SB Nation User Blog: Atma Brother ONE

Happy 6th Birthday, SB Nation!!! Congrats to Tyler and the entire SB Nation fam! For those of you...

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:19:06 -0000

Happy 6th Birthday, SB Nation!!!
Congrats to Tyler and the entire SB Nation fam!

For those of you counting at home GSoM will turn 4 in a few short months. For those of you who go way back to our Golden State Warriors BLOG days this whole project turns 5 next May. My how time flies when you're counting NBA lottery balls!

5 Questions for Stephen Jackson's Agent Mark Stevens

Atma Brother ONE — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:25:24 -0000

UPDATE (11/9/09 7:43am): Adding question #6 for Stevens: Do you realize Nellie ressurected your client's career and took it to new heights when practically NO ONE in the league wanted anything to do with him?

-------------------------------------

Over on ESPN.com Chris Broussard details a telephone tantrum courtesy of Stephen Jackson's agent Mark Stevens who seems to be all about killing his client's trade value.

So the first question you're probably asking is who is Mark Stevens? (Okay that's probably your second one, since the first question you're asking is- when is Chris Cohan finally selling the Golden State Warriors?). Jump for the answer to your second question and 5 additional questions for the agent of the "Captain".

Believe it or not Stevens is Ron Artest's (former?) agent. Makes you wonder if Stevens had some fond memories of the Malice at the Palace or something.

Check out these pieces from Sports Agent Blog for a little background:

This part in particular caught my eye:

The main problem in the whole Indiana-Sacramento-Ron Artest-Mark Stevens line of communication was the fact that Ron Artest and his Agent that he pays to negotiate for him, were not on the same page. Gavin Maloof, part-owner of the Sacramento Kings even said, "Obviously, I guess they weren't on the same page."In any type of negotiation, it is vital that a client's Agent knows the client's wish-list and that the client defends his agent throughout the negotiation. Apparently, in this case, there was a lack of correctness on both fronts.

I have one final request for all current and future Agents. PLEASE, do not go to the media unless you are sure it will be beneficial. Obviously, the media was all over Artest, the Kings, the Pacers, and Mark Stevens to try to squeeze out any info possible. But if there is any uncertainty within any camp in a negotiation, solve the problem internally before the public has a chance to scrutinize your ability to do your job.

Good to see Stephen Jackson associating himself with such a "successful" agent.

5 Questions for the "Captain's" Agent

1. Did it ever hit you and your client that each and every inane public outburst you guys make just makes decreases the chances some other GM and head coach are willing to foolishly trade for Jackson and the remaining 3 years on his contract (thank you Robert Rowell)?

2. Do you charge your clients extra for unfathomably making it even harder for home fans to root for them?

3. Do you seriously want to bring up "credibility and character" when your client is none other than "Captain" Jack?

4. Do you really think it's classy or the least bit wise to talk trash about your client's head coach through the media when he's still playing for him?

5. Who are you again?

Got any other questions for the "Captain" and his agent?

Jack-ed Up:

Poll

Do these weak cheap shots from agent Mark Stevens make it even harder for the Warriors to trade his client Stephen Jackson?

AV Pre-RECAP: Golden State Warriors 107, Sacramento Kings 120- Just don't get blown out?

Atma Brother ONE — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:01:30 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

These guys don't look too happy. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

Browse more photos »

Preview/ Game Thread (1250+ comments)

Final Box Score

Kings Bring the Hammers, Beat Warriors 120-107 [Sactown Royalty]

My main man Hash will have a full recap of this game for the ages for you fine folks soon enough, but here's a few video clips about tonight's amazing win to get this party started off right. Well amazing win for the Sacramento Kings that is. Seriously I didn't think the Kings would win 2 in a row all season! Props to Sactown.

Final - 11.8.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden State Warriors	29	25	23	30	107
Sacramento Kings	30	35	31	24	120

Complete Coverage >

Jump for some AV-ness!

From our friends at Yahoo! + NBA

From our friends at CSN Bay Area

Poll

Will the Warriors win another game this season?

GAME THREAD: Game 5- Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings- JUST WIN IT (seriously)

Atma Brother ONE — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:39:07 -0000

Seriously, JUST DO IT fellas and get this W tonight.

Warriors: 1-3

Kings: 2-4

Tip off: 6pm

Radio: KNBR 680

TV: CSN Bay Area

Blog Buddy: Sactown Royalty + Preview

Around the Association: It's all up from here

Who will be the real kings of Northern California? It all starts tonight. JUMP for a preview.

The Kings are coming off a very impressive win over the universally despised Utah Jazz in the SLC- see Kings Whip Out 104-99 Win Over Jazz in SLC by the ever-astute Ziller. The Warriors are coming off an impressively bad loss (seriously that was some impressive suck) to the LA Clippers at home in Oakland- see RECAP: LA Clippers 118, Golden State Warriors 90- It's a Great Time Out for Clipper Raj!

But let's not bring up old stuff and make things confusing, both teams are bad. Real bad. How real bad exactly has yet to be determined, but as long as neither team decides not to show up to work today (like the Warriors on Friday night) this should be a pretty fun game. Don't be too surprised if this game is decided in the last few minutes or goes into OT. There's quite the precedent you know:

Warriors 105 Kings 100 - The Final Three Minutes (4/6/09)
Warriors 143, Kings 141 - Let 'em score! We'll get the ball back! (4/2/09)
Warriors 133 Kings 135 - UNSTOPPABLE BABY! (1/15/09)

A matchup against the Kings is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Believe it or not Warriors vs Kings does intrigue me a bit. There's a quad comparison that I've detailed previously- see Polling GSoM: Which "hoops quad" will be the kings of Northern California in 2k9-2k10?

Head Coaches: Don Nelson vs Coach Paul Westphal- I do like Westphal more than most and think he's a bit underrated, but Nellie's still one of the greatest tacticians this league has ever seen. Advantage Tonight: Warriors
Shooting Guards: Monta Ellis vs Kevin Martin- Truth be told I really dig Martin's game and would rather have him than Monta Ellis at the 2-guard. After K-Mart's monster start to this season 30.6 ppg through 5 games, he will be sidelined for quite some time- see NBA's Third Leading Scorer, Kings' Kevin Martin Likely Out 6-8 Weeks With Wrist Fracture [SBNation.com], so by default Advantage Tonight: Warriors
Sophomore Power Forwards: Anthony Randolph vs Jason Thompson- I was talking to my buddy Houston Savant, a big time Rockets fan, yesterday and he just couldn't believe how bad Anthony Randolph looked on Friday night. He couldn't believe all that off-season hype and thought Randolph just didn't look like an NBA player with all those countless- "What the... is he doing?" moments. Those 4 fouls in under 10 minutes (if I recall correctly) were the epitomy of cluelessness. On the other hand there's quite a lot to like about what the Kings' JT has done thus far in the season. Not only is he averaging a shade over 11ppg and 9rpg, but he's also dropping 4 dimes a game (with only 0.7 turnovers) somewhat out of nowhere. That's smooth. Advantage Tonight: Kings... Also see Polling GSoM: Which rookie forward will have the better sophomore campaign?
Centers: Andris Biedrins vs Spencer Hawes- Biedrins looks to be out tonight (again), which is a big red flag. I worried in the offseason if Biedrins' future health was a concern after his missing 20 games last season and unfortunately that looks to be a reasonable worry. As my colleague JAE will tell you Hawes is not a center you'd like to starting on your team, but he's done some things that I've really liked this season early on. He's had two back-to-back nice performances against the Spurs and Grizzlies that really stand out. Against the Snores he posted 22 points and 10 rebounds, then in the next game against the artists formerly known as the Vancouver Grizzlies he racked up 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Maybe those 7 dimes were an outlier, but the highlight passes he was dropping to cutters down the lane were Vlade Divac-esque. Advantage Tonight: Kings

But let's take the comparison one step further because as GIlbert Arenas tells us "It takes 5":

Rookie Point Guards: Stephen Curry vs Tyreke Evans- On a team of me-first players all looking "to get theirs" first, young Kid Curry has stood out as the only Warriors player looking to distribute and set others up first. There's something to be said about a rookie who has the highest hoops IQ on his squad. Kings point guard Evans is coming off an extremely impressive outing against Deron Williams and the Jazz where he dropped 32 points (thanks largely to a whopping 19 trips to the free throw line) and 7 assists. There's a lot to like about both rooks and any number of things could happen in this matchup tonight. It could go to Curry and his crafty court vision or it could go to Evans and his power scoring. Advantage: Push

Predictions

Stephen Curry bounces back from his worst game as a pro and drops 6+ dimes.
JT inhales over 12 boards.
AMMO drains 3 treys.
Hawes collects a few Divac-esque assists.
Both teams combine to score over 230 points.
The final outcome comes down to the last minute of the game.
Warriors by 3

Post your predictions and ongoing game thoughts in the comments.

-- More about the Sacramento Kings --

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Kevin Martin	5	41.8	9.4	22.2	42.3	3.4	7.6	44.7	8.4	9.8	85.7	1.2	4.2	5.4	2.6	1.4	2.0	0.2	1.2	30.6
Tyreke Evans	6	32.8	4.8	12.8	37.7	0.5	2.0	25.0	4.5	6.5	69.2	0.7	2.3	3.0	4.2	2.3	1.5	0.0	3.0	14.7
Jason Thompson	6	34.3	3.7	9.0	40.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.8	5.0	76.7	4.0	5.3	9.3	4.0	0.7	0.7	1.3	4.3	11.2
Spencer Hawes	6	31.0	4.7	10.8	43.1	0.0	1.3	0.0	1.7	2.0	83.3	1.8	5.2	7.0	2.0	2.0	0.8	0.8	3.0	11.0
Beno Udrih	5	24.2	4.2	8.6	48.8	1.4	2.8	50.0	1.0	1.2	83.3	0.4	1.4	1.8	3.2	1.6	0.6	0.2	1.8	10.8
Andres Nocioni	6	24.3	3.7	8.5	43.1	1.7	4.3	38.5	1.5	2.5	60.0	0.7	3.3	4.0	0.8	1.0	0.3	0.5	2.7	10.5
Omri Casspi	5	19.8	4.0	7.4	54.1	0.8	2.0	40.0	0.4	1.6	25.0	1.4	0.8	2.2	0.4	1.0	0.6	0.8	0.6	9.2
Ime Udoka	1	20.0	2.0	5.0	40.0	1.0	2.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	3.0	1.0	0.0	3.0	1.0	2.0	5.0
Sean May	6	13.7	1.5	3.3	45.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.5	0.7	75.0	0.3	1.7	2.0	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.2	2.3	3.5
Donte Greene	3	7.0	1.3	2.0	66.7	0.7	0.7	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.7	0.0	1.0	3.3
Jon Brockman	5	8.6	1.2	2.0	60.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.4	14.3	1.6	1.6	3.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	2.6
Sergio Rodriguez	4	7.3	0.8	2.5	30.0	0.5	0.8	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	1.0	0.5	0.3	0.0	0.5	2.0
Kenny Thomas	3	12.3	0.3	1.3	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.7	100.0	1.7	2.3	4.0	0.7	0.7	0.3	0.3	1.0	1.3

Sacramento Kings News

Golden State Warriors (1-3) at Sacramento Kings (2-4), 9 p.m.
(Sports Network) about 3 hours ago.
Recap: Utah vs. Sacramento
(Sports Network) about 12 hours ago.
Sacramento Kings (1-4) at Utah Jazz (2-3), 9 p.m.
(Sports Network) 1 day ago.
Kings G Martin to have wrist surgery
(Sports Network) 1 day ago.
Kings G Martin has left wrist fracture
(Sports Network) 2 days ago.
Kings F Nocioni arrested for DUI
(Sports Network) 2 days ago.
Kings waive G/F Mason
(Sports Network) 2 days ago.
Recap: Sacramento vs. Atlanta
(Sports Network) 3 days ago.
Kings sign Udoka
(Sports Network) 3 days ago.
Atlanta Hawks (3-1) at Sacramento Kings (1-3), 10 p.m.
(Sports Network) 4 days ago.

Next Game

Golden State Warriors
@ Sacramento Kings

Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, 6:00 PM PST
ARCO Arena

posted by Tony.psd about 1 hour ago

5 comments | 4 recs

Complete Coverage >

Poll

Who will be crowned the kings of Northern California tonight?

RUMOR: 76ers Contacted Warriors about Samuel Dalembert + Warriors trying to trade Stephen Jackson + Cavaliers still interested in Jackson

Atma Brother ONE — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:33:23 -0000

Kind of a stinky haircut don't you think?

via www.depressedfan.com

Jump for a tiny tidbit about the talks between the Sixers and Warriors about the man our friends over at Liberty Ballers call SAM BAM Dalembert.

Marc Spears writes for Yahoo! Sports:

One NBA general manager said the Philadelphia 76ers are still actively trying to move center Samuel Dalembert. A league source said the Sixers contacted the Warriors to see if they had any interest in Dalembert, but talks never progressed. The Warriors are still trying to trade Stephen Jackson but have yet to field a suitable offer. The Cavaliers remain interested in the veteran swingman.

Samuel Dalembert

#1 / Center / Philadelphia 76ers

Height: 6-11

Weight: 250

Born: May 10, 1981

College: Seton Hall

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2009 - Samuel Dalembert	4	23.3	2.5	5.3	47.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	3.8	80.0	1.5	5.0	6.5	0.0	2.5	0.0	1.5	3.3	8.0

From Spears' report it doesn't appear that Stephen Jackson was what the 76ers were asking in return for Dalembert, but something like Jackson and Speedy Claxton for the Sixer Center [ESPN Trade Machine] ain't bad at all for the Warriors. The Warriors get rid of Jack before he makes a bigger mockery of himself, Robert Rowell (actually that one's pretty funny), and finishes the 2009-2010 season as the league leader in turnovers. Plus the Warriors shorten their financial commitment by 2 years, thus setting the Dubs up for the Chris Paul sweepstakes (I kid).

In terms of defense (gobbling up rebounds and protecting the paint) and unfortunately making mistakes Dalembert is Ronny Turiaf on steroids. I must say the Haitian center has always intrigued me. He never fully "developed" just like Andris Biedrins never "developed" any low post moves or a jump shot. However just like Biedrins Dalembert is raw, but effective. SAM BAM would instantly be the Warriors' best interior defender and would do a ton to help out their rebounding woes.

After this season there's only 1 year left on the 28 year old Dalembert's deal, so he could potentially be valuable as a single, sizable expiring contract during the 2010-2011 NBA season. A contender might even want to pick up his defensive tenacity for a stretch run in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Compare that to the remaining 3 years on the "Captain's" contract (thank you Robert Rowell) taking him into his mid-30's (read: way past his athletic prime) and Jack's history of well... throwing tantrums.

So why would our friends in Philly do it?

I have no idea.

And that's the problem.

Would you trade Stephen Jackson and Speedy Claxton for Samuel Dalembert?

RECAP: LA Clippers 118, Golden State Warriors 90- It's a Great Time Out for Clipper Raj!

Atma Brother ONE — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:24:37 -0000

Seriously, what is going on here?

Preview/ Game Thread (1015+ comments)

Final Box Score

Blog Buddy: Clips Nation : Now THAT's Really More Like It

Warriors Nation and Clippers Nation. Clippers North and Warriors South. We're like peanut butter and jelly, Redman and Method Man, milk and cookies, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Donald Sterling and housing discrimination, Chris Cohan and tax evasion, Windows Vista and Cntrl + Alt +Dlt-- we just go together. So naturally I went to tonight's festivity at the Roracle (or should I say the Boracle?) with my main man Clipper Raj. Getting blown out at home by a long time frenemy tonight was pretty unexpected, but hey at least Clipper Raj had a great time out!

Final - 11.6.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Los Angeles Clippers	30	27	34	27	118
Golden State Warriors	19	26	16	29	90

Complete Coverage >

Jump for the reasons why our buddy Clipper Steve decided it was an opportune time to kindly host Clips Nation + GSoM Night 1 in SoCal.

Clippers Backcourt vs. Warriors Backcourt

Let's get this one out of the way first. The Bad News: Stephen Curry (-13) probably had the worst night of his NBA career tonight. The Good News: At least he got that one of his system early. Curry was shooting blanks (1-5) and getting abused on defense (fouled out) by the bigger and more imposing Clips guards for the entire duration of his 21 minutes out there tonight. We'll go easy on the rookie.
Monta Ellis (-29) just doesn't look like that Ellis to the Rim of 2008. Baron Davis not being there to guard the opposing team's best backcourt player and provide low-mistake ball handling and distributing the rock sure does hurt. But as my man Feltbot will tell you things have changed, Monta Ellis is not a star. Not anymore. Monta's J is way off and his court vision and decisions were very shaky tonight (SIX turnovers).
To go cliche on you for a second Baron Davis (+26) looked like a men among boys tonight. BD looks absolutely chiseled and in fantastic shape. He pretty much had his way with anyone the Warriors threw at him. He was savvy. He was smart. He was hungry and diving for loose balls. He was picking pockets (4 steals). He even hit 61.5 of his shots coming into the game shooting well below 40%. He is missed.
Eric Gordon (+29) also looked like a men among boys tonight. Gordon looked wise beyond his years. He abused the Warriors backcourt with his scoring. The Clippers have had their fair share of bad draft picks over the years, but they sure got this one right. A Dizzle-Gizzle backcourt is more than serviceable.
I'm easily in the top 1% of Anthony Morrow (-10) fans, but that was a sad performance. He looked like a one-trick pony out there and that trick wasn't quite working right. What made Morrow particularly intriguing last season was his rebounding in addition to his stellar shooting. It didn't look like Ammo was that interested in trying to clean up the glass tonight. His usual scrappiness and effort on defense wasn't there at all either. Not that he was the only Warrior in this regard, but Morrow was a defensive liability all night long. Very disappointing.
Oddly enough even Stephon Marburry's cousin Sebastian Telfair got in on the fun. The Warriors backcourt (particularly Morrow) just couldn't hang with this guy. 13 points (50% FG), 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in under 20 minutes? Telfair outplayed both Ellis and Curry in Oakland. That's not supposed to happen... ever.
By the way what's up with all those losers booing Baron Davis at the Oracle? What's there to boo? Boom Dizzle is not here because 1) Robert Rowell couldn't wait to get him out of here so he could foolishly build around Monta Ellis and 2) Elton Brand pulled a sucka move. Not once did BD ever publicly whine like "Captain" Jack about his teammates. BD lost a prime year thanks to the silly roster Chris Mullin assembled around him and Coach Mike Montgomery's complete incompetence as Warriors head coach. Did you see BD complaining about that? Boo the "Captain", not the beard. Along with Nellie, Jason Richardson, Al Harrington, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, and yes even Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis made this team relevant for one fine spring and then some. Show some gratitude and class.
C.J. Watson sighting! Acie Law sighting! That means 1 of 2 things- 1) the Warriors are blowing out some unsuspecting squad or 2) the Warriors are somewhat expectedly getting blown out. Unfortunately tonight it was the latter.

Clippers 1, Warriors 0

Clippers Frontcourt vs. Warriors Frontcourt

Chris Kaman (+19) must have had his calendar marked for this game or something. He looked very, very good. Sure the Warriors were physically overmatched all night long against him mostly due to injuries to Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf, but that was an All-Star caliber performance tonight from Kaman. 22-9 through 3 ain't no joke, especially when it looks that easy. Don't be surprised if Kaman is donning an All-Star jersey in February. His competition in the West really isn't that tough either. Our man Matt Steinmetz has more in It's Early, But Chris Kaman Breaking Out. (Seriously Matt got off easy! He can choose to write about the Clips and not the Warriors for FanHouse.) Elton Brand made a really dumb decision ditching Kaman- that would have been a top 4-5 combo, especially with Dizzle-Gizzle in the backcourt and Camby up front.
In addition to Kaman the ever-underrated Marcus Camby (+26) really protected the rim tonight. His 12 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks were a fantasy hoops delight. The Warriors found out the hard way why this guy has a Defensive Player of the Year trophy at home. Andris Biedrins should be studying tape of this guy nightly. It's a reasonable goal for him to try to be Camby 2.0. The jumpshot won't be there, but there's no reason why the D and overall savvy can't.
Thanks to Biedrins and Turiaf nursing injuries and Anthony Randolph's current funk, MIKEY! Moore (-20) got the start. When Larry Riley signed MIKEY! in the offseason I don't think he envisioned him playing 18.5 minutes in a single game, but honestly the Warriors really had no other options especially with Randolph racking up so many pointless fouls. He wasn't quite Ronny Turiaf Sr. out there tonight.
It was pretty much more of the same from the big money veteran players on this team Stephen Jackson (-30) and Corey Maggette (-15). Lots of blanks (8-21 FG "good" for 38.1% FG) and questionable decisions with the rock (Jack with twice as many turnovers as assists). Thanks to poor front office decisions these guys have been thrust into roles they shouldn't have. Both are nice complementary vets, but nothing more. Sorry I know this is all like a broken record.
Anthony Randolph's night (-8) can be summed up in one word: CLUELESS. For all those Nellie haters demanding the Randolph "play through his mistakes" this game is exactly why that's not a good idea. To reinforce or encourage anything Randolph did tonight would be a huge mistake. From not cutting off the baseline against an infinitely slower Kaman to trying random And 1 moves at the top of the key and launching several ill-advised jumpers (5-15 FG), Randolph was just not playing smart tonight. His statline of 13 points and 14 points (mostly collected in garbage time) are incredibly misleading. If he's going to routinely play like he did tonight and play for 30 minutes a game, the Warriors are not winning a single game the rest of the way. It's frustrating because we all had so much hope for the guy.

By the way did you know Stacey Dash was 29 when she played the part of teenage BBF Dionne in this movie? Amazing.

Clippers 2, Warriors 0

Sadly both The Forward and The Guard had horrible games.

Garbage Time in the 4th Quarter

Clipper Raj: So it looks like this game is about over.

AB1: You kidding man? We got you guys right where we want you.

Clipper Raj: You wanted us to be up by 30?

AB1: 30 points? That's only 10 makes from downtown from Anthony Morrow.

Clipper Raj: Riiiight. Keep dreaming.

AB1: How about I dream about the Warriors winning the lottery sweepstakes for a gifted power forward destined for greatness, but then that dream quickly turns into a nightmare as he injures his left patella, probably costing the team any chance at the playoffs, before he even plays his first game?

<golf clap> <golf clap> Blake Grffin: "That's not very funny at all."

Clipper Raj: Hey Grffin picked up 6 less fouls than your GQ boy Masala tonight.

AB1: Okay, yeah that's pretty "Unstoppable Baby!"

Clipper Raj: Speaking of the Unstoppable-ness...

AB1: Yeah what about it.

Clipper Raj: You know how you cats over at GSoM have that world famous mantra:

"UNSTOPPABLE BABY!"

Golden State Warriors rookie Marc Jackson to the Mavericks' bench, after hitting a lay-up during a 29-point loss (2000)

Well a new Clipper one for matches against the Dubs is about to be formulated today.

AB1: Whatchu mean man?

DeAndre Jordan's dunks and celebrations during garbage time were pretty hilarious.

Clipper Raj:

"UNSTOPPABLE BABY!"

LA Clippers DeAndre Jordan to the Clips' bench, after throwing down a nasty jam for the umpteenth time during a 28-point win in garbage time (2009)

AB1: Good one.

Clippers 118, Warriors 90

Tonight's award goes out to Coach Don Nelson. Nellie's about to irrationally get bashed left and right by the histrionic and randomly vengeful "Fire Nellie" crowd. I'm not sure why. Honestly what is the man supposed to do? Tonight was on the players. Injuries happen (Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf), but the guys who were out there tonight were absolutely awful.

Did Nellie have the greatest coaching performance tonight? Doubtful, but tonight the players and their collective low hoops IQ, limitations, and raw-ness were the problem. Coaching was not the problem tonight. I give Nellie credit for not going AWOL.

A picture says a 1,000 words.

via s3.images.com

Video "highlights" courtesy of our friends at Yahoo! Sports and the NBA

Postgame video courtesy of our friends at CSN Bay Area

Poll

Who gets your vote for tonight's main Warrior Killer?

2009 D-League Draft Results and First Impressions [Ridiculous Upside]

Atma Brother ONE — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:03:58 -0000

2009 D-League Draft Results and First Impressions [Ridiculous Upside]

Find out who the next Golden State Warrior will be by tracking the 2009 NBDL Draft.
* 2009 D-League Draft Preview
* Indeed, The D-League Had A Draft [SBNation.com]
* The D-League Has a Draft? [SBNation.com]

RUMOR: Charlotte Bobcats (+ Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets) Interested in Stephen Jackson- Boris Diaw anyone?

Atma Brother ONE — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:51:34 -0000

I thought R Dizzle's joke and entire recap from earlier today was pretty hilarious, so let me hit the rewind button for this Stephen Jackson tidbit:

YESSSSSSS - no one likes me.

Say YESSSSSSS to trade rumors and make the jump!

Marc Stein writes on ESPN True Hoop Don't forget Bobcats in Stephen Jackson sweepstakes (read that again- "Stephen Jackson sweepstakes"... hilarious):

It's been about a week since we had any certifiable chatter to pass along on the Stephen Jackson trade front. That's not because the Warriors have slowed the search for trade partners -- to the contrary -- but because the most interested parties (Cleveland and Denver) are generally high-payroll teams that can't easily absorb Jackson's long-term contract. The Cavs and the Nuggets, furthermore, just aren't teeming with tradeable (and available) assets to hook Golden State.

What we can confirm, though, is that Charlotte has to be mentioned more prominently on the list of interested suitors. We've briefly noted the Bobcats' interest in a couple of previous entries, but further checking reveals that the Bobs have seriously explored the prospect of trading for Jackson, apparently undaunted by the fact that they weren't mentioned when Jackson announced late in the summer that he wanted to be dealt to Cleveland, New York or one of the three Texas teams.

...

Charlotte's first choice -- in any deal -- remains moving Nazr Mohammed first, Vladimir Radmanovic second and packaging them together if possible. The Bobcats have been trying to move Mohammed for months and could make a deal with Golden State work cap-wise by combining Mohammed and Radmanovic -- both of whom are earning $6.5 million this season and $6.9 million next season -- for Jackson and the smaller expiring contracts of Acie Law and Devean George.

Yet you shouldn't expect Golden State to settle for anything less than Diaw, whose abilities as a point forward would undoubtedly appeal to Don Nelson. The Warriors continue to transmit the message that they won't rush the process just for the sake of parting with Jackson, preferring to wait until Dec. 15 or maybe even the trade deadline in February in hopes of getting back something of value for a player who, in their view, has been far more productive than problematic when you look at his whole Warriors career.

Shipping "Captain" Jack to the hoops boonies for Boris Diaw aka Miss Gossip's main crush?

Where do I sign up?

Stephen Jackson said he wanted to play for a contender.

How about a contender for John Wall?

via dunkside.com

Diaw broke out back in 2005-2006 with the original 7 Seconds or Less minus Amare Stoudemire Phoenix Suns where he shockingly put up 13.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 6.2 apg with a swat mixed in for good effect. After that he never quite matched those averages with the Suns and was shipped out to Charlotte for Jason Richardson. Diaw did have a nice resurgence last year dropping nearly 15-6-5 under the always fidgety Larry Brown. At age 27 Diaw is right at his NBA prime, so it's probably not the last time we'll see this type of production from the French forward. And who knows? If Diaw managed to kick that croissant habit maybe he'll even better those numbers in the coming years.

In Nellieball my crystal ball sees Boris Diaw as Billy Owens Part II and for the cost of a "Captain" that's quite the bargain.

Billy Owens drawing his usual quadruple team.

Also see: Polling GSoM: Was Billy Owens a "monumental NBA bust"?

Boris Diaw

#32 / Forward / Charlotte Bobcats

Height: 6-8

Weight: 235

Born: Apr 16, 1982

College: None

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2009 - Boris Diaw	4	36.0	3.5	8.5	41.2	0.5	2.0	25.0	3.5	3.5	100.0	2.3	2.8	5.0	5.0	2.3	1.3	0.8	2.0	11.0

I must say though props to Larry Riley and Don Nelson. They're playing this exactly right. Riley is showing patience in this undesirable situation and an unwillingness to sell low on Jackson just for the sake of getting rid of the team's former "Captain". Nellie is saying all the right things to the media as well- hyping up Jackson and not publicly criticizing him when he deserves it for his "leadership" and on-court play. He's even going so far to say he hopes Jack doesn't get traded. Crafty Nellie is doing his best used car salesman impression. Hornets fans aren't buying it, but maybe some unsuspecting GM in the association can be duped.

More from True Hoop about kicking the "Captain" off the Warriors ship

From the GSoM Vault:

99.9% of rumors never happen, but 99.9% of them are fun to talk about!

Poll

Who would you rather have on the Warriors right now?

Q&A: Matt Steinmetz (AOL FanHouse + Comcast Sports Net Bay Area)- Part 3 of 3: Talking hoops with a balla

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:12:11 -0000

It's time for the 3rd part of our interview with Matt Steinmetz. By day he's writing for for AOL FanHouse and by night he's on CSN Bay Area sharing the insights of a former college baller on Golden State Warriors broadcasts.

Part 1: Making Sense of Stephen Jackson

Part 2: Warriors defensive woes, Stephen Curry's jumpshot, and managing playing time

Good things come to those who wait. In the final part of this Q&A Matt lets fans know what are some of the intricate details of the hoops game to pay attention to while watching Warriors games at home on TV and where some great playground spots are in the Bay Area to hoop it up.

Golden State of Mind: Given your experience playing college ball and years dedicated to covering the game, you have a better eye for the little things players do that everyday fans don't pick up on. What are some intricate details of some of the Warrior players that either help or hinder their play that we should look for while watching games on tv?

Matt Steinmetz: Thanks for the butter-up. Well, keeping with that theme, the one thing I would suggest is for Warriors fans to take note of how many times the Warriors have a possession with zero or no passes. Or count how many times a player gets the ball and just swings it for no other reason than to get ball movement. Point is, it doesn't happen nearly enough.

But there's a reason it doesn't happen. They don't have the kind of personnel that does that. Ellis, Jackson and Maggette like to make plays for themselves first and teammates second. All three of those guys can make shots from the outside and go the basket. The problem with that is that every time each one of those guys gets the ball, that's the first thing they're looking to do.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I want to see improvement in this area. I want to see the ball move more and guys being a little less greedy. I want to see more cohesiveness at the offensive end, not five guys seemingly on their own.

That falls solely on coach Don Nelson. That is his responsibility and his responsibility alone. The Warriors aren't the first team in NBA history to have a bunch of guys who like to shoot the ball instead of pass. Bottom line, though, is it's up to Nelson to get this team to play more like a team.

That's what I'm going to be looking for in the coming games. I want to see if Nelson can actually get this team to start improving, to start playing together and to start resembling a team rather than five guys out their on their own. That's his job.

Golden State of Mind: You're a former college hoops player and known to mess around on the blacktop. What are your favorite spots around the Bay Area to get in a pickup game?

Matt Steinmetz: When I first moved out here in 1990, I played at the Marina all the time ... at all three courts: the upper court, lower court and that little indoor gym in the middle. Those games were pretty good. More recently, I've played at Grattan playground in the city and "States Street," also in the city.

When I moved to Oakland about 10 or so years ago, I was running regularly at Club One in City Center, and those were the best games I played in out here. Those are the places I've played consistently over the years, but I've also driven out to Bollinger Canyon and played on that outdoor park and also played at a place out there by the name of "Snake Park," I think. Now, I'll pop into a health club in San Ramon for an early morning run here and there. But I'll still go anywhere for a game, provided I know 10 guys are going to show up.

Got any good spots?

**********

I must concur. Central Park in San Ramon (of all places) is shockingly a great spot for pick-up ball. How about it GSoMers- got any other good spots to hoop it up in the Bay Area?

All of us at GSoM wanted to thank Matt for coming on our show and for his continued support of this community. When he was doing the Warriors blog rankings last year he awarded GSoM with the #1 spot and the player comparison of the incomparable Kevin Garnett. Much appreciated.

Long time GSoMer Dubs fan in Boston's recent piece The Warriors as Simpsons is currently the 3rd...

Atma Brother ONE — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:32:08 -0000

Long time GSoMer Dubs fan in Boston's recent piece The Warriors as Simpsons is currently the 3rd most popular FanPost of all time around these golden parts. Click and roll over to see why it's a hit!

From the Archives: Homer Simpson Signs with the Golden State Warriors