Whatever Cohan Decides, Do the Opposite How messed up can the Warriors be???!!!???!!! Nelson insists he hasn’t reached end of the road By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports When it comes to Don Nelson, the rest of the NBA is forever dubious of his intentions, suggesting he’s hatched a passive-aggressive plot to take the money and run to his Hawaiian paradise. They watch him rip the players and turn the defense over to his assistants and, privately, peers believe that Nellie is daring ownership to fire him. “Why do I need to do any of that?” Nelson wondered this week in a private moment. “All I have to do is retire.” He could retire, but he wouldn’t get the $12 million owed him on the two years beyond this lost season. The Warriors have crippled themselves with bad contracts (Corey Maggette), bad behavior (Monta Ellis) and bad management (ownership signing Stephen Jackson to a needless extension), but Nelson insists he’s here for the long run. “I’m coming back,” Nelson insisted. “I didn’t sign an extension not to finish it. I’m going to finish my three years.” The Warriors find themselves in the clutches of a relentless saga of betrayal and incompetence. Golden State ownership has embarrassed a franchise icon, Chris Mullin – essentially stripping the GM of his responsibilities and authority – as it waits for his contract to run out at season’s end. They fired assistant GM Pete D’Alessandro and promoted an old Nellie buddy, Larry Riley, to his job. Several executives say they no longer discuss potential trades with Mullin, but rather Riley. “Larry is the one making and taking the calls,” one Western Conference GM said. “Mully has definitely been isolated.” All along, the question to Nelson has been unmistakable: Why hasn’t he done more to fight for Mullin? After all, Mullin had convinced owner Chris Cohan to let Nelson return to the Warriors for a second act. Together, they beat the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs and won 48 games a season ago. Yet, Mullin fell out of favor with Cohan and team president Robert Rowell, lost his power and lost face. “Everyone knows my feeling,” Nelson said. “I want to work with Chris the rest of my career.” That isn’t happening. Nellie knows it, too. These Warriors were Nelson’s chance to make a final bid to secure his standing in history. After a nasty parting in Dallas with Mark Cuban, Nelson returned to the kind of circumstance that he loved: an underdog with no expectations. Cuban always insisted that Nellie never wanted to coach when the burden changed, but loved it when no one expected much of his teams. Those go-go Warriors of Baron Davis and Jackson were a cast of misfits and rejects who found a purpose and passion under Nellie. It was a one-hit wonder in ‘07, an epic upset of the Mavs that turned out to be a vapor. Now, Davis is gone to the Clippers, the Warriors have been decimated with a blend of injuries and youth that have conspired for a 10-26 record. Beyond the money, the biggest reason for Nelson to stay on the job comes next season: He’ll pass Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332 coaching victories for the most in NBA history. “It means nothing to me at this point in my life,” Nelson said. “It’s not something that’s a goal of mine at all. I’d rather not have it than have it. … Lenny deserves to have it.” Those surrounding Nelson laugh when they hear him talk that way, because the record does matter to him. He has been passed over several times for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Yes, he’s coached 30 seasons to reach those 1,290 victories, but Nelson’s innovative mind has left an imprint on the sport. A lot of coaches just coach and leave little mark on the profession. Nelson has a legacy. He glamorized the small-ball trend popular in the league. He changed the European game when he took a gangly 7-foot German teenager and let him play on the perimeter. Nelson made Dirk Nowitzki’s greatness because he was willing to see the possibilities. A generation of young Euros followed the model and it’s been beautiful for the game. “The Hall of Fame means nothing to me at this point,” Nelson said. “It meant a lot to me for a lot of years, but it just means less and less. … I’ll be the first to say that I don’t belong in the Hall of Fame. I don’t see myself as a Hall of Fame coach. If you’re successful and able to coach good teams like Phil Jackson, you’re going to get a lot of wins, a lot faster. “I’ve never been able to coach the best team in basketball. I think I’ve done a good job over my career. I think I’m doing a good job now. But I’m not rewarded with a bunch of wins.” Nevertheless, Chris Mullin is on the way out, and these Warriors belong to Don Nelson now. He says he’ll stay and honor his contract. Around the league, they’ll believe it when they see it. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...g=aw-nelsonwarriors010709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
God we are doomed to play gimmick ball for a few years... I knew the year we made the playoffs was nothing to build off of. It's all management and small ball's fault.
CR, Gimmick ball or not, do you think this team as constructed with a different coach would have a shot at the playoffs in a couple of years?
It depends if the players can stay healthy. It's hard to make any assessment when your star players are out. In this case, Monta, Sjax, Maggette. They've all spent significant time off the court this season. Now, we don't have Wright for 3 weeks. Injuries suck more than anything.
Honestly, I think this team would have a shot at POs in a few years, with or without a new coach, if they played Wright & Randolph heavy minutes and found a way to get rid of Maggette/Crawford. It would probably happen quicker under a different coach, because Nellie doesn't seem to to want to play the young big men at all. I don't think the current roster is capable of POs, because as it is, Crawford and Maggette are going to want to "get theirs" as long as they are here. That's 40+ shots a night for two guys who are not a part of the future of the franchise. The longer they are playing 30+ minutes for GSW, the longer it is going to take to turn this thing around. I'd throw Jax in that bag, too, except that it's probably completely unrealistic to try to move all three, and if one of them should stay it would be him. It's hard to swallow the fact that it's time to rebuild after just rebuilding, but that's what it is. The sooner GS accepts that, the sooner they can get back to the POs. The vision they need to embrace is this, IMO: Wright, Randolph, Morrow and Bellinelli should be the focus of the team -- they should be getting all of the minutes (I happen to think Morrow and Bellinelli are both better overall players than Maggette). Biedrins and Monta should be the centerpiece of the vision -- with everything built around them. If a player doesn't fit with them, they don't fit on the team. Crawford and Maggette should flat out be gone. Jax should be an afterthought -- okay, so he's here, but he's not a main piece of the puzzle. He will eventually be replaced by Randolph, or somebody younger and better, and we are not going to fool ourselves to think otherwise. He is a temporary veteran leader until he is gone, and our goal is to replace him with a younger franchise SF. If they can get rid of Crawford/Maggette, and dedicate themselves to developing their talent in Randolph/Wright/Morrow/Bellinelli, and through the draft, this team can be back in POs in a few years, because at least by then they will have figured out whether Randolph will be the guy or not. They don't have to tank. They just need to stop procrastinating. The longer they ride the fence, allowing Nellie to play Crawford/Maggette/Jax 40 minutes each, the longer that process will be delayed, and the longer they will be stuck in mediocrity and not knowing whether their young guys can do it or not. Let's find out already.
I'm not sure about your Morrow claim being an overall better player than Maggette, but I won't argue he's the best pure shooter the Warriors have. That's something to build on and that's a great asset to have.
What bugs me most is that I don't want Nelson being in charge of player personnel decisions period. He's too quick to pull the trigger and will sacrifice the future for now. Sure, he was successful with Dirk and CWebb, but how many guys around are like them? Not many and Andrea Bargnani is no Dirk. I can't argue with his coaching because he's going to be the most winningest NBA coach ever, but good things take time. I think Mullin had the GSW ship righted again, especially if we signed Baron to the three year extension. Sure, Mullin still made mistakes like taking POB, Kosta, and a few other moves, but he's fixed what was broken and built a team for now and the future. But back to Nelson. He said he likes Jamal Crawford and Marco, so I think he's going to roll with them. He said he's okay with Brandan Wright and playing him, but saying it and doing it are two different things. Wright still hasn't gotten the minutes. I think he likes Mags because he gives him the minutes when healthy. Monta and AR (unless AR changes his attitude) are on the way out. AB? I don't think he gets the respect he deserves, i.e. more minutes, from Nelson and his small ball fever.
Yeah, I mean right now, on the surface, Maggette is a more productive player with 20pts and 5 rebounds. But I just think from the initial signs I've seen with Morrow, that the team has a better chance of winning when he is on the court compared to Maggette. Because while both players are shooters, they are about as different as can be. Maggette is a black hole, IMO. As soon as the ball touches his mitts, the possession is over. The other 4 players all know they have no chance of seeing the ball again. They stand and watch. He tries to score. Morrow, on the other hand, doesn't need to dominate the ball to be effective. He needs about 1 second with the ball on any possession to score. As soon as he touches it he's lasering it through the net, or he's swinging it back to an open man. He rarely spends 8 or 9 seconds dribbling around trying to decide which and-1 move to make, the way Crawford/Maggette/Jackson all do. Morrow makes his teammates better by being such a good shooter -- he's a deadly option when Bellinelli is driving and dishing. He's patient and poised and makes his shots. Maggette, on the other hand, doesn't really make his teammates better, IMO. His shots don't come from the flow of the offense -- he tries to create everything by himself. Defensively, it's about a wash talent wise, but Morrow tries harder. Maggette has spurts when he shows effort, especially if he just scored and knows the camera is on him, or if he's trying to go 1-on-1 with LeBron or Kobe. Mostly he shows effort when he first checks in the game (did you see how hard he played for the first 5 minutes against Utah?). Then, he seems to quickly get tired (maybe it's the excess muscle mass?), and then he stands around, gets caught with his back to the ball, doesn't move his feet, and generally plays lazy ass defense. Basically he just waits for it to be over so it can be his turn to try and score again. Try this the next time you tape a Warriors game. Just forget about the game and don't take your eyes off Maggette. Think of yourself as a highschool/college coach and you're watching one of your players. Watch what he does. Watch how his defensive intensity is all over the place, and usually very low. Watch the way he stands and stares as the play is happening. It seems like often, when I rewind a blown play, there's Maggette half-assing or standing around. Not always, but it happens frequently (at least that's the impression I have). Rebounding-wise, Maggette is considered a good rebounder. He's averaging 5.7 a game, almost all of that defensive. But Morrow is a strong rebounder, too. He's got a solid base and boxes out very well for his size. I just checked it -- per 48 minutes, Maggette averages 7.8 total rebounds, while Morrow averages 7.2 total rebounds. But here's the kicker: Maggette averages 1.5 offensive rp48, while Morrow averages 2.9 rp48. So Morrow averages twice as many offensive rebounds per 48 minutes as Maggette. And that's the real place to look to find a quality rebounder. Defensive boards are much easier to get. Many times they're just clean-up on missed shots or loose balls. Offensive rebounds means you're banging with the opposing defenders, and creating second shot opportunities for your teammates. Also, the defender usually has the advantage because they are between you and the bucket, and can box out easier, which means when you get an offensive rebound you often have to fight over or through the opposing player's attempt to box out (not always, but generally). So to me, Morrow is a better quality rebounder, because while Maggette averages 1/2 more rebounds per 48 minutes, Morrow gets twice as many of the more precious offensive rebounds. While we're at it, let's look at the other stats per 48 minutes. Maggette averages 26.6 points, while Morrow comes in a surprising 4th best at 22.8 points. So Maggette only averages 4 more points per 48 minutes. Maggette gets 2.5 assists compared to 2.1 for Morrow. So that's a wash. Ooh. Here's a good one. Maggette average more than twice the amount of turnovers. Maggette averages 3.4 turnovers per 48 minutes; Morrow only 1.5 turnovers. Morrow shoots 45.5 % FG, while Maggette shoots 43%, so that's a slight edge for Morrow. We all know Morrow can flat out stroke it. The dude leads the team at 46.7% from three! That's one of the best in the league (if he had enough attempts). Maggette? Ooohh... this is painful.... has anyone looked at this recently? Coaches? Maggette shoots a painful 17.6% from three!! And he shoots nearly 3 of those a game (2.8). Ouch. What else? Steals per 48 minutes: Morrow 1.52, Maggette 1.31. Blocks per 48 minutes: Maggette is .31, Morrow is .09. So again, defensively it's a wash. But I think Morrow shows more effort, in part because he's not getting paid yet like Mags is. Maggette is a great FT shooter at .839%. But Morrow is better! at .868%. So, what do we have here per 48 minutes? Maggette averages a half rebound more per game, but Morrow gets twice as many offensive rebounds, which are much more telling. Morrow wins the rebounding battle, IMO. Mags scores about 4 more points per 48 minutes. But Morrow shoots a better percentage, and blows Maggette away from three. Morrow also shoots better from the foul line. Defensively it's a wash. But how about ball control? Maggette commits more than twice as many turnovers as Morrow, at 3.4 versus 1.5. To me, Morrow is a better player. The kicker? He's a young undrafted kid from the D-League. He has yet to develop his game, and already his numbers look better to me than Maggette. Maggette, on the other hand, is set in his game. He is who he is. Oh, and he's injury prone too. What happens if he gets a 6 month hamstring injury (certainly possible)? Then there's no way we trade him and his contract eats up 10 mils per year. I think Morrow can turn into Ray Allen. Yes, I'm bias. But so what? I think the sooner GS givs him heavy run, the better. All of those kids. If you really break it down and look at the numbers, it makes sense to me.
I'd give the Lakers whoever they want to make this work : Golden State Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: -29.5 ppg, -4.1 rpg, and -5.5 apg. Incoming Players Huge Expiring Contract Ahead Warning Lamar Odom 6-10 SF from Rhode Island 8.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 apg in 26.2 minutes Outgoing Players Corey Maggette 6-6 SF from Duke 19.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg in 34.7 minutes Stephen Jackson 6-8 SF / SG from Oak Hill Academy (HS) 19.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.0 apg in 39.5 minutes L.A. Lakers Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: +29.5 ppg, +4.1 rpg, and +5.5 apg. Incoming Players Corey Maggette 6-6 SF from Duke 19.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg in 34.7 minutes Stephen Jackson 6-8 SF / SG from Oak Hill Academy (HS) 19.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.0 apg in 39.5 minutes Outgoing Players Lamar Odom 6-10 SF from Rhode Island 8.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 apg in 26.2 minutes
No, but it could be playing better ball rather than this crap we've been seeing. A new coach would at least let guys like Marcus Williams play. I don't get how Sjax at what seems like a 1:1 assist to turnover ratio could get more minutes running the show than Marcus Williams. We want to run don't we? If we're not, play the big guys! Nelson just doesn't appear to care about developing the young guys that can help us. He just wants these guys who can score and that's it. He doesn't care if Turiaf is a good defender who can protect Biedrins. He doesn't care if Crawford or Mags are out of control or launching up terrible shots and throwing bad passes. He just wants names and guys who can score 18 ppg at no matter what %... Doesn't sound like a coach who could develop young players, especially big guys. He's a journeyman coach, not a Nate McMillan or somebody that can help us.
What about re-signing Andrew Bynum? Gasol and Kobe are making the most money. LA could use a point guard, not necessarily more swing guys. It's interesting though. Sjax would be a nice addition at SF with Mags coming off the bench to pummel the other team at the foul line.
I appreciate you elaborating your Morrow bias (you said it, not me ) I have to respectfully disagree on most of it. While Maggette will never be the shooter Morrow is (and will be), every other aspect of his game is superior to Morrow's right now. I don't think you can base all of Morrow's potential based on per 48 min stats. Those are very misleading stats you're throwing up. Are you telling me that if Morrow played the same amount of minutes Maggette does, he would put up better numbers? I highly, highly doubt that. Morrow is not physically fit enough to play game-in and game-out those types of minutes let alone have the mental capacity to be able to consistently put up numbers based on the per 48 minute stats. That's why he doesn't play Maybe I'm seeing a different Morrow than you are. I see him being very hesitant when he gets the ball (when he isn't hesitant, that's when he's good). He plays like an undrafted rookie. Unsure of what to do, doesn't want to make a mistake, hustles for everything. On a side note, I don't think the other Warriors have looked for Morrow too much either. The Maggette I've seen the last two games since his return from injury is pretty promising. He knows exactly what he can do, is getting his points in the flow of the offense, doesn't seem to be much of a black hole as before, and is rebounding and playing better defense than before. We all know he is physically capable and he has the right mindset...it's just a matter of executing. With Morrow, I don't think he has the tools yet to be that player. You're basing it on the short list of good things you've seen and also basing it on per 48 min stats. Not sure that's enough to come to the conclusion that Morrow is a better overall player than Maggette...or will become a better overall player. I guess we'll see.
The Lakers already extended Bynum through 2012 and have a team option for 2013 . We may have to take one of their bloated contracts back like Luke Walton and give them a re-signed Marcus Williams to get it done if LA thinks Mags/SJax are the final pieces of the puzzle for them to dominate for years to come.
I'm using per 48 because it's the best way to compare players who play significantly different amounts of minutes, IMO. And I'm not just "throwing" them up; I compared every major stat between the two players. But really, even though I'm bringing up how their numbers are nearly identical, I'm not really talking about stats. What I said in the first post is that, while on the surface Maggette looks like a more productive player with 20pts 5reb, the Warriors really have a better chance to win with Morrow on the floor. My reason is that, even though their numbers are nearly identical, they are very different players. To me Maggette is a black hole. He is a 1-on-1 machine. Did you see his 5th grade entry passes last night? He looks like he's never even practiced a bounce pass before. Or how about that telegraphed outlet pass for the easy Outlaw steal and dunk. Not to be harsh, but to me Maggette's just plain lazy. His attempts to pass are contrived; they're for the sake of "show," in my opinion. We all really know that Corey wants to shoot the ball every time it touches his mitts. I agree with you that Morrow looks best when he's not hesitant. And you're right, he is an undrafted rookie, and he's trying to find his way in the league, and that takes time. The difference to me, though, is that Morrow's hesitance doesn't soak up 15 seconds off the shot clock the way Maggette's does. Maggette hesitates because he can't decide which of his 1-on-1 moves he's going to try next. He's not thinking about triple threat, about making his defender respect the pass, about seeing the floor and finding the open cutter. He's just deciding how he is going to shoot the ball. Here's the key for me. How do they impact the game? Morrow is a threat just by being out there, because he stretches the D and they have to respect that. Meanwhile, Biedrins and Bellinelli can go to work. Morrow may not touch the ball for 5 minutes, but he can still affect the game greatly just with his shooting presence, as he shoots one of the best 3pt% in the league. Even by standing around on the three line, Morrow changes the game and makes his teammates better. With Morrow on the floor, Bellinelli has an ace in the hole, a lethal target he can dish to in a pinch. This stretches the D and makes it easier for Bellinelli to drive. Now, Maggette does pretty much exactly what Morrow does -- he stands on the three point line and waits. The problem? He only shoots 17% from three! They're not scared of you, Corey! Go do something else! Maggette does nothing to stretch the D by standing on the three line. In fact, it makes the defense's job easier because it's one less body to bang with inside. So, to me, Maggette does not impact the game, and make his teammates better, by standing on the three line. Yet this is what he does the majority of the time. Does he run around and set picks? Not really. He just holds one hand up and keeps calling for the ball, regardless of the play. Does he make baseline cuts and backdoor cuts? You tell me. I haven't seen many, and I've seen every minute of every game this year. Maggette's only impact on the game comes when the ball is in his hands. He does little to make his teammates better. As to your point about per-48 stats, I don't think Morrow could come in right away and put up 20/5 if we made him a starter over Maggette. It would take time, because it would be a new role for him, and yes he is a rookie so he still has a lot to learn. Maggette has been ball-hogging for years, now, so he's got a head start on Morrow when it comes to scoring 20 points a game. But I think if Morrow were to start over Maggette, guys like Bellinelli and Biedrins would suddenly look a whole lot better. They'd look happier, IMO, and they would play better. While I think Maggette has a better chance of scoring 20 points, I think Morrow has a better chance of helping his team win.