Cro-mentum (Warriors 105, Sonics 99)
Sometimes the little things make a big difference. The Warriors started the second half of Tuesday’s game neck and neck with one of the NBA’s worst. Then Austin Croshere got down to business. Boxing out, fighting for loose balls, making lay-ups, throwing his body into opponents. These aren’t the skills that make you an All-Star, but they were the little things that shifted the game’s energy to the Warriors favor. Just another night in the Wild West, where every single win counts.
For a stretch of the first half it looked like the Warriors were once again going to play down to their competition. A run to close the second quarter, triggered by some classic scrambling defense, seemed to shake the team out of their complacency. Nelson went with Croshere over Wright to start the second half. The momentum continued and the Warriors never looked back. Nelson made subtle but substantive use of his bench, going 11 deep and getting solid contributions from the second squad.
These guys, in their individual ways, were the game changers:
Austin Croshere - I’m guessing this is exactly how Nelson pictured Croshere helping the team. He did the dirty work, made few mistakes, and brought focus to a previously scattered and listless game. Does Austin need to throw his legs up and scream each time he flushes down a dunk? No, but it certainly helps remind the Ws that they’re supposed to be the aggressors, particularly in their own building against one of the NBA’s worst.
Baron Davis - It wasn’t Baron’s best game, thanks largely to some awful, lazy shots, but the majority of the time he played with the necessary aggression on both ends. He attacked the rim, getting some easy baskets and creating looks for others. On defense, he owned the men currently posing as the Sonics’ backcourt. The Sonics shot 6 percentage points better than the Warriors and got 10 more rebounds. The Warriors, however, shot 13 more times and walked away with the win. Thank the scrappy second half defense of Baron and others.
Monta Ellis - The Warriors don’t have a low-post offense. Our alternative to high-percentage low-post shots? Monta. Whether he’s slashing past defenders or dancing around to find space for a mid-range jumper, he’s our most reliable offensive threat and keeps the team going during dry spells. Harrington couldn’t hit the side of a barn, Baron struggled to find good shots, Jackson looked off for most of the game, but Monta kept the points coming. Credit to Fitz for my favorite new description of Monta (I’m not even sure whether it was intentional or not): “Missislippery.”
Michael Pietrus - MP deserves credit for changing his play to get back into the flow of the game. He wasn’t content Tuesday night to wait in the corner for a pass. He attacked the basket, moved without the ball, and contributed during his minutes on the floor. If he could string two games like this together, I’d be optimistic that he might contribute down the stretch. As it stands now, however, he’s still shown nothing resembling consistency. There’s still time for him to put it together, and the short-handed Warriors could use it now more than ever.
Brandan Wright - Making his second NBA start, Wright didn’t have much of a shot to get things going. Nelson pulled him after only 5 minutes, just when Wright looked like he was starting to settle into the flow. The team was giving up a lot of interior points to the Sonics at the time, but Barnes’ insertion for the rookie didn’t do anything to turn the tide. In the second quarter, Wright looked more into the flow and made the play of the night meeting Durant mid-air for the block. Even without the flashy plays, I’m encouraged by the little things Wright is now doing. He keeps contact with his man defensively, works early to push heavier players out so he doesn’t have to fight for position once they get the ball, and closed repeatedly on jump shooters, changing quite a few otherwise open shots. Here’s hoping he can use the next few games to show hustle and focus on defense. Nothing would work more quickly to earn him a permanent place in the rotation.
Chris Webber - Finally, the return of the famed Nelson meritocracy. I had hopes for Webber as a consistent role-player on this team. So far, he’s slipped below even those modest expectations. Nelson finally pulled the plug during the second half, deciding to go with livelier legs rather than Webber’s slow-motion shuffle. I think CWebb can still be a spot contributor — like we saw with his man-to-man defense against Garnett in the Celtics game — but when the Warriors are running and scrambling, he simply can’t keep up.
Stephen Jackson - Jax won’t be screening footage of Tuesday’s performance at the Stephen Jesse Jackson academy for years to come, but he managed to do a lot of the little things to help the team. He rebounded well, moved the ball, contained his man on defense, and helped cover when Baron or Monta over-committed. Some nights Jackson is the star, other nights he’s just one of the guys. What’s undeniable, however, is how much the team misses him when he’s off the court for more than a minute or two.
The competition doesn’t get much tougher Friday when the 76ers come to town, but the Warriors can’t rely on another Cro-tastic performance to get them going. The good news is Nelson has shown a new commitment to finding the right guy on any given night to spark the team. Coming into the home stretch of the season, I’ll take these wins any way I can get them.
It’s unbelievable that Webber is even getting spot minutes. I wouldn’t even trust him in garbage time. It looks like he is playing in 2nd gear while the team is scrambling and fighting in 5th. Wright and Croshere give them more hustle, rotations on defense and the ability to actually jump off the floor to snatch rebounds and block shots. If Webber’s wore number 26 and had O’Bryant on the back of his jersey through his 2nd stint with the W’s, I guarantee Nellie would have been benched in the first or second game and would be inactive (like the real POB) by now.
Nellie needs to break his stubborn ways and realize that some of the young guys should get a crack at some playing time. Just because you are a veteran doesn’t mean you should automatically get minutes in the rotation. I have to disagree and honestly don’t see a situation where Webber would be useful right now. Even if they played Phoenix, he and Shaq can stay on the other side of the court while a 4 on 4 break happens, but Shaq would outmuscle him any day in the half-court set.
I meant Nellie would have benched Webber**
They always scare you, don’t they? And against the Sonics. Jeez.
It felt like they gave up 92 points in the first half, made ME want to get out there, maybe along with the hot dog vendor and Sonics mascot we could put a scoring run together against the Dubs….
But of course, they somehow pull it off, and we get to see that big toothy Capn Jack grin. Gotta love these guys.
I think it merits mentioning that Baron had seven steals. That’s bananas.
And I’m truly excited to see Webber’s minutes declining to the point where Croshere & BW get more run; let’s hope it’s the beginning of a long, weird trend.
God bless Austin Croshere.
thank goodness for croshere. its unfortunate that he has those lingering back problems however. i fear that his back will flare up again tomorrow.
it’s time to cut cwebb. no matter how much he helps the half court offense, he’s so bad atrociously bad defensively that it’s all negated (and then some). and webber and monta should NEVER, EVER play together. one defensive scrub on the floor at one time is enough and they need monta’s offense way more than they need webber’s.
on 82games.com, webber is now worse than belinelli for the dubs when he is on the court at -17.8 pts per 100 possessions.
I don’t like Webber.. or the nickname Missislippery. Haha. I thought it just sounded bad.
I hope Nelson see that Matt and Webber are taking roster positions and development time from BW and the other youngsters.
being at the game, it seemed like baron had way more than 7 steals (which is still a lot). he was everywhere on defense, especially right as we went on the big run to give ourselves a double digit lead. pietrus played a very effective game, and managed not to make any bone-headed plays that make me cringe (although t-bagging the woman in the front row wasn’t the smoothest).
i have to say, i’m joining those who are sick and tired of matt barnes, which, as a fellow bruin, hurts. part of it i feel is that, like pietrus, he’s out of position at the 4. he’s consistently outmuscled for rebounds on the defensive end. his shooting sucks these days, its just awful. he misses more easy layups than anyone. he turns it over too much. the only thing he brings to the table is a scrappiness that nets him some offensive rebounds occasionally. but bottom line, we don’t need him at the 3, where we have tremendous depth already, and hes crap as a 4. it hurts me to say it, but he’s definitely gone next year. and i really wanted to buy “the city” barnes jersey too.
I was originally set on just being angry at Webber but Overton made good points about Barnes. Not to mention his spotty play.
If Webber plays 7 minutes and 32 seconds less each game we’ll make the playoffs…
Missislippery? Sounds like Captain Jack’s friend from the club.
What happens to Webber? He’s so slow, he can barely limp out of the paint to avoid 3-second violations.
Since he rarely makes it all the way to the other side of the court, Nellie should use him as a goalie. When we have the ball and the other 4 guys are running, C-Webb would stay behind to protect the basket. Or give autographs to fans. Or sit in a court-side seat to rest his tired legs for a few seconds.
When we signed Webber, Nellie and Mully said that it’s not for his contribution on the floor, as for his leadership and presence in the locker-room.
C-Webb should then just sit in his rocking chair in the locker-room, nod slowly, gather the kids around him, and tell them inspirational stories from his youth, Fab-5, TMC, Spree, no-timeout-left, Tyra Banks, Ed Martin, Fila, and other adventures from his long and illustrious career.
The Warriors should have signed recently released Jamaal Magloire and cut Webber, but they would of had to admit CWeb’s signing was a mistake. Anyway, Dallas just signed him. The Western Conference just got a little tougher.
Weber can have the new moniker “the broken top” because he just doesn’t rotate. I used to make fun of his defense and call it the “matador” defense as he lets the offensive player just blow by him, while he does nothing to stop him but shout “OLE!!!” I was giving him the benefit of the doubt until he got back in shape, but it’s gotten worse. Though on the good side, I finally saw those great passing skills everyone’s been talkin’ about….when he hit Durant for that wide open layup oops….. that was to other team, wasn’t it?
Just a reality check
Matt Barnes- in less than 15 minutes, had 8 rebounds (a formidable 4 offensive 4 defensive). leading the team in rebounds. he also had an assist and a block.
a +4 while in the game. Not bad- if every bench player gave us a +4 with more than a rebound every 2 minutes, the warriors would be A-OK.
What is wierd is azubuike’s line- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 in 4 minutes…
and a Fat -12 while he played. Did he just camp out on the sidelines with the hotdog guy or something?
Why are these reality checks all in defense of Chris Webber and Matt Barnes?
If these are our reality checks, we have bigger problems than I thought.
THREE DAYS!
“(Durant) was coming to the basket. I was going to contest it. I was going to protect the rim. It was either going to be a block, foul, basket or an altercation. Those are the types of things you have to do. You have to protect the rim.” Brandan Wright
MAN I get all crazy hot when Brandan raps like that (’scuse me); now if he can only consistently walk that talk…
“The Warriors should have signed recently released Jamaal Magloire and cut Webber.”
The funny thing being that Magloire is actually slower and less skilled than Webber.
#13 PM, how about a hybrid jersey/cheerleader outfit for CobWebb? Perfectly accentuates his most useful characteristics…
MONTA is just Monta - those 5 letters say it all.
Grats to Nellie for pulling the plug on CWeb. Just use his big body in practice as did with Pat Burke and Mbenga…it’s growth for Bedrins and O’Bryant.
Nellie, keep opening up you old clam shell. Put O’Bryant in a uniform and not a suit!!
Adam, was scratching my head also when Nellie pulled BW as he was getting into the flow…However I think this was one of Nellie’s best games of the year. Playing 11 guys & trolling the bench for the hot hand (Cro)…Hopefully the meritocracy is back to stay…
Side note: Caught Jax’s Mom’s halftime interview with Stienmetz & was left wondering how Jax ever got in trouble with her as his Mom…What a classy lady!
I say leave Webber alone for now. For just a little longer. If his production stays the same, keep him on the bench but don’t cut him. We still need a guy who can do the things that he’s proposed to do.
I’ve always hated Barnes.
Fitz is a joke sometimes. Decent radio guy but the homerism on TV is flat out embarassing. Him and Randy Hanh take it to a new level.
AND Steinmetz MUST go. He’s the worst ever. Ever listen to his stupidity? Seriously, just listen to what he says. Anyone notice that they are slowly transitioning him out with the new girl? He just can’t sustain his job anymore on his own.
Fitz has been trying to make Monte’s nickname, ‘Mississlipery’ for a while now. They came up with a bunch in their radio show, my favorite is still ‘All Day, Monte’
Magloire went to Dallas as an under-the-table part of the Kidd deal (that $3M went toward his buyout).
It looked like another sad loss, until the bench came through. AC brought energy and played well. BW was ok, once he gets more confident, he’ll be a good one. CobWebb, still trying to find his legs.
In the first half, it looked like the 101 freeway in the middle of the W’s defense, Durant and Co had layup after layup. I read that the W’s worked on their motion offense during the 3 days off, do they work on any D at all? If one guy rotates, then they all have to move to cover.
Monte-zoooma came up big again. He’s our most consistent threat on offense. BD was a thief on defense, otherwise an average game for him.
Good and needed win. Hope the bench keeps up the hustle plays.
Sorry gents but Mrs. Slippery doesn’t sound good at all, especially coming from Fistgerald. You think Setinmetz is bad, how bout Fisty? Steinmetz at least seems like an earnest guy you could have a beer with and he can actually play the game as well as opposed to a slimy corporate toad. Enough venom, sorry.
I’ve got one for BW: B. All Wright
Haha Mrs. Slippery…classic. Yeah not a fan of that one. Still like the nic I heard from a Sportscenter guy, Monta “The Blur by the Bay”. Namedroppin the Bay is always a good thing.
It’s 10 am, can someone meet CWebb down at Hometown Buffet and tell him to just stay with his retirees. His services, if you can call them that, are no longer needed.
BW should be getting 20 minutes MINIMUM with AB out and Jax hobbling.
I think I’d be more enthusiastic about Croshere if he didn’t look like a villain from a Charles Dickens novel.
Houston CRUSHED Washington last night.
Monta= “A” Game
Ok, I’m sold that “Missislippery” is not the right name (largely because I’m having trouble getting my mouth to say it this early in the morning).
As for Webber, I think he has the potential to be a Croshere-like contributor (meaning he makes a difference once every few games) with the right match-ups. He can spark our offense with his passing and when paired with someone to guard the rim against a slower team, his defense won’t kill them. That said, I agree with everyone that he’s been big nothing so far.
Worse than nothing. He is anti-matter. A dwarfed star that has densified into a black hole in which no lead can be gained and no deficit can be conquered. We went looking for Superman and came back with Bizarro instead. Does everything completely opposite of what we need.
Webber moved fastest last night getting out of the way of a Sonic dunk. Showed great lateral quickness.
Nelson kinda’ smirked every time Croshere did something well last night. Embarassed the coach. And start Brandan Wright and then not play him? Nelson’s rotations have always been inconsistent.
You had to be at the game to believe how bad Jax’ first half was. If it wasn’t for Monte Ellis and Andris Biedrins, this team would be groveling at the bottom of the pack.
Fitz “Pimp my Boyz” (the guy who never played the game and needs to be corrected about what’s actually going on all the time by Jim B) is the worst! My favorite Fitz line of all time: “Look at Dampier run the floor!” He belongs back with the Sabre Cats, not the Warriors.
Why not just “Mississippi”? I know it doesn’t evoke any of his qualities on the court, but part of Monta’s charm is his countrified demeanor. “Mississippi with the game winner!”
BWright starting good sign but as we know Don Nelson has a too a quick a trigger when it comes to rookies. But can’t imagine Don Nelson unable to give 10 mins a night to BWright every game. I hope he does that from now on. The kid deserves to be in the game.
ACro and Cwebb will help Ws in the playoffs more than in the reg season but liked the way ACro played last night. We all know what ACro can do if not for his back. We can’t rely on him to stay healthy and gamble Ws fortune on his health. Hence we need to keep givin BWright 10mins a game and give him a chance to be a consistent contributor.
I am little worried about Al, MB and MP. They are critical to Ws since we started playoff run last year, they are not upto the mark lately. We need these guys to focus, do little things that will get Ws to the promised land(it is playoffs and Championship for Ws.).
Monta’s nickname:
No Hype.
Bob Fitzgerald’s career epitaph:
Who?
M8E, that’s his nickname. Leandro Barbosa already has the “blur” for his nickname. M8E, he was slumping the last couple of games only shooting 50%. Finally got it back up to a respectable 64%. Now if he can only get it back up to a decent 75%…
AH was totally useless last night. Nice to see he can dunk though.
MP was productive but still had a few bonehead fouls.
Baron should’ve had 12 steals against their backcourt.
You know how Barnes said, he likes it when Nellie is hard on him, it makes him play harder…Nellie should shock him and tell him to bring his suit and tie for Friday’s game.
When Barnes is on, he definitely helps the team. But it’s been rare this season.
Jax - still hurting but still dependable. He looks like his mommy.
CWebb- we should just try and make him our R.Horry. Just rest him until we get to the playoffs. Except historically, CWebb chokes in big games. Ok, so we make him our R.Horry…but only if we don’t make the playoffs.
BWright- is alllll…riiiight. He’s still raw but he’s definitely a keeper. I see him as next year’s most improved player. He’ll score 28 in next year’s Sophomore-Rookie game and be the MVP.
AC- Assasin Croshere!!!! When his back is holding up, he’s a key player for the Ws to get the Ws. Start him at center until AB get’s back.
KA- he has lost his aggression.
CW- glad to see him get some minutes. Or a minute.
Nellie - always fun to witness his mixmatchery. But i think the biggest difference between this year and last year’s is that EVERYONE knew their role last year. This year w/ the exception of BD, Jax, and M8E, nobody else knows what to expect.
I don’t believe the chemistry is as great as the 2nd half of last year. It’s still good, but not great.
Utah Jazz - got spanked by Minnesota!!!
At least Nellie seems to realize now that Webber is only limited situational sub. And maybe having him around makes the other bigs like Croshere work harder to get playing time.
But I kinda feel the Fakers duped us into signing Webber by pretending to be interested in him, while actually angling to get Gasol. In one fell swoop they guaranteed we’d be stuck where we are while they got a lot better for now and the future. If we meet them in the first round, we’re dead.
M8E? Sorry but that’s terrible. How are you even supposed to pronounce that? M-eight-E? Matey? Too Australian for my taste. Doesn’t give enough credit to his game. It would be like calling Baron B-five-D. No fun.
Barbosa a blur? Uhhh he should renounce that immediately. He is shifty and deceptively smooth but he doesn’t blow by you like Ellis.
Minnesota = Giant Killer.
The Lakers have become the most interesting team in the NBA, bar done, and I HATE the Lakers. They are getting contributions from 10 players minimum, playing reasonable minutes (even Kobe now), developing the young guys (Bynum, Farmar, Ariza). Mitch Cupcake as GM of the year?
So long as Nellie’s our coach this team will never rise above struggling to get into the playoffs. I just hope Nelson opts out after this year. Let’s get the Warriors on a path to the future.
#21 Oldfan,
I too was moved by Jax’s mother, and it got me reflecting on the character of these Dubs. Exhibit one, BD starting his reading club, and his summer LA charity work. Exhibit two, Jax opens a school, and gives extra time to kids.
Unlike the required team charity work these are efforts made with their own time and money.
While I know little about the about the other player’s non-required charity efforts, the entire team seems to be team oriented, as opposed to the selfishness that characterizes much of today’s sport. I was impressed by BW’s recent comments that he wasn’t worried about playing time this year, that it would come in time, and in general by the demeanor and behavior of all the young players. All team members seem to be unselfish players with blue collar work attitudes. My guess is that when and if these guy get their big contracts and get more settled into their careers many of these too will give back. It’s one more reason to be a Dubs fan and support this group of young men.
Compare these guys to Bonds- “I’m not a role model”, and Clemen’s recent performances).
Back to Jax’s mom. If I was David Stern, I would try to hire her in a minute to help direct the NBA’s outreach programs. What solid character and leadership potential!
Good points, Adam, but you left out THE key guy for the Warriors: Goose. Why, you ask? Because for two games now we’ve seen what these guys look like without Biedrins, and it ain’t pretty. Simply, they can’t defend in the paint — and 30 of the Sonics 32 Q1 points came in the paint. (A marginally better team than the “developmental” Sonics would have run away with this game by Q2 last night.
Movement and hands made the difference in the second half, but NO ONE was doing any defending down low, ever.
Maybe people will finally start to realize just how much Goose means to this team. I just hope we make it thru the games to be played until he gets back at semi-full strength. Cuz we’re still a fun team but not a very good team without him.
I liked that interview with Jax’s mom too. I usually mute the volume when Steinmetz talks but last night I was impressed with Mrs. Jackson.
More whining….
James Online, who do you think brought us into the position we are in now? The Warriors ARE on a path to the future, thanks to Nelly. Here’s hoping that he stays for one more year and continues to groom Smart.
For those of you whining about BW’s playing time– he is clearly too weak to go against veteran bigs right now. He is best in a complementary role (alongside AB). He played the right number of minutes last night- the interior defense was horrible with him in there, and he wasn’t bringing anything on the offensive end. A work in progress for sure.
Mr. Mully,
Don’t agree on M8E. (pronounced M-80) I kinda like that one… Like the fireworks…a big bang in a small package!
#42, I agree with number of mins BWright got, but I want him to get those 10 minutes consistently, don’t see why not.
Mr. Mully,
M8E - pronounced M-80, is an explosive. a large firecracker.
is it fair to say, Monta is explosive? too say the least he is.
I believe barbosa got that nickname before Ellis blew up this season and the 2nd half of last season. I think he was a blur when Ellis dunked on him.
If you guys don’t remember that, youtube it. quite a sight.
Looks like LaWsfan beat me to the explanation. Glad someone got it.
Monte don’t need a nick name, his name is catchy enough. When he scores basket, we should go like Monteeeeeeeeeeeee
Sometimes I tease him (for senior moments and the like), but: (I know this has probably been said here before) Nellie got us back on track when NO ONE else could and unless you can think of and provide us with any better options then let’s just sit back and enjoy the show– it’s an entertaining one!
#47
It’s spelled Mont”A”. Not Mont”E”.
I can live with M8E. Not thrilled with it but I can live with it.
I know Nellie is stubborn but really could POB be any worse than Webber, especially defensively. Webber was slow last year and even worse now with that piano on his back. My daughter could get by him on a screen for a layup. He just kills any concept of team defense. I can’t understand why POB was inactive especially with Beidrins out. If nothing else he has length to protect the rim. Why not give him spot minutes. With the perimeter defense predicated on taking risks for steals the guards allow for a lot of dribble penetration creating a huge need for if not a shot blocking presence at least a shot changing one. Finally Croshere got some minutes last night. I know he has been hurt off and on but once again Nellie can’t find him spot minutes? He provides a much more physical and legit presence at the 4 or 5 then anyone else. He is a solid all around player who does the little things that don’t show up in the box score. In this game he also did the big things that do. I would definitely prefer to see him get more minutes over Barnes, Pietrus and Webber.
I would have liked to see POB given a chance with AB out, but poor guy will have to try his luck in summer league and may be with some other team. Don’t expect to see him this season, unless Acro and Cwebb also injures in next two days.
If we got a guy named “Baron,” how about calling Monta the “Count” for “The Count of Monte Frisco?” That way we have a royal backcourt of the Baron and the Count.
I smell what Geno is cooking and it smells tasty.
But switch it up to “Count of Monta Frisco” to add a personal flair.
I wish the W’s still played in Frisco.
Remedial Nellieosophy:
A)Reasons why Nellie wants Webber:
1) NO: Not to play against Seattle’s D-league bigs. Nellie can beat them going small and quick.
2) NO: Not to play against quick talented big men (Amare Stoudemire). AH matches up better against him than most standard 4s and 5s do.
3) YES: To play against giant, slow but good big men, and giant front lines. Duncan, Yao(r.i.p.), Shaq, Utah, Lakers.
Webber’s effectiveness is certainly not apparent at the moment. But please don’t use games against 1 & 2 as examples that he can’t play. It’s ignorant.
B) Reasons why Nellie likes Matt Barnes:
Of course MB is an undersized 4. Of course he has to scrap for every rebound he gets. To whine endlessly about this is to miss the point of what he gives the Ws:
1) He does what Nellie wants from all his 4s. He spreads the floor, drawing the other team’s best rebounder and defender (their 4) out to the 3 point line where he is completely ineffective on defense. So the next time Monta soars to the rim for a Fitzgerald orgasm, and you’re screaming and dancing, take a moment to consider why the other team’s 4 wasn’t in the lane defending the rim. The answer is Matt Barnes (or AH).
2) When he has the ball in his hands, he cannot be guarded by other 4s. Period. When he drives he gets a layup (which he is admittedly struggling to finish this year), or he causes the other team’s defense to collapse, leading to an easy shot for a teammate (despite his erratic play this year, he still does a great job of creating).
3) He enables the Ws to play at the pace they do. The fastest pace in the league. That would not be possible with Elton Brand (apparently one of this blog’s favorites) lumbering up and down the court. Barnes not only wears out the other team’s 4 trying to change ends with him, but he helps wear out every player on the other team by raising the Ws pace. Have you ever noticed how the Warriors frequently struggle in the first half, only to go on a huge run late in the game to recover and win? Do you think that might have something to do with the other team gasping for air? THANK YOU, MATT BARNES.
I am not an idolater. Matt Barnes is not a great player. He could not make most NBA teams, because to them he is a 3, and he’s just not that talented at the 3. He is willing to play 4 for Nellie, tho, and for that Nellie loves him. He is a quintessential Nellie 4, and an essential piece in the great run the Ws are on.
Moan about how poorly he’s playing all you want. I’ll moan along with you. But don’t complain about him not being what he can’t possibly be, and what Nellie wouldn’t want him to be anyway. It’s ignorant.
C) Reasons why Nellie keeps Mini-Gat’s toothpick ass glued to the pine:
3) 4th quarter against Charlotte’s 3rd string.
2) 1st quarter against the D-League team known as the Seattle Supersonics.
If you guys can’t watch these gametapes and understand what your watching, there’s really no reason to keep belaboring the point. Does the term “Layup Line” mean anything to you? How about “Multiple Facials?” He got an exciting block. How did the team do? 30 of Seattle’s first 32 points were in the paint. Approx. half of those were on mini-gats pointy head.
1) Pay attention: He does not spread the floor. (Please refer to Nellie’s post-game comments in TK’s blog.) In other words, he not only sucks on offense himself, but he makes all of his teammates worse as well. (Thats what that juicy -5 for 9 minutes means.) In other, other words: He is not Matt Barnes (ummmmm, +4).
This interminable whining about mini-gat’s minutes is beyond ridiculous. It’s ignorant.
“I know Nellie is stubborn but really could POB be any worse than Webber, especially defensively(?)”
Yes.
In regards to the future All Wright All Night: “Thats what that juicy -5 for 9 minutes means.”
Beats Webber’s +/- though…
I appreciate what Barnes brings to the table given his limited abilities, but given a choice between continueing to watch Matt play or watching Brandan grow before our eyes, I’d bet most Ws fans would choose Wright. All we ask is for Nellie not to block BW’s development by insisting on playing MP and MB. The kid is ready for 15 min a game. And no, he won’t won’t always fill up the stat sheets all the time, but neither do MP or MB or some of the other starters sometimes.
Mississippi Lightning! why is everyone not seeing the obvious. a combination of to delta blues greats, Mississippi John Hurt, and Lightning Hopkins, and the bolt on the logo. it harkens to the ol skool demeanor of Monta, and the future of the Warriors.
Missislippery, sounds like Mrs. Lippery.
the key to this team coming close to last year is Matt Barnes. he just has not finished like last year. he shoots his jumper like he is jumping for a rebound.
Thunder and Lighting…….. Baron is thunder and Monta is lighting (lights for short, as in lights out)
the headline would read Lakers got hit by thunder and struck by lighting!
I think Feltbot is on the Nellie payroll…but what do I know, I’m obviously ignorant.
PS
Besides I wouldn’t blame the 1st Q layup line on BW alone. He was paired with Al-the-only-black-dude-who-can’t-jump Harrington . Talk about a recipe for failure. And our guards should do a better job of stopping penetration.
We’re spoiled because Biedrins is so good and bails out a lot these guys with his defense, but we can’t compare Wright’s 2nd-start performance to Andris.
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” –Confucious
Mano:
You may be onto something. Put another way, for every assist Webber gets, POB might get a rebound. What’s more important to you. Were that to be equal, then we should look at defense and what POB can contribute that Webber can’t. Hell, the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that POB might be worth a look. I assume he knows the playbook by now.
Big props to coach Nellie for starting BW…and then I’m taking away those props for sitting him down and cruelly teasing him. What the hec! is it going to take 4 coach to play this dang kid! FANS SAY PLAY BRANDON WRIGHT!…MORE!-needs to be the headline in the SF Chronicle. Can i get a witness?
In a sic way I’m glad BigBeezy went down so coach now has to play our other bigs. It’s a blessing and a curse.
Nellie on POB:
“What you’re looking for in a player, especially a player who’s coming off the bench, is a consistency in his game. Something he brings to the table that you can hang your hat on.
Is he a shot-blocker, is he a rebounder, is he a good defender, is he a scorer? What is it he brings to the party and what is his strength? And there isn’t a strength there, as yet.”
Not lookin good for the big fella.
If Webber can’t guard Petro, how can you expect him to guard Duncan, Gasol and Boozer? He can’t move laterally and can barely jump off the floor. He will get abused by all of the big men in the top 7 spots in the West. The only player I think he can contain may be… Erick Dampier.
You guys are freakin hilarious…What is this, Comedy Central? Bananas, autographs during games, courtside seats. Funny, funny stuff..
What does everyone think about us going after Cris Wilcox? I think he’d be a good fit for us if we can get him on the cheap. He’d at least give us a big body with great basketball instincts and good IQ, not to mention he played 2-3years at Maryland. ???
Mr Mully:
If what you say is true, and it looks like a direct quote, then I can only conclude that our #9 pick in the 2006 Draft was a total waste. So for all the accolades that Mullie has recieved, he took this one on the chin. Why the hell is he even around if Nellie has absolutely no confidence in him. This is the NBA where everyone should contribute at some level, other than in practice.
And whatever happened to unloading THud’s contract anyway. Between Webber, Pietrus still around, THud under contract, POB and Petrovic riding the pines - all missed opportunities the way I see it.
The true reality of the Warriors is that they are not a Championship team and never will be with the current roster. The Warrior’s current roster is made to be competitive, make some noise in the playoffs and then loose due to lack of rebounding, lack of a big men and unable to defend the inside. You can’t win a championship with the amount of deficiencies that the Warriors have and these deficiencies are shown every single Warrior game. If the Warriors were serious about competing for a championship this year they would of gotten a big impact player….not Webber. Gasol would have been perfect. I think out of all the teams that made moves in the West, the Warriors were in need of help the most and yet all they got was Webber which has not been all for not.
suggested by someone I heard on KNBR today, so I’m not taking any credit for it, but “Blue Bayou” sounds appropriate and makes alot of sense.
JanG
Was a direct quote from last night’s post game interviews. That move, along with the Ike pick, were Monty moves. Mully deserves some blame for blindly following his coaches whims but I think he has learned more recently to think independently. I do agree that POB was a bust for us but keep in mind, it was a pretty weak draft full of “busts’. POB might be a serviceable player somewhere but it’s obvious it will NOT happen in a Warriors uniform. He’s gone at the end of the year.
I love The Count….The Count of Monta’s Frisco…awesome…that and will be counting hes points from here on out as we watch him shine before our eyes. Although his real nicname is SaintNick for the Saint of all Nicknames…
JanG - couldn’t help but jump in here, despite my desire to stay out of this Nellie/POB discussion. You are 100% right in both your last posts. What Nellie and Mano don’t appreciate about the big fella, is that he is a big fella. That, in and of itself, constitutes “consistency” (in Nellie’s terminology). Even if POB is out of position at times (and who in the heck isn’t on this matador defense team?), just having his wingspan on the court is going to change how teams think about brutalizing us on the inside, and we were certainly witness to the most agonizing display of interior brutalization in the first half at least last night. I’d rather have a guy with that kind of size and wingspan moving about in the middle on defense, than Webber, Barnes, Pietrus or Harrington. “Consistency” Nellie? Holy cow what a double standard he has on this team. Show me how Barnes or Putrid have been at all consistent this year, other than consistently bad.
Berate POB all you want, but the kid just hasn’t been given the same fair opportunity as the other inconsistent souls to prove just how inconsistent he really can be.
One problem with knockin whomever picked Diogu is that same guy got us Monta in the 2nd round. Of course, it should have been the other way around.
The Count of Monta Frisco or Cristo or Crisco is by far the best nickname. Its brilliant. Just close your eyes and picture Chris Berman saying it over a highlight reel. It works on many different levels. It could be simply The Count which references: money, royalty (like a Baron), and also the count of his buckets piling up. Or just Monta Frisco which just sounds pimpin. Monta Crisco like the smooth, buttery, and slippery fella that he is. I say we roll it out.
Where did Goose come from? I missed it
As for the Dubs. We get down on Nellie a little much. Every game this season with the exception of a few have been awesome to watch. The suspense is invigorating. I wouldn’t trade it for the traditional style of hoops for a million bucks. The consistency issues make for a great watch. We run on pure emotion and adrenaline. I have no complaints except for the league not letting Nellie drink on the job. Now that would be cool.
Yeah we know too little to bash POB. Haven’t seen enough of the big lug. Can’t see how he could be any worse than Webber. Only thing that matters though is Nellies opinion and from every indication it doesn’t look like POB will get a chance to prove himself as a Warrior.
On another note what has happened to KelAz man? he was a machine earlier on this season but he’s fallen off considerably. Is it his tendinitis? Baffling. Looks like a real good guy, hopefully he can get it together in order to demand a decent contract.
Maybe I’m still bitter from the initial divorce but I can’t stand CWebb. I thought I’d give him a chance for reconciliation, like in Nellie’s case, but he is not doing anything to change my stance. He simply is NOT a winner. The Fab Five was the most overrated college team in history. Didn’t win in college and hasn’t won in the NBA despite usually being surrounded with a quality squad. Wolverines, Kings, Bullets, Pistons…plenty of oppurtunities, ZERO results. nellie wants this kind of “experience” why again? His loser ways factored in with his decimated skills doesn’t bode well for him benefiting our team anytime soon. Against Duncan, Gasol, Bynum, Dirk, Shaq, Stoudemire, Boozer, West?? Gimme a break. Send that bum to the D-League where his weak hook attempts can be swatted to the 4th row by Lasme.
I agree, the Count of Monta Frisco is my favorite so far. Goose came from Ab’s resemblance to the Top Gun character of the same name I believe, correct me if I’m wrong.
Heh Mully, got a good laugh from your Charles Dickens reference. Classic!
All-day Mon-ta
My favorite so far.
Don’t forget that the guy on the bench is the most popular player in sports (like the second string QB). Anyone who watched closely last night understands why BW has not been getting minutes. He is a tall “3″ right now because he does not have the inside moves or bulk to be an effective post player, and he does not have a good enough outside shot to extend the defense. His defense is mediocre at best right now.
Passion Man made me laugh out loud. Webber as goalie, now THERE’S an idea.
Can just see him out there with the stick and pads (Cmon man, you think you’re tough, cmon in… Whoops. Damn. OK, come on man, try again, I dare you….)
I agree that BW is a keeper, and I expect that he will get a look almost every game now to see what kind of game he will bring. But I just don’t agree with all the clamoring for POB. I’d put Kosta or Marco in before POB. For one, those other two will still be here beyond this season, so it’s more worthwhile to develop them over POB.
That said, I still think POB could still be a decent NBA bench player, just not on this team (maybe a number 3 center on a team like Charlotte).
“World” B. Wright
Here’s a good one for our boy, Monta. He’s from Miss, so “Bayou”. Like he just blew by you punk! “Bayou to the rim!”
Please put me on the “ignorant”…”doesn’t watch closely”…”whining for BW minutes” side of the ledger…
Don Nelson has said he was wrong about Brandon, but a couple of posters apparently know better.
Jeez, give this 20 year-old kid a chance to develop…I’m the opposite of Nellie in one regard, I’d be tolerant of rookie mistakes more so than veteran mistakes…One poster has been trying to catalog every BW mistake…how about doing that with some of the vets??
The nickname thing. If Monta has any say, the nickname is picked.
Check out the photo in the Chron today, you can see there, on his knuckles he’s written:
M 8 E
Y’know, like the quarter-stick of dynamite. Although maybe it just says M 8 on his knuckles, in which case he’s just vain.
Mississippi Lightning does have an authentic bluesy twinge though, or maybe some crazy hooch your second uncle makes out back side of the house?!?
Honestly, Baron and the Count sounds like some lame 70’s pop psychedelic band made of muppet characters.
Monta’s nickname is:
Nicknames suck and Bob Fitzgerald is a nickname.
i’d love to hear what baron and jack call monta. sadly, us fans on a blog will never be able to anoint anyone with a nickname.
feltbot, you make a good argument on barnes behalf except for one small thing… HE CAN’T SHOOT. i’d also like to see a stat of how often its his man that gets an offensive rebound… bet its a lot.
I twisted my back on Sunday and was laid up all weekend in bed with bad back spasms. When I finally got a little bit better, there was only one thing I wanted to watch on tv and that was the Warriors game last night. I was standing up the whole time since sitting down hurt so much. I felt like one of the bench players cheering on the W’s.
Yesterday’s game wasn’t perfect, but it certainly helped take my mind off my own misery. Go Warriors.
I remember J-Rich being interview earlier this year saying that he called Monta Old School… I guess because his game is old school.
Apparantly no-one is getting the nickname “Blue Bayou” so I will explain:
Blue Bayou = Warriors Blue + Mississippi Bayou.
also sounds like ‘blew by you’ on the way to the rim.
or maybe people get it but just don’t like it =(
Friday night can’t come soon enough…
I want Bob Fitzgerald to get a cold for the night and for the Warriors to have Rick Barry and Jim Barnett call the game together.
This lovefest crap has gone on long enough and the Ellis nickname PR campaign (thanks for another waste of time, Warriors Front Office) has gone on longer.
From David Thorpe on ESPN regarding BW . . .
“I watched Wright’s entire pregame workout in Oakland last week, and I loved what I saw. The drills were spirited and smart, and Wright oozes skill and talent. On another team, I think he would stand out in this (rookie) class.”
Play the man more minutes . . .
On second thought, I want Rick Barry and Bob Fitzgerald to call the game. I think Rick would punch Bob out by the 8 minute mark of the second quarter. I really do.
Ah, to dream…
Has anyone noticed that if the season ended today we’d be a plaoff team - and we’d go up against the Lakers who - despite adding Gasol - we could absolutely, if we play well, beat.
It’s gotta suck right now in Nugget-land. All that talent - two all star starters, plus camby, Kmart, Nene, and they’re in the nine spot. Ouch!
I want Cohan to jam a finger on his keyboard and have to sit out a game or two…;)
Off topic but it’s a slow week . . .
Given the thirst for a Monta nickname, how about one for Hollinger on ESPN. Suggestions include:
EastCoastBiasinger
Moroninger
NoRespectinger
FrontRunninger
StatsBoyinger
Hollinger’s stuff is so painful that I need to stop reading it. Some comments on this blog are at least train wreck good where I don’t want to read them but find myself needing to through the cracks in my fingers.
The top 50 posters on this site are better than Hollinger and that is saying something.
This is week is going mighty slow with no fast Warriors to speed things along.
Two games before he went down, Andris Biedrins got 19 minutes on the floor. Nellie resorts to “bigs” only when nothing else works. What’s he’s done to kill the confidence of Biedrins, Brandan, O’Bryant, and Kosta is criminal. Kelenna and Marco haven’t exactly gotten any love either. Enough jacking threes and one-on-one forays from half court sets. Give me motion basketball and talent that sees the floor and shares the ball.
Hollinger’s nickname is Statistically Insignificant.
AC: Nellie has always liked him but his back problems have kept him out. When he has been healthy he has done a good job. He has more experience at playing center so he is a logical person to have in there as much as he can stand. I like the guy.
AH: he makes some stupid fouls but I feel a bit sorry for AH because he is always playing out of position. Last night he had to start at center again against 3 people taller than he was with only BW to help him, and BW is still learning and hasn’t had a chance to get in the flow with the other players yet. He gets worn down playing center and never shoots well in those games. It is a waste to use him that way. He should be the sixth man and come in off the bench shooting, forcing mismatches against him rather than the other way around. He is a small forward type. He really did try to mix it up in the middle last night but those Seattle trees were blocking everything. He shouldn’t have to take abuse for doing what the coach asks him to do against great odds. Criticizing him is a BIG FAT COP-OUT for Nellie. He is the ultimate victim or sacrificial lamb in this scheme.
MB: The less said the better. He has really fallen. In his defense, he is not a PF on any team except the Ws. He is a utility player, whatever that might be.
MP: The big value he has in Nellie’s system is that he can sometimes match up defensively with bigger players, but his offense is way down. He can provide energy at times, but the fouls and bonehead plays offset some of the great plays he does make. Played one of his best games of the season.
BD: 46 minutes last night. Played great defense at times and it just makes you wonder what he would be like with some rest. We may never know.
ME: 42 minutes. Worked hard against the double teaming and eventually had his way. His defense may be suspect at this point but a lot of it comes from what he is asked to do because the Ws don’t have people to match up one and one on big men. His actual defense on guards his size is pretty good, but without AB in there, there is no one to back him or anyone else up when they try to overplay for steals.
BW: Nelson gave him a token start and took him out too soon. Yes, he will make mistakes, but that is how you learn- and he seems to be a pretty fast learner considering his playing time. In this sense, Nelson is not a teacher because he won’t allow his students to make mistakes in games. At least with him in there the Ws did not fall apart at the start against a very tall and athletic team. Think about how it might have been with Weber in there instead. BW should play PF only and will show better when AB gets back and they can work together. Until then he needs to play to get his rookie mistakes out of his system. Better that than Weber, who is just taking up a roster place and minutes from other players.
POB: He did improve coming into this year. That isn’t saying a lot but it was significant. At least he can rebound, block shots, pass and hit mid-range jumpers. That is 2 more things than Weber can dream about right now, and his athleticism makes up for some of his mistakes. I’m not a big fan but he has shown signs of improvement. His simple presence might deter some of those dunks.
KP: I would like to see this guy play more. He has a big body, which is something the Ws don’t otherwise have. He actually takes up space in there. What a concept! Play him. He is 7 feet tall and changes shots. Lets see what he can do. He has shown that he will battle and block out. He can score too. He also has some experience, just not in the NBA.
CJ: Give him a chance against the other team’s subs. He can keep the fire going without having Baron in there as a 2 guard. Sit Baron down for a few minutes each half and let KA play with him.
KA: Unless he is injured more than we know, why is he getting 4 minutes when the Ws are short handed? He can do everything Barnes can and a lot more. If you think he has lost his edge, I am sure it is because he doesn’t get minutes. WEEe saw what he could do early in the season. Then Barnes returned and that was that.
SJ: Thank goodness he is back. It took him a while to get his legs moving, but he makes a lot of difference in everything he does.
Go Warriors! Nellie, wake up.
For what it’s worth, we’re now 34-22. That’s the same number of wins we had in both 2004-5 and 2005-6, finishing each year at 34-48.
#62… i’d say jack, not al, wins the award for black-man-who-can’t-jump. he scores more flat footed layups then anyone i’ve ever seen. the title is literally true now that he’s got a bum ankle.
i sure hope that if we lose out on the playoffs, its not to the nuggets. is there any team more dislikable than the nuggets? iverson is a sav, i’ll give them that, but the fact that melo has completely copied his style kinda ruins his coolness. the cornrows are the exact the same, the headband is the exact same, they even have the same arm sleeve, only on different arms. melo makes iverson look like mini me. its the funniest thing i’ve ever seen (i’m sure iverson secretly hates melo for coppin his look too). carmelo s far and away my least favorite superstar. something about the guy bugs me. i can’t stand the thought of losing to him and mini-me.
the other terrible thing about the nuggets is their name. gotta be the worst name in sports! baron davis gets to tell people “yo, i’m a warrior!” iverson has to say “yo, i’m a nugget.” how retarded does that sound. here’s what nuggets do: they get spent (gold), eaten (chicken), or smoked (weed). who the hell wants to be a frickin nugget. the only thing worse than being a nugget is getting beat by a nugget.
Talk about a perfecta…
I’m the only one on the board who loves Nellie, and apparently the only one who likes Bob Fitzgerald (he has great rapport with Jim Barnett, who is one of my favorite color men in the game — any one hate him too?)
And of course, i’m the only one on the board who thinks mini-gat should be in the d-league. Prior to his stint in Europe.
Playoff Realignment Proposal
The teams with the 16 best records make the playoffs. No news here. But what’s the best way to accomplish that?
The conventional wisdom is to rank the teams 1-16 and have 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, 3 vs. 14, and so on.
Too many problems under that system.
Too many top seeded teams might ha