Archive for the ‘Blog Entries’ Category

If there’s one thing we don’t need around here is another battle between the front office and a player. Or frankly, any kind of controversy at all. Warrior fans who’ve been on the bandwagon for a while know all too well what happens when you get a rift of that nature. (See Webber, Chris & Sprewell, Latrell, among other examples.)

Word around the Oakland complex is the W’s are analyzing Monta’s story further, since the damage done to his leg and ankle aren’t indicative of a normal basketball injury. Head trainer Tom Abdenour rushed to visit Monta in Mississippi, so we’ll see what the W’s report in the days and weeks ahead.

Let’s hope Monta isn’t the the next Garrison Hearst, the former 49er running back who missed couple of seasons because of a serious ankle injury.

If Monta violated the terms of his new $66 million contract, what should be done?

Just when we thought the drama of the Warriors’ offseason was over, we get news that makes our stomachs turn. Monta Ellis will be out for at least three months after suffering a torn ankle ligament while training near his Jackson, Mississippi home.

Ellis is coming off a season that put him in elite company, joining Kevin Johnson, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and David Thompson as a 22 year old guard (or younger), who averaged 20 points per game and 50 percent shooting for the season.

Now the Warriors will have to rely on newly acquired Marcus Williams to run the point. Expect Stephen Jackson and Marco Belinelli to also have a major hand in running Nellie’s squad until Monta gets back.

Ellis was expected to take over the point guard spot vacated by Los Angeleno Baron Davis. More news on how this will effect Nellie’s game plan this year to come.

Baron Davis started his Warriors career with bang, leading the squad to a winning record in the aftermath of his trade from the New Orleans Hornets in 2005, while setting up big expectations for the future.

It appears now though B.D. will depart GSW with similar fanfare. Davis opted out of his contract Monday night, scheduled to pay him $17.8 million this upcoming season, for the greener pastures of unrestricted free agency.

The only question is whether this move will enable Davis to get the greenbacks he feels he so richly deserves.

In a sense, you could see this coming. Last summer, Baron had a much publicized encounter with former Lakers star/G.M./NBA Logo Jerry West.

West told Baron to stop sniping about a contract extension, play the string out and see where it all lands.

Davis did that, responding with 21.8 points, 7.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game, leading the Dubs to a 48 win season. In spite of having a record better than four Eastern Conference squads, the Warriors failed to make the playoffs in the uber-competitive Western Conference and ended up in the lottery for the 15th time in team history.

Warriors G.M. Chris Mullin has kept a hardline of late when it comes to signing long-term extensions, after the terrible deals issued to Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle and Mike Dunleavy.

So the hardball play by Warriors management was expected. Davis’ response, though, has everyone thrown off-guard.

Rumors abound about Davis heading to the Clippers to join Elton Brand, who also opted out of his contract, to set up a version of Celtics-west.

Speculation aside, Davis’ apparent departure will certainly stifle the Warriors’ chances of getting back into the playoff hunt next season.

After their incredible showing in the 2007 postseason, all signs posted towards a Warriors run for a conference title. But this news only rams home the point that windows of opportunity are fleeting and the Warriors chances for a title may still be years away.

Melo may have been celebrating a bit too much after the Houston win. He was busted for a suspected DUI in Denver eaarrrrllly this morning:

Denver Nuggets player Carmelo Anthony was arrested Monday morning for suspicion of driving under the influence, Denver police said. The star forward later issued an apology through his attorney.Police said Anthony was driving south on Interstate 25 near 20th Street at about 4 a.m. when he was pulled over and taken into custody. Investigators said he was driving a silver Mercedes that was stopped for failing to drive in a single lane and failing to dim lights.

Just in case your mind works like a vulture; no it doesn’t appear that this will affect his eligibility to play against the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

An entertainment driven plea for the Warriors to win tonight and squeak into the playoffs from a hardly impartial Kelly Dwyer at Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie blog:

The playoffs don’t need the W’s, but they sure could use them. For four games or a possible 28. The postseason, especially in the Western Conference, is going to be such a knock-down drag-out affair (keep a tab on just how times you hear that line over the next few months), that it really is only an aesthetic addition should the boys from the Bay Area make it back for the second year in a row.

The business side of ball is on full display in Washington State. If you think you’re bummed about the dismal playoff chances for the Warriors, forgive Seattle fans for telling you to take a long walk off a short pier. The Sonics may haved played their last home game in the emerald city: 

In Section 118, four friends dressed up in striped jail costumes, each holding a different sign: “OKC,” “Bennett,” “Stern,” “$chultz.”

“What’s being done to Sonics fans is criminal and each one of these is to blame,” said Peter White, 29, of Seattle, holding NBA Commissioner David Stern and former Sonics owner Howard Schultz as equally culpable.

With Sonics guard Earl Watson at the free-throw line with 29.7 seconds left in the first quarter, a chant of “Bennett sucks!” rocked the house. At the start of the second quarter, the first “Save Our Sonics” cheer of the night commenced.

Word from practice today is that Brandan Wright strained his groin against the Kings last night and may not be available in tomorrow’s pivotal matchup against Denver. Wright has come on strong in recent weeks and was expected to play a role in defending the Nuggets’ Marcus Camby, one of the NBA’s top rebounders and defenders.

The W’s were otherwise very loose and in great spirits. Their practice was more like a shootaround, with players getting treatment in preparation for tomorrow’s clash.

Listen to Don Nelson breaking the news to us below, as well as thoughts from Baron Davis and Monta Ellis.

exclusive audio

Don Nelson

Baron Davis

Monta Ellis

Check out our special edition of Warriorscast taped live during the Warriors/Kings game.

Adam and I analyze the action as it happens, get halftime and postgame insight from AP Radio correspondent Ryan Leong and otherwise have a grand ol’ time. Let us know what you think about the live pod at mailbag@warriorscast.com.

The biggest game of the year awaits us all on Thursday. Let’s hope the W’s show their true colors.

“It’s just like last year — it’s just that we have a better record this year, but we’re still fighting to get in the playoffs like last year,” said Stephen Jackson.

Jack knows it, as do Nellie, Baron and the whole crew. The Warriors are in for a fight to the end and losses like this one will not help their cause. The Spurs played as they typically do against the Dubs, and thus for 20th straight time in San Antonio, the Warriors walked out with a loss.

Baron had 19 to pace the Warriors, but Jack and Monta were off and that spelled doom for GSW’s hope for a sweep of the Texas two-step. With eight games to play in what has been a terrific season, the Warriors are still on the outside looking in - ninth place in the Western Conference.

While the Warriors’ big three were held in check, the same could not be said of the Spurs’ big dogs. Tony Parker dropped home 26 points, Timmmmy added 17 & 12 rebounds, while Manu the Flopper scored 16.

Adding insult to injury, the Spurs stifled GSW’s streak of having scored 100 or more points in 37 straight games. A stinging loss at a crucial time. We’ll see if the boys can fight back against Dallas in what could be labeled as the biggest game of the year.

Adam Lauridsen of the San Jose Mercury News and I break down the recent stretch of games, including this one, and look to the final eight regular season contests in our latest podcast.

Also, we have some breaking news regarding Marco Belinelli, as you’ll read here.

Or maybe not.

Your Warriors stayed one step ahead of the gimpy Mavs.

Box Score

The Dubs were shut out for the first 3 minutes, getting down 12-0 before Al Harrington threw down a frustrated dunk and put his teammates on notice that Dallas wasn’t going to kick its own butt.

The Warriors got with the program and rallied to take a 1 point lead by the end of the first quarter. The Mavs made small incursions throughout the rest of the game, but never got it closer than 3 points down.

Josh Howard stepped up to fill the Dirk gap for Dallas. He went off for 36 pts, 9 boards, and 2 blocks in his normal understated style. The other Mavs standout was their young forward, Brandon Bass. The 6-8 delicious Bass punished Andris in the paint late in the game. He repeatedly muscled his way down low, created space, and made his shots, often getting fouled in the process. Jason Kidd nailed some nerve racking threes when he felt like it but as usual focused on his passing and rebounding, picking up 14 dimes and snatching 9 boards.

The Dubs’ big three was the unlikely trio of Monta, Kaz, and Al. Monta has lately become the first option on offense. He was stellar in this victory. His jumper was falling and he was driving and finishing with grace and style. 30 points for All Day the most improved Mississippi Bullet.

Al kicked the Warriors in the arse in the first quarter, sailed through some questionable foul calls, and kept his aggression up all game. He’s taken it on himself to put in extra effort on the boards and it’s paying off. 9 boards for Harrington.

The final golden child was Kaz. The stain from his hideous night against the Nuggets was wiped clean by his gutsy play in this game. Azubuike willed in 15 points and snatched 9 boards. He made two separate momentum saving shots in the fourth, a three with 4 minutes left and an open jumper with just under 2 to go in the game.

There’s some serious congestion going on at the bottom of Western pack. We now share our 45-28 record with Dallas and Denver. It’s like 7am on the freaking Bay Bridge down there.    

It’s a special Western conference playoff race edition on TNT tonight. Dallas at Denver is the early game, followed by your Warriors vs. Portland.

Who to root for in the Mavs/Nugs clash? Do you want to see Dallas win and keep Denver at bay, or do you want to revel in yet another Dallas collapse, watching them struggle to get into the playoffs that they seem to consider their birthright? AI & Melo failing to live up to their potential, or Avery Johnson sweating teeny, uptight bullets? No matter who you’re rooting for, it’s some must see TV.

The Dubs caught a break on Tuesday when one of the Blazers’ conerstones went down. Jason Quick details the injury:

Brandon Roy says he wants to play again this season, but in all likelihood, the Trail Blazers guard said he will miss at least the next two weeks, and possibly the final 10 games of the season because of injuries suffered Tuesday night to his hip and groin.

There’s been a plague of groin injuries, Cro, Peety, and now the bug has moved North. You gotta stretch suckas! 

Forget about the West you may say, what’s up with Milwaukee?

Andrew “No Mates” Bogut is living a lonely public life as a Buck. Check out this impressive lack of chemistry.

Just nine underwhelming games into his magical, heal-all-wounds comeback tour, Webber is calling it quits. Citing his chronic knee problems, C-Webb officially announced his retirement today. While refusing to rule out another go at playing in the future, he did make it clear that he will not be attempting to rehab and finish out this season.

The reunion of Webber and Nelson as Warriors was a headline grabber, but ultimately a relatively low cost gamble. Once he was out of the rotation he was out of most of our minds.

There are too many exciting things going on right now to really pine after creaky Chris bricking baby hooks.

As Adam puts it so well on his blog, So Long Chris (and Thanks for the Distraction):

DJ Mbenga didn’t get a goodbye post when the Warriors cut him.  Arguably, Chris Webber doesn’t deserve one either.

From ESPN:

The 35-year-old will exit as one of the sport’s most polarizing personalities but also as one of just six players in history — along with Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Larry Bird and Billy Cunningham and the still active Kevin Garnett — to average at least 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Janny Hu:

“I think it was a good gamble that didn’t work out,” Nelson said. “It didn’t cost us very much and we needed another big guy. We were looking for something like him.”

The Warriors will end up paying Webber just less than $600,000 for his time, and may leave his roster spot open with only 12 games left in the regular season.

Fox Sports:

That Nellie was the guy who wanted him back for this season – only to watch him struggle miserably with that bum left knee limiting him to just 3.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 9 games – was a fittingly ironic end to Webber’s career. 

A personal reflection from the SimonOnSports blog:

I’m 25 so I’m not exactly a child anymore anyway, but today marks the end of my sports adolescence. If you ask me the question of whom was your favorite baseball player or football player as a kid chances are you would get a different answer depending on the day. But if you asked me who was your favorite basketball player or favorite athlete in general, the answer is simple and immediate. The answer is Chris Webber.