Got NBA League Pass/Utah game tonight!

<div class="quote_poster">custodianrules2 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Teams are going to play more physical with us knowing we can't shoot at the line.</div>

I agree CR2. "Hack-A-Beans"

 

Warriors look worse than last year. Tired road game? Who knows. All I know is our young bigs looked good and Murphy/Dun looked like crap. I think those guys need to be benched!

 

<div class="quote_poster">Warriorfansnc93 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yes, because he gets that call about 1/10 times. If you watch the replay he moved his feet when fisher left his feet. It could have been a block. I will trade Dunleavy for any expiring contract you have within the next 2 years or any SF you have...</div>

Yep -- I completely agree. When Dunleavy attempts to flop he betrays his teammates. One flop in particular in the second quarter, he was waiting for Kirilinko to come down court, and "pretended" to get run over by him. He fell to the floor and laid there for a bit while Kirilinko continued to the hoop. Consequently, Ike had to leave Boozer to cover the wide-open lay-up, leaving his own man (Boozer) to catch an easy one from the free throw line. Dunleavy finally picked himself up about the time Boozer was racking up another two.

I am absolutely stunned that Nellie still puts Dunleavy on the floor. He is not a smart player, despite the stereotype people assign him. He is actually, IMO, a rather dim player who just happens to have a natural feel for the ball in his hands. But he makes the same ill-advised plays and defensive meltdowns that highschool kids with NO coaching make in this league.

Dunleavy is also a rather poor passer, from a coach's perspective. While he looks loose, there are fundamental errors in his technique. He often makes J-Rich type one-handed skip passes, a simple no-no that I'm sure Nellie has already warned the team against. Also, he has absolutely NO snap on the ball. His passes are often lifeless and come up a bounce short or a step out of sync.

Tonight, I think the second quarter, Beans was fighting for position in the paint. Dun had the ball. Beans couldn't get a good seal, and his 3 seconds were up. But Dun, trying to "stick" with a broken play, kept ball-faking to him, despite the 4 or 5 seconds in the key with no call, and finally lobbed it, without any touch, about two feet over Beans' outstretched hands. Not only was the pass without class, it should have been a bounce pass. It was an obvious no-no. Any other player in the paint would have waived Dun off, or said "No," because he had no position. But Beans is young and not vocal on the floor. He watched Dun's eyes and ball fakes, and tried to stay with it instead of getting out of the key. But Dun--or any ball handler, especially a "point forward" (OMG!) for that matter--should have known better.

It's like Dunlevy doesn't use caffeine -- he's a walking brain fart at times. He looks like a zombie, but it's not just looks.

But, the most striking issue is that Dunleavy has absolutely NO power in his game. I know the coach should accentuate a player's "positives," i.e. their "style," but this is different. This is simply a case of the player needing to play differently. You CAN'T be 6' 9" in this league and not have any power in your body. Dunleavy has NO power in his game whatsoever. I've never seen him make a two-foot power jump-stop and finish strong on the glass. I've never even seen him jump off two feet. Every friggin time it's a daisy-pickin one-footed runner, I mean not only layups or close shots but even when he tries to go for a rebound he goes off one foot. His body looks like a loose noodle. It is sad seeing 6'2" Derek Fisher man-handle Dunleavy like he's an 11-year old.

It's not that Dunleavy isn't "strong," per say. It's obvious he's been hitting the weights. But this has nothing to do with muscle. This has to do with POWER. It's how you use your body. How you carry yourself. Baron Davis is pure power. Dunleavy looks like a walking tight-rope act -- he never has a solid base, never seems to have his balance, DAMN! he looks so awkward running around and trying to shoot off-balance running fade-away push shots on 5 foot guards like Earl Boykins.

His legs look like rubber out there. He can't box out. I've never seen Dunleavy push anyone around, ever. He's all yin and no yang.

Perhaps he'd be a star in, I dunno, a Kazakhstan city-league or something. But his awkward, off-balance, no-power, flopping "finesse" game just doesn't belong in the NBA. Dude, it's horrible.

 

Seriously Beans and Diogu need to be starting. How long is Nellie going to stick with Dun and Murphy. Murph had NO REBOUNDS! How do you go from practically leading the league in rebounds to none in a game?

My starting lineup...

Baron, Jrich, Pietrus, Diogu and Beans

Ellis looked good at times. Obryant looked OK at times. Pietrus impressed me with his rebounding and defense...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Warriorfansnc93 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> How do you go from practically leading the league in rebounds to none in a game?
</div>

Because there was an actual rebounder in the game. Someone who is active, determined and who can jump. Murph is used to playing with Dun and Foyle and snatching up all the easy stuff. But with Beans in there, there's no "leftovers" to collect.

Yeah, I like Murph but dude has no power in his game either. Between Murph and Dun--damn!--I knew it would be ugly in the paint, but now that I actually have to watch it, it's not just ugly, it's torture. I mean, Biedrins has a higher vertical leap than Murph/Dun combined!!!

Beans/Ike = instant upgrade over Murph/Dun

I mean, both young guys will get into foul trouble occaisonally, but that's because they actually try to play defense, fight for loose balls and block shots. And at least they do what you want bigs to do: rebound and play inside.

Murph camps on the three-line all day. And Dunleavy--ugh, do you really want your "power forward" to play a finesse dribble game off one foot? Please.

 

It was a really impressive game for Biedrins; 11/12 with just one foul! Man, he is extremely quick for a center, and also has a feel for the game. That's why Davis is constantly look for Biedrins whenever he drives. And, his one hand freethrow was semi-impressive... At least, way better than before. Diogu also played nice game, and he was probably the only one who could muscle against Boozer. He may not be perfect fit for Nelson's system, but he is continuously getting mins. And, the way Murphy and Dunleavy are playing, he should get more mins. I will give some break for Murphy now, since he has a plastic mask, and it may take a while to get used to it. Is Dunleavy made out of tofu? Now a days, I just know it's Dunleavy whenever one of Warriors fall down. He even gets crushed against Williams, and don't have a clue what to do when he posted up against PG. And, will he ever learn to shoot the ball? Sometimes, it's incredible that he is a same shooter as he entered the league. And, if he shoots better, things will open up so much for him. It's like worse version of Billy Owens. He may have a talent, but I am starting to think that that talent has nothing to do with NBA...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Kwan1031 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Is Dunleavy made out of tofu? He may have a talent, but I am starting to think that that talent has nothing to do with NBA...</div>

Lol, I agree, Kwan. This off-season I said the W's need a player just like what Dunleavy was touted to be: a smart, intelligent ballhandler and passer who could "facilitate" the offense and get others involved.

Well, I've officially decided: that player is not going to be Dunleavy himself. I thought he might do something this year. I know it's only 3 games, but man those three games were 152 minutes and you can never erase those; they're in the books, and Dunleavy is in the books as being a soft, awkward 6'9" piece of tofu that gets gobbled up by 5-foot point guards. That will never go away. It's already happened. It wasn't a fluke. It happened, consistently, over and over.

I think it's too late for him to do anything about it. It is what it is. Can he really ever start playing with some power in his body? I don't know; I said it in year 1, and I'm still wondering in year 5. Remember when he was supposed to replace Antawn Jamison? OMG! Twan would friggin eat Dunleavy alive in the post now; Twan was a softy yet we all know he'd eat Dunleavy for lunch; he'd man-handle him like a little school girl. That's a sad reality.

Dunleavy is a 5-foot high-school point guard playing in a 6'9" NBA body. He could add 50 pounds of muscle and grow 5 inches; he's still play patty-cake and shoot off-balance one-footed floaters like a little b!tch

 

How the ***** do we make the playoffs when we can't beat the Jazz and the Kobe less Lakers?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Didn't see much of the game (it seems like my work schedule and the W's schedule are perfectly synchronized) but there's no shame in getting beaten by Utah at full strength in Salt Lake City. When healthy they're on the level of a Clippers type team; not quite "elite" but just a notch below. I'd still like the team to win but there will obviously be a learning curve and a process for Nelson finding out how to play his players. I'd still be disappointed if we don't end up competing for the playoffs though...</div>

Dude, you should have seen the whole game. Then you might see the shame of it. Because it was a damn shame. Any NBA should be absolutely embarrassed at playing the way GS did tonight.

More specifically, anyone would be embarrassed to play as soft as Dun Dun. The Warriors will be bottom feeders again if this game was any indication.

 

I am still hoping it is a combination of J-rich coming back too soon, his explosiveness is just gone, the fact that the starting team didnt play together in the preseason, murphy cant deal with the mask, and the frustrations dont mount.

Two moments that frustrated me.

Dunleavy had williams deep on the block, he took a dribble backing williams down and then instead of making any kind of aggressive move to the hoop he fades away avoiding contact for a miss.

It almost seemed like BAron in frustration fouled on purpose when he was on the floor to get himself out of the game. His body language the whole game seemed like he wasnt into it.

 

Dunleavy is the worst of the worst, but did we really expect better from him? Just as disturbing to me is Baron shooting 27% from the field so far. At least he's taking less 3s but the dude was bad from the field last year and worse so far this year, and we need his scoring.

Originally I was calling for Ike and Andris to be starting by the All-Star break, but at this rate they may be starting by Thanksgiving.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Carter Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">How the ***** do we make the playoffs when we can't beat the Jazz and the Kobe less Lakers?</div>

The Suns didn't beat the Jazz, nor did they beat the Kobe-less lakers. Food for thought.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Marbire Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The Suns didn't beat the Jazz, nor did they beat the Kobe-less lakers. Food for thought.</div>

Are you implying something along the lines of "Nellie-ball can't beat certain teams due to inside presence and defense, yet it is good enough to get the 8th seed?"

 

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The Warriors continue to kill themselves at the free throw line. They've been able to get to the line 31 times against a strong defensive team, but only cashed in on 17 points. If the Warriors make their free throws, it's only a 1 point game.</div>

Yeah, ouch...

Our best center and guards have this problem... It's a catch 22 everywhere...

 

I didn't get the chance to watch this game. How did Pietrus get 3 blocks? On the other hand Andris got 3 steals. I thought that was kind of interesting. How does Troy Murphy get 0 rebounds in 23 minutes? Wow I just noticed that POB got 3 steals too, that is impressive - in less than 16 minutes.

I think the biggest stat this early season is the FG% of Murphy(34.8%), Davis(30.2%), and Richardson(33.3%). We can add FT% to this stat too - 63%. The Warriors big three - Baron, Jason, Murphy - are a combined 33-122 this season.

The Warriors back up bigs look good, such as Andris(who is now starting), Ike, Patrick O'Bryant, and even Barnes, though in very limited minutes. But the Warriors should try to trade Murphy, Dunleavy, and McLeod for something else. Right now I would like to have Fisher. I think everyone was kind of harsh on him. He performed for this team, he was just given too loose of a leashe, and too big of a contract, but he wasn't that bad at all. Right now the Warriors could use a shooter like Fisher, especially since Roberson hasn't come through like he was in the preseason.

I was kind of cautious when Baron Davis and Dunleavy needed to play 40+ minutes just so this team could win against other teams' backups. But yeah, maybe I was too optimistic. It kind of seems as if this will be a developing season, once again. That is until JRich can get his legs back and his rythem - then maybe this team will be able to compete. I don't think there is anymore to add for Dunleavy and Murphy. I suppose it is nice to see Dunleavy getting to the FT line. But the team needs a lot more than that, especially with his contract.

 

Pietrus was all over the court defensively. I can not say the same for Dunleavy, Richardson, Murphy or Davis...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Clif25:</div><div class="quote_post">I think the biggest stat this early season is the FG% of Murphy(34.8%), Davis(30.2%), and Richardson(33.3%). We can add FT% to this stat too - 63%. The Warriors big three - Baron, Jason, Murphy - are a combined 33-122 this season.</div>
Good observation. I don't they can play any worse, and they will not play that way all season, or at least I hope not.

Going into the season, I think we all knew that defense would not be strong point, but the lack of offense reminded me of the warriors start two seasons ago with Monty. I do think this team is a lot better offensively than this, and it's great to see the bench playing so well (last year it was not dependable).

Part of it is because of bad chemistry right now, new coach (yet again), J-Rich injured, Murphy in the mask, playing out of position. But also there is something mentally affecting their play.

FTs will be the key to success.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Agree, Biedrins has been the best big on this team and if he can keep out of foul trouble like he did last night (1 PF) he can be a monster rebounder/shotblocker/garbage player. So far in 3 games this season he's averaging 8.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 1 spg, in 20 mpg on 86% FG(!).

I got to see the most of the end of the game and POB looked pretty good out there. Wasn't as lost and foul prone as I thought he'd be, he was active in the lane on defense changing and blocking shots, deflecting passes that led to steals, and it looks like hes learned more about getting in position for the rebound since the summer league, even though his stats don't show it. On offense he seemed to hang around the high post alot but from what I saw it looks like hes got a decent feel for the game on offense. When someone kicks him the ball he knows exactly where he wants to pass it immediately after he gets the ball. On one particular play one of the W's (I think Pietrus) tried to drive on the baseline but was denied by a few Jazz players, he kicked it to POB out around the top of the key and POB immediately threw a bullet to Ike who had great position right under the hoop for a score.

I saw him get the ball on the right block twice, he missed a sky hook pretty bad but put in a jump hook on his next try. Once he can perfect those shots there will be no stopping him, the guy is very tall and VERY lanky. A pretty decent athlete, seems pretty smart, has a nice jump shot, and he can make his FTs too so you can't hack at him. He's still got a long way to go but he has all of the tools that you want to see in a young big man.</div>

Yeah, this is good stuff. I remember seeing him, Patrick O' Bryant, at the Staples Center in the preseason vs. the Hornets at the LA Shootout. That guy is tall. There is no doubt about that. I have been impressed with Andris so far, and I think Andris and O'Bryant in the paint on defense is going to be strong. Andris has already shown that he is a presence down there, and POB has all the tools to be the same(as you note above Run BJM). He may not be a Foyle or even Biedrins type of shot blocker, but he is a much bigger presence on the block compared to Foyle because of his height and length, and because of this, he should be a bigger presence there than Foyle.

I meant to add this to my original post: But I was reading the post game comments by the Warriors, and it just seems as if the Jazz are a very impressive team. Don Nelson gave that team high praises, and even Baron and Jason did too. Don Nelson seemed a little more passive after last night's game than the previous two games. Baron however is frusterated with losing and is starting to not be able to take it very well anymore. Jason noted that the Warriors need to play better against this team, no matter how good the Jazz are playing, because this is a team that the Warriors need to beat to make the playoffs - or at least they will be competing for a playoff spot where spots are extremely limited(which kind of seems inaccurate since there are 8 spots out of about 14 or so teams in the West; but it's true).