Wow. Did we really just lose to the Clippers?

Man… last night sure sucked the fat one. Heading into last nights game I was feeling pretty good. The Warriors have been playing good basketball lately, Marco and Andris are back and best of all we were playing against Baron Davis and the Clip show, oh and I also had them on the line for ESPN’s streak to a million.

The game started off so well too, up 25-11 with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter… I was sure I was going to have a nice easy relaxing night… that was until Baron hit a classic Baron 3, with no time on the shot clock and 2 guys on him. After that… well, it was ugly. Baron started actually trying (probably the only game this year he has even remotely tried in) and Eric Gordon wouldn’t miss a shot. For a terrible shooting team we sure made them look good (but we make every team look good). Our D was atrocious and our offense wasn’t much better.

All said and done, I started feeling better when I thought about it… I mean, who really cares how we finish the season. I know they want to finish strong but it isn’t going to do anything except give us a worse pick. I’d rather Nelly keep going with the youngsters so we can see a little more or Randolph, Morrow and Belinelli. It also would be great of Brandon Wright ever came back, what the fuck happened to him? His arm fall off? As much as it sucks losing to Baron, cause he is a little bitch, its all good, the dubs are still a better team that the Clippers and next year were going to impress.

Warriors beat the shitty Clips

After 3 straight shitty defeats, the Warriors finally got to play someone even worse than they are… the Clippers. Now, the Clippers are missing Baron Davis, Marcus Campy, The German Polar Bear, and Zach ‘I Smoke Crack’ Randolph. Needless to say, if we lose to the clippers minus all of these guys, we are fucking terrible. They had only 8 guys at the game, it was nuts, their bench was literally empty.

This was Monta’s second game of the season and it didn’t look as good as his one vs the Cavs. He did hit a 3 and have a nice finish at the basket in the first few minutes of the game, but besides that, he didn’t do much. He can’t play defense at all. It’s almost funny watching people like Jason Hart go right around him. I know he has only played in 2 games and trust me, I’m pretty fucking fired up he is back, but over this next off-season he needs to learn how to play defense and stay healthy.

Maggette came off the bench last night, again, and I do like that. I never thought in a million years Nelson would actually bring him off the bench (despite thinking he should when we signed him) just because he makes 10 mil a year and probably wants to play a lot, however, it has worked out nicely, I like having him come in off the bench, he is kinda a stud out there going against reserves and what not. He usually can get a better match up and just dominate.

So the dubs wrapped up their homestand with a nice solid blow-out win over the Clippers. The Warriors finished 4-3 on the homestand, losing to the Cavs by 1, the Thunder by 2, and the Kings by 2. It easily could have been a 7-0 homestand, but oh well.

Warriors playing the Mavs on Thursday, on ESPN. Should be a great game, too bad it won’t have the same feeling as last year or the year before.

Do you believe!?!

Dubs Basketball… Baby

Wow… do you people realize how close bball season is? It is right around the f’n corner baby! I am so fired up! I am a little nervous that my man Monta can’t ride a moped, what a dumbshit. But, lets just hope he makes a full recovery and gets back to form quick!

I’m feeling rather optimistic… right now… so lets take a little look at what we have going on.

Position Rundown:

Point Guard: Well, this is definitely not going to be our strength, with Monta out, the job is handed to C.J. Watson, Marcus Williams, and Dan Dickau. That is not the most intimidating trio of point guards I have seen. Lets hope Marcus Williams really raises the bar and is one of those pleasant surprise players. As of now though, If I had to rank the point guard position, it would be a 5/10.

Shooting Guard: Well, not sure who exactly our shooting guards are in a Don Nelson lineup, but lets just say Marco Belinelli, which has always been a super summer league star, lets hope he can show up this year and contribute. Cory Maggette, I think C Mag is going to have a great year with the dubs, he is motivated, he doesn’t have to play for Dunleavy anymore, and is going to get a lot of shots. I like Cory.

Small Forward: Stephen Jackson will likely be playing the 2/3 with Maggette, of course Capt. Jack is the leader of this team and lets hope he plays as well in the beginning of this year, as he did in lasts. Kelenna Azubuike should be solid, good d and some tough scoring… plus, the x-factor Anthony Randolph, who knows if Nelson is going to play him or what, but damn, the boy looked good in Summer league. I’m hoping the kid impresses in training camp and gets into some games early in the season to establish himself as the real deal.

Power Forward:Al Harington apparently lost a bunch of weight this off-season, which is a good thing, he usually has a big ‘ol ass and can’t get off the ground. Lets hope he is a little more athletic and his inside game has improved. He supposedly worked on his inside game all summer, so lets see. Brandon Wright is another baller who is going to be a big question mark. He looked good in his limited action last year, lets just hope he gets some minutes and turns out to be as good as we all had hoped. Richard Hendrix, the boy looks big and strong, but again, doubt Nelson will give him much p.t. especially with the fact the dubs are always playing small ball.

Center: Andris Biedrins, I’m glad they locked up my boy, I think Biedrins is a great young center and I am glad we have him locked in at a good price. I hope he gets a little more minutes this year, maybe 35ish a game, I think that would go a long ways to helping the dubs win more games. I’m also pleased with the addition of Ronnie Turiaf as the backup center. I think he will be solid and a serious upgrade when Andris is on the bench.

Off-Season Contracts:

Cory Maggette (5yr. 50mil): At first I shrugged and was confused. Baron just opted out… there were reports that Mullin was offering everyone and anyone big huge contracts… then Maggette was signed. At first I thought it was desperation, that it was rushed, but after taking some time to digest, it looks like a legit deal. Cory can get to the line, we all know that, and that is something that the dubs could never do (Baron could but he can’t make his free-throws). Maggette is going to give the dubs a player that can literally stop the opponents momentum in just a couple times down the floor. The ability to get to the line and stop the flow is key, and he does it as good as anyone in the league. I like this deal, 10 mil a year for a proven scorer is not overpaying. 

Monta Ellis (6yr 66mil): Ellis is key, I really hope he makes a quick recovery and gets back on the floor. He is so much fun to watch, so explosive and utterly unstoppable with that mid-range game. Monta is the future of the dubs, there is no doubt about it, he is only going to get better as he gets bigger/stronger. Monta is going to be an all-star year in year our in only a matter of another couple seasons. (probably would have began this year if he was healthy). I’m anticipating, maybe not this year, but next year he will be averaging 25+ a night.

Andris Biedrins (6 year 63mil incentive deal):Can’t recall the exact facts but I know I saw them at one point, and the incentives are not easily obtainable (some are). Either Way, for less than 10 million a year the dubs have a legit center for the next 6 years, gotta love it. Beidrins was also named Captain this year w/ Captain Jack. I think thats a pretty nice reward for the 22 year old baby center.

Ronnie Turiaf (4 year 17 mil): Solid, helps the dubs, hurts the fakers. Ronnie will play a key role in a lot of games for the warriors. This was an important deal and again, 4 mil a year is not a lot of money for a quality big man.

Projections

I think the Warriors are going to be decent this year, not great, not terrible. The loss of Monta and a huge amount of road games in the beginning of the year will make it tough for us. However, looking to the future I see a bright road, mainly because, I like our young core, but I also like that many other teams in the Western Conference are running out of time.

The Mavericks, the Spurs, the Rockets, the Nuggets, the Suns, these teams are on and going to be on the decline starting this year going forward. The Mavs, they are not what they use to be and are probably going to have to shake that team up here shortly. The Spurs aren’t getting any younger, I don’t see them sustaining their run much longer, they will begin to dip. The Rockets, there aren’t going to be many more years of tracy/yao combo, its obviously not working if they can’t get out of the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets, this team is already over the salary cap, again another team that can at best barely make the playoffs but can’t get out of first round. The Suns, with Nash getting up in years, Shaq on his last legs, I don’t see them being what they were and don’t see much brightness for the future. All of these teams are going to suffer. 

In the meantime, the dubs will be young, they will have some cap room coming up with Foyles numbers coming off the books shortly, plus Jacko and Harrington’s contracts expiring soon. Lets hope that our young guys develop and can take on the bigger roles as we move into the future. Andris, Monta, Turiaf, these type of guys will have to be the leaders… and I think they will. I think the dubs will finish right around .500 this year and will be in a playoff hunt.

2008-09 NBA Schedule Released!

The NBA schedule has finally been released. Of course opening night happens on my birthday… happy birthday me.

It is very important that the Warriors have their heads above water and in contention come the start of 2009. In January and Feburary the dubs only have 8 road games (only 2 in February). If the Warriors are hanging around at this point, this would be a great opportunity for them to either solidify their chances as a playoff contender or make up some ground in the race.

The Warriors played great on the road last year which was surprising, we will see how they respond now without the floor general. I’m really excited and looking forward to this upcoming season and I can’t wait to boo Baron Davis everytime he touches the ball. I hate you Baron.