Thank the hoops gods the O.G. Bay Boys aren't around to destroy the Warriors tonight.
via need4sheed.com
Warriors: 7-15
Pistons: 7-13
Tip-Off: 4:30pm
TV: CSN Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680
Blog Buddy: Motown String Music
Around the Association: The Return of the Bay Boys
The Pistons are coming off a nice, impressive win. see Injuries, What Injuries? Pistons 101, Nuggets 99 [Motown String Music]
The Warriors are not. see RECAP: Warriors 91, Bulls 96 - Brick!
JUMP for a preview of tonight's matchup!
.318 = 4th Worst Team in the League
Warriors homers, apologists, and mismanagement like to paint us as being negative for saying this, but the truth is this basketball team straight up sucks. The Chicago Bulls had lost 9 out of 10 coming into last night's matchup and a perfect throwback to the Leastern Conference of this decade. That was not a good team the Warriors just lost to.
Not at all.
Newsflash: The 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors are not a good team.
Thank goodness we got jokes.
Diagnosis + Cures
The Warriors are a flat out mess. Here's a few of the major issues and a few solutions. Please add yours in the comments.
Diagnosis: Horrible assist to turnover, turnover, turnover ratio. see Polling GSoM: Will the Golden State Warriors lead the league in turnovers this season?
Cure: Last night's game notwithstanding the biggest culprit has been the Warriors wannabe All-Star Monta Ellis (more on his empty meaningless numbers on a garbage team later). The limited, low hoops IQ guard Chris Mullin/ Robert Rowell foolishly decided to blow up WE BELIEVE for and build around is currently leading the league in turnovers by a wide margin at 4.5. It's not like he's a high volume assister either at 5.3.
Is it all his fault?
Of course not.
Part of it is his teammates just aren't playing very good basketball right now and simply aren't creme de la crem of the NBA talent-wise (apologize if you thought they were with their mythical, untapped upside).
Another part of it is coaching and management. Why this team continues to force him into a point guard role and primary ball handler makes no sense to me.
He's simply not that (point guard) guy.
So many sharp Warriors fans have known this for years. It's not that difficult of a concept to grasp.
The cure is simple. Move Monta off the ball more... a lot more. Make Stephen Curry the primary ball handler and distributor. Sure there's going to be a lot of rookie mistakes early on, but let's see what he can do. We already know what Monta can do.
Make Curry the distributor and Monta the scorer.
Diagnosis: The Warriors can't buy a bucket at the end of quarters.
Cure: See above. Get the ball out of Ellis' hands. I can't say that enough. If he was coming off the ball I bet he'd have a much more impressive scoring rate on those last possessions.
Diagnosis: The Warriors are getting beat on the glass every single night.
Cure: I don't think he'll make the biggest impact on this team's win total, but when Andris Biedrins comes back this shouldn't be as big of a discrepancy. I'll have to dig deeper a little though.
In the mean time I'd like to see Chris Hunter and Anthony Randolph playing more over Mikki Moore. Not that I don't appreciate MIKEY!'s professional attitude. Not that I don't think MIKEY! is a decent 3rd or 4th string center for this team. Not that I don't think MIKEY! isn't trying. Not that I don't think MIKEY! hasn't had some good moments for this team this year.
It's just that giving him all this playing time is somewhat pointless.
I know Coach Keith Smart isn't that big of a fan of Hunter, but hey- it's not like playing MIKEY! so many minutes is producing all that much. Hunter has been pretty solid and has earned some PT in my book.
I know Randolph can be a complete disaster most of the time and he seems like exactly the wrong young guy to gift wrap playing time too, but hey- it's not like MIKEY! has really earned all that PT this season. I do understand the decision to start MIKEY! over AR to position Randolph against backup players and prevent him from picking up early frustrating fouls though.
Diagnosis: I'm fairly certain that unless there's a major shakeup this team is not making the playoffs... again. That means that between 1994 and 2010 the Warriors have only made the playoffs ONCE.Pitiful.
Cure: Sell the team Chris Cohan. (Sorry if it seems like I'm repeating this ad naseum. I guess I am.) From what I've gathered the past 2 years from various folks Cohan is looking to sell, it's just a matter of time and for what price.
Well hurry up already!
This franchise needs an owner that will give Don Nelson a talented veteran team for a last grand finale. I'm confident Larry Riley can steer the ship in the right way given the resources. Unfortunately we might never know.
Predictions
- Monta Ellis scores 25+ points but has 5+ turnovers
- Aside from the Ellis turnovers, Ben Gordon's statline looks eerily like Monta's.
- Anthony Morrow aka Mr. GSoM Night 8 snaps out of yesterday's shooting funk. Chocolate rain ya'll!
- Tonight's Warrior Killer: I give you none other that Swedish product Jonas Jerebko
- Warriors by 1
"Whatcha Gonna Do?"
Hopefully not lose to another bad team... again.
Poll
Will the Warriors get this W tonight in front of the barbaric Detroit Pistons fans?
This poll is closed
-
41%
YES: Dubs = Bad Boys Part 4 tonight!
(87 votes) -
58%
NO: Detroit will probably get another bailout tonight.
(123 votes)