What if the ping pong balls had fallen differently? What if, like the NFL, the worst record in the league garnered the highest draft pick?
Yao Ming would have been a Warrior.
How good would the Warriors be if they had a lineup featuring Yao, Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and Gilbert Arenas (he would’ve stayed if they had Yao)?
This dude Yao is no joke. He is a Hall of Famer, and because of his game and not his social impact. He’s practically unstoppable if he gets the ball steadily. He’s so big and skilled. And you can’t even foul him like you do Shaq because Yao’s an excellent free throw shooter (how many centers shoot the tecnical fouls?).
Especially if he stays with Tracy McGrady, Yao’s got a few championships in him. Remember, he’s only 26 and this is just fifth year. He’s got a lot of growing still to do.
Just think. He could’ve been a Warrior.

Whaddayaknow! The Warriors pull out a big fourth quarter and cruise to victory. They should take a lesson from this game: get to the cup!
The Warriors scored 10 of their 48 points in the paint in the fourth quarter and knocked down 8 of 10 free throws to keep the Kings out of the game. They only took five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, knocking down three, and dished 8 of their 33 assists.
The Warriors escaped another choke job because they stayed aggressive attacking the basket and moving the ball instead of settling for jumpers. That and the Kings aren’t that good.

The Warriors shot 55.6 percent and racked up 68 points in the first half. They led by as much as 16 points. Baron had 10 points and eight assists. Barnes had 14 points and seven rebounds. Michael Pietrus dropped 13. Everything was cruising along.
So why do I feel like they’re going to lose?
Oh, that’s right. They can’t finish games. Let’s see what happens.

If I’m Troy Murphy, I want to be traded.
I’f I’m Murphy, I’m ready for a new start. Forget this small ball stuff. Don Nelson, in effect, has neutralized the Murphy’s contributions. There was a time when you could count on 15 and 10 from Murphy. This year, he’s averaging 11 and 6 (though his assists are way up).
The fact is, Murphy is not a center in a small lineup. He’s a power forward in any lineup. This business of spotting him up and that’s it, it just doesn’t fit his game. He never gets to the line anymore, he hardly grabs an offensive rebound. He’s totally reliant on his teammates getting him the rock.
Murphy needs to be in a halfcourt system, or at least play for a team that likes to get the big men involved. He needs some plays run his way. At least Monty used to dump it down to him some, pick-and-pop him to death. Considering his defensive shortcomings, Murphy needs to be a factor on the offensive end to justify his minutes. As it stands now, he’s an after thought — which is why he’s sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter. There are ocassional games where he’ll go off for a big night — his shot will be falling, the defense will be focused elsewhere, his teammates will be looking for him. But those nights won’t be the regular. Not on this team. Not in this system.
That’s why, if I’m Murphy, I’d be hoping my locker is emptied out.

The Warriors shot themselves in the foot. They have yet to learn that jumpers don’t fall as much on the road, down the stretch, coming from behind. Monta, Roberson, Barnes – they all took some terrible shots down teh stretch instead of getting to the basket.
This one hurts because the Warriors are now 1-5 on the road, with a six-game road trip coming up.You don’t win on the road by shooting jumpers. You win on the road by getting layups, getting to the foul line, cherishing possessions and looking for the best possible shot.
But this is what happens when you one player who can create off the dribble and one player who can create in the paint (who is injured and unavailable). That’s on Chris Mullin. He assembled this roster.

Remember when the Warriors used to run the break, knock down open threes and convert alley oops from halfcourt? Now the offense looks eerily similar to last year’s. They are walking the ball up court, relying on Baron to make something happen.
They really miss Richardson, and Diogu.
They miss Richardson because opposing defenses had to pay attention to him, which opened things up for others. Nevermind the 15-25 points he gave you, the diversion alone was helpful.
They miss Diogu because now when the offense stalls, they have nowhere to go other than Baron. Ideally, when jumpers aren’t falling and the fast break is stalled, you’d like to get the ball inside. Diogu is their best low-post player and would be a big help to the offense and inside-out game if they could go to him even in spots.

The Sixers won’t take Baron Davis. Dunleavy and/or Murphy won’t be enough. Maybe the make the trade if J-Rich is involved. Maybe the take Pietrus and Murphy and Diogu, but they’ll likely want a major player.
Would you do it? Or would you only acquire Iverson if it didn’t mean giving up Richardson?
Your thoughts.

I’m going to bite David Letterman a little bit with a Ten Reasons segment of the blog, though I assuredly won’t be as funny. This edition, as I watch Houston run circles around Oakland’s best JV Squad, is “Ten Reasons: The Warriors Won’t Make the Playoffs.”
10. Richardson’s Health – Chances are, he won’t ever get to the health and conditioning he’s accustomed to. It’s just too hard to play catch-up during the season. If and when he does catch-up, it will probably be too late.
9. Too Young – They just have too many inexperienced players in the meat of the rotation
8. Not Athletic Enough – Especially in the frontcourt. They just don’t match up with the horses in the West.
7. They Don’t Make Free Throws – Leaving so many points at the line always catches up with you.
6. Baron Isn’t Ready to Lead – He can take over a game, even carry a team from time to time, but he can’t overcome flawed teammates like a Kobe or LeBron.
5. They Don’t Have Enough Creators – Even with Nelson’s offensive genius, Baron is the only player who can consistently create shots for himself and others
4. They Don’t Play Defense – Playoff teams, even the poor defensive ones, get stops when necessary.
3. They Don’t Score Consistently Enough – They have offensive fire power, but because they rely on jump shots, which don’t fall as much on the road and when the pressure’s on, they will always be prone to droughts.
2. They Can’t Finish – The Warriors blow too many games down the stretch, something they can’t afford to do in a playoff hunt.
1. The Western Conference is Too Tough – Considering Dallas, San Antonio, Utah, Phoenix and the Clippers are playoff locks, that leaves three spots. But Houston, Denver, the Lakers and the Hornets are all better teams. So even if the Clippers never get going (which they will), there’s still no room for the Warriors.

Feel free to come up with your own Ten Reasons. Or Five. Or Three. Or Whatever,

It is simply amazing how known shooters like Brent Barry and Bruce Bowen continue to be wide-open. I just don’t understand why no one is saying (maybe they are and no one’s listening) don’t leave the shooters.
Anybody in the NBA almost can hit a wide-open 3. Brent Barry and Bruce Bowen, that’s how they make their money.
It’s a surprise they entered Monday’s game ranked 10th in the league in 3-point percentage defense. They’re dropping after tonight because the Spurs are 6-for-14 already.

With Jason Richardson out, Ellis started. But Nellie started the game with a couple of unusual defensive moves. He opened the game with Murphy on Tim Duncan and Baron Davis off the ball and guarding Bruce Bowen.
Everyone knows Murphy stands no chance at guarding Duncan. But my guess is he did it to protect Andris from getting in early foul trouble. He started Baron off the ball, my guess, to save his legs for the end of the game. Because without J-Rich, it could be a 40-plus minute night for Baron.
I say it’s just another sign of Nelson’s ability to improvise and adjust.