SB Nation User Blog: R Dizzle

RECAP: Warriors 113 Grizzlies 105 - Yes, YES, and YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

R Dizzle — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:51:25 -0000

YESSSSSSS - no one likes me.

Final - 11.4.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Memphis Grizzlies	29	27	24	25	105
Golden State Warriors	19	38	33	23	113

Complete Coverage >

WIN #1 baby!

Let's take a peak and what I like to call...

Yes, YES, and YESSSSSSSSSSSS!

But first, check out the highlights from the game provided by our good buddies at NBA.com and Y! Sports

To be quite honest, I'm pretty surprised that we pulled off the win. I was sitting next to my friend while watching the game (PIstons fan...psshhhhh) and I was explaining to him how the Warriors sucked.

He just looked at me and said, "Yeah, you guys have problems. Who decides to just give up their captain role?"

Good question my man, good question.

Anywho, now for the fun! (But it ain't as fun as Funleavy Foto Fun!)

YESSSSSS: Monta doesn't play defense!

YESSSSSSSS: I lost 50 pounds with Jenny Craig!

YESSSSSSSS: I'm getting playing time even though I look like a monster!

YESSSSSSS: I look the same in every picture!

YESSSSSSS: I can get 4 points and 3 boards in 7 minutes!

YESSSSSS: I don't suck today!

YESSSSSSSS: I haven't punched anyone this year!

YESSSSSSSSS: They finally gave me the ball!

KEYS TO VICTORY

1. The "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!" Factor = 11

I did a quick scatter plot of this phenomena and it looks a little something like this. (You've gotta appreciate my extreme nerdiness and dedication to this joke. I should hand my Stats professor THIS as my Regression Analysis homework due on Monday.)

Briefly, I'd like discuss a few points to Figure A. Notice that there is a correlation between # of times "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" is yelled in a game and the percent chance of the win. Normally, I find that when that statement is screamed, it usually is not in a good context - dumb shots, turnovers, not playing defense, shot clock violations - you name it. Furthermore, there is a direct correlation (R^2 = 1) between the two variables.

There were a few times in early in the game where this statement was used, specifically during Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson silly shots and Andris Biedrins early fouls. But hey, we still remained to about a 40% chance of victory, and we stuck to it!

2. Allen Iverson going 8-12, scoring 18 points and dropping 7 assists OFF THE BENCH

Notice the last three words in that - "OFF THE BENCH." Very key points. AI played well, no doubt. But check out these key points to this (Frustration grows for Grizzlies, Iverson - Yahoo! Sports)

He came off the bench.

And the Grizzlies lost.

Plain and simple. And The Answer's thoughts about it?

"The focus is on it because everybody in this whole world knows that I have a problem with it," Iverson said. "That’s why it’s an issue. It’s easy to say I’m selfish. My response to that is it’s something I’ve never done. And if we had success with us doing it than obviously I’d want to do it because we are winning basketball games. But if we had no success when we do it, than obviously I would have a bigger problem from the beginning.

YESSSSSSS: We're losing

3. Anthony Randolph played 7 minutes and 6 seconds.

He scores 4 points and gets 3 boards in 7 minutes. Efficiency if you ask me. Then he gets put on the bench for the rest of the game. Then we win.

Makes sense to me. I suggest we do this again.

(If you people start going off on me about this, you all have no sense of humor).

YESSSSS: I get free courtside tickets!

4. Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry DISTRIBUTED the ball

I can't understate this point enough. Together, they combined for 21 assists. When was the last time 2 Warrior players did this? (Seriously, someone look that up.)

Point being, this means something very very simple but clear. Although Monta pulled out 24 points (and a double-double) he realized one thing after putting up silly jumpers.

HE DID NOT HAVE THE HOT HAND.

5. Anthony Morrow

'Nuff said right?

Well, a guess a few more words won't hurt.

How in the world does he go 10-12 shooting with 4-4 in the three-point category? WHY WAS HE UNDRAFTED?!?!!

Check out with "Captain" Jack had to say (Ellis, Morrow pace Warriors to first win - Yahoo! Sports)

"His upside is what’s scary, how good he can be," said Jackson, after Morrow scored 24 points off the bench to lead the Golden State Warriors to their first win of the season, 113-105 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

"He’s definitely one of the best shooters in the game, pure shooters. There are a lot of people that can shoot but he’s a pure shooter. There’s been a shortage on those in the league the last couple of years. He is definitely one."

Word. And Morrow's thoughts?

"It’s just really all about doing what I have to do to stay on the court," Morrow said. "(Gay) scored some buckets but I wanted to make sure I did the best job I could and also went back at him offensively. He’s a great player so I just wanted to match that level of intensity."

That's kind of humble - wasn't it? If it were me...

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR DRAFTING ME SUCKHAZ!

YOU DON'T WANT ME IN YOUR 3-POINT CONTEST COMISSION STERN?!?

I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MISS WITH THE MORROW!

3-MORROW COMES TODAY!"

Just sayin...

Poll

How would you describe Anthony Morrow's 24 points (10-12 FG, 4-4 3pt) against the Memphis Grizzlies in the Roaracle?

OPEN THREAD: Game 3 - Warriors vs. Grizzles - This Sucks

R Dizzle — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:44:37 -0000

Warriors: 0-2

Grizzlies: 1-3

Game Time: 7:30pm

Radio: KNBR 680

TV: CSN Bay Area

Blog Buddy: Straight Outta Vancouver
Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

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Editor's Note - Let's be real here. This season is getting off to a terrible start, nothing seems to be working out, and nobody really wants to discuss our losing team. Yes, we're playing the "lowly" Grizzlies, but let's remember that they beat us in EVERY game last year! Don't believe me? Check out here, here, and here. So what if Rudy Gay didn't get an extension is now going to be an unrestricted agent at the end of the season? Nobody wants to hear me break that down and our "potential" of getting him over here...Straight Outta Vancouver has that locked down. Howza bout we all sit back, take a sip of that Golden Drink, and enjoy my silly creative writing?

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April 16, 2009,

Disneyland, CA

R Dizzle: So there it is - all done with the quest. Not only have I been clever enough to find all the Warriors personel, but I ALSO found all of the GSoM homies. Yes, I'm the hero for the day. Ladies, the line starts behind Princess Jasmine (my one true love.) Oh ya, and I'm the best at Kindgom Hearts!

Meanwhile at Frontier Land...

Chris Cohan: That R Dizzle thinks he's sooo funny calling us the bad guys. What did WE ever do? [If you REALLY want to know, check out here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here - that's a lotta references to something so terrible)

Robert Rowell: Nothing! We've always had the team's interest in mind, not our own!

Chris Cohan: Exactly. I'm tired of getting a bad rep about everything. We need to show the world what happens when someone criticizes us and I have just the idea.

Robert Rowell: Oh ya? What's that?

Chris Cohan: You'll see....

At the Airport

Pilot: Alright! Everyone on board! Let's get this show on the road and get the heck outta Laker land!

Chris Cohan: Sounds great...but hey R Dizzle, wait a minute.

R Dizzle: What's up? Still mad that I called you Jaffar? Hahahaha!

Chris Cohan: No, no. That was hilarious. You know, Robert Rowell and I wanted to congratulate you for doing such excellent work this last season, covered some great moments and never criticized us. And to reward you, we decided to get you a private plane home!

R Dizzle: Really? That's awfully nice of you.

Chris Cohan: No problem. Enjoy this "special" Golden Drink too! Mwahahahaha!

R Dizzle: ...what's with the evil laugh?

Chris Cohan: Umm...ignore that. Have a good flight!

R Dizzle: Thanks! You're not so bad after all Chris Cohan! (boards plane)

Robert Rowell: Where is he going?

Chris Cohan: Like I said, we need to make an example of him. He's going to some place real cold....

Robert Rowell and Chris Cohan: MWAHAHAHAHA!

6 Months Later

R Dizzle: Man...that really knocked me out! Wait..what the...where am I? Why are there so many yellow shirts around me? Am I in "We Believe heaven?"

Ok, ok. Don't flip out. Let's see...excuse me, sir? What day is it?

Random Guy #1 - November 4th.

R Dizzle: WHAT?!?! I've been out cold for 6 months? How did I end up here? WHAT'S GOING ON?

Random Guy #1 - Look, I don't even know who you are. Stop being all crazy.

R Dizzle: Right. Ok. I just woke up after 6 months...just calm down and do what you do first thing in the morning. Check Golden State of Mind!

Wait..this doesn't make any sense. I've been out 6 months and I've been writing articles?

Ok wait, hold up. More importantly - where the heck am I? And why is it so cold? Why do I keep asking questions instead of finding answers? Ok ok ok, let's just go to a sports store and check out jerseys and stuff. That'll make this easy. Let's see...a #25 yellow and blue jersey next to a Washington Bullets #5 jersey that says "Howard," a #5 yellow and blue jersey next to a #5 Nuggets jersey that says "Rose," and a yellow and blue #4 jersey next to a #4 Warriors jersey that says "Webber." Rose...Howard...Webber...that's 3 out of the 5 Fab Five.

Wait a second...Fab Five..they played at Michigan...

OH.

MY.

GOD.

Alright, don't trip. You can find a way out of this. Let's see...EMAIL! That's the way to go! There's gotta be some more information in there about how you ended up here. Or at least what's going on with the outside world.

Look at that 1,213,1231 unread messages. Guess 6 months is a long time. Wait..check this. It's something from Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell...

Dear R Dizzle,

Hope you enjoyed that private flight! Time to show you and the rest of the GSoM crew what happens when you start criticizing us about our front office. We're sick of hearing your Mike Dunleavy jokes, your tears about Jason Richardson, your criticism of Marcus Williams , and worst of all, your infatuation with Rob Kurz. Maybe this will teach you "jokers" a lesson!

Hope you enjoy the cold suckha!

Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell

Wow..that wasn't very nice. How cold is it going to get anyway? Let's see Weather.com says that today it's going to...SNOW?!?! WHAT THE....

Ok, don't panic. Let's look at the good here, you still have internet. You can get league pass on your phone. You're finally miles away from that cheerleader. You can still write for GSoM. In fact, let's see when you have to do a preview and recap...look at that. We're already at Game 3...and we're 0-2. Great.

GSoM Night 7 already happened? Even better.

Well, since it's my turn to handle the preview...I should toss down some of my super accurate predictions.

R Dizzle's Predictions

Warriors by 1
Monta Ellis with 20 points and 5 assists
Stephen Jackson with 20 points and 5 turnovers
Jamal Crawford with 15 points and 0 assists
Marco Belinelli with 10 points and 5 boards
Rudy Gay with 18 points
I cry because it's really really REALLY cold and the game is awful to watch

R Dizzle: Hey look...one last thing from that note from Cohan and Rowell.

P.S. You're now closer to Sleepy Freud!

THIS SUCKS.

Poll

Are we looking at win #1?

OPEN THREAD: Preseason Game #8 - Warriors vs. Hornets - It's Huntin' Season

R Dizzle — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:15:47 -0000

Warriors (Preseason W-L) - 3-4
Hornets (Preseason W-L) -2-4
Blog Buddy: At The Hive
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM PST
TV: None in Bay Area, but you can probably find a stream

"We have to get back to being the hunters. The guys who were here last year should still have a bad taste in their mouth."

—Coach Byron Scott.

Ruh roh. Me thinks Hunting Season starts tonight. What better way of bringing momentum into the regular season than to beat up on the lowly Warriors?

Sigh..

But first, let's take a step back. It's the final preseason game and what have we learned?

Most likely nothing.

EXCEPT one thing. Stephen Jackson has taught me many reasons why I should no longer make him my "favorite player." Nuts to you Stack Jack, nuts to you.

Jump for some thoughts about tonight's game..

Before we go into the Hornets, let's go over some recent Warrior news.

Cool. That was fun. Now to the Hornets.

Now to the predictions.

R Dizzle's Predictions:

CP3 with a DB-3 (triple double...did that work?)
Okafur comes crashing down with 15 boards
Morrow with four 3 pointers (what's ridiculous about this is that 4 three's is actually possible)
Jackson with a technical foul

Poll

Stack Jack's out for the game. Think he'll still get a technical?

Yes

414 votes

No

132 votes

546 votes | Poll has closed

Jackson-Bryant, part deux [San Francisco Chronicle]

R Dizzle — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:14:56 -0000

Jackson-Bryant, part deux [San Francisco Chronicle]

"I'm going to be me, but I guarantee I won't feed into the nonsense," Jackson said Monday. "If it came down to a real fight, I know what would happen. I'm just going to leave that alone, go out and play basketball and try to help my team win."

I vote we start a new column called Stack Jack's Quacks. Who is this guy?

Jackson decides to play, not pop off [Oakland Tribune]

R Dizzle — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:56:38 -0000

Jackson decides to play, not pop off [Oakland Tribune]

"I'm not as dumb as people think," Jackson said. "I'm a smart guy. Sometimes I might say some things that people don't expect because it was on my mind. But I know what's right and wrong. I know what I need to do to continue to build my reputation in this league as a player and as a man. By keeping my composure, it's going to help me and not take away from me being a great basketball player."

Someone please take that quote and run with it.

Thanks to IQofaWarrior for the original fanshot.

+ Stephen Jackson SBNation.com Story Stream
+ Stephen Jackson: Never Scared [SBN]

OPEN THREAD: Preseason Game #6 - Warriors @ Kings - Best part of Sacramento?

R Dizzle — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:41:47 -0000

Forget about the Kings. Let's start talking about their mayor.

Ya, that's right - MAYOR JOHNSON!

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE.

Warriors (Preseason W-L) - 3-2

Kings (Preseason W-L) -0-3

Blog Buddy: Sactown Royalty

Tip-Off: 7:00 PM PST

TV: None

Radio: KNBR 680

The Kings? They drafted Tyreke Evans.

He don't look so friendly.

The Warriors? We took Stephen Curry.

He looks tasty.

The Kings? The picked up Sean May.

He's not ACTUALLY this big, is he?

The Warriors? We picked up Mikki Moore.

...intense.

The Kings? They got Mayor Johnson.

How did he dunk on Hakeem the Dream?

The Warriors? They got Don Nelson.

Not so smooth yo.

By my count, that leaves the Warriors > Kings - only KJ gives them any points in the battle.

R Dizzle's Predictions

Warriors by 2.
Ammo with 20 - makes a good argument for the starting 2 position.
Monta vs. Kevin Martin - win Kevin Martin.
Curry picks up his FG% (maybe that's just wishful thinking)
Nobody really cares about this game.

Peep GSoM coverage of the Kings

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Sacramento Kings: It's all up from here

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HAPPY DIWALI EVERYONE!

Poll

What's the best part of Sacramento?

Sacramento Kings

73 votes

Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger

133 votes

Mayor Kevin Johnson

237 votes

The capitol building

84 votes

527 votes | Poll has closed

Stephen Jackson - O Captain, My Captain No More

R Dizzle — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:02:10 -0000

O Captain, my Captain!

Say it ain't so

O Captain, my Captain!

You don't wanna be captain no mo

O Captain, my Captain!

This is getting out of hand

O Captain, my Captain!

Get outta here with your trade demands

O Captain, my Captain!

I can't support this

O Captain, my Captain!

TWO Techs? Just for kicks?

O Captain, my Captain!

You are DEAD WRONG

O Captain, my Captain!

You no longer belong

O Captain, my Captain!

I can't believe it's all happenin'

O Captain, my Captain!

You are a huge distraction

O Captain, my Captain!

It's time for you to depart

O Captain, my Captain!

THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YOU IN MY HEART.

This is too far for even me.

Linkage:

Read the Walt Whitman again

O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Poll

Is it time for Stephen Jackson to leave the Warriors?

Yes

1147 votes

No

78 votes

1225 votes | Poll has closed

Ronny Turiaf – Still Gettin' Hyphy :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Recap and Previews

R Dizzle — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:46:12 -0000

Oh Mr. Turiaf, how I enjoy having you around. Yes, through the dark days and the rough games, you've seem to bring a smile to my face. Why's that you ask? It's not the funny accent, the hyphy dance moves, or the big smile on YOUR face (although I do love those things.)

It's cause you love animals!

I guess you get an extra big teddy bear when you're extra big like Ronny!

I like how I get to write about my favorite players year after year. Check out what I said in his previous Player Preview and Recap.

Maybe this guy just needs better fans around him that will appreciate what he brings to the table and with our "defense," I can see this man grabbin boards left and right while Beans gets some time to rest. We need this man to do essentially what Austin Croshere was supposed to do last year...let our starters get some rest and make sure we don't get destroyed on the boards. Bare minimum - he won't be a Warrior killer. That's a good enough reason to get this guy on our team.

Boy, do I enjoy being wrong. Grabbin boards left and right? That's it? Austin Croshere? What in the world was I thinking?

Let me count down the ways I love Mr. Turiaf.

3. He has the flyest French accent ever.

Ronny Turiaf takes Franco Finn on the Cribs Tour!

Listen to what this man eats for dinner!

2. Every game with Ronny is a party - A BLOCK PARTY!

1. He's just happy to be here!

First down! Wait...wrong sport.

YESSSSSSSSSS! I get gummy bears after the game!

Wait, if I get 3 Blocks I get free Chipotle? REALLY?!?!

So Goofy.

What can I say? Ronny's just Ronny - and you gotta love him for that. He's not about to be an All Star any time soon, but who cares? He brings the fire every night and he does it with a huge smile. Coach Nelson and the rest of the teammates only speak great words about him and what he contributes.

Stephen Jackson used to be my favorite player, but as the drama continues, it's getting harder and harder to support him. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that Tender-Ronny is exactly what I enjoy about basketball players - hard-working, fun loving, and just happy to be there. Through the Youth Movement, he's never complained, never made trade demands, hell, I rarely hear his name in the Warriors Tabloids (trade rumors or other types of drama). He's exactly what we need for the Young Gunz and that makes me happy.

There aren't too many bright spots this year, but I'd put my money on Ronny Turiaf making this enjoyable.

Ronny Turiaf

#21 / Center / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 250

Born: Jan 13, 1983

College: Gonzaga

If I were to meet any of the Warriors players tomorrow, I'd want it to be Ronny Turiaf. (I already got the chance to meet Anthony Morrow, which was dope!) Fun guy sure, but he's been through a lot health wise and to see him on the court playing hard and having a great time - it's really inspirational. I appreciate that.

Can't stop, won't stop Ronny. Keep doin your thang my man.

2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview

Anthony Morrow: Ammo + Chocolate Rain
Stephen Jackson: O Captain, My Captain
Speedy Claxton/ Devean George, Acie Law: Wouldn't Count on It
Brandan Wright: Injury Prone
Stephen Curry: Let There Be Hope
Monta Ellis: Back in the Saddle
Corey Maggette: The 6th Wonder of the Oracle
Anthony Randolph: Hope Beyond the Hype
C.J. Watson: Storm-a-brewin'?
Mikki Moore: Ronny Turiaf Sr.
Andris Biedrins
Ronny Turiaf
Kelenna Azubuike

Coming 10.26.09 to a web browser near you...

Golden State Warriors 2k9-2k10 Super Preview Blowout Special!

Poll

Are you happy to have Ronny Turiaf on the Warriors?

HELL YES! Shake dem Dreads!

1029 votes

No. I'm a hater.

34 votes

1063 votes | Poll has closed

OPEN THREAD: Preseason Game #3 - Warriors @ Suns - Takin' it to the Streets

R Dizzle — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:47:18 -0000

UPDATE (6:00 PM) - Looks like I'm wrong about a prediction before the game even starts! Stephen Jackson has been suspended for 2 games because of his outbursts last night. [Inside the Warriors] Who gets suspended in the PRESEASON?!?!

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

Warriors (Preseason W-L) - 2-1

Suns (Preseason W-L) - 1-0

Blog Buddy: Bright Side of the Sun

Tip-Off: 6:30 PM PST

TV: TNT

Radio: KNBR 680

Palm Springs, CA. What a beautiful place to go and enjoy the fine weather, the quiet times, and the relaxing nature of the..wait, for it...PALM TREES!

Guess what else you can enjoy in this beautiful part of CA tonight?

EXCEPT OUTDOORS.

Someone please answer me this one - why is this considered a home game for the Suns? It's being played in CA...don't state boundaries count for anything these days?

Yeah, yeah we should have Amar'e Stoudemire. Check the linkage if you want the science behind all that.

But let's talk about last night.

R Dizzle's Quick Recap:

Monta Ellis - NICE to see you back in form.
Anthony Randolph - 18 points, 8 boards...let's try to get a double-double next time buddy. (Just kidding, good work.)
Andris Biedrins - 12 boards! But only 4 points? Let's get ya back up to serving the double-doubles.
K-Booke - 18 points. Great firepower off the bench.
Acie Law - 13 points? I thought you weren't supposed to be any good.
Stephen Jackson...5 fouls in 9 minutes?

Wait hold up, he didn't say what I think he did, did he? Now my Brother already dropped some thoughts on it earlier today, (see - Stephen "Captain Technical" - 2 technical fouls in 3 PRESEASON games?) but let me just say this Mr. Jackson. It's getting very hard to justify what I said in the player prediction from this year and last year. It is however, getting very easy to justify this portrait I drew of you.

Anyway, on to tonight's game!

R Dizzle's Predictions

Monta Ellis has another 20+ game and makes me regret talkin all that smack last year.
AR4 comes down with a double-double
Captain Jack gets another tech - new record baby!
Amar'e tears it up and we all ask ourselves why we still have Andris Biedrins and Brandan Wright.
It's another sunny day in California!
We're all ECSTACTIC that we don't have to watch a crappy stream of the game!

Poll

Will Stephen Jackson get another technical foul tonight?

Yes - He's going for the new preseason record!

211 votes

No - Blame Kobe for last night. Jack was just mad he got fined and "The Black Mamba" didn't.

102 votes

313 votes | Poll has closed

Brandan Wright - Injury Prone :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Recaps and Previews

R Dizzle — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:38:27 -0000

Take these broken wings. I need your hands to come and heal me once again.

Sad news GSoM. Sad news.

If you have yet to hear the 411, it looks like Brandan Wright has suffered another shoulder injury, his second in 10 months. Before you hit up the jump for some analysis, peep the linkage (if you have not already).

* Shoulder injury could sideline Wright 6 months [Yahoo! Sports]

* Brandan Wright’s second shoulder injury in 10 months: Could surgery be necessary? [48 Minutes]

* Report: Brandan Wright hurts left shoulder, MRI to come [48 Minutes]

* Don't forget about Wright [SFGate]

* Brandan Wright, semi-forgotten Warriors power forward [Talking Points]

Rewinding 2008-2009: Brandan Wright

A year after spending the majority of the season on the bench, Brandan Wright was given his chance to shine. He had a great training camp and proved to Nellie that he should get extended minutes. And he did.

No doubt about it - BWright showed HUGE improvements from his rookie season. He was learning how to score and rebound and EARNED his way into starting minutes. The future was looking bright for BWright and that silly ol' extensively debated J-Rich trade was beginning to be justifiable. Heck, ask Sleepy Freud - his PER 36 were very very nice.

And then...this game happened...

Recap: Warriors 106, Lakers 114 - So Close, Yet So Far.

Wright's Injury. AWFUL. Not only does it suck that Wright has a partially dislocated shoulder, it sucks that no one seemed to see his arm dangling from his socket until he got bowled over on the next possession. Someone foul someone. Call a timeout. Throw a freaking chair! STOP THE GAME AND LET THIS GUY OFF OF THE COURT! Not only did it lead to three points we could have prevented, that blow he took could have made his injury more serious. Wack.

Brandan Wright. Right up until his arm started flailing about like a limp noodle (gross) he looked great. Boards on one end (he had 9 in 12 minutes!) and strong finishes on the other. Our best goes out to him. We don't have a lot of energetic big guys to go around here and I was really looking forward to more of him tonight. Good thing he's got Tommy Abdenour looking after him. Best in the business.

Great. The guy's just getting good, 9 boards in 12 minutes good, and some Caveman (see below) looking fellow decided to seperate his shoulder. Excellent.

Now of course there was some good to come this, namely Anthony Randolph's development, but it still sucks having the #8 draft pick of 2007 go down for an extended period of time.

Long story short - it took a while for BWright to recover, he tried to come back near the end of the season, but he wasn't fully healed. Nellie shut him down and went with our 7 man rotation dream team.

Brandan Wright

#32 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 210

Born: Oct 05, 1987

College: North Carolina

			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
2008 - Brandan Wright	39	17.6	3.3	6.3	52.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.6	2.2	74.1	1.6	2.4	4.0	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.9	1.9	8.3

Predicting 2009-2010: Brandan Wright

INJURED.

Yeah this basically sucks. Although nothing is confirmed since he was injured on Friday (the MRI is pending for Monday) we can all infer the potential injuries and we can all infer the potential causes.

There are two things take from this recent injury.

1. The basketball Gods dislike us.

How can I make this conclusion you ask? Right when Brandan was begining to develop into a true Warrior (whatever that means), he gets slapped in the arm and injures his shoulder. Now I have no idea how it happened since I wasn't there, but I'm assuming it was intentional or malicious. Furthermore, a "slap" in the arm leading to injury isn't a great sign.

What's even worse? Coach Nelson was noticing BWright's new muscular figure and newly developed skills.

I’ve had better days," Warriors coach Don Nelson said after Saturday’s practice. "He might be the best player in camp or right up there. He went down and that made it a bad day today. But we wish him the best and hope he has a good result."

Nothing is for sure, but it's a big possibility that Brandan will be out for 6-10 months. Do the calculations, that's the season.

2. I was right.

I love those three words in every possible permutation.

A few months ago, I detailed BWright's shoulder injury.

Anatomy 101

Alright fellas, here’s the difference.
"* Dislocated shoulder. In this injury, a fall or blow causes the top of your arm bone to pop out of the shoulder socket.

      Unlike a lot of joints in your body, your elbow, for instance, the shoulder is incredibly mobile. You can twist and move your upper arm in almost any direction. But there’s a price for this ease of movement. The shoulder joint is inherently unstable, prone to slipping out of place.

      In severe cases of dislocated shoulder, the tissue and nerves around the shoulder joint get damaged. If you keep dislocating your shoulder, you could wind up with chronic instability and weakness.

    * Separated shoulder. Despite the name, this injury doesn’t directly affect the shoulder joint. Instead, a fall or blow tears one of the ligaments that connects the collarbone to shoulder blade.

      Since it’s no longer anchored, the collarbone may move out of position and push against the skin near the top of your shoulder. Although separated shoulders can cause deformity, people usually recover fully with time."
At the end of the day a dislocated shoulder usually has more long term repercussions than a separated shoulder. Each time a joint is dislocated, it becomes easier and easier to get knocked out of place at a later time.

Brandan Wright had a shoulder dislocation. This is not good. The term "injury-prone" can be tossed around with him since that injury can be reoccurring. Think about his rebounding abilities…he can easily get knocked by someone bigger and BAM it pops out again.

This would not (or will not) be a problem if Brandan was bigger. Remember back in the day when everyone was complaining that he was stick and needed to put on muscle? This is the reason why. Injuries like this rarely happen to big beefy guys like Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry, Shaq, Tim Duncan….BIG MUSCLE = good for PFs!

Big ups to my anatomy class!

Let's revisit that.

INJURED.

Sorry, too easy.

But in all seriousness, a shoulder dislocation is one of those injuries that you can call being "injury prone." It does weaken the joint and lead to further injury if it is stressed by a big force - say, a big guy trying to block you. Now, I don't know how the "slap" happened in practice on Friday, but I'm assuming it was by someone bigger than him. (I think someone mentioned it being Anthony Randolph, but I don't know for sure.) Either way, it happened, and it shows that he does have recurring shoulder problems.

Now there's one obvious question that comes up - how did he get reinjured after bulking up? I'm no doctor, but two things pop in my head as a bioengineer.

Yes, he bulked up, but it might have been in a case of too much too fast. If you add a bunch of muscle quickly, you basically didn't do it naturally. It's pretty physically hard to toss on 10 pounds of muscle (or more) in a month without the use of steriods or a bunch of protein. He had a small frame prior to the extensive working out and it might not be able to support it all initially.
The injury at his shoulder joint never fully healed. If this is the case (which is pretty possible) little things (like a slap) would set it off. When you're doing muscle training and just trying to bulk up, if you're doing it properly (which he probably was because he had a trainer present), the shoulder muscles were isolated. This means abnormal movements or things that would aggravate the joint would not have occured in the muscle training, thus, it would be possible for him to add on pounds.

So what does it all mean? Again, we still have see what the MRI amounts to, but realsistically the injury will have a big impact on the Warriors picking up his 4th year option.

What do you think?

Polling GSoM: Should the Warriors pick up Brandan Wright's 4th year option?

My guess? If he's out for the season, he's out of the Warriors.

Poll

Now that Brandan Wright is injured, do you think the Warriors will pick up his 4th year option?

YES. Too much potential to give up on.

352 votes

NO. Too injury prone.

346 votes

698 votes | Poll has closed