We’ll Take It (Warriors 96, Spurs 84)
The Warriors finally found a way to beat the Spurs: make sure Tim Duncan is on the inactive list. Unfortunately, unless the Warriors plan on taking a page from Robert Horry’s playbook, Duncan will be back to confound the Ws next time the Spurs come to town. So, while the win is as believable as a Manu Ginobili flop when it comes to predicting our future success against the West’s best, I’ll take it. Despite conceding to the Spurs pace, the Warriors gutted out a win with solid team defense and a few big performances. It’s not a complete answer, but it’s a start.
Don’t mistake the Spurs without Duncan for anything resembling the team with their star. The Warriors repeatedly ran a half-court set Tuesday night in which they posted up Baron Davis against Tony Parker, letting Baron back him down. The play was structured to draw a double team to Baron, freeing a Warrior on the perimeter, who would then have an open three pointer. It provided tons of easy looks for the Ws, many of which turned into points. With Duncan in the game, however, the play breaks down. Parker can let Baron roll right into the waiting arms of Duncan and his superior shot blocking. No perimeter player needs to drop down to provide help, allowing the Spurs to stick with our jump shooters. The result: Baron is left either to pound the ball aimlessly or get his floating lay-up sent into the second row. This is a roundabout way of saying that I’m thrilled we picked up a win Tuesday night, but it might as well have been against the Seattle Supersonics when it comes to testing our ability to beat the arch enemies of Nellieball.
My final word of caution before getting to what went right: this game — despite the a big lead for the Warriors for the middle two quarters — was much in doubt during the fourth. Only some minor heroics, discussed below, finally knocked the Spurs back on their heels with around 2 minutes to go. Prior to that, they were chipping away with increasing success at what once looked like an insurmountable lead, particularly given the low scoring nature of the game. Nelson said earlier this week that he’s a worrier right now when it comes to his team. Against crafty and well-coached opponents like the Spurs, the worrying is justified. The Warriors proved over the first 20 games that they can close out bad teams. They still haven’t demonstrated consistently that they can put down the above average ones.
Now, the good stuff:
Andris Biedrins - Despite only 18 minutes, Andris broke the game open for the Warriors early and helped them stabilize the lead late. We was his usual active self on defense and the boards, but his strongest push came at the offensive end. On a night when Baron and Monta seemed to forget that Duncan wasn’t down low guarding the rim, Andris repeatedly took it up strong from point blank range. His usual partner in crime, Jax, made sure to find him and, in the process, delivered one of the season’s prettiest passes. The game was a textbook example of how Andris has matured. He’s developed a great selection of quick moves once he catches the ball to shake his men. Like most good low post scorers, he doesn’t need to put the ball on the floor but can if the situation demands it. Finally, he knows how to use the rim to clear space and is athletic enough to execute the moves. We’re used to Andris’ efficiency on the glass, but no one scored at a better clip than his nearly point-a-minute rate. As a bounce-back game after a weak performance in LA, we couldn’t have asked for more.
Kelenna Azubuike - Nelson singled out Azubuike’s rebounding as the key indicator for whether he’s going to have a big offensive night. When Kelenna gets to the boards early, it means he’s being aggressive. Slashes to the rim usually follow. Against the Spurs, there were no repeats of his so-hard-it’ll-make-Chris-Kaman-bleed dunk, but he sunk his pretty four foot hook with comforting consistency. On a night when the rest of the guards played like Duncan was in the game, Kelenna seemed to respond to Nelson’s coaching, moving closer for higher percentage shots and mixing it up whenever possible for rebounds. After a brief dip in production a few weeks ago when his role changed, Kelenna once again seems to be the master of getting the Warriors good looks at the basket.
Team Defense - Although the Warriors looked predictably out of sorts at times playing the Spurs pace on offense, they adjusted to the grind-it-out defensive game quite well. Usually Matt Bonner’s huge night would be a sign that something failed with the defense. However, given that Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili shot a combined 9-28, it just shows how stingy the Warriors were with the Spurs’ preferred offensive threats. Both of the Spurs’ stars live off slashes down the lane. Through solid on-the-ball defense by Monta, Baron, and Jackson, combined with nice help defense at the basket and along the baseline by Barnes, Harrington, and Pietrus, the Warriors bottled up the Spurs’ usual flow. Without Duncan to hit that soulless 10-foot bank shot from the corner, there weren’t many other options left. Bonner burned the Warriors from outside, but his success was a sign of the Spurs’ desperation.
Matt Barnes - His game was so quiet that I almost forgot to include him in this list. That would have been a mistake. If Barnes is looking to earn extra money this season he should write a book called “How to Win Friends and Influence People in Your Contract Year.” While Pietrus continues to force things with meager results, Barnes has let the game come to him, done the dirty work, and is increasingly rewarded. His efforts have landed him back in the starting line-up, where Tuesday night he dropped 16 quiet but crucial points. In the second half he continually passed up marginally open three point looks off of passes from Baron in the post. While his hesitation may have been frustrating for fans, it showed a self-awareness by Barnes that there might be better options on a night when he wasn’t necessarily feeling it from deep and no shot blocker was patrolling the key. Beyond his offensive game, the 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks fill up the stat sheet nicely. It takes extra effort to beat smart teams like the Spurs, even when they’re not a full strength. Barnes provided the final push the Warriors needed.
Don Nelson - With the game hanging right around 10 points with under 4 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Nelson made his checkmate move against his close friend / fellow coaching luminary Gregg Popovich. Mickael Pietrus comes in for Andris Biedrins, shifting Matt Barnes to center, MP to power forward, Jackson to 3, Azubuike to 2, and Baron to 1. The Warriors had been beaten up on the boards earlier, but Nelson took the calculated risk that his smaller line-up could fight for boards against bigger guys while providing a significant speed advantage on both defense and offense. The gamble worked, thanks to some clutch veteran play. Stephen Jackson tore down a rebound in traffic off a missed Manu three pointer and got fouled while wrestling it away from two Spurs. Next up was Matt Barnes, going high for another in-traffic rebound off a missed Finley three despite painful finger injuries on both hands. The Warriors’ front line wasn’t bigger than the Spurs’ line-up, but it was tougher. And while toughness can’t always make up the difference (as we learned against the Jazz last year), it was good enough against Matt Bonner and Fabricio Oberto.
What do the Warriors get for all their hard work? A road game against the surging Blazers 24 hours later. The turnaround is so fast that the team’s kicked-by-Bowen bruises might not be fully black and blue by tip-off. For something set months in advance, the NBA schedule is frustratingly unpredictable. Tuesday night’s game was easier than it should have been. Wednesday night’s game will be harder.
Fantastic analysis! I especially appreciate that you’ve pointed out how Nellie used small ball, despite Andris having a great night, to put away the Spurs in the fourth quarter. The moves started early and it was a joy watching great friends Nellie and Pop go back and forth all night long.
In the first quarter, with the Spurs up, Kelenna was subbed in and posted up Parker for an easy two. Pop immediately called time out and adjusted the defense. The next time down, Kelenna posted up Parker again but the Spur post player (Elson I think) came over to double him and killed the play. At the next dead ball, Nellie subbed Andris back in the game. Next time down, they post up Kelenna against Parker a third time, Oberto doubles Kelenna, and Kelenna hits Andris, who rolled to the basket when Oberto left him, for an easy lay-up.
You just know Pop and Nellie already know exactly what the other guy is thinking before he even makes his move. Too bad the next time we play them they get to use the ultimate chess piece…the Duncan.
The 4th quarter made me a little nervous. The Spurs are a different team without Duncan, but they are still not that bad of a team. The Duncanless Spurs has beaten very good team in Dallas and Utah. If the Warriors were to play sloppy tonight the Spurs would’ve easily beaten the Warriors. I credit this win to shutting down Manu and Parker. The Warriors did a fantastic job of defending these two guys. Even with Duncan in the line-up, if the Warriors are able to hold Manu and Parker to sub-par performances, the Warriors can beat the Spurs. This was a fantastic win considering the poor performance against LA on Sunday.
Really nice write up that didn’t forget the essence of Duncan but still congratulated our hard effort.
So does that make Duncan the Queen? Queen Duncan? I always thought it was King Duncan. But he dies anyway.
Is there any name in the NBA that makes you laugh as much as Fabricio Oberto? I think not. HILARIOUS!! As a Sicilian Italian, I love it.
Matt Barnes is so underrated it’s unbelievable. As a man totally comfortable with his sexuality I can say without hesitation that “I love you Matt Barnes”.
Go Dubs!! I STILL Believe!!
OakFoSho
yes, definitely get tony.psd over at GSOM to make that shirt! i’d buy it: “I love you Matt Barnes” with the old mohawk and believe tattoo-perfect!
From one team without it’s star center to another. Portland will be without LaMarcus Aldridge which should definately work to our advantage. December is a tough month, schedule wise for us. We’ll take any gifts available.
What would be even sweeter is if Duncan returns Thursday to lay the smack down on the Lakers. That would be awesome!(especially since his lazy arse is on my fantasy team)
Great victory, albeit without Duncan, but Parker and Ginobli are All Stars in their own right so it was still very well done. This Warrior team is showing something I don’t ever think I’ve seen in a Warrior team, consistency. Since the return of Jax, they’ve beaten all the teams they’re supposed to and only lose the games we expect them to lose, which are few and far between. Great to see that last year wasn’t a fluke and our squad is definately something to be reckoned with this year(barring injury) and for years to come.
“On Thursday, Barnes will surprise 15 needy kids with a shopping spree at Adidas in San Francisco.” espn.com
Great game, great guy, True Blue Warrior.
One of the small things that I noticed whithin a great team defensive effort was that the W’s stayed down on pump fakes, especially with Ginobli. I think that it cut down on the spurs going to the line and also them slowing down the game. In fact, it led to turnovers. This is a smart change if it was coached that way.
The other thing I noticed is an extension on what I posted in the last column. Team effort versus individual effort. I believe that if a team is going to end up with 2 points with a possession, that it is generally better when the whole team is involved versus a star doing it on individual effort. Jax’s touch passes on a fast break or over the head to AB is much more enjoyable than a great play by one person as the others stand around.
I get excited when the team plays as a team moreso than when they play as individuals. Team efforts are more sustainable than single players that feel compelled to pick up the team themselves. As much as anybody, I get a thrill out of watching an individual effort, it’s just that I prefer watching team ball.
Also, I think with more players responsible for the success (offense or defense) it creates a broader self belief while taking some pressure off of our stars.
I’m hoping that Nellie ball morphs into including more of this kind of mind set, because the skill’s needed are the same that are already there. I know team ball is already there, I’m just looking for more.
Charlie
Just
I believe. I believe we are witnessing a revolution in Bay Area sport as profound as Eddie D and Bill Walsh taking over the Niners and Joe Montana and Jerry Rice rising. I believe this team is favored by the gods and destined for more than one Larry O’Brien trophy.
Yeah, okay, The Duncan weaseled out of this showdown, but I believe this team will find a solution for him, Carlos Broozer, and any other tough guys it may encounter. I believe we have not yet seen their best, but we will. We will…
The Spurs are a dirty team — obviously coached that way (did the Barry hip-check on BD remind anyone else of what these punks did to Nash in the playoffs last year?), but this team, unlike Warrior teams of the recent past, ain’t having it. Go ahead, mug Baron. Matt Barnes sees, and remembers. And Oberto will get his.
The hard core of this team is made up of Warriors, who will fight you with weapons of your choice, and defeat you. Damn, this is fun to watch! I’m-a get me a Stephen Jackson jersey today. Stephen Jackson, cold-blooded assassin. My girl wants a Biedrins jersey. She says he has “soft hands.” Hmmm…
I would like to come up with some constructive criticism, but I’ve never seen anything like this, and I wouldn’t know where to start. So I’m just going to enjoy the ride, and glory in the end of the boring, half-court, fouling basketball that has dominated the Association in recent years. Every time they get a turnover, or a rebound, I half-lunge toward the screen and yell “Run!” and, every time, they do.
Go Warriors!
We believe Championship!
oh– and Ronnie Lott… mustn’t forget Ronnie. As Lawrence Taylor said in “Any Given Sunday”: “in this game, there is an offense and a defense! Respect will be paid!”
Yeah my cautiously optimistic self tells me to hold back expectations and to expect the cruel hand of reality eventually to strike me in the head but I honestly can’t help it. I literally LOVE this team, more than my girlfriend even.
This group of guys are just a joy to watch because they truly are a team who seem to genuinely like to play together, and to play and represent the Bay. We’ll still have our ups and downs but the overall personality and character of this team is not of a professional sports franchise, it’s of a brotherhood of misfits who’ve formed an allegience and pledge to bring the Bay Area it’s first O’Brien Trophy in nearly thirty years or die trying. I
It may be lighting in a bottle with the uncertainty of guaranteed contracts next year but buyer beware of anyone willing to get in the vicinity of this lighting. Cause it’ll light you up faster than a Nellie cigar.
Charlie/Post #8…
Very well said…I think the Dubs should post your post in their lockerroom. It’s definitely more gratifying to see the total team success than just the individual…plus I think it leads to more consistent play.
Great analysis as usual Adam, do you ever sleep? May I add to your Kelenna comments, that his defensive effort was extraordinary. I think he should complete with Jax for your “2nd Quarter” awards as top defensive player.
Great write up. My only add on comment I would expand on is concerning the defense on Parker. It may be more difficult with Duncan in the game but a number of players really took away his cuts to the basket after he started the game getting to the rim or a short jumper every time down. Last year’s team did not man up this well.
This game showed one of the reasons MP gets PT. A few times the defensive shifts required MP to guard Parker who tried to go right at MP and each time he cut him off as well or better than any of the W’s guards. He really did some good things off the ball. One of his 3 point attempts was awful and he had an ill advised reach in, but he really was huge part of the team defense effort.
Did anyone see a replay of Barry’s foul on Baron when he ducked and Baron went over him? Boy It sure looked like it had an intent to hurt Baron. That said, Barry is the one Spur who would least likely pull that stunt. The ref seem to have an explanation to Nellie that appeased him. It just looked bad.
I live in Florida, and I just bought NBA League Pass because I couldn’t take not watching all the Warriors games. Last night was my FSN Bay Area telecast and I am already satisfied with spending the $180. The Warriors are truly a special team, and if they can avoid injuries and keep playing like this all season, who knows how far they’ll go and how fun it’ll be?
League Pass? Is that how you watch the games, or how the Spurs get more FTs and less PFs against everybody, even when they’re on the road?*
Oh I mean “thank you Tim Duncan for being a meticulous healer”.
“Soulless 10-foot bank shot”: snicker like Mutley for reals, stirring oatmeal for sure (gots some rings because of it though too). Ha! I like TD; seems real down to earth and island living like, but damn sometimes his game can be like watching corn grow.
* I condone no NBA conspiracy theories; I know nothing, I see nothing, I think nothing, comrades.
I thought that Nelson made it a lot harder on the team than it had to be by playing Andris such limited minutes. A couple of times the Warriors were really stagnant on offense, Andris came in, and suddenly there was movement, the one-on-one mostly stopped, and the team got going. Then when Nellie pulled Andris after a ridiculously short time, the good offense continued because with him in there it had become a team game again. It was almost as if his ego wouldn’t let him play a conventional lineup against a relatively small team because it hurt his mad scientist credentials. Andris scored quickly and pulled in a lot of rebounds in a short time, the offense ran better with him in there, the defense was obviously better, so it made no sense to not play him to the max.
Another back up big man posts a career night against the W’s. 2nd tier big men must be highlighting their calendars all across the league for when their teams play the W’s with “career night potential. Reminder to get extra tickets for all friends and family to this one” Our inability to defend even 2nd tier big men is a concern to me looking toward the playoffs, especially with our 2nd best young bigs BW and POB getting zero PT and development now that might prepare them to contribute later.
Personally, I may be the only one that thinks it was a big mistake not to start with AB, and not to get him more minutes. He was an answer to SA’s bigs both offensively and defensively. Why not give him a chance to dominate a game when the other teams great big is out? I really didn’t see the advantage of not starting him, and still don’t. I think coach Nelson outsmarted himself. If you’re going to exploit match ups, I’ll take AB over SA’s 2nd tier bigs any night.
#19 ChuckC
Marcus Thompson just posted a nice piece on Andris coming off the bench that answers your question nicely. To summerize: He picks up early fouls when he starts, he doesn’t when he comes off the bench.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2007/12/11/beans-off-the-bench/
What that doesn’t cover is the affect it has on Harrington. I haven’t checked the stats to back this up but Harrington plays better when he starts.
Wilson,
Stop complaining
Nelson wants to win now with his patented small-ball approach. He also wants to be the coach with the most wins and does not have a ring, and he also wants to the Ws to pick up his contract next season. Or, maybe he will re-negotiate if we make it pass 2nd round.
Guys, do not attack me, just having a little fun
ChuckC, I am with you on the POB situation. Bell’s confident is gone as well as his jump shots. I am praying BW is holding up OK. They are playing scared…Someone please help!!!
Just Puked.
AB picks up early fouls when he is matched up against quality big men and the other team trys to take advantage of the size descrepency between their bigs and AB. Shaq, Boozer, Duncan etc will be posted up against AB consistently early in a game, and he will tend to pick up fouls as he is not big enough to keep them out.
It has nothting to do with starting and not starting, that is an interesting theory but not one I agree with.
I don’t agree at all that AB should not be a starter.
The solution to that problem would be to develop and use other bigs to guard their bigs early (POB, Mbenga, possibly AH) so that all the low post action and defense isn’t focused solely on AB’s shoulders.
Believe what you wish. It keeps working and the team keeps winning. That’s a hell of an argument.
As for the overly optimistic, to paraphrase The Wolf: Well, let’s not start sucking each other’s warm cockles just yet.
Did the absence of Duncan not register? I know we beat the Spurs but this is NOT the same team that wins championships and habitually dominates the Warriors if it doesn’t have the Big ATM soullessly banking daggers, anchoring the league’s best defense, collecting fouls against and vacuuming rebounds like roomba.
I’ll gladly take the win…but it doesn’t prove anything. We travel to Texas soon enough to face the Spurs, potentially at full strength. Until then, let’s just consider this an early “Holiday” gift and not go deluding ourselves that we’ve laid some kind of smack down on the Texan Decepticons.
“Nellie used small ball, despite Andris having a great night” —yeah, and it almost costed us the game for crying out loud!!! Question is, why? After ye yanked beans when they were up by 21, The Spurs made the comeback. I bet you Pops was telling his troops to “fight for every rebound and let those Loons chuck as many three ’s as they want! The odds are against them! They can’t hit the the threes”. And sure enough, the lead dwindled down to 9! Nelly is giving me a high blood pressure just by the way he coaches!!!
Every Dubs game should come with a “WARNING” or “CAUTION: WATCHING THE WARRIORS CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HELTH” label.
Dubs Nation - One Love
Regarding Andris playing just 18 minutes, perhaps Nellie was conserving him for tonight against Portland. A lot of players contributed last night and they didn’t really need heavy minutes from Andris. Bonner had a career night but the other Spurs stunk.
That game was an early Christmas present thanks to Duncan’s injury.
I’m hoping for a win tonight in the City of Roses. This might be tougher than it looks.
Great win for W’s. For me any game Ws win is an entertaining game. The team looks more matured, probably because they have played more games together.
Bench production is still a major concern. Troy Hudson still can’t buy a bucket and MP is fast buying ticket out of town with his inconsistent play. I don’t mind MP’s scoring but his rebounding numbers has to be better. If he is tentative because of nose injury, Nelson may sit him out and try Bellinelli and Wright for more mins. I am giving up on Troy Hudson, may be we can sign Earl Boykins, he sure will give us couple of jumpers when Baron Davis sits out.
Mr. Mully,
Can we sign Earl Boykins ??
I’m not being overly optimistic. Just professing my love for the team. We may make the playoffs, we may not. We might steal a couple rounds, we may not. I know we’re not better than the Spurs and they beat us 9-10 times with Duncan. That being said, I still enjoyed the bejeebies out of last nights win.
What I am professing is that this is an exciting, fun team to watch with a bunch of scrappers you enjoy rooting for. Win or lose you know these guys are giving their all which will lead to more wins than not.
Today I am immune to the constant, habitual complaining about coaching and PT because I am basking in the glow of a team that personifies the East Bay’s never say die attitude.
Earl Boykins is a miniature Kevin Willis; aka the black hole. Dribbles and shoots too much, is a defensive liability, doesn’t distribute the rock, and is asking for alot of money. Overall not a Nellie Ball player.
Remember last season’s coming out for Beans? Yep. It was against Duncan. I recall a tired TD getting blocked and flustered against the as-of-yet-unknown-outside-the-Bay Biedrins the entire fourth quarter. I love Beans and, yeah, seemed like he should’ve gotten more run against the Spurs, but as Valr said, maybe Nellie was saving Beans for tonight. Sure Matt Bonner went nuts, but that’s because the Dubs took Parker & Ginobli off their game. Without TD and those guys, who’s scoring? Bonner, that’s who. Another night, maybe Francisco Elson goes off. Who cares?
The Spurs committed 21 turnovers. TWENTY ONE. That’s amazing. They’re such a disciplined, intelligent team and they were flustered by the speed and tenacity of the Warriors. Bonner’s career night is far, far less important that Parker & Manu’s nights, which were terrible thanks to a Warriors team that simply bothers and wears down opponents. Non-stop & tenacious. It’s beautiful to watch.
Azubuike is starting to post-up more a la JRich. That’s another play that Nellie can exploit. Kelenna is stronger than a lot of opposing guards. He’s got good vision too. That assist to Biedrins under the basket was sweet.
“Today I am immune to the constant, habitual complaining about coaching and PT because I am basking in the glow of a team that personifies the East Bay’s never say die attitude”
I’m Hella with you on that.
Cheers De Peace!
Another win for the Warriors! I don’t take anything for granted in sports. Maybe we would have won even if Duncan played - even Tim has bad games. Certainly, we could have lost. Remember, the Clippers beat us during Captain Jack’s suspension without Brand and Livingston, and with Cassell hobbling.
Primary credit has to go to the team effort on defense and the glass. Including team rebounds, we actually broke even on the boards. We did not have a good night on offense. We still managed to get points when we needed them, never letting them back in the game after the 2nd quarter.
It’s also great to pick up a win on another poor shooting night for Baron, while also giving him a little time on the bench (34 minutes playing time). Jackson and Azubuike were the only players over 40 minutes, so hopefully the team will be ready to go tonight. BD (and SJ) should be about due to get hot after suffering through a mini-slump.
I noticed SA gave 10 guys at least 10 minutes. Reasons why they can play this as a developmental game: 1) they’re not worried about making the play-offs, 2) a very veteran team - they need to give players more rest, 3) a very veteran team - they can trust their bench more (the only active player with less than 10 minutes was Robert Horry, not a bad guy to have at the end of your bench), and 4) without TD and on the road, they can afford a loss (see #1).
Notice how Hudson kept trying to set up Croshere in the last couple of minutes? Nelson knows our best chance of expanding the rotation right now is if he can get these vets going. Both are coming off early-season injuries, but they’re both experienced, and play the positions we have the least useful depth.
Hopefully Monta will be able to play tonight. Portland is also completing a B2B, having won in Utah last night. They’ve won 4 straight. As pointed out above, Aldridge will not play. If we play our game, we should have a large edge in TOs, and should be able to hold our own on the boards, as well. Hopefully, we can get our offensive game going. We haven’t had a good shooting performance as a team since the Bucks game.
The thing about these Warriors is they are so unpredictable. That goes for Mullins and his trades, and his draft picks, to Nellie with his lineup changes and in game match-ups, to the players. You never know what you’re going to get and who is going to step up. Every game is different with a different cast of heroes. It makes for great theater. Watching SA or Houston would be like watching the same paint dry every night. Like Charlie and Mr.Mully commented, what a great cast of characters! After the boring banality that professional sports has largely become, these guys feel like a real team and a genuine part of the community. These guys are old school, with max effort, and a real sense of team. What a great ride so far this year.
Aint is great to see the team’s defense coming together before our eyes this season? Also they are becoming a decent rebounding team. And dare I say they look like they are even getting their free throw shooting trip together. We still have to find answers for big quick guys, and slow down offenses, but in an community of mostly disfunctional sports franchises, these guys are truly worth watching.
i would like FSN to start broadcasting Shark Attacks warning prior to each broadcast.
Warning: Watching the Warriors can be hazardous to your health!
In fact Cohan can print up and start selling those shirts and we, fans, can wear them like a badge of courage. Kinda like “I survived the drop zone” at Great America.
I can add that to my tri captain standard and throwback jersey collection…
ChuckC
Last nights game supports why a starter at center might be prone to more fouls (I am not generalizing - just last night’s game). In the first few minutes Parker got consistent penetration past his man into the paint and was able to go up strong to the basket. His pentration was requiring a double team that was usually late because of how quick Parker was getting there and how cleanly he was blowing past our guards.
Then the guards got more effective and Parker’s penetration was stopped or slowed enough that the rotations didn’t require a potential foul. Parker was left circling through the key without drawing fouls.
I believe that an attacking offense tends to start faster than the defense which leads to early foul opportunities for a Center. No facts to back it up, but a potential theory.
There’s a tendency after a win to praise the coach’s decision making, and anybody who criticizes the game plan is out to lunch.
That happened after the 49ers went 2 an 0. Some of us were bitterly complaining about the play calling and offensive schemes and most posters over there were telling us that Nolan and company knew what they were doing and it was going to be a great year.
Just because a team wins a game doesn’t mean that the coach’s game day scheme was perfect. Often a team wins in spite of bad decisions.
Of course it was a thrilling win and this is a wonderful season so far and Nellie is a genius but that doesn’t mean every move he makes is an intelligent one. If all his decisions were smart he wouldn’t be so fat.
Wow low blow my man. Fat? Are you gonna revert to “yo mama” jokes next Debbie Downer?
Yes, Nellie-ball revolutionizes the game, and coaching staff are continuously evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, while experimenting with different strategies against it.
One litmus test is the Phoenix Suns, who play a similar game. While their front line of Stoudamire-Marion is stronger than the Warriors’, they cannot adequately defend against opposing big men. In their recent loss to the Heat, Amare was helplessly watching Shaq scoring easily inside. The key strategy against the small-ball, is NOT to get sucked into it, and keep your big guys hammering inside. Phil Jackson did it, too, with Andrew Bynum having a career night against the Warriors.
Very interesting. I’m fascinated what this will lead to over the next several years in terms of development of players, strategies, and officiating.
Wilson
Two no - no’s. Drawing parallels between the Warriors and the 49 ers, and calling the coach fat.
Obviously everyone is open to criticism.
But in a game like basketball shouldn’t the analysis of a game plan for a single game be heavily weighted - if not totally weighted on - Did you win or lose? A “superior” game plan last night could of led to a loss. He achieved the only goal - WIN! Short of affecting future games due to the game plan. I’d say it is of no value to criticize because any criticism could have led to a loss.
Of course, it’s also true that any decision may be good or bad, depending on the results. If Al came out against the Lakers and drains 3 straight 3s, Bynum moves 25′ out and the Laker D goes south. If he also picks off a couple of entry passes (or blows on by and gets a couple of foul calls), Bynum goes to the bench and it’s dueling small-ball. Nelson becomes a genius, and Jackson just a lucky cuss who keeps getting to coach HOFers.
If intelligence was the most critical component of teaching, the NBA would be recruiting its coaches from Cal Tech and MIT.
oops, meant “coaching”, not teaching
Wilson
Fess up. You go about 250 lbs, 5′ 3″ with a hair piece and a lisp.
I think Nellie knows he’s fat. On the Ralph and Tom show a couple of weeks ago Tom asked him if there was any truth to the rumor that he was going to be in the Warrior Girls swimsuit calendar. Nelson said, “I could. My breasts are bigger than any of those girls.”
In a fear years, Dubs games will not be televised in hospitals and clinics.
SURGEON GENERALS WARNING: WATCHING GOLDEN STATE BASKETBALL CAN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
Pbob, forgive me for using a distasteful example, but by that logic after the first 49er game this season, you would be giving Nolan and Hostler high fives. Basing strategy on the results of one game is bad logic. Luck plays too big a part. Over a season, it makes more sense, but even there, wins and losses depend more on personnel than on strategy.
Wilson
You are mixing apples and oranges. By my logic, I would not criticize Nolan’s game plan for those first two wins because he WON. But that doesn’t mean it makes me believe he would win in the future. THey barely won both games. Those are two separate opinions. Just like stocks - “past performance is no guarantee of future returns”. Its viable to have two separate opinions: “Nolan had a good enough game plans in the first two games to win”, and “Nolan is not a very good coach”.
Back to the Warriors. The game plan against the Spurs is now yesterdays news and it resulted in a win. Second guessing it is ludicrous because we know it resulted in a win, where conceivably anybody elses recommendations or criticisms could have resulted in a loss. IMO you move ahead with what we know, not speculation.
People are too worried about Bonner’s career. Night. I’ll let that guy run wild and take shutting Parker and ginobili down any day. Great defensive effort by our team. Let’s win early tonight so our starters can get some rest for LA. That is a must win game…
JP and Mr. Mully - I’m with you guys - that was a very enjoyable win last night. Regardless of what others make of it.
I guess its fun to have the ChuckC / AndrewN / Wilson crew to offset all the optimism.
I will be interested to see how the opinions change or stay the same as the year moves forward. Adam has changed his opinions as the new developments have occured. I wonder if we would hear the complaints up through a game 7 in the finals.
At least the journey now is fun.
Pbob,
I am so ever optimistic about these things since I adjust my expectations:
When Nelson said he is expanding his bench: means give more minutes to THud in addition to his core of 7 or 8 with only AB as his big man. I know that is his formula for dealing with big and agile guys on the good teams such as: Spurs, Jazz, Lakers, etc…Oh I forgot he has AH as his special weapon.
I am so ever optimistic that because he runs the practice daily so he knows all his big men are not worth any PT. Why bother to develop them when he is already has a solution for dealing with teams above.
I am also very optimistic that his priced rookie (Bell) is now in D-league, as well as POB. And BW, get ready, you are next.
I am so ever optimistic about his game-to-game genius of how to shuffle AB/AH for the center position
And yes, I will shut up because we will make it to the 7th game of the final because we will miraculously avoid all the teams above in the early rounds to get to the final and beat the Mavericks.
There you have it. We just won the champion!!! All the reasons to be optimistic…
Pbob20- That’s the funniest thing, I’m not that optimistic. I still see tons of fissures in the Warriors team and plenty of room for improvement. I just don’t think the big issues are coaching. Furthermore, I don’t just blindly believe in Nelson’s coaching ability. Here’s the thing. He’s a vastly improved coach from the last time he was in the Yayo.
Last time around he wasn’t this much of a player’s coach. Call it maturity or lesson learned via Webber etc. Right now he’s got guys willing to run through walls for him. I respect the crap out of that.
Last time around, even with Pop as his “defensive specialist” he couldn’t spell D E F E N S E let alone play it. This time around the key to every victory has been the ability of the Warriors to play suffocating defense. I’m a big believer in hanging your hat on your ability to shut the other team down. We Believe happened because he’s been preaching D and they guys have all committed all in.
He’s tabbed the right guy, Moncrief, to turn around the free throw shooting; He’s got this group holding their own on the boards. Think about that for a minute, that’s beyond incredible. He’s resurrected the careers of Jackson and Davis, helped Andris and Monta blossom, and turned Pietrus, Barnes and Azubuike into solid rotation/bench players. Plus his calling card, his ability to exploit match-ups has only improved.
He still needs to work on managing minutes. Despite falling on the defend side of the minutes for Baron/Jackson and PT for the Newbies, there is room for improvement. Even so, I just don’t think any of his choices in either regard has been vastly egregious and worthy of all the consternation. The Dubs need to get all the wins they can right now to ensure they make the playoffs.
When the bench/newbies develop to the point that they can contribute, he’ll use them. Until then, he’s gonna ride his guys. It’s not that big a deal to me. A big part of the success has been the meritocracy he’s running. Believe me, if the guys on the bench were killing the starters in practice and scrimmages, we would have heard about it by now.
Eventually, I’d love for the team to go 12 deep. I’m really excited to see Wright blossom and I still hold out hope for Belinelli and POB. The thing is, realistically it’s not only possible but probable that none of them may be ready to be a regular rotation guy this season. That doesn’t mean they were wasted picks. Some guys just take longer to develop. Plus, despite the shoot, guard, run, defend of Nelson’s quote he runs a very demanding system that requires his player to have a vastly higher IQ than the average guy (despite Pietrus’s gaffes). It takes a hell of a player to come in and grasp it all in their first year. That’s not just rookies, that’s veteran’s too. If a guy’s got “it” great, if not…it’s not like the Dubs haven’t set themselves up to have a ton of options this off season.
So I’m just enjoying the ride. We could have a vastly different team next year and I want to enjoy this group as much as possible before Mullin, Rowell and Nelson blow it up this off season. Plus, all the winning has been made fun. This is the greatest team to watch in the NBA, so fun even my wife is hooked. Anything that good is definitely not worth nit picking over after every win in my book. Even if I do need to make sure I don’t drink any caffeine before going to the Roaracle and had to install a defibrillator next to the TV.
Your an excellent writer.
Enjoy the ride, my friend. We have competitive, fun basketball for a change. You sound like you would only be happy if we won the championship. Not a good way to go through life. Belli and BW need some seasoning– they are part of the future. I actually think D league will be great for Belli.
Wilson,
Except for the fat comment, I’m not sure why you’re taking so much heat today. You’ve posed a very logical, reasonable argument. Even your 49er comparison was on the mark FOR THE SAKE OF THE ARGUMENT YOU WERE MAKING. Your detractors twisted the argument.
Really last night was a tale of two games: the game with AB in it and the game without him. In the game without AB, the warriors lost by a wide margin, Bonner had a career night, and team offense was not in flow. In the game with AB the Dubs trounced the Spurs by a wide margin, Bonner and Oberto (yes, I too love the name!)were a practically nonentities, the intensity improved on defense, and the offense opened up.
I enjoyed the game last night and celebrated terrific efforts by our players. As I said in the previous thread, Jax was Larry Bird out there. The shutting down of the Spurs guards was absolutely beautiful to behold. And, as Adam pointed out, Barnes had a quietly great night. Barnes is unselfish, smart, and a real winner! As many of you have said today, it’s a win against the Spurs and, to quote today’s thread, we’ll take it.
But there is plenty of room for questioning Nellie’s decision to give AB only 18 minutes when he clearly overmatched the bigs on the other team and while Harrington was ineffective. I completely disagree with Adam that the “checkmate” point in the game came when MP subbed for AB. No. They were up by double digits and maintained the lead that AB had given him when he checked in late in the third. That was the checkmate moment that could have slipped away.
JP/AndrewN
I reread my entry and I really missed the mark on what I was trying to say. Namely:
1) This year has really been enjoyable so far. It really has blown out alot of my expecations in a very entertaining way short of being 21-0. Last night I took my 16 year old daughter to the game and it was completely enjoyable. Like your wife she is hooked too.
2) Reading this blog has been insightful. Adams analysis - amazing. Great information from you (JP), Mr. Mully, and others you can’t get from other places about cap space and the trade exceptions which supports why they W’s did some of the things they have done. Thats been great.
3) The downside of getting involved in this site has been taking the bait on some of the criticism. Some of it is very insightful and I have changed some views, but some falls in the “Wow, I din’t know a good win could be so bad” category. I’m finding my legs there.
4) My final comment about the game 7 finals was not meant to be anything other than sarcasm (not expectation). Adam, for instance, concerning POB, stated a strong negative opinion in the summer, but as the facts changed, opened up to a revised opinion. Others seem to take each game and the new game events and contort them to fit their rigid set of opinions. Now frankly, I think its possible that the season could play out to completely support the opinions of ChuckC/AndrewN/Wilson. But, the current trend is in the opposite direction. I was just wondering, in sarcasm, if someone would continue on such a negative tone toward Nelson if we did get to a game 7. Of the 3 only AndrewN, who is leading the “Fire Nelson now” campaign, might fall in that category. Thankfully I am starting to enjoy even the crazy view/wit? of Andrew. Come on Andrew admit it, the warriors go to game 7 of the finals this year and you will be thinking “If they win -Right on Warriors, if they lose- I TOLD YOU NELSON CAN”T WIN IT ALL!”
I would like to see the W’s sign Nelson to a long term deal.
I would like to see the W’s resign BD if the price is anywhere near reasonable.
I hope they sign both AB and Monta.
I would also like to see the rotation expanded to at least 10 players, with a few carefully selected minutes for BW and POB to speed their development outside of the development they are receiving in practice.
IMO, Mullins recent draft picks are at best an incomplete, although he has done a great job with trades and picking up Az.
I love watching and rooting for this team.
Since this is a blog, it’s my impression the purpose was not just to praise the team, but offer opinions on how we think the team, coach players could do better. Those of you that are critical of those of us expressing opinions on what we don’t like as well as what we do I think are missing the entire point of a blog.
Wouldn’t it be boring if everyone just posted only rah rah things about the team such as ” Love the W’s. Way to Go W’s. W’s are definitely going to the Championship. “
It seems that my criticism of Nelson in the San Antonio game is being misunderstood. I’m a big fan of his and love the style of basketball that he has invented - small ball, pressure defense, steals, fast breaks, and threes. I’m very optimistic about the team and the season. The Warriors are a joy to watch. That doesn’t mean that we have to agree with every decision Nelson or Baron or Jackson makes.
Some good among the bad in tonight’s loss to Portland. At last, Belli got in for more than a minute and hit a 3 while playing some good defense as well. This was a game where Nellie made a good decision to insert Belli after it was obvious that this was an off night for SJax and others. Getting Belli involved can only help the team down the road. Both Crosure and Hudson helped out as well - especially in the second quarter when the Dubs got to within 5. Matt Barnes had a great game. He’s really coming around in his rebounding and was 3 for 7 at 3 point range. Portland got 43 points from people who did not start the game. They have lots of weapons (like the Dubs). The Dubs were never out of the game though until the very end. We missed Monte of course. Hope the defense can get back Friday to being as stingy against the Lakers as it was in the San Antonio game.
Pbob20 Post #54 part 4, I totally agree with this. Especially the part about Adam. That is the only reason that I came here. Most threads really are a load of…. but this blog seems to be more than I’m right, I’m right which really is a unique, maybe as unique as the Warriors!
ChuckC- It’s good to see you lay it out there, cause I wasn’t really sure if you liked the Dubs.
“Wouldn’t it be boring if everyone just posted only rah rah things about the team such as ” Love the W’s. Way to Go W’s. W’s are definitely going to the Championship. “”
This is exactly right. I however take issue with the tone that you take, and this is a blog so maybe I’m not hearing you right, but you sound negative to me.
I sincerely hope that at the games, bar, in your home, at a friends, or wherever you watch the games you are crazy positive and supportive, but that just seems like a hell of a lot more fun to me. I really think as a fan positivity is contagious and that carries down to the team. Of course negativity is also contagious and that carries down to the team.
I hope somebody out there follows that.
To me the issue here is about the Warriors ability to win a championship.
Is it in any way realistic to win a championship this year?
Probably not when the Dubs for all intents and purposes lost out on KG.
IMO the issue then is are the Warriors progressing towards a championship.
The question to me then really continually centers around what you think this team should do this offseason?
I’d love to see, what realistically, each and everyone of you think.
I think YES because:
1) when in doubt, mindlessly affirm the positive.
Is nellie intentionally pulling ABs numbers down ?
I suspect that from the start, the only thing Nellie and the W’s can control is AB’s minutes. By not playing over 30 minutes a game, AB may not get a big contract offer from other teams.
I don’t put anything past Nellie. They lost in Portland tonite b/c Przybilla overpowered Harrington and the W’s never did recover. They lost to Orlando too b/c Nellie sat AB in 1st QT.
Very curius move by Nellie and the W’s….AB is playing less and less now.
# 58 That should have read most other blogs not threads
Tonight’s game had me hanging my head and I wasn’t even there or had invested any money. I had invested my hopes that we could have beaten Portland but they sure are looking sweet as a team. Boy do they have prospects. I am a bit disappointed in how Al has been playing so recently. Maybe he has hit a dry spell but if it doesn’t end soon, his rut is gonna tack onto other players (SJax).
The positives were that BD and Barnes remained consistent highlights. Too bad no one else could contribute a hot hand. For a second I thought THud would give us some more points when he hit the three and short jumper. I’m not sure if the Warriors fell asleep on this one or just didn’t want to play.
Note the last word in my post #38, that I wrote before the game against Portland:
officiating.
It proved to be a critical factor just a few hours later. Nellie-ball is more dependent on the referees’ judgment calls than the half-court game, both in the offense and the defense.
On defense, the Warriors’ strategy is based on creating havoc, double- and triple-teaming, going for steals, and forcing turnovers. But if the referees’ calls are too tight, the fouls hurt, and letting go of the defensive pressure make the W’s defense inneffective due to the mismatches.
It’s not hurting the other team as much. First because their defense is not based on quickness as much, so when the referees calls are tight, they can ease the defensive pressure and still be effective.
But also, when the referees stop the flow of the game frequently, it serves the other team better, because they get opportunities to re-group their defense. While the Warrior’s offense is more dependent on the transition game, and when the flow is interrupted they lose the speed edge and their offensive efficiency.
After last night’s loss to Portland, I remind myself that this terrific team is still a “work in progress”. Missing Monte no doubt had a negative effect and with him the Dubs very likely would have prevailed. The imbalance in fouls called no doubt had an effect on the outcome as well, but what is interesting to see is how Bellinelli, Crosure, Thud and especially Barnes played. Mbenga was not bad either - catching a nice pass from Belli to score. These are the kinds of games and adversity that helps make a team better IF they don’t dwell on the loss and move on. The NBA is like that - there’s so many games. When adversity strikes, it’s time to play some rookies and constantly reevaluate what’s in the best interest of the team’s progress. Stay tuned.
One more note on Bellinelli. He looked MUCH more relaxed playing more than a few minutes with most of the core players. His quick feet on defense (one steal)- although playing in a zone - were impressive as was his 3/4 court overhead pass to Mbenga which was right “on the money” and in stride for a dunk. I think his passing looks really effortless. If he can hit the 3s and spread the court when the regulars aren’t hitiing, it will be a real boost to the team effort to open up driving lanes. Nellie may still be able to boast at finding a gem.
If you look at my posts, I will never try to look at the results of one game whether win or lose and say how good or bad Nelson coaching approach. I might use some of the facts in the games to support my argument.
P 2 P, Welcome to the site and you are already an excellent contributor.
Perhaps I focus too much on an ultimate trophy, but the key question (just like in one of the posts from P2P) is: Is Nelson leading us toward a championship?
In my opinion, I do not think so. We know what we get with Nelson.
Does he improve in some aspects of his coaching compared to last time he was here? No doubt. But some old bad habits (many of you will disagree with me here) such as: small-ball only approach, not focus enough on utilizing big men on his rosters, playing hand defense style , etc… are still there and those are his biggest obstacles to bring us the championship. You will argue that he never had a good enough players/rosters, I am not buying that because he is coaching for over 28 years already. How many players and rosters had he been through already? Nelson is one of the best guys in this league to pull off some earth-shattering trades, but he still does not have the right players/rosters?
Trust me. I appreciate Nelson for all the good things he did and does to this franchise, because I am a fan of this team for almost 30 years. I know all the years of humiliation. There were many really bad games that I left the arena 3 minutes into the third quarter of games. I don’t see that under Nelson as a coach. There are many good things here.
But, again, I just don’t think he will bring us to the ultimate end. It is time to thanks Nelson for all the good things he does and give someone else a chance. You will ask me who? I hope Mullin can find one soon.
The Warriors win when Jackson is in control of himself.
They lose when he has that ‘let me shoot up the strip club mentality’. When he stops hoisting random shots, quits whining at both ends of the court and plays together with the team, they win. Otherwise, as evident last night in Portland, they lose.
If Nelson won a championship with this team, of course, I will go around and hurt all the guys that had ever bad mouth him. I will be the one singing how beautiful small-ball style is and Nelson would be my favorite coach of all time in all sports. And I will apologize to all of you and him for doubting his ingenious.
Post # 52. Thank you for reminding me. Good point
Portland is a pretty decent team. They are playing very well. One can really be mislead by this team. They have pretty god players and they young and athletics. I will be a hard team to beat and deserve to play with the urgency and as well as we play to San Antonio, Miami heat, and Houston.
It is also true that referees might discourage our players but that is something that team needs to adjust. Bad calls will always happen and the team should not place more importance than a failure of a 3 pointer. In other words, whenever it happens all what they need is to do is to regroup and play defense until they get the ball back to run the offense again.
I am glad that Marco played last night. It should be good for getting his confidence back. I believe that the team did not play the necessary urgency that it was required to beat this team.
AndrewN:
For those who think Nellie is an obstacle in bringing a championship to us, perhaps they need to be more specific in stating what he can do to improve our roster first. What coach is out there to move us beyond Nellie’s ability? Saying “play more bigs”, etc. is not enough. It’s easy to criticize and express frustration at wanting something, but along with that comes the responsibility to suggest SPECIFIC PLAYERS AVAILABLE NOW to jump the team into the championship caliber they so desire - if one assumes (not guaranteed to be correct) that Dubs will not make it there with the current roster. Enough “pie in the sky”. Let’s hear some specific suggestions
RonC,
Fair point!!! But, if I am runing the Ws organization, that responsibility would be mine.
As a fan, I am saying that I want a trophy, and I do not think it will happen with Nelson.
Ahem…
preseason.
Yawn. Yes, he’s a flawed coach, only has rings as a player y’know? Despite his success and track record at turning around suck arse teams right quick (and in our case improving our long term $$$ lickity split too), I’d much rather have PJ Carlesimo. Nothing like a boss you can stay in touch with y’know? Plus I miss the excitement of the Latrell years (kinda reminds me of the Niners now actually).
Red Auerbach could be our coach, still wouldn’t get us a championship immediately. Finally, though, we’re building stone by stone, block by block. Would so much rather watch this team than any other in the last 14 years. and we can continue to tool and make changes as we now have flexibility we haven’t in a long while. We have the opportunity to build a championship contender, which takes years in the NBA. As a long time dubs sufferer I am thankful for that.
For criticism to be effective it has to be accurate. Of course coach has his holes, but the repetitious slathering against “small ball” even though we’re displaying our best team in well over a decade, just seems like whining.
Friends, POB is not the miracle answer. Wright still has braces. The future is not entirely clear.
Yes I too dream of a 6′10′-7′2″ athletic monster with a soft touch around the hoop, the ability to hit the cutters and run with guards, to give Boozer and Duncan leg cramps trying to keep up. Aw yes, that’s what dreams are for!
Until then, suck it up a bit and enjoy it; never, ever for a second mistake what’s going on now with what we’ve been through.
Nelson would built a team from bad to good quickly; true…however, it would stop there too.
Capt Jack out, we lose
Monte out, we lose
If Baron is out, we will lose
What does this tell, we currently have no depth. But I believe the depth will develop in next two months(if Ws can hang into a play off position still then) through the health of veterans on the bench, development of young guys and/or through a trade. Until then, we will have to get used to one win and one loss.
Monta’s stock price went up 15% last night.
Lot’s of credit to Portland management for the overnight overhaul. Blazer fans should be estatic. They are already fun to watch and will likely be THE team to beat in 2 years.
Mano:
Red Auerbach died!
Still makes more sense than most other coaching suggestions, doesn’t it?
AndrewN,
I don’t get it. You admit the team under Nelson has gone “from bad to good quickly ” (your words). Now according to you, we should fire Nelson? A few points:
No thoughtful person would seriously dispute that we are closer to a championship now than at any time in the last decade.
Improvement in defense, rebounding, foul shooting has been obvious in the last few games, and is likely to continue this year. This has occurred through ongoing improvement of our core players. AB, Monta & AZ continue to develop nicely, probably with lots more upside down the road.
Championships in the NBA are an elusive goal. You probably need three superstars, and the salary cap makes that much talent very difficult to accumulate at one time, and lock up for a long enough time to get a decent shot at a championship. Injuries and team match ups can destroy the chance of otherwise worthy teams. A more realistic goal might be to be one of the half-dozen elite teams, any of which in a given playoff have a reasonable chance to win.
Players are acquired by draft- e.g. Beidrens, Monta, POB,
Players are acquired by trade, e.g. BC, Jax, AH
Players are sometimes “discovered, or recycled” at minimal cost- e.g. AZ, Thud Crochere, DJM
Superstars are hard to come by in the draft if you have a decent record. The ones that can play now and have obvious NBA talent go early in the draft to lousy teams. Thus if you have a mid-bound or worse pick, and looking for a player that can make a difference on a good team, you probably end up taking a chance on a somewhat flawed player and hope for the best. AB’s lack of US play, Monta’s injuries, Ike D’s height, BC’s lack of bulk, were all significant issues. In other words, you are rolling the dice here, and hope your scouts are better than the other teams. The Warriors are unlikely to improve the team in the short run significantly via this route.
Trades- Or current biggest need is for a dominant big that can run the court. There are no obvious candidates available, now that KG is in Beantown.
Discovery- Unlikely. Fast 7 footers are hard to overlook. DJ might be a real find and bargain here,
Mullin, probably with alot of help from Nelson, has done a good in the discovery and trade area of building a team. IMO he has done a pretty good job with the draft, based on AB and Monta alone. Nelson has some influence here, but it is Mullin’s ultimate responsibility. Mully has created the cap room so that in the right circumstances we are one of the few teams in the league who could pull off a major trade.
Where Nelson has excelled is in creating team cohesiveness, player development, and determining which players move the team forward in his style and which don’t.
What about the Dubs is not going in the right direction within the realities faced by the team. Not only is our roster stronger, deeper, and younger than at any time in the last decade, but they are playing together as well as anyone could expect, and improving rapidly. Much of the credit for this has to go to Nelson. We have gone from Number 25 or so to Number 7 or so on the charts with a “bullet” as they used to say. I think Nelson is in the process of creating an elite team, but it is too much to expect it to happen in one or two seasons.
Important to me is that we have accomplished this with a team we can respect for their team commitment, community involvement, and overall character, and enjoy for their style.
The journey is as important as the prize.
Grapeguy you are right: It’s the gettin’ there that counts just as much as the being there. We’re all hoping for the same thing. To appreciate where we’re going, you have to remember where we’ve been. We’re moving in the right direction, so enjoy the ride!
True dat!!!!
It has been a great ride thus far, and I look forward to it continuing with all of it’s unexpected twists and turns!
IMO the beauty of where the Dubs stand in regaurds to their future is that for the most part their key/core rotation players are either under contract or will be restricted free agents next year. The three unrestricted exceptions to this are BD (Potentially, IMO for a variety of reasons it is unlikely he will opt out, and him opting out while risky could actually be good for the Dubs), MB, and MP.
The good news is that very few teams will be significantly under the cap.
Meaning the Dubs potentially will be negotiaing from a position of strength. Because some or all of the current crop won’t be able to get $ elsewhere.
Given all of that how close they get to a championship will probably determine how much they have to invest in this current group.
Either way that sounds like the ability to design a team that is close(er) to winning it all will be a posiblity.
Also a bounus is we can sit back an cheer for this bunch whole heartly knowing that if they play well and earn bigger $ they will have earned those $. Conversely if they play poorly (that would suck, but) then the Dubs will be in a good position to get some good players for relatively reasonable or cheap prices.
Once Biedrins gets some meat on his bones he’s going to be our dominant center that can run! I’d like to see them keep this roster around for another year or more and see how it develops. I’m all for patience and letting them grow.
When reading this blog, I think many of us gravitate towards those with similar opinions. That said, it is nice when someone comes up with an excellent observation or surprises you with a different perspective.
In reading this string, I was disappointed that someone was not sure if ChuckC was a Warrior’s fan. Not able to post as often as I would like, I enjoy ChuckC’s posts as we fall into the same camp on many issues (appreciate Nellie but wish he would instil confidence in and develop the bigs, more of realist, etc.). Given that, you da man ChuckC so keep on posting!
On the surprise front, just when I was concerned that JustPuked was contemplating plastic surgery to look like Nellie, post #50 comes out. Thank you for taking the time to explain your position as you made excellent points in your support of Nellie, and I really appreciated that post.
Finally, what happened to Cohan? While his posts got a little negative sometimes, the guy made some good points at times. I mean, let’s face it, if I owned the Dubs, I would want someone to constantly question if everything possible was being done to win a championship and that guy did (Cohan for team president?). Ever since Adam gave him a public beat down, he has been like Rain Man as all he says is “Definitely still preseason . . . yeah, still preseason”. Come back Cohan, be nice, but come back.
Congrats to Kosta as his 9 points and 4 boards in 20 minutes a night should get him back to the NBA the second that Nelson retires.
Post to Post #58
I think your post really shows the misunderstanding some people on this blog have about fans like me that argue that some things could be done better. For the record, my hands were sore after every W play off win from giving high fives to everyone within 20 yards of me. I haven’t been as excited and enjoyed myself watching s aporting event since Montana and Rice, or Young and Rice, were hooking up for TD’s in SuperBowls. Trust me, when the game is on, I’m 100% fan and about as enthusiastic as they get.
BTW P2P, while I don̵