I was watching the "Warriors Weekly" show before the Hornets game and Tim Roye was interviewing Nellie. One of the topics was Al and Nellie said he wants to use Al differently this year because Al's been wanting to be used to showcase his other skills. Nellie said, "I haven't seen it yet, but I'll give him a shot" (not verbatim). Basically, Nellie seemed to welcome Al to bring more skills to the table but he simply hasn't done that. Last night's game was a good indication that he can't do the things he says he can. He might have gotten a few more rebounds than usual, but he looked exactly the same as always. To be fair, if Al shot better than 38% last night and made both his free throws down the stretch, I wouldn't be so hard on him...oh yeah, and if he made the game tying 3 at the end... Here's a quote from Nellie (Contra Costa Times): "I would've understood (his concerns) last year," Nelson said. "I wouldn't understand this year. He's got the green light. What else can you ask for as a player? He can do no wrong offensively. All I'm asking him to do is rebound and be a better defender. And we'll keep working on those things, but he can do what he wants this year. ... It's a surprise to me this came up at all. I thought it was obvious he was going to play all he wanted to."
After watching the game I've warmed up to an Al for Hinrich swap. A level headed PG who can handle (something we sorely lack right now), shoot, play D, make good decisions, push the ball would help us a ton. I'm surprised we were that good last night.
"If you ask me if I want to be traded, I've been wanting to be traded since the end of last season," Harrington said. "With everything that happened in the summer and coming into training camp, I was hoping things were going to work out between me and Nellie, but I don't think that's going to happen. "It is what it is. That's being all the way honest. That's putting it out there. Do I think that Al might have to be traded? Do I think it's going to work with me and Nellie? I don't think so. That's how I feel." It was a direct quote from Harrington though. He didn't like only playing 17 minutes in the last pre-season game and Nellie told him it was going to be like that the rest of the season for him. He's complained about his role for every team he's been on. Warriors need to continue to rid themselves of these diva-status players. I hope they end up dealing him to Charlotte so he can experience the crotchety personality of Larry Brown.
He can play "all he wants to" and "do what he wants" and he has a "green light" and can do "no wrong offensively"? Ugh, I don't like the sound of that at all. How the hell is Wright or Hendrix going to get any time if Al is playing "all he wants to"? So much for "I'm going to play the young players next year". Based on Al getting 42 minutes last night on a poor performance to boot, and Wright 0, Hendrix 0, and Randolph 0, I think Nellie may be serious about that. And that "can do no wrong offensively" thing is a real problem. This team lacks discipline and here's proof that it's coming directly from the top. Baron and sometimes Jackson set a bad example in this regard, but Nellie never came down on them for it. Now Al gets the official blessing as well? I'd rather have players like Biedrins and Monta who take smart shots and shoot a high percentage. Chucking Syndrome from low percentage volume shooters was a big reason we failed to make the playoffs last year and it sounds like Nellie is not doing anything to discourage that, in fact based on this quote, quite the opposite.
I agree. I heard Fitz/Barnett saying how the up-tempo portions of the game favored GS... are you kidding? With Baron gone, and with Monta out, this team is TOTALLY different in terms of speed and break abilitiy. Did you all watch Chris Paul slice and dice on the break and finish at the rim? On the other end, you have Nelson dribling the ball off his foot or Jax getting caught in the air with nowhere to go. I know it's Nellie ball, but with out a legit PG to head the break, GS will not be a high-octane offense the way everyone wants to label them. Heinrich would make perfect sense.
It does make sense and going to NY would be a situation where Al could pad his stats. However, I can't think of many teams lining up to sign him for over $10M if he opts out. Tweeners don't hold much value in the NBA and 6'9 forwards who can't rebound aren't worth a lick. I wouldn't be surprised if Al is playing overseas next season if he opts out.
Look why blame the messenger? Its up to the readers to give it the weight it deserves, that's the root of the First Amendment. Do not blame the media; blame the audience. If some clown says something, call him/her on it. Don't accept it as fact. Look at the story now, Harrington confirms everything. It was true. The minute he told someone his intentions, Harrington was to blame, not Kawakami the messenger. In fact, that just shows you how good a reporter he is. Janny Hu is late to the party. Steinmetz is pretty good. Kawakami is the best (and my golfing buddy.)
For further confirmation, Bruce Jenkins in this morning's Chronicle said Harrington is all but gone. Steinmetz is my favorite Warriors analyst though. I think he is right on about most things, it's just sad that he usually needs to water down his analysis for his tv stints where he only gets a minute or two at a time between ads.
Kawakami's a prick but that's what earns him readership. Good for him, really. He's paving a road for aspiring Japanese American sports journalists (I use to be one until I found a job that pays). I'm sure he's not a prick on the golf course
Why is he a prick? Because he says things that you do not agree with? Look at his record, he tells the truth and does not make up anything. He's not a butt-kisser (see Raiders news conference) and calls clowns on the ridiculous charades they put out (again see Raiders news conference and 49ers coverage).
BTW, my favorite writer in the Bay Area is Bruce Jenkins. He tells it like it is without fawning over the "athletes with cred" who win nothing.
No, I don't have a problem with what he says (I actually agree with a lot of it) but how he says it. I think he's a prick (maybe that was a little harsh...I meant it endearingly, actually) because he's the quintessential sports writer who is always trying to stir the pot, always wanting to be the "first on the spot," and (to me) has a sense of entitlement in his writing style. This doesn't mean I don't appreciate his work. I do. I just think he has some character flaws in some of his writing that does not resonate very well with me. I will keep reading his stuff nonetheless. I think, as a writer, he doesn't need his golfing buddy to defend him. I don't expect him to listen to me or what anyone else says about his writing style (because that's who he is), but he should acknowledge and appreciate the fact people are talking about him, which I think he does. For the record, I never mentioned anything about him lying. Sports journalism isn't about truths vs. lies. It's about speculation, speculation, speculation, and then the truth backed by facts.
He's a good writer. I think Ray Ratto is over the top, but he's funny in interviews. Janny is new to the game, but I think she'll gain some swagger as times goes by. She's taking a conservative path, which I think is good for her. She's an Asian American woman in a Caucasian male dominated field.
One big problem with trading Harrington is that he has good backup player skills but thinks he has big minute starter skills. I think a number of teams would love to have him off the bench (although at less salary than he makes now), but he's not going to be happy as a backup. How many other teams really want Harrington at their starting PF? I have it: Harrington to Indiana for Troy Murphy. Murphy had a double-double in his first game, that must mean he is awesome, right?
How about Harrington for Diogu? If Diogu is healthy that is. Nelson may dislike the guy's game, but dammit we need some guy who can convert inside the paint and be tough. Nelson's basically cast out classical players for the jump shooting big men. This is all Nelson's fault. He wants a power forward that doesn't exist because the types who shoot tend to stay outside and never play inside first. Those types also tend to suck at D or are incredibly soft.
? Diogu is pretty much a bust, plus his salary is only 2.9 mils so it would have to be a package. If we were doing a deal with Portland, though, we could look at Steve Blake...
