The one who must answer Mullin's Call to Arms
No bemoaning the loss of Baron or Monta’s injury allowed. The time to move on and for others to "step up," as Mullin said at the press conference following Monta’s injury, has arrived.

via www.nba.com
The odds are that Mullin will not be able to pull off any more trades going into training camp, the capology just doesn't support a big move, so we go into battle with what we’ve got. Fortunately he picked up Turiaf & Maggette in the chaos of the summer. Both in their own way will make everyone else’s production increase. But to even hope to sniff the playoffs, Nelson not only needs marginal production from young role players but also a veteran to make a big contribution to fulfill Mullin’s challenge. There is one man on the roster who could make up a significant portion of the slack.
First the obvious. We know what we’ll get from Jackson – 15-20 pt per game, getting the toughest defensive assignment on the perimeter nightly, and occasional 4th quarter heroics after sporadic shooting for three quarters.
via www.yardbarker.com
He’ll be asked to provide leadership and take some of the ball handling pressure off whoever starts at PG. It’d be unfair to expect much more than that when other teams will be keying on stopping him. Hopefully his extension talk is settled by Oct.
Similarly Maggette can be expected to score 16-22 ppg, and will likely thrive in Nelson’s system, playing major minutes. We know he’ll attack the basket and hopefully when he draws a lot of defensive attention he’ll be able to kick-out to shooters or dump off to Andris & Co. inside for some easy baskets.

via www.e-nba.pl
In a previous post, someone posed the question of who would take the last shot in a tight game. While the obvious answer might seem to be Jax, it's likely Corey would be a prime late game option in must-score possessions as he can get to the rim and the FT line as much as anyone on the team not named Ellis.
He was already being counted on to pick up a lot of the slack from the loss of Baron. We can’t expect much more than that, and he’s going to be making the adjustment to Nelson’s system early in the season when Monta’s still out.
Williams and Watson will likely get a chance to contribute at the point early on. Frankly, if either just holds their own we should be more than satisfied, much less hoping they can replace Monta’s production or replicate his effect on a game. Similarly, while KAz will play more meaningful minutes, rotating in behind both Jackson & Maggette, he simply won’t have enough minutes in a reserve role to make up for Monta’s absence. We need a productive KAz, but we need more than KAz.
Marco & Kosta aren’t even on my radar, and expecting much from Randolph or Hendrix in their rookie season is asking for trouble. If ANY of those four make a contribution it’s pure bonus. Brandan Wright will be contributing if he plays 10 –15 min pg and does some scoring and rebounding. In fact, if he has any kind of season at all he might find himself up for 08-09 MIP honors. He's not the one we should be looking toward to pick up a significant part of the slack.

via www.nba.com
Turiaf doesn’t possess the qualification Nelson seems to have for a running mate opposite Andris – shooting range. He’ll likely be backing up at the C spot which will free Andris from playing tentatively to stay out of foul trouble. Andris has been getting better every season, and hopefully that continues. But I’m not counting on a whole lot more from him than last year. Nelson has one other veteran to turn to.

via imgs.sfgate.com
KAz, Turiaf, and Wright will have to help make up some of the difference, but none of the aforementioned have the opportunity and ability to step up as much as the skilled veteran who’s been one of Nelson’s & GSoM’s favorite whipping boys, and who I propose is the ONLY one who can "step up" in Mullinesque terms:

Harrington is going to have to emerge as the key to our season if we are to remain in striking distance of the playoffs until Monta returns. He needs to increase his scoring from 13 to the 18-22 ppg range, with at least some of that coming from the FT line. He needs to rebound and he needs to maintain the positive vibe in the locker room.

via d.yimg.com
Harrington should really benefit from the addition of Turiaf (to back up Andris & help prevent Al from suffering the more egregious defensive match-ups) and the emergence of Brandan Wright who could keep him fresh.
Al has the skill and opportunity to be the difference maker we need if he finishes stronger around the basket as well as shoots the three at a bit better percentage, if he rebounds just a bit more, and if he can stay out of Nelson’s doghouse. Tall order? Yup. But he's our best bet to make up a significant amount of the slack early this season.

via www.nba.com
A couple summers ago Mullin had targeted Harrington when he was a free agent, and then snagged him in the DunMurphy trade. All along Mullin hoped Al could be the multi-dimensional threat that could maximize mismatches.
In the time he’s played for Nelson, Harrington has had to try to do even more than Mullin had imagined, from defending opponent bigs like Yao while playing undersized center on defense to being a consistent three-point threat. Critics who didn't like the additions of Maggette and Turiaf this summer don't see a part of their productivity which is difficult to measure: sliding all our players into more natural positions - including Harrington.
Last season Al was hinting he’d been limited by Nelson’s instruction to stay outside, possibly to leave the lane open for Baron, Jackson, and Monta to drive and kick-out or dump off to Andris. To begin this season two of those three are gone and Nelson will have to turn to Al to do more on the offensive side.

via imgs.sfgate.com
Big Al seems to want the challenge, and Nelson may not have much choice early on.

via www.nba.com
That looks like the attitude I’d want when playing the prohibitive favorite in the West. Al is the player who has both the opportunity and the skill set to accomplish what his heart and soul wants to contribute. There’s no one else on the roster who has the combination of opportunity and ability to take up the slack in Monta’s absence. Monta will return hopefully sooner than later, it's not like we need Al to play at All Star level all season - just for the first part of it.

Step up #3!
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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why not bellinelli
he can be backup to marcus for 10-15 minutes a game and that would be a huge bonus. look marco has all the skill. if he can get some PT and confidence, we will be in good shape.
my guess is Beli is buried pretty deep
Marco’s bigger, older, more experienced and he didn’t play as much as Watson, because he didn’t shoot as well from the field or the line, hell CJ even out-rebounded him. CJ had more assists, and is a PG. Whatever time there is at PG should be divided between Williams, CJ, and (gulp) Jackson barring another waiver-wire or D-League pickup.
At SG/SF Marco’s behind Jax, Maggs, KAz, and maybe even Morrow & Randolph. He’ll get some minutes, but he’d have to leapfrog a lot of guys to get any real rotation time.
Marco’s one of Mullin’s mulligans.
CJ also had more playing time than him.
by boomdizzleness on Aug 31, 2008 10:25 PM PDT up reply actions
CJ aint gonna get it done FT @ pg – Williams is da only hope
by playthegametherightway on Sep 11, 2008 8:59 PM PDT up reply actions
one of Mullin’s mulligans.
Mullin’s face looks pretty red in that photo. Has the pressure driven him back to the bottle?
Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me
by Skeptic con Urquell on Sep 1, 2008 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Mullin Interview about Monta's injury
is on http://mindofmullin.blogspot.com/
(the picture in the post is not from that interview)
fwiw he looked and sounded to me like he was pretty helpless, exasperated, and tired
There's a difference
between an apparent party animal like Nellie and someone with a real problem with a addiction like Mullin.. I just think its sort of weak to bring a serious personal problem into the discussion when it has nothing to do with the subject at hand and there’s no indication that Mullin has fallen off the wagon…
why not bellinelli
Cause we need production not wishes.
Hardcore got it right on, Off the radar, lost at sea.
Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me
by Skeptic con Urquell on Aug 31, 2008 8:52 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I agree with you In for life
But some people are classless, snort snort…did i do that???
i love AL
if he plays liek he did when he first came over, we will be in good shape
career numbers & trend
Beginning in Al’s third year there is a pattern – hopefully he didn’t peak in 04-05 and 05-06
I remember him carrying us down the stretch to get into the playoffs and then doing very little in the post season. Was he tired? Poor matchups? Something else? All I know is we need him to peak early THIS season. If not a “career year” at least a “career month” or two.
YR TM G GS MIN FG FG% 3P 3P% FT FT% STL BLK TO PF OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
00-01 IND 78 38 24.3 3.1-7.0 .444 0.0-0.1 .143 1.3-2.0 .656 0.8 0.2 1.9 2.9 1.5 3.4 4.9 1.7 7.5
01-02 IND 44 1 29.8 5.2-11.0 .475 0.0-0.1 .333 2.6-3.3 .799 0.9 0.5 1.8 3.8 2.2 4.1 6.3 1.2 13.1
02-03 IND 82 37 30.1 4.7-10.9 .434 0.2-0.6 .283 2.6-3.3 .770 0.9 0.4 2.0 3.4 1.9 4.3 6.2 1.5 12.2
03-04 IND 79 15 30.9 5.3-11.5 .463 0.3-1.0 .273 2.3-3.2 .734 1.0 0.3 2.1 3.2 2.1 4.4 6.5 1.7 13.3
04-05 ATL 66 66 38.6 6.9-14.9 .459 0.2-1.1 .216 3.6-5.3 .672 1.3 0.2 3.1 3.8 2.2 4.8 7.0 3.2 17.5
05-06 ATL 76 76 36.6 7.3-16.1 .452 0.9-2.5 .346 3.2-4.6 .694 1.1 0.2 2.6 4.0 1.7 5.1 6.8 3.1 18.6
06-07 GSW 42 42 32.3 6.5-14.2 .456 1.7-4.2 .417 2.3-3.4 .681 1.0 0.3 1.9 3.6 1.9 4.5 6.4 2.3 17.0
… IND 36 36 33.6 6.2-13.5 .458 1.5-3.3 .458 2.0-2.8 .713 0.7 0.3 2.5 3.2 2.0 4.3 6.3 1.4 15.9
07-08 GSW 81 59 27.0 5.0-11.4 .434 1.9-5.0 .375 1.8-2.3 .774 0.9 0.2 1.1 3.3 1.3 4.1 5.4 1.6 13.6
Difficult to read
I hate Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and Russel Peters because they make fun of white people like me. They also make fun of other kinds of people, which hurts me deep down because my ancestry is so mixed that I don't know what my official "race" is... so I get offended for all races!
by Dubs fan in Boston on Sep 10, 2008 12:01 PM PDT up reply actions
another Indy-GSW trade involving Al?
the following trade idea is getting some attention elsewhere
Harrington + Kosta for Foster + Tinsley
in the proposal the author suggests that Al is “disposable” now that Mullin drafted and signed so many forward (Turiaf, Wright, Randolph)
personally, I think the author has it backwards – on a team with so much youth Harrington is more valuable now than ever but what do I know …
Would you make that deal?
Tinsley's contract
is really completely an albatross, but it’s not as attractive to have him for another 3 years at his price than keep Al for less time and have cap room sooner … Assuming Monta returns healthy, whether another couple months or not, we’d have a log jam at guard for several years and weaken the depth where we just now succeeded building a capable foursome inside
Why?
The Warriors have plenty of guards. Overloading at the PG position and losing Al does not sound good to me. Even adding Daniels does not replace the 3pt shooting of Al, (Daniels shoots around 32% from beind the arc). Al’s game is the complete opposite of Wright, Turiaf and Hendrix. Unless they use other pieces for a trade afterwards…doubt it. And like Hardcore said, Harrington is only attractive to Indiana now because of his expiring contract.
Plus they would lose out on developing Evans and push Randolph back a notch at the 3 spot because you know Nelly would not play Daniels at the 2 often with Beli, Kaz and Monta. I could only see them doing this to get rid of Watson to open up another spot….Morrow? That would be stocking the 1, 2 and 3 spot way too much and leave them with a bunch of big men with no real outside game.
I say lets see what Evans, Belinelli and Randolph can do before we condemn them to 3rd string for the rest of the season.
I guess this means that the Livingston show was a bust if he’s shopping other point guards. Shame.
We are the future of basketball. Dub Love.
Moving Al would radically alter Nelson’s affinity for spreading the floor.
It. Just. Won’t. Happen.
by so ill so d0pe on Sep 6, 2008 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions
wow
Ima retard…. I meant Williams not Evans….that was dumb as helck….no excuse…rip as you will…..MARCUS!!!!! I think I was hearing about Maurice Evans on KNBR today……
We are the future of basketball. Dub Love.
rip as you will…
Haha, I was tryin to figure out who evans was, I thought he was a recent spec signing!
Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me
by Skeptic con Urquell on Sep 6, 2008 9:51 AM PDT reply actions
Al
will not score 18-22 PPG, he’s too soft.
We may not 18-22ppg
As long as he is a better all around player. If he rebounds well, improves his ball handling, passing and % from all areas. I think it would make AL more valuable. AL’s mins are gonna see a drop this year but if he averages somehting like 15ppg 7reb 3 asst and shoots around 42% from 3 and shoots 80%+ from the stripe, in around 25 mins a game. AL is going to be an MVP of sorts for us. I dont think scoring is going to be our problem.
by droppin gsw _knowledge south bay style on Sep 6, 2008 12:37 PM PDT reply actions
Al will never
be the main rebounder people want him to be because Nelly uses him as a 3 pt specialist, so he’s never around the rim. Remember, Al took on this role reluctantly last year. He went into the season stoked out on his conditioning,
2007 preseason report a la NBA.com: Update: Harrington, who dropped 20 pounds this summer, has been a dominant force so far at the Warriors’ training camp, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Harrington concentrated on improving his defense and rebounding over the summer and has been playing power forward and small forward in training camp. “Al’s been the best player here,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said. “He’s been dominant.”
He didn’t make captain, and came off the bench as a 3pt specialist, so he gets ripped on by fans and sportswriters for not going inside because Nelly won’t let him …not what he hoped for, being coach’s fave in camp and all. What happens if he goes against coach’s orders? He gets benched. And now with Turiaf and a developing Wright, he has to fight for his position, (a good thing in theory). This may be one of his last years to do great. We can hope Harrington is given the freedom he needs to do what he does best….although Nelly knows best.
We are the future of basketball. Dub Love.
+1
Al is in a tough position. I hope Nellie knows ohw to keep him happy while possibly not letting him do everything he wants…
I have been saying this is Als year, now that he can play his position, I believe in Al
now lets hope Al believes in Al, We need him

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