Nelson Counting on Mbenga

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p>

Center DJ Mbenga already knew what the Warriors wanted when they reunited him with coach Don Nelson three weeks ago.</p>

"Bring energy. Bring something different. Make the big man work," said Mbenga, whom Nelson recruited to Dallas in 2004. "That's the stuff I do."</p>

The Warriors will need all the toughness Mbenga can bring tonight as they attempt to end their nine-game slide to the Lakers. Of all the big men Golden State threw at center Andrew Bynum last week in Los Angeles, it was the unheralded Mbenga who fared the best.</p>

He scrapped out seven points, four rebounds and two blocks in just 14 minutes, and, with his 7-foot, 255-pound frame, was the only player who could bang with Bynum in the post.</p>

"He's our most physical," said Nelson, with an emphasis on our. "There are other bigger animals out there."</p>

Anyone playing the Warriors lately would seem to fall under that category. Opposing big men have had their way the last four games, especially in the first quarter.</p>

Portland's Joel Przybilla had seven points and six rebounds, San Antonio's Matt Bonner had nine points and six rebounds and Bynum had eight points and three rebounds - all in the opening period. Miami's Shaquille O'Neal had six points and two rebounds in the first six minutes alone.</p>

Nelson started Andris Biedrins against Bynum last Friday, then turned to Mbenga when Biedrins got in foul trouble. The coach even threw Patrick O'Bryant into the fire to start the second half, only to yank him 74 seconds later after two dunks and a layup by the Lakers.</p>

Nelson, who has started Al Harrington at center the last three games, expected it to be another month or so before Mbenga could provide valuable minutes. The Congo-born center underwent surgery for a torn ACL in February, but has recovered well enough to surpass O'Bryant in the rotation and give Nelson another option in his never-ending game of matchups.</p>

"I don't know one young player who spent time or a year with Nellie and is still the same player," Mbenga said. "You always change. He knows how to make you really want to play, how to take your talent, and, I don't know. He's got something."</p>

Getting technical: Only in the Warriors' skewed universe is it considered progress when Stephen Jackson fouls out of a game and sticks around to see the end of it.</p>

"Last year, I would've got kicked out if I would've fouled out on a foul like that," Jackson said of his final foul in Wednesday's loss to Portland. "This year, I just laughed it off."</p>

The Warriors gained some unwanted notoriety during the playoffs last season when Jackson and Baron Davis were ejected from games, and Matt Barnes joined them in picking up flagrant fouls.</p>

The three captains have avoided that fate so far this season. Though Jackson leads the team with three technical fouls - Davis and Barnes have two apiece, and Nelson has one - there's been a determined effort to shun the explosive theatrics.</p>

"It's definitely important for me to try to keep my focus and keep my composure to help my teammates," Jackson said. "We got a lot of young guys looking up at me on this team."</p>

"We just have to learn how to, I guess, shut up," Barnes added. "That's hard to do because we're all so competitive and we all want to win. ... I almost lost my head (Tuesday) night with no foul called. People say 'Play through it.' It's hard to always do that."</p>

Friday Night Live: It's the Warriors turn to navigate the league's new policy of collecting in-game sound bytes for all nationally televised matchups. Nelson and Davis will be wearing microphones tonight, Nelson will be interviewed after the third quarter, and a camera will be installed to record the Warriors' pre-game, halftime and post-game locker room talks.</div></p>

Source: SF Gate</p>

It's been a hot topic on the Warrior forum lately. All the fans can see the Warriors need someone to enforce the paint and challenge opposing teams big men. Biedrins is a good shot blocker, but doesn't have the junk in the trunk to defende the back to the basket big men.</p>

Can Mbenga fill the void?</p>

He will get tested tonight with Andrew Bynum.</p>

 

We're much better off attacking Bynum hard with a second player as he is turnover prone whne doubled. Problem there is that the Lakers space the floor extremely well and have a lot of guys who can hit the 3 (Kobe, Odom, Walton, Vlad, Fish, etc). Still, we can't afford to have Bynum demolish us on the inside when he can easily be stopped, the least they could do is fake like they'll dig and make Bynum pick up the dribble.</p>