oakland A's to move to San Jose, overriding the San Francisco Giants' territorial rights to Santa Clara County that the team has had since the 1990's.

This is the potential first step of a two-step program in getting the A's to San Jose, as the team reportedly prefers.

Mayor of Oakland, Jean Quan, is adamant in her stance to keep the A's - and the Warriors for that matter - in Oakland, and even went as far as to propose a location for a future A's ballpark near Jack London Square along the water.

The City of San Jose has made great strides in securing a professional sports team in their city over the past few years. They bought land in downtown San Jose for over $25 million, and have offered it to the A's for just under $7 million - obviously settling for a loss now in return for a substantial gain in the future. This has caused an uproar among some groups in San Jose, which created several Anti-A's Ballpark movements in the city.

With the MLB reportedly allowing the A's to move to San Jose, the last step is a city vote of whether or not the area would like a professional baseball team.

The MLB's announcement of approval is set for February 2012, which should set up the San Jose vote for early Summer 2012.

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San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks Preview & Prediction

If you claimed at the beginning of the season that going into Week 16 the NFC West would be one of the more hotter and potentially dangerous divisions in the NFL, someone would have slapped some sense into you several times over. However, the 49ers, Seahawks and Cardinals are arguably on the NFL's list of teams playing the best football around.

Both Seattle and Arizona have won five of their last six games heading into Week 16, and both are sitting at 7-7 on the season. In any other year in the NFC West, this record would have been leading to a division title. Then again, who saw San Francisco going 11-3 and meandering into a first round bye?

Not you.

So the Week 16 match-up between the 49ers and Seahawks suddenly becomes interesting, as the red hot Cardinals knocked off the 49ers two weeks ago, and equally hot, if not hotter, Seattle may pose an even more potent threat to the 49ers' chances of that first round bye.

Out of nowhere, the Seahawks have a good running game, young and talented defense and a quarterback that is managing a pretty decent game these days.

Well done, Pete Carroll?

However, the best thing about this 49ers' team is the fact that while previewing these games, we can always count on one thing: San Francisco's opponent will not be able to run the ball.

It is near a fact these days.

Also, for every young and talented defensive player Seattle seems to boast these days, San Francisco has two....and Aldon Smith.

The 49ers/Seahawks clash in Seattle will be as physical a test as San Francisco has seen all season. Add in that Seattle's stadium is the loudest the NFL has to offer, and we have a real even match-up on our hands.

X-Factor

Both Tarvaris Jackson and Alex Smith will manage the game effectively, as has been the case over the last few weeks. The same goes for Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch, who will both be held severely in check in this week's game. But the game will ultimately come down to the defense, most notably the game of turnovers.

Both defenses can create turnovers, and it will be the defense that creates the most that will win this game. The noise created in the stadium will be huge for the Seattle defense and should create more opportunities for them. However, San Francisco's relentless pressure at the quarterback is always a turnover threat these days.

Prediction

With the game ultimately coming down to the defenses, it would be fitting to suggest that the game equally holds its own on field position. No team in the NFL is better at creating the field position game better than the 49ers, and with a presumedly low-scoring fest, we should see Andy Lee win another Special Teams Players of the Week Award.

49ers win 20-13

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5 New Year's Resolutions for the San Jose Sharks

For what it is worth, the San Jose Sharks 2011-12 season has not gone according to plan, to say the least. New players and lousy play in many aspects of the game have caused inconsistency in the win column for a team that was supposed to breeze through another regular season unscathed.

However, the missing pieces that seemed to fit the proverbial puzzle have not paid as many dividends as, say, the Minnesota Wild, who are currently one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Laxidasical special teams play may be the biggest weakness of the Sharks this season, an aspect of their game that many teams have preyed on throughout thus far, yet San Jose's record of 17-10-3 seems just about right for how they have played. But still not up to par in comparison to the tradition of above average regular season play.

The Sharks have a lot of work to do and the new year should be just what they need in terms of advancing their game to the next level and preparing for the Western Conference playoffs.

Here are five New Year's resolutions for the San Jose Sharks.



5. Better Penalty Kill

We will knock out the easy one first and there is not much more to say than the Sharks' penalty kill is terrible. At times, it can be durable, but the majority of this season has been spent on figuring out what is and is not working when down a player. Most of the time, nothing has been working.

Puck awareness can be partly blamed for the NHL's 29th ranked penalty kill, although that is such a generic term to sum up awful efforts on the defensive end this season. The Sharks have stopped the opposing team's power play 73% of the time this season. Simply not good enough.



4. The Big Guns

Take a look at the Sharks' team leaders in each statistical category this season and you may not find Patrick Marleau atop any of them. Marleau has been simply average this season, something he is not and should not be.

What you will find is decent numbers from a list of decent players.

Joe Thornton's numbers are the only ones that may ignite awe from some people. 6 goals and 20 assists, while leading the team in points is a feat for Thornton, but not many come close after him.

The numbers are just mediocre from a team that is so much more and needs to prove that going forward.



3. More Consistent Power Play

Unfortunately for the Sharks, their awful penalty kill has not been saved by a historically good power play this season. The Sharks currently rank 13th in power play conversions at 17.9%.

The days of Thornton, Marleau and Heatley are over, and with it the thoughts of drawing a penalty leading to an automatic goal.

New players and little chemistry can take part of the blame for a team usually built around such a thing. Thornton, more than anyone, needs the chemistry and Marleau's play has simply not been there to satisfy that for him.

More time on the ice and more time together should solve that for a team with unlimited potential on the power play.



2. Team Chemistry.

Out with Setoguchi and Heatley and in with Burns and Havlat. However, the trade has seemed to work out substantially better for the Wild as of late.

Chemistry has been hit hard for San Jose as losing Heatley's attitude and Setoguchi's playfulness has seemed to take more of a toll on this team than we initially thought. Still, the team added Havlat to a finesse group of forwards and Burns to a talented group of defensemen.

What gives?

The pieces are there, it is just putting them together that is the problem. Havlat has been limited on the ice so far this season, which can take most of the blame for the team not being able to get used to this new playing style they unknowingly acquired in the offseason. I will chalk the chemistry issue up to just that, though.



1. Better Play From Martin Havlat

He has been on and off the injury list this season, just as the Sharks probably expected. But it turns out San Jose needs him a whole lot if they are to make a run in the Western Conference.

The loss of Heatley and Setoguchi hurt this team, but getting little to no production from Havlat for several reasons only hurts this team more in return. Havlat has just two goals and 13 assists in 26 games this season.

The production is not what is hurting this team, although it may directly affect them. The time with a consistent set of players is, though. The Sharks players getting used to Havlat and his habits, as well as Havlat getting used to theirs, is the biggest issue for this situation to get resolved. That is hard to acquire in itself, let alone when coach Todd McLellan is attempting to find a different group of players that work together nearly every night.

Havlat's play will come around, but only if given time. Right now, San Jose does not have that time, though. So we sit and wait and watch this team attempt to evolve into a Western Conference elite.

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San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Preview & Prediction

It is tough to say, but in some ways, the Week 15 match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers is the San Francisco 49ers' biggest game of the 2011 NFL season.

There are several explanations for this. The game is being played on Monday Night Football with an entire nation watching a top 3 team in the AFC play a top 3 team in the NFC, and the 49ers are just coming off a loss to a determined Arizona Cardinals team.

More than anything, Monday's night's game on ESPN is a statement game for the 49ers. It is their chance to prove themselves to be one of the better teams in the NFL. After the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Ravens and a trap game loss in Arizona, that is not so certain anymore.

Monday night's test at home against the AFC powerhouse is the 49ers' chance to prove to NFL nation that they are a real contender in the NFC playoffs.

As for the game itself, the lack of James Harrison at linebacker and a hurting Ben Roethlisberger are not what Pittsburgh was hoping for, I'm sure. However, we can expect Roethlisberger to have that same in-game tenacity we have always seen out of him, although the plan of attack for the 49ers will be to get him to the ground early and often.

The 49ers are coming off a few straight games where offense has been a clear weakness. Alex Smith has done his best throughout the season, but it seems the more Harbaugh trusts the 2005 1st round draft pick the more he seems to fail under the circumstances. He has not been up to par as he has been this season.

Monday night, he will have to contend with one of the more experienced defenses in the NFL and an even more tenacious and experienced defensive coordinator in Dick LeBeau, who will be eager to blitz Smith heavily on the national stage.




X-Factor

Alex Smith is the clear x-factor in Monday night's game against the Steelers. Can Smith manage the game effectively?

We will see.

Like i said, LeBeau and the Steelers will be as blitz-heavy as any team Smith and the 49ers have seen this season. How the San Francisco offensive line and Smith react early will give us a clear indication of how prepared they were for Pittsburgh.




Prediction

Being at home is a huge advantage for the 49ers and a loud fan base should come forward for Monday Night Football.

However, it is possible the Steelers' defense could be just a bit too much for a 49ers team struggling to convince many that they are legitimate. San Francisco must make a statement in this game against one of the AFC's elite, but LeBeau and the Pittsburgh defense should be able to take advantage of the weaker points of that 49ers offensive line on Monday. With that said, Smith and the 49ers' offense must take advantage of the absence of James Harrison, and i think they will.

49ers win 24-16

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San Francisco 49ers' New Stadium in Santa Clara: News, Update and Predictions

While the Oakland A's and Golden State Warriors' potential moves out of Oakland are mere speculation and far from final, the San Francisco 49ers' move to Santa Clara is as serious as it gets. It only received an added boost on Wednesday.

Let's call it an all but done deal.

With that said, give yourself an extra allotted amount of time to get to the game and contain your excitement when you see this state of the art facility that will make Candlestick Park look like, well, Candlestick Park.

On Wednesday, the Santa Clara City Council unanimously voted to "endorse and fund" a $1 billion stadium in the South Bay (Cowboys Stadium cost $1.15 billion). The stadium will be located on the majority of the Great America parking lot just off of Highway 101.

For how long this deal has been in the works, it is amazing how the City of Santa Clara just now stacked their approval behind it. The City of San Jose has taken a similar but ultimately different route in acquiring a professional sports team in their city.

However, there are still more hoops to jump through for the 49ers' stadium to get "the go" on breaking ground, although i believe the quote from Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews on Wednesday said it best: "Tonight, we got a virtual shovel in the ground."

Matthews is convinced this is a done deal, and if the NFL agree as well, then the dream many years ago becomes that perfect reality for this team in dire need of a stadium to house their future success.

According to Mike Rosenberg of the San Jose Mercury News, there are two factors that will decide whether construction will actually begin.

The list of banks behind the loan of the $850 million needed to fund the $1 billion stadium will not commit to financing the stadium until the NFL gives the project the thumbs up. The NFL was scheduled to meet Wednesday, but no vote was scheduled to be taken.

Rosenberg said the NFL is expected to approve the stadium plan, but the 49ers are competing with several other teams for the league's money on the stadium, so not all is solid in stone.

If the 49ers building a $1 billion stadium is not enough to sway the masses, the fact it will be completed by 2014 should put many over the edge in terms of approval. Few are against this move for the 49ers anyways.

How could anyone not be for this move, though?

The team will now be closer to the 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara, the stadium plan looks incredible and the venue will be Super Bowl worthy with 75,000 seats. It will house this next chapter of 49ers football led by Jim Harbaugh.

To many, Candlestick Park was Montana, Rice, Young, DeBartolo, Walsh, etc. The stadium in Santa Clara could potentially be Harbaugh, Willis and whoever else wants to be a part of greatness in the years to come.

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Golden State Warriors' New Arena in San Francisco: News, Update and Predictions

If there is one thing we should know about relatively new Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, it is that he means business.

Since taking over the team from the cold, dead clutch of former owner Chris Cohan in 2010, he has fired Don Nelson, replaced him with Keith Smart, replaced him with Mark Jackson, acquired David Lee, added a couple good draft picks and rid this franchise of the bad mojo it had carried for decades.

Now, Lacob is onto something else.

He and several others from the Warriors organization met with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and reps from the San Francisco Giants organization last week and talked about a possible move from Oakland to San Francisco for the Warriors before the 2017-18 season. Mayor Lee organized the meeting.

To be more specific, the City of San Francisco wants the Warriors to build near AT&T Park, not the other way around.

Genius.

The Warriors, who call the 40-year-old Oracle Arena their home, have been rumored to be in the market for a new arena for some time now. Oracle Arena is currently the oldest venue still in use by the NBA, although the arena did undergo a renovation that lasted about a year in 1997.

This is the second occurrence of a Bay Area professional team looking to leave the City of Oakland for greener pastures in the last few years. The Oakland A's have seemed determined to leave the Oakland Coliseum for San Jose for the past year now.

Of course, there are people against this move for the Warriors, and it happens to be the same person attempting to stop the A's from leaving Oakland. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan has been adamant in her stance to now allow both the A's and Warriors to leave Oakland. Quan, who is in the middle of a potential recall for her job by the City of Oakland, has claimed there are plans to build a new stadium for the A's near Oakland's Jack London Square by 2016.

However, it is tough to stop a train in its tracks, and the Giants and Warriors are two trains heading fast in the right direction as of late. A partnership between the two only fuels the fire.

Even worse for the City of Oakland, Larry Baer and Joe Lacob & Co. are two owners making moves with their respective teams. They are two determined men willing to spend the money to make their franchise better. Having them work together is almost a guarantee this move will happen.

The move of the Warriors to San Francisco will happen. The timespan of their potential move is not evident yet, but the move seems too perfect with the right decision-makers at the helm for it not to happen.

Golden State President Rick Welts mentioned that the potential spot for the Warriors' new arena in San Francisco would be very close to the Giants' AT&T Park.

In 2010, the Giants organization was looking into a possibility to join the Warriors organization in a partnership between the two Bay Area teams, so there has been a good amount of discussion.

Even more, the SFGate.com reported in 2010 that the Giants "won a competitive process that gives them the right to negotiate with the Port of San Francisco to develop 27 acres of port-owned land in the Mission Bay project south of the baseball stadium."

No word on how those talks are going these days.

With the amount of firepower behind this move of the Warriors to San Francisco, it is hard not seeing a move like this getting done. Lacob has said he wants change in Golden State, and what better way than to move it out of Oakland?

Of course, the fan base in Oakland is what would hold this deal back. The Warriors draw a large audience nearly every night with a die-hard fan base simmering on the potential of this team making the playoffs. Now that the new ownership is willing to make moves for big players, interest in this team may be higher than ever.

For that reason, this move will be postponed for awhile.

The renovation of Oracle Arena in 1997 bought this team some time in terms of having to build another arena. But make no mistake, if they build a new arena, it will be in San Francisco, given all the big players and influences in on this potential project from both teams.

I cannot see this move happening before 2015, but a relocation of the Warriors to San Francisco before 2020 is not impossible to imagine.

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