If he plays like that, then he should get more PT. I think the style of play the Warriors had been using was just causing everyone to be less productive. Right now Marco is in a rhythm, playing like he did in Italy or something. I think he pounds the ball in the ground a bit too much at times - see the over the backboard possession - and in the past had suspect shot selection. But yeah, he is making some good plays passing it, handling the ball, etc. It's fun to watch. The problem areas, securing the defensive glass, and ball movement were non-problems today. The team had about 24 assists and 10 turnovers, and only gave up 10 offensive boards. Maggette can take all the time off that he wants. I think the promotion of Turiaf as co-captain is having some positive effects as well.
Man, I'm so happy Marco is having a run of good games here. He is proving to everyone that he has game and he's not just a shooter. Everyone was crapping on him when he doesn't shoot well but he does so many other things. Like I said, his style of play is exactly what the Warriors and Don Nelson need. I think Nellie might have had an epiphany tonight and we'll be seeing more of Marco. It's now just a matter of how we distribute the minutes to all the guards. Once again, the Maggette signing and Azubuike signing don't really make too much sense.
Yeah, when Ellis comes back, I am guessing the starting lineup will be Crawford/Ellis/Jackson/wildcard/Biedrins. "wildcard" means like the player that Nelson wants to add to get some type of advantage or keep the hot guy going. Like today the starter/wildcard was Morrow. Other games it might be Turiaf, or Wright, or Maggette, etc. But for the most part I think Maggette would be coming off the bench. If that happens then that means less time available for the likes of Marco. But then again Maggette is always injured, so that may lessen that problem. I guess today I can stand a bit more confident that Marco is not another Jiri Welsch at least. I wonder if he's been improving his ball handling skills since the addition of Crawford. Some of those behind the back dribbles were sweet. I think this season players like Jackson and even for Jamal in the short time he has been here, were trying to get something going where Maggette and the "superstars" or whatever were clicking and gelling. The past two games it seems as if Crawford in the last two games and Jackson a bit tonight are now focusing on just having the whole team gel and click. It's been much better basketball for sure. Also, I don't have a problem with the Azubuike signing. He's been solid for the team for the most part this season, and has been ever since joining the squad. The undrafted players - Azubuike, Morrow, and Watson - were pretty good/productive tonight.
How long before Nelson starts to realize there is a correlation between Maggette not playing and winning basketball (or at least less putrid basketball)?
Man, the Warriors look a lot better when Maggette isn't playing. I hope Nelson realizes this. Man, Jackson did just about everything he could during end of 3rd/start of 4th to throw this game in the garbage. He is the sole reason why their lead dropped from 13 to 1. He was just forcing shots every time, yelling at the ref, and then not even crossing mid court on defense. He shot 7-23 (that's 30%) from the field and 1-8 from three. I love when he becomes a role player, playing hard D and passing to teammates. I hate when he tries to become a PG, just dribbling the ball for 23 seconds of the shot clock and then shooting. I think with Jackson he's only good for the team if he isn't the biggest ego on the team. Like, with Baron, there was a bigger ego, bigger star player, so Jax played the nice guy, the big brother role player. Now that he's the biggest ego on the team, he can't allow himself to just be the player he is (a defensive role-player who can pass well). He now feels compelled to be the next Baron Davis. He's trying to prove that he really IS a 20-point scorer and that he is a star. It's sad. The sooner he and the team figure out he's not Baron, he's not LeBron, he doesn't deserve to have the ball as much as he has it -- the sooner this team will win more. P.S. don't trade Bellinelli!
I hate to say this, but Without Maggette... W Denver L Memphis L @ Sac W Min W Okl W Mil Granted that regardless of Maggette, we should have gone 5-1. But then, there is no question that Maggette is not exactly helping this team despite his stats...
Not long. Belly filled out a bit this off season, and is busting his butt on D. Wright needs to follow in his footsteps now. If that happens, Buike can step aside next season, and the team will finally have some all-around players with depth.
Was at the game and it was a breath of fresh air to see guys pass the ball around and get people better shots. Now the Bucks are not very good and are not very big so that helped. Bellinelli was fun to watch, he's got some handles and the best shot was his fadeaway from the wing (not the shot behind the backboard) because he penetrated and shot it in rhythm. He made a sweet pick and roll with Turiaf for a layup too. His D improved because he was matched up with Redd during the 4th qtr run too. He just looked aggressive; not passive. Problem was that at the start, he'd be open but no one would pass him the ball. Notice how Crawford was out too in the 4th qtr run. SJax was awful in the 3rd and 4th. My buddy and I just could see the T coming on. Its amazing that it took as long as it did for the refs to call the T. Bucks are stupid. Bogut has sweet post moves and can go with the left or right hand hook and he did not get many touches in the 4th.
I love the way the Warriors played. I think the offense/defense moves much better when they got guys like Watson and Turiaf in there. At least Turiaf tries to play defense and move the ball and Watson shoots a high % and rebounds. I think it's unfair to blame it all on maggette, but at PF, he makes the team so much worse than any other position he could play. I think teams with a power forward that doesn't pass is a recipe for disaster. I mean just compare it to when we had Troy Murphy, Al Harrington, and Jamison at those positions... We're better off with guys like the 2002 version of Brian Cardinal/Clif Robinson and even Sjax, so long as there's enough help to secure the board. You know why? Because those guys can actually pass the ball or shoot it a lot better. Hell, if we used Turiaf more at PF, he can shoot decently for a big man and create a little. He also rebounds, boxes out, he enforces the paint, and he passes (did I mention that already... I'm too tired to think straight). What is there not to like about Turiaf? The guy is just super solid and he's pretty quick for a guy that bulky. Anyway, I've felt we can't have our PF as a black hole that doesn't finish inside against weaker players at the PF position. If we got a "Rasheed Wallace" type PF, he better defend and pass. Otherwise, I'll take the Turiaf guy that can do a little of both inside and outside play with the defensive tenacity and physical toughness. Him with Biedrins is pretty cool. Then again Biedrins with Wright is pretty cool, especially when Randolph is the SF! And then with Belinelli always liked his potential. I think he may live up to it if Don Nelson wouldn't be such a doofus with his player assignments. Belinelli = all-around shooting guard. And he's tall, athletic, and he's international. What is there not to like? Aside from inconsistency and defensive potential that is. But he's more usable in the team game than Morrow imo. But I also love Morrow too. He's like Michael Redd in a way but less annoying in shot selection.
