First pre-season game vs Lakers?

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">So anyway, I got this idea of how Cohan plans to make money using Barnett's commentary. The Warriors organization pays Barnett to annoy the viewer so immensely they are forced to actually go to the games. Damn.</div>

You have to give Cohan the credit, that is one good profitable plan.

 

Ok, just got home from watching the game at Jillian's (sidenote: this is the first time I watched a game down there, that screen is about the size of my living room wall!) where me and one other dedicated Warrior fan were allowed to stay an hour passed closing to watch the game.

Here's my take:

Baron: Awesome player, I love his court vision. I just hope he reigns his game in half a notch, especially when he settles for long jumpers.

Fisher: Usual self, he got screwed on a couple of calls and had kind of a rough night driving to the hole

Ellis: You could see that he had some nerves out there and didn't really know what he was doing, but he's a scrappy defender for as small as he is. I'd like to say he could be another Arenas, but he needs to put on at least 20 pounds of muscle before we can even begin to talk about him like that.

Richardson: It's just going to be fun to watch him and Davis together.

Pietrus: I dunno, I want to like him, but I still prefer Dunleavy to him, and certainly Richardson. Pietrus still doesn't have a real good feel for the game, he's settling for jump shots instead of driving, but worst of all Kobe went off in the second quarter when Pietrus was on him. Kobe is great, but that's not supposed to happen to the W's best perimeter defender.

Dunleavy: His defense was clearly better than it's been, but he's still not assertive at all on offense...except for that 30 ft set shot. What the hell was he thinking?

Cheaney: He's Calbert, no more, no less.

Murphy: It looks like Montgomery plans to make Murphy into just a perimeter scorer. I don't remember him posting up once in the whole game. I'm guessing the idea is to keep the middle of the floor open for Richardson and Davis to drive and create, leaving Foyle as the only man in the paint. The W's still need a post up threat, because Foyle isn't. Montgomery probably figures he'll get enough post scoring by Richardson and Davis posting up their men as well as Diogu, once he's healthy. Murphy's outside stroke is looking really nice though.

Zarko: WAY too many turnovers. He's a creative guy, but it's not equating to success. I don't know if the rest of the team just isn't used to how and when he delivers his passes or their just off target, but he's just not on the same page as the rest of the players a lot of the time.

Foyle: I love the way he blocks shots. Put an afro on him and you've got Ben Wallace-lite, especially with the extra muscle. I thought he played extremely well tonight.

Biedrins: This kid just needs to stop with all the fouling. Despite what Custodian thinks about Barnett, I think the guy is really insightful. He made one comment about Biedrins that I think is particularly true when he said, "when you're playing post defense, you have to know that there are times to lean all a guy and times to release. Biedrins hasn't learned when he has to release yet. As a result he keeps committing fouls when the offensive player makes a move and Biedrins is leaning into him."

Other game notes:

-The Lakers won that game because Phil Jackson decided to put Odom back in the game with four minutes left to go up against second and third stringers. The guy scores 9 points in the last two minutes and basically dominates the game. I don't feel bad about that loss at all.

-Concern #1: The Warriors are turning the ball over WAY too often. I'd love to see a stat on turnovers by quarter, because they had 20-some tonight and the majority came in the second half. They just kill any momentum the Warriors build up.

-Concern #2: The team gave up WAY too manyu offensive rebounds in the second half. Again, it's not a great concern because the first unit wasn't out there for much of the second half, but if Biedrins and Zarko want more minutes, they need to secure more defensive rebounds.

-Speaking of Zarko, I don't think he did anything tonight to close the door on Ike being the primary backup at the 4 once he's healthy. Zarko is a good player, but he doesn't really do anything that Murphy or Dunleavy can't do. If the Warriors don't have another big man who can post up, Diogu is going to get minutes sooner than later.

 

i wish i could watch the games this year...i just found out that charter communcations doesn't have nba league pass (even though they have nhl, nfl and mlb). about 1 hour after i find this out, my grandma calls and tells me that she wants to pay for nba league pass (since i'm such a good boy). i can't even tell u how mad i am...i'm gonna have to go to the local sports bar where the stupid ass kings fans ALWAYS get the big screen...

sounds like w's played pretty good to begin with though, can't wait till 11/2

 

Here's my take on the W's players performances tonight.

B. Diddy: Looks sharper and quicker, he got the fire to succeed in him.

J-Rich: Had some nice dunks and jump shots but, his defense still needs more work. It was very evident that when Kobe went crazy J-Rich was gettin burned left and right. I still somewhat question his will power, it seemed that when Kobe caught fire, he just faded back to no where.

Troy Murphy: He definately looks more mobile and bigger. His 3-point shot looks amazing. Defensively, haven't seen anything yet but his added strength and size should help. Oh forgot to mention, he's still a rebounding machine.

Mike D: Nice handles, more assertive, definately better defense. He pretty much shut down Odom when he wasn't in foul trouble. I wish he could get more greedy and just drive the damn thing in the lane and dunk it down.

Adonal Foyle: Wow, he looks like he's in much better shape. Blockin shots left and right, showing some offense.

Derek Fisher: Seems like he added some speed and more streetball style moves like B Diddy has. More agressive, taking it to the rack. In his greatest shape ever.

Air France: Sure looks lost on the floor, jackin up too many 3 point shots. Should be more agressive and drive it to the rack. Also getting called for too many silly fouls.

Beans: Looks stronger, but still plays like when he did during his rookie season. I think he reaches in with his arms too much and always gets called for a foul because the people are jumping into him.

Zarko: Seems a bit over anxioius and out of sync. Maybe more playing time will cure the problem.

Monta Ellis: Was on the floor quite a bit but didnt' really see much production, other some decent defense.

Mamadou?: When I first saw him, I thought he was Adonal Foyles brother or something. Heh.. Had a solid game backing up Foyle.

Aaron Miles: Didn't look too bad, looked pretty quick with good handles.

Let's hope that was a warmup game, for which they'll keep improving.

 

Interesting game.

The Warriors came out high as a kite. The ball was moving up and down, two series in a row the ball never touched the floor. Baron was in midseason form with his chewing.

Adonal: Looked more lively and aware.

Troy: Looked quicker and was a beast on the boards. His leaping ability looked improved.

Jrich: doesn't look like his handle improved at all. He has a way of dribbling in front of his body that defenders can easily stop his progress.

Biedrins: Looks lost. Had 0 positive impact on the game.

Barky: Looked like he was over amped. Needs to slow down and see the game. The pressure bothered him.

Dun: Passed well, defended pretty good, too many fouls, no offensive rhythm.

Mamadou: got pushed around. His legs are weak.

Monta: Looked good. His shots didn't go down because he was forced to take shots in positions that he is not familiar with. When he gets used to the speed and size he'll be awesome.

Pietrus: Out of control, poor decision making. He was thinking offense first and defense second. He needs to feed off of his D.

Montgomery: I think he got out coached. Phil slowed the game down in the second and used a bruising foul plan to get to Bdiddy. They fouled often and intentionally to take control of the tempo and get the Warriors out of rhythm. Smush abused Bdiddy fouling him everytime he touched the ball. Montgomery just watched and the team did not adjust.

Team: movement and spacing were bad. If the W's didn't run they struggled in the half court. A little too much pastry for my taste. I was hoping to see some of that off the ball movement we saw late last season. The Lakers bullied the Warriors and changed the tempo. The team never adjusted.

 

Well Montay, better we lose the game thinking we still need work rather than winning the game thinking we the shizzle. It definitely puts Dunleavy and Pietrus and Zarko in a "must do-well or at least improve" year. It's preseason but it looks like more of the same. All perimeter offense, no way to get inside off the dribble without Baron, and we play no defense.

 

I only got a chance to watch the first quarter and thought that they played well together and were very entertaining. "We could be looking and the new Sacramento Kings" with their team play. This is the Kings of a few years ago when they seemed very cohesive.

 

My two cents.

Adonal: Defended that lane extremely well. His blocks and defense will be a big catalyst for our fast break. I loved his effort. If he improves his finishing ability and makes his free throws he will have an excellent year. I think the possibility of a winning season has got him playing his best.

Troy: I loved the rebounding and better shot selection. Looks a whole lot healthier and athletic than last year. His frame is better shaped as well. If he embraces the scrappy role and puts up less shots he will make this team even better. If he scores 10-12/game and raises his fg% to the mid or high 40's his season will be a resounding success. We have too many good options for him to shoot all those jumpers at a 40% clip.

Jrich: handles still shaky, not sure how much he can improve in this area, seems like you need to get the ball handling when growing up. Defensive footwork will prevent him from being a lockdown defender but aside from that he's ready to be on the receiving end of many a BD assist.

Biedrins: Way too skinny, he needs to bulk up. I wish we had somene devoted to mentoring him. I think that would expedite his maturation. Still very young and still a lot of potential.

Zarko: time for Monty to pull the reigns back. Limit his fullcourt dribbling opportunities. I like his unselfishness but he doesn't deliver the passes in the right spots yet.

Dun: stronger and his d has improved although hard to really evaluate because Odom wasn't going after him that hard. In the regular season he will be targeted. Was pretty invisible and didn't score till late. Barnett and Fitz already in mid-season Dun fluff form. He didn't do that much yet they were still talking about him a lot.

Mamadou: Not strong enough. No way this guy should be taking Taft's minutes.

Monta: This guy looks like he could still be a freshman in high school. I know he played well in SL but this guy needs to get a lot stronger. He's too skinny to get any sort of consistent minutes in the NBA. Right when I saw him that was my impression. The good thing is he can play against the smaller guards. Maybe give him a couple minutes guarding the short, fast guys so he can earn more.

Pietrus: my fav player but i was disappointing in his game. He did score 13 and got to the line for 5-7 but he never seemed to get comfortable. I thought Monty should have brought him in again in the 1st half. Monty still needs to understand how to use this guy better.

Fish: same old Fish. Dominating the ball too much so the offense gets stagnant. Looks for his own shot too much, does not know how to set up others. This guy should never be driving. Luckily he did get some calls in the lane. Just bring the ball up, initiated the offense, and spot up. He needs to understand where he's most effective. Even the announcers are always hinting at Fisher's bad decisions.

Monty - outcoached again. I had no idea what he was doing when he put Zarko, Murph, and Dun as out frontline in the first half. That's a red carpet invitation to drive the lane. And I think Kobe's dunk got him going. I dont think Pietrus played much in the 2nd quarter so i think i disagree with wt but I could be wrong.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Well Montay, better we lose the game thinking we still need work rather than winning the game thinking we the shizzle. It definitely puts Dunleavy and Pietrus and Zarko in a "must do-well or at least improve" year. It's preseason but it looks like more of the same. All perimeter offense, no way to get inside off the dribble without Baron, and we play no defense.</div>


Agreed CR2.

Seeing Taft and Diogu on the sidelines was brutal. I'm hoping they will develop and start pounding some defenses inside. Biedrins and Barky are too weak physically. I don't see them lasting with the Warriors if Diogu and/or Taft play like men inside.

I thought Murphy had a nice game. He was real active and had a great game on the boards. But the whole team looked tired in the second half.

 

I could not watch the game or listen, but it sounds like The Warriors starters pretty much played the whole first half then the secon unit played the second half. Is that how it was? Was it like the exibition season for football where you dont play your starters a full game right off the bat and slowly work them into regular season rotations and you evaluate guys who normally dont get a chance to play very many minutes? If so then this game really was meaningless. I was very disappointed they lost this game after starting off so hot. Am I just making excuses or is that how it really went? I was taking this game as seriously as a regular season game...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">I could not watch the game or listen, but it sounds like The Warriors starters pretty much played the whole first half then the secon unit played the second half. Is that how it was? Was it like the exibition season for football where you dont play your starters a full game right off the bat and slowly work them into regular season rotations and you evaluate guys who normally dont get a chance to play very many minutes? If so then this game really was meaningless. I was very disappointed they lost this game after starting off so hot. Am I just making excuses or is that how it really went? I was taking this game as seriously as a regular season game...</div>
It was the starters in the first and third quarters and reserves in the second and fourth.

Don't be disappointed in the way the team lost the lead, Jackson kept the Laker starters in WAY longer than Montgomery kept the Warriors starters in. Montgomery started making substitutions with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter while I don't believe Jackson made a substitution until the second quarter. He also played Kobe most of the first half which was the main reason the Lakers got back in the game.

Basically Jackson really wanted to win the game and Montgomery was more interested in seeing his young guys.

 

I was TIVO'd the game and was going to give my insight but wtwalker absolutely nailed it. If you guys watched Pietrus you'll know why he isn't going to start. He's not a basketball player yet. Dunleavy didn't look very good but I'll take that over Pietrus' lack of concentration and erratic shooting. To be fair Pietrus will come back, put up a stunning performance and people will be high on Pietrus.

Boy do we need Ike. We need one more guy that plays with fire & intensity. 5 mins, 10 mins, starting, finishing games....whatever, we need him.

I also really liked Miles and would be shocked if he didn't make the roster. If we're a team who's going to push the ball up the floor we need someone who can bring the ball up in a flash and this kid can do just that. Miles will make the team....book it.

 

I hope your perspective of the game was right Walker. I was just disappointed and I did not want it to sound like we were making excuses for losing the game. Had this been a regular season game, I would have been upset for sure. I have NO problems with letting the young guys run and strut their stuff in a meaningless game...

 

I wonder what the Laker fans thought about the game...

 

Yeah, I just noticed that. It sounds to me like they are happy for the win and dont care their starter played more meaningful minutes than ours did. Again, excuses...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">How is it an excuse?

It's a fact the Lakers played their starters more, big deal. It shouldn't come as a surprise either, since the Lakers have more work to do with their roster than the Warriors. The Laker players have to learn a new system and figure out their rotations. The Warriors bring back all their starters from last season, and are further along in their offensive and defensive schemes.</div>

Well, I just dont want to offend anyone. At first glance at the box score it looks like the Warriors players played more minutes. I just cant tell when they played and how crucial to the outcome of the game it really was...

Murphy 31/Odom 27
Jrich 27/Kobe 27
Dunleavy27/ Kwame 23
Davis 24/Cook 23