<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>LAS VEGAS -- Every so often in the NBA Summer League, the Golden State Warriors would give the ball to Anthony Randolph at the top of the floor, spread the court and let the 6-foot-10 rookie drive to the hoop. It served as a way-out-there concept of what the Warriors' future could be, an offense highlighting the ball-handling skills of the tallest player on the roster. A reinvention of the revolution. Why not go to the extreme? The Warriors as we knew them the past two years are, irreversibly altered from the moment Baron Davis left to join the Los Angeles Clippers. "When you lose your No. 1 player, you're probably not going to be as good," coach Don Nelson said. "We'll be different. I don't know how." With the Warriors it's not just a matter of how good the assembled pieces will be. It's a question of what overall philosophy they will adopt and which compass bearing they will follow. Monta Ellis was often the most important player for the Warriors at the end of last season, but is he ready to be The Man on a full-time basis? The Warriors could just bide time, waiting for Ellis to get to the Next Level and Randolph, Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli to develop. They could send some of that youth off in trades and try to strike it rich with a Ron Artest or a Shawn Marion before their contracts expire. At some point they'll need to find a direction, because when Davis left he didn't just take away 22 points and eight assists a game. He took away their identity. Yes, the Warriors were about Nelson's crazy lineups and their overall wild shot selection. And they had Stephen Jackson's push-it-to-the-brink edge and Ellis', quickness. But above all, the Warriors were about Davis' boldness and vivacity -- not to mention his willingess to take over late in games. "His stay with us was incredible," Warriors general manager Chris Mullin said. "He's had as big an impact on our franchise as any player we've had, I think. "His talent and personality were somewhat larger than life. He had an incredible presence."" One Warriors fan came up to me and said he went to all but a handful of Golden Sate home games this season, and the main reason he went was to see Davis. Makes you wonder why the Warriors didn't see that, why they didn't take the combined $67 million they committed to sign free agents Corey Maggette and Ronny Turiaf and use it on an extension for Davis. Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar, said, "The organization wasn't committed to Baron Davis long-term." There was "No effort to retain him." Even though Davis played all 82 games this season, the Warriors had to be concerned about his body breaking down or him becoming disenchanted as happened while he was playing under a max contract in New Orleans. But the same concerns existed in 2005, and they didn't keep the Warriors from acquiring him while he was still under that max deal. His value to the team should have only increased after the Warriors won 90 games the past couple of seasons, their highest two-year total since winning 99 in the Run-TMC days of 1990 to 1992. On the flip side, it seems as if the new NBA trend is the end of the hometown discount, when players were so comfortable with their surroundings and enthralled with their team that they'd take less money than they could have made elsewhere to stick around. This summer we've seen the reverse from Davis and Elton Brand, two players who expected maximum-type money from their teams and became disenchanted when it didn't happen. As a result it seems as if the eras are getting shorter and shorter. Three of the top eight players from the 2006-07 team that captivated hoops fans in its two-round playoff run are gone (Davis, Jason Richardson and Mickael Pietrus). And a fourth, Matt Barnes, saw his production drop off drastically last season and currently is in free-agent limbo. One of the pleasant surprises on this past season's squad was Kelenna Azubuike, who filled in some of the hole left by the trade of Richardson to Charlotte. But Azubuike won't be back if the Warriors don't match the three-year offer worth an estimated $9 million the Clippers made to the restricted free agent. We'll probably look back on this brief, thrilling, convention-defying Warriors run the same way we think of Bo Jackson: with fonder memories than the raw numbers warrant. Jackson never averaged more than 86.4 rushing yards per game in the NFL, and only had one 30-home/100-RBI season in baseball. But anyone who saw him won't forget him, and would put Jackson above most of his contemporaries. At times it already sounds as if the Warriors are drifting back toward the norm. One of the things Mullin brought up was Maggette's ability to get to the free-throw line (10 times a game last year, third-best in the league), helping a category where the perimeter-oriented Warriors ranked in the lower half of the NBA last season. Good luck trying to sell season-ticket packages with that premise. The Turiaf move was just as basic. "We need big people," Nelson said. Just because the Warriors addressed some deficiencies doesn't mean they have to get away from their strengths, one of which was their unpredictability. They uncorked another unexpected move in a summer league game Saturday, starting Belinelli at point guard when C.J. Watson was injured. Belinelli did pretty well running the team and finished with eight assists, giving the Warriors an option if they want to explore ways to both get Belinelli on the court and alleviate the team-running duties for Ellis. "For me, next year is a very important year," Belinelli said. "It's impotant for me to play. That's it. During the game I can take the ball and play point guard. But I prefer to play shooting guard. But I can do both." Hopefully Nellie can get past the rookie aversion he showed with both Belinelli and Wright last year and give Randolph some run. At power forward or small forward he could be a matchup problem either way with his combination of height and quickness. He's a 6-10 guy who can make defenders fall backward with a crossover dribble. Right now Randolph still is prone to making young mistakes, as basic as fumbling the ball away for a turnover while trying to inbound after a basket. But he is already showing he deserved to go much higher in the draft than the 14th spot where the Warriors grabbed him. He already promised to have a chip on his shoulder and he lit up when asked about playing in Nelson's open system. "It just puts a smile on my face," Randolph said. "He allows you to play." There won't be an emphasis on defense of course, because that's not the Nelson way. And they'll still be up-tempo. The challenge for the Warriors is, as Mullin put it, "Maybe accomplish similar things differently. "Our style's not going to change a whole lot," he said. "We might try to go faster." Last season the Warriors were the highest-scoring and most consistently fun team to watch in the league. I will say this, they did play the two most enjoyable games over the course of two full days I spent watching in the desert. The cult of the Warriors was well represented at the summer league, with blue "The City" and yellow "We Believe" t-shirts popping up regularly in the stands at Cox Pavilion. They'd be advised to adopt the same philosophy as the front office execs sitting near them to follow, to not expect anything too much but be on the lookout for possible discoveries. Maybe, with the play of a slender rookie forward and an eager Italian guard, the Warriors have a little something to keep the revolution alive.</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?p...rs-Vegas-080719
Hey, how about Richard Hendrix with 10 boards and 8 points, along with 2 steals and 2 blocks in 15 minutes of play? Yeah boy!
Wow, maybe Marco should be considered as a backup PG? One thing I liked about him as point guard during the season was that he always started the possession looking to pass. Maybe it will be something to utilize his skills. Randolph had a good game, especially getting to the free throw line and knocking those down. But he is somewhat of a turnover machine it seems like, from the stats - kind of like Monta Ellis perhaps. But Hendrix's stats makes him look like a rebounding machine. I like what I see from this young group. Anthony Morrow had a good game too. He can shoot the ball well, at least in three games. His 3 point FG% is 85.7% (6-7).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clif25 @ Jul 20 2008, 11:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Wow, maybe Marco should be considered as a backup PG? One thing I liked about him as point guard during the season was that he always started the possession looking to pass. Maybe it will be something to utilize his skills.</div> Maybe Marco should be considered the starting PG? With Nellieball, it doesn't matter who brings up the ball -- Monta, Marco, Jax, AR or Azu. It's about breaking down the defense to hit the open man or create your own shot. He can be another Paul Westphal or Phil Smith.
How about Brent Barry comparison? Highly athletic, pure shooter, high basketball IQ, not strong enough for certain types of play. Marco could be a super role player unless he reaches Ray Allen level of play (which means mastering the midrange game, doing that off balance stuff he does in traffic, and be able to drive on anyone).
