Warriors to Test Waters in Summer League

Discussion in 'Golden State Warriors' started by Shapecity, Jul 8, 2005.

  1. Shapecity

    Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Las Vegas -- It's 105 degrees outside and Mike Montgomery is feeling the heat. The Warriors head coach has heard all about the team's robust ticket sales and the goodwill generated by last season's strong finish.

    After years of playing fifth fiddle in the Bay Area sports scene, Golden State has suddenly become the region's It-team, with many expecting the Warriors' late success to carryover into their upcoming season.

    "How much of that is accurate, I don't know," Montgomery said Thursday. "But we certainly feel like we have the pieces to win. Where that's going to lead, we're going to have to learn that on the court."

    The discovery begins today at Cox Pavilion, where the Warriors open their summer league slate with a noon game against Portland. Golden State gets its first real glimpse of draft picks Ike Diogu, Monta Ellis and Chris Taft, as well as regulars Andris Biedrins and Zarko Cabarkapa.

    Though the official coaching duties during the summer league belong to assistants Mario Elie and Russell Turner, Montgomery will be watching closely. This marks the unofficial start to his second NBA season, and the first was certainly a humbling experience.

    There was the opening six-game losing streak and January's dreary nine- game skid. Despite winning 18 of its final 28 games, the Warriors still finished with a 34-48 overall record. Off the court, the logistics of traveling and an 82-game season gradually wore him down. </div>

    Source W
     
  2. hipokrat_x(LV)

    hipokrat_x(LV) JBB JustBBall Member

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    Portland - Golden State 90 - 74

    [ Box Score ] [ Recap ]

    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Ike Diogu led the Warriors attack with 16 points (5-10 FG) and eight rebounds. Monta Ellis had 15 points and six rebounds, but hit only four or his 16 shots. Golden State finished the game shooting 47 percent (25-66 FG).

    Golden State took a four point lead into halftime, 43-39. The Warriors shot 47 percent for the half, while Portland shot 44 percent (12-27 FG). The Warriors had a 16-10 advantage in the paint and out-rebounded the Blazers by four (43-39) at the break.

    The Warriors take on the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night at 8 p.m., while the Blazers battle the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday at 5 p.m.</div>

    I expected more from Zarko and Biedrins, but I gues they are not the ones who have to prove something there.
     
  3. CohanHater

    CohanHater JBB JustBBall Member

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    These kids have never played together. It's about team play. Let's see them in a couple of games
     
  4. Clif25

    Clif25 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I think it's clear that this summer team is far from having anywhere near a NBA backcourt. Telfair, Outlaw, and Webster really chewed them up(I am suspecting that's how the Warriors gave up 46 points in the paint). To go along with that the team only had 8 assists with 20 turnovers. Ouch. Hopefully the guards will step up their games, especially Ellis. Along with the front court players, maybe becoming a little more of a presence down low with Taft, Diogu, and Biedrins in there. But then again it's only the first game, so lots of room to grow and time.

    It's good to see Diogu doing his thing again at this new level. Hopefully he'll just keep performing like this when the regular season comes around, making an easy transition. That'd be nice.

    Just on a side note: I wonder how Biedrins managed to have 4 turnovers. He has such great hands. I guess by passing? Interesting. But it's summer league. How exciting!
     
  5. Custodianrules2

    Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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    Interesting game because I bet our rookies from last year were trying to do some things that weren't apart of their game before, i.e. Zarko shooting more 3's or posting up, Biedrins playing in the low post, and so forth. Diogu didn't do badly. I bet Monty told him and the other guarantees to take it easy a bit, because we already know what kind of players those guys are. We don't want a repeat of the Pietrus type shoulder injury because of the energetic aggressive style of play the four of those guys have. I'm sure Diogu will be a formidable shotblocker at the pro level, but no use getting injured by out of control amateurs that might be defending him a la Chris Andersen style (The guy is wreckless on the court).

    I'm also guessing since the Blazers had Telfair that had something to do with their win. He's good. He's like TJ Ford in that he's just so quick and so hard to guard and he can get teammates involved because of the courtvision, ballhandling and passing skills they posess. Looking at our squad, we have no playmaker or at least a guy that takes care of the ball. I doubt Ellis was the point guard because I don't think his handle is nba calibre and he's not the greatest playmaker in the world if he's playing against some guys that know how to steal the ball and can contain him. We didn't really have one player that could run the team and it's a squad that hasn't played together enough to at least know where to be or how the point guard wants to run it.

    one more thing... Andris Biedrins has got to improve that free throw shooting. He'd be beaten by Shaq in a free throw shooting contest. Andy has this weird ass hitch in his shot, that I think he's better off letting Ricky Barry teach him how to granny it.
     
  6. Clif25

    Clif25 JBB JustBBall Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Interesting game because I bet our rookies from last year were trying to do some things that weren't apart of their game before, i.e. Zarko shooting more 3's or posting up, Biedrins playing in the low post, and so forth.</div>

    Andris counts as multiple players! as he is the only rookie from last year. Zarko is in his third year now. But I hear what you are saying. The Warriors have tons of rookies on this team(unlike previous years with Dunleavy, Jiri, Jrich, Pietrus, usually playing two or three years in the summer leagues). Right now the only players with NBA experience are Biedrins and Zarko. So there is tons of room to grow. Also let's hope that there are no Pietrus-like or anytype of injury for that matter, to any of the players, especially Diogu, Taft, Ellis, Zarko, and Biedrins. That would be terrible.

    I would like to see Taft get more info on Taft as the season goes on, through more PT or which ever way.

    Also why do the Warriors have 5 summer games where other teams such as the Celtics, whom are in the same league, have 6 summer games on scheduale? Is that what the Warriors decided to do?(because of previous injuries, such as Mickael last year), or is that the luck of the draw for the Warriors? especially as it being the first year for this team to play in Las Vegas?
     
  7. Custodianrules2

    Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Clif25:</div><div class="quote_post">
    Also why do the Warriors have 5 summer games where other teams such as the Celtics, whom are in the same league, have 6 summer games on scheduale? Is that what the Warriors decided to do?(because of previous injuries, such as Mickael last year), or is that the luck of the draw for the Warriors? especially as it being the first year for this team to play in Las Vegas?</div>What's up Clif? Maybe it's because Boston's got too many rooks, sophmores, and third year players. They got 9 of them.
     
  8. Custodianrules2

    Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> <font size="2">Montgomery, who went into last season admittedly tentative in how he approached his players, wasted little time in asserting himself this offseason. Soon after his weeklong vacation in Hawaii, he began mapping out a plan for improvement, with defense atop the agenda. </font>

    <font size="2">The coach held a series of meetings to analyze what the team's strengths had been during the season and what they could do better. Montgomery and his staff saw that initially, the Warriors had trouble defending pick and rolls against star players, and later struggled with their post coverage. Point of attack defense was always an issue. </font>

    <font size="2">The brainstorming sessions resulted in a "pretty thick packet" of what will become the Warriors' base defense and terminology. Montgomery said the scheme was more specific than anything he had in place last year, and with the exception of some pressure and zone situations that need to be ironed out, called the defense complete. </font>

    <font size="2">Now it's a matter of getting the Warriors to buy in. The team's practice facility in Oakland has been a full house this summer, with up to seven players working out and receiving treatment at once. Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Michael Pietrus, Biedrins and Cabarkapa have all been regulars, as has Adonal Foyle, whom Montgomery said is in the best shape he has ever seen. </font>

    <font size="2">The Warriors' three draft picks, along with Biedrins and Cabarkapa, will provide the first look at the team's future during summer league this week, with a small anomaly -- Biedrins is still the youngest at 19, five months the junior of Ellis, the Mississippi prep star. </font>

    <font size="2">"You've got five guys and we want to see what they can do," Montgomery said. "We want to see where Monta Ellis is. Can he play that point-guard position? Is he a guy that's going to protect us? </font>

    <font size="2">"And Ike, we've introduced him defensively to playing in the post. We've got some other players that are with us and we'd like to see -- maybe they're going to be guys we invite back to fall camp with the chance of making our team, see how they stack up." </font>

    <font size="2">Because pretty soon, the attention will turn to how Montgomery stacks up. Here in Las Vegas, it's time for the Warriors to ante up. </font>

    </div>
    C'mon Warriors please play some defense this year and set those goals and hit them...
     
  9. upsidedownside7

    upsidedownside7 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I think we only had 2 assists the entire game. How embarrassing.....
     
  10. .cabangbang

    .cabangbang BBW Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting upsidedownside7:</div><div class="quote_post">I think we only had 2 assists the entire game. How embarrassing.....</div>
    7 [​IMG]
     
  11. upsidedownside7

    upsidedownside7 JBB JustBBall Member

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    Now they only need one paperbag over their heads instead of two.
     
  12. Custodianrules2

    Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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    Oh c'mon these guys have never played together before. Plus, Montay isn't really a pure point guard. I doubt this game is really for guys like Diogu, Zarko, or Biedrins to get hurt over anyway. I bet it's more for the 2nd rounds and anyone praying to get into the nba.

    Too bad there's no shot charts or game logs to see what the players were trying to accomplish in those minutes. It'd be nice to see Zarko trying to work somebody over down low in the block or Biedrins with an up and under power move.
     
  13. Warriorfansnc93

    Warriorfansnc93 JBB JustBBall Member

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    Are these games televised at all?
     

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