NELSON BACK TO HIS OLD TRICKS

Those who are satisfied with Nelson's rotation pattern last night have no clue of how to build a better team for the future or about winning in the long run. The Warriors are only grasping desperately for the NOW, but even last night's approach isn't going to give them a significantly better chance at winning. Predictably, the team got tired, defensive effort declined, ball movement halted, unforced errors piled up, and lazy jumpers ensued. Nelson's unwillingness to try to stop the 3rd quarter bleeding by playing his 'inexperienced' but effective young talent cost him the game.


Did this philosophy work last year?
NO
Did our young guys develop satisfactorily last year?
NO
Do we even have the personnel to make the philosophy work this year?
NO

Playing Jackson 45 min, Azubuike 40+, and Watson + Maggette so many minutes is not going to get you past the 1st round of the playoffs. Nelson is trying to use last year's philosophy of running the vets into the ground at the expense of energy, defense, and talent from the youngsters. That approach does not win games in the end or get them into the playoffs. You have a better chance of doing so by playing Belinelli, Wright, and Randolph, developing them along the way, allowing your vets to play fresher in order to close out games, and giving your fan base something to look forward to when they go to the games. Fans want excitement, a glimpse into the future, and a commitment to development. They don't want to see older guys that aren't vital building blocks to the franchise stealing all the minutes from the future. If the Warriors want to sell more tickets, they'll put out a rotation that gives consistent minutes to Belinelli, Wright, Randolph, and Morrow. If Nelson continues down this path, he may lose more than fan interest, he may start losing players as well.

Nelson's latest substitution patterns are very discouraging. I thought he had finally changed his anti-youth tendencies while Maggette was out, but I was wrong. Let's see if he continues to prove me wrong in the coming weeks.