I notice a lot of evaluations happening in various diaries, but I wanted to see if we can conduct some focused conversation related to how the Warriors need to make STRUCTURAL CHANGES to their current makeup.

Of course, I definitely want the Dubs to win out, and there is still a chance of making the playoffs.  So don't take any of this as giving up!

Here are my quick thoughts (hopefully you will help me work these ideas out):

1.  WE CAN'T RELY ON STEVE JAX SO MUCH OFFENSIVELY.  This may be a no-brainer, but I'm thinking that Stephen Jackson needs to be our Robert Horry, maybe our Lamar Odom, but relying on him to score 20 points a night is going to doom us to suffering through all sorts of 5 for 17 evenings.  The guy doesn't have enough diversity in his scoring to be one of our major scorers.  Which brings me to the next point...
2.  WE NEED TO BRING IN ANOTHER SCORER.  For some reason, our hodge-podge of Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and Kelenna Azubuike is not reliable enough to supplement our top scoring guys, B-Diddy, Monta and Steve Jax.  Harrington disappears at critical moments, MP3 and Barnesie are head cases (sorry Matt, much respect, I hope you return to form), and Kelenna is not quite there yet.  Basically, one way to analyze the game against the Nuggets is to look at J.R. Smith.  (For you old-timers, we need a Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson.)  We needed that guy to pick us up when one of the Big 3 is struggling.  
3.  WE NEED TO LET B. WRIGHT DEVELOP, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.  When Biedrins made that crazy pass in the 4th quarter, before the game was really over -- some no-look bounce pass that probably hit a Warrior Girl smack in the kisser -- he was doing too much.  The guys is really sweet at doing what he does - solid rebounding, some nice in-the-paint scoring, an occasional block and steal - but he will not be our "Power Point" forward, aka C-Webb at his hay-day.  B. Wright could be that guy.  His length, agility, balance, dexterity - all point to a really talented future.  If he can gain 15 pounds this off-season, he needs to play 20 minutes a game next year.  We need those blocks, those dunks, those post plays.  We need the twin to Andris' tower.
4.  THE NELLIE FACTOR: CAN HE LEARN FROM HIS DISCIPLES, OR IS HE DOOMED TO REPEAT THE PAST?  George Karl going to the zone defense after the first quarter was the apprentice destroying the master.  He out-nellied Nellie: making changes to maximize match-ups, creating structural problems for the opponent.  When Karl switched, he took the upper hand; Nellie did not have a good response.  At times, Nellie gets caught up in his ways, and it is frustrating to watch.  Now, of course, I don't know who else could have brought the Warriors from the doghouse to 47 wins in two years like Nelson has done.  But late in the season, as we have lost these big games, I would have liked to see some more flexibility.  I don't know if Keith Smart is the answer, but I'm not sure how much further Nellie can take us.

* * *

I've got more thoughts, but I'd like to see what you think the critical priorities are.  What next steps do you recommend?  What are the key analyses of our current structure?

Actually, I am one for holding on to all the pieces we have, especially the bigs with potential for success.  But here is an article in the San Jose Mercury News where POB lets us know that he wants to play, or go somewhere else.

"I'll play anywhere I'll (get a chance to) play," center Patrick O'Bryant said. "I'm a basketball player, not a basketball watcher."

This much is clear: He doesn't plan to serve under Coach Don Nelson again.

"Obviously, if something weird were to happen and Nellie didn't (have his option picked up), then maybe," O'Bryant said of a return to the team that drafted him No. 9 overall in 2006 but declined to pick up his third-year option last summer.

And if Nelson does return? "Then it probably wouldn't be my first choice," O'Bryant said with a wry smile.

Eh.  You hate to see the youngster going up against Nellie.  Not very politic of him, to wish for Nellie's departure.  Not in the interest of the franchise.  Pretty selfish, in fact.  Of course, self-interest is the name of the game, so you can't really blame him for his feelings, but his strategy is not likely to win him any points.  

Here's what Nellie has to say about POB:

"He needs to get more consistent, to where you know what he's going to do," Nelson explained. "Less turnovers. A dominance in something that he does, whether it's shot-blocking or rebounding. And a few other things. That's enough, huh?

"It's kind of all over the map. He passes a little bit, rebounds sometimes, sometimes he'll block a shot. But there's no consistency there. So I never know what he's going to do in a game or in a practice."

Nelson - who considers raw rookie Kosta Perovic to be "pretty close" to O'Bryant on the depth chart - wouldn't rule out O'Bryant returning next season but didn't exactly light up at the prospect.

"He's a free agent," Nelson said. "So we'll be one of 30 bidders in the free-agent market. He'll be on our board."

So what do you guys think?  Did POB get a fair shot?  Of course, I've never played for Nellie, but I have to imagine that if POB showed something in practice, he'd get a chance.  Is POB just sitting on his First Round Draft-pick status, expecting playing time as a matter of right?  Or, is Nellie just ridiculously biased against bigs and rookies, and especially big rooks?  In any case, it doesn't look like the POB experiment will continue much longer.

Poll

Did POB get a fair shot?

35%

I dunno. I still can't tell if Nellie is a genius or a fool.

78 votes

38%

No. Nellie is PH-balanced. (A player hater, for you youngsters.)

85 votes

25%

Yes. He didn't make an impression. His bad.

55 votes

218 votes | Poll has closed

From ESPN:

NBA front-office sources say that Cleveland will come away with four new teammates for Lebron James, headlined by Ben Wallace from the Bulls and sharpshooter Wally Szczerbiak from the Sonics.

. . .

[S]ources say that the deal calls for the Cavaliers to receive Wallace, Szczerbiak, Seattle point guard Delonte West, Chicago's Joe Smith and a future second-round pick from the Bulls.

The Bulls . . . would get Cavaliers forward Drew Gooden and swingman Larry Hughes along with Cavs reserves Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown.

The Sonics . . . come away with the expiring contracts of Cleveland's Ira Newble and Chicago's Adrian Griffin as well as Cavs veteran Donyell Marshall.

Think LeBron will be happy?  From what I remember of last year, Cleveland was one of the best defensive teams in the playoffs.  Big Ben could make them even stronger.  Wally can be a lights-out shooter, given LeBron a reliable perimeter shooter.  I wonder if he'll miss Donyell, Hughes or Gooden (representing his full quotient of Bay Area and former-Warrior players).

Sonics apparently come out sweet for salary cap reasons.  Chicago?  I dunno.  They seem to be spiraling out of control, but maybe this will improve their locker room.

Look forward to hearing the GSOM take on it.

Poll

Think King James will be happy?

56%

Maybe. Depends if Big Ben and Wally can contribute.

29 votes

17%

Nah. No real talent involved here.

9 votes

25%

Yes! Cavs back in the Finals, baby!

13 votes

51 votes | Poll has closed

Hey folks,

I am a long-distance dubs fan w/o cable or NBA audio, so I follow the games via GSOM and the ESPN Gamecast.  Couldn't figure the answer to this question, though, from those various sources:

What happened to POB tonight?  Why no PT?

As long as I am here, here's another question for the crew: how are we going to manage all the talent we have this year?  We have Jax/Barnes/Pietrus with a lot of overlap in playing style, and we've got these kids that are going to have a hard time cracking the lineup (Wright/Bellinelli/Kosta), we've got POB, and then we've got our regulars (Biedrins, Davis, Ellis, Harrington).  Are we on our way to some serious issues of discontentment?  Or, can Nellie keep seven established players happy while still growing our youth movement?

All that said, I'm excited about our resurgence.  Go dubs!

This is mainly based on intuition, as I am not one of the Warriors wonks a la OZ or JB or the Daily Contributor Formely Known as Sleepy, but I am a lifelong student of the team and my feeling is that this team has a lot of heart and a lot of potential but we are such an emotional team that it will take a little while for our culture to get in place, which is necessary before the wins really start coming.

Looking at the handy-dandy calendar on the left column of this blog, it's looking like we've been blessed with a really tough begining to our season but that in late November things aren't quite as tough, and December does not look impossibly miserable either.

It's possible that by mid-season we will be a .500 team well within striking range for playoff spots 6-8.  That's provided that Steve Jax does what he has always done for us, B-Diddy doesn't have the wheels fall off, and some of the rooks and sophs play up to their potential (i.e., three out of six of Beans, Ellis, Belli, POB, Lasme, Perovic).

Right now, though, we are 0 and 5.  I see us getting five wins out of our next ten [DET, LAC,TOR, NYK, BOS, WAS, PHI, PHX, SAC, HOU] by winning three out of four against WAS/PHI/SAC/NYK and finding two more from DET/LAC/TOR/BOS/PHX/HOU. Of course, we could do better, or we could do worse, but even if we end up 5 and 10, we're not out of this, folks.

BELIEVE!

Poll

What record after 15 games?

10%

10 and 5 (predicting less is heresy!)

6 votes

48%

8 and 7 (we're about to bust loose)

28 votes

34%

5 and 10 (we'll be all right, though)

20 votes

6%

0 and 15 (abandon ship!)

4 votes

58 votes | Poll has closed

Jason Richardson, forever in our hearts, is off to a nice start with the 2 and 0 Bobcats.  In game 1, a pretty exciting win over the Bucks, he started with some nerves and finished strong:

The Charlotte Bobcats opened their season with an energetic 102-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The game kicks off what is an important season for the team, as new acquisition Jason Richardson made his Bobcats debut after a draft night trade, and the young core of Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, and Emeka Okafor look to improve on last years 33-49 mark.

. . .

Jason Richardson

Charlotte's newest high flyer made a splash in his regular season debut. 3rd on the team with 21 points, Richardson's points came almost entirely in the closely contested 4th quarter. His shooting percentages were not spectacular (8-19), but his performance from three (3-5) was encouraging. Richardson also helped out on defense, adding 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Jason's effect on the game is not entirely visible from the box scores alone. 21 points is certainly a decent game, and the fact that most of those points came at clutch times was even better. Jason also looked very energetic, and was vocal throughout the game. Richardson showed potential to become a fan favorite, diving and sliding for loose balls, getting crucial steals, and even getting the crowd pumped up during Bucks free throws.

With questions about the acquisition of Richardson rampant this offseason, Jason needs to have a solid opening half of the year to appease the Bobcats faithful. While many in the Charlotte area were excited to finally shed the "cheap" label by landing a big money player, there were those that questioned the prudence of adding such a one dimensional scorer at the cost of a talented young draft pick. Like him or not, Richardson undeniably fills a glaring need for perimeter scoring, and if he continues to bring the defensive intensity the Bobcats may have made an excellent pickup.

It looks like Game 2 went even better:

Jason Richardson scored a game-high 29 points, including six three-pointers, as the Charlotte Bobcats held off a furious rally to beat the Miami Heat, 90-88, at American Airlines Arena.

. . .

Richardson dunked, Felton had a layup, and Richardson nailed a three from the right corner with 4:09 left in the third quarter. That made it a 73-59 Bobcats lead, and Miami called a timeout to regroup.

I appreciate the analysis of the GSOM OGs who are noticing how the season develops without pushing the Panic Button.  In fact, after the bandwaggoning that was happening at the end of last season, we have a really nice dialogue going here (thanks OZ).  That said, it has to pull your heart a bit to see J-Rich doing so well, no?

Poll

How much do you love J-Rich?

23%

Greatest Warrior Ever

36 votes

61%

A True Soldier

94 votes

7%

One Solid Dude on a Nice Team

11 votes

8%

A Stand-up Guy

13 votes

154 votes | Poll has closed

Hey folks,

A few pessimistic thoughts have been invading our community since the devastating news of recent days (I must say, since learning that KG will be a Celtic, I don't have quite the same spring in my step), but the most disheartening thought I have heard is the presumption that, now that we are not quite a championship contender, our dear coach Don Nelson will not return to guide our run-and-shoot brigade.  Can there be any truth to this rumor?  (Or, as AtmaBrotherOne promises, can we take solace in the fact that 99% of rumors are untrue?)

Personally, I can't quite imagine that Nellie requires KG to continue coaching.  A few more million dollars in his contract should suffice.  He still has a competitive team with a nice point guard, some exciting swing players, a promising young center, a potentially-awesome rookie power forward, and the possibility of further additions between now and the beginning of the season.  Plus, he can live in the Bay during the season, he has his buddy Mullie at the helm, and most of all there is the big question - what else is he going to do?

(Now, I do have some friends who are big fans of the Celtic Nation who have been wishing for Nellie to come east for a year or so now.  The Celtics are not built for Nellie-ball, and I can't imagine him selling us down the river in such a way.  In fact, I will say nothing more of it.)

If Nellie goes, I may be tempted to become a leprechaun-lover, for no other reason than Boston has my two of my favorite players - KG and Leon Powe.  But for now, I am still excited.  I love B-Diddy, Barnes, and Steve Jax.  Monta and Beans still have a ways to grow.  Wright has potential.  Bellinelli may be what we have been looking for.  

I'm hoping for the best with all of this, but I'm interested to hear what you think.  Does anyone have information to share on this?

Poll

Will Nellie leave?

25%

I can't even think about this (puke!)

13 votes

38%

No way! We believe!

20 votes

30%

Maybe. Maui is calling.

16 votes

5%

I'm thinking the Celtics may bring him home.

3 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

Wassup party peoples,

I check this website probably ten times a day because I have the Warriors fever and just can't shake it.  I read HoopsHype, and ESPN, and at least half the diaries here, even the diaries where half the posts are petty arguments between one poster and another.  I like this place.

However, we are no doubt going through some growing pains, and some of the old timers are frustrated, and some of the newbies are down to fight, and we're all a little fried after all this wondering, and waiting, to see if KG will land in the 'town.

So we've got new regulations and a new REGULATOR and a whole army of vigilante content monitors who are definitely ready to pop a cap in yo' ass if you write some frivolous drivel.

And that's the good part...

Anyway, where I'm going with this is: well, we might just need a bitch session.  You know, a time to complain and critique and even diss a bit.  You can also pay some compliments, if you are into that sort of thing.

So here goes...

WHAT IS WRONG WITH GSOM

#1  The Warriors didn't win the championship.  We will not truly be happy until that happens.  Even then, we probably won't be "happy".

#5  We've got more people than the current format can handle.  We don't yet have the little systems that present diaries in order of popularity, for example.

#9  We are a relatively young, growing community that is trying out new rules and regulations and, well, frankly, some of the efforts are misguided.  For example (and this is not a personal critique, but rather, a functionality issue): the new words in the titles (REPORT, IDEA, etc).  Truthfully, they suck.  The classifications are more filler that you have to scan through until you figure out what the diary is really about.  I still need to read the whole title of the diary before I can figure out whether or not I want to read it.

#13  That dude with the racist Indian logo as his webpin (sorry man, it is just plain ugly).

WHAT IS RIGHT WITH GSOM

#1  The Warriors.  They rule!  

#2  The Warriors.  The playoffs were dope!!!

#6  The personalities here.  The webpins, the Sleepies and comas, the Commishes and the Zorgs, the Atmas and Fantasy and YaoButtas and all.  It's nice to know that you'll be reading some familiar voices when you stop by this place.

#99.9  Rumors!  I love 'em.!!!

PS - Especially for you young bucks, who may get carried away by the "what is wrong" stuff - let's keep it respectful!  Remember the guidelines!!!

Poll

how tight is GSOM?

8%

I only come here when I have nothing better to do.

4 votes

27%

Nirvana. Nothing is better.

13 votes

58%

I'm enjoying the ride. It may get even better.

28 votes

6%

Enough for my sports fix, as long as I keep it short and sweet.

3 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed

not looking too good for the KG sweepstakes, with the Suns having the pieces to make it happen:

But the Suns increasingly look like the favorites, given that Phoenix is Garnett's preferred destination if he has to leave the only NBA city he has ever known and with the Suns clearly possessing more trade assets. The Wolves are looking for a combination of high draft picks, top young talent and expiring contracts to provide cap relief. The Lakers don't have a draft pick higher than No. 19 to offer and Minnesota, sources say, is not interested in Odom because of the two years and nearly $28 million left on the lanky lefty's contract.

It's believed that the Suns will continue trying to keep Stoudemire out of any deal, but sources say that the athletically gifted 24-year-old is not untouchable -- not with the Wolves having finally made the philosophical commitment to end the Garnett Era after years of speculation and with Phoenix feeling as though there is no better player it could acquire to counter San Antonio's Tim Duncan, who is seen as the Suns' biggest obstacle to getting out of the Western Conference playoffs.

article fromespn.

so...unless Mullie can make a comeback, it's looking like we need to work on other options: Varejao (i know a lot of you don't like that one), getting the #3 pick and Al Horford, that big guy you guys like from Charlotte, etc etc.

i've been hearing this thought percolating around GSOM and it is a new idea to me.  it might be because i've been listening to most of the games on the radio this year, and play-by-play guys tend not to focus on defense as much, but i guess i always assumed richardson was a decent defender.  i mean, he is strong, pretty fast, a dedicated player.  why can't he play D?

Zig mentioned that KNBR's guy shared this line on why j-rich is not fully in nellie's favor:

Steinmetz said Monta and J-rich don't play because they aren't doing what he wants on defense

can anyone help me out on this one?  what kind of defender is j-rich, as compared to other shooting guards and swingmen around the league?

Poll

on a scale of 1 to 5, how could good of a defender is jason richardson?

12%

4

5 votes

2%

5 (shoulda been all-nba defense team)

1 votes

5%

1 (weak as hell)

2 votes

22%

2

9 votes

57%

3

23 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed