http://www.nba.com/games/20061020/GSWLAC/boxscore.html Looks like both teams played none of the regulars. Still, pretty impressive that Nellie has the W's on a roll here. I like the Wagner/Ellis combo! Check out Foyle! 1 rebound, 2 points.
<div class="quote_poster">Kensaku Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> Check out Foyle! 1 rebound, 2 points. </div> You failed to mention his 5 blocks.
Nelly is definitely trying to decide his rotation by giving the potential bench guys minutes, but the guys are making it hard. Both Roberson and Barnes are making a case to stay. Wagner and Ellis are both fighting hard for those minutes at the guard spots, and both are doing well. Even Diogu and O'Bryant had pretty good production from the big spots this game, although they need to carry it to impress Nelly enough for some real PT. The only guys with a clear odd-man-out case are Zarko and McLeod. Poor Zarko had the briefest look last game and a DNP today. And Ellis's 10 assists (although 4 turnovers) and quickness make him more attractive than McLeod. As for Foyle's 5 blocked shots - my thoughts is that Nelly will put in Foyle when he puts in a lot of guards and just play 4 on 5 on offense - and let Foyle be the goalie.
I wouldn't be surprised if one of the following - Zarko, McLeod, Taft - is cut so that the Warriors can keep both Barnes and Roberson. Zarko got playing time against the Hornets but he just wasn't able to please Nelson very much as all as he didn't run the plays very well. Nelson also got mad at him for a lack of hustle on a sequence, and he kept turning the ball over by dribbling the ball off his feet and just fumbling the ball away, while bricking everything. If Taft were healthy, it could be easier to cut Zarko, but that is not the case. The case is that Taft could even be cut. I don't know what will happen but there might be a solid argument for several different senarios. Ellis-Wagner-Roberson would be a good trio off the bench to get points. I like how Pietrus got to the FT line against the Clippers. It shows that he is not standing around just shooting perimeter shots.
Toronto and New York are undefeated too New Jersey is 0 and 4. Dallas is 1 and 4. It's sort of like backwards day. We definitely got backcourt depth though.
<div class="quote_poster">AnimeFANatic Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You failed to mention his 5 blocks.</div> Hmmm, how did I miss that???
5 blocks (and 10 dropped passes or fumbled rebounds) No wonder the guy is a soccer player. He's too clumsy to use anything that involves hands for catching like football or baseball. I'm sorry. I'm being negative about this guy. But when he's paid a good slice of our cap and he won't play much this season because he sucks, it's lose-lose situation whether he sits or plays because it wastes money and it wastes other good players' time if he plays. Money is a big issue when it comes to affording everyone we want to stay onboard.
Wow. Just wow. The Warriors 5-0, something I never expected. The Raiders were 4-0 in the preseason and 0-5 in the regular season so don't get your hopes up just yet.
<div class="quote_poster">Carter Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Wow. Just wow. The Warriors 5-0, something I never expected. The Raiders were 4-0 in the preseason and 0-5 in the regular season so don't get your hopes up just yet.</div>Well there are some good things to take from it, like our revamped offense. Of coarse its just preseason and it doesnt mean anything but would you feel better if we were 0-5? haha
True, Rudeezy. 0-5 preseason would have Mullin tapdancing or doing the Charleston until he's hooked off stage.
<div class="quote_poster">Rudeezy Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">would you feel better if we were 0-5? haha</div> Exactly how I feel. I'm happy that the Warriors are winning, whether or not it's meaningful or not.
The main difference I've seen from the Warriors is their ability to create easy baskets by getting the ball up the court. Yesterday Ellis and Wagner were like two WRs running the post route and the inbounder (usually Foyle) was throwing 40 foot bombs. A big surprise for the Warriors has been Roberson. Do you guys think he's done enough to make the roster?
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> A big surprise for the Warriors has been Roberson. Do you guys think he's done enough to make the roster?</div> He's done enough to earn a spot on the roster. But that doesn't mean he will get a spot. On one hand we need a shooter like him but then again we need a scrappy swingman like Barnes who will rebound, steal, and hustle. I'd like to keep both personally, but it seems only one spot is available. Unless we find some way to buyout McKleod's contract.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The main difference I've seen from the Warriors is their ability to create easy baskets by getting the ball up the court. Yesterday Ellis and Wagner were like two WRs running the post route and the inbounder (usually Foyle) was throwing 40 foot bombs. A big surprise for the Warriors has been Roberson. Do you guys think he's done enough to make the roster?</div> Foyle's outbound passes to start the fastbreak are pretty decent. I'm glad you brought that up because when I think Adonal Foyle, I think he's not much of a decision-maker to pass reliably in most offenses. But, he's still a good outlet passer. Ellis, Wagner, Mcleod, Roberson are all very good shooting guards maybe in college or high school, but there's going to be a time where we'll look to get bigger at the shooting guard position because we want to improve defense and be able to gain an edge offensively so that our shooting guards don't have to shoot over guys 4 inches taller than them along with tall wingspan. I hope we can keep some of these guys, but I'm worried about what Mullin will do with the little money that the Warriors do have. So I hope they invest in their soon-to-be nba readiness and overall impact at both guard positions. I would like the Warriors to invest in prototype starters unless it's one of them unique players like Dirk Nowitzki/Rashard Lewis/Carmelo Anthony or D-Wade/Arenas types where you find them in between small forward and power forward or shooting guard and point guard. I am not sure any of our shooting guards could be combo guards like Dwade or Arenas one day except for maybe Monta Ellis and maybe Wagner. I'm not sure about McLeod, and definitely not Roberson, but for them to even be in the NBA shows a lot about their overall skill as fundamentally sound shooting guards at 6'2. Wagner is a real huge question mark because of his poor history of health... Is he really good and lottery pick material? I mean we got him for almost nothing, but if he blows up do we keep him or sign and trade him? He's looked awful on point guard and he's been terrible defensively. But if his playmaking skills improve I think it'll be pretty low like 4.0 or 5.0 assists a game like crappier playmaking version of Jason Terry and that could be a good package to send off when his contract expires. The thing is Wagner type corers typically act on their own individual play rather than think about what they can do to make others better. Guys like Jason Kidd weren't very good players growing up so nobody ever passed to them, so they learned to pass to get the ball to the scorers. I like point guards like that, unless all five guys are good defensive players that can score 5 or 6 out of 10 times on isolations (inside and out). But I guess we're limited to what is out there on the market, what our draft situation is, and what our assets are so we can make the kind of good trades where we land a Boris Diaw, Joe Johnson, a Dirk Nowitzki, or some other unique player that has lots of skills. I'm not giving up on guys like Zarko Cabarkapa or Darko Milicic who know the game, they just aren't doing well in the minutes they are getting. I feel the same way about those guys as I did Joe Johnson when he couldn't break into the Celtics rotation very easily. Well anyway, I don't mind if anyone thinks differently about what kinds of players we need to be a successful team. There's plenty of things that work, but not for the Warriors lately... 12 consecutive seasons in the lotto, how the heck do you do that unless you have guys in the office that clearly don't know what the heck they are doing each year. I think Nelson is a start. Mullin and his buddies won't get it done, unless he's got guys that have been around the game enough to know what works and how salaries impact what you can and can't do each season. Especially when it comes to momentum, getting the right talents to make a team that fits together, and looking down the road ahead.
Sometimes it comes down to the coach to make these finds such as Wagner, Boykins, Cardinal, Roberson, Barnes, etc. The problem with Montgomery is that he couldn't make up a system that he had confidence that would work in the NBA much less his own players. If you don't have a system, then it's going to be tough to find these productive 10th men to join the roster. Also Montgomery probably relied too much on his big six or seven and gave too little attention to anyone else. I think Mullin and Nelson have made a good duo in finding players to fit in a system that Nelson wants. The Roberson/Barnes situation is interesting. I don't know how it's going to turn out. But I would like to see both of these guys make the team. Roberson is a reliable shooter off the bench and Barnes is going to get rebounds, extra possessions, and he might beable to fit Nelson's system pretty well. I think, if things were fair, it will come down to Zarko, Barnes, and McLeod for who makes the last spot on the roster, and maybe even Taft. I wonder what Bob Fitzgerald would call the attack of Roberson, Ellis, and Wagner. All of them are about 6-2. "The Kiddy Core" seems to have found some new friends. This should be a fun year. Maybe we turn into the 2004 Pistons with a new, experienced, and very successful head coach, and the explosion of Andris, Dunleavy, the Kiddy Core, etc. (Btw, I really didn't like that name the "kiddy core" but yeah, i guess Bob got it to stick). I mean what else is next after winning the Greater LA shootout championship? Of course it is the NBA championship, hah...well I guess the Pacific Division would be a good next goal; a tough one too.
Every coach has a system, it's the roster they inherit to play that system that has been the problem. If they can't play it, then the coach has to have other player options or not play that system at all. Musselman was an x's and o's coach, but the Warriors did not play that style of ball. So IMO a lot of good coaching goes to waste because the players aren't really a good team that fits, has certain talents, or has chemistry. I mean look at our team makeup. It took an unconventional coach to make things look promising. If we play old school ball which Monty and Musselman play, we can't get anywhere. Our players are too dumb, soft, slow, or can't shoot or dribble or pass or play defense. Too many players do a few things and that's all.
