<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> A big part of the ingredients we need to show improvement is the players on our roster working to get better, maturing physically and gaining more experience. And thats going to continue to happen. I think the league is about matchups and the way the style of play is going, favors areas that we are fairly set. We have a great backcourt. We have athletic slashers. But we have to adjust to the way the game is being played. We have big players that can space the court. But that means that our guards have to penetrate, drive the lane and play inside the three-point line. That allows you to draw fouls, get into the bonus and live at the foul line. That helps your field goal percentage and gives you a way to score so you are not just living on outside shooting. And it dictates tempo. On the flip side, at some point in the game, you need stops. You need to be able to guard certain players. And those positions, the 3, 4 and 5 are areas we need to get better. Whether it is by acquisition or experience. Ive seen players that werent the most athletic learn how to play defense, learn how to position themselves, get some officiating respect and have that side of the court become important to them. Also, with Mike, Troy and Jason, its time for those guys to make their imprint, not only here, but also around the league. They are getting to the point where they have patented moves that they should start getting calls. Murph on the short post, he can drive hard left and get fouled a few times a game. With the way the game is being called today, up and down our line-up, we have players that should be able to take advantage of the tighter hand check calls and get to the line a lot. Sure, wed like to have a low post scorer. But I think it doesnt have to be a 7-footer. Jason has gotten much better on the block. Baron has a low post game. And I think Murph really has a chance to be a tough cover. I dont really feel like we maximized individually or collectively last season and that just has to change. http://www.nba.com/warriors/interactive/fi...ft_edition.html </div> I really hope Mullin does some adjusting of the 3, 4, and 5 positions to not only improve it defensively, but get more offensive help closer to the basket. I don't like a backcourt oriented offense unless the mission is to take the pressure off the big men playing inside or to get the big men involved in making the setup plays. I don't want to have more of the same play where we get the big guys open behind the 3-point arc or the baseline and rely on our guards to do everything. I don't think that floats in the west and it certainly won't help if the guards won't give up the ball. I also don't like my guards posting up to create inside play and having my outside big men shoot it and the big men not being able to do the same with the guards passing it in and then receiving it from the post to shoot it. But I guess we roll with whatever we have unless Ike gets bumped to #2 option scorer or possibly #1 since we don't want Baron taking shots in volume (he's a point guard that should take shots within the flow, especially because he's not the high % shooter kind like Sam Cassell or Chauncey Billups!)... So we know Mullin is still believing that this team could actually reach the post season if it just maximized their capabilities... I'm not so sure with this design and its limited ceiling in how they can play offensively and defensively... The Warriors still need to react to the other team's strategy and counter attack and outproduce the other team in ways the other team can't match. I think the few weapons we have, can be matched easily and especially because we don't practice execution. Mullin did admit the backcourt was set (pg + sg are good) but the other positions need work. He was saying the same things we were saying, only he's got to realize he chose the 3, 4, and 5 spots practically for long term committment without alternative. And also its good to see he's sort of hinting that our backcourt needs to shoot free throws better or else they'll never be able to make the most of free throw opportunities or garner defensive respect on hard fouls. What is the point if you miss 40% of them collectively as a team, and most of them from your scorers and guards, and shoot more threes than free throws attempted? I'm sick of these three pointers, drive, or nothing. I also hate the one-pass shots, the overdribbling crap. I feel like we need a power forward like Clif Robinson that could bounce pass and defend and they're not one dimensional role players. A center like Erick Dampier that could clean up misses, eat up space, and post up deep inside the paint and kick out. Even if those guys aren't really good scorers they space the floor in their own ways rather than space the floor by shooting long distance shots. That's just b.s. how we space the floor by shooting more shots further away from the rim. Heck no, guys who receive the ball have to be able to have multi-dimensional games so that they can get inside, pass it back out, pass it in, drive, shoot it, move off the ball, cut, go backdoor, etc, etc. I feel like our players are two one-dimensional at times, especially the big players. So Monty still believes in this current roster some if it worked at full potential like in after all-star break. But this current roster at full potential still has me not believing that just two all-star guards and a bunch of role players could do it. Because what essentially we still have are big guys that play away from the basket or don't have much an honest offensive game, guards taking heavy contact at the rim and missing free throws, and ball movement always arriving at spot shooting dead end type players. Ideally, I would like to see a ball movement that hits at least two people's hands where a pass received could turn into a shot, a drive to the basket, or cut off the ball to the basket, or a pass hitting another guy cutting to an open corner. I just don't think a lot of our starters have the creativity, execution of set plays down, or the fundamentals and natural court sense to be involved in a great deal of the decision making. Ideally guys like Baron and Dunleavy are the best guys for that. Jrich is okay. Murphy and Foyle are probably the worst dead end blackholes on our team. I never see Murphy pass even when there's a more obvious option to go to and Foyle is just plain risky sometimes. First you wonder about him actually catching the ball so he could pass it. The other thing is he's not the brightest basketball player in the world nor do most teams even worry about the guy. The coach yelling at him constantly in '04 and benching him until all-star break was pretty entertaining though. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> I know these guys and they have the same feelings. I see them everyday at practice and we communicate regularly during the off-season. My message is to use it as a motivating factor. Each day that you wake up there is something to do. You keep it in your mind and use it to motivate that summer improvement. Hey, our players were frustrated, our coaches were frustrated. No one walked away last year saying we lacked talent. But pro sports are about close losses, injuries, all the factors we talked about. That is reality. I feel we are right there. This team should be there. I spoke with Baron and Jason recently and they have said watching the playoffs just motivated them even more, because they just couldnt believe we werent a part of it. I dont think I need to verbalize what has to happen this summer. We have some big-time players and they have something to prove. Any good player I have ever been around uses something in the summer to motivate themselves. We are all in the same frame of mind for the summer. And Ive seen it with everyone that has been at the facility and the way they have worked so far. </div> Mullin has to realize a few things about his team like: Meaningless wins after all-star break against playoff teams mean nothing, until you actually prove that level of play in an 82 game season where you're fighting for the playoffs and not fighting just for pride. I don't think the Warriors handle the pressure to win close games and to make smart plays on defense or offense. He also needs to take his own advice and not to think emotionally, but logically, like how the hell are we supposed to produce a high % game when our scorers are bad free throw shooters and our big men play like pansies who can't catch or shy away from the basket (or defense)? I also don't buy that our unathletic people can suddenly play great all-around defense. That's a long shot... I mean Dunleavy has improved, but I don't expect him to become Shane Battier, another unathletic Duke guy but is a very good all around defender. Now you put Dunleavy next to guys like slow laterally moving players like Jrich, Foyle, Murphy, Fisher, Baron and that's a recipe for disaster. At least get guys that won't get manhandled by quickness and if we get manhandled, at least be able to play the game slower and stronger, not faster. Faster just makes us lose faster, not score more points. I feel the Warriors turning the corner slowly rests upon the guys having a balanced form of offense where there's an inside attack and an outside attack and fluid ball movement (as in more than one passing option and in different motions: inside/outside : side to side, something that gets defenders feats moving so we can take uncontested shots) The other thing is we need to play defense because we can't rely on scoring every single time. We just don't have the prolific, triple threat, high % scorers that other teams do. Unless Jrich renders himself unstoppable in double teams and Baron shoots better and Dunleavy actually has a shot and can beat set defenders, and Foyle/Murphy do other things besides "static offense" I don't think we have a chance.
I think the Warriors have good scouts, but a really poor management when it comes to landscapes. I mean getting burned by Foyle not once, not twice, but three times and then overpaying him the 3rd time around, just sucks. I guess some management felt you need to repay loyalty, hard work ethic/ great attitude through losing times and Foyle was that guy. Or maybe it's just a poor excuse because heck I can barely be a basketball player at 6'10 and just try hard and do stuff for the community as well. We still need talent to win. We don't have interest in watching guys smile a lot and drop passes and miss layups. I think our team stability is fine as long as we don't have any chokers. The other mistake was re-signing Dunleavy. I mean one could make a case you needed to protect an investment that was consensus top 3 pick in 2002. I mean it was consensus, so its not like we picked an unsafe pick or a low ceiling guy for that matter or else it was no top 3. The thing is... I'm pretty biggotted about slow, weak, no-finesse type matchups. I mean his 6'10 height is nothing if he can't shoot or post up. The rest of his traits suck too. If you're slow at least be strong, if you're not strong, at least be a good shot, if you're not a good shot, at least dive on the floor, be aggressive and get us some second chance posessions. If you're none of those things forget it. Dunleavy sucking so bad, just makes it almost hard to part with Murphy because who else can shoot consistently and rebound? That is supposed to be a part of the small forward's job. Or if Dunleavy is the role of shooting guard, he should be breaking guys down or backing them down in the post. I mean do something other than look good passing the ball for a guy 6'10. Get us some points or defend the crap out of the other small forward like Tayshaun Prince or Joe Johnson would. The one reason I didn't like Dunleavy was that defensively combined with Murphy, I don't think he's that much of an upgrade over Jamison-Murphy. Dunleavy at least applies effort and is probably stronger now and is smart with his angles. He's certainly more effective because Jamison was the laziest defender ever on the Warriors with Murphy not far behind. The only thing I see Murphy contribute on defense is rebounding and... the occasional PF battle. But that's it.... The sad thing is I'd gladly deal with another 50% shooting forward if he could play some darn all-around defense worth a 1rst or 2nd team all nba defensive team.
If Mullin believes what he just said, then he should fire Monty. Why? Because the team is NOT doing what Mullin just said. It sounds a bit funny coming from Mullin all the time because Monty should be saying those things. Only thing is whoever says it, the team doesn't do it. Fire Monty. He doesn't develop players and he doesn't have the team do what most of us and Mullin thinks. Ike had more starts at center than at PF. Foyle loses his job and gets it back only because Ike loses the job. Murphy doesn't even play center even though that was Mullin said when Ike was picked. AB gets a few fouls and is immediately yanked. The young guys play good, but then they never go back in the game. Fire Monty! I am sick of the same rhetoric and nothing ever changes.
Okay... we're blaming Monty because he's not undermining his boss like Larry Brown did to the public? I think it's a good thing Monty is keeping his mouth shut because I'm sure he's frustrated by most of his starting players, that Mullin chose, making him look bad and taking away from his main game of motion offense strategy. I hope Mullin doesn't believe in everything he's saying, because I don't want a repeat of Foyle Fisher team design around Murphy, Dunleavy, Jrich core... And we're also blaming the coach for what a GM put together since '04 and is basically the same team ever since only with Baron (who was hurt a lot and unprepared I might add)? Why does Mullin insist these guys are capable of doing those things if they can't prove it in their minutes. If the players wanted to win so badly I don't think anything was stopping them other than their own deficiencies which can't be covered up in a zone type defense. Why couldn't the Warriors play individual defense, make free throws, not shoot so many 3's and not do this streetball stuff they did in '04 and '03 and '02 and '01? If the coach ain't working and he's got the right players for him, yeah fire him, but let's not ignore the fact our players really suck when they're together and its been this way forever. There's been no direction with how this team is to be built and there's no identity because of this. I mean we didn't drop from the playoffs recently, we've been bad for a lot of years for a reason and Mullin ain't helping the situation so far with his lame contract moves. We only had a bunch of guys believe that we were headed to the playoffs and they probably don't know nothing or they're too optimistic to see the truth about our team. Some guys can't face the truth about our team and they'd rather blame other stuff because of the outcome. The Warriors have to own up to their own mistakes about personnel and how they did not have a clear direction in '04 (two years ago). Even when they added Baron, they continued to stay the course and avoid addressing the issue of defense and inside play. Plus I don't trust Mully's judgement fully or what comes out of his mouth. This whole thing is like insisting some kid is a straight A student when he's not being tested, and when they fail the real test they blame the teacher for not teaching rather than the students for not being smarter. Well, in terms of judgement, do I know the student as well as I think I do, or am I being biased and overly optimistic because I'm speaking out for them? What if I'm wrong and my observations suck and I can't see the facts? What if the student is actually stupid and the teacher is doing all they can but the student is just stupid. I mean, stupid is unfixable if there's no ceiling to get smarter. I can't really blame the teacher for trying to do their jobs because of something I felt emotionally rather than knowing logically for a fact. I feel like this example is applied to a lot of things like Dunleavy, Foyle, Fisher and guys like Mullin are being stubborn to admitting mistakes. Maybe they do so out of embarassment or they're trying to get everyone to keep the faith so we can keep on going. This organization already sold out Musselman over its players so I can believe they could sell out anyone. Anyway, I tend to believe that our starting positions have 3 guys who have very low ceilings. And in addition, they are very bad fits and are grossly overpaid. I don't even care about double doubles unless I'm seeing some kind of defensive effort like a Kurt Thomas or a Tyson Chandler. Keep in mind I wouldn't want Tyson Chandler because 1.) he's overpaid and 2.) the Bulls should be reminded that they gave up Elton Brand for him and he hasn't gotten anymore Kevin Garnett or Rasheed Wallace like since being drafted from high school! But I think Mully is clear on what needs to be improved, I just don't think any of our current guys can get that done. If he did think it was possible to play defense and play a strong high % game, I think he's crazy. Can't do it with an all low % offense backcourt where none of the guys play defense competitively. Can I think a college coach get something done with the right players? Absolutely and especially if the coach is confident he can manage egos. And of course, all the players need to buy into him for this to work. I don't think Monty and other college to nba coaches ever received the type of players that could play various strategies or really had the winning mentality installed from their Gms from the get go. The Warriors have the mentality to win, but I don't think they know how to win together as a team. I definitely don't like to knee jerk over a problem that was foreseen in the making or a problem that has existed since we started going on this playoff drought. And that problem I saw was that we had pieces that never really fit. It was just a collection of talent they threw at coaches and it never worked because they couldn't adjust/match to various tempos nor could they set and control the tempo.
I agree. You can't have Monty and the same players. If one wants to keep Monty, then you have to get different players. I tried explaining that Monty and Ike don't mix, but you don't want to trade Ike. Yet for whatever reason, Monty kept going back to Ike at center even after he admitted it was a failure. Next is AB. Monty didn't give AB much of a chance as he was jerked as soon as AB picked up a couple of quick ones and never came back. Many of us complained about not keeping him in the game, but Monty went with the vets and Foyle. If you look at the minutes, I'm sure Monty gave most of them to the vets. During the end of season, Monty did change things, but I'm not sure if he'll continue to do that. He should imho. Basically, we have two teams but one that doesn't mesh too well with the other. There are a few pieces that can be interchanged, but I doubt we will have success with Monty at the helm. It would be better to fire him as I think this will likely be what happens if the team starts its losing ways again. Get a coach that is more saavy and has NBA experience. I rather trust him to pull the pieces together than Monty. At least, we'll have better execution (one that doesn't look like a dress rehersal) on the court if not better chemistry. You can fire Mullin if that's what you're alluding to, but then we have to start this from square one again. That's an even bigger change than getting a new coach. That said, we're all getting impatient will Mullin, too. Colangelo already has a new center in Rasho. Even Atlanta may have a new PF if the rumors are true they have a draft day deal. I can only hope Mullin has a deal in place or close to fruition for draft day.
Look, we've got a lack of a center problem. I think Ike is perfect for what Montgomery needs in a player capable of playing the high post or the low post game. If that center should be undersized like Sheldon Williams, I'd take that over Foyle and Biedrins not being ready to stay out of foul trouble. Our small forwards also suck and our point guards are very imbalanced. We also need to get better vets, capable of stepping up and playing defense... There's just not a way to play defense with any of our starters. I'm not talking about one aspect of defense like shotblocking or on-ball defense, I'm talking about the whole all-around defense plus ability to play the angles and recognize what the other team is trying to do. If you look at guys like Bruce Bowen he doesn't really average that many steals or blocks, but he really makes it difficult to shoot cleanly and he reads the angles and knows where to help out. A guy like Kurt Thomas or a young Dale Davis can alter shots some, deny entry passes, cause people to take steps when they're off balance, they can do lots of things. All five guys need to be good defenders or else if there's too many weaklings, it becomes very difficult and it just lags everything up.
