SB Nation User Blog: warriorsvictim

Could the Warriors run the triangle offense?

warriorsvictim — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:31:42 -0000

Let's say we dump Nellie and bring in someone who is dedicated to the triangle....we have seen flashes of how good the team is when they are passing and moving with a purpose on offense.

Morrow & Buike would have more chances to catch the ball ready to shoot

Monta & Curry would have better lanes to play triple threat from

JAX & Maggette would know who to pass the ball to when they dont have a GOOD shot

Randolph would benefit from the additional discipline

There are college teams who are running the triangle system successfully now, so my initial thoughts that a young team would struggle are waning.

I also think that having purpose on offense will make the defense better. They wont be so frustrated getting back on D.

There are other offensive schemes out there, but I have not seen another one that allows high scoring teams who do not run/gun to have open shots so often.

This post is not meant to say let's do it this year, just what are your thoughts on running this offensive scheme with this group of players.

Memo to a Young Baller

warriorsvictim — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:03:07 -0000

Did anyone read this article from ESPN.com?

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/7054/memo-to-a-young-baller

It basically kisses Kevin Durant's butt and criticizes him sharply at the same time. The points that are made are 100% valid however, and the whole article reminds me of the Warriors due to the level of talent mixed with youth and lack of experience.

I basically think OKC's issues boil down to Durant being so far better than anyone else on his team for the last 2 years that the coaches let him run wild on the floor (reminiscent of LeBron in CLEV). To compound the issue, Durant loves to run wild because he is so damn good at it, adn his teammates love to watch. When Durant is off the floor, they are forced to actually coach and run fundamentally sound plays in order to accomplish anything.

I can see this being a huge problem for the Warriors with Nellie out of the picture. He has the balls to sit young players and/or hold them on a short leash even if they have a lot of talent. Can you image Randolph playing for OKC last year? He would have played 45 minutes per game while creating 100 highlight videos, but he and Durant would never have played a pock and roll properly (on offense or defense), and OKC would have had the same losing record. Everyone would have been confused as to why.

If Jackson falls apart, or is traded for what boils down to 2010 cap space, we will be dangerously close to this even with Nellie at the helm. He will be forced to play a lot of talented youth, and let them try to win games based on talent rather than on fundamental B-ball.

-Monta will play no defense and try to score too often

-Randolph will be as out of control as he was last year thinking he has to do it all, forgetting that slowing himself down slilghtly would be perfect

-Morrow will shoot every time he touches the ball, then be benched

-Curry will end up supremely confused about what to do at the point and have little progress to draw on for his sophmore year

-Maggette will shoot too soon or try to get fouled every time he touches the ball and he wont play any defense when the calls dont go his way (even more than now).

This "Memo to a Young Baller" needs to be mandatory reading and discussion material for our team. Fundamentally sound basketball and teamwork will serve us far better than constant highlight reel moves and one on one play that leave you with a 50% chance of success. Fundamental basketball doesnt mean you can't run and be fun to watch. It just means that you admit there is a right way to do everything, and you give up the highlight move when there is a strong opportunity to run a play.

Is Monta's talent a mirage?

warriorsvictim — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:55:49 -0000

We have talked about the merits of all the Warriors players until our fingers and eyes are bleeding. The one thing we can all agree on is that we have a core of very talented players on the Warriors, who under the right conditions, are all valuable pieces. Maybe even crucial championship pieces when taken individually on the right team.

When we look at the team as a whole, we have big problems though, and I am wondering more than ever if Monta is the problem.

Monta is a great offensive player and a slighlty below average defensive player. We get caught up in his offensive production and the attention he draws from opposing defenders because it is exciting, and you need that insane offensive threat on every team.

We have now moved into the era of trying to make Monta be a point guard, though, and the more I think about it, the more I see this as a mistake. The Warriors have talked about trading just about everyone else on the team because the bigs dont rebound enough or score enough, the small forwards arent strong on defense or rebounding, the others play in between positions are are just flawed in some way regardless of position.

Monta has not been shopped too much, if at all, because he has been the one consistently super talented player over the last few years. That amount of super talent however is not necesarily doing us any good. We only got to the playoffs when we finally had a solid point guard.

The best evidence for the value of a true point guard in the NBA came last season when Denver acquired Chauncy Billups. You would not associate Billups with the word exciting, but he has delivered a missing factor to Denver in his leadership, facilitation, position defense, and ability to turn on the offense as needed. These are crucial qualities in the absence of a Jordan/LeBron type player whose talent takes over every other factor in a game.

The second best arguement for finding a talented point guard above all else arrived in the form of Chris Paul. Since he has joined the Hornets he has steadily improved as a point guard - not just as a player or scorer - and they have not improved at any other position, yet they have become a perrennial playoff team. He facilitiates the offense, is a threat on offense himself, has leadership qualitieis, and plays solid defense for his position.

For a point guard, Monta is not under-sized (heck, Paul is 3 inches shorter) so moving him to this position eliminates that negative factor. I dont doubt that Monta can develop some PG skills and mindset, and he can improve his defense if he decides he wants to, but here is the big problem with this experiment...

While we wait for Monta to become an All Star point guard Biedrins' best years will pass by, and Curry-Radolph-Morrow will never learn how to play to their true potential. They will be struggling while Monta is struggling instead of developing while we have an anchor at the floor general position. Biedrins is not a great center due to his lack of a shot which is why he will get shopped around as long as a Bosh or Amare are potentially available. You cannot have good guys playing at both the PG and C positions at the same time and win anything. Yes we can be exciting, but we have been there and done that, lets move on.

Monta is our most valuable trade option besides Randolph if he is 100% back from injury. His talent is clouding our vision of this team's future and we should trade him for a solid point guard right now so that we can see what we really have in the other young guys. I couldnt tell you who is available right now on the trade market, but I have to think if we suddenly offered Monta and Wright as a package deal, we would have more interest from around the league than the Warriors front office could handle. If we throw in the expiring contracts from our recent acquisitions the pot becomes even sweeter.

So the question is, why would you all want to hold on Monta even if it meant stunting the development of the other younger players? Why would we hold onto Monta knowing we will never win a championship with this team and that the player most lilke him in the NBA - Allen Iverson - was never able to take his team to the promise land either after causing the same type of confusion with his talent in the front office of his respective clubs? Why would you hold onto Monta knowing the right point guard could take us to the playoffs right now?

The promises his talent has shown us are mirages. They seem nice now, but you never really get anywhere.

Did you renew your season tickets?

warriorsvictim — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:43:48 -0000

The Flights of Fancy post got me thinking...we have a lot of season ticket holders here either as occassional readers or active posters. We have had innumerable discussions on the Front Office, Team, Treatment of Season Ticket Holders, Future of our Players, etc...and the consensus seems to be negative, or hopeful with no trust in the organization.

I am extremely interested to know how many renewed their season tickets and why if you are inclined to respond.

I was really on the fence about buying season tickets last year and decided not to because the product really doesnt warrant the expense when I can see the games on TV in high def. This year I am very excited about seeing our young players, but have even less faith that the club is going in the right direction with the failed attempts to lure in a big name player to anchor the young team. Another year, same old same old.

I truly bleed Warriors blood, but in this economy there are too many other things above season tickets on my priority list.

Poll

Did you renew your season tickets?

Yes

43 votes

No

79 votes

Bought season tickets this year for first time

12 votes

Would never consider buying season tickets (for whatever reason)

93 votes

227 votes | Poll has closed

Who is your second favorite team?

warriorsvictim — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:47:32 -0000

Check out this article from espn.com

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-43-69/Your-Second-Favorite-Team.html

The Warriors get a lot of love and it really got me thinking. I have been trying to come up with a second favorite team for a long time. I really enjoy the mess that is the Clippers, and when we beat them it is that much sweeter to have your favorite beat the number 2, in conference.

But, from a pure love of the game perspective, I am really torn. I love watching LeBron play. He is totally unique not only in today's game, but as a historical figure in the NBA the same way Pistol Pete or Big O were when you watch the reruns on espnclassic...but I hate the Cavs as a team. So far, the team has really let LeBron down and not been fun to watch. I enjoy Chris Paul, but same thing, the rest of the team does not deliver. Utah is consistenly good and entertaining, but I hate them almost as much as the Lakers, and that will never change.

When the Warriors are not on, I dont think I am a hoops fan anymore. I am so thoroughly filled with Warriors blood after 30 years as a fan that I cannot even consider really rooting for another team. I lose interest during the playoffs and spend more time on the court myself....and find myself turning more and more to other sports where I dont have such an emotional attachment and can watch from a love of the sport standpoint.

Is it possible that after so many years of ups and downs with our crazy ass team, that I have passed over the standard fan threshhold into the realm of complete lunacy? When I watch two other teams play I want them both to lose even though I know it isnt possible.

Anyone else with me on this or are you able to just switch over and root for one of our NBA enemies?

Ridiculous expectations: All Star Weekend Shootout

warriorsvictim — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:31:10 -0000

Considering the NBA play of Morrow and Buike last year, and the fact that we have had 2 years of media-hyped, solid NCAA play from Curry to review, I think it is reasonable to expect that the Warriors will have three players in the NBA top 5 for 3 point shooting at the All Star break.

A lot of teams have had the potential for two. I can't think of another team who has ever had a legitmate chance at three, so please jump in if you have the memory for it.

Curry is a big "if" right now, but I think he will earn a decent amount of playing time based on his collegiate play, draft position, summer performance, and pedigree, and it will be easier for him to get 3pt shot off than do anything else as a rookie. Everyone knows he can shoot, so he will be guarded, but finishing inside and distributing the ball are much more difficult than finding his spot and catching/shooting.

Here are last year's stats for each player:

3PM-A 3P%

Azibuike 94-210 0.448 4th in league at year end

Morrow 86-184 0.467 Lead the league

Curry 130-336 0.387 5th in NCAA at year end based on made 3pters

The NBA has no responsibility to select anyone for the 3pt shootout based on their performance. We all watched the Dubs get egregiously snubbed last year so they could select based on a mysterious agenda. But let's say these three lead the league at the break and have made enough shots to meet the volume requirements.

Would the NBA dare to completely diss our team again?

What should our reaction be if that takes place?

I would not be surprised if they ignore 1 or 2 of the guys if they are sent to the Frosh/Soph game. The NBA considers any amount of participation in the weekend to be so amazing that players should kiss Stern's feet for simply being allowed in, but I find the 3pt Shootout to be far more prestigious, especially when you have earned a spot by out-performing your peers. Not to mention way more people watch it than watch the rookie game.

As an NBA fan, I would rather have the drama of the league's best shooters competing against each other, even if several participants are from the same team. The NBA could hype that up as a dominant shooting team with players who are seeking to show each other who the man really is. They can pretend like they hate each other during the contest and talk mad trash to make it interesting for the casual fan.

Is that crazy?

Oh God No!

warriorsvictim — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:54:06 -0000

With the likely signing of Gortat, the Mavs are said to be dangling the expiring contract of Eric Dampier in front of a lot of teams.

When I read that on NBA.com today my heart sank and I started remembering all the missed lay-ups and dumb fouls Dampier brought to the team in years passed.

I am on the verge of tears typing this and thinking he could end up a Warrior again somehow based on that comment that the Warriors need some Beef in the line-up.

Please tell me this cannot happen! There is no scenario where bringing him in is a good thing which is exactly why it could potentially happen as Cohan's last poke at the Warriors fans he hates so much.

Why arent we looking at Bruce Bowen?

warriorsvictim — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:20:32 -0000

On a team filled with scorers, why havent we heard about the Warriors looking at defensive minded players like Bowen? (Please do not insert Nellie jokes here)

He is scheduled to make only $4MIL this year and may get a $2MIL buyout from Milwaukee by August. That means he will probably be available to be had at a discount.

His shooting has deteriorated a bit and his defense is not as good as it was, but on a team like ours, a slightly old defensive specialist seems like a great match. We could potentially say goodbye to those last minute OT losses and BS lucky shots by opponents at the end of games.

I know we are guard heavy and I would hate to see Morrow lose playing time he deserves this year (assuming Belinelli will be traded somehow - otherwise him too), but there are times where a defensive line-up would be awesome:

Bowen

Jackson

Azibuike

Turiaf

Biedrins

Picking up expensive players other teams are running from

warriorsvictim — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:00:21 -0000

I have seen several blogs recently talking about how hard it would be for teams to pick up expensive players in the current economy. Generally that is an acceptable statement, but that should not be applied to the Warriors.

Our team is in a unique position based on the fan base that continues to support the team regardless of whether they win or not, and how many crazy ass decisions come out of the front office. I would wager that the Warriors will rank much higher on the Forbes list of NBA team value this coming December because we will continue to sell-out the arena through the economic down-turn unlike many winning teams (e.g. Atlanta and Miami).

I understand that Cohan has thus far refused to spend on players and/or approach the luxury tax, but there is no reason that could not change if there is a wholesale shift in attitude in the front office under Cohan. The Warriors' managing personnell could see this as a great opportunity to shift the direction of the club as more and more players are shopped around the league to save money and position for 2010 free agency. Especially considering how over spending a little bit right now could put the franchise on solid ground for many, many years to come and provide opportunities to under-spend down the line.

I think this team is so unpredictable that this is as likely as anything else. Am I crazy?

Jax attitude sucks...let's start working on it today

warriorsvictim — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:25:15 -0000

Stephen Jackson was second in the NBA this year with 18 technicals (1 behind the leader) with 2 ejections thrown in for good measure. He had countless moments where he allowed his frustration level to take him out of a play. I say "frustration", not referees or opponents, because we saw way too many plays where he didn't actually get fouled or he made a bad move and was embarassed about turning the ball over. Even if the ref did make a bad call, in my book 1 or 2 bad calls can happen in a game due to the human factor and you have to let them go.

We need to start a push today to send the message that this needs to be turned around. There is no way he can get his emotions under control alone or during the season. He needs help and a lot of it.

Here are my suggestions, I am looking for more. We cannot have the leader of our team saying the right things off the court and acting like a baby on it.

1) Nelson threatens to bench him every time he falls behind a play due to whining and complaining (after an initial grace period of 5 strikes). Nellie then has to man up and actualy bench the man. This will draw a ton of media attention and Jax should have too much pride to be called a bitch in the national media.

2) Hire a sports psychologist to work with him from now all the way through the season. Jax needs to work out his issues now and have a shoulder to lean on after games to reflect intelligently on what went down.

3) Hire someone like Jerry West to mentor the whole team as a team on what it takes to be a winner. If the whole team becomes more emotionally intelligent, it will really help the individuals who lag behind. I dont care if it costs $10 million for one season of coaching, if Cohan is serious about having any success, it would be worth it.

4) Force Jackson to ref games in lower level leagues. We have a couple in the Bay Area that are very competitive. After Jax gets shouted at a few times he might start to see how difficult it is to make the correct call every time and why a ref won't bail out a player on a bad move.

5) Reward success. If he starts to pull it together it should be a big deal to everyone in the Warriors organization, media, fan base, everything. The Mayor of Oakland should announce a freaking Stephen Jackson day if he finishes the first half of the season with 5 or fewer technical fouls, no ejections, and very few failures to get back on defense.