Nellie now sees Curry as the best PG on the team
by Lifelong on Jun 28, 2009 2:15 PM PDT
53 comments
http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2009/06/26/curry-pg-of-the-future/
I didn't see this posted yet though I'm sure many people have read MT-2's blog. If you read the quotes from Nellie it seems pretty clear that he now sees Curry as the PG of the future.
Here's what Nellie said about Curry playing point:
Nellie: “He’s a heck of a player. We drafted him because we think he’s going to be a great point guard. Maybe not his first year. It takes a while for point guards to mature and feel comfortable. I always saw Steve Nash in him, and he is the greatest player I’ve ever coached,” Nelson said. “I’ve been looking for another one for a long time and this is as close as I’ve ever seen in a young player. He has that same ability that Steve had. Shooting, passing, knowledge, just the natural things he’s done that he’s worked on his whole life.”
That is some gushing praise. Granted, this could all be mind games and/or general BSing on Nellie's part. If I remember correctly, Nellie had an interview Ralph and Tom a few years ago where he heaped praise on Wright and Belinelli and we all know how that turned out.
Also, it could very well be Nellie trying to strengthen his position in a potential trade with Phoenix by demonstrating just how valuable Curry is to the W's.
If it is true, however, it seems like Nellie has made yet another total 180 on the question of Monta playing point:
After all that coddling and plotting based on Monta Ellis being the point guard, Nellie said Monta will (eventually) move to shooting guard and Jackson to small forward.
Remember, Monta has been deemed the point guard since late last season. They were so dialed into this Monta-at-point experiment that they traded away Jamal Crawford and flew to see Monta and “get on the same page” with him. Now, they may be back to the Baron days.Nellie: “Yes, Jack is going back to 3. I emailed him that today, that ‘I moved you to 2 and you’re back to 3.’ We like Morrow very much, too, as a player in the backcourt. Jack said, ‘Wherever you want me, that’s where I’ll be.’”
Nellie makes it pretty clear that he believes Curry is already a better PG than Monta:
Check out his response when asked if Monta and Curry can co-exist.
Nellie: “That’ll be fine. Monta still has to work on his point guard skills as well and his passing skills. That was part of his program to get better at. This guy already has that. Monta has some work to do in that area but they’ll be fine together.”
Saying that an untested, albeit impressive, rookie already has greater PG skills than Monta does kind of seem like the typical Nellie style of motivation. It's also his style to simply call them like he sees them (and some might say be a cantankerous old prick). Though, if Monta is even half as angry as has been reported about his perceived insecurity at the PG spot , I cannot see him being very happy with the W's right now.
This wouldn't seem on the surface to be the best way to "motivate" Monta and Nellie had to know everything he said would be known by Monta and would not be received well. It sort of puts the thought in my conspiracy theory loving mind that Nellie maybe orchestrating a trade involving Monta. If he was, he would certainly be decreasing Monta's perceived value around the league by somewhat criticizing his potential at PG, then again that doesn't seem to have concerned Nellie before (see Harrington and Crawford). The other thing he could be doing is trying to inflate fans' perception of Curry and prop him up as potentially a worthy replacement to Monta if Monta were to be traded.
Like I said above, this could all be BS on Nellie's part and might not be worth paying attention to. Then again, it could have hidden implications for Nellie's plans. Either way, it'll be an interesting summer.
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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I'm predicting that Curry will be in the rookie/sophmore game
It is the shoes!!!
by LighTz707OuT on Jun 28, 2009 2:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Obviously...seriously out of the top 14 players that were selected in the lottery,,,I'm guessing half of them are going to turn out as scrubs
Not including Curry.
Its time for a change...
by RunNdGun on Jun 28, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Randolph vs. Currry in that game would be nice.
by Hoopachoo on Jun 28, 2009 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
RANDOLPH OVER CURRY!haha
Its time for a change...
by RunNdGun on Jun 28, 2009 7:36 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Like I said above, this could all be BS on Nellie's part and might not be worth paying attention to. Then again, it could have hidden implications for Nellie's plans.
or it could just mean that Nellie should have retired 2 years ago and is well on his way to senility now?
Now wheres the rubbers? Whose got the rubbers?
I noticed there's so many of them
and there's really not that many of us.
by Skeptic con Urquell on Jun 28, 2009 2:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Couldn't agree more
It’s pretty clear he doesn’t give a shit
by Lifelong on Jun 28, 2009 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nelson
This is over analysis, Nelson is looking at the future right now, he’s very happy with Curry:
he still wants a big and would love to get Amare, but not if it means giving up Curry:
I been following the Warriors since 74, and this is one of the best drat picks I have seen: I don’t recall feeling this way other than wehen we got CWebb.
Don has gotten lucky a few timesw over the years and this is one of those years, look for greatenss out of Curry:
by ForestGrump on Jun 28, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
he wasn’t talking like this about Wright or Belinelli. Similar to Steve Nash, who he says is the greatest player he’s ever coached?! Curry’s gotta have something special. Hopefully it all works out.
by Captain Jack on Jun 28, 2009 8:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m just going to point out here that Nelson hasn’t actually coached Curry yet…
by Missing Barry on Jun 29, 2009 7:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He "saw" something in Steve Nash also
Not saying Curry is going to be a star at all, just saying I hope history repeats itself. Hopefully Mr. PO, as Dicky V would say, doesn’t screw us over
by Captain Jack on Jun 29, 2009 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
you weren’t this excited about Joe Smith, Chris Mullin or Robert Parish?
Thing A
by sam23 on Jun 29, 2009 4:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And of course Nelly thinks Curry is a better guard than Monta Ellis
Ellis has always played alongside great point guards and is now all of the sudden forced to play PG and produce,I believe Monta has what it takes to be a decent PG in this league though.DON’T lose faith in him just yet.
Its time for a change...
by RunNdGun on Jun 28, 2009 3:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
“Ellis has always played alongside great point guards….” “Ellis has played alongside one good point guard” He’s had BD, that’s it, last season he had Jamal, but Monta really played PG in those games.
by myk on Jun 29, 2009 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Curry
If Curry is half as good and Don is saying Monta will be an all star this year:
I expect Monta to move back to the 2 guard and be the recipient of many of those grat passing skills that Curry possesses.
Don’t think for one second Don won’t get Curry into the starting line up right away, if a player seems NBA savvy with exceptional skills he will be playing a lot of min. Del will be right there to:
Hardway, Richmond, Webber, Spree, to name a few:
by ForestGrump on Jun 28, 2009 3:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Hardaway, Richmond, Webber, Spree...
…and DeMarcus Nelson.
by Hoopachoo on Jun 28, 2009 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
DeMaecus:
What a waste of a 1st round draft pick,
That was a different story, you need to know Don’s history, he wants Curry to win rookie of the year because it makes him look like a genius.
This kid is already a starter in Don’s mind, he’s enamored with him, I would go into shock if Curry is traded:
by ForestGrump on Jun 28, 2009 4:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
DeMarcus was not a first round draft pick, he was an undrafted free agent.
Thing C
by markdash on Jun 28, 2009 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not sure what to think of Nelson's comments but
Curry does seem like the better passer between him and Ellis. Hopefully they can both play together
by bushido on Jun 28, 2009 5:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Rec!
Awesome diary, lifelong. Really, everything I wish all the diaries here were: reality-based (in this case, based on a juicy tidbit of actual news), thoughtful, engaging, witty, and open to discussion rather than noisy, strident, and shrill. And written in clear, readable prose rather than irritating sentence fragments and power-point-ish lists. And as a bonus, properly spelled, punctuated, and capitalized.
D-oh!! Now that I look at it, it seems every sentence in this post (with the exception of this one) is a sentence fragment. Sorry Mr. Sullivan!
Anyway, a big REC 4 U.
Thing 1
by Sleepy Freud on Jun 28, 2009 5:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
IF.............
Mullin ends up at New York…. and IF Monta is as upset about certain comments as is being quoted…. Might we see a trade of Monta to New York?
Leaving a Curry, Morrow backcourt with CJ,Law, Marco in rotation?
Could free up some nice cash with the combination of a couple of players to grab a damn good PF?
Be interesting to know how much this organisation thinks of Monta and his behaviour/attitude?
It's about heart, It's about fight, It's about being a Warrior!
by BritWarriorGSW on Jun 28, 2009 5:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
didn’t you hear? word from the NYKs fans & media is that guys like Wilson Chandler & Nate Robinson & Jordan Hill are going to somehow net them Ricky Rubio.
obviously these NYKs players are worth far more than just Monta Ellis (in reality they wouldn’t want his contract anyway b/c it’d mess with the summer of Lebron).
by homer simpson on Jun 28, 2009 7:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Acie Law..
Is anyone else excited to have him on the WArriors? He is probably more of a nature pg than anyone else we have
by bushido on Jun 28, 2009 8:46 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
nope
it's just a game.
www.bayareascores.com
by Slicker on Jun 28, 2009 8:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i like acie law
nellie wanted to draft him a couple of years ago, i think he didn’t really get a shot in atlanta. he has good floor vision and can really fit in t backup pg. he is more of a distributor, pass first pg
i like watson too, so i wish both of those guys play great next year. cj held his own against d.williams in utah, and that was impressive. utah is def paying physical. i’d like to see more of that.
so overall, it looks like we have a couple of great backup pgs and we set in that department for next year.
by farid on Jun 28, 2009 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow...
John Stockton really let himself go…
Thing 2
by olympicmike on Jun 29, 2009 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Awesome
Imagine a lineup of:
PG- Curry
SG- Monta
SF- Jax
PF- Randolph
C- Biedrins
by ARandolph on Jun 28, 2009 9:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
If hes as good as advertised then get rid of Monta for a quality big or 3 and we will have something.
There's a party in my mind.
And I wish that I was there.
by qin on Jun 28, 2009 10:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
“If hes as good as advertised”
And how good is that? 7th overall pick in a class that’s supposedly weak at the top?
by Missing Barry on Jun 29, 2009 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
How about what Nelson and some other coaches are saying about him, heck I’ve even herd that he will be ROY. So there are some high expectations for this kid.
And yes that’s way overstepping (the ROY thing) but still a lot of people are high on Curry
There's a party in my mind.
And I wish that I was there.
by qin on Jun 29, 2009 11:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Most things you hear about a team’s draft pick in the days before said draft pick actually plays a game tend to be along those lines…
All I’m saying is we should temper our expectations back towards reality a bit. I wouldn’t say I’m down on Curry or anything, just pointing out that for all this positive talk we’ve been hearing, every other NBA team got to see the same things Nelson did and 6 teams (5 teams, 6 picks, really) passed on him in this draft.
I would say Griffin is a huge front runner for ROY (assuming the Clippers make some moves to get him his minutes), but after that, I think you could make a reasonable case for Curry as one of the next tier of frontrunners. Again, we need to temper our expectations though, because even if he wins ROY it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be a star. Lately the ROY’s have turned out to be a pretty elite crop, but going back to the 90’s and beginning of the 00’s, the following players have been ROY:
Mike Miller, Steve Francis, Damon Stoudemire, Derrick Coleman. If you look through the whole list you definitely find a lot more stars than guys who fizzled, but the point is it’s not exactly unheard of for a guy to make a splash and then turn out to be a useful player, but nothing special.
by Missing Barry on Jun 29, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seems like another case of Nellie callin' it like he sees it
But that doesn’t mean he’ll see it the same once the season starts, or once training camp starts, or once next week starts. Nellie also thought that Dunleavy would be the perfect power/point forward for him, and said so early in the summer. He gets excited about things, gets ahead of himself a little bit, and doesn’t give a crap about getting in trouble for spouting off. It’s not like it’s gonna cost him his job or anything.
I do wonder how Monta will react to this. Will Nellie and Riley have to fly out to Mississippi or wherever again?
by ffgolden on Jun 28, 2009 10:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I do wonder how Monta will react to this. Will Nellie and Riley have to fly out to Mississippi or wherever again?
i think it’ll be okay. it doesn’t seem like Monta wants to be the PG so much as he wants to be ‘the man’. probably why Nellie said something about Curry being a good “sidekick” to Monta. feed that ego, you know? would make sense with all of Monta’s “i’m just a guard” posturing in the media.
by homer simpson on Jun 28, 2009 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good point. I guess I also wonder about how well Monta and Curry will mesh personality-wise. Monta wants to be The Man, but I’ve no doubt that Curry does as well. And even though Curry’s a rookie, he’s already got the pedigree, the education, the media adoration, and now the coach singing his praise while at the same time lowering expectations for Monta as a lead guard. When I read something like, “This guy already has that. Monta has some work to do in that area but they’ll be fine together”, it makes me wonder which player Nellie thinks of as the sidekick.
by ffgolden on Jun 28, 2009 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i know….. though, not trying to insult M.E., Curry does come off a lot more intelligent and less egotistical in their respective dealings with the media.
it makes me wonder which player Nellie thinks of as the sidekick.
know what you mean. at the very least, it smells like “Monta insurance” – but it does sound like Nellie is hopeful it’s more.
by homer simpson on Jun 28, 2009 11:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i really dont understand monta trade calls
monta is a slightly undersized, unique, athletically gifted SG, who is about to start hitting prime. he already shot 53% FG during a season before this, while averaging 20PPG. the only person who came close to those type of stats from the guard position was dwayne wade who averaged 30ppg on 49%FG. last year ellis’ numbers dropped off a bit, but we all know what went down, no reason to rehash that.
there are no other go-to SGs that can score that well in this league, at least statistically. again this happened, while we had baron at the point, and i can see a need for a PG with floor vision to play next to ellis.
curry on the other hand, is a rookie that has not touched the floor. he looks very weak physically, plays below the rim and every PG in NBA will be able to isolate / post him up with a high degree of success, maybe that is where nash comparison comes from.
even aside from his defensive issues, he does not look like a GREAT ball handler yet, he most likely will have difficulty penetrating average NBA defense at least at first, and most of passes that i have seen him make were in transition game, so his half court passing game is still a question mark.
so as much as i like curry, trading monta away at this point, mid-season or even at the end of this season will be a BIG mistake.
what really needs to happen is monta needs to start playing defense and start guarding SGs. defense can be taught and can be worked on. at least he can be an average one-on-one defender and he has all the tools to be a great one.
by farid on Jun 28, 2009 10:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
you’re looking at the wrong statistical metric. you have to look at TS%. remember a 40% 3 point shooter is like a 60% 2 point shooter. (4 for 10 from 3 = 12 pts while 6 for 10 from 2 also = 12 points). M.E. had a nice 58% TS% 2 seasons ago, but a supposedly over the hill guy like Ray Allen has posted a 58.4% & 62.4% the last 2 seasons.
among the better combo guards, Ben Gordon has been more consistent and has had a couple seasons over 57% and Jason Terry has spent the last five seasons in that 57-60% range. it remains to be seen whether that was an outlier for M.E. or a prelude of things to come. even guys like Eddie House have had 1 season where their TS% flew up over 59%.
he looks very weak physically
oddly, Steph benched 185 lbs 10x at the combine, more than Randolph 7x, BW 2x, & M.E. 0×. So like Randolph, he may be more naturally strong. (though in M.E.‘s defense he was a high school kid). Comparing with this year’s class, Steph benched as much as Jonny Flynn did and more than fairly buff looking guys like Terrence Williams, Gerald Henderson, Tyreke Evans, Derozan & Earl Clark.
No one is arguing to trade M.E. at this point or even by seasons end, they’re saying IF Curry turns out to be what D’Antoni & Nellie think he’ll be, then trading M.E. becomes an option. the earliest is probably 2 seasons from now (when they’ll also have a much clearer picture on Randolph as well as having Jack & Maggette’s contracts becoming more tradeable).
what really needs to happen is monta needs to start playing defense and start guarding SGs. defense can be taught and can be worked on. at least he can be an average one-on-one defender and he has all the tools to be a great one.
M.E.‘s always going to have difficulty guarding 2 guards b/c of the weight & length – Eric Gordon has the same height problems, but weighs 222 lbs & has a 6’9" wingspan vs M.E.‘s 177 lbs and 6’2" wingspan. Gordon also got 15 reps on his bench. he’s quick, but he has pretty stiff hips – once you get him going one way, he kind of goes so fast that he overruns guys when they change directions. But most guys get better at defense the longer they are in the league. though in regards to your last sentence, M.E. actually doesn’t have any of the tools to be a great defender.
feel like i’ve criticized M.E. too much so i’ll end by saying he still is our biggest offensive weapon.
by homer simpson on Jun 29, 2009 12:25 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
“Steph benched 185 lbs 10x at the combine”
Alligator arms! (In all seriousness, wingspan = height is fairly normal for most people but not so normal for NBA players).
Ray Allen, Ben Gordon, Jason Terry and even Eddie House are all pretty good offensive players, so that’s good company for Monta to be in. So your post isn’t all that negative about Monta! And yes, despite Eddie’s shortcomings he’s always had offensive skills, with a bit of decision making he can definitely shoot a high TS%.
“No one is arguing to trade M.E. at this point or even by seasons end”
I think you should go up a few posts and you can find this to read, from Naticus:
“Curry and Monta together is not a winning combination. It will be a great show, but I want more substance. We need a great 2 that can defend. I’m not excited about Monta/Curry backcourt; I’m quite disappointed at the prospect. We need to make a move.”
There are definitely fans out there already looking to make a trade…
by Missing Barry on Jun 29, 2009 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
curry on the other hand, is a rookie that has not touched the floor. he looks very weak physically, plays below the rim and every PG in NBA will be able to isolate / post him up with a high degree of success, maybe that is where nash comparison comes from
Good point, Curry right now is Marco without the NBA experience.
Now wheres the rubbers? Whose got the rubbers?
I noticed there's so many of them
and there's really not that many of us.
by Skeptic con Urquell on Jun 29, 2009 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
By the way, I meant to respond to this earlier, but do fans not notice the trend towards small PG’s? There aren’t a whole lot of 1’s out there you have to worry about being posted up by.
by Missing Barry on Jun 29, 2009 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
agreed
i’ve read multiple propositions involving monta trade by now, just wanted to chime in and say that they sound insane.
TS% is a better stat to go by, however i brought up FG% because it really shows, that he is really a diamond in a rough kind of a player at this point. he does not shoot 3pt great at this point and still able to be up there, just based on his athletic ability to finish at the rim, fast-break and mid-range game.
in terms of defense, yeah he is undersized for this position, he needs to get down in defensive stance, put his weight lower than other player and get in his grill.
i’ve never heard term “stiff hips”, i see what you are saying though and i disagree with this statement. i think he has great lateral speed, and that is the best defensive asset for an undersized SG. he should be able in theory hang with anyone. also his vertical is nothing to sneeze at, so most SGs will be bothered if he contests their shot properly.
i disagree about weight as well, it could be a bit unconventional, but i think most SGs try to get by people rather than post up. obvious counter is kobe, but i cant see any other than him (well maybe carter).
speed and lateral quickness, height and jumping ability are a lot more important in defending SGs. weight – not so much.
out of those 4 monta has 3 – speed, lateral quickness and jumping ability( we know he is undersized ). so i hope he works on defense A LOT , because that will help this team the most at this point.
by farid on Jun 29, 2009 1:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Weight is still important against guys that don’t post up. If you’re guarding a guy going to the hoop, the lighter you are the easier he can just push his way to the rim.
Stiff hips is often used in football, mostly to describe cornerbacks ability to change direction. Stiff = bad Loose = good.
Length is also at least as important as height (and probably moreso). Monta is not very long. Alligator arms!
by Missing Barry on Jun 29, 2009 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
monta/curry backcourt
look everyone should all get off monta’s back and see how this plays out. We don’t need to trade him I mean I know Steph could be great but we haven’t even seen him on the court yet. I think this is a better position for monta because he can concentrate on the things he is good at. Its not a bad thing that hes not a pg its just not his game. Now he could develop into iverson 2.0 with curry running the show. Everybody talks about this backcourt having disaster written all over it due to their lack of size, but if both of them but especially monta i don’t know WORK on defense, they should be fine. Anyway there arent many overpowering 2 guards in the league anyway. Its not about size with defense, its speed and we all know ellis has that. Also, warriors need to pull the trigger on that amare deal. Biedrins is good but thats all hes gonna be. There is no offensive post game coming from him. Wright and bellinelli dont have a role on this team. It hurts to lose azubuike but gotta give something to get something. Curry, Ellis, Randoplh, and Amare is a pretty mean foursome if you ask me. They would all know their roles which is good and why monta should never have been moved to the point in the first place. and with morrow off the bench thats a pretty serious squad. Let me know what you think
by waitillnextyear14 on Jun 29, 2009 3:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Quit with the Amare talk already
he is not coming. He’s not going to sign an a long term deal and we are not going to get him with out Curry in the deal. Plus they are talking to the Hawks about Josh Smith now
by GSW9 on Jun 29, 2009 9:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Why the negative attitude? If we offered Amare the money he’s looking for, why wouldn’t he sign a long term deal? Why can’t we get him without Curry, do you really think there’s no chance Biedrins + Wright + Belineli is the top offer out there for him? Josh Smith is not that great of a player.
by Missing Barry on Jun 29, 2009 10:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why the negative attitude?
You must be new here. ;-)
Thing 1
by Sleepy Freud on Jun 29, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why the negative attitude?
Yeah, we deserve some good luck for a change.
Now wheres the rubbers? Whose got the rubbers?
I noticed there's so many of them
and there's really not that many of us.
by Skeptic con Urquell on Jun 29, 2009 12:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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