Warriors vs. Kings

Dang, I'm glad Baron started realizing that he had to get his teammates involved. The guy is just so stubborn when he can't get his own shot going. He provided a lot of pluses like Jkidd with his rebounding and assists. The warriors starting backcourt combined for 18 rebounds which is great.

We dodged a huuuuge bullet, though. Luckily, Ron Artest missed that three pointer. I guess banging on your chest constantly will do that. (Too much early celebrating jinxes ya more time than not)

How about Monta Ellis though? The guy is a freakin' stud. Best finisher in the league for a small guard! He is the Warriors most consistent scorer and its because he can get any shot he wants with his quickness and inside finesse. His midrange shooting game is just so dead on, especially off the pull-up.

Good win. I really like Jackson's game and Barnes/Biedrins played a key role in some plays. Great reserve play from those two. I admired the fact that Jackson stayed in the game even while injured on his left ankle. I liked how Biedrins was willing to come off the bench for a veteran that is not even in starter's form. I guess the reason why they do that is because Webber needs to get warm in order to play since he's out of shape and he's old.

 

It was an ugly game god knows what's been wrong with Baron lately but Monta is a stud. He has grown by leap and bounds since the Warriors drafted him and thescary part is that he can get better, never mind that he is still unknown and underrated but,that will change very soon. Monta is the future of the Warriors and I hope that the Warriors don't do nothing dumb like letting him get away. Man what a game, theWarriors sure don't make it esay on the fans. Every game seems to be a nail bitter and we can't seen to break from the 8 spot. It is going to be intresting to say the least and i hope that Jackson will be ok for the game against the Wizards.

 

I don't know, Buike has not played well lately. Actually it's been a slow decline over the season since his move back to the bench. Maybe it's the knee. Or he's lost his confidence. He decent as a starter, but off the bench he has been invisible most games. Pietrus at least provides energy and defense, though he still makes a lot of dumb mistakes. The bench is worse than last year, if that's possible.

But you got to hand it to this team. They play like crap and still win most of the time.

Monta right now is the only entertainment value for this team. Not fun watching Baron jack up lazy, unfocused three point shots. Also it was pretty funny when Baron jumped into Bibby to get his fifth foul. Laughed like hell when Mikki Moore was saying that he fouled Andris and not Harrington. That's the one good thing about Moore, he's a very passionate basketball player. He may be annoying with his "Marc Jackson" screams after a rebound, but at least he cares about the game.

 

I think Nelson is trying to showcase Pietrus because the guy doesn't deserve to play sometimes. He's just not trustworthy in terms of taking care of the ball or playing team defense (he either over-helps or commits stupid fouls by reaching in which waste up team fouls). Plus, Pietrus seems like a worse outside shooter than Azu at this moment.

I don't even know which teams would want a guy like Pietrus unless they're willing to take a guy that still plays like a rookie with bad habits. There's no upside in guys like those. He was improperly coached and he doesn't have the natural mind for the game like Ellis and Biedrins do.

 

Monta has definately been great lately and easily the most fun player to watch, but let's think about the future of the franchise for a minute before we say the Ws should give him a huge long term deal. Do you really think he can be the best player on a championship calibur team? I'm not so sure. If he's a 2 guard, he needs a big PG like Baron, and there's no guarantee Baron will be around that much longer. His passing ability has improved tons but he's still not a true PG, and I don't really like the idea of a Monta/Marco backcourt. Iverson took Philly to the finals so I guess a scoring/combo guard can win but that was in the east and I'm not sure ellis will get to AI's level unless he develops a 3 point shot.

Don't get me wrong, I think Monta is already a very good player and going to get better. I also think he can be a big part of a championship team. I'm just not ready to give the franchise to him. If there were a deal that could get the Warrios a star who could fit with any type of lineup like a Paul, Roy, Al Jefferson, or a legit three I would strongly consider it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ryan @ Feb 11 2008, 01:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Monta has definately been great lately and easily the most fun player to watch, but let's think about the future of the franchise for a minute before we say the Ws should give him a huge long term deal. Do you really think he can be the best player on a championship calibur team? I'm not so sure. If he's a 2 guard, he needs a big PG like Baron, and there's no guarantee Baron will be around that much longer. His passing ability has improved tons but he's still not a true PG, and I don't really like the idea of a Monta/Marco backcourt. Iverson took Philly to the finals so I guess a scoring/combo guard can win but that was in the east and I'm not sure ellis will get to AI's level unless he develops a 3 point shot.

Don't get me wrong, I think Monta is already a very good player and going to get better. I also think he can be a big part of a championship team. I'm just not ready to give the franchise to him. If there were a deal that could get the Warrios a star who could fit with any type of lineup like a Paul, Roy, Al Jefferson, or a legit three I would strongly consider it.</div>
I think with Monta the sky is the limit, especially if his 3 point shooting, defense, passing, and ballhandling pick up (which I think it will). The guy can already shoot pretty consistently (within 20 feet which is probably minimum long range for a point guard). With that quickness of a smaller player and finishing skills of a bigger player, it's like having a potential go-to guy that can manufacture any shot he wants. Monta's attack-the-basket game sort of reminds of Tony Parker meets Leandrinho Barbosa. These guys don't really have post games, but they don't need one when they can get separation on a defender just by pure quickness, some crossovers, and the ability to pull up and shoot on a dime. I actually think Monta can surpass these guards in multiple areas and become more like an Allen Iverson without the ego and demanding so many shot attempts.

I think Monta will never be a great playmaker, but a good or decent one. He's made some very clever passes to guys like Biedrins or Harrington showing he can look to distribute. Unfortunately, some of these nice passes where when the receiver missed the (sometimes easy) shot, so they didn't count as assists. I think part of his improved passing is due to the fact he's played with this team for over a year now and he's beginning to understand the game more as a playmaker. I don't think he'll be like Baron Davis where he can instantly come on and find guys without knowing how their tendencies are. I think Ellis would really have to crack down on his ballhandling/pass ability to get as good as Baron's is and also work on his pass accuracy to play in a halfcourt situation. I don't think Ellis is ready for that type of game as a point. Baron is still the king playmaker when he chooses to play that role in either the open court or halfcourt. We still have that problem of Baron taking as many 3 point attempts as Jackson thinking he's the same shooter as Sjax. He must be injured or something because with his size, speed, and athleticism he should be driving or posting up a lot more or at least eating some time off the clock. Nope, he goes DFish and just chucks an ugly one up. Never understood his shot selection when he's supposed to be this guy that can beat anybody one-on-one or has a two guard teammate that can beat his guy. It's ego and stubborness, I guess.

Back to Monta, I think his real strength is how efficient of player he is. He won't command 20 shots a game like our best playmaker and then only make 35 or 40% of those shots. He's got a few weapons that work well in certain matchups such as length, speed, quickness and agility. His ability to get to the foul line will really soften up the D. It's like thank goodness Monta can't shoot the three or else he'd be taking some really bad shots like the rest of the Warriors. Chucking doesn't get us to the foul line.