PROSPECT PERFORMANCES - 11/22/08

Blake Griffin: Oklahoma 80, Gardner-Webb 76
39 min, 14-20 fg, 1-1 3pt, 6-12 ft, 8 off, 21 reb, 5 ast, 3 to, 3 stl, 1 blk, 3 pf, 35 pts

Eric Maynor: VCU 86, Rhode Island 92
34 min, 8-14 fg, 2-5 3pt, 4-6 ft, 1 off, 6 reb, 8 ast, 10 to, 2 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 22 pts

Patrick Patterson: Kentucky 71, Delaware St. 42
38 min, 4-10 fg, 0-0 3pt, 1-2 ft, 1 off, 4 reb, 5 ast, 3 to, 3 stl, 1 blk, 3 pf, 9 pts

Gani Lawal: Georgia Tech 82, Mercer 76
41 min, 10-17 fg, 0-0 3pt, 7-17 ft, 3 off, 9 reb, 1 ast, 2 to, 3 stl, 3 blk, 1 pf, 27 pts

Greg Monroe: Georgetown 81, Drexel 53
31 min, 7-9 fg, 0-0 3pt, 6-6 ft, 2 off, 8 reb, 4 ast, 1 to, 3 stl, 3 blk, 2 pf, 20 pts

Earl Clark: Louisville 79, Morehead St. 41
29 min, 6-12 fg, 1-1 3pt, 0-1 ft, 2 off, 3 reb, 2 ast, 0 to, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 pf, 13 pts

Samardo Samuels: Louisville 79, Morehead St. 41
23 min, 8-12 fg, 0-0 3pt, 2-2 ft, 3 off, 5 reb, 0 ast, 3 to, 0 stl, 1 blk, 1 pf, 18 pts

Jason Varnado: Mississippi St. 84, Fair. Dickinson 58
24 min, 5-9 fg, 0-0 3pt, 4-7 ft, 5 off, 16 reb, 1 ast, 0 to, 0 stl, 8 blk, 2 pf, 14 pts

PROSPECT PERFORMANCES - 11/21/08

Stephen Curry: Davidson 97, Winthrop 70
35 min, 8-16 fg, 5-12 3pt, 9-10 ft, 0 off, 2 reb, 13 ast, 3 to, 3 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 30 pts

DeMar DeRozan: USC 73, Chattanooga 46
27 min, 5-11 fg, 0-1 3pt, 3-4 ft, 4 off, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 to, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 pf, 13 pts

Hasheem Thabeet: Connecticut 89, La Salle 81
30 min, 4-5 fg, 0-0 3pt, 1-3 ft, 2 off, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 to, 0 stl, 5 blk, 3 pf, 9 pts

Kyle Singler: Duke 71, Michigan 56
35 min, 5-8 fg, 2-4 3pt, 3-6 ft, 5 off, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 to, 0 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 15 pts

Luke Harangody: Notre Dame 65, Loyola Marymount 54
36 min, 9-17 fg, 0-1 3pt, 9-13 ft, 5 off, 17 reb, 0 ast, 2 to, 0 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 27 pts

Tyler Smith: Tennessee 76, Middle Tenn. St. 66
31 min, 6-11 fg, 0-0 3pt, 6-8 ft, 2 off, 10 reb, 4 ast, 4 to, 1 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 18 pts

Jrue Holiday: UCLA 77, southern Ill. 60
27 min, 3-8 fg, 1-1 3pt, 2-2 ft, 1 off, 6 reb, 3 ast, 2 to, 1 stl, 0 blk, 4 pf, 9 pts

Jonny Flynn: Syracuse 86, Oakland 66
31 min, 5-9 fg, 3-6 3pt, 5-6 ft, 0 off, 2 reb, 4 ast, 4 to, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 pf, 18 pts

POSTGAME: BULLS - 11/21/08

Randolph was a big momentum shifter but only played 13 min.

MVW: Anthony Randolph

The Good
Anthony Randolph: 13 min, 4-7 fg, 2-2 ft, 5 off, 9 reb, 1 stl, 4 blk, 10 pts
Andris Biedrins: 36 min, 10-16 fg, 10 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 23 pts
Stephen Jackson: 45 min, 13-20 fg, 2-3 3pt, 4-5 ft, 6 ast, 32 pts
Corey Maggette: 39 min, 7-11 fg, 1-2 3pt, 9-11 ft, 7 reb, 2 stl, 24 pts

The Bad
Anthony Morrow: 34 min, 2-9 fg
C.J. Watson: 35 min, 2-10 fg, 0-3 3pt

The Ugly
Stephen Jackson: 45 min, 8 to, 2 reb, 0 stl, 0 blk

Best and Worst +/-
Marco Belinelli: +8
Stephen Jackson: -11

Team Statistics
Warriors : Bulls
pts - 110 : 115
fg - 43-87 (.494) : 45-88 (.511)
ft - 20-27 (.741) : 15-16 (.938)
3p - 4-14 (.286) : 10-23 (.435)
reb - 39 : 39
oreb - 12 : 12
ast - 22 : 23
to - 15 : 17
stl - 10 : 11
bs - 8 : 6
fast break pts - 28 : 17
pts in paint - 60 : 34

Box Score
Highlights
Popcorn Machine's Game Flow

Biedrins turns in another solid performance

Notes

1. starters: Watson/Morrow/Jackson/Maggette/Biedrins
2. watching warmups, Morrow hit 16 jumpers in a row, the one that didn't go in was deflected by another ball; most shots were all net
3. Maggette kept the Warriors in the game early; Jackson came on later in the 1st Q
4. Morrow had an off-shooting night; got some good looks that rimmed out, but made a difficult baseline fadeaway jumper; tonight just wasn't his night but Nelson did not recognize it and played him way too many minutes and others not enough (Randolph, Wright, Belinelli)
5. Marcus Williams continues to stink it up on the court; needs to look for others because he's a terrible finisher that doesn't have the hops to avoid interior defenses; heard an earful from Nellie when he couldn't secure a point-blank rebound that directly resulted into a Bulls score; never came back into the game; Lindsey Hunter had an easy time driving against him; his intensity level is not there and he seems to be pressing his offense because he knows he's going to get yanked after a few minutes of play
6. Belinelli seemed to be playing well in limited minutes. Missed an early jumper, but got a layup and later a jumper; made some other good plays with his passing, adequate defense, and hustle. Loved that Nellie put Morrow and Belinelli on the floor at the same time - if only the Warriors had a true PG that could penetrate and kick
7. Jackson had a tremendous shooting night by his standards but cost the Warriors the game with his sloppy ball handling and questionable decision making, +/- stat of -11 says it all; I welcome Crawford, to ease up pressure on Jax
8. Randolph enters game after Nellie praised him for his excellent practice the day before; does not disappoint on the defensive end and on the boards; was a true difference maker out there and was the main catalyst that kept the Warriors in it to win it; he covers plenty of ground in a short time both offensively and defensively; shot blocking was incredible; ball handling and his ability to lead the fast break is amazing for a player his size; he'll be an awesome weapon someday; I don't understand why Nellie waited so long to bring him back late in the 4th Q when the Bulls started making a run and took the lead; Rose, Gordon, and Hughes were scoring at will from the outside - but when Randolph was in, they were noticably flustered and less effective; hope Nellie sees this in post game review and utilizes Randolph more; hopefully his missed dunk does not cost him future minutes
   
9. let's see Biedrins/Wright/Randolph/Morrow/Jackson in extended minutes; if Morrow is struggling, sub in Belinelli or Watson (Azubuike when healthy); Crawford would start in place of Morrow when he arrives; nice depth courtesy of Mullin's dealings - might have saved his job with the rise of Morrow and this latest trade
10. Jackson played way too many minutes again (45 min); Crawford will give him a blow and Nellie should play Watson/Belinelli/Maggette/Randolph/Biedrins to help him get more rest
11. fun game even though they lost; loved the use of the young guys; excited about our future; place was packed last night and the energy is returning to the Oracle; they sure could have used a win before heading off in to a very tough stretch that lasts through the year
    
12. Kudos to Mullin for putting togther such a deep team lined with impressive young prospects: Morrow, Randoph, Wright; D-League finds: Watson, Azubuike; Tradeable assets: Belinelli, Williams (expiring), Turiaf; established stars: Ellis, Biedrins, Jackson, Maggette, Crawford - hopefully, Mulllin is back and continues to work closely with Nelson to improve the Warriors even more
    

Corey Maggette had a very efficient night

Quotes

Don Nelson
On Tonight's Game:

“No complaints about the game. I thought we played hard, we’re so thin anyway I thought the (Kelenna) Azubuike injury really made us so much thinner there that I had a problem that didn’t go away. But I thought (Anthony) Randolph stepped in and showed why we drafted him. What an incredible talent, he’s just going to be really good someday so maybe it’s time to start playing him a little bit. He fits in nicely, actually, with our small lineup. He can do some things and also block shots and rebound so there’s probably more opportunity to play now that we’re going smaller than we were before.”

On the Bulls & Derrick Rose:

“I thought the Bulls did a good job of matching up with us at the beginning of the game. We did a marvelous job in the first half with (Derrick) Rose and he figured it out in the second half and showed why he’s the number one pick in the draft. We’re big Rose fans here, love to watch him play, love to watch him as he gets better in games and…Wow, what a show he put on in the second half. He’s an incredibly talented point guard. He’s right up there with the best of them, in a short period of time.”

Stephen Jackson

On Acquiring Jamal Crawford:

“The good thing about him is he’s a veteran, he’s been around for a while. He’s a great scorer and in our system it will be good for him. It will be good to see what he can do and it will be good for me to get back to my natural position because he can play the point and handle the ball.”

Corey Maggette
On Acquiring Jamal Crawford:

“It will be good, I think he will do great things for this team. Of course, we’re really going to miss Al, he was a good friend of everyone on this team. So hopefully Jamal can come in and help this team. It will take a lot of pressure off Jack as well as me, Jamal will definitely take a lot of pressure off us and provide his veteran leadership as well.”

Related Links
Thoughts on Game No. 12: Bulls 115, Warriors 110 - Geoff Lepper
Bulls' Hughes, Rose hold off Warriors 115-110 - Greg Beacham, AP
Bulls' win over Warriors was mostly about Derrick Rose, and a little about Anthony Randolph - Matt Steinmetz
Warriors do the job on Rose for a half but lose to Bulls - Contra Costa Times
Bulls come up smelling like Rose - SF Chronicle
The Morning After (Warriors lose to Chicago): Small Ball giveth, and it taketh away - Tim Kawakami



Chi Bulls Vs Golden Warriors
From: ChargersAllDaWay09



Next Game
Sun. Nov 23, 2008 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 2:00 pm
Local TV: None
Radio: KNBR 1050

PROSPECT PERFORMANCES - 11/20/08

Nick Calathes: Florida 64, Southern Utah 50
34 min, 6-13 fg, 0-5 3pt, 6-8 ft, 1 off, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 to, 2 stl, 1 blk, 1 pf, 18 pts

B.J. Mullens: Ohio St. 70, Delaware St. 42
20 min, 1-2 fg, 0-0 3pt, 3-4 ft, 3 off, 4 reb, 1 ast, 0 to, 0 stl, 1 blk, 1 pf, 7 pts

DeMar DeRozan: Seton Hall 63, USC 61
20 min, 1-4 fg, 0-0 3pt, 1-2 ft, 0 off, 3 reb, 0 ast, 2 to, 0 stl, 1 blk, 3 pf, 3 pts

Kyle Singler: Duke 83, Southern Ill. 58
23 min, 3-11 fg, 1-4 3pt, 6-6 ft, 1 off, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 to, 1 stl, 1 blk, 4 pf, 13 pts

Jrue Holiday: UCLA 52, Michigan 55
33 min, 6-8 fg, 1-3 3pt, 0-0 ft, 0 off, 2 reb, 3 ast, 2 to, 0 stl, 2 blk, 2 pf, 13 pts

MORROW MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

I have to admit, that quick release and sick cross-over on Rudy Fernandez got me thinking ....playoffs.

Who would have thought that that an nonathletic, skinny young man that goes undrafted and is not signed by his first few Summer League teams could end up making such a commotion in the NBA? Morrow was a roster after-thought in danger of not making the team's final cut, and is now seen as a diamond in the rough that could become a key part of the young Warrior nucleus. He brings a dead-eye shot and additional boards from the guard spot, but most importantly, Morrow brings this team HOPE. I know I may seem Bi-Polar at times, but until proven otherwise, I'm thinking the Warriors could make the playoffs and perhaps upset a top seeded team IF Monta can return near full strength. I've always advocated learning from last year's mistakes by cutting down minutes for the vets and developing the youngsters as part of a playoff push. Nellie is doing this and it's paying dividends. Morrow is 'discovered', Wright and Randolph show glimpses of greatness and are getting better, others are at least seeing some playing time, and the vets are looking a little fresher in the 4th quarter. I'd like to see Belinelli in extended minutes (rewarded for his improved defense), but I'll settle for watching Morrow, Wright, and Randolph for now. The young Warriors are soon to embark on a brutal road trip that could derail playoff aspirations, but after watching their promising play over the last handful of games, they have me cautiously optimistic about coming out of the other end in fair shape. They may have enough pieces to keep their playoff hopes afloat in a Western Conference that seems to be up for grabs early on.

If Morrow is as good as I think he can be, he'll be the missing ingredient that will bring the Warriors closer to completing the puzzle. The minute he started draining 3's in Summer League at an un-godly clip (not just one game but several), I had a strong feeling we had something special here. I didn't want to get too excited because it was Summer League and because his stats at Georgia Tech did not match what I saw with my own eyes (14.3 ppg? REALLY?), but when I heard we signed him, I knew this was huge, and that he could eventually play a big role on this team. It wasn't until Morrow was given the opportunity to shine as an NBA starter and to back up his breakout game with another strong performance that I realized that my expectations would be confirmed much sooner than I could have hoped.

Morrow is the piece that forces defenses to hedge towards the perimeter and leave the middle open for other Warriors to exploit - Jax/Biedrins pick and rolls, Maggette drives, and soon, Monta slashes to the hoop. His presence on the floor makes every player's job easier. I'm expecting Wright and Randolph to be the future PF's in a run-and-gun system, so the Warriors are a very good PG away from having all the necessary ingredients for a strong showing in the playoffs. Harrington/Maggette/Belinelli/Williams could be used to land that true PG. And if Mullin is brought back as head of the scouting department (doubt Mullin will take a demotion though) along with Nellie's eye for talent, the Warriors can draft a very good PG in a PG heavy draft to grow along with the team and eventually run the squad.

What they need to do is keep playing the youngsters, regulate the veteran's minutes, hover around .500, and bring back Monta for the big playoff push. Last week I thought there was no chance of us ever making the playoffs - Morrow has got me believing again.

ANTHONY MORROW FACTS

Here's a hilarious new blog by 'Jim Barnett' a poster on Warriorsworld.net.

Anthony Morrow Facts

"You know they are true because they are on the internet."

....and the legend grows.

PROSPECT PERFORMANCES - 11/19/08

Jeff Teague: Wake Forest 120, N.C. Wilmington 88
24 min, 10-17 fg, 2-2 3pt, 9-12 ft, 1 off, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 to, 5 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 31 pts

JaMychal Green: Alabama 89, Florida A&M 48
26 min, 5-6 fg, 0-0 3pt, 2-2 ft, 1 off, 8 reb, 1 ast, 1 to, 1 stl, 3 blk, 2 pf, 12 pts

Jason Varnado: Mississippi St. 102, North Alabama 61
22 min, 6-7 fg, 0-0 3pt, 4-4 ft, 1 off, 14 reb, 0 ast, 3 to, 0 stl, 7 blk, 1 pf, 16 pts

PROSPECT PERFORMANCES - 11/18/08

Blake Griffin: Oklahoma 82, Davidson 78
38 min, 7-11 fg, 0-0 3pt, 11-12 ft, 3 off, 21 reb, 3 ast, 6 to, 1 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 25 pts

Stephen Curry: Oklahoma 82, Davidson 78
33 min, 12-29 fg, 6-15 3pt, 14-14 ft, 1 off, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 to, 2 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 44 pts

Chase Budinger: Arizona 71, UAB 72
40 min, 9-17 fg, 4-8 3pt, 5-6 ft, 1 off, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 to, 0 stl, 1 blk, 1 pf, 27 pts

James Harden: Arizona St. 59, San Diego St. 52
32 min, 7-11 fg, 1-2 3pt, 3-4 ft, 0 off, 5 reb, 3 ast, 6 to, 2 stl, 0 blk, 4 pf, 18 pts

DeMar DeRozan: USC 73, New Mexico St. 60
34 min, 2-6 fg, 0-2 3pt, 3-4 ft, 1 off, 6 reb, 0 ast, 5 to, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 pf, 7 pts

Austin Daye: Gonzaga 80, Idaho 46
27 min, 7-15 fg, 2-5 3pt, 0-0 ft, 0 off, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 to, 2 stl, 0 blk, 3 pf, 16 pts

Jonny Flynn: Syracuse 76, Richmond 71
39 min, 8-15 fg, 3-6 3pt, 8-13 ft, 1 off, 5 reb, 5 ast, 3 to, 0 stl, 0 blk, 2 pf, 27 pts

Tyler Smith: Tennessee 91, Tenn-Martin 64
26 min, 7-12 fg, 0-0 3pt, 5-5 ft, 1 off, 4 reb, 3 ast, 3 to, 1 stl, 1 blk, 4 pf, 19 pts

Scotty Hopson: Tennessee 91, Tenn-Martin 64
18 min, 2-5 fg, 0-2 3pt, 1-2 ft, 0 off, 0 reb, 0 ast, 2 to, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 pf, 5 pts

POSTGAME: BLAZERS - 11/18/08

Morrow does it again

MVW: Anthony Morrow

The Good
Anthony Morrow: 36 min, 8-12 fg, 4-5 3pt, 5-5 ft, 4 reb, 25 pts
Stephen Jackson: 42 min, 10-10 ft, 8 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 20 pts
Corey Maggette: 38 min, 7-8 fg, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk, 20 pts
Andris Biedrins: 34 min, 6-9 fg, 9 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 17 pts
Kelenna Azubuike: 34 min, 1-2 3pt, 4-4 ft, 2 stl, 5 reb, 15 pts
C.J. Watson: 35 min, 4-9 fg, 5 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 10 pts
Ronny Turiaf: 11 min, 2 blk

The Bad
Marco Belinelli: 3 min, 0-0 fg, 1 pf, 1 to, 0 pts
Brandan Wright: 8 min, 2-5 fg, 4 pf
Kelenna Azubuike: 34 min, 5-12 fg, 3 to

The Ugly
Stephen Jackson: 42 min, 5-18 fg, 0-3 3pt, 5 pf, 3 ba


Best and Worst +/-
Anthony Morrow: +10
C.J. Watson: +10
Brandan Wright: -3

Team Statistics
Warriors : Blazers
pts - 111 : 106
fg - 36-80 (.450) : 37-79 (.468)
ft - 33-35 (.943) : 20-29 (.690)
3p - 6-15 (.400) : 12-22 (.545)
reb - 40 : 40
oreb - 12 : 14
ast - 20 : 26
to - 16 : 21
stl - 9 : 11
bs - 7 : 6
fast break pts - 9 : 22
pts in paint - 48 : 38

Box Score
Highlights
Popcorn Machine's Game Flow

Biedrins misses his double-double by 1 rebound, but I'm sure he'll take the win

Notes

1. Barnett's keys to the game: 1) drive and dish 2) force the break 3) defensive rebounding
2. starting lineup: Morrow, Azubuike, Jackson, Maggette, Biedrins
3. Batum, their defensive stopper on Jackson
4. Warriors playing solid defense 9-0 to start the game
5. Steve Blake breaks the scoreless streak with a 3, Warrior killer
6. Morrow hasn't taken a shot 1st half of 1st Q; decoy; 6:13 takes 1st shot
7. having trouble on defensive boards
8. no true PG, no ball movement
9. Maggette draws charge on Oden
10. Watson provides spark off bench
11. small ball getting them back in the game; Maggette getting the better of his matchup with Aldridge early
12. GS 24 POR 27 end of 1st
13. Warriors pushing the tempo well off turnovers
14. Biedrins w/ 1 rebound in 1st Q
15. Turiaf playing great defense and bringing his contagious energy
16. Morrow is for real; 9 in 2nd Q (7 min mark)
17. seesaw battle; lots of 3pt shooting
18. Wright comes in, blocks shot and dunks on the break on his very first posession
19. Fernandez is going to be a great one; Portland is going to win a title in 3 to 6 years
20. GS 51 POR 49 end of 1st half
21. Azubuike needs to dish the ball off when defense collapses on him; missed easy basket for Biedrins
22. Aldridge having troubles with small Warriors
23. Maggette draws 4 charges (mid 3rd Q)
24. Portland goes small, Biedrins should get his rebounds
    
25. Morrow opening up the lanes with his 3 point shot threat
26. did I say Morrow is for REAL? drills one over Oden
27. shake and bake, crossed up Fernandez and drains the 18 foot jumper
    
28. Wright needs to prove he belongs on the floor
29. C.J. not moving the ball around
30. Morrow making the game easier for others
31. Warriors not finding Morrow in the 4th
32. Oden with career high
33. CJ fights for rebound, should have just given it to Biedrins
34. Blazers blazing from 3 pt land
35. Warrriors shooting well from the line
36. Oden looks gassed
37. Warriors missing opportunites to put the game away; defense allowing them to hang on to slim lead
38. both teams not executing well down the stretch
39. Morrow should be inserted into the game; current lineup struggling to score (Watson/Azubuike/Jackson/Maggette/Biedrins)
40. Warriors perfect from the line in the 4th Q - 16 for 16
41. Biedrins falls 1 rebound short of continuing his double-double streak; Watson stole one away from him earlier in the 4th
42. Blazers make an improbable comeback; Outlaw blows it on freethrow violation; Outlaw should have tried to miss it on purpose - would have been ideal if Biedrins grabbed that last rebound
43. Warriors are not good closers, giving Blazers every chance to tie/win the game; fortunate for technical on Fernandez and Outlaws lane violation
44. Warriors win in ugly fashion with 15 secs. to play and a nice cushion; 2 bad inbound plays that resulted in turnovers; 1 inbound play that could have cost them the game (Warriors lucky to get a foul called in their favor)
45. Anthony Morrow puts a surprise wrinkle in the Warriors season; he's a weapon that changes so many aspects of the offense and he is a contributor on the boards; this kid is for real

Jackson shoots poorly but contributes in many other ways

Quotes

Don Nelson
On Tonight's Game:

“It was kind of a fun game actually, two young teams and a lot of young errors. I think bottom line is we made our free throws in the second half, I think we made 19 in a row. We don’t normally do that, and when you don’t make your free throws, which we consider them a pretty good team, you usually don’t win. So anyway we made our free throws tonight, still had a little drama and have definitely learned something about my team tonight. Pretty good performance from a lot of guys and we did what we wanted to do which was get in the open court and play fast, so Coach doesn’t have too many complaints”

On Anthony Morrow:

“He’s the real deal and we haven’t even learned how to play with him yet. We better learn, first of all, where he is and have an eye out for him, when he’s open he gets the ball and I told the team that after the game we better know where this guy is at all times. The other thing is when he’s working off screens we better get him open because he looks like the real deal. It’s not just him scoring, it’s threat of him scoring and you see guys flying at him when he’s around a screen, both players are up on him now. It just opens the court for other people. And if we learn how to negotiate that, that has a lot of openings for a lot of different people.”

On The Small Lineup:

“We’ve played good teams, but we haven’t played a powerhouse yet. I told the squad in practice yesterday that I think this is the way that we’re going to have to play to max out what we have. To be the best team we can be, the smaller lineup seems the way to go and Anthony Morrow kind of made that happen. I gave him an opportunity to fit in with a small team and he made the whole thing work. So good for him. Brandan Wright, I played him little at four but he’s going to play some five for me and he’s not used to that yet, but I think against certain fives we can get away with it.”

Anthony Morrow
On Tonight's Game:

“I try to stay aggressive but at the same time we have guys on this team that are all-star caliber players, so I just try to play off of them. They told me to stay aggressive. They told me to don’t worry about any pressure and don’t worry about coming out here trying to prove that 37 was a fluke.”

On The Small Lineup:

“I feel like this is a good look for us right now. We can keep running with our small lineup and keep utilizing our people like Jack (Jackson) and Corey (Maggette) and getting them the ball. And guys like me just spotting up, playing hard, and not making many mistakes.”

Stephen Jackson
On Tonight's Game:

A win is a win. Something we definitely needed, regardless of how it happened. We just need to win games and try and get a rhythm for this long road trip we are about to go on.”

On Anthony Morrow:

“The biggest thing is, we needed some help and he’s provided us the help we need. We need that shooter. He’s been coming in a shooting the ball terrific. He’s getting less than 15 shots and getting a high number of points, which is what we need. I’m happy he’s coming along because we need that help to start winning some games.”

Andris Biedrins
On Guarding Greg oden:

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. He is strong and his strength surprised me a little bit. But he is good, he is heavy, so it was more of a team effort when guarding him. He’s a great player, but it’s really fun to play against him.”

Related Links
Old Problems, New Answers (Warriors 111, Blazers 106) - Adam Lauridsen
Nelson on Morrow after another huge performance: “He’s the real deal” - Tim Kawakami
Blazers' rally falls short - OregonLive.com
What's too much Azubuike for Warriors? - Janny Hu
One more time for Morrow - Janny Hu
Warriors' Morrow not a single-game wonder - Marcus Thompson II
Suspecting foul play - The Oregonian
Morrow leads Warriors over Blazers in Oakland - The Sports Network


Portland Trail Blazers vs. Warriors
From: frederlk



Next Game
Fri. Nov 21, 2008 vs. Chicago Bulls, 7:30 pm
Local TV: CSNBay
Radio: KNBR 680

JACKSON EXTENDED - FURTHER PROOF OF NO GRAND VISION

This is another micro-managed move by a rudderless franchise grasping at anything they think will keep the attendance levels up and short term revenue flowing. Warriors had him for 2 years, could have used him as a valuable trade chip, but now they are married to a very good role player who’s skills will continue to diminish until he retires a Warrior at age 35. Don’t get me wrong, I love Capt. Jack as a leader and as a player, but the pre-mature extension is a huge red flag (one of many) signaling that the Warriors don’t operate with vision, foresight, and with the goal of building a true contender in mind. They are all about keeping the casual fan’s interest.

Who was going to pay a 32 year old Jackson $28M/3 years? Only the Warriors.

Jackson is currently 11th in the league at 6.4 assists per game. Although I don't like the premature extension, he should work nicely playing alongside a healthy Ellis in the backcourt.

Obviously, he needs to drastically cut down on his turnovers, but I anticipate that happening once Ellis comes back to help take the pressure off of him.

PG: Ellis/Watson
SG: Jackson/Azubuike/Belinelli
SF: Maggette/Morrow
PF: Wright/Randolph/Hendrix
C: Biedrins/Turiaf

That's a borderline playoff team, but one that has no chance of winning a playoff series this year (which is why I advocate tanking this year for Rubio or a high pick). If Randolph and Wright reach their potential and Morrow is for real, then we COULD make it out of the 1st round eventually. Drafting or acquiring a solid true PG will put us in playoffs year after year, but unless you get a star PG (Rubio?) or one of our young guys turns into a big time star, we're not a Championship level team - not by a long-shot.

With the Jackson extension and Maggette's contract (which may be hard to move), the Warriors may be locked into this basic roster for a while. Sure, the front office led by Don Nelson could maneuver out of it, but the Jackson signing made it unnecessarily more difficult of a task than it already was.

The best thing for the Warriors to do moving forward would be to try to move Maggette in a package deal with Harrington. Keep playing the youngsters for continued development and evaluation. If the Warriors are clearly out of the playoff race by the New Year, bring back Monta very slowly and hope for a top 6 pick in 2009's draft.

Related Links
Stephen Jackson: Captain For Life - Geoff Lepper
Jackson’s the Captain, But Where Is the Ship Going? - Adam Lauridsen
Stephen Jackson signs contract extension with Warriors - Matt Steinmetz

PROSPECT PERFORMANCES - 11/17/08

Stephen Curry - DAV 99 JMU 64
31 min, 14-19 fg, 4-6 3pt, 1-1 ft, 1 oreb, 2 reb, 9 ast, 4 stl, 0 blk, 4 to, 1 pf, 33 pts

Patrick Mills - SMC 99 FSU 85
31 min, 9-22 fg, 4-10 3pt, 5-6 ft, 0 oreb, 2 reb, 5 ast, 6 stl, 0 blk, 4 to, 0 pf, 27 pts

Hasheem Thabeet - CONN 99 UH 56
22 min, 2-4 fg, 0-0 3pt, 5-7 ft, 4 oreb, 8 reb, 0 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 0 to, 3 pf, 9 pts

Blake Griffin - OKLA 94 MVSU 53
31 min, 8-9 fg, 0-0 3pt, 4-8 ft, 4 oreb, 19 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl, 0 blk, 5 to, 0 pf, 20 pts

Greg Monroe - GU 71 JAC 62
28 min, 6-10 fg, 0-0 3pt, 2-3 ft, 3 oreb, 7 reb, 1 ast, 0 stl, 3 blk, 1 to, 4 pf, 14 pts

Chase Budinger - UA 75 FAU 62
37 min, 7-12 fg, 2-5 3pt, 5-6 ft, 0 oreb, 5 reb, 4 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 to, 2 pf, 21 pts

Tyreke Evans - MEM 80 MASS 58
28 min, 7-17 fg, 1-3 3pt, 4-5 ft, 1 oreb, 6 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl, 0 blk, 6 to, 2 pf, 19 pts

MORE MORROW

Warriors still buzzing about Morrow
Marcus Thompson II

... Still, despite the Warriors having the day off, he found himself in the gym Sunday, getting up shots and working on his game.

"Nothing like this will change me," Morrow said in the midst of the postgame hysteria he caused Saturday. "The grind never stops."

His record performance — most points by an undrafted player in his rookie season and most points by a rookie this season — may have changed the Warriors for the better. It certainly gave the team a much-needed shot of energy and hope, which came in a timely fashion after Thursday's heartbreaking loss to Detroit. It gave the Warriors another commodity to add to their portfolio of young talent to build on or barter.

... "Him and Belinelli are two different type of players," Jackson said. "Marco is a guy he has to come in the game and get a rhythm first. Morrow is a flat-out scorer. I think Coach sees something different from him and he's a guy we're definitely going to put a lot of plays in the offense for."

... Assistant coaches have said that Morrow is more of a pure shooter than Belinelli, who is at his best off the dribble. But Morrow has shown that he can spot, catch-and-shoot on the move and create his own shot out of the post and off the dribble.

What's more, Morrow — at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds — has the size and athleticism to rebound, which he showed Saturday by grabbing 11 boards.

Anthony Morrow: How to Be a Rookie Success
U.S. News & World Report

... Every workplace rookie wonders how to start a new job right, and the pressure to perform has intensified in recent months, as a wider swath of companies cut their payrolls and every worker questions his or her dispensability.

This weekend, all rookies found their hero in Anthony Morrow, the Golden State Warriors player who scored 37 points in his first NBA start

Rookie carries Warriors over Clips
Morrow has 37 points in his first NBA start
Janny Hu

... Making his first NBA start, all Morrow did was make history. He scored the most points ever by an undrafted rookie in his first season and the most by a rookie this year.

... "Oh my god, who was that guy? He just came out of nowhere," said Davis, who finished with 25 points and 11 assists against his former team. "He got hot. He got hot. He got hot."

... "You always feel it, it's just all about staying poised," he said. "You can't start getting too anxious, like, 'OK, I've got to make the next shot since I made the last one. It's just like keep playing. It's a game of errors, really. You're going to make some mistakes. It's all about staying poised and going out there and doing what you do."

How Morrow could change the Warriors, assuming that wasn’t a fluke 37 points
Tim Kawakami

... The floor gets spread when there’s a shooter on the floor. Harrington gets ripped and ripped, but Nellie kept playing him, despite their differences, because Harrington spread the floor and even better, spread it by pulling out a big man from the paint.

The next time we see Morrow as a huge part of the rotation could be at Washington. That is, unless he just shoots himself into significant play, and that is possible.

Morrow, in one game, has changed a lot of things for now. It’s up to him if he wants to do it permanently.

Undrafted GSW Rookie Anthony Morrow Scores 37 In First NBA Start
From: DigGameTime

PROSPECT PERFORMANCES - 11/16/08

JaMychal Green - ALA 69 MER 72
30 min, 7-10 fg, 0-0 3pt, 3-9 ft, 6 oreb, 12 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk, 1 to, 3 pf, 17 pts

Kyle Singler - DUKE 82 URI 79
35 min, 6-14 fg, 3-8 3pt, 6-8 ft, 3 oreb, 5 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 3 to, 2 pf, 21 pts

Nick Calathes - FLA 81 BRAD 58
34 min, 5-12 fg, 3-6 3pt, 0-1 ft, 2 oreb, 7 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl, 0 blk, 3 to, 2 pf, 13 pts

Jonny Flynn - SYR 85 LEM 51
31 min, 6-11 fg, 0-2 3pt, 5-6 ft, 0 oreb, 0 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl, 0 blk, 2 to, 2 pf, 17 pts

A.J. Ogilvy - VAN 74 MST 48
21 min, 3-6 fg, 0-1 3pt, 6-6 ft, 0 oreb, 2 reb, 0 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 to, 2 pf, 16 pts

Luke Harangody - ND 84 USCU 51
29 min, 12-21 fg, 1-1 3pt, 5-7 ft, 6 oreb, 13 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl, 0 blk, 2 to, 0 pf, 30 pts