Post-game TidBits (at Denver)

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Marcus Thompson

Seriously, this is painful to watch. They can’t even stay in the game against good teams. A 12-point deficit is a moral victory. Denver was showing out Saturday. They knew they were going to school the Warriors. Remember Golden State was a team opponent’s feared last season? Well, the Warriors are already that team that opponents lick their chops for. Denver’s got a crazy six-game stretch coming up, and they viewed this game as the tune up.

* Finally, Jamal Crawford started playing. Though he had nine points in the first quarter, most of his damage came when the game was out of hand. Still, 25 points on 11 of 19 shooting might be what he needs to get into a rhythm. I don’t think the Warriors can afford to have him trying to fit in anymore. With Jax struggling to hit the side of a barn and Maggette out, the Warriors need offense more than a facilitator.

*Speaking of Jackson, he was awful tonight. He was 1-for-13 from the field, missing his first eight and last four. That makes him 10-for-50 from the field (20 percent) over the last three games.
He said it isn’t his hand bothering him.
“I don’t make excuses. I’m just missing shots. My hand ain’t got nothing to do with it. I’ve played hurt so much, I can’t blame it on my hand. I’ve got to get in the gym, put in some more work on my shot and knock them down.”
Crawford chimed in to disagree.
“His hand is bothering him, he just won’t say it. I see him every day.”
Even worse than Jax offense was his defense. The Warriors’ closest thing to a stopper didn’t try hard at all. Is he afraid to hurt his hand or has he gone into the tank, frustrated with all the losing?

* Kelenna Azubuike had 4 assists, tying his season high. That’s eight in two games. Looks like the ball movement emphasis is hitting home.

Marcus Thompson

MoneyBall

They’re appears to be a problem with the defense from a game plan standpoint as well as hustle and match ups. The team needs to utilize the shot blocking and length of some of the youngsters (Wright Andris Randolph) and use the zone more. A couple of their better wins (Min & Den) they came back using the zone. Baron, shockingly enough was their best defender with him gone and Jackson unable or unwilling to do that job now they need to sure up their D and force some turnovers.

The offense will come will the good scheme and enough talent, but that’ll take time to gel. That’s the least of their worries.
chikago

its getting really bad. every time i turn on the game they seem to be down 15 points. this use to b a fun team to watch, its not anymore. cant defend out top or down low. cant shoot 3’s and dont score well in transition. nice game by kurz but if hes the number 2 scorer in a game for w’s that right there explains why they suck right now
MountainJim

Marcus, you asked in your pregame why Kurz was starting over Randolph. Aside from the fact that Randolph was probably the only guy who could spell Biedrins at the 5, just watching the game should have given you some idea. Kurz is way more under control, can shoot, and is a better defender. Randolph has a ton of potential IF he ever develops an shot, but right now he’s just an activity guy who makes mistakes all over the floor. Why would you start him?

This team would do well in the D-League. It’s not a real NBA team. For those who like to blame Nellie for it all, unless he put this ridiculous roster together he’s not the problem. No coach in the league could figure out how to win with this bunch.
jim

Sad. Blow up the team. Jackson and Magette for pennies. I think Jamal is a keeper. At least he’s willing to adapt. We need to morph into Portland acquiring draft picks and using stealth trade packages to eject as many vets as possible. Look at how many ugly players and contracts they were able to escape. Actually, with the right vision, we can build.
Mr. B

Mountain Jim and Jim, I agree with both of your statements and have stated them in the past. Nellie put did not put this team together and has partial say in the vision of this team.

Some bonehead in the front office who has no knowledge of basketball and who runs the balance sheet messed this team up and deprived the fans of a good team. Nobody who has basketball sense and in their right frame of mind will have a roster such as this.
This team will challenged in playing the Cal Bears BBall Team.

So Cohan and Rowell – Front and Center please. This is shameful and you need to be accountable for your actions. The buck has to stop at the top!!
Dan

All I am saying is that maybe you can get the Warriors to kick in for the live blog. They might see it as a way to keep the team relevant in these bleak times….
I would bet that at some point in time Jackson starts playing back to save himself some trouble with the hand. There seems to be a moment in each loss, that after a couple of perceived no calls, and a missed scoring opportunity, that he checks out mentally.
As far as being the team that everyone else in the NBA wants to play… who do the Warriors have that compares to the caliber of ‘Melo, & Billups. Or McGrady, & Yao. Aren’t Houston, and Denver’s best players just plain better than the Warriors best players? Blah blah blah… LIVE BLOG. Make it happen Number 1.
jlight

for the first time in two years, I actually fell asleep while watching. I usually think about the game all day at work, get home eat early, pull the chair in front of the tv, and I’m ready. Now I fall asleep, have to make sure I tivo because I might forget the game is on. How do you go from the most exciting team in the league, to the most boring? What the f–k happen to this team?
jsl

“What the f–k happened to this team?” Two things: Rowell took over in a GM coup and Nelson quit coaching early last year. That’s about it!
commish

Asked and answered:

jlight: How do you go from the most exciting team in the league, to the most boring? What the f–k happen to this team?

jsl: Two things: Rowell took over in a GM coup and Nelson quit coaching early last year. That’s about it!
Dave

They were down by 20, when I turned the game on. Couldn’t watch anymore. This team is back to being a bottom feeder again who will continue to get blown out on the road. I think the Clippers are better now that they got Zack Randolph to help BD. I agree Marcus, the Warriors are back to being the kind of team they used to look forward to playing, because they knew it was “easy pickings”. Great job Rowell, your interference has made the Warriors the equivalent of their neighbors, the Raiders.
NotaNelsonfan

Upper mgt., and Cohen suck, suck suck!
Won’t get any better as long as they have these clowns running the show!

Too bad we couldn’t get J Rich back for both Mags and Jax! Nothing wrong with dreamin huh?
Gizzm

The Maggette signing is the worst free agent signing this side of Danny Fortson.

Monta coming back won’t help matters much when Biendrens is playing with 4 dudes under 6’7.

Oh well, 22-60, here we come.
And of course, since we are Warrior fans, next year’s draft is acknowledged to be a dud of a draft.
jp

You guys should stop complaining about how bad the Warriors play. The Warriors will continue to sucks if Nellie remains the coach. You guys need to campaign for the firing of Nellie instead of complaining about bad games by the warriors. They sucks because of very poor coaching. NELLIE SHOULD GET FIRED NOW. He is alienating his players because of very poor rotation and uninspired coaching. He alienated Harrington who is a good player now in New York. He will do the same for other players as well. FIRE NELLIE NOW.
A.J.

This team is herendous!

The problem with the young players is that when they are put in, they feel like they have a bulls-eye on their backs and Nelson is just waiting for a reason to yank them.

Because of that, they play scared and nervous and try too hard. Anthony Randolph is a perfect example, as Belinelli has settled down a bit in this regard since Nelson has started to show more confidence in him and since his back to back double digit scoring nights last week.

But Randolph is so erratic in play.

He plays like a wild jungle animal running through the Amazon rain forests. His turnovers, his shots, jesus christ, this guy is so wild and erratic.

He just wants to perform and he’s young and he wants to prove himself, I understand. He is just trying too hard.

I like his game, but this guy has a long way to go. He is very raw. I understand his mindset, he plays hard, he cares about winning and improving.

But you have to wonder, if this guy was really meant to be an NBA player (and real NBA fans with knowledge of the game know what I mean by that, right? All you guys are experts on this blog) why did 13 teams pass up on him?
danikil49

Finally everyone can see that the problem is the coach. Nellie is a great coach if you give him 3 or 4 good to great veterans. Rowell should be held accountable for giving him a new contract when any b-ball fan could see that Nelson is not a good coach for young players.I hope you guys in the media don’t choke and allow this travestie to continue. Tell the truth for once.

If Nelson would only make defense a priorty we might at least play respectable ball until we get some help. Thanks Rowell for giving us a coach who only plays offense in a league where defense wins championships.
NotaNelsonfan

Guys,
As long as we have Nelson as a coach you gotta get used to small ball offense (Street ball style), HORRIBLE defense, and watching JAX do whatever the hell he wants to do on the court. Even if it means shootng 3 for 19, passing the ball away at least 4 times or more a game and getting back on defense whenever he feels like it.

Took Nellie till half way through the fourth quarter to take JAX out and put in Wright during tonights game against the Magic.

Don’t think its gonna get way better when Monta comes back, bucuz we will still have Nellie coaching. Unless the “Firing of the coach” makes its way down from Sac, and happens in Oakland.

You think Nellie is thinking more about Maui than really coaching?
Gizzm

Stack of Crap Jack is now a Robust 13 for 64 over his last 4 games.

In fact, Jackson has only shot above 40% for the game EIGHT TIMES this year. That is pathetic.

Jackson is best utilized when he is surrounded by stars like Duncan/Parker or BD/Monta, he is no leader.

Sigh.
OptimusPrime

The firing of Reggie Theus was silly. He had that team playing really well and oveachieving considering the lack of talent they have. Sucks for them, but great for us.

The Warriors are just decimated by injuries. Jack’s hand is obviously bothering him. He needs to wrap it up and go sit down for a few games. We appreciate him being a soildier, but at this point hes hurting the team.

Anybody know when Magette will be back?? They desperately need his 20pts per game.

Jax, Magette, and Ellis – Thats 60 pts per game missing from this roster. There is not that much defense in the world.
blah

Good Post Gizzm.

Steven Jackson should never be the best player on any team. That’s our problem. Last year most of his shots where wide open shots. When he didn’t pull the trigger on those he took it to the lane, once a guy ran out on him and got an assist, foul, or bucket. He is a campionship player because he is smart but he’s not a go to guy or a person to build a team around. I love Captian Jack, but he’s trying to put the team on his back. He’d be better off to instill the confidence he has in the young guys and focus on facilitating rather than “the follow me into battle” type of direction he’s taken. Does that make sense to anyone? The tangables are, shoot less, encourage your teamates to get the ball into the hot hand or miss match. Jackson made himself by focusing on defense and now he’s trying to focus on offense. Bad idea.

Nelson, my lord. Why, why, why? Why play watson and crawford at the same time? Why a line up with jackson as the second tallest player on the court. why can’t we put either B. Wright, Randolph, Kurz, Hendrix, in a with Beans or Turiaf? Why cant’t we play Randolph and wrigth at the 3? I know we need more depth at the power forward position, but you have to be able to stop a team to get a fast break. Why is watson leaking off his man when he’s playing a shooter in the corner. As if he’s going to be able to help on D if they throw it in to the bigs or drive down the lane.

Here are some line ups i would love to see for just a few minutes every night.

This is our best line up and should start when Maggette gets back:
Crawford
Maggette
Jackson
Turiaf
Biedrins

B wright should be the first big man in to spell either turiaf or Biedrins. Turiaf should move to Center if Beidrins comes out. This move should be made at the first sign of foul trouble.

Azubuike should be first off the bench to spell Jackson or Maggette if they are missing their shots or not rebounding.

CJ should come in to give crawford a spell.

Randolph, Bellinelli, and Morrow should only play if the above players aren’t hot, and at least one of them is going to have an off night at any given game. So we should regularly see these guys being thrown in the game.

This is fairly basic to me.

Again I would like to see Beans play with both Wright and Randolph at some point. Maybe put Marco and crawford in there to handle the ball and strectch the floor with their range.

SMALL BALL ONLY WORKS IF YOUR SHOOTING 60%+ from the floor because you will give up over 50% with the small line up.
JustPuked

Post Game Magic:
D.R. Horton has their own problems; they ain’t hiring Warriors no matter how efficient they are at laying brinks.
A.J.

Blah, I like where your’e headed however I would not start Turiaf at 4, but rather start Wright at 4, and have Turiaf spell Biedrins at the 5.

Here are the best line-ups:

1. Crawford/Belinelli / Watson
2. Maggette / Azabuike / Morrow
3. Jackson / Randolph
4. Wright / Kurz or Hendrix
5. Biedrins / Turiaf
A.J.

This team sucks so bad that we’re not getting any updated tidbits from our friend and neighbor, Marcus.

Last night we saw a perfect example of a well-coached NBA playoff team with good young talent and excellent veteran leadership: THe Orlando Magic.

This team would be a playoff team in the West as well. Excellent veteran play from Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis. But let’s not forget Keith Bogans, who last lit the Warriors in the past, but was quiet last night. They play fantastic defense, good team defense preached by Stan Van Gundy. Their best player was out last night so they had to turn to somebody, and who came through, Jameer Nelson?

When was the last time a Warrior stepped up in the absence of another Warrior?

Anyway, we continue to see countless examples of well coached NBA playoff teams with offensive and defensive philisophies, while we are continuing to lose games.

Also, how strange to see the disenchantment with Chris Mullin by Warrior ownership. I mean last year you would see this guy standing underneath the rafters or sitting next to Mitch Richmond.

Now, Mullin is nowhere to be found.

You thought we saw a lot of changes this past off season, wait till next off season 2009.

Guaranteed, you can kiss Chris Mullin godbye. He will be in New York next year. He’s a New York guy, went to St. John’s and he loves everything about the East Coast. And expect a bunch of wholesale changes with personnel.
jsl

Marcus: Is Nelson aware of just how reviled he’s become — not only by the fans who care about this team (and seem to know a bit more about the game than the vast majority of those in attendance at Oracle), but by virtually all the young guys he continues to treat like crap?

(It looks from here like his relationship with AR might already be beyond repair; I expect the same will shortly prove true with BW and, perhaps, even Goose.)

Maybe one of the beat writers could ask him why he continues to play smaller and slower, and uses the league’s worst shooter in Jackson 40 minutes a game, when there’s so much young talent that NEEDS to play. If that doesn’t work, how about some interviews with the young bigs — starting with AR, whose eyes looked like they were gonna burn ahole in Nelson’s thick skull last night.
Dan

Drama,
Honestly how many people thought Denver was going to take off like they have? When they had AI, who is arguably more talented than Billups, they were in the scrap heap just like the Warriors.
This Warriors team has nothing even resembling consistency from it’s keys parts. This team has no set identity, and as result there can be no rhythm established, there can be only spasms. Is that all Nelson’s fault? I doubt it. It is all about talent. It is still a players league to the core, and if Belinelli is one of your top 2 scorers you’re screwed. I mean there is no one on this team without a fairly large whole in their game. Coaching can’t fix Jackson’s hand, Monta’s ankle, Maggette’s hammy, Andris’ slight frame, or the flu.
In spite of AR’s seeming like more of an athlete than Kurz, does he have the same NBA game? Is that Nelson’s fault? If it is then, it must be assumed that Nelson did a better job bringing along the guy who didn’t make the team, than he did bringing along the first round pick. I don’t buy it.
I would also doubt that Nelson advised Belinelli not to close out on Jameer Nelson as he spent the better part of the 2nd half murdering from the behind the arc. Can Nelson really be blamed if his players just aren’t THAT good yet? Chemistry, is part in parcel with effort and success. There can’t be any chemistry yet because everybody is hurt, and inexperienced, and so they get trounced.
I just don’t get it, when we as fans expect Belinelli, Kelenna, Morrow, Randolph, Wright, Kurz, and Watson to be more than what they are. They collectively don’t start on good teams. They just don’t. They are all 6th – 10th men. C.J. is playing out of mind right now, and even he has glaring problems in game. And the idea that this is Nelson’s fault is tired. The players bear the responsibility to push themselves to succeed. If not then Phil Jackson would be the reason the Kobe is freakishly good, that M.J. was the best ever.

Look no further than your NBA champion Celtics to see what talent and chemistry mean. Doc Rivers is garbage in comparison to Nelson, and he just got a ring. We should all take a step back, and realize that Nelson’s good, the players aren’t. I mean Nelson isn’t God, he has some major failings as a schemer, and defensive mind, but he can’t be held responsible for the fact someone didn’t do enough work on their jumper.

Blah, blah, blah… LIVE BLOG MT… DO IT!!! Make it happen #1.
rewgolfer

The Warriors will be just fine when these injury problems get resolved. The Warriors starting five of Biedrens, Crawford, Monta, Magette, Captain Jack is going to be awesome, but they haven’t been healthy and on the floor yet this season. Magette, Jackson, and Monta – all have been injured, so these losses are not that big of deal. The loss of Monta has hurt especially, he’s our Kobe Bryant, – the kind of player that makes a team twice as dangerous, but he’s not played a minute. These young guys they have playing – like CJ Watson, and Randolph have been woeful on defense, as young players tend to be, so that’s really caused this skid. Prblematic, is the Warriors will be so far under 500 when Monta comes back they will probably fight to get back to 500, and never get close to making the playoffs. Next year is going to be the year they really break out – they just need one more good frontline player.
A.J.

I think we’ll lose in Indiana tonight too.

We will not be able to stop DAnny Granger, he will kill us, guaranteed.

Also, Dunleavy is out but who’s gonna stop Marquis Daniels?

I don’t know if TJ Ford will play tonite, he’s been injured lately.

But Indiana has the type of team that would easily be able to beat us tonite, no problem.

Matter of fact, I predict a double double for Troy Murphy, an easy double double for Danny Granger, probably with about 23 points and about 14 from Marquis Daniels.

All in all, we will lose tonite too.
A.J.

Update from ESPN.com.

No Troy Murphy and TJ Ford tonite against our beloved Golden State Warriors.

But we still gotta contend with Granger (no chance there, we wouldn’t be able to stop this guy in a telephone booth) and Marquis Daniels, all will be slated to have big games tonite, you watch and see, guaranteed.
NotaNelsonfan

Dan,
Agree with some of what your saying, but Nellie has to take the blame. Granted were riddles with injuries right now, but it is Nellie and the Ws who are giving up the most points in the NBA. They are giving up over 110 points per game!

I’m am watching the Pacers and Warriors now and they gave up 40 points in the first quarter! They went again with the small lineup. This is Nellies decision and nobody elses. We already have over 15 different lineups this year, why can’t he start Turiaf along with AB?

Almost every sport you see demands tough defense. “Offense entertains and defense wins games”. Remember that saying? Thats all the coaches call and nobody else.
I have the NBA ticket and ALL the announcers for the other team mention in the pre game that you score like crazy when you play the W’s because they do not play defense, and that is due to Nellie’s small lineup.
A.J.

Agreed “Not a Nelson”

Look, we’re all knowledgable fans, allright?

None of us are stupid enough to believe that the blame rests solely on the shoulders of 1 person, 1 player, 1 coach , 1 general manager, or 1 owner.

It is the GM’s and owners job to bring in the talent, and the coache’s job to coach it.

However, talent wise, honestly guys, we got some young talent. They just don;t play. The least talented guys play, while the most talented guys sit.

That is all Nelson!