Mickael Pietrus : The Warriors' New Starting Small Forward

by Atma Brother ONE on Oct 9, 2006 1:12 PM PDT in News Comment 16 comments

Don Nelson really is the master of entertainment. When he was named head coach a little over a month ago, we knew there would be some major changes. He flat out stated that Mike Dunleavy was not a small forward and wouldn't play there. Nelson also said he was going to move Troy Murphy from power forward to the center spot. He called out the BoomRich backcourt for the poor free throw shooting. And GSoM favorite Adonal Foyle- well, it's a good thing that Democracy Matters everywhere, including the Warriors' bench.

Keith Smart: "You're starting."
Mickael: "Who me?"

We all knew that Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, and Troy Murphy would start because they're the Warriors three best players. We also knew Dunleavy was going to start because of his contract and the point forward experiment. But who was going to be the 5 starter? Most of us bought into the Monta Ellis hype and thought it would be the young, quick as lightening player.

But it looks like Mickael Pietrus has emerged as Nellie's 5th starter. Mickael struggled last year in what was supposed to be a breakout season for him, but to his credit he had to be the worst used player under Coach Montgomery. His playing time never made any sense. Pietrus would blow up one night and then barely play the next game. MP2 never got a fair chance at the starting spot either. Dunleavy stunk it up for 100+ games as a starting small forward, but Pietrus only got a couple of games to try out the role.

Western conference PG's and star swingmen- you've been warned. If Mickael read his pilot manual this offseason and learned how to play hoops, Air France is finally about to take off. Pietrus could be the Bay's version of Ron Artest (defensively)- just replace Ron-Ron's craziness with MP2's goofiness.

Here's some of the pro's and con's of Mickael Pietrus starting at the 3 spot:

Pro's

I get the feeling that Nellie's already had a talk with Pietrus that went something like this:
Nellie: Mickael- do you want to play?
MP2: Wi! Wi! Wi!
Nellie: Then you better be the shutdown defender you're capable of being.
If he can control the fouls, Mickael is going to make Baron and JRich's life that much easier.
BD and MP2 have a connection. We didn't see it much last season because by the time Pietrus got a chance to start Boom Dizzle was pretty much hobbled, but watch out- BD to MP2 is going to be nice. Not as nice as the BoomRich show, but still very effective. Look for some nice cuts to the basket and beautiful dishes. Pietrus just has to make sure he can finish those easy buckets.
EN-ER-GEE!. Many times last season the Warriors started off games so poorly and so devoid of any energy that they found themselves in quick double digit holes. Mickael might make mistakes, but he always brings maximum energy. He could be just what the Warriors need to hit games running every night out in the Arena and on the road.

Don't Knock the Hustle!

Con's

Free throws aren't free with this starting lineup. BD= 67.5%, JRich= 67.3%, Air France= 60.8% (all last season)-- UH-OH.
This makes the Warriors' frontcourt probably the worst rebounding triplet in the league. Troy Murphy is like Windex on the glass. He's guaranteed to collect his 10 plus a night, but Mike Dunleavy and Pietrus have been poor rebounders thus far in their respective NBA careers. Last season Dunleavy played predominantly at the 3 spot where he had a height advantage, but still only managed to grab 4.9 rebounds in almost 32 minutes of play (also see Mike Dunleavy at the 4?). Pietrus' poor rebounding numbers are a head-scratcher. He's obviously strong, athletic, and gifted with some serious hops, but he was only good for 3.1 boards a game. Part of the problem was him hanging out on the perimeter on the offensive end (his fault and maybe Monty's game plan) and the other part was him guarding perimeter players (not his fault). Pietrus and Dunleavy have to step up their rebounding if they are going to remain Nellie's starting forward tandem this season.
What's a blocked shot? This isn't necessary Pietrus' fault, but the Warriors starting front court is going to be simply pathetic in this area. 0.2 (MP2) + 0.4 (Dun) + 0.4 (TMurph) = 1.0 blocks per game. Pietrus will likely get more minutes, so that calculation isn't perfect, but it foreshadows some of the upcoming depressing shot swatting that will be on display by the Warriors starting frontcourt this year.

What are your Pro's and Con's for Mickael Pietrus at the 3 spot? Do you think it will work?

Props to loyal GSoM community member GSDubz for putting this up faster than you can say "Warriors in the lottery" in * * * OFFICIAL WARRIORS STARTING LINEUP RELEASED * * *. NOTHING gets past the GSoM community- except for Warriors playoff tickets that is.

Also check out some of the local media coverage (haha, I don't think the national media really care about this one) on MP2's promotion:

Nelson settles on a new look: 'Terrific' Pietrus to start at small forward by Janny Hu for SFGate.com
Pietrus named Warriors' starting small forward by Geoff Lepper for InsideBayArea.com

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Comments

Nothing to brag about in the blocks dept.

Like a Gerald Wallace, but MP can keep his man in front of him when he's motivated and not have people flying by to the hoop.

Starter though?!

Who's going to be his backup if Dun is at the 4? I don't think he's capable of Joe Johnson on the Suns-like-minutes per game.

How is Pietrus going to stay motivated to play defense if this lineup is always going to be undersized(meant strictly for running and gunning on the offensive end) and things will go wrong in the frontcourt with other teams big men?

And wi wi sounds like the new Nintendo console GSOM, not the oui oui French version of yes!

5 PF's =/= 1 Antawn Jamison

by back2back51s on Oct 9, 2006 1:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wi?

And wi wi sounds like the new Nintendo console GSOM, not the oui oui French version of yes!

Yeah I did a quick English-French dictionary check before I posted that and it said both were fine, but I'm not fluent in French or anything. Can you only say "oui"?

Check that out- not only can you read about hoops at GSoM you can pick up new languages! GSoM is educational like Mr. Rogers. Haha

by Atma Brother ONE on Oct 9, 2006 3:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Wii

Owns.

RUN FOYLE, RUN!!!!

by Zorgon on Oct 9, 2006 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What we'll likely see. . . .

The key here is defense. The W's -- even as bad a shooting team as they are historically -- will score a lot more points because they'll play an uptempo game that'll just be a lot more fun for everyone, and they'll get their share of easy and fast break baskets. So, you're right to focus on defense. And you're also right to notice the forecourt guys are not good rebounders historically (Murph excepted) or shot blockers; nor will they be, given the height (and, more important, weight) advantage every other team will have. So what to do?
The answers are pretty simple, but the execution will be key. First, the players have to commit to defense and learn their positions on the court and their roles with their various teammates. (That's probably why the offensive minded Nelson has been focusing almost exclusively on defense, after the first day's lesson on learning and calling the lanes.) If they do, Nellie will almost certainly start teaching various zone and zone/man combos. (In my mind, I'd like to see them work off a box zone, with MP (or Ellis) "floating" and focusing on the other team's hot shooter -- which, in almost all cases, is likely to be a three, anyway.) Admittedly, the keys will be if Murph and Dun are strong and willing enough to bang (and get banged) down low with opponents' bigs, and there will certainly be a lot of posterizing (tho even Adonal was already a frequent "poster boy" last year).
I also expect Nellie to do a lot of substitution and -- more important -- to develop a substitution pattern that the players can understand. (Monty never had a clue about substitution patterns.) Ideally, no W will play more than 32-34 minutes, but the starting five should average this and (my guess) Ellis, Wagner, Ike and AB should get about 20 minutes each, give or take. (Even with injuries, I don't see this team as any deeper than these nine.)
So, with regular substitution and in-shape, slimmer (Hooray for BD!) players, these guys should always be in better shape than any opponent save, maybe, Phoenix and Dallas. And if they're fresher, the other side will wear down, comparatively, in the fourth quarter.
Which brings up my final point. In the NBA, good games always come down to the last five minutes. (With two good teams, I often only watch the last five minutes -- because all they keys are there.) The W's have been terrible at the end of games -- for two primary reasons (besides poor coaching, that meant no one knew his role at crunch time): first, as a young team, they can experience a momentum shift quickly (I was at that horrid Rockets game, that started the swift decline, in mid-December last year, and you could just sense it all going down the drain, even though the team had played superior ball to that point). They're still young, but Nellie'll having them play better in the last five minutes (or he'll be on a redeye to Hawaii and margaritaville -- of his own volition). Second, though they're boring, free throws are the absolute key to winning close games -- and our best players have been horrible free throw shooters. They'll have to put in the time -- no one, not even BD, has the poor form that is uncoachable on free throws (see Shaq); all -- even Dun -- can be much better. Shoot or sit, Nellie says, and I think he'll stick to his guns on this, even if it means BD sits at crunch time. Remember, as Timmie Hardaway used to say: "That's why they call them FREE throws." These are easy, gift points to be had -- and if the Dubs drop their FT's, it'll be a big improvement.
Now, all the foregoing if loaded with "ifs" and "buts" (and if "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas) -- but where else do you start with these guys, other than by getting in shape and playing off their strengths. Long odds to be sure, and we're in the dreaded West, but if Nellie can whip the talent together we've got a shot to have some fun this year. No sense in spoiling that for the present -- let's just go with the flow, and see what happens.

by johnl on Oct 9, 2006 2:16 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

BTW

I meant to add that tho MP can be very good here, he's not comparable to Artest, at least in their games. MP is all arms and legs; Artest is body up and terrific concentration. Two different approaches. Yet MP has shown -- several years ago, at least -- he can defend and blanket his guy, when he focuses on that. Hope he does here. Looks like Nellie's got him on track.

by johnl on Oct 9, 2006 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice analysis

Great points all around. Except for Biedrins everyone on the Warriors has free throw form that's curable.

Good analysis on MP2 vs Artest. My comparison was more about the shutdown defender title, rather than technique. Approach-wise MP2 should be modeling Stacey Augmon in his prime.

I want to see Pietrus get his steals up. With those long arms and athleticism he should be able to create some turnover's that lead to fast breaks and easy buckets.

by Atma Brother ONE on Oct 9, 2006 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Artest pain threshold

As a Bull on a horrible team, Artest jammed his finger but didn't complain or talk time off another lost season. He played for over a month before they had a specalist look at his now crooked finger. The Dr. said the injury at the joint was very serious, and it was a very painful injury. Artest just played through the pain and never complained.

He. Is. Nuts.

MP2 is not Artest and thank goodness.

by joe sez on Oct 9, 2006 7:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hm

Interesting. But Foyle needs to play! And we're going to give up on Taft after an injury? We're not going to try out any POB? Even Caparkapa should get minutes, if you look at their stats, only advantages Biedrins has are 4 more minutes and 2 more rebounds, and Caparkapa can certainly hit his freethrows. I wouldn't be surprised for Nelson to give more minutes to Caparkapa.

I really think this team should stay a over 10 players team. Our depth is excellent.

RUN FOYLE, RUN!!!!

by Zorgon on Oct 9, 2006 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Taft

Taft is out indefinitely with some strange inflamatory disorder robbing him of his strength. It's apparently not related to his back problem, but for the foreseable time, he's not in the picture. It's too bad. He had good hands, he was strong and he seemed to be the only big with an ability to hold his ground on defense last year.

by jae on Oct 10, 2006 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

I was looking for an update on Chris Taft to put up. Did you by any chance come across a link or some Warriors report that said that?

by Atma Brother ONE on Oct 10, 2006 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Taft's status

Initial update says he's out indefinitely with an inflamatory problem unrelated to the back problem:

"http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/10/01/SPG81LGAK21.DTL"

Later update denies he's necessarily shelfed for the season, but does indicate that he's "out for a long time":

"http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/sports/15721518.htm"

by jae on Oct 10, 2006 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

go pietrus

i believe it is "oui" not wi

by djchuckdeez on Oct 9, 2006 2:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Nope

Cause we need some Foyle! Haha, I wish.

But I'm glad we have a Ron Artest/Byron Russell Type player on our team. He will shut down the superstars and bring the right dose of defense to an offensive team.

RUN FOYLE, RUN!!!!

by Zorgon on Oct 9, 2006 2:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I dont think....

that Pietrus will play the 3; Jrich is probably going to play the 3 since he is stronger/bigger than Pietrus. Jrich will be guarding 3s anyways while Pietrus shuts down the opposing PG/SG. Good decision by Nellie though, Jrich is strong enough to guard 3s but he is faster than about half of them in the league.

Soooooo...
Starting lineup:
PG - Baron Davis
SG - Pietrus
SF - Jrich
PF - Dunleavy(the PF stands for "point foward", not to be confused with "power foward")
C - Troy Murphy

by ZombieWarrior on Oct 9, 2006 2:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

1-5

I don't think it matters what position you list the guys at, except when filling out the official lineup card. It will change game to game based on matchups anyways, as will the starting lineup. Nelson is never set in a "Starting 5." When we play the Heat, for example, I'm pretty sure Foyle will be the starting center.

In my mind the 2 and 3 are the most interchangeable parts on the court. MP will lineup wherever the opposing scorer is. Kobe plays he 2, MP will gaurd him. LeBron plays the 3, MP will gaurd him also.

by bigrobbieb on Oct 9, 2006 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Extension?

My guess is the first ten or twenty games are going to determine MPs fate with the franchise. There is no excuse for failure this time as Nelson is going to put him in a position to play to his strengths. If he is unable to succeed as the "shut-down" (please translate shut-down loosely, this is the Warriors we're talking about) defender on the perimeter and slahing wingman on the offensive end MP has no future in this league. I think it is telling that he went from huge question mark to starter in a couple weeks and have to admit I still have high hopes for him. Say what you want about Nellie, but he generally is nails when it somes to player evaluation.

by bigrobbieb on Oct 9, 2006 3:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs