Player Focus: Hakim Warrick

In my last posting, I spotlighted Hakim Warrick of the Memphis Grizzlies as my sleeper. Since then, Warrick has still been coming off the bench and his stats have still been falling. Since the team has quite a few young forwards like Alexander Johnson (22 y.o.), Rudy Gay (19 y.o.), Lawrence Roberts (23 y.o.) plus Stromile Swift & Brian Cardinal, maybe it would be beneficial for Warrick move to another team. Two teams that I think might provide a better fit are the NO/Okla Hornets & the San Antonio Spurs.

The Hornets are a young up and coming team, with Chris Paul strong at PG, Tyson Chandler at Center and Desmond Mason at GF. They could use Warrick's athleticism and scoring ability in the forward spot. I think that he could go in as a starter and make an immediate impact. The Hornets need the extra help to compete in the Western Conf's toughest division.

If he went to the Spurs, he would have time to learn from guys like Tim Duncan & Robert Horry, two veteran champions that know how to win. The Spurs are one of the best teams in the league, but only have 3 players averaging double digit points (Duncan, Parker & Ginobili). Whether Warrick would come in as a starter or bencher, he would benefit from the experience & knowledge he would gain, and be ready to take over the star spot when Duncan retires down the line (kind of like when Duncan joined David Robinson back in '97).

I've been watching sales of his 05-06 SP Authentic Auto RC #'d 1299, and my theory seems to be true. So far this year, his SPA RC has sold for an average of $13.02 incl S&H (32.5% of BV) from 1/4 to 1/12, with one even selling for $9.27 incl S&H (23.2% of BV) on 1/12. I'm gonna be picking up as many of his Auto RC's as I can, targeting a % of BV of around 20-30%. If he starts playing more or gets traded into a better situation, they'll turn out to be a great investment!