<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">EVERYONE SEEMS to think Mike Montgomery and Baron Davis don't get along. I don't know where this comes from. Davis has every reason to love his coach. Montgomery is a star's dream: He's allowed Davis pretty much to do whatever he pleases. And Montgomery has no choice but to love his point guard. An NBA coach tends to go only as far as his star takes him ? and Montgomery is on the fast track to retirement unless Davis comes up big for him next season. There are those who believe Montgomery needs to rely less on the injury-prone Davis, but I'm not one of them. In fact, I'd go the other way. The Warriors are at their best when Adonal Foyle, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu are rebounding, Davis, Mike Dunleavy and Monta Ellis are running and Jason Richardson is finishing with a thud. But that equation falls apart without its chief link from hoop to hoop ? Davis. </div> http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_3738591
"EVERYONE SEEMS to think Mike Montgomery and Baron Davis don't get along. I don't know where this comes from." This must've been written by the kid with the long nose Pinocchio.
I disagree. Players will produce no matter what. To succeed they must have sometype of leadership making things click. How did a good player like Bibby, become a great player that he is today? Because he left Vancouver where I don't even remember who the coach was, to Sacramento playing under Rick Adelman who has bunches of playoff and final experience and leadership. Even last year the possible MVP of this season looked powerless. The team kind of failed after losing the former championship Rockets coach Rudy Tomjonavic because of health I believe. Now this year with Phil Jackson again, Kobe looks like superman again. Stars will be stars, good players will be good players. But when you get them with a good coach or the right coach, stars become superstars, good players become great players, and etc. That good coach, is the one piece that this team is missing most.
Let's put it this way. Foyle/Murphy and Dunleavy/Dfish... That pretty much sums up our inside play in the paint/and outside game from the perimeter. Low % guys that can't finish or defend in the ways you want them to. Like Jrich says we lack physical toughness defending the rim and I absolutely agree. There's nobody that enforces the paint or intimidates by banging into people, pulling the chair out from a guy fighting for position, and hassling people with the ball. Look at old vets like Dale Davis and Clif Robinson and you can see why those guys in their youth made the all-star team at least once and have been in the playoffs several times. They do all these things that our guys don't do and that's what missing. Forget numbers and stats, Fish/Foyle/Dunleavy/Murphy, they don't do the little things their position requires and they need to have that required toughness, strength, quickness. Murphy ain't that physical, Foyle is a softie that only blocks shots and doesn't have much skill using his body on post defense, Dunleavy is improving, but he's a liability on defense much like Jrich on man-to-man defense, and Dfish lacks quickness and decision making. We can't win with the way our backcourt is constructed unless we have an inside presence, we get organized in the half court when we can't run, and we shoot better %'s (especially at the foul line).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post"> There's nobody that enforces the paint or intimidates by banging into people, pulling the chair out from a guy fighting for position, and hassling people with the ball.</div> Exactly. There's nobody on the roster who scares anybody. I love the guy's heart but man! Foyle is practically a joke. He might block some shots but he's about the most size-less undersized center to ever play the game. Hell, I wouldn't mind playing a game of pick-up against him, and I'm 6'3": He may be a lot taller than me, but he'll probably never put me on the floor, or make me eat an elbow, etc. He's the softest, nicest big man around. It sucks! And Murphy? Sure he's a bit crazy and has that Jerry Sloan face, but he is just too unathletic and has too little stamina to ever hurt anyone. He'll play energetic for the first 6 minutes of the game, then he plays in slow motion. The 6' 9" Dunleavy? <Fill in the blank here> The thing I love about Davis is, despite whatever flaws he has, he brings this team some friggin balls. And it's been a long while since this team had some friggin balls.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">Hell, I wouldn't mind playing a game of pick-up against him, and I'm 6'3": He may be a lot taller than me, but he'll probably never put me on the floor, or make me eat an elbow, etc. He's the softest, nicest big man around. It sucks!</div> That sounds like a nice episode of Pros versus Joes. I can't believe Foyle was Mulln's first free agent signing... Jeez and he wasted no time in overpaying the backup.
I think people mistake frustration with disrespect because there are so many beatwriters and cameras sticking their nose where it doesn't belong so they can get their story. Then having to constantly answer those questions builds contempt a bit as well. I wish that they'd pull the reporters out of the locker rooms and just wait for the press tables. Sure it may lead to less gossip, but it takes that element of emotional outbursts out of the game.
