Love the bench!

by RonG on Feb 10, 2007 9:05 AM PST

Where would last night have gone if the bench wasn't cleared for that rally? I was surprised Nellie let a dog tired Harrington back in, the way he was clanking shots! I was terrified we would lose when the bench squad was replaced with the one that gave up that pathetic third.

While the commentators are quick to say that the balance of the Indy trade rests on the potential of Diogu, nobody has said a peep about Powell. Guess what? He very well could end up better than Ike. He has a great offensive touch, looks as cool as ice out there, and hustles every play. His defensive skills need a bit of work, but I have no doubt we'll be talking about him a lot next year.

I'm also becoming a fan of Azubuike. He plays with hustle but doesn't get reckless. Clearly he has some basketball skills AND smarts. Of course he's no Baron, Monta, or JRich, but he plays refreshingly consistant.

I'm excited about the way the team is coming along. This might end up being a rebuilding year (not a playoff year), but I really like the way the organization is putting this team together.

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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Comments

agreed on Powell

I think he could EASILY make everyone forget about Dooky. Matter of fact, I think he is better right now. Definitely longer, more athletic, and a WAY better fit for the style that Nellie likes to play.

Let's Go Oakland! Gas, Brake, Dip.

by OaktownFunk on Feb 10, 2007 11:34 AM PST reply actions

yeah

goes to show what kind of a talent evaluator nellie is - since he's the one who insisted that he be a "throw in"

by the evil monkey on Feb 10, 2007 12:00 PM PST reply actions

I agree

on both Powell and Azubuike...I think they should get way more minutes. In fact, last night I was pretty upset that Nellie put the starters back in and went back to the zone. Maybe he figured that the 2nd five was tired, but they sure lit it up while they were in there. You can see that Booky misses some defensive assignments, but he is a very savvy offensive player. Powell has a very good all-around game, much better than I expected from a "throw-in". Without that really good big, the Warriors have to play run and gun and if that means getting the bench in every 7-8 minutes or so, that's what they should do. Also, (a little heresy here), is Baron becoming expendable? He does tend to slow the pace down too much at times, whereas Monta and even Sarunas like to move the ball upcourt fast and take advantage of defenses' slow reaction. I don't know, it just seems to me that more people are involved when Baron's off the court. I know he has good assists, but when he does, no one else on the team does. Would a package of Baron and Petrius get us a good big man? Just wondering....

Optimist

by believer on Feb 10, 2007 3:18 PM PST reply actions

This trade works

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=996~1055~209~2171~2439~1765~194~2173&t eams=9~29~9~29~9~19~19~29

Well, the Trade Machine likes it, anyway. Gasol's our big guy; Nelson replaces Baron (gives Monta some time to grow into the position), and Dooling's an expiring contract/salary equalizer.

I can sort of see reasons why the other teams might go for it, too. Memphis gets a little hosed, I suppose, but then apparently Gasol is putting pressure on them to make a deal.

Ellis/Nelson
JRich
Harrington/SJax
Biedrins
Gasol

by Sleepy Freud on Feb 10, 2007 5:42 PM PST up reply actions

I'm salivating

over the mere thought of this lineup. Think it'll happen? Peitrus and Barnes both have Dunleavy's Syndrome: inconsistency. And Azubuike would get more minutes with them gone. JRich's return to form would be the key.

Optimist

by believer on Feb 11, 2007 12:15 AM PST up reply actions

yeah

I'm pretty sure Nellie knew what he was getting when he insisted on Powell as a "throw in". I believe he drafted him in Dallas.

Let's Go Oakland! Gas, Brake, Dip.

by OaktownFunk on Feb 10, 2007 6:54 PM PST reply actions

No doubt

that Nellie knew about Powell. It's just that I didn't know that much about him. Nellie's very shrewd and spots talent (and lack of it) very quickly. I'm a little critical of Nellie sometimes, but all in all I know he's the right guy to coach the Warriors.

Optimist

by believer on Feb 11, 2007 12:19 AM PST up reply actions