<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">New Warriors coach spends his first practice teaching some basics, and the players acknowledge they needed it By Geoff Lepper CONTRA COSTA TIMES OAKLAND - The rebuilding of the Warriors couldn't have started off any more basically Tuesday morning. With tape on the court funneling players into the proper lanes, Don Nelson spent the first practice of his second stint as Golden State's coach breaking down precisely how to conduct a proper fast break. And we're talking bite-sized pieces. Rather than getting five guys on the floor and trying to teach them all at once, for example, Nelson began with smaller groups and then added a player at a time. He even went so far as to send two players downcourt, then having one feed the other for a layup in one of basketball's most fundamental drills. The implicit message: After going 34-48 with talent that was expected to yield better results, the Warriors need to raze the remnants and start fresh in their attempt to construct a playoff-worthy squad. "When you come into a new situation with a team -- nobody's ever played for me here -- you've gotta really start with the basics," Nelson said. "That's what I'd do with a high school team. That's the way I would start my fast breaks -- one-on-nothing to five-on-nothing. You've got to drill, drill, drill and get them to know their roles." Consider it more of the new accountability that has pervaded Golden State since Nelson's arrival in August. If an attack breaks down because one Warrior blows his assignment -- a trademark of last year's club -- that player won't be able to fall back on the excuse that he was unaware of what to do. "It was very informational," Baron Davis said. "He walked us through a lot of things, made it simple and easier to do. He just broke it down, started from scratch, and that's what we needed -- to start from scratch so we can build a new foundation." Mike Dunleavy, who joined Davis as a tri-captain this season, was in full agreement. "As crazy as it sounds, we need it," Dunleavy said. "We've always kind of skipped over the basics. Whether it's been assumed that we know things or whatever, I like how we're starting off with that foundation and setting every rule and getting all the terms and philosophies down and going from there." The lessons weren't restricted just to the all-new playbook. Nelson made sure his players called out if they were running though the lane on a break, to alert their teammates. And he told them to throw a short flip pass to a cutter coming around a screen, instead of just handing the ball off. "Like we always say, 'Do the small things.' We were focusing a lot on that today, whether it be how to set a screen properly or at the end of practice making sure we all get our free throws in," said Dunleavy, who is playing for his third coach in five years. "That's never really been something we've done." Nelson said NBA rules allowing "contact" -- i.e., scrimmages -- only once a day will help him impart the lessons he wants ingrained in the Warriors by the time their season begins Nov. 1. "We've got a very attentive and willing group," he said. "I like what the league has done. It really gives you a chance to teach in the morning session. ... It's perfect for me." And perfect for getting back to the basics. Notes: Devin Brown barely had time to color-coordinate his headbands before his Warriors career came to an end. The team relieved some its logjam at the off-guard spot Tuesday morning by waiving Brown, who came to Golden State in July as part of a three-player package from the Utah Jazz for guard Derek Fisher. The move saved the Warriors $2.1 million, since Brown -- who was going to be hard-pressed to earn major minutes -- would have earned $2.6 million if he made the roster rather than the $500,000 he will receive. Keith McLeod, another of the Utah acquisitions, was surprised at Brown's absence, and so was Brown, presumably; at Monday's media sessions, he said, "I don't see no reason why I wouldn't be here or no possibility of me not making the team." ... All the Warriors appeared to have passed their conditioning tests Monday and therefore didn't have to run again before Tuesday's practice. Davis, who was the overall winner, wouldn't say how fast his time was. "Who cares?" he said. "I passed. As long as I didn't have to come back today and do it." ... The Warriors exercised their one-year options on forward/center Andris Biedrins and forward Ike Diogu, locking them up through the 2007-08 season. ... The Warriors will hold an open practice session Monday at the Arena starting at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 5:45, and parking and admission are free. Concessions, however, are not. Times staff writer Marcus Thompson II contributed to this story. </div> http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctime...rs/15674581.htm
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"When you come into a new situation with a team -- nobody's ever played for me here -- you've gotta really start with the basics," Nelson said. "That's what I'd do with a high school team. That's the way I would start my fast breaks -- one-on-nothing to five-on-nothing. You've got to drill, drill, drill and get them to know their roles." </div> I like where Nelson is going with this. We lack a foundation and we lack fundamentals. I'm glad Nelson is treating this Warriors team like a high school team because it is kind of like one. Guys don't remember the plays, guys can't set very good screens, guys don't pass, box out, guys don't dribble and move without the ball. And worst of all, they cannot shoot very well.
I know Monty is such a dumb guy for thinking any of these guys were smart enough to go to Stanford (or Cal) He should have used sock puppets to teach Fisher how to run the break.
I hope one thing that gets corrected is not boxing out on freethrows. How many times last year did we see an opposing player swoop in and steal or put back a missed freethrow because the Warriors were half-assing it, just standing around? Seems like it happened a lot.
Yeah I know what you mean, hiRez. It was lacking basketball fundamentals and heart. Maybe the players were trying to get Monty fired.
<div class="quote_poster">custodianrules2 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah I know what you mean, hiRez. It was lacking basketball fundamentals and heart. Maybe the players were trying to get Monty fired.</div> Well-I can support the concept of that if not the method. In retro...Monty left too much important stuff to chance or undone. I expected better. A coach needs to set some priorities. If there are chronic issue---that gets dealt with-whatever the method. Monty was exceptionally oblivious to details-which I sure did not expect. I assumed a year ago that Monty had the basic ability to see what worked and what did not and to assert some control-some ability to accent the good stuff-eliminate the bad stuff. WRONG. I soon realized Monty was in way over his head-seemed unaware of what needed doing or how to do it. -and that's not acceptable. Nellie's general approach is---so far-more aware of the actual PLAYERS here. Monty seemed to see them as cardboard cutouts,generic props,and while that may have got some success at the college level-it wasted half the real talent here. Adios Monty. Get a job,pal. D Nelson? maybe a tad eccentric-but no fool. Nellie will spot stuff,will adjust things,will take charge. Now and then Nellie will blow it-but overall-I expect a pretty big improvement just because Nellie will be a PLUS while Monty was overall,a handicap.
You're right then, Montgomery should have assumed his players didn't know what the heck they were doing just like Montgomery didn't know what the heck he was doing after he joined up with Mullin who promptly got him the worst possible butterfingers center that can't pass or shoot like they do in motion offense like at center. Top that off with another guy who doesn't know english, has even worse foul trouble than Foyle, and is probably three or four years away as a big man at the five spot. Having no passing, shooting center that can play defense kills the halfcourt which Montgomery specializes in. Also, we had Fisher who could not run a simple fastbreak play to save his life and his shooting discipline sucks. Pietrus and Dunleavy were both kind of sucky in their own ways. It was a bad situation for Montgomery and I feel for the guy because he was too naive about the nba and working for a rookie like Mullin. Montgomery has a way of doing things that works for him and possibly in the nba, but Mullin went and did something else. I trust a guy who has actually assembled a competitive team using mediocre bigs and lots of fundamentally sound slow guys. What has Mullin done besides drink a lot and shoot baskets and kiss up to Cohan. I don't think he's coached or put together a basketball recruitment in his life. If he did, he wouldn't blunder so much like he did. Mullin should have been more aware of what he was getting into because from day one he was in high risk mode with the spending and anybody brought along would be put in a losing situation. That's why the Warriors lose lose lose lose. It's because the guys at the top mess up and bring other people in to lose as well. It's sad, but it can be fixed if Cohan just gets the right people or he sells his team to a guy like Mark Cuban, the Maloofs, etc who will find the right people. Guys in the Warriors organization aren't doing their homework when it comes to trying to win more games than we lose. To them, it's all a money-making hobby rather than bay area pride.
I have had jobs where an inept boss had everyone DO_IT_HIS_WAY..and his was was just absurd---and the results were pretty sorry. I have also been on jobs where the boss pretty much backed off-told us what the final result had to be---and let everone THINK and WORK togather...and strange-but that very often gets better results. Now if you are playing for Red Auerbach or Dean Smith,or Phil Jackson---you know his ideas are battle tested winners. I could not put Monty in the same paragraph as Red Auerbach.
As Rerem noted, you have to really be in control. You are the coach - you adjust to your players, teach them how to play, and to motivate them to do their best. Muss was the most recent example of a proactive, do-it-his-way guy and it tended to work to an extent, but he was always on the verge of mutiny at the same time. Monty was reactive, let the guys do their things. Nelly is being pretty proactive right now as it is training camp, but he also commands more respect with his history than Muss did, so hopefully his results also come out better even if he continues being proactive.
