Thanks in part to Belinelli's emergence, the Warriors are watchable once more. His hard work, persistence, and patience with Don Nelson's frustrating double-standards with the rotations have finally paid off. Thank goodness the Warriors didn't trade him before Belinelli could prove Nelson wrong. This kid is ready and has been ready to contribute all along. We could have used him last year to cut down on Jackson and Baron's minutes. His defense wasn't where it is now, but Belinelli had plenty of other ways to contribute so the vets would have something left in the tank at the end of the season.
YO ADRIAN!!!!! HE DID IT!!!!
Rocky Balboa (2:10 start of training footage) Slybest
The Bad Ronny Turiaf: 20 min, 4 pf, 3 to, 0 pts Andris Biedrins: 26 min, 8 pts
The Ugly Stephen Jackson: 29 min, 3-9 fg, 1 reb, 5 to Best and Worst +/- Rob Kurz: +2 Anthony Morrow: +2 DeMarcus Nelson: +2 Kelenna Azubuike: -15 Ronny Turiaf: -15
love Wright's aggressiveness; getting to the line, playing Gasol well who is getting questionable calls
Jackson with his 5th turnover halfway through 3rd Q
Crawford heating up, leads Warriors with 19 pts; needs to do a better job defending Fisher
Jackson trying to make the flashy passes and causing turnovers
Lakers pulling away, 91 to 76 3:33 left in 3rd Q
Warriors zone defense getting them back in the game
GSW 85 LAL 102 end of 3rd
Warriors sloppy possessions hurting them most
Ariza playing teriffic defense all night; poor man's Randolph :)
Kurz in: rattles in 1st shot, Warriors down 20
C.J. hits 3, 2-2 3pt, 11 pts in 11 min so far
points off turnovers 17 to 29 in favor of Lakers
Randolph / Morrow / Watson / Nelson / Kurz with 7: 30 left in 4th
Vujacic hitting 3-6 3pts, 17 pts
Kurz hits 3, perfect 2-2 fg
Morrow should take this time to get his confidence back, makes first shot
Randolph with a tremendous drive and jam from the top of the arch; needs to take less jumps and more shots in the paint
Radmanovic takes Randolph off the dribble...not good
Nelson with block on Powell, coast to coast layup
Randolph with another drive from 24 ft out then dunk
GSW 113 LAL 130 final
Kobe was just too good, Jackson reverted back to his turnover prone, low fg% self trying to do too much (fancy passes in traffic)
so much for the improved defense...Lakers score their highest total this year; poor transition defense and closing out on perimeter shooters
Biedrins with his 4th straight single digit scoring night (5,6,7, and 8)
great to see that Nelson did not overplay Jackson during the blowout and let the young guys run
Warriors have the 6th worst record at 9-23; 6.3% chance at the No. 1 Pick; keep tanking because this is probably the kind of beat-down the Warriors will get in the first round...keep an eye on DeMar DeRozan who is starting to heat up at USC
Wright played well on both ends and logged in 31 minutes
It's time to let go of the past and let the future rise up.
They suck. As soon as news hit that Ellis suffered a serious ankle injury, anyone with their feet on the ground and head not too high in the clouds could clearly see that this season would test everyone associated with this franchise...from the Owner, to the Front Office, to the Coach, to the Players, and to the Fans. It was going to be a rough year - the bright spots for the team came from the young and underutilized, but they weren't going to save the season - they're not ready yet.
This may be a low point for many Warrior Fans, but this short term pain is necessary for the Warriors to turn this franchise into a perennial playoff contender sooner, rather than later. Face it, the Warriors are not a good playoff team even if all their vets were healthy...not even close. Why spin your wheels to get clobbered in the first round or most likely just miss out on the playoffs when instead, you could land a big missing piece to the puzzle in next year's shallow draft? They are in 'Stealth Tank-Mode', like it or not.
I'm on the record for not wanting to lock in Baron Davis to a 4+ year mega-million deal (anything greater than $10M) and was thrilled and excited about the possibility of starting fresh with some promising young talent to build around. I was hoping for one more year, where Cohan would put all his chips in to make a big run to go deep into the playoffs, but that didn't happen. The Warriors decided not to use the $10M Trade Exception and to break up the 'We Believe' roster so much so, that their leader, Baron Davis, left $17M on the table and headed to the Clippers. With Baron's opt-out, the Warriors proceeded to have one of the WORSE off-seasons in Warrior history - one that can only be salvaged by the drafting of Anthony Randolph and retaining of Ellis and Biedrins. What was most disturbing about the offseason was the type of talent they were trying to bring in to replace their lost star....not young talent like Josh Smith or Andre Iguodala, but aging/injury prone stars like Arenas, Brand, and Maggette. Maggette is a good player when healthy, but they severely overpaid and locked him in for too many years. He's too one-dimensional and past his prime to warrant such a big chunk of the Warriors financial commitment. They would have been much better off keeping the wind-fall of cap flexibility, but the fear of losing bandwagon fans from the whole 'We Believe' phenomenon as well as Nelson's pursuit of the coaching victory record resulted in bad moves that any intelligent basketball fan could see would end up hurting more than helping in the long run.
The Warriors, by all reports, have frozen out Mullin and are now being run by some combination of Rowell and Nelson. So far this duo has failed miserably with the pre-mature extension of Jackson and the cruel political games manifesting themselves in baffling player rotations. Marcus Williams is given less of a chance to succeed than DeMarcus Nelson. Belinelli was buried deep on the bench until he was given longer stints on the court to show what he could do. Rob Kurz has a longer leash than either Wright or Randolph. The Warriors sleeper 2nd rounder, big-time rebounding big man, Richard Hendrix was released to further the 'Bash Mullin's Guys' cause. They decided to keep DeMarcus Nelson even though the Warriors were overloaded with guards and Nelson was not a true PG nor an asset on the offensive end. Fans and the media see through Don Nelson's mind games and back office dealings - it may have worked 15 years ago, but it won't go unchecked or at least unacknowledged this time around. We are watching and hope that politics is set aside and the betterment of the team is put in front of egos and power struggles.
I loved Nelson as a small ball coach with a capable roster (strong PG) and as a talent evaluator, but his determination to run Mullin and his picks into the ground has clouded his judgment. It's clear that Randolph and Wright deserve more consistent minutes. It's also clear that the best true PG, Marcus Williams, is nailed to the bench and sees less time than DeMarcus Nelson, a scrub that will be lucky to stick in the NBA. Williams may turn out to be a bust, but at least afford him the same opportunity to prove himself just as much as Watson and Nelson are given that chance - he can't be much worse. Then again, if Williams succeeds, Nellie looks bad and Mullin looks good. Can't have that, can we?
We know Nellie loves to pull mind games, but we must not let history repeat itself by letting his actions go unchecked.
This is a train wreak, but there is light at the end of the tunnel if you stick around long enough to chug down the tracks during this trying time. Here are the few positives among the many negatives:
Anthony Randolph looks to be a special player that can contribute today on the boards and on defense, but also has a big upside on the offensive end. He could be the type of player that could carry a franchise into contention if developed properly and coached to his potential. His size, aggressiveness, ball-handling, and work ethic make him a valuable piece for the future. He's shown an aptitude for making nice passes as well as the ability to hit perimeter shots. At only age 19, Randolph is a raw package of potential that cannot be allowed to be dealt the same fate as Webber 15 years ago.
Brandan Wright is pretty good. He seems to have a better offensive game than Biedrins had at this stage of his development, and I believe he'll have an even bigger impact on offense than Biedrins is having right now. He has more moves, a better touch around the rim, and best of all, a jumper. Wright's frame will continue to fill out, he'll improve his post play, his shot will go down with more consistency, and more experience will give him more confidence and savvy on the court. The more Nelson plays him, the faster he will develop into a great starter at PF who is not only an offensive threat, but a shot changer that could wreak havoc in the passing lanes along with Randolph and Biedrins' quick, long arms.
Andris Biedrins is a double-double machine. At only 22 years old, he has already been mentioned as one of the best centers in the league. He's agile, intelligent, works hard, and is well respected by his teammates. He will only get better. Put him next to a true PF that will allow him to deal with less than 1 or 2 opponents at once, then he will thrive. Small ball puts a lot of pressure on him on the defensive end, forcing him out of position and to work twice as hard as he tries to make up for the lack of size in the other frontcourt positions. Warriors are lucky to have locked him up long term at such a good price.
Monta Ellis will be back. His rehabilitation seems to be going well. We know he can be an unstoppable scorer with the ability to put up All-star numbers when he reaches his prime. The ankle injury delayed his PG development, but if he is not rushed back and joins the team on the bench, watches, learns, and takes it all in, he'll be more than fine.
Marco Belinelli is starting to live up to the hype brought about by his big summer league performances and dismantling of Team USA in the World Championships. You could see him improve with every game. His defense is no longer a huge liability, he helps the team by promoting ball movement and unselfish play, has vastly improved his ability to finish at the rim, and with more work and greater confidence, he'll knock down the 3 with more even more regularity. He could be a solid starter if Randolph can evolve into a Lamar Odom type of big giving the Warriors a 3rd distributor, but I envision him as best suited as the 6th man (like Ginobili) that leads the second unit and provides instant offense. Belinelli knows how to play basketball the right way.
The Warriors have several very good role players that could stick around long enough for the team to blossom. Azubuike, Turiaf, Morrow, and Crawford strengthen the bench and provide toughness, change of pace, and complimentary skills. Maggette is starting material, but hopefully, when the Warriors are ready to compete for a title, he will be gone. Jackson has the makings of a good leader, but his 180 degree change in attitude once he signed his over-priced extension leads one to question whether or not he is a player that is worth keeping around as the young core develops. His injury and the losing are understandable sources of frustration, but to hear that he argued with Nelson and would welcome a trade even after the Warriors rewarded him with a big contract is very disappointing. Robert Rowell got played and in the future, should have zero say in ANY basketball related personnel decisions. PERIOD!
A huge positive that could potentially be a franchise fortune changer is the high draft pick the Warriors are on pace to attain in the 2009 Draft. Although this is said to be a weak draft, there are a few players that could push the Warriors back into instant relevance, namely Ricky Rubio, James Harden, and Blake Griffin. PG's Jrue Holiday and Brandon Jennings may have that impact as well. Earl Clark is intriguing, but unless he can play SG (doubtful at the NBA level), he's a redundant piece. Blake Griffin could be an upgrade over Wright, and would enable the Warriors to package Wright along with Maggette or Jackson to regain breathing room in the salary cap department and perhaps replace the pick lost in the Marcus Williams trade.
If Rubio decides to declare for the draft in 2009 and the Warriors are lucky enough to win the lottery, they will be well on their way to building a contender.
Assuming we land a top 5 pick, the future lineup could look something like this: Ellis / Harden / Randolph / Wright / Biedrins - Bench: Belinelli, Crawford, Turiaf, Morrow. Harden and Ellis are big time scoring threats in which Ellis excels in mid-range shots and drives to the hoop while Harden hits from 3, defends, and scores in a variety of ways. Both have adequate PG skills. Randolph is the key to the starting 5 that will determine whether or not the Warriors will be able to be thought of as among the top contenders in the NBA. If he can also be a versatile scoring threat to complement Ellis and Harden, he would be a weapon on both ends of the floor, blocking shots, rebounding, defending, deflecting, bringing up the ball, and distributing at the SF position. Biedrins is already well on his way to being one of the top centers. Wright has the potential to follow a similar path as Biedrins with a little more offense, less rebounding, and more blocking. Belinelli, Morrow, and Crawford add more perimeter scoring while Turiaf comes in to defend the occasional big that the starting frontcourt can't handle. It's definitely not the small ball lineup Nellie is obsessed with pushing, but perhaps after Nellie breaks the record, he'll turn over the reins to a more open-minded coach that appreciates defense and starts the best players every night, no matter how tall they may be.
Warriors need to be strong, stay the course, stay positive, and stick to tanking. Do not be tempted to bring back Ellis too early just to win a few meaningless games. If the Warriors are far enough in the standings as to not hurt their lottery chances with a few wins, maybe they bring back Jackson, Maggette, and Ellis to excite the fan base and salvage a few season ticket holder sales. The smart thing to do, however, is to play the young guys as much as possible, hold Ellis out until the very last month of the season insuring that he is 100% healthy, play Marcus Williams to pump up his trade value and so the young guys know what it is like to play with a true PG, do everything in their power to trade Jackson and Maggette, and get the Minority Owners to buy out Chris Cohan.
If the Warriors play their cards right, they can turn this thing around faster than you think. Die-hards will always be around. And for those of you that came on board during the playoff run of 2007, just keep in mind that sticking with this team even at it's lowest moments makes winning even sweeter. See 'We Believe'. Accept that it is gone, brace yourself for a rough 2009, and watch this team get back on track. Happy Holidays to all!
Wright has nice block on driving Chalmers; Warriors' inability to stay in front of their guys (particularly at PG and Belinelli) will need the bigs to clean up - small ball with their current roster does not work
Wright's length causing turnovers
Randolph in for Wright, 5:10 left in 1Q
Warriors crashing the offensive boards
Biedrins can't get a call - getting played physically, but not getting to the line
Warriors driving and kicking consistently
Randolph with blocks, a bucket, and takes a charge; very effective stretch of minutes
shooting 38% but lead 24 to 21 after the 1st Q
Turiaf/Morrow/Anthony/Azubuike/Watson start the 2nd Q
Azubuike continues recent trend of dishing off the drive and not forcing up the difficult contested shot
Randolph with a ferocious put-back dunk!!!!
Warriors have a new defensive grading system? You don't meet the grade or put in a good effort, you sit. I like it!
Azubuike with another offensive board and score; 8 pts and 7 reb
Warriors young guys are fairing better than if the stars were active; a lot more ball movement, better quality shots, and the use of Randolph or Wright at PF instead of a SF or SG
Cooke bringing back Heat with 4 three pointers in the 2nd Q
stats vs. Heat: .347 to .474 fg, .125 to .545 3pt, 23 to 24 reb, 5 to 12 ast, 6 to 4 stl, 2 to 2 stl, 6 to 7 to, 7 to 10 pf
Daequan Cook 17 pts in 14 min, 5-7 3pt
Watson/Belinelli/Azubuike/Wright/Biedrins
Watson is awful dealing with the fast break; gives up ball too late
first bucket of 2nd half for both teams comes w/ 8:30 left in 3rd
finally, Biedrins given the ball deep in the paint; dismal shooting cured by Bigs taking close shots
Wright is so smooth going to the basket; give him space and he could easily get to rim on his man
Watson proves he is the worst PG on the break once again; stuffed by Watson when he should have dumped it off to Azubuike on the left or Randolph down the middle - PLEASE TRY MARCUS WILLIAMS!!!!!
DeMarcus Nelson replaces Watson....damn
both teams struggling to put points on the board; lots of turnovers and sloppy play
Randolph follows awful offensive possession with great block on Beasley
Watson's 3 brings Warriors to within 9 pts; Azubuike drains a 3 to cut it to 6 pts
Wade makes drives look so easy
DeMarcus Nelson misses wide open 8-foot jumper, gets the offensive board and lays it in; does Nellie really believe he has a better shot at positively impacting this franchise than Richard Hendrix?
Warriors start to hit perimeter shots in the end, but too little too late
GSW 88 MIA 96 - Final
Warriors go to 8-22, good for 5th best chance in 2009 Draft Lottery
“I actually thought we competed and did a pretty good job. We didn’t shoot the ball well enough to win but I thought we made the right plays. And we would expect that with some of the young guys playing that we would have some turnovers and we did, but I thought they hung in there pretty well. I was happy with the way we played today.”
Kelenna Azubuike On Playing Short-Handed:
“We didn’t want to use that as an excuse. We didn’t get the win so we just have to learn from it and move on to the next game. It’s been an interesting year so far. We’ve had a lot of injuries and a lot of guys are banged up. The younger guys have to step in and learn quickly. I don’t think they’re doing a bad job, but we’re just young right now. Losses are frustrating and hopefully we can get better and turn it around.”
“I think we have to try and find the positives from this. It’s tough when you’re losing but hopefully we’re getting better as a team. We’re giving it everything we have and I think that’s all you can ask for. I think we’ll get smarter as a team as the games go on.”
bench standing for a long time, don't sit until Warriors score first points
Biedrins missing some close range shots off cuts to the rim
Wright gets burned on defense and is quickly replaced by Kurz; Kurz gets bullied by Howard twice and gets to remain in the game; the double-standard continues for Don Nelson
Belinelli playing heavy minutes; fits in new system that emphasizes ball movement, constant player movement, drive and kick
Randolph playing like he's instructed to not shoot right when he touches the ball; passed up some wide open jumpers and is looking for teammates
Randolph steals rebound from Howard and scores; very aggressive on the glass - perhaps the Warriors best rebounder
missed open jumpers killing Warriors
Howard is getting Hall of Fame treatment with the referees
Randolph with sweet recovery and block on Orlando guard
Belinelli unselfish in passing up 3 for an even better 3 from Crawford
Biedrins continues to struggle, 1-7 fg, all shots at the rim; rushing and perhaps bothered by Howard's shot-blocking pressence
Belinelli helping on the boards; pushes the ball up the court
Wright gets back into the game at 2:16 mark of 2nd Q
Courtney Lee loves to play against the Warriors
Morrow with a tip in at the buzzer; Warriors down by only 8! at the half
Orlando hot from beyond the 3 point arch, 7-13 3pt
Warriors out-rebounding Magic 31 to 25, 11 2nd chance points
Crawford cuts the lead to 6 with opening bucket for the 2nd half
weaving on offense benefits Belinelli tremendously, loves to come off screens
Crawford drains 3 off of Azubuike offensive rebound, cuts lead to 4
Nelson looks like one of the best PG's in the NBA, so confident with his perimeter shot now; swishes in a 3 over the out-stretched arms of Wright
all Warriors converge on Howard once he gets the ball in the paint
Biedrins 0-4 from freethrow line; makes layup; 1-2 ft next trip at line
Magic continue to strike from 3; lead back up to 10
Randolph and Turiaf relieve Wright and Biedrins
Morrow shooting well
Magic shooting 13-21 from 3; lead 81 to 63; Jameer Nelson is continuing to play like an All-star
Watson terrible on the break; seems to always look for his own shot rather than dumping it for an easier shot; selfish
GSW 66 ORL 87
Kurz/Randolph/Azubuike/Morrow/Watson start 4th
fast break at 9:18 is prime example of Watson's selfish play, should have dumped it to the trailer but instead forces a shot contested by 2 defenders and gets blocked; prompts Nelson to put in Marcus Williams and DeMarcus Nelson
Gortat has an amazing profile; that nose is huge!
Marcus Williams and Belinelli should play together; love Williams' passing, ability to direct the team, and anticipate what's going to happen - needs to regain shooting confidence
Williams/Belinelli/Jackson/Randolph/Biedrins should be a nice 5
Randolph blocks Redick's 3 pt attempt, gets 2-hand jam at other end
DeMarcus Nelson should have been cut instead of Hendrix; Warriors are loaded with guards; DeMarcus nothing special, but at least Hendrix gives them a big man with great rebounding instincts and another fouler vs. dominant bigs
hopefully, Marcus Williams wins a little more playing time with his solid stint; would like to see him instead of Watson for a while; see what he could do and see if he could pump up his trade value
Randolph played great, Wright redeemed himself after a rough start, Belinelli was ok, Morrow played well; overall a productive loss for the young guns that will build confidence and keep up their morale
Magic's hot shooting was just too much for the Warriors; played decent defense, but couldn't do much to cool off Magic
GSW 81 ORL 113; lose by 32
Warriors in sole possession of 5th worst record in the league; Rubio/Griffin/Harden/Holiday/Jennings/Clark
Crawford has a poor shooting night but seems to regaining his touch from downtown
"We had a tough time knocking down shots. I think we all got shots that we are normally used to making. It was just tough on us to knock them down. We pretty much all struggled from the field. Having Dwight Howard out there, you know that there is not going to be too many easy layups. He is going to adjust shots and block shots. They know where to push you because he is right there. It is a nice job on their part as well.”
“We had some really good shots. They were just short or they didn’t go. They are shots that normally go.”
On The Tough Start:
“I am just trying to play my part, but it is a team game. Guys are all trying to step up. As one of the older guys on the team, I am just trying to hold it down until we get some of the other guys back. Monta, Steve, and Corey are out, so when we get our whole team back we will see what we have. It is tough, but the young guys keep it refreshing. They keep you energized. They are out there and working hard. We have to continue to try and get some wins so they can see the rewards from their hard work.”
Jackson with a nice assist from 3 pt line to Belinelli
Jackson hits a 3pt; let's hope his slump is over
Biedrins looking very active; rebounding and scoring; defense collapsing on him fast, causing near turnovers and forcing perimeter scoring
Azubuike with step-back jumper
Belinelli misses first 3pt attempt
Crawford's mid-range game is almost as good as Ellis'
Turiaf in for Biedrins (foul trouble); misses jumper badly
Morrow in for Crawford 3:55 left in 1Q
Morrow hits open baseline jumper
Azubuike shooting great from 3pt range after a bad start to the season
Brandan Wright in for Azubuike near end of 1Q
GSW 29 IND 40 end of 1Q
Wright with oreb and flip in
Azubuike turning the ball over; gets wide open 3
Crawford continues to hit midrange jumper
Morrow steals the ball, dribble clumsily on the break, passes up the wide open 3pt shot; still not playing with confidence
Belinelli makes another nice finish on a drive
DeMarcus Nelson called up; gets 2 off of Belinelli ast; retooled jump shot
Biedrins sits with 3 fouls, 5:20 left in 2Q
Belinelli continues to shoot well, hits 3pter to start the 2nd half
Crawford draws a foul on a 3 pt shot, misses ft
nice hustle on the offensive glass by Azubuike and Biedrins
Biedrins picks up his 4th foul at 7:39 3Q
Belinelli ties game at 81 on fade away; Belinelli looks like he's an NBA quality starter
Warriors' inability to defensive rebound is why Pacers are leading
Belinelli with another flashy dish for Biedrins dunk
Belinelli drains yet another 3, tying game at 99
good ball movement and unselfish play
Granger hot and carrying the Pacers; unstoppable
athletic buckets by Steven Graham; Warriors can't get a stop
Jarret Jack hits big 3, Crawford misses his 3; Pacers up by 6
Belinelli w/ career high 21 pts; a keeper or a trade asset to facilitate salary dump or upgrade in draft position
Warriors lose 120-127 improving lottery odds
always good to see a competitive game that ends in a loss where one of the young guys has a great game; chemistry seems to be developing as well
disappointed that Nelson continues to sit Randolph and Wright all or most of the game in favor of a rebounding and defensive challenged small-ball unit
“I thought we competed the best we could. I thought it was anyone’s game for a while. We didn’t expect to play with such a small lineup. But with Murphy (Troy) out, they went small and then we had to. Their small team played better than ours. We expected them to run the floor and it was a pretty good battle.”
Jamal Crawford On Tonight's Game:
"I thought offensively we gave ourselves a chance. But we were down one a couple different times and we didn’t capitalize or get the big stop or the big score. We just didn’t close it out."
On Trying To Turn Things Around:
"We just don’t want the young guys to get down. When you get results with winning, the hard work is paying off. Since we haven’t been winning we have to keep going forward and hopefully they’ll keep their heads up."
On Danny Granger:
"It’s confidence. I’ve always thought in the past he was a really good player. But now he’s being more vocal with his teammates and you can see he’s the leader of this ball club.”
Stephen Jackson On Tonight's Game:
"They made shots. Danny (Granger) had a terrific game. We had a difficult job guarding the pick and roll tonight. That definitely hurt us. They set a lot of screens where they got open and they knocked them down."
On The Warriors:
"We have a young team. We’re going through a lot with injuries. Young guys are trying to find their roles and how the NBA goes. There’s a lot we’re going through right now and just trying to find a niche. We just need to get some momentum going for ourselves. This was a bad way to start a road trip but we have to get ready for the next one."
On His Place On The Team:
"I’m just trying to stay positive and be aggressive. I have to play well and shoot well for the team to win. I’ve been struggling a little bit. Everybody struggles sometimes, somewhere. It’s just about me continuing to be humble about the game and continuing to work on my shot and hopefully I can get out of it.”
Jackson gets his stroke back and shoots 8 of 14 from the field, 3-3 from the line
Jackson's shooting slump continues, but still rewarded heavy minutes
MVW: Marco Belinelli
The Good Marco Belinelli: 31 min, 8-14 fg, 4 reb, 6 ast, 19 pts Andris Biedrins: 31 min, 10-12 fg, 9 reb, 2 blk, 23 pts Jamaal Crawford: 37 min, 6 ast, 16 pts Kelenna Azubuike: 37 min, 10 reb Stephen Jackson: 39 min, 6-6 ft, 7 reb, 3 ast
The Bad Stephen Jackson: 39 min, 3-14 fg, 0-3 3pt, 4 to Jamaal Crawford: 37 min, 6-17 fg, 1-6 3pt, -16 +/-, 2 to Brandan Wright: 12 min Anthony Randolph: 2 min
Jackson keeps chucking to the tune of 1-11 fg in the 1st half
Morrow hasn't taken a shot; has 2 reb, 2 pf
GSW 40, ORL 46 at the half; 30.6% fg,
leaders at the half: Biedrins 10 pts, Azubuike 8 reb, Jackson 2 ast
Jackson finally hits a jumper; draws 3rd foul for Gortat
Azubuike getting better at dishing on drives
Watson ties game at 53 w/ 2 free throws
Crawford's mid-range shot falling; fantastic cross over and pull up moves to shake his man
Jameer Nelson heats up from long range; latest average player to benefit from playing the Warriors
Belinelli is a far better PG than Watson; better court vision, passing, finishing, unselfishness
Belinelli continues to finish at the rim at a high percentage, huge improvement from last year
Jackson has the audacity to take a contested 3 with plenty of time on the clock; Nelson should give him extended rest
Battie crashing the offensive board; Randolph, Wright, Kurz? Small ball isn't working, why not try to go big
Belinelli needs to always go under the high screen; seems to always stubble after his man and swiping for ball from behind; need to have 2 shot blockers with Belinelli guarding against a capable penentrator
GSW 67 ORL 77, end of 3rd Q
Wright starts 3rd, immediately drains a 12 footer
don't like Morrow body language; timid, unsure
Belinelli with awesome long distance ally-oop to Biedrins; tough and-1 a few minutes later
would like to have seen Williams/Belinelli/Randolph/Wright/Biedrins; Jackson, Crawford, Azubike combine for 11-44 fg
Randolph in and hits a long 2; rebounds strong, needs to look to pass more
Morrow gets some garbage points; I'm starting to lose hope for Morrow to be a big piece of the Warriors future
could have used Randolph a lot sooner to limit 2nd and 3rd chance points
Biedrins should have dominated in this game; played well, but couldn't muster a double-double; hard to do when your the lone big man battling for rebounds much of the game
props to Belinelli for continuing his stellar play; he's played like I thought he would after seeing him last summer, now he has to do it on a consistent basis; he plays basketball the right way - unselfish, versatile, aggressive, confident
only 3 blocks for the entire team; not many minutes given to the bigs other than Biedrins
The Warriors are going to lose a lot of the bandwagon 'We Believe', fans, but they are doing the rightt thing in resting the injured and playing the young guys in waves (Tank Mode); if the Warriors can get a top 3 pick, this would all be worth it (Griffin, Harden, Rubio - if he comes out), too bad this is a very shallow draft with no real franchise changers, except perhaps Rubio who looks less and less likely to declare for the draft
it seems as though Nellie is picking and choosing when to play the bigs, insuring that neither Randolph or Wright get a permanent spot in the rotation for whatever reason
“I think it’s obvious (it’s affecting him). But it’s up to him if he thinks he can still play. He does other things well on the court, tonight he had seven rebounds and passed well. Scoring is not the only thing he possesses.”
On The Small Lineup:
“It was a small lineup game tonight the way I figured. We couldn’t matchup with their bigs so we had to go small and we struggled to score the ball. They made more shots, but it was a matchup we had to do.”
On The Defense:
“It was so hard for us to handle their screen and roll and with their three point shot it takes away from our weak side help. But Jameer (Nelson) has developed in to quite a player”
Stephen Jackson On Playing Hurt:
“That’s what matters to me, my teammates. Nobody made a big deal of my toe when I played in the playoffs, so I’m not going to make this a big deal about my hand. It happened, but I’m going to keep rolling.”
On The Young Guys:
“We have a bunch of young guys and they just want to play basketball and hopefully we can switch it up and win some games. They are staying positive for the most part and the guys that have been around here are helping them. But it’s definitely frustrating to them and this is something new to them, so they’ll have to find a way to deal with it.”
IF the Warriors luck into the #1 Pick, who should they select?
The Mind of Mullin is not affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The opinions expressed are solely the views of this fan blog and not of Chris Mullin or any employee of the Golden State Warriors.
I’ve been a Warriors fan since Sleepy Floyd was superman. Through the fleeting good years and abundant bad, I’ve always stuck with the team, ever loyal until the end. I’m a long time season ticket holder, heavily invested financially and emotionally for better or for worse.
I’m a draft nut and know good talent when I see it (for the most part). I’m a big fan of the NBA and also follow a lot of college and international hoops. Hopefully, some of my thoughts and suggestions strike a cord (or nerve) in diehard fans, the media, and even those that are part of the Warriors organization. I do it because the Golden State Warriors are like one of my children. No matter how bad they are, you can’t stop loving them. And you always do whatever you can to make sure they can develop into the best person (or team) that they can be.
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