SB Nation - Latrell Sprewell

Q&A: Matt Steinmetz (AOL FanHouse + Comcast Sports Net Bay Area)- Part 1 of 3: Making Sense of Stephen Jackson

Atma Brother ONE — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:42:29 -0000

In between his writing for AOL FanHouse and TV work on CSN Bay Area for the Golden State Warriors broadcasts, we somehow managed to catch up with Matt Steinmetz for his thoughts on the Dubs. Matt is a busy man and we're really lucky to have him on our show.

You can follow Matt on Twitter:

@matt_steinmetz

GSoM is also up on the Twitterness:

@unstoppablebaby

In this installment we've got Matt's take on the "Captain" Jack situation.

Golden State of Mind: You covered the Warriors when they were forced to trade Latrell Sprewell for pennies on the dollar back in the late 90's. How much do you think Stephen Jackson's value is worth at this point? He's been acting kind of like a jack... well you know, and all the front office, fans, and probably even players have turned on him. Are the Warriors going to have to sell low again like they did with Sprewell?

Matt Steinmetz: Well, unfortunately, it's his contract that actually hurts his value more than his behavior. If Jackson were on the last year of his contract - like he should be - there is absolutely no doubt he would have significantly more value than he does right now. The Warriors would be taking calls left and right. Instead, they're kind of waiting around. It's pretty easy to see they're going to move Jackson at some point, but they're probably not going to get nearly the player(s) back in return that Jackson is. If they can get back somebody with a shorter contract, it would help. If they could get an expiring contract, that would be more than acceptable. But when it comes to the actual player they get in return, he or they aren't going to be as good as Jackson. Ideally, they would get one expiring contract and then one player who could help, even a little.

Golden State of Mind: In his interviews Stephen Jackson doesn't seem to be making much sense- whether it's calling out the Warriors management or Coach Don Nelson or his teammates for "not having his back", saying he's as good as Kobe Bryant, saying he doesn't regret the malice in the palace, that being a captain doesn't mean much to him (despite saying he was incredibly honored when Nellie bestowed that titles on him last year), and that all he cares about is winning (yet he left the Spurs to sign on with a loser Atlanta Hawks team, continues to rack up technical fouls which hurt his team, doesn't get back on defense when he's arguing with the refs, and extended his contract with a perennial loser again that was in the midst of going through some rebuilding). What do you think is going on his head? Can you make sense of what Jackson has been saying?

Matt Steinmetz: I'm going to let go what I think is going on in his head. As for trying to make sense of what he is saying, I think, in general, he sees the writing on the wall and he doesn't like it. He's 31 or whatever and he realizes he probably won't be playing for a championship anytime soon, and he sees other players he's comparable to having a lot more success. And he's competitive. People wonder how he can sign that extension a year ago and do what he's doing now. He doesn't look at it like that. Signing that extension is what you do. He's a player and the Warriors are the organization. One thing has nothing to do with the other in his mind. That might be hard for some people to understand, but to Jackson signing an extension and then wanting out a year later are two entirely different things.

**********

More to come in our Q&A with Matt...

For up to the minutes updates on the Stephen Jackson drama here in Dubs Land and all the juicy trade rumors (99% of which will never happen) check out the SB Nation.com Story Stream currently titled Is Stephen Jackson headed to Cleveland?

Mikki Moore – Ronny Turiaf Sr. :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Recap and Previews

Fantasy Junkie — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:00:23 -0000

Mikki Moore's player preview for the upcoming year can be summed up by this clip:

In all fairness, and I'll be honest, I don't know much about Mikki Moore so he may be more than poster fodder for this upcoming season. What I do know about him after the jump.

Here's what I know about Mikki Moore:

I know that if I squint hard enough, I can see a Latrell Sprewell resemblance - which makes me want to give Nellie a permanent neck brace, just in case.

I know that he's been billed as an energy guy, a hustle guy or perhaps as the annoying-guy-on-the-other-team who screams like he won the championship after making a free throw (see above). But it's not so annoying when he's on your team. Essentially, he was the annoying-screaming-guy-on-the-other-team before Ronny Turiaf stole the title.

I also know that ESPN's player page has the pronunciation of his name in all caps: "MIKEY", not "Mickey". I think that explains why he's always screaming and yelling. He needs to be heard! From here on out, I will refer to him as MIKEY! and you can pretend I'm screaming it every time I write it.

I know MIKEY! signed for the veteran minimum, $825,497. Yup, half of what I make, sucka.

I know that MIKEY! is not going to contribute much to the Warriors championship run. He might help pour the champagne though.

Here's what I know from John Hollinger's player analysis (I'll just tease you with the good stuff):

Moore was worse than a replacement-level player last year...He's a long 7-footer but ranked 66th out of the league's 67 centers in blocks per minute, and though theoretically an energy guy, he was 58th in rebound rate and 59th in steals.

And Hollinger continues with:

Amazingly, Moore managed to keep his career afloat by signing a one-year deal with Golden State for the veteran's minimum. He's 34 and hasn't played effectively in three years, so it's a mystery why a rebuilding Golden State team decided to bring him in.

Veteran leadership in action!

I know that all the talk of bringing in MIKEY! and Devean George as veterans to help show the young guys what it means to be a professional is a bunch of poopie. Journeymen should not be considered role models for our up and coming players. Why the Warriors wasted their money on an aging big man is beyond me. Couldn't they have just saved some more money and signed a D-league player? I mean, save Cohan some money! The economy has hit him hard. D-league players can keep that bench warm just as well as MIKEY! and Devean can. And D-league players have the potential to actually contribute something to the team.

Lastly, I know that if he continues the forearm shivers to any of the Lakers players, I'll be chanting his name during games for more PT. MIKEY! MIKEY! MIKEY!

What do you know about MIKEY!?

The YouTube-ness

I was looking for some Mikki Moore highlights on YouTube and the most recent set of highlights someone made a compilation of is from 2006-2007.

MIKEY! loves snakes and reptiles. He'll love Robert Rowell and Chris Cohan! (Oh c'mon, I had to take a shot at those guys at least once in this preview).

Warriors Media Day + 1st Practice 2009- Dubs Know Drama

Atma Brother ONE — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:44:11 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

"Captain" Jack: "Coach, please get me out of here!" Nellie: "I'm trying man. I'm trying." Not pictured: Warriors President of Suck Robert Rowell hitting his head with his hand. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Browse more photos »

The good news: GSoM got to have its first "game thread" of the 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors season-- See: OPEN THREAD: Warriors Media Day 2009

The bad news: Everything else.

Jump for everything else.

Let me pass to mic to my main man DT from the mighty Fear the Beard:

Fear The Beard " Blog Archive " Hater Tuesday: Warriors media day special edition.

Welcome back to our collective delusion. For more than a month, we have been dormant, hoping for the hope to return. Instead, we have a dejected Stephen Jackson as the Grinch who stole media day. As well documented as media day was, I’ll keep this brief only slightly longer than necessary. But today does beg at least one question.

What the hell kind of team can’t even get media day right? Show up, look happy to be a well-compensated professional, say some nice things to move some tickets, and go home. But no. Not our Dubs. They’ve got to make this into a public spectacle of dysfunction. And at the center of the storm? The team’s two best players. First, you’ve got Captain Grinch telling us that, yes, he still wants out. Then you’ve got Monta telling us that, no, he doesn’t think Nellie’s backcourt plan will work. Great. Where do I sign up to give Chris Cohan that disproportionate share of my disposable income for my delusional "great time out?"

Amen.

My bitterness is one thing, but in all seriousness I’ve got a little council for Mssrs. Jack and Monta. Forget for a moment that the team that currently employs you did, in fact, regenerate or foster your current relevance. Loyalty? Fine. Throw it out. But riddle me this Grinch. What NBA franchise is going to look at today’s press conference and say, "Yep. That’s the piece of the puzzle we’re looking for. A disgruntled Santa Claus who delivers ill-advised threes by the sleighload and rebels after playing one season of his most recently negotiated deal? Let’s do this!" C’mon Jack. There must be a circuit missing. Brain and mouth faster than the internal editor? Even if you want out, this makes zero sense. Monta? At least get through a backcourt fail or two before blasting the thinking.

Exactly.

Day 1 of the Warriors amp;rsquo; Season: Not a Good Start | Fast Break

Media day is usually a routine and heavily scripted affair — full of talking points, cliches, and vague optimism (regardless of whether it’s justified). Two years ago, the most exciting part was Jackson’s new tattoo. But this year, Monday’s event was far from routine. Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis stepped up the the microphone and unleashed an unvarnished torrent of doubts and concerns. The honesty was equally thrilling and appalling. On one hand, it’s a deep vindication to hear two team captains express the same misgivings over the direction of the team as average fans. On the other hand, neither captain had any idea how to fix — or expressed any sense of personal accountability for — those issues. In the end, it’s an all-too-familiar story: lots of problems, few answers.

Last year it was all about Mo Moped Mo Problems. This year it looks like it's going to be Mo Problems Mo Problems.

Stephen Jackson, unplugged: "We’ve been taking steps back since we beat Dallas" | Talking Points

Summary: Jackson didn’t back off of his trade request, though he didn’t say those words in order to avoid another NBA fine. He also went on to detail the reasons why–he has watched in frustration as Jason Richardson, Baron Davis, Al Harrington and many others were subtracted from the 2007 playoff team. He said he doesn’t feel bad about the surprise nature of the statement. "You’ve got to hear it some way. You want me to send an email, Facebook or something?" Jackson said. He also said he doesn’t feel it’s disloyal to sign a three-year extension (which doesn’t kick in until next season) then a year later ask out. Why not? Because the Warriors didn’t have to give him the deal. They chose to. Jackson’s right. He can be blunt. He can be undiplomatic. But he’s right in almost every way. Don’t blame him for being 10 times smarter than Rowell. Don’t blame him for wanting to play with Baron and Harrington, and for knowing how upset Monta Ellis is with the franchise. Don’t blame Jackson for desperately wanting the Warriors to acquire Amare Stoudemire, only to see that, too, fall apart, partly because Stoudemire, like Jackson, wanted nothing to do with the Warriors’ organization.

How about we blame him for being unprofessional?

We've been taking steps backs since that year we beat Dallas. I don't think we've been making progress. Everybody's entitled to their own opinion and that's my opinion. I'm not always right. I'm not trying to be right. I'm just speaking my mind on how I feel and how much I have passion for this game and I want to win.

Did Jack just hijack my mic? I've been saying this sort of stuff (and getting yelled at) since that dumb Jason Richardson salary dump.

-Q: You signed your extension after Baron and Al were gone, do you feel like you were committing yourself to this team at that point?

-JACKSON: Well, who's going to turn down that money? It's only right. I'm not stupid. I mean, I didn't go to college but I've got a lot of common sense. I'm not going to turn down that money.

I'm 31 years old now. My contract will be up when I'm 35. So that was a good position for me. I've got to look out for myself before anybody else does. I think it was the right decision for me and my family.

I'm definitely appreciative of it. But at the same time, I've got to look out for myself, because nobody else will.

I want to give Jack props for ripping off Robert Rowell and Chris Cohan, no doubt. But he signed up for The Suck. That's on him.

-Q: If this team had acquired Amare Stoudemire, would that have made things different for you?

-JACKSON: That'd been a big difference, and everybody knows that. Having an All-Star on the team, a guy that we can count on to get points in the paint, that would've been big for us. That's not disrespecting anybody on the team, but I mean, let's look at his stats and what he has done.

-Q: At a pretty critical position...

-JACKSON: And after knee surgery, after big-time knee surgery, he still came back and made the All-Star Game.

It is what it is. We didn't make the move, OK, so be it. I would've been happier with it, but who's trying to keep me happy?

Newsflash Warriors homers: No player is dying to play with the likes of "franchise cornerstone" Andris Biedrins. Someone like Amare Stoudemire? Now we're talking. That would have prevented a lot of this drama.

Stephen Jackson Not Happy With Direction of Warriors -- NBA FanHouse

"Coach (Don Nelson) said the same thing to me about getting that fine (that it was ridiculous)," Jackson said. "But we're not going to beat a dead horse. They know they were wrong. I've got to deal with it. I can't beat the NBA so I've got to roll with it."

It was ridiculous, but even more ridiculous is whining about a contract and a situation that he signed up for.

Well at least someone out there thinks that Robert Rowell inked Jack extension never happened:

Miami Heat | Sun-Sentinel Blogs: Camp preview: Five burning questions

However, if there are more than a few missteps before the Feb. 18 trading deadline, the Heat has enough expiring contracts to try immediately to make things right with its franchise player. That, in essence, could have Quentin Richardson, Jermaine O'Neal, Dorell Wright, Udonis Haslem and several others with lapsing deals on notice. Should the Raptors struggle early, there could be another run at Chris Bosh. Should Carlos Boozer (pictured at right) continue to grumble, there could be a move for the Jazz power forward. Even disgruntled Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson could enter the equation, if Riley believes doubts are building from Wade.

Expiring contract? Well would you look at that!

No regrets for Golden State Warriors' Stephen Jackson, even '04 brawl - ESPN

"I don't have a regret about anything I've done. I don't have a regret about going in the stands with Ron Artest," Jackson said. "I say what I want to say when I feel like it, regardless of what the consequence is. That's just always been me."

I've seen 13 year olds more humble and apologetic about their mistakes than this. "Captain" Jackson is making it harder for the Warriors to get a reasonable trade deal every second he gets says what he wants to say when he feels like it. Very immature and very dumb.

Inman: Brats Ellis, Jackson rock boat - ContraCostaTimes.com

Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson spoke Monday like two spoiled brats trying to run the Warriors franchise. Or trying to run away from it. Ellis brazenly said he can't coexist in the same backcourt with newly drafted point guard Stephen Curry. Minutes earlier, Jackson didn't back down from a recent trade request and proceeded to rip the franchise's direction. His ego also ran the fast break: "I'm made for the playoffs and championships. That's what I play for. I'm Big Shot Jack." Both players are out of line. They may be speaking the truth, but these so-called "big shots" came off so selfish that it paints another dark cloud over a futile franchise. ... But they're talking like All-Stars when the Warriors haven't had one since 1997. It's not Ellis' place to say he can't share a backcourt with Curry. Coach Don Nelson thinks they can, and he will see that one way or another soon enough.

Anyone find it a little amusing that Stephen Jackson refers to himself as "Big Shot Jack"?

I'm thinking something along the lines of "Big Turnover Jack" or "Big Whiner Jack" or "Big Jack- - -" (I'll leave that to your imagination)

" Blog Archive " Stephen Jackson takes the microphone (part 2 of 2)

Q: You mentioned Amar’e not wanting to be here, and obviously you. Baron left, and Al …

SJ: Jason, Matt (Barnes), (Mickael) Pietrus, keep going.

Actually pretty funny.

sparent;">Jackson sp eaks

"He could have not shown up today, but he's here and that shows his leadership and his accountability to his teammates," forward Corey Maggette said.

The standards aren't really that high around here are they? Seriously how does a guy get props for that?

Jax still wants out; Monta drops bomb - Inside the Warriors - with Marcus Thompson

Jackson stood by them, fairly emphatically, all but overtly questioning the Warriors desire to win. He cited the constant dismantling of the organization that upset Dallas as the primary reason for his discontent. He didn’t say he wanted out again because he didn’t want to get slapped with another $25,000 fine from the NBA. But he did say he sticks by his earlier comments, his relationship with President Bobby Rowell has changed, and he stands by his statements because "he wants to win." Then Monta came out. He was usually dismissive and, thus, boring until he was asked if he could see himself and rookie guard Stephen Curry sharing the backcourt.

It's abundantly clear that Cohan and Rowell aren't that interested in winning. But it's also clear that Jackson doesn't care all that much about winning either. If he did he wouldn't have signed that crazy extension last summer. Just like Warriors loyalists- he signed up for The Suck.

Warriors' Monta Ellis Says He Can't Play Alongside Stephen Curry -- NBA FanHouse

Someone then jumped in and said to Ellis: "Do you understand, they (the Warriors and coach Don Nelson) say you can?" "They say you can?" Ellis repeated. "They say you can ... but you can't. I just want to win and you're not going to win that way." Nelson had said on Friday that he envisioned Ellis and Curry playing together despite their collective lack of size. Nelson said that the team planned to do a lot of scheming to help Ellis and Curry at the defensive end, but that the Ellis/Curry tandem was going to get a look. In fact, Nelson had said that the idea to use Jackson more at shooting guard this season, which was his intent at the end of 2008-09, had basically been scrapped.

Way to give rookie Stephen Curry a warm welcome Monta! (sarcasm)

Monta Ellis on pairing with Stephen Curry: "We can’t… (We’re) not going to win that way" | Talking Points

-Q: When Riley and Nelson visited you, did they tell you they wouldn’t draft a guard similar to you?

-ELLIS: I don’t remember.

Riiiight. Anyone still doubting this rumor or trying to blame Tim Kawakami for making that up?

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/video.

Monta Ellis: Playing with Stephen Curry won't work

Ellis pointed out other backcourt combinations that he thought would work, like him and Anthony Morrow (6-foot-5) or him and Jackson (6-8). That seems to indicate that Ellis sees himself as the starting point guard and Curry as his backup. If an Ellis-Curry combo wouldn't work because of their size, it doesn't seem that Ellis would be able to move to shooting guard with any of the Warriors' other options at point guard. Speedy Claxton is 5-11, C.J. Watson is 6-2 and Acie Law IV is 6-3, the same as Curry. Interestingly, Baron Davis, the point guard with whom Ellis was paired during his breakout season two years ago, is listed at 6-3, 191 pounds. Curry is listed at 185.

How about Stephen Curry and Anthony Morrow as the starting backcourt combination? It's a lot easier and more enjoyable rooting for those two cats than "Captain" Moped.

Too many guards, too few minutes

When Curry was asked whether he or Ellis would defend bigger shooting guards, such as 6-foot-6, 220-pound Kobe Bryant, he said, "The whole team will guard him." It's not like Nelson and Riley are oblivious to the situation. They simply chose their words a little more carefully. "There isn't room for five point guards," Riley said. "We'll probably attempt to address the point-guard situation. You're right on it." "There are a lot of things I don't know yet (regarding the backcourt)," Nelson said. "What I do know is we'll be very small, so we'll have to compensate defensively for some of those things. "There are problems that we'll have to solve, and I don't know all of the answers at this point."

The funny thing is this the first time Monta's seemed to care about defense since 2006. Let me direct you to the 2008-2008 WWDY voting.

Blog Archive " Monta Ellis takes the microphone

Q: Stephen (Jackson) talked about since ’07, when there was so much hope, you lost Jason, you lost Baron, you lost Al, that he was frustrated. Do you have any of the same feelings?

ME: This is a business. You’re not going to come back — there’s faces in here now that wasn’t on the team last year. That’s just a business. That was two years ago; we’re moving on to the 2009-2010 season. That’s what we’re talking about. The pieces that we have now. We can’t worry about what happened two years ago. That’s in the past. That’s gone. We’re moving on forward. Everybody on the same page, everybody wanna win. We can’t dwell on what happened two years ago, with the playoffs, or with the players that we have or we don’t. We’ve got to work with what we’ve got right now.

Survival instincts: Jackson and Ellis outwit and out-smart Warriors management | Talking Points

Jackson and Ellis, good friends, were making a key point: They’re both 10 times smarter than team management and they don’t care if any of us know it.

Um, we're in serious trouble if those two guys are smarter than team management.

Warriors Will Have Real Trouble if Nelson Agrees With Ellis -- NBA FanHouse

Yes, it's a problem that Monta Ellis said on Monday he can't play alongside rookie Stephen Curry. But there's likely a bigger problem looming: coach Don Nelson might start to think Ellis is right. Not only were Ellis' comments a shot at Curry, whom the Warriors selected with the No. 7 pick in the June draft, but he also seemed to be sending a clear message to Nelson. What Ellis essentially said was that the strategy Nelson was planning on employing this season was destined to fail. And to a larger extent, it very well may have come across to Nelson, entering his 31st year of coaching in the NBA, as a slap at his offensive philosophy, of which small ball is a significant part.

Welcome to Golden State Warriors mess, Stephen Curry - Ann Killion - SI.com

Stephen Curry is about as fresh-faced as a NBA rookie can be. The 21-year old is soft-spoken and thoughtful. His lone tattoo, discreetly inked on the inside of his left wrist, is the motto of Davidson, the small college he guided to the Elite Eight in 2008. "T.C.C.": Trust, Commitment, Care. Curry might want to look into laser tattoo removal because he's a Warrior now. And "Trust, Commitment, Care" is most certainly not in the Warriors' vocabulary.

Ellis redux [SFGate]

Nelson and Ellis had a conversation about the comments before the guard addressed the media Tuesday. "The only way we'd be able to play together is match ups," said Ellis, who, like Curry, is 6-foot-3 and in the 180-pound range. "That's the only way." Ellis was sure to explain that he didn't have any problems with the Warriors selecting Curry and that he knows his place his place in the organization's hierarchy. "Coach makes those calls," Ellis said. "I just play basketball."

Shouldn't that read: "I just play basketball, crash mopeds, lie about it, give a weak apology, cost the Warriors an entire season, and act like a diva"?

Nelson, Ellis and Curry Attempt to Find Common Ground in Warriors' Backcourt -- NBA FanHouse

Nelson made certain to leave plenty of wiggle room when it came to how much that twosome would play together, likely knowing full-well that it might not be the best strategy in the world to announce that Ellis and Curry would be starting opening night. "Certainly matchups will determine that," Nelson said. "We're pretty small in the backcourt. We can't expect them to play together when we play the Lakers when one of them would have to guard Kobe (Bryant) or something like that. But there will be plenty of times where they will play together, and that's a matchup situation. "There are a lot of teams that don't post their two-guards, there are a lot of teams that have small guards who play together. So that will be < script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.sbnation.com/javascripts/vendor/tiny_mce_3_0_7/themes/advanced/langs/en.js?v=307"> // --> a matchup situation. I've normally done pretty well at matchups. They will play together some but not always."

Seems like common sense.

Camp Day 1: Monta-Curry-Nellie Triangle - Inside the Warriors - with Marcus Thompson

Warriors world was much more tame Tuesday as training camp opened. Obviously, the hot topic was Monta’s comments. Nellie and Curry’s reactions were the most coveted. It was very clear that the Warriors sought to nip this in the bud as everyone was ACTUALLY ON THE SAME PAGE, save for a few opportunities to extract some read-between-the-lines, conspiracy theory type of drama. All three held their ground without really dissing the other. Monta was the strongest, though much more toned down. He still doesn’t sound like he’s planning on being best buddies with Curry. It sounds to me like (and this is some read-between-the-lines analysis I’ve conjured up) Monta just wants some respect.

He has a very funny way of earning it.

The Golden State Warriors are an entertaining circus act off the court

Happy days are ahead for the Warriors (sarcastically speaking). Training camp begins Sept. 29th and the season opener is October 28th vs. the Houston Rockets. With turmoil like this, don't expect a winning season from these malcontents....A 35-47 record is what I predict. Let's hope for Warrior fans, the numbers are reversed.

Golden State Warriors: John Hollinger's 2009-10 NBA forecast - ESPN

Nelson seemed determined to avoid using Mullin's draft picks as well. He kept Brandan Wright locked away at the end of the bench despite his undeniable production when he played and engaged in similar tactics with rookie Anthony Randolph for half the season.

Nellie made Wright a starter and played him big minutes till he got injured. Randolph was a flat out disaster for most of last season. Might want to do a little homework there instead of taking random shots at Nellie and heaping unwarranted praise on the random media martyr Chris Mullin. It's too bad Hollinger had to ruin a pretty solid piece with this shallow piece of analysis.

Here's a shocking stat: Only three Warriors in this season's likely rotation finished in the top two-thirds at their position in assist ratio last season. Two of them were centers who moved the ball a bit better than their peers but had little impact on the team's overall assist rate. Only Jackson, who ranked fourth among small forwards, is a legitimately good passer. Wright, Ellis, Morrow, Watson, Maggette and Azubuike all finished in the bottom 15 at their positions in assist ratio, while Randolph didn't fare much better.

Not shocking at all if you watched the Warriors last year. This team cannot make the smart pass. Actually from top to bottom they don't do many smart things period.

Warriors extra: Defending "selfishness," Ellis vs. Nelson, Nelson vs. Rowell? | Talking Points

Right off the bat, several commenters have complained that I’m being far too soft on these "selfish" acts by Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis and far too tough on Warriors management.

I understand why readers/fans would be upset with Jackson and Ellis. Jackson’s statements, in particular, on the face of it, do seem difficult to defend–sweet talk a gullible team president into handing out a three-year extension, then a year later seek to bolt the team.

In real life, that’s a betrayal and maybe true selfishness. But pro sports are not real life, the NBA in particular. The NBA is fantasy, with fantasy rewards, and NBA players work with an entirely separate set of operational values.

Players are supposed to look out for themselves and their families. They happen to be paid enormous sums of money, but you and I are also looking out for ourselves and our families first, right?

We we make 100 or 500 times less than they do, but it’s the same concept: Look out for your best interests, then the institution second.

It’s up to the team–management and coaching–to convince the players at every step of the way that they must, at some point, sacrifice some things and work at other things for the betterment of the larger purpose, that victories will result at the end of the line.

That’s what Mike Singletary has done with the 49ers, what Phil Jackson does with the Lakers (to some extent) and what Al Davis has failed to do with the Raiders for years now.

It’s what Chris Cohan, Robert Rowell and Don Nelson have failed to do with the Warriors since 2007. And you can’t ask proud, good players to support a destructive, political, scheming front office that has already coldly dispatched Jason Richardson, Baron Davis and Al Harrington… Once they see that, it’s every man for himself.

I obviously have a lot of respect for Tim and he's a friend of the fam. He's our guy.

BUT those are very curious words coming from a sharp guy. You don't have to say all that much to convince a Green Party-donating crazy leftist such as myself of the logic of individual welfare over feeding a corporate machine. However, that doesn't excuse people (ahem, "Captains" Jackson and Ellis) from being simply unprofessional. Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis aren't exactly innocent victims here. Don't get me wrong Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell are both jokes, but Monta Ellis is the #1 reason the Warriors were unwatchable last season and a major reason for all the Warriors current dysfunction. This franchise rescued Stephen Jackson and now he's turning his back on it. This is on them, not Cohan and Rowell.

And of course there's the rumor that Monta Ellis may ask for a trade from the Warriors as well.

Blog Archive " Media Day, 2009: What better time to jump start 48minutes.net?

I’ve been wondering for a few months now when I should emerge from my hiatus and kick off the 2009-10 season of 48minutes.net. Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis made it clear for me on Monday afternoon.

Well at least there's a silver lining here. Welcome back Geoff!

" Blog Archive " Parsing the captains: Just because you have an agenda doesn’t mean you’re wrong

In the aftermath of the conflagration set ablaze by Stephen Jackson and, even more so, Monta Ellis, now is as good a time as any to note this fact: Just because a player has an obvious agenda when talking to the press doesn’t mean that he can’t still be correct while doing so.

Season on the blink [SFGate]

Somehow, Stephen Jackson figures the fans will forgive him for taking insanely big money and then bailing on the East Bay with an eternity left on his deal. In effectively crushing Stephen Curry's spirit, Monta Ellis showed he's about as capable of leading a team as a squirrel. And the Warriors, of course, are back in that vintage Todd Fuller-Latrell Sprewell mode. It doesn't get much worse than that. Jackson is being praised in some quarters for exposing the Warriors' incompetence, but that's a tired, worn-out story, like reminding people we sent too many troops into Vietnam. This is about betrayal, and how to recover from a debacle that gained such awful clarity Monday. The Warriors are in a position where they must trade Jackson, well before the season starts, and Ellis is about one comment shy of riding that same train out of town.

Warriors mired in turmoil - ContraCostaTimes.com

Monday's events have created a buzz heading into training camp, which begins today. What happens when Nelson pairs Curry and Ellis in the backcourt? Will the Warriors appease Jackson and ship him? Perhaps more important, what happens if they don't.

Biedrins can't remember the last time all was right in the Warriors world. "I don't know. That's a good question. I have to think about it," Biedrins said. "It is like it is. We just have to concentrate on playing basketball."

Props to Andris Biedrins, Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azubuike, Stephen Curry, Anthony Randolph, and Anthony Morrow, Speedy Claxton, Acie Law, Ronny Turiaf, Mikki Moore, Devean George, Brandan Wright, and C.J. Watson for not making it incredibly difficult for Warriors fans to root for them over the course of the past two days. (What a concept!)

To be frank, I'm pretty disgusted with this team. Media Day and the 1st day of practice were supposed to be the anual time to hype up delusional Warriors fans and get everyone excited and feeling happy with local fluff pieces. Do Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis (in particular) realize that it's not exactly easy (especially in this economy) too fork over hard earned dollars (or rack up a credit card bill) to root them on at the Roaracle? Pretty inconsiderate.

Chris Cohan doesn't have a clue. Robert Rowell couldn't buy a clue even if Cohan gave him his pocketbook. It's hard enough rooting for this dysfunctional organization without the "captains" acting so uncaptain-like. Expect a few boos opening night "captains".

Maybe there's hope in the D-League?

Last Year: D-League. This Year: NBA? - Ridiculous Upside

You'll notice a few former Warriors...

By the way I wonder if all those media folks and Nellie haters alike are willing to step up and admit that they were wrong in demanding that POB or Mullin's other busts get minutes. Honestly Nellie knows hoops way more than you guys do. It's annoying to hear so much whining about gifting minutes to players who don't belong in the NBA or in a decent team's rotation. It's also annoying to see people group Nellie and Larry Riley with the co-heads of suck Cohan and Rowell- but that's a story for another time...

Poll

What's the drama level for the Warriors right now?

RED: Severe

532 votes

ORANGE: High

548 votes

YELLOW: Elevated

275 votes

BLUE: Guarded

70 votes

GREEN: Low

35 votes

1460 votes | Poll has closed

Who will be the next Knick All-Star?

Seth — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:47:59 -0000

Pop quiz: When's the last time the Knicks sent a player to the All-Star game? I'll give you a moment...

(Goes to pee.) (Doesn't wash hands.)

Alright, I'm back. Did you get it? If your answer was the year 2001, when both Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell were All-Star reserves, then you are correct. That truly sucks, eh?. Some brain-racking and a little research tells me that only the Bulls and Warriors have longer All-Star droughts (Baron Davis never made it as a Warrior? That's a shame.). All-Star selections are essentially a popularity contest, but it's pretty humiliating to go 8 years without trotting out a single player who the public feels is a top-30 talent. We're not here to dwell on the past, though. I'm wondering if any of the current Knicks strike y'all as future All-Stars. Which Knick do you see as the most likely to achieve the prowess and prestige necessary to earn a selection (don't say Lebron)? Check 'em out, after the jump:

Feel free to mention anyone else you deem worthy in the comments, but these are the handful of Knicks that have potential in my eyes. I'm not necessarily talking about this year...more like the foreseeable future.

Wilson Chandler- Wil's numbers are already fairly solid after his second season, and he might soon be a 20-point scorer with hard work and enough touches. Will the mild-mannered Chandler ever be a big enough name to gain national recognition, though? I don't see why not. Danny Granger did it.

Danilo Gallinari- Depending on who you ask, Gallo's either another flimsy European failure, or he's the second coming of Christ. I think you all know where I stand. I foresee Danilo playing all five starting spots on the Eastern All-Stars in 2011. You know, if he's healthy.

Al Harrington- I mean, he was the leading scorer last year.

David Lee- Whether or not Lee's a long-term Knick remains to be seen. Knick or not, Lee's as polarizing as Gallinari is. To some, the double-double machine has the potential to be a top-flight big man. To others, he's a dime-a-dozen garbage collector who benefits from an accelerated offense and a heap of missed shots. Don't forget that Dave was the MVP of the rookie game that one time.

Nate Robinson- Nate's probably the closest thing the Knicks have to a household name. He's a hit with the kids, has a few slam dunk titles under his little belt, and has the right combination of charm and jaw-dropping skill to steal the spotlight in the big game. That said, Nate would have to prove to the whole league that he's more than a novelty to get the coaches' vote.

Anyway, most of you probably didn't need my two cents to determine which Knick you feel has the most All-Star potential. In fact, most of you probably think this is a childish exercise. Cut me some slack. It's the end of a very long offseason. Vote your little hearts out and make yourself heard in the comments if you're leaning more towards another Knick. Maybe you favor one of the rookies? Maybe you're driving the Darko bandwagon? Maybe you are Gabe Pruitt? Speak up.

Poll

Which current Knick do you think has the best shot at one day becoming an All-Star?

Wilson Chandler

252 votes

Danilo Gallinari

285 votes

Al Harrington

44 votes

David Lee

367 votes

Nate Robinson

99 votes

Other (If you are Gabe Pruitt and would like to vote for yourself, choose this one.)

64 votes

1111 votes | Poll has closed

Nate Robinson to Meet With Management

Seth — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:17:12 -0000

I wanted to say "Nate Robinson to Meet With MGMT", but decided that would be confusing. In any event, Nate Robinson intends to meet with Knicks brass on Wednesday, and depending on who you ask, this could be equal parts negotiation and a trip to the principal's office.

Nate's flurry of tweets yesterday included the following:

No new on the kinks my tweeps but I meet wit mr donnie walsh wed keep ur fingers X !! Hope it goes well

Misspellings aside, that sounds like no more than a meeting of minds regarding Robinson's contract situation, which remains unsolved. From what Frank Isola's hearing, though, you've gotta wonder if the Knicks' side of the negotiation is beginning to harden.

We all know that once Dolan felt that Latrell Sprewell had embarrassed the organization management was told to trade Sprewell. The same with Stephon Marbury. From what I'm hearing, Robinson is also on the endangered list with Dolan's blessing of course.

One league executive claims that if Robinson, a restricted free agent, were to receive any offer from another team the Knicks would not match it.

Dolan works in mysterious ways. It'll be interesting to see what transpires after the Wednesday meeting. If the previous events of the summer are any indication, absolutely nothing will happen, but YOU NEVER KNOW.

P.S. "'Lil Him"? Really?

Why I won't be surprised if Dominic McGuire gets a spot in Flip Saunders' top eight

Mike Prada — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:44:00 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

Will we see a lot of this from Dominic?

Browse more photos »

Guessing Flip Saunders' player rotation in August isn't going to be easy when there are so many players who have started games for their respective teams in the last two years. Hell, it's already en vogue for us to throw out names of Wizards that we "shouldn't forget about," as some of us already have.

So take this declaration as an educated guess of sorts, since it's the best we can do at this point.

Okay. There's one guy who has started to become an afterthought that has a much better chance of cracking Flip's top eight than most believe. Yes, it's true that the Wizards just traded for two guys that can play his primary positions. It's also true that he plays the same position as DeShawn Stevenson, a returning starter from two years ago provided he remains healthy. But judging from Flip's past history, I'd say this guy's got a great chance to vault into the top eight.

That guy is Dominic McGuire.

A case for Dominic McGuire to crack the rotation has to begin with what he's done as a Wizard. In a season where pretty much nothing went right, McGuire was the only guy who displayed some growth. He was provided an opportunity when Ed Tapscott took over and did enough to earn over 26 minutes a game. We can argue forever over whether McGuire deserved his opportunity, whether he played as well as the coaching staff thought or whether he was given a longer leash compared to the team's other young players, but the bottom line is that he stayed consistent enough to play very important minutes.

The case for McGuire also has to include the argument that he provides a unique skill set. We've fallen a bit too much in love with McGuire's defense -- it's got potential, but he still loses his man too easily off the ball -- but the very fact that he emphasizes defense over offense makes him a unique player on this roster. McGuire's also one of the best rebounding wings in the league (his rebound percentage of 12.1% would have put him fifth among small forwards if John Hollinger actually listed him there) and he won't use up too many possessions and steal shots from the offensive-minded guys on the team. Plus, in a rotation that gives eight guys most of the minutes, you need players who can swing between positions like McGuire.

However, the best case for Dominic McGuire would be to simply look back at Flip Saunders-coached teams. Every single successful Flip Saunders team has given major minutes to a defensive-oriented, long wing player who can stand at the point of Flip's zone (or guard the other team's top wing) and quarterback the defense. In Detroit, of course, that guy was Tayshaun Prince, who obviously has much more of a polished offensive game than McGuire, but is a very similar type of player. As the point man in Saunders' zoneish schemes, Prince's length and quickness helped keep Detroit near the top of the defensive rankings. McGuire possesses the same type of length and quickness even if he doesn't have the polish or the offensive game.

But the best case study for McGuire involves considering Saunders' tenure in Minnesota. During the 2003/04 season, when the Timberwolves won 58 games and would have made the Finals if Sam Cassell didn't get hurt in the playoffs, Trenton Hassell of all people averaged 28 minutes a game despite scoring just 6.5 points/36 minutes and posting a pathetic 8.2 PER. Like Washington, the 03/04 Timberwolves had a lot of offensive names. Cassell and Latrell Sprewell were just acquired, and despite being vets, they still were very good offensive players. Flip also had Wally Szczerbiak, formerly the second option behind Kevin Garnett, and Troy Hudson, an offensive-minded combo guard who had a great playoff series against the Lakers in 2002/03. And yet, among that mix, Trenton Hassell of all people ended up playing the fourth-most minutes per game on the team.

Why? He played defense and didn't use any possessions offensively to hurt his team. That earned him significantly more playing time than offensive guys like Szczerbiak and Hudson.

There are a lot of statistical similarities between Hassell's 2003/04 season and McGuire's campaign last year. The teams are also set up in a similar way -- Washington, like Minnesota then, has a lot of offensive-first name guys. Other than Kevin Garnett and possibly veteran center Ervin Johnson, nobody on the Wolves leaned defense-first ... except for Hassell. That alone got Hassell a ton of minutes despite his major limitations.

Hassell's case is a good precedent for Dominic McGuire. Don't be surprised if we see history repeat itself.

Nellie Knows NBA Draft: The Warriors and Mavericks Years

Atma Brother ONE — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:38:41 -0000

What can I say? I'm a real sucka for NBA Draft history. My friend and fellow Dubs fanatic Adam Lauridsen has researched and put together a thought-provoking piece Nelson on Draft Day: An Appreciation over on Fast Break, which examines the 14 drafts Don Nelson has been the head honcho in the front office of the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. Unlike Chris Mullin's spotty draft history, it's hard to argue with Nellie's draft and scouting acumen. This is one sharp and shrewd hoops mind.

Nellie and Lucky know NBA Draft. via farm2.static.flickr.com

Make the jump for some foto fun and player highlights.

1988 #5 pick Mitch Richmond (SG) [Basketball-Reference.com]

It's the rock! via www.beckett.com

14 year NBA career
21.0 career ppg
1988-1989 NBA Rookie of the Year: 22ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg. 1 steal
6 time NBA All-Star
5 time All-NBA Team

1989 #14 pick Tim Hardaway (PG) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Killer Crossover. Killer Rookie. via www.checkoutmycards.com

13 year NBA career
Career: 17.7 ppg, 8.2 apg, 1.6 stl
1989-1990 All NBA Rookie 1st Team
5 time NBA All-Star
5 time All-NBA Team

1990 #11 pick Tyrone Hill (PF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Mini Manute? via www.checkoutmycards.com

14 year NBA career
Career: 9.4 ppg and 8.6 rpg
14th highest career total rebounding percentage in league history
Named to 1995 NBA All-Star Team

1991

#16 pick Chris Gatling (PF/C) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Who can forget good ol' Gatty? via www.beckett.com

11 year NBA career
Led league in field goal percentage/ effective field goal percentage in 1994-1995 and finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in 1995-1996
Named to 1997 NBA All-Star Team

#17 pick Victor Alexander (C/PF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

RARE. via farm4.static.flickr.com

5 year NBA career
Averaged double digits scoring twice for the Warriors

#25 pick Shaun Vandiver

A different type of European pick. via media.rockymountainnews.com

Never played in league- see Wikipedia
BUST

1992 #24 pick Latrell Sprewell (SG/SF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Little did we know he'd have so much trouble feeding his family. via www.checkoutmycards.com

13 year NBA career
Career: 18.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.0 apg
1992-1993 All NBA Rookie 2nd Team
1993-1994 All NBA Defensive 2nd Team
4 time NBA All-Star
1993-1994 All-NBA 1st Team
1996-1996 5th in lead points per game at 24.2

1993 #1 pick Chris Webber (PF/C) (via trade for Anfernee Hardaway) [Basketball-Reference.com]

I remember ripping Fantasy Junkie off for one of these back in the day! via www.checkoutmycards.com

15 year NBA career
Career: 20.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 blk, 1.4 stl
1993-1994 Rookie of the Year: 17.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.2 blk (career high), 1.2 stl
Led league in rebounding at 13.0 rpg in 1998-1999
5 time NBA All-Star
5 time All-NBA Team

1994 #16 pick Clifford Rozier [Basketball-Reference.com]

He sure did make it easier for CWebb to play power forward... on the Bullets, Wizards, Kings, and Sixers. via www.checkoutmycards.com

4 year NBA career
BUST

1998

#9 pick Dirk Nowitzki (PF) (via trade for Robert Traylor) [Basketball-Reference.com]

11 year NBA career (thus far)
Career: 22.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.7 apg,
8 time NBA All-Star
9 time All-NBA Team
2006-2007 NBA MVP

Steve Nash (PG) (via trade for Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells, the draft rights to Pat Garrity and a future first-round draft pick which ended up being Shawn Marion) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Lead league in assists per game 3 times: 2004-2005 (11.5 apg), 2005-2006 (10.5 apg), 2006-2007 (11.6 apg)
2 time NBA MVP
6 time NBA All-Star
6 time All-NBA Team

The softest pair of MVPs ever assembled. via www.blackmarks.net

2000

#12 pick Etan Thomas (PF) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Never played for Nellie

#13 pick Courtney Alexander (G) [Basketball-Reference.com]

BUST

That didn't turn out so hot. via SPLN.imageg.net

2002 pick and Juwan Howard, Donnell Harvey, and Tim Hardaway traded for Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad

Can't say Nellie doesn't keep things interesting

Fun team to watch. via assets.espn.go.com

2003 #29th pick Josh Howard (SF/SG) [Basketball-Reference.com]

Career: 15.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 stl
2003-2004 NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team
2007 NBA All-Star

Quite a steal. via www.sportsmemorabiliabaseball.com

2004 pick, Raef LaFrentz, Chris Mills, and Jiri Welsch traded for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk

Another interesting trade.

Quite possibly the tackiest NBA jerseys ever made. via images.usatoday.com

MYTHS

Don Nelson does not play rookies. See Richmond, Hardaway, Hill, Gatling, Alexander, Sprewell, Webber, Rozier, Nowitzski, Alexander, and Howard.
Chris Mullin has a better draft record than Don Nelson and his associates. (Nellie draft day All-Star count in Warriors and Mavs years: 9; Mullin draft day All-Star count: ZERO)
Don Nelson does not draft/ like big men. See Hill, Gatty, Big Vic, CWebb, Rozier, and Dirk.

I can only guarantee you that there's more draft day reflection in store on GSoM. (This is like our playoffs!)

Poll

What was Nellie's best draft day move for the Warriors and Mavericks?

1988 #5 pick Mitch Richmond

104 votes

1989 #14 pick Tim Hardaway

212 votes

1990 #11 pick Tyrone Hill

6 votes

1991 #16 pick Chris Gatling

6 votes

1992 #24 pick Latrell Sprewell

151 votes

1993 #1 pick Chris Webber

142 votes

1998 #9 pick Dirk Nowitzki

738 votes

1998 trade for Steve Nash

290 votes

2002 trade for Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad

10 votes

2003 #29th pick Josh Howard

63 votes

2004 trade for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk

6 votes

1728 votes | Poll has closed

Kiss of Death

Stop-n-Pop — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:40:30 -0000

Ball Don't Lie beat me to the punch line, but the Wolves have a new head coach and no, it is not Basketball Jesus. What it is, is the kiss of death:

"Kevin has assembled the players on this team, and believes in their talent and skill level," Taylor said. "It is my expectation that Kevin will be able to get the most out of our team and our players in his new role as head coach. He has been involved in the NBA game for almost 30 years, is a tremendous teacher and has a wealth of basketball knowledge. I am confident that our players will respond to the new voice and perspective that Kevin will provide."

This site has said on numerous occasions that the coaching of Our Beloved Puppies Zombies was not the main problem with this squad. It never has been. It was the 1999 draft, the overpaid free agents, Wally's contract, the Marko Jaric trade, we-have-to-have Marcus Banks, Spree and Sam morphing into Ricky Davis and Mike James, Davis and James turning into Randy Foye and a point to be named later, McCants over Granger, Foye over Roy, Brewer over Young, and, in certain circles, Mayo over Love (to name a few). Kevin McHale has run this franchise into the ground with a never-ending string of not only bad decisions, but of maximized disaster: choices that continually work out in the worst possible fashion for the team he was charged with running.

With the decision to place the Iron Ranger at the end of the bench (a decision that has been advocated for numerous times here at Hoopus), and to relieve him of his front office duties, a McHale exit strategy has been laid in place and the team can start to position itself to clear the biggest hurdle in its rebuilding effort: the continued employment of one Kevin McHale.

This decision has its genesis in the Iron Ranger's ridiculous assertion that his assembly of talent had enough juice to be a .500 team this season. Here's a gem of a McHale quote to remember from that particular moment in time:

On why he keeps on keeping on at a job most Wolves fans hope he'd leave: "I love basketball. I'll be on my deathbed and I'll love basketball. I don't do it for any other reason than I absolutely love basketball. ... I want this team to be in really good shape. I want this team to be competitive, going for the playoffs and trying to put a championship-caliber team together that can make a run and keep it together."

Here's his chance. With 63 games left in the regular season he now gets to run the asylum as the head coach of the motley crew of mismatched personnel that he himself helped put together. Will he, as Papa Glen says, get the most out of his team to the tune of .500 ball over the remaining schedule? You, I, Papa Glen, Crunch, and the drummer guy outside of Target Center all know the answer to this question: no, of course not.

After 13 years of gambling away the good will of his selection of Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale has now been put out to pasture on his own personal walk of shame. The party is over, the music long since turned down, and he gets to walk his way back to the north woods in full view of an all-too-ready-to-laugh fan base.

The Iron Ranger will now get to call the shots for a team with no point, a 6th man masquerading as a starting off-guard, an over-the-hill big at center, a 35 year old journeyman at the 1, a 3 point specialist who doesn't shoot, and a defensively inept #1 scoring option.

In his infinite wisdom of VP of Basketball Operations he gets to coach a team with 10 guaranteed contracts on the books next year with the possibility of 4 1st rounders with guaranteed contracts on the horizon. I'm sure Papa Glen is absolutely thrilled at the prospect of having 14 guaranteed contracts locked in if the status quo remains on a 4-win team.

In other words, while we may see a bit of a dead cat bounce at the bottom, we're still looking at a club that may not have enough to get back into the swing of things anytime soon.

Getting around to the man who was let go, I have said before that I liked Witt. He was the only person in the Country Club to have the good sense to scoff at the Iron Ranger's 42-40 prediction. In his appearances on the Chad Hartman program, he exhibited a dry wit, and judging by some of his players' comments after them being unable to master the 2-3 zone attack, he was more than likely playing with an un-winnable hand.

We here at Hoopus made quite a fuss about his rotations and his unwillingness to play some of the young talent on the squad but we didn't mention enough that Witt was simply coaching to achieve an unachievable goal: .500 ball. One of the things that came up over and over again here in the comments section (and on numerous Wolves bulletin boards) was that it seemed like Witt was coaching for short-term victories rather than player development. Well, when your VP of Basketball Operations lays out a 42-win goal, what else would you have him do?

It's never a good thing to see someone fired and we'll have a run-down on Witt's tenure as coach in a later post, but the main talking point going forward is that McHale is finally getting his just desserts.

Speaking of which, from a public affairs perspective, I am a bit baffled by the decision to put McHale at the end of the bench. In times of great buffoonery and crisis, Public Relations 101 dictates that you immediately nip the problem in the bud and move on so that your customers are not continually reminded of the problems that led to the current unfortunate situation. At the last home game against the Clips, McHale was the target of some pretty vociferous heckling. Do they think this will change? Exactly how do the Wolves think McHale's press conferences will go after the inevitable load of losses? Do they think the local press corps will want to talk about 4th quarter collapses or will it be a series of non-stop daily reminders that McHale is being tasked with marshaling the piddly resources he managed to collect over his tenure in the front office?

Moving forward, this team is still run by the Country Club. Toronto Rob and Freddie Iowa are still there waiting in the wings to do what exactly? Wait until the end of the year and bring in Sam Mitchell? Go check out some Raptors' sites and see what their fans think of Smitch. Let's imagine the unthinkable and think about what would happen if McHale turns out to be the business as a NBA coach? What then?

There are still far many more questions than answers with this squad and one of the big things that will go unsaid during the current change is that while they may have jettisoned McHale on an unachievable mission, they are still stuck in limbo. Will they stay the course with the current front office (who are just as culpable as McHale in the current composition of the club)? Will they bring in a permanent coach by the end of the year? If they need to make a big deal with assets like Mike Miller, Collins' expiring deal, and, yes, even Al Jefferson, how can they pull off what needs to be done without a long-term front office/coaching solution in place?

This current change is fairly analogous to Witt's coaching approach this season. While it ostensibly gives the team a McHale exit strategy, it is nothing more than a short-term solution to a series of long-term fatal flaws that this franchise seems to have in spades. How do you blow up a ship with the majority of the crew still in place? How do you coach for .500 when you don't have the resources? For us fans, how do you avoid apathy when what is about to unfold will undoubtedly be more of the same?

Remember, the Minnesota Swarm kick off their season on January 3rd. Seeing that McHale is still a part of the franchise, we are now your SB Nation leader in Minnesota Swarm news and information.

UPDATE: Hoopus has just received an exclusive photograph of McHale at the exact moment he received the news that he would be the new Wolves coach:

via the Strib.

Witt's end

Stop-n-Pop — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:36:55 -0000

It was a busy day yesterday for yours truly so I'd like to write a few words about the contest against Charlotte before I move on to the ostrich in the room.

Each and every Wolves fan left should be well aware of the fact that this team is a Mike-Miller-shot-with-0.1-seconds-on-the-clock-against-the-worst-franchise-in-professional sports-not-named-the-Detroit-Lions away from being an absolute catastrophe.

Against Charlotte, the squad played like the 3-13 mess it probably should be. (As a quick side note: Earlier in the year I wrote that this team was not a 4 win club; it was shooting poorly and playing a style of ball ill-fit to its personnel. I didn't take into account that I should have seen the warning signs that this is simply another McHale creation that will only drive more and more fans away from the organization.) Before the Charlotte game, and more importantly after a game in which they were annihilated at the free throw line, Randy Wittman complained that his team wasn't being aggressive enough, and that players needed to get to the line more. I.e. they need to drive the lane. In theory, this isn't all that bad of an idea. I have written many times about the fact that the Wolves had the league's worst FTA/FTM differential in the 07/08 season and it cost them upwards of 6 points per game. I have also written about how the Wolves lack a true point guard and are instead populated with a series of players not named Al that are built for up-tempo ball with lots of in-and-out/high-and-low action. The players that are capable of driving the lane are either not that good at dumping it off, can't go right, can't shoot over anyone over 6'6", can't make the shot even if they could, or take 5 seconds to set up whatever sort of herky-jerky drive they will take towards the bucket. In other words, we're still talking about a gap between system and personnel and, in this case, perhaps between tactics and strategy.

Charlotte beat the Wolves by running what looks to be "the book" defense against Al Jefferson. Wolves fans can get used to seeing this for the rest of the season. We'll talk about it in a future post but it is something the big fella has seen for about three games in a row now (and on a few occasions before when it really mattered).

Against the 'Cats, the Wolves took a grand total of 75 shots. It was a stunning display of poor, boring, and uninspired basketball in a game where the win was there for the taking against an equally poor team. In their wins, the Wolves are averaging 80.8 shots per contest. In their losses they are averaging 86.3. At first I thought that this was some sort of mistake but when you take into consideration overtime losses against San Antonio (106 shots) and Golden State (110), the Wolves are simply a moderately paced team that doesn't make a lot of its shots. To be fair to Witt, he's running a team of jump shooters that simply aren't making their jumpers and who are 26th in the league in eFG%. To be really, really fair to Witt, perhaps he has it exactly right. Perhaps he's simply leading a poor shooting team whose only chance to win is to keep the pace as slow as possible and to generate early FT bonuses in hopes to slow the game down even further and distract attention away from the fact that guys like Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, and Ryan Gomes really aren't good perimeter players. Maybe we stat-head fans simply got ahead of ourselves with the idea that if you simply surround Big Al with a bunch of guys who can shoot from the outside to the tune of 40% from beyond the arc, things will be OK; paying more attention to quantity than quality; especially in terms of where, when, and how guys like 4th Quarter and Shaddy get off their shots. Maybe we were wrong about just how useful these players were, and would be, in an in-and-out/high-and-low system. We'll save the doubt post for another day. Instead, let's take some time to talk about the real problem with this team, the Iron Ranger. Before I do, I would like to point out something from over at Britt's place:

"At the start of the game, we didn't get good guard play," Wittman said to Hughes and other assembled media in Charlotte. "We turned it over. We weren't into things. The right people weren't getting touches early on. When you turn it over, you can't get your defense set... We've got to start finding some veteran guys who can follow the gameplan and what we want done. You can't do it selectively... I thought we needed to get Randy off the ball and let Kevin [Ollie] run the show and I thought he did a great job of getting us into things. And Randy became more aggressive. He got to the free throw line. He was a different player than he was after that first half."

Don't think for a second that the "off the ball" comment wasn't directed squarely at the front office. I'm becoming more and more of the belief that Witt is actively trying to force McHale's hand. At this point in the season there is such an obvious gap between system and personnel that any change would either have to do with making a trade (admitting the personnel isn't adequate) or firing the coach (which would do nothing in the long run without changing the front office). Witt is walking a fine line here. On one hand, I love nothing more than thinly veiled shots at the personnel decisions of this team from someone inside of the Country Club. On the other hand, I've worked for bosses like this before and he's probably a few "they aren't following the system" comments away from open revolt amongst his players. He's already a Bobby Knight style coach who yanks players for looking at the scoreboard the wrong way and I can't imagine that free range tweaking in the media will do much more for the players' confidence or their performance. One really has to wonder just how much Papa Glen's promise of employment is worth. Is it worth enough to win a battle with the guy with ugly sweaters? We'll just have to wait and see. Jerry Zgoda takes this point to its obvious conclusion in today's column:

Afterward, coach Randy Wittman said he might need to rely on his veterans to find somebody -- anybody -- willing and able to follow that evening's game plan.

His answer begs a couple of questions: Was it another motivational salvo fired across his young team's collective bow or a solution that is the ultimate indictment of a franchise that has traded away Kevin Garnett, Brandon Roy and O.J. Mayo for a mismatched collection of players who have won four times in their first 16 games?

And if Cardinal, Ollie and Jason Collins are the best they have, isn't this outfit in big, big trouble?

Answer: yes.

Finally getting around to the Iron Ranger, let's say for a moment that McHale makes a deal. At this point in his career McHale is little more than a gambling junkie doubling down on dwindling resources. KG has been exchanged for Big Al. Spree and Sam were swapped out for Ricky Davis and Mike James, who have since been flipped for Randy Foye and a player to be named later. Trenton Hassell has morphed into Corey Brewer; Marko Jaric now runs around with long hair and stories about the Corn Palace; you get the picture. I've written numerous times about how McHale's entire basketball world view is encased in the amber of the 86 Celtics, and that any personnel decision he makes can be viewed in terms as what player is closest to Larry, Danny, and so on and so forth. What I haven't mentioned is that McHale's post-KG career with the Wolves is little more than him trying to recreate 04 with nothing but table scraps. It's pretty hard to argue against this point. He's gone through coach after coach after soon-to-be-coach to make this 04 blueprint work. There are new ad campaigns and players on the court, but it all boils down to the second verse being exactly the same as the first.

This team continues to poke its fans in the eye with an increasingly incompetent storyline: old players are cashed out for lesser versions of themselves, draft picks are either mismatched or misused, and the ones who got away (Josh Howard, Danny Granger, Brandon Roy, Thad Young, OJ Mayo) act like salt in an open wound. Meanwhile, it's always the coach's fault for being unable to make the motley crew work. Flip wasn't able to square the circle, Dwayne wasn't a member of the Country Club, and Randy is about to be exposed as a failure for being unable to put together the pieces that only fit inside the Iron Ranger's mind. Team commercial spokesmen are also not immune to the constant downgrading of McHale's leadership, as Sweetwater Jones has morphed into Don Overbeck. Next year, after the team takes yet another player that doesn't fit the system or existing personnel, we'll have to watch commercials with Pappy Thompson, a 50s era reject with thick glasses and tight shorts who talks about the good ol' days at the Minneapolis armory. Even things out of the team's control follow a sick pattern. First it was Shaddy, then Foye, and now Corey Brewer is missing a significant portion of his 2nd year with a severe injury. K-Love better come out in a protective cocoon in his sophomore season.

Something needs to change. I'm fairly certain it will be a trade or a coaching move, but we remaining fans all know what needs to be done. The issue here isn't Witt (although it may be if he continues on his current path of not trusting players and calling them out in the press). The issue here isn't bad shooting or poor defending post players. It's Kevin McHale. Period. This front office needs to be cleaned out and the furniture bleached of the stench. I am rapidly approaching a point of no return with this club. I find it hard to even watch the games anymore. What is the point if the same crew that crashed the car is going to be the ones behind the wheel with up to 4 1st rounders and a bucket of free agent money? These clowns have been blowing drafts all the way back to 1999. They've been overpaying players since Wally. They've been signing the wrong free agents since T-Hud. Even if they get lucky (and they've been lucky before with Mr. Roy and Mr. Granger landing in their laps), they won't get it right. Even if they change coaches, they won't get it right. Even if they land a free agent, they won't get it right. At what point is enough enough? Fire McHale, blow it up, start over before it's too late.

Until later.

UPDATE: I crossed out the "blow it up" part as it was a bit ambiguous with its distinction between personnel and front office. Midlife Crisis hits the nail on the head with a comment from a previous post:

I’m pretty worried about the future of this franchise when the best that the most obsessed fans can hope for is blowing up the team again, and leaving ourselves another tier down talentwise and again hoping for what, exactly. A top star moving to a small market in an ice cold town with a front office that shipped out then flamed the best nba player (by a long long ways) to ever grace this franchise. Or are we hoping that Ricky Rubio will have a bigger impact than Lebron James.

That's spot on and I'm, admittedly, guilty as charged. Speaking for myself, the "blow-it-up" attitude comes from years of being poked in the eye by the only team I really pay attention to. I have zero idea where they are going and zero faith that they can get there. When I step back from it and get as detached as possible, I can say that this team needs a new front office with a fresh set of eyes. I really am convinced that guys like Miller, Love, Jefferson, Gomes, Brewer and Foye can exist on a winning team. You may be talking about 4 bench players and 2 starters, but they're not bad players and some of them could have value to make a necessary move. This team just needs to have the Country Club blown up. My main disagreement with MC's post is that McHale, by himself, is a constant downgrade machine. By the simple virtue of him running the ship, you get a lesser version of what this team should be. From coaching to personnel to marketing to whatever, this team suffers under his leadership. Papa Glen deserves his fair share of the blame here. Ultimately, the buck stops with him and his refusal to do what needs to be done is a big problem with this team and it continues to downgrade the product and move more fans to the exits with each passing season.

UPDATE ii: I forgot to mention it, but on the way to the gym to watch the 2nd 1/2 while on the treadmill I tuned into local Wolves affiliate 1420 KTOE to listen to the game. Instead of hearing the Wolves v Cats in Papa Glen's hometown, I was treated to the world famous Bethany vs. Luther College tilt from Iowa. Awesome.

UPDATE iii: Inspired by an Andy G comment from an earlier post, I present to you an illustrated history of being a Wolves fan:

With each and every move we talk ourselves into believing, the ball gets pulled away yet again. First it was Ebi, then McCants over Granger, then Foye over Roy, then Brewer over Young...it's now Love v. Mayo and while I still think the deal was a one-sided win for the Wolves, I have a nagging feeling that I may just be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome rather than having a solid b-ball take on the deal that went down.

UPDATE iv: Sterno has some excellent things to say in the comments:

This is where I think my fandom will hang in the balance: if they go with Hoiberg, i think i’m done the Wolves after 20 years. It will be hard, given I generally ike the NBA and have had many great times at Wolves’ games, but life is too short and tix are too expensive.

However, if they step outside the organiation, and hire a real GM, things could look up. New blood. A lot of draft picks. Cap flexibility. Some young players with potential. One of the best low-post scorers in the league. Another frontcourt player who SHOULD compliment the low post scorer on the offensive end. So what if you don’t want to play up for a Van Gundy or a E. Jordan or F. Saunders (not that I like any of those guys anyway)? Why wouldn’t a quality assistant want to start with those assets?

We’re 20% into the season and my only hope is that we have total regime change. Not where I want to be.

Over at Britt's place, A.K. has another interesting nugget:

One of the inducements this season for season ticket holders is the perfect attendance "contest". As long as at least one of an account holders' tickets gets punched for each game they remain eligible for prizes. Through eight home games, only 656 account holders are still eligible. The Wolves already have STH's money - this is about reducing empty seat syndrome.

Think about that - only 656 account holders have gone or found a use for their tickets less than 20% through the season. That's probably competitive with the Swarm. And yet the status quo drumbeat goes on.

I'd be willing to bet that the Swarm average more fans per contest than the Wolves this year. Last year they averaged 11,405 per home game. Is this the year Lacrosse eclipses basketball in the hearts and minds of Minnesota sports fans? I kid but only a little.

SB Nation - Latrell Sprewell

Q&A: Matt Steinmetz (AOL FanHouse + Comcast Sports Net Bay Area)- Part 1 of 3: Making Sense of Stephen Jackson

Mikki Moore – Ronny Turiaf Sr. :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Recap and Previews

2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview

Warriors Media Day + 1st Practice 2009- Dubs Know Drama

What's the drama level for the Warriors right now?

RED: Severe

ORANGE: High

YELLOW: Elevated

BLUE: Guarded

GREEN: Low

Who will be the next Knick All-Star?

Which current Knick do you think has the best shot at one day becoming an All-Star?

Wilson Chandler

Danilo Gallinari

Al Harrington

David Lee

Nate Robinson

Other (If you are Gabe Pruitt and would like to vote for yourself, choose this one.)

Nate Robinson to Meet With Management

Why I won't be surprised if Dominic McGuire gets a spot in Flip Saunders' top eight

Nellie Knows NBA Draft: The Warriors and Mavericks Years

What was Nellie's best draft day move for the Warriors and Mavericks?

1988 #5 pick Mitch Richmond

1989 #14 pick Tim Hardaway

1990 #11 pick Tyrone Hill

1991 #16 pick Chris Gatling

1992 #24 pick Latrell Sprewell

1993 #1 pick Chris Webber

1998 #9 pick Dirk Nowitzki

1998 trade for Steve Nash

2002 trade for Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad

2003 #29th pick Josh Howard

2004 trade for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk

Kiss of Death

Witt's end