Nowitzki may opt out? Dirk always liked Nellile I know our cap situation can't take on a huge contract, I wonder if the new ownership came in and bought the team, if he/they could make a HUGE splash by going over the cap and reuniting Nellie and Dirk for 1 last hoorah. A starting 5 of Curry, Ellis, Nowitzki, Randolph/Wright, Turiaf/Beans would make a decent push. Especially if they could swing a deal or 2 to sure up that center position via trade somehow. Maybe a guy like Big Z. I could see a scenario where Nash and Dirk (best friends) go to NY alongside someone like Bosh and the Knicks resign McGrady cheap. They could make a decent run out east.
Even though Dirk is an amazing player and he fits exactly what Nellie wants, he's the last player the Warriors need. He's soft and can't rebound or play D.
I can't understand why anyone in their right mind would want to play for Nelson. He is a laughingstock like the Warriors. No one who plays for him wins any awards, but they usually end up injured. Stephen Curry could have been ROY with a coach who would have played him in more games instead of excess minutes. Until Nelson goes, the Warriors will continue to be in the draft lottery, so I picture Larry Ellison dispatching Nelson as his first move. I picture Larry getting rid of Rowell, Riley and the Warriors trainer, too, so you know I'm not just picking on Nelson . New York would have a better chance of landing Dirk or an elite free agent because they have a decent coach, GM and big money besides being in New York.
I agree we need defensive effort and skills. Is it possible Dirk could be a Ray Allen? If we remember Ray Allen from the Sonics days, he was super soft. But then on a championship Celtics team, he started playing D. The other soft guy that developed into a decent defensive guy is Pau Gasol. So maybe with the right team that preaches defensive effort... but that'll never happen on a Nelly team.
Possibly but Pau was already more established as a low-post player before he got traded. Dirk's game is completely perimeter. I was watching the Spurs-Mavs series and game 6 Dirk continually got out-muscled in the key. One possession he had perfect position to box out his man for the defensive rebound, but just wasn't strong enough to hold his ground and the Spurs got the O rebound.
Why not? Ellis could go back to his efficient days, Curry distributes better than 90% of the people in the league, Beidrins/Turiad rarely touch the ball, Randolph Wright don't get plays run for them all that often, and it's a Nellie coached team, so 120 pt games are not a stretch.
I don't think Nowitzki is going to opt out and leave $20M+ on the table. A free agent the Warriors should pursue is Channing Frye.
Yes, my bad. I thought Nelson did not play Curry in games early on in the season. When I went back to check, Curry played in 80 games. What I should have said was Nelson played Curry inconsistently and then played him too many minutes when he became a ROY-type player. You cannot argue Curry being played too many minutes even if you are a Nelson fan. I think Curry would have had a better chance to win ROY if he had a good coach instead of one selfishly going for a personal record. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4612/gamelog;_ylt=ApGPgCuVZIHtrYUCBGCqrEykvLYF
Nellie started the season out by starting Curry. He gave him the reigns and Curry wasn't really confident enough because of Ellis' pre-season comments. Nellie wasn't Curry's problem. Also, I don't see this as Nellie selfishly going after some record. The moment Wright, Buike and Randolph went down and Jackson pouted and cried like a baby, the season was a throw away. Ellis "got hurt" and Curry got the chance to shine. I don't think this had anything to do with chasing a record.
I was just trying to point out Nelson's inconsistent rotation which I believe hurts player development and it ends up with unhappy players in the long run. There is no consistency. I thought Monta was going to be his starting PG and Jackson his backup before the season. Anyway, didn't he try Monta at PG and Curry at SG early on, too? I agree Curry wasn't confident enough and he ended up coming off the bench (demoted). Losing confidence is one of the worst things that can happen to a rookie or a vet short of being injured. You can blame the player, but after a while there seems to be a pattern of players who end up turning against Nelson or at least complaining about him. I can accept a few because no coach is going to get along with every player and vice versa, but Nelson has way too many. What really bugs me about Coach Nelson is the players that end up leaving due to friction usually end up another team and doing well. If Nelson only gets along with a certain type of player, then why doesn't he go out and get them when he has a chance? He has Riley as GM. And I would appreciate him to quit making snap judgments about his players. And to quit bashing them in public. That does not instill confidence. I don't want to turn this into a bash Nelson rant, but I'd be very surprised if Dirk wanted to come to GS to play for Nelson. To keep this on a positive note, which GS players do you think enjoys playing for Nelson? I doubt Ellis and Curry likes playing close to 48 minutes. The only guy I can think of is Maggette, but he's been hurt playing out of position. AB's been injured and lost his confidence at the FT line, so he's probably not a Nelson fan. Randolph has had complaints about Nelson. Maybe the new guys Tolliver, Williams and Hunter because they get minutes? I doubt it lasts long though.
You're forgetting the Warriors basically played with 8 active players for most of the season. Kinda of throws a wrench into the "playing too many minutes" theory.
You have and it's getting old but keep at it since it's your "thing." I think a lot of players enjoy playing for Nellie since everyone is given freedom to do what they want offensively without getting chastised for not playing defense. I don't think Curry should be upset at Don Nelson for the minutes he played because if Curry sat, Curry wouldn't be helping his short-handed teammates. I think players get upset with Don Nelson when they constantly have to play out of position (Harrington), don't get enough minutes (Pietrus, although he did get plenty of minutes), or give him too much credit (Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson) only to find out Don Nelson might do something to upset them (backstab?). The latter point, I can't prove but it's certainly possible.
That could be a decent pickup. Pros: He's already got 5 seasons under his belt and he's got 3 point range, high ft%, shot-blocking, high basketball IQ, good attitude, versatility. Cons: Doesn't play inside, is a softy, doesn't have rebounding skills, isn't quite a center position. If anything, we want a small guy to play a lot bigger, not a bigger guy playing a lot smaller. We want to avoid the Dunleavy/Harrington type players. Plus, I think centers and power forwards must be able to play strong interior defense. I don't see that with Frye.
DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks expect Dirk Nowitzki to opt out of the final year of his contract, a source said Saturday, because it will allow the face of the franchise to work with the team on the structure of a new four-year deal. If Nowitzki makes the move by the July 1 deadline, it also might allow him to obtain a rare no-trade clause. And whether he opts out or not, the source said, it will not have any impact on the likelihood that Nowitzki will stay with the Mavericks. The primary reason Nowitzki seems to be headed to an opt-out is because, according to the source, he's willing to work with the team for the future health of the organization and his financial security. It allows him to sign a new contract that would be for four years and could start at a lower dollar figure than the $21.5 million he's due next season under his current deal. However, he would have a guarantee for four years, with no possible repercussions from the collective-bargaining negotiations upcoming in 2011. Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/0...ill-give-dirk-mavs-options.html#ixzz0osqA4eaH
