After every FANtastic Warrior victory and after every tough loss, Damon Bruce drops science on his nightly show Sportsphone 680 on KNBR 680 about the Dubs. If you've never peeped his show after Warriors' games while driving back from The Oracle or while you're furiously reading and posting on the Golden State of Mind game preview/ open threads at home, then well... you're not a real Warrior fan.
Don't sleep on Sportsphone 680 M-F @ 7pm or after the game!
Here's a little bit about DBruce from the KNBR 680 website:
A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in broadcasting, Bruce spent one year at KNBR as a producer of KNBR talk shows and sporting events.
However, with a goal of being on the other side of the microphone, he left to gain experience, first as a host on Sports Overnight America, then with ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, as a network sports anchor. While at ESPN, he also hosted Sportscenter for ESPN International. He later was a fill-in host on Fox Sports Radio and Sporting News Radio.
His most recent assignment was full-time morning anchor at WOWO news talk radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana. But his goal was always to return to KNBR. "It's an honor to be back in the studios where I started my broadcasting career five years ago," says Bruce. "Covering legendary franchises like the Giants, 49ers and Warriors is an incredible opportunity and a dream come true."
In many ways Sportsphone 680 is the radio version of GSoM. Damon brings his fun personality to this community oriented show and is never afraid to tell it like it is. On to the Q&A...
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Golden State of Mind: What was the Warriors' best outing so far this season? Their worst?
Damon Bruce:
Best Game:
111-102 victory over the Spurs all the way back on November 27th. The Warriors actually out-worked San Antonio, winning the battle in the paint, 40-36. Andres Biedrins had what may have been his best night of the first half with 18-pts and 15-rebs. And lets face it, there are regular season wins, and there are regular season wins over the Spurs. It was also the only really good game of the season … and alas, the final good game for Mike Dunleavy in a Warriors uniform. He had 20 that night … thanks for the memories, DunMurphy.
Worst Loss:
Jan 30th @ Cleveland. Warriors lost 124-97 to a LeBron-less Cavs team. They let Aleksandar Pavlovic drop 24 points, and shot just 2-of-20 from downtown for a whopping 10% from behind the arc. It also was the wrong way to set a tone for a six game road trip, which they finished 2-4.
Golden State of Mind: Record-wise the Warriors aren't too far off from where they were last season under Coach Montgomery. Would you say Coach Nelson has been an improvement over Monty despite the similarity in win-loss record? How would you grade Nellie so far this season?
Damon Bruce: Nelson gets a B+ for his work so far this season. He gets an A for likely being the hand that forced the trade of DunMurphy, but this team has yet to really gel. Nelson also gets a pass because no coach in the NBA has had more bites from the injury bug to deal with on a night in, night out basis. Although Warriors fans may feel like they would have a similar record if Montgomery stayed on as coach; Don Nelson, is my opinion, a radical upgrade in the coaching department. The single largest missing ingredient from basketball, on all levels, is chemistry. If Nellie stays in Oakland long enough to develop some chemistry with this current (healthy) roster, the Warriors could become very good, very fast.
Golden State of Mind: How are Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell clicking with their new teammates on the court? How about off the court?
Damon Bruce: I really don’t know about the off-court relationships, but on court, Harrington & Jackson have fit in very well in short time. There is also no doubt that Stephen Jackson has pushed all the right PR buttons since the trade and seems to be embracing the "fresh start".
I’d like to see Powell’s minutes go up, because I like the big body and energy he brings off the bench. Jasikevicius need that jumper to start falling before he can be considered a true NBA asset.
Golden State of Mind: Do any of the current Warriors miss Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu, or Keith McCleod? Is their anything about their games that you miss?
Damon Bruce: I miss all the good material that DunMurphy provided for my show, but there is nothing I miss about watching their effort, or lack there of, on a nightly basis. Murphy disappoints me the most … he should be a 15 & 10 guy every night. Dunleavy just lacks the fire.
Didn’t get to see enough of Ike under Nellie or Monty, so I can’t really say the Warriors lost something important to current or future success.
Who’s Keith McCleod? Anyone else miss Derek Fisher?
Golden State of Mind: Will the Warriors make another trade before this year's trading deadline? Are you hearing anything through the grapevine?
Damon Bruce: The Grapevine has been quite, but that’s not to say something isn’t in the works. The vines didn’t rattle much before the 8 player deal that seemed to come out of nowhere. Personally, I’d be surprised if the Warriors can actually do something, in-season, that would dramatically effect this season. Their best bet may be holding on to Baron, hoping he comes back 100% from knee surgery, and shop him during the off season.
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But the fun don't stop! Part II of our Q&A with Damon will drop soon, but even bigger and badder than that (yup, that's possible)-- tonight (Monday 2/19) DBruce has his "Golden State of the Union Address" at 7:00pm on KNBR 680. You don't want to miss it!