Warriors Game Day Links #5: Golden State Warriors 91 @ Phoenix Suns 102 - Lee out sick. New year, renewed energy and effort, same old almost-but-not-quite

Mediocre.

I liked Jenkins quite a bit, much better then Klay who although made 2 3’s right after jacked up an ugly shot thinking he was Reggie Miller . Monta played well

McGuire was solid, he probably gave us the best he could and it was solid. We needed Lee’s scoring though. We really need a 3rd and 4th option, Lee might be that 3rd guy but without DW we have no 4th and even then he’s not the greatest 4th option in the world.

Udoh is showing good signs, he is who he is. Kwame can defend well but is a 0 in help defense, I like his overall activity though. Rush also is coming down to earth, it was expected.

And lastly Curry needs to be smarter, stop fouling please. We need his scoring, if he can’t stay on the floor what good is he? He needs to stay aggressive and assertive on offense to maximize his skills but that just hasn’t happened

Nash lit him up and he had careless turnovers as well as the silly fouls. He even forced some shots. He should be trying to be a PG…

but not sure I understand starting our SF stopper at PF when there is no dangerous SF on the court. His numbers say he didn’t get in the way off the offense and picked up a lot of boards, but I feel like when I watch the game, I’m going to see why Morris had 16 points.

Not a bad outing, our boys were definitely in this game the whole time.
Bunch of bad calls, I know I’m biased but they all seemed to go the Suns way.
In the end I thought those last couple plays by Nash sealed it (burned Curry on a drive once and then just seemed to realize he had it whenever he wanted).
Big difference between Jackson and Smart is that his rotations make a whole lot more sense to me…except I still don’t understand why Udoh doesn’t get more minutes

That’s about it. Especially when one of their top three is missing. The paucity of talent really shows. Bullet point musings:

-Klay Thompson doesn’t look like an NBA-caliber player right now. I was worried about this when he was drafted, and he’s done nothing to change my mind. It’s fine that his shot isn’t falling and that he’s struggling on defense, but his body language and the types of mistakes he’s making (speed he plays at, positioning on offense/defense, how he moves on the court) aren’t things that NBA players do.

-Steph Curry is hurt. Sit him. Please.

-Monta is playing smarter. I’ve seen fewer one dribble pull-ups early in the clock so far, and he’s making more passes out of drives than I remember. When things go poorly, however, he goes right back to old habits (there were quite a few pull up jumpers and shots over three people in the key late in the game after the Suns went on their run).

-Charles Jenkins needs to take all of Ish Smith’s minutes. Enough said.

Stephen Curry: He really needs to stop fouling. It’s terribly frustrating. People are commenting that he’s hurt, but he can obviously play through it. He completed a bunch of solid passes (although he still threw a couple impossible ones, as usual) and his stroke was as smooth as ever. He just picks up way too many touch fouls in positions that have no effect on the game other than causing him to lose aggressiveness on the defensive end. His 5th foul, in particular, when he tried to slap the ball out of the hands of a guy surrounded by 3 or 4 Warriors, was just inexcusable. Mark Jackson should talk to him about this.

Monta Ellis: This kid has really impressed me all year long, both in preseason and in the short season thus far. His decision making is greatly improved and it’s very refreshing to see him be able to create for others while simultaneously creating for himself. It used to be only either one or the other on completely opposite sides of the spectrum. He’s starting to find a good mix. If he can keep improving on this track and Curry stays healthy and plays intelligently (3 big if’s), this tandem can work.

Dorell Wright: Terrible. Horrible. Disgusting. He’s been our worst player all year long. It’s just unbelievable. He’s forgotten how to play the game of basketball. I really don’t know what to say. Just a supreme disappointment.

Dominic McGuire: I was originally baffled by the decision to start him over Udoh, but now I’m impressed. The guy is solid offensively and defensively, attacks the boards ferociously, and hustles. I’m starting to see a trend in the Warrior’s personnel. No flashy players yet, but many very solid role players who can step up and be a major part of securing a win on any given night. McGuire is one of those guys.

Andris Biedrins: Dare I say he deserves more minutes? He’s obviously not perfect, but his presence is immensely felt defensively and he’s starting to put in some of those shots around the basket. He’s on track to returning to his old self.

Brandon Rush: My favorite pickup of the offseason. He’s been a terrific shooter from range, has shown the ability to either follow his own miss or dribble into the lane and finish with a short midrange jumper, hustles nonstop on defense (his chase down blocks, diving for loose balls, and playing solid man defense) and he goes back for the rebound almost every time. And we got him for just Lou Amundson, who isn’t at all special to begin with and would not have played with our frontline rotation. Great trade by the Warriors.

Ekpe Udoh: I want to see him play more. He needs A LOT of work on his footwork, but I feel with some more minutes he can return to be that imposing weak side defensive presence he was last year (blocking shots and such). However, I like his bigger commitment to rebounding and seeing his mini hooks coming along.

Kwame Brown: I continue waiting for the game Kwame disappoints, and it’s not coming. He’s been as good a backup center as we could have ever asked for. His hands aren’t as horrible as they once were. He can’t finish the and-1 if a fly touches him, but at he’s aggressive going to the rim and he’ll follow his own misses. He’s learned his offensive limitations and defensively he’s a huge body who rebounds and helps defend the paint.

Klay Thompson: Aside from Wright, the most disappointing Warrior thus far. He looks lost, unprepared for the speed of the NBA game. I see potential, though. His defense has been solid, and he’s shown he can shoot (when confident). I’d like to see him control the ball with the second unit, to try to create for himself and others off the dribble. We should try getting him more shots.

Charles Jenkins: Why exactly has he almost never played this year? He looks to have a solid midrange shot, a very powerful, disruptive build, and appears to be a pretty good ballhandler. Between him and Ish Smith, we have a very nice complement of backup point guards depending on the game situation.

Ish Smith: Nothing out of him today, but overall I like this signing. He’s incredibly quick, is a good finisher around the rim, and seems like a pesky defender running around everywhere. He needs to get himself under control at times, but as a second or third string PG behind Curry, he’s a very solid player.