Okay, stay with me for a sec...

Last year, our bench had Croshere, Hudson, Pietrus, Barnes, BWright, Belinelli, Kosta, Watson and Buke.

Croshere: Vet, knows his role
Hudson: Injured most the year
Pietrus: Complained but ultimately knew he wasn't a starter and he would get spot minutes
Barnes: Knew he had a bad year and just took the minuted he could get from Nellie
BWright: Rookie. Didn't expect many minutes the way Nellie coached. Still raw and knew it
Belli: Rookie. May have been frustrated but same as Wright.
Kosta: Knows he needs to improve. Kept mouth shut
Watson: Happy to be there
Kelenna: See Watson

Aside from our starting five, only one or two players really had beef if they weren't getting enough playing time. Fine.

This year, a different story. Marcus Williams, BWright, Belli, Kelenna, Morrow, Turiaf, Hendrix, Randolph, Kosta

Williams: May have a personality issue and is eager to prove his worth so will want to play a lot.
BWright: Has shown some improvement and wants to show his worth as well. May stay silent but will secretly brood.
Belli: Knows he can shoot and wants to prove it this season. Again, will prob stay silent but will think Europe is a whole better than Nellie's bench.
Kelenna: Just got a 3 mil contract and got a taste for the NBA now. Doesn't have an attitude, but obviously wants a bigger role.
Morrow: Happy to be here
Turiaf: Great energy guy who got a decent amount of play for the Fakers. Even started over 20 games. Again, great personality but will want his PT.
Hendrix: Knows he needs to improve but will want to battle with Turiaf for that bruiser position
Randolph: Summer league has added to his gargantuan confidence he already has and will want to prove that he can be in the running for ROY. Mucho playing time comes with that.

Now, while I am all for adding tons of depth to the bench and I think a crowded bench is way better than none at all, I just don't see enough minutes out there for all of them. That could create a problem. I really hope it doesn't, but I can see it happening with a few of those egos on the team.

I am hoping Mully is going the Pritchard approach and stockpiling assets to maybe make a splash in a trade somewhere down the line....

What do y'all think?

Well, one positive that comes out of the Warriors (probably) not making playoffs, beside of course the Lottery,
is that maybe the Warriors fan base will get back to normal.  Something happened this year that hasn't happened in almost a decade and half; the Warriors got bandwagon fans.  All of the sudden, after last years playoff run, it was "cool" to be a Warriors fan.  Everyone saw how much fun the real fans were having at the games and decided they wanted in on the fun.  Only they didn't know what to do because they weren't in on it last year or for the last 15!  What resulted has been a very lackluster crowd all year and one that hasn't come up in big games down the stretch as much as the Warriors themselves haven't.  Last year, everyone was WILLING the Warriors to a 9-1 finish or a first round upset.  This year, the "cool" Warriors fans at the Oracle always expected things to happen, then cheered, instead of making things happen with their cheering.

I am not saying at all the reason the Warriors are not (probably) making the playoffs is because of the fans.  Far from it.  I can write a book on my opinion about what went wrong this season.  But i certainly think a better home crowd could have helped our abysmal home record.

Looking forward to the future, I am hoping a lot of "new fans" will say, "Oh, same old Warriors" and go back to following another terrible bay area team (not the Sharks, they rollin) and not give the Warriors a second thought.  It will leave way for real fans like GSOMers to get back into the arena and show the country what rockin' the Oracle is about again.

What do y'all think?  Is this a fair assessment?

I have been hearing rumors that Memphis is interested in both Ellis and Biendris signing in the off-season, but especially Monta.  I think it would be a huge blow to the franchise to let either one of them go.  I have been a firm proponent of Mully being stingy this season but I think it is getting closer to the time for him to resign some people.  I mean, we have 3 people signed for next year so far.  We can't just risk that everyone is going to want to come back next season.  And while we're at it, we should begin talking to Baron.  I think he and Monta and Beans have all proven their worth to the team this season, especially all-star snub Baron.  What do y'all think?

I think a good one for this week would be a still of Webber dunking over Chuck with a funny little caption.  He has to know that is going to come back to haunt him Thursday.  I think that one would get a lot of publicity too.  Last weeks was great and props to the fan who got it on camera.  Or you got something better up your sleeve Tony.psd?

After tonights win against the Hornets, I have come to the conclusion that the Warriors are the most perplexing team in the league.  They really make absolutely no sense.

I mean, they come in to Houston last night, lay an egg in the first half to a team we have beat 4 times in a row and by the end actually have a legit chance to win the ball game.

Then tonight, we come into a game we have no business being in on a back to back and absolutely pummel the Hornets.  We have won 8 games now on the back end of a back to back!  Why?!

And don't even get me started on individuals.  I love Stephen Jackson and have his jersey, but the guy takes some of the worst shots in the league.  And the great part about it that also doesn't make any sense is that a ton of them go in and the ones that don't aren't horrible misses.

I know y'all are thinking the same things I am.  What other reasons can y'all come up with for why they make no sense?  Which, might I add, makes our Dubs THE most exciting team in the L to watch!

While I am usually disappointed and fired up after a Dubs loss, I just can't find it in me to be so after this one.

This one was just one of those games that is probably a result of horrendous scheduling by the league.  The starters looked pretty lethargic in the second quarter and as a result became a bunch of bricklayers and let the Pistons run off a 17-1 run.    The Pistons looked rested and comfortable and as a result shot over 50% for the game.  There was just not much that could be done.  It wasn't even the defense too.  Although, this game reinforced the question if we are ever going to find a solution for big boys like Maxiell.  

I really enjoyed watching the young guys play today.  Brandon looked good and showed some excellent signs.  I think once he gets some muscle and gets stronger, those dunks won't blocked and he is going to be a force to be reckoned with.  I liked seeing him experimenting with the J also.

Belineli showed some signs to today that were encouraging.  His shot looked 100% better and he looked more comfortable.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better but it is still a result of poor scheduling.  One reprieve is that Gasol is out so I'm hoping that will be a big plus for us.

What do y'all think about this morning?  (a win at Portland would have been nice to offset this one but hindsight is 20/20 i guess)

This loss is courtesy of Don Nelson.  I really don't care that we were on a back end of a back to back because so were they.  Nelson has to play the best guys he can put out there, regardless of the future.  Nelson had some of the worst lineups in that game that i have seen all season.  THud and Croshere in at the same time?  Im sorry, but Hudson is the worst.  He takes terrible shots and doesn't make good decisions.  He came in this game thinking he had to replace monta and his production.  terrible attitude.  Let the stars of the team pick up the slack.  

Belinelli coming in at the most inopportune time in the game?  This guy has shot almost 20 percent the whole season, has been threatened with the D-League and Nelson puts him mid in the 4th when the game was still in reach? terrible.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but our 4th quarter guys, FOR EVERY GAME, should be baron, kelenna, monta, stack and harrington.  Maybe biendris in there instead for some match up. That is by far our strongest lineup and should be on the floor every fourth.

That zone was horrendous too.  Never have, never am, and never will be a fan of it.  Didn't work when we went 0-6 and it sure isn't going to start working now.

Sorry if this read a little scattered, but this loss fired me up because I saw way too much bad heading into the Lakers game.  We better figure it out because Phil Jackson doesn't play into Nellie's games.  Let's hope for a little better offensive production and coaching Friday night.

I know its early, but look at the conference standings right now.  Three teams are tied for the 7th/8th spot right now with 11 wins, us included.  But look at the 3 seed, the Utah Jazz.  They only have 13 wins.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but this western conference has all of the sudden turned into a free for all.  The Warriors shouldn't have the "we're happy to be here" mentality this year.  Let's go for that home court or the very least a 5th or 6th seed.  If trends continue its a strong possibility.  Does anyone else think we'll end up near the top, or will we be struggling for that 8th or 7th spot again?

How does Baron at the 1, Capt. Jack at the 2, Ron Ron at the 3, Harrington at the 4 and Andris at the 5 sound?

Artest will almost certainly opt out of his contract next season.  Why shouldn't the Warriors pick him up?  Better yet, why shouldn't we trade for him before the all-star break while the Kings are still looking to get something in return for him?  I say we pair someone with Monta and do it while his trade value is up.  The kings are looking to rebuild and Monta is a good young player.

Artest would immediately fit into our system (53% from 3, highest in the NBA!).  And he and Stack are really good friends.

What y'all think?  I love Monta but Artest is too good to pass up...

Here is the link for Matt Barns dunk on Dirk.  Especially entertaining because of how Marv Albert reacts.  While it is nowhere near as good Fitz's, it is still a close second.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j8Ak1E7sDA

........................................................................

Did anyone catch the article simming the 2007 NBA playoffs in the NBA 2k8 game engine on the popular video game website ign.com?  The game actually simmed us to the finals!  We beat the Mavs in 5, then the Rockets then we actually get past our kryptonite the Spurs to advance to the finals!  Unfortunately, we can't handle the Pistons and lose in 5.  Believe!

Make sure everyone takes a look at the USA Today article about the Warriors today.  Looks like the Dubs are getting some national exposure after that huge win against Phoenix on TNT!

Here is the link for for the internet article for all of you who can't get to the actual paper:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2007-04-02-scorer's-table_N.htm

This is a paper I wrote for my college English class about how hard it is to be a Warriors fan.

          How Hard It Is To Be A Warriors Fan

   Pain.  Pain is all I have felt as a Golden State Warriors basketball fan for the last twelve years.  I am a huge basketball fan.  I first started playing at a very young age and have never  lost the passion for the game.  I played on as many recreational teams as I could in elementary school, all the grade teams in middle school and on both the junior varsity and varsity teams all four years in high school.  Being a player for so long, I am a natural fan of college and NBA athletics.  
   I am more of a fan of NBA teams though.  A lot of people ask me why I like the NBA so much.  They argue that college basketball is more pure and teams incorporate more fundamentals into their play.  And I answer with a simple word, "entertainment."  When I watch sports or any TV or live event for that matter, my main goal is to be entertained.  While ally-oops or behind the back passes may not be as fundamental as a good low post move or a pump-fake and shoot, they are definitely more pleasing to the eyes.
   But the entertainment value of the Warriors was not what first attracted me to the then very good team.  I can attribute this passion to my father.  My father is the only person other than myself that I have found who is a bigger basketball fan.  He played in college at the University of San Francisco and naturally knows a lot about the game.  He will get up early on Saturday mornings to play ball, be late to things just to see the last few seconds of a game and spend an innumerable amount of dollars on a signed Michael Jordan basketball.  So I was destined to have a passion for the game and eventually like his favorite team, the beloved Warriors.
  He took me to my first Warriors game when I was five for my birthday.  I remember it being so exciting because I had never been to a live event before.  Somehow, my dad got a birthday package for me which included a card signed by Chris Mullin, the Warriors' starting shooting guard.  I was hooked after that; I thought I was the only kid in the world who got Chris Mullin to write me a birthday card.  After that year, it turned into a tradition for my dad and me to go to a Warriors game for my birthday.  I continued to get cards for a few more years from guys like Latrell Spreewell and Chris Webber until they discontinued the promotion.  I didn't care though; I was a Warriors fan for life now.  I see 1993 as the year when I became apart of the one of the most notoriously loyal fan bases in all of sports.  
  Now take a moment and think about all that has happened in your life in the last twelve years.  I for one have moved three times, gone through all of my grade school and became an adult, just to name a few things.  In twelve years, we have had 3 presidential elections, the Oklahoma City bombing changed the lives of millions and September 11th gave a whole new meaning to being an American.  In my short lifespan, twelve years feels like an eternity.  
     What has happened to the Warriors that has caused someone so much pain?  The answer to that question can be summed up in one word, losing.  I am one of those people who absolutely hates to lose and will do anything to get that win under my belt.  Coach Bill Musselman once said "Dying is worse than losing because you have to live with losing."  Since the 1994-1995 season, my Warriors have had 12 consecutive losing seasons while currently holding the record for consecutive teams not making the playoffs.  
  Let's start the Warriors' story of woe with the draft picks.  In the NBA, the bottom sixteen teams from the previous year compete in what is called a draft lottery to see who can get the number one pick in the upcoming draft.  Draft day is supposed to be very exciting for bad teams because they get a chance to start over and pick up some young talent.  For the last twelve years, though, this day has been a dreadful one filled with mistake after mistake.  In 1994, the Warriors kicked off their reign as the team with the worst draft classes of the last twelve years with the 16th pick in the draft, selecting Clifford Roizer.  Roizer is now retired having played on seven different teams, ending in a below mediocre career.  Then, in 1995, the Warriors selected Joe Smith, who actually turned into a decent player but didn't help the Warriors win in a 46 loss season.  Then the blunder of the century happened.  In what has arguably been called the best draft class ever, the Warriors selected Todd Fuller with the 11th pick in 1996.  The Warriors passed up now perennial all-stars such as Zydrunas Illguaskas, Peja Stojackovic, Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Steve Nash for a player who had to leave the US for a league in Australia because he is so bad.  The errors continued with Adonle Foyle in 1997 who is now being paid $52 million to sit on the bench.  Then, in 1998, the era of Warriors players who were terrible as a Warrior but good when they were traded or let go began.  In 1998, it was Larry Hughes, who has now joined LeBron James in one of the premiere backcourts in the league.  1999, it was Jeff Foster, who is now turning around his career on the Pacers.  After a draftless 2000 because of a prior trade, the Warriors selected their first player in six years who is not a dud, Jason Richardson.  Richardson is currently on the roster doing very well with Baron Davis in the backcourt.  After 2000, they have kept most of their draft picks on their team and now have a very young core that is now developing.  
  The draft picks are only part of the story.  The coaching contingency the past twelve years has been sub-par to say the least.  In 1994, the coach with the second most wins in NBA history was coaching for the Warriors, Don Nelson.  He had a good thing going, winning fifty games and going to the playoffs the year before. Then, in '95, with the team on the decline because of talent and chemistry issues, Nelson was replaced with interim coach Bob Lanier.  After the '94-'95 season, Rick Adleman was hired and quickly fired a season later after two loosing ones.  PJ Carlisimo was then hired only to be quickly fired after Latrell Spreewell choked him. The list goes on with one to two season coaches with the likes of Gary St. Jean, Dave Cowens, Brian Winters, Eric Mussleman and Mike Montgomery.
  While I do believe the coaching has something to do with it, I think it is the lack of talent that has done the Warriors in.  The Warriors are notorious for having management that doesn't care about the team and could care less about making movements for better players.  Without the players, the team is nothing and the Warriors have not had a legitimate superstar in the last decade and a half that has stayed with the team.  When a group has point guards like Mookie Blaylock and big men like Adonal Foyle, the squad is not going to go far.
  I have stayed with this team through thick and thin, because to tell the truth, I don't really know any other Warrior team besides a bad one.  I never once jumped on Jordan's Bulls or Kobe's Lakers bandwagon.  I stayed with my team because the expression "next year" has really found itself in perennial usage in my vocabulary every time the playoffs come around and the Warriors aren't in it.  For some reason, I always think "next year" will be the year and I go into the incessant cycle of getting hyped for Warriors season only to be let down four weeks into the season when they are 2-11.  I find myself doing things like foolishly betting people that the Warriors will make the playoffs or buying an internet radio service to listen to games in Georgia or checking Warriors blogs 24/7.   I can't help it, the Warriors are just my team.
  But this year, it's different.  I am beginning to know what it is like to root for a winning team.  They have started 7-3 and show no signs of slowing up.  They have a young talent core that is reaching its true potential under the last coach to get them to the playoffs.  That's right, Don Nelson is once again the coach of the Warriors and is planning on getting them back to the post season.  I am hoping that this is not a big tease and everything is going to come crashing down within the next few months.  I really don't want to find myself in April looking forward to the draft lottery and telling my friends "next year."
    But it's probably going to happen.  Pain.