STRATEGIC PLANNING: Dubs 08-09 and beyond

by OaktownWarrior on Apr 11, 2008 9:29 AM PDT Comment 47 comments

I notice a lot of evaluations happening in various diaries, but I wanted to see if we can conduct some focused conversation related to how the Warriors need to make STRUCTURAL CHANGES to their current makeup.

Of course, I definitely want the Dubs to win out, and there is still a chance of making the playoffs. So don't take any of this as giving up!

Here are my quick thoughts (hopefully you will help me work these ideas out):

WE CAN'T RELY ON STEVE JAX SO MUCH OFFENSIVELY. This may be a no-brainer, but I'm thinking that Stephen Jackson needs to be our Robert Horry, maybe our Lamar Odom, but relying on him to score 20 points a night is going to doom us to suffering through all sorts of 5 for 17 evenings. The guy doesn't have enough diversity in his scoring to be one of our major scorers. Which brings me to the next point...
WE NEED TO BRING IN ANOTHER SCORER. For some reason, our hodge-podge of Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and Kelenna Azubuike is not reliable enough to supplement our top scoring guys, B-Diddy, Monta and Steve Jax. Harrington disappears at critical moments, MP3 and Barnesie are head cases (sorry Matt, much respect, I hope you return to form), and Kelenna is not quite there yet. Basically, one way to analyze the game against the Nuggets is to look at J.R. Smith. (For you old-timers, we need a Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson.) We needed that guy to pick us up when one of the Big 3 is struggling.
WE NEED TO LET B. WRIGHT DEVELOP, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE. When Biedrins made that crazy pass in the 4th quarter, before the game was really over -- some no-look bounce pass that probably hit a Warrior Girl smack in the kisser -- he was doing too much. The guys is really sweet at doing what he does - solid rebounding, some nice in-the-paint scoring, an occasional block and steal - but he will not be our "Power Point" forward, aka C-Webb at his hay-day. B. Wright could be that guy. His length, agility, balance, dexterity - all point to a really talented future. If he can gain 15 pounds this off-season, he needs to play 20 minutes a game next year. We need those blocks, those dunks, those post plays. We need the twin to Andris' tower.
THE NELLIE FACTOR: CAN HE LEARN FROM HIS DISCIPLES, OR IS HE DOOMED TO REPEAT THE PAST? George Karl going to the zone defense after the first quarter was the apprentice destroying the master. He out-nellied Nellie: making changes to maximize match-ups, creating structural problems for the opponent. When Karl switched, he took the upper hand; Nellie did not have a good response. At times, Nellie gets caught up in his ways, and it is frustrating to watch. Now, of course, I don't know who else could have brought the Warriors from the doghouse to 47 wins in two years like Nelson has done. But late in the season, as we have lost these big games, I would have liked to see some more flexibility. I don't know if Keith Smart is the answer, but I'm not sure how much further Nellie can take us.

* * *

I've got more thoughts, but I'd like to see what you think the critical priorities are. What next steps do you recommend? What are the key analyses of our current structure?

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!

0 recs | Comment 47 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

A big one

rest our goddamn players in the beginning and middle of the season so they don't end up like what we've seen the past two weeks.

by belilaugh on Apr 11, 2008 9:35 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

No doubt

Of course, we needed every one of Baron's minutes to get us this many wins in the first place. In a way, this goes to our lack of true, consistent depth. We had to burn ourselves up just to make it this far, and we haven't come far enough.

by OaktownWarrior on Apr 11, 2008 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

bad drafts.

The last two drafts have been disasters for getting guys who could actually help the club. It's not clear that Nellie would have played anyone else had he actually had the option, but the lack of depth killed them. I'll give them a pass on acquiring Wright. He appears to be a player (though Nellie was reluctant to use him). But the POB and Belinelli have been zeros. In the POB's case, the 'need pick' for a big man, one that dreadfully few thought would be much of a help anyhow, cost them the opportunity to go after some point guard depth. Would Marcus Williams or Jordan Farmar for 15 a night have helped keep some fresh life in Monta, Baron and Jax down the stretch?

Of course let's not lose sight of the fact that this team is still close to a 50 win team. Not making the playoffs (as seems likely now) stings, but in reality, I don't think there's that much more you could expect from the team given what they had to work with. In any other year, high 40 wins gets you a 5, 6, or 7 seed in the playoffs. Reactionary movements to the rare event rarely work out for the best.

by jae on Apr 11, 2008 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Come on now...

This discussion has been had elsewhere but to throw down judgment on Belinelli so soon is totaly unjustified.

Coming from overseas... still young... dude has got to have some adjustment time. Very weak grounds to argue that he's a bust at this point.

Do we have reason to be concerned... for sure but the way Nelli fails to utilize his bench, you've got a very weak argument that we didn't see more of Belinelli because he's a bust.

"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are." - Muhammad Ali

by Dubs Wise on Apr 11, 2008 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bust?

Whether or not he's a long-term bust remains to be seen, but he certainly wasn't the slightest bit of help this year after his first summer league game. If only that one counted in the standings...

I would love to be wrong, but nothing in what he did suggests that he's just waiting to blossom, and very little in what he did in Europe suggests that either. He's a "shooter" who never seemed to shoot for a high percentage and has never shown that he does anything else for you (like pass or rebound) to compensate for this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We haven't really seen him play that much. It's true there are some surprises, but the safe bet based on what we do know, which is significantly more than nothing, is that he won't ever amount to much.

by jae on Apr 11, 2008 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Weak...

You should be ripping on Nelli as to why Belinelli didn't do anything this year. He didn't get much of a chance to either prove you wrong or right.

And if you think he should be written off because he's a streaky shooter then that same argument goes for Jackson. Field goal percentage for a shooter like him is a poor litmus test. Only time will tell how valuable he can be as a shooter. Does his potential to get hot justify letting him play even when shots aren't falling. For Jackson the answer to that is yes. Belinili hasn't gotten enough burn in order to make any kind of solid judgment.

Unless you've had access to Warriors practices there's no way you've see enough to say that he does nothing else for you.

Finally, one big factor is the kid's ego. If you've seen or heard any interviews with him it's obvious that he's very high on himself... which probably is part of the reason, like for Jackson, that he can get crazy hot once he starts to feel it. Riding the pine all year had to take its toll on his confidence. We'll only know next year if he has the mental fortitude to overcome an unremarkable rookie showing and still blossom.

Bottom line... your making a strong argument, basically writing a 22 year old player off, and you've got a very weak foundation to do so.

"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are." - Muhammad Ali

by Dubs Wise on Apr 11, 2008 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

2 cents

Would Marco have helped us score more than Baron, Jax, and Monta did? Our problem has never been scoring. He certainly wasn't going to bring the defense up more. Marco is an experienced international player with a track record of his own which Mullin, not Nelson, followed so closely and was certain he'd pay dividends right away.

Jackson's track record is NBA level, with a ring. If anyone kept Marco on the pine it was KAz who was able to earn a higher rung on the substitution ladder.

by hardcore on Apr 11, 2008 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

what about some rest?

Its not whether he would have helped us more than anyone else. Its simply that Baron, Jax & even Monta could definitely have used more rest this season... there's no denying that.

Could Marco have provided a spark while they got some rest... who knows? He played pretty well in the Memphis game recently.

But Nelli thought the answer was no, so he never gave him a real shot. I think Don's stubbornness and his failure to allow young players the opportunity to surprise him in games is the reason Marco got no burn.

"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are." - Muhammad Ali

by Dubs Wise on Apr 11, 2008 6:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

partially yes, partially no

KAz was pretty firmly ahead of Marco all season long, so while I agree that Nelson chose not to play a deeper rotation even if he had Marco was not able to break into it ... frankly, I just don't see where all the love for him comes from - KAz has done far more to endear him to Nelson and us; Marco is an *

by hardcore on Apr 12, 2008 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The way i see it.

The problem is that we rely on two guys (Baron, Jax) that really are 2nd and 3rd options on good, quality NBA teams. They aren't true scoring options because they shoot the ball at such a poor percentage. Anything under .450% for a guard is poor. They rely too much on their outside shot to ever be efficient.

Baron can be so much tougher than he is on most nights. But then again, he can't get the rest he needs to be a slasher each night. So that is a testament to how poorly Nelson used his bench this year.

Warriors, Stupidest franchise in the league.

by kenntoe on Apr 11, 2008 7:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nah blood

Non potete dire che
Bellinelli
è venuto a mancare.

Nessun minuti!
Più tempo!
Allora vediamo.

Capisci????

ANY QUESTIONS???

by KennySeagle on Apr 11, 2008 11:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

what's up w/ the zone just killin' us

I know we're not a great shooting team, but seriously, what's up w/ that? passing and cutting can dissect any zone but for the warriors, it's usually a one shot and done possession for them. why not put Marco just for the sake of having a bonifide 3-point threat. who cares if he doesn't play D, the rest of the Warriors don't.

by diggitydawg510 on Apr 11, 2008 9:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

we are a jumshooting team with only streaky shooters, so why can't Marco have a chance to play at least 10 minutes.

by buky on Apr 12, 2008 3:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

what makes you think

that Nellie, at 67, is going to change one iota? His coaching mentality is to let his vets and captains (sine Barnes) have an enormous amount of rope while giving very little leeway to his other players to work through their slumps.

And since Nellie doesn't really rein Jax and Baron in (just the opposite), what makes anyone think that the rein of threes will be cut back (although if Barnes isn't around some of the really stupid threes will be cut back)?

And what makes anyone think Nellie will change his love affair with small ball and mis-matches to anything resembling a half court or more importantly, a defensive oriented team?

To summarize, let's hope Nellie doens't take his option and enjoys his 68th year in stress free Mauai. Then we will have a chance to make the changes and others suggest......

CWebb is undoubtedly the answer but I forgot the question.

by commish on Apr 11, 2008 10:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

actually...

It's Maui! :-P

...and it's like that! Coz' that's the way it is... Dubz!

by Tony.psd on Apr 11, 2008 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

When I step back and look at this

team they really are not that good. Normally they would have been a playoff team (this year wasn't normal) but when Steven Jackson is basically your second option that says a lot

Most legit teams easily have two to three allstar caliber players or a superstar and an allstar and some depth

This team had a great season way over their heads. I am worried about next year too. Monta is emerging but can we count on Baron? Where is that other star talent going to come from?

by Zig on Apr 11, 2008 10:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

yoyos suck

I've been to all but maybe 5 home games (including playoffs) the last 2 years, and sometimes I want to throw a beer at Nellie for his substitution "strategies". Last night was one of those nights. I think most of us would agree that the W's have slowed down the past month -- too many minutes for the starters (esp. Jax and BD). I don't care if they "want" to stay in, as a coach it's your job to MANAGE your team to maximize their potential. See D'Antoni (Nash) and Popovich (everyone).

The irony of the past 2 weeks is that as we've been losing, everyone has been saying, "Where's MP3? We've got to get him back!" Jax even called him out (bad move, even though I know Jax has been playing hurt all year -- true warrior!).

Last night Nellie wouldn't give MP3 a chance to get going, even when it became clear that we were going flat after the 1st period. I don't think Mike played for more than 2 consecutive minutes at any point during the game. We were clearly struggling, clearly flat, and Nellie kept sticking him in then yanking him. Mike got a few bad calls early on (as in, questionable, not dumb) and he just has no rope. That's why he wants to leave. He wants to play. And before he went out hurt he was making BIG plays, energy plays, in critical games -- when he was starting. He was a true, athletic catalyst for this team (something we really need). Now he's back on the bench, out of the rotation, and we look flat and shallow.

Props to Nellie for making this team believe in themselves, and for getting us over the hump, but I can't take his inconsistent, undisciplined approach much longer... He's laid the foundation, as he has done numerous times for other teams. It's time to create some structure and depth if we want to build a sustainable, successful team going forward.

by djbizyb on Apr 11, 2008 11:09 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

So True

He really has mismanaged the bench the whole year. It's most glaring the last couple of weeks since you can see Davis and Jax have very little left in the tank.

I'm still disappointed that he has not tried to develop the bench at any point this season. Even if a rook shows some promise (i.e. POB vs. Clippers, Bellinelli Vs. Grizzlies) they are not given a chance to show consistency. He has created an atmosphere that will cause his seldom used bench players to try a little too hard when given the opportunity instead of playing a specific role.

Hopefully next season, he begins to develop that trust and we build a deeper roster. Then again, Denver may still trip up and we are premature on talking about next season.

by tangel29 on Apr 11, 2008 11:58 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Nellie will never

change his ways and our rookies will count every second until they would be able to run
away from this coach, just to shine somwhere else.

The only thing he cares of is his $$$$$$$, that's why he was so stubborn last year before he returned, and that is why he plays only players that are proved in his opinion.

He's a coward IMO.Look at Adelman for example who gave a chance to players we never heard of.And what did they do?we all know.

by buky on Apr 11, 2008 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ugh

Fanboy nonsense; what do u call matt barnes last year? i kno ur mad- but dont spew fanboy bs w/o at least thinking about what ur saying. please?

"We're all corrupt bastards." - Don Nelson

by GameSix on Apr 11, 2008 11:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know what I'm talking about

and Barnes is just the type of player Nellie loves(point forward)and plays on the position he invented.If you refer to Buike.Well Nellie simply had to play him last year coz of injuries.

One bird doesn't mean the fall is coming.
So cut the nonsense talk and think first coz I know I have.

by buky on Apr 12, 2008 3:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree...

Ultimately, leaning on your stars is going to hurt you in the long run. At the end of the season, you have no one you can count on from the bench to play. I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said already. Nellie felt that he needed to win games and didn't think he could count on any rooks to step up. That may be true, but if he had given Wright, Belinelli, POB, etc... some PT earlier on, maybe they could have helped at the end, or at least have kept the starters fresher.

by barrance on Apr 11, 2008 12:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

what to do next year.

Scoring is far more conspicuous than defense. The box score charts far more offensive categories than defensive categories for individuals, so it's easy to get caught up in looking at only half the game.

Sure, it wouldn't hurt to get another "scorer" but in terms of maximizing returns on investment, I don't think that another scorer is really going to provide the most bang for the buck. I don't think it would help that much. Reality was that scoring wasn't tops on the list of problems. The team was tops in points scored, in the top 10 in points per shot and adjusted FG%. Another 'scorer' only helps if, when things go cold, he immediately takes the shots away from others and scores himself. That's rare and in terms of rewards for investment, less likely to heavily boost the win total than looking at the defensive end of the court.

Problem wasn't getting the points so much as surrendering points. We've been in the bottom 10 in the major defensive categories. EVERY team has some lulls in getting the ball in the basket from time to time. I suspect that another gunner is less likely to regularly solve that problem than improving the defense would make it less critical.

The Warriors defensive strategy was to force turnovers rather than to deny good looks or seal off second chance shots by owning the boards. That can work, but it only takes you so far. We can blame Nellie for it to some degree, but let's face it: this team isn't championship caliber talent. It's upper half of the league, and that almost always gets you to the playoffs, but that's about it.

by jae on Apr 11, 2008 12:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

SUBSTITUTION PATTERNS

or lack thereof.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

by triplesix on Apr 11, 2008 12:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I also don't think...

... that we've necessarily screwed up in the draft. You can make an argument for POB, but that was not Nellie's pick. Even then, I'm not sure if POB wouldn't have done better if given some more PT or at least some confidence. From the day that Nellie came on board, I'm sure his confidence was shot. As for all the other guys, even Nellie has admitted that maybe he should have given BWright more play earlier on. I don't think that they didn't play because the W's drafted the wrong people. They didn't play because that's just the way their coach thinks. I seriously doubt Farmar or Williams would get play on this team either.

On a side note, I wish that we would have drafted Leon Powe instead of Kosta. Isn't he the kind of guy we need? He's playing pretty damn well for the Celtics in limited PT.

by barrance on Apr 11, 2008 12:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

LEON!

No doubt. Well, a little doubt. Powe has prospered especially since KG arrived. I can imagine why: he gets to practice with the best, and there is also major competition in Boston with KG, Perkins, Big Baby and Leon. As someone who has a ton of respect for our Oakland boy, I am glad he is in such a good situation over there in Beantown. Still, we could definitely use that kind of guy over here.

by OaktownWarrior on Apr 11, 2008 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the funny thing about Nellie...

is that he didn't trust his bench even when the "star" players missed games. With Jackson out he just played AZ 40 minutes. When Monta missed 1 game he played Barnes 36 minutes.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

by triplesix on Apr 11, 2008 12:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

BIG MEN!

I'll tell what we need. BIG MEN!!! How about we get some muscle whether or not they are fast or slow-get some damn size under the basket! We need some physical play. Someone who alters the flow of a game just by their physical ability to muscle people around.

Who's going to do that for us now? Andris? BWright? Kosta Perovic? POB? Al Harrington? Austin Croshere? No way!

Also, I wouldn't mind seeing the following players out of here if it ment we could get some size in the Bay:

POB
Kosta Perovic
MP3
CJ Watson
Belinelli
Austin Croshere

Get'em outta here. 5 out of those 6 players rarely ever suited up for us anyhow. Get'em outta here!!!

by gabezgsw on Apr 11, 2008 1:46 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We allready have

big man, don't you get it. Nellie is our coach remember("mad scientist",won't play a big muscle guy if his life depends on it)!!

And what you propose is to play regular kind of b-ball not small ball(or can this muscle guy run and shoot threes?), with actually some kind of D.

So you are subconsciously telling us to get rid of Nellie not those 5/6 guys!!

GET IT

by buky on Apr 11, 2008 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Everyone...

Isn't it MP2, not MP3?

by allonyou on Apr 11, 2008 3:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Thats what I was thinking... I thought I was out of the loop for a second. MP2... AH3...

by FriscoJoe on Apr 11, 2008 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

bench scoring

I think our bench scoring next year will be from Marco. I'm sure that Nellie will trust Marco enough next year to let him go out and do what Manu did for the Spurs earlier in the year.

And who else out there that our bench next year looks ok? Watson, Buike, Marco, and Wright, Harrington/Croshere?

by gunwing54 on Apr 11, 2008 4:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

TOO PERIMETER

We are getting way tooo perimeter. Especially the second quarter. I noticed we started losing the lead when we slowed our offense down and got perimeter. Just keep pushing the ball and take it to the basket.

by gWARRIORSs on Apr 11, 2008 4:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah it looks ok but

There is no dominant player. Buike does not seem to be a legitimate bench contributor; which was strange because during the first seven games when Jackson was out and he was starting he was great. However the Denver game was not the only one in which he was putting up bricks. I really do not feel like he is worth the 6 mil contract you guys are talking about. Although it is fun to see him when he uses his athleticism, like for put backs and guarding Kobe. Other than that though his shot selection went to hell in the last ten games.

Barnes is another MIA bench player...and no I am not spilling all this just because the Denver game...I have been and always will be a dubs fan. But Barnes will not be picked up by any team at the price he wanted the way he played all season. He spent all season picking up technicals. Sure I would like to see him come back, but not for over 4 mil. Pietrus could easily fall into this category too. His performance in the few games since his latest injury barring the Denver game were great. But with his whining and public expression of being unhappy, I doubt he will be resigned at a higher price than we payed for him this season.

Al, Al, Al, Al, Al. What the heck happened? He played so many games where he was either dead on or cold as ice. If he was on, the Warriors won; as Barnett said. On his off games more pressure was put on the starting three. Just the way it goes I guess. Good hustle all year though.

And here's the part that no one wants to hear or talk about:
How much further would J-Rich would have taken the Warriors? If I could bet on it, I bet they would have a comfortable sixth seed at the very least. Hell, I bet they would have made it to the Conference Finals if they didn't have to play Utah.

But again, Brandon Wright looks like the piece we need and if he adds 15-25 pounds he will start looking scary. As you guys have stated, our youth looks to be promising. There will be a few free agents this year that might look good in a dubs jersey. And just wait until that extra 10 million is off from Foyle's contract and they have some cap space to work with.

Here's to the next three games, and to the Jazz and the Rockets. We still get to see one of my favorite matchups: Warriors v. Suns

GO WARRIORS!!!!!

Keep Monta Movement.

by danielholl on Apr 11, 2008 4:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

On the flip side...

I totally agree with you that with J rich we would've been a better team overall. I'm still pissed off that management failed to use the trade exception to bolster the team. However, one thing to consider is that with J Rich in our lineup, Monta would not have broken out and had the season he would've. We now know Monta's star potential is grounded more in reality than illusions of grandeur.

by ThermoElectro on Apr 11, 2008 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Um,

besides the Denver game, Buke's pretty much been our only bench contributor, and a pretty good one at that.

by belilaugh on Apr 11, 2008 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's all about the B's!!!

Hello All,

First time posting and first year season ticket holder following playoff rounds last year and moving to the US 2 years ago! Firstly I must say this has been an amazing season to have been part of and I hope many more. I have made many great friends in Oakland from mytime this year at the arena. I went to the away game in Dallas the other week and was one of the few Warrior fans in that arena and in that game I saw, I believe where many of the issues we have as team come from.

For me it's all about the B's!

Bench - Nellie has not used the bench anywhere near as much a he should of, IMHO. There have been games when the team is coasting and Baron is still on the court? The bench should have had much more time this year...period.

Brandon - This kid is good, I mean REALLY good, he is young, very Young, he has a lot to learn, but he has real potential with confidence, TIME on the court and a few more pounds to become a truly superb player for us in the future! Brandon weighing in at 210 - 220 lbs plus would be a hell of a force! He needsto get to know Kelena's fitness coach!

Baron - I think Baron is a phenominal player and certainly does not get anywhere near the praise he deserves. However.....whether it's tiredness, or whatever it is, he is not chasing the ball like he did last year, is it me, or does he look like he is getting bigger? In the playoffs last year he looked lean and hungry, I cant say the same currently and he has a lot more chat for the refs than last year, which leads me to my next..

Backchat - In recent games, Stack and Baron have spent more time strolling back up the court bitching to a ref about a bad call, whilst a fastbreak has gone flying past?? We all know GSW gets the worst calls in the league for whatever reason and Stack.....get used to it man, they are never gonna call a foul on you! The backchat, the more points we lose period, throgh either Technicals, missed Defense, Ref's getting pissed, whatever it is, backchat aint gonna change a thing, leave that to us fans!!

Bellinelli - I just dont think any of us can give comment on Rocky! The kid (even though he does not look like one!) is sooooo green to the NBA, I believe he has looked shell shocked at the leap and differene between the European game and the US Pro game. However, he is definitely one of those players, that give him the time and that means court time Nellie.... He will feed off the atmosphere that the Arena creates, which is like no other arena I have ever experienced before and that includes Wembley Stadium in London during Cup Final with 80,000 football lunatics!

Barnes - I can never take anything away from a player who shows the work load and effort that Barnes does. Everytime he comes on the court and hits the fast break,there is one place he wants to go...the other end....fast and time after time we miss a simple easy pass into him for a quick two! Ellis and Barnes together on a fast break are probably as quick as any in the league!

Boooooke - Kelena grows with every game, he is a real bright star for us for the future, he has power, shot and dribble, we all know Ellis is going to be our future Captain Extra-ordinary!!! but some of his young team mates will offer truly superb compliment.

Ballgame - As team it's about heart, it's about fight...but it's most importantly about "Ballgame". That means every game you play is a new game, there is no "we should win this one!". Every game is tough and most importantly we have to play a Ballgame to beat the opposition, not just stick to a formula (swing, kick, shoot) because "that's what we do". Some nights it isnt going to work, the bullets will be blanks! So as Denver proved last night, you change your game if it's not working and try something else, and fair play to them last night, they did this with devastating effect.

Battle - It is a battle out there, it's not going to be given to you and I truly believe that the young players must watch last years playoffs and understand...it wasnt the players that made that run. It was the team spirit, the fans the mindset and the desire to Battle...if the young guys coming in realise that, they can take anyone as they have proved this! year.

Boozer - Carlos is the type of player we are missing... period. We need that Big, powerful "i'm gonna smash this over your head" type of power in the low post. This is not changing who GSW are or their game, if anything it will open up the floor for our devastating shooting game. But.....when we dont get a quick point on the fast break, having a boozer to be so dangerous in the low post, will not only take huge pressure of the like of Jack to try and drive in, but it wil open the floor to our really quick guys to steal in or shoot with more time down range. There is rumour we are courting some 7 foot 5 Eatern Block player, but for us, it's not about height...it's power...we need power and combat, not height and reach!

Finally....

Believe...

Even speaking as a rookie and a Brit, we have I believe, an amazingly talented young bench which even next year, will start to make huge inroads into our conference rivals, with more time, in some cases more "power" (Brandon, Beans) etc. We have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, this young talent if bolstered with the likes of a Boozer, will become a very powerful, yet most importantly....consistant team and I would trade a little "show" for a bit more consistancy any day of the week!

09 will continue to be the next step in the Warriors growth...have faith...believe.... it will happen!

Sorry it went on a bit....just had to vent something from last night!

[IMG]http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/FlatOverCrest/GSOMCossie.jpg[/IMG] It's about heart, It's about fight, It's about being a Warrior!

by BritWarriorGSW on Apr 11, 2008 5:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

hahaha!

</object>

Maybe some positivity is needed on this board.

Warriors, Stupidest franchise in the league.

by kenntoe on Apr 11, 2008 7:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

you must've read

my mind - I was trying to figure out how to do that yesterday

cool, thx

by hardcore on Apr 12, 2008 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

lmao nice video

i just hope nellie would call timeouts more often to cool down the opponent

by 8monta on Apr 11, 2008 8:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This is the key to victory next season

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET BACK J-RICH.

by RSIZ510 on Apr 11, 2008 10:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yup

How's that plan working out for the Bobcats?

Seriously, propose a deal that works salary-wise and allows us to keep Monta and Biedrins. I can't wait to hear it.

by Sleepy Freud on Apr 12, 2008 3:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

GET IT-GOT IT

And what you propose is to play regular kind of b-ball not small ball(or can this muscle guy run and shoot threes?), with actually some kind of D.

So you are subconsciously telling us to get rid of Nellie not those 5/6 guys!!

GET IT

Well there's nothing better than our current Dubs, especially Nellie. The league is chalked full of 6'6"-6'9" players which the Dubs already have which is great by me. I love BD, SJAX, Andris, Monta and Al. How about someone on the bench who can come in to be able to run, play D- which the Dubs are near worst in many categories, block shots, pull boards and disturb the other teams offensive flow? If that player could also be able to hit 12 foot shots too, that would be great as well. Well that player is Adonal Foyale...LOL Seriously though, if we had that element, and by that I mean someone with size and mobility, it would fill a void that is much needed to round out an already great team. I don't see the Dubs having an increase in wins next year with POB, Kosta Perovic, MP2(my bad), Croshere, CJ Watson and Belinelli on the bench. Maybe even Barnes too. Belinelli got shafted and won't see much more time next year than he did this year. Why would he with Nellie being so trigger shy on young players as evident with BWright and the before mentioned.

Run and gun small ball is the best to watch for hoop junkies like myself. Why not? Its fast and at a pace that is like none other, but its also the death of us. Ying-Yang. Positive-Negative, Peaks-Valleys. What I mean by that is balance. The Dubs need a little more balance. Volatility best describes the Dubs. At some point conventional hoops gets you to the promise land when it comes to the best players on Earth. Look at the best teams in the history of the NBA. They all had a big man that brought that element the Dubs are so desperately missing. An inside presence! Miken, Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Moses Malone, Hakeem, Shaq and Tim Duncan. What do they all have in common aside being large humans? Rings! A lot of them!

BTW, Nellie's opinion of the best player that ever lived was a center. His former teammate and record 11 time NBA champ-Bill Russell

GET IT?

by gabezgsw on Apr 11, 2008 11:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

you should talk to Nellie

about it.Don't get me wrong because I would also like what you mentioned but I just think Nellie would not change his ways/view of b-ball.That's just my opinion.
GOT IT

by buky on Apr 12, 2008 4:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

more balanced !!!!

that has always been my biggest problam with nellie. way too stuck in his ways and not flexible enough when the normal stuff isn't working. yes small ball is fun and exciting. yes it can win you 50 games in the regular season, but when runnin and gunnin isn't doing the trick you need to be able to change things up. be more ballanced, use a more conventional line up to get a hold of things, then you can go back to runnin once to have stemmed the tide of a run by the opponent or cold spell by your own team. playing a game at extreme ends will never win any championships. you can't use the run and shoot to win a super bowl at some point you gotta run the rock. steve kerr has made that change in phoenix and i think it will serve them well when the playoffs start. gotta be built to play both styles. once that happens you gotta have a coach who is flexible enough to adjust!!!