What If... (Nelly had been able to coach all those Tweeners?)

by Baron Von DOOM on Feb 22, 2008 7:32 PM PST Comment 10 comments

Hello GSOM, allow me to introduce myself, a longtime reader, first time poster...
So anyways, I can't help but wonder if during all those years of futility, if our Dubs had been employing this Nellieball/mismatch system all along, how much better our long line of tweener forwards such as Donyell Marshall, Joe Smith, all the way to Antawn, might have been All-Stars for us?

While Antawn did play for Nellie in Dallas and won 6th man of the year, if I'm not mistaken, under him. How would these other athletic tweeners matched up?

Would Uncle Cliffy have been an All Star in his twilight with us?

Would Chris Mills have been a pre-Harrington chucking up threes and saving his back?

Well maybe not... I wasn't as enthusiastic when Nellie first was re-hired. But now that I've gotten to experience this system that was all a blur for me when I was a kid, I can't help but think that we might have fonder memories of all these ex-Warriors if we'd have been playing with the system we are now (even with all its flaws).

thanks for reading... I just wanted to post something fun other than a trade/waiver pickup idea.

peace

- Metal Face

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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Tweeners?

Donyell Marshal? Joe Smith? Jamison? Robinson? those are all 4s... none of em could play 3 really except jamison..

I'm sure most of those guys would have been better tho cuz thats what nelson does, utilizes his players and plays to the strengths of his team.

I thought this diary might be about what if Nelson was the coach of the Hawks. With tweeners such as Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, etc., that whole team is athletic and pretty talented with Joe Johnson and now mike Bibby. They still have like twenty wins and their in the east. Barnett said and i totally agree with him, that if they get a good big men then they could be a really good team. Look at what nelson has done with our team and we don't have a really good big man besides beidrins. I'm tellin you, nellie would get those guys runnin and gunnin and Josh Smith would dominate.

by travisl212 on Feb 23, 2008 12:27 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

well

donyell played quite a bit of 3. and the knock on smith was always that he was too little to play 4, but didnt have the quickness or outside shot to play 3. thus the term tweener. i think it wouldve been interesting to see nellie coach some of those guys, but after timmy we didnt have the point guard needed for nellie's system untill the baron trade.
i agree with you about the hawks though. josh smith would be disgustingly good under nellie. he'd be a perfect 4 for us...defense, rebounding, shot blocking, and can finish on the break.

passes it to the man...and boom goes the dynamite!

by sam23 on Feb 23, 2008 12:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

josh smith

the common belief seems to be the hawks are "playoffs or bust" this year, and if they dont make it theyll shake up their whole roster. i think josh smith will be a restricted free agent. he's had some attitude issues in atlanta and they dont seem real high on him. i know he'd have tremendous value, but does anyone think theres anyway we could possibly package harrington, the tpe, and our upcoming 1st rounder in a sign and trade with atlanta? maybe even throw in another 1st rounder. i know its a long shot, but just maybe... he could be the impact forward we need in the short term and in the long term a forward combo of him and wright next to biedrins and monta would be pretty sick.

passes it to the man...and boom goes the dynamite!

by sam23 on Feb 23, 2008 12:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yes tweeners=not quite fitting 3 or 4

donyell played quite a bit of 3. and the knock on smith was always that he was too little to play 4, but didnt have the quickness or outside shot to play 3. thus the term tweener.

that's pretty much what I was getting at. And I remember Donyeell playing mostly 3 when he broke into the league. He was still playing 3 when he got traded to utah, alongside Malone as 4 and Ostertag as 5 (i think he was still there).

As for Nellie coaching the hawks, I can see them doing the Run Run Run thing, but except when they play the warriors, they're not really a good shooting team. I'm sure it would look a bit different than the Dubs look now

by Baron Von DOOM on Feb 23, 2008 3:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

and yes...

all those guys TRIED to.. or did play the 3/4 spots at one time... that was why smith was such a wreck at the end of his time with us... he was trying to move his game to the outside. skills of a 4, too skinny to play it (in the 90's).

Joe's jumper has really improved nicely with age.

And Robinson, he broke into the league as a 3 with Portland, was and ALL STAR as the prototypical 3. As he slowed down and the league's big man trend has mostly slendered up, he's been able to play the 4 and 5.

And Antawn, although he played a lot of 3 with the Warriors, he's got the inside game of a 4. But he's been able to develop nicely and has a pretty complete offensive game. If he were the focus of a Nellie system, I think he would've been the all star he craved to be when he was with the Dubs

by Baron Von DOOM on Feb 23, 2008 3:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

oh my fault

joe smith and donyell were a little before my time... they certainly only play the 4 now.. i can't imagine fat slow donyell marshal playing the three. Robinson with us..wasn't a tweener he was just a big man.

by travisl212 on Feb 23, 2008 9:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

donyell

wasnt always slow. he's always looked a little soft, but watch a few of his uconn or even warrior highlight...he had serious game. i think the year he was main man in the w's offense he had a couple near 40-20 nights in a row.

passes it to the man...and boom goes the dynamite!

by sam23 on Feb 24, 2008 10:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

good point

I agree with you that Cliff Robinson, Chris Mills, and Donyell Marshall (circa 2000)were all capable SF's and 3 point shooters. I still remember Mills buzzer beater over Phoenix on opening night or Cliffs 3 point showcases, which then after he would proceed to go down low and guard a Kevin Garnett type player. Cliff reminded me alot of Captain Jack with a little more size and alcohol abuse.

As for Antawn, he could have been so much better than he was. His lack of leadership and Defense always bugged me when he was with the W's. He was a solid SF, with ability to play the PF on offense only.

Joe Smith is and always was a flat out 4.

by Jagz8 on Feb 24, 2008 12:28 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

smith

was overmatched against kemp and malone and the rest of the rugged 4's in the west when he broke in with the w's. now he's a 4 because, as baron said, the nba is trending toward a more slender, faster, better shooting forwards. 3's HAVE to be a 3-pt threat now and 4's pretty much HAVE to be able to run the floor with the guards. thats why joe is having much more success the last 2 or 3 years. he was a little ahead of his time in a weird way. if a 20 year old joe smith came out of maryland now, he might actually warrant his draft selection.

passes it to the man...and boom goes the dynamite!

by sam23 on Feb 24, 2008 10:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs