WN 4/17

It’s obvious the Warriors need to get bigger in the offseason. They will. Brandan Wright, no doubt, will have a bigger role so it’s almost sure to happen.
Maybe Kosta Perovic gets Chris Webber’s minutes.
There’s another issue - as important if not more so. It’s getting a hold of a first-rate, backup point guard. … A back up point guard so good that he thinks he should be a starter. And, of course, he fits the system, and all that, etc., etc.
If they do that, the Warriors likely will get back to the postseason.
Baron Davis had a really nice season. He almost had a great season, and would have had one if the Warriors had made the playoffs.
He played in 82 games for the first time since 2001-02, which is significant. For the past few years, the single-biggest criticism of Davis has been his durability. Or lack of it.
He was injury prone, couldn’t stay healthy and couldn’t/wouldn’t play through bumps and bruises.
He did that this year. Actually, he’s done more than that. Davis not only just completed an 82-game regular season, he’s coming off the final 28 (playoffs included) of 2006-07.
And we’re not talking scrimmages, either. A lot of those were big games. That makes 110 in a row, which ain’t easy. He was the Warriors’ best player this year and he played in every game. That’s all you can ask.
That said, anyone could see he was wearing down at the end of this season. The 82 games came at a cost. Davis had to play 45 minutes a night in December in order to win games that it turned out you better have won or you wouldn’t have even been sniffing the postseason.
Last season Davis didn’t play from Feb. 4 through March 4. He came back for pretty much the remaining games and you know the rest of the story. This year he played game in and game out, 39 minutes per. Was practicing way back in October, at training camp … after an offseason in which he apparently put a lot of time in.
Point is, he gave what he could but didn’t have enough at the end. Seems like the perfect situation for really good backup, particularly because that position is the most crucial in an uptempo system.
Seems to make sense to have a back-up point who can play 16 or so minutes a night on a consistent basis and more on most nights. He may also need to start 15 or so games, and when he does you’re going to need to be able to compete every night and win some.
Imagine sending Baron out there and saying: “Give me 32 good-hard minutes on offense and defense tonight.”
He’s also going to need to know a little about what’s going on, because at the very least he’s going to be playing with a big-time scorer (Monta Ellis) and a strong personality (Stephen Jackson). Certainly not impossible but not the job of any man, either. Discuss among yourselves.
Sure it would be nice to land the ideal four-five. But in the meantime, it might be more important to get a big-time reinforcement at one.

WN 4/16

All the talk is about Baron Davis/Don Nelson right about now, and that’s OK. But there’s another issue Davis-related that’s far more important. First off, Davis had a very good season. Emphasis on very good.

Looking back, he should have been an all-star instead of Brandon Roy. Davis averaged more points, more assists and was virtually even (yes, even) with Roy in rebounds. Davis had a better assist-to-turnover ratio, too.

Yes, Davis’ field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage are all a shade worse than Roy’s, the fact that the Warriors may win 49 games has to mean something.

Anyway, Davis is getting ready to play in his 82^nd game of the season on Wednesday (barring something unforeseen). That’s pretty impressive. Also, he was the only Warrior to play in all 82.

One the one hand, for the last 16 months or so Davis has been able to hold his own against the “he’s-injury-prone” crowd. On the other, it seems apparent that playing the full 82, and doing it at a pretty high level, might not be the best thing for Davis and/or the Warriors.

Suffice it to say, there probably aren’t many Warriors fans saying: “B.D. and Jack looked fresh down the stretch” these days. Wonder if Baron could have thrown a dunk over Kirilenko this year like he did last.

Remember, Davis missed a month of the season a year ago (most of February and a little of March), which just may have been the reason he had a spring in his step a year ago.

Yeah, the Warriors should keep their eyes open for another big body up front. But they probably have a higher priority in finding a backup for Davis. By the way, Davis doesn’t figure to walk away from 17-plus.

It would be really nice if the Warriors could find a quality backup, someone who could play 15-20 minutes a game, and someone who could win you 50 percent of the 15 or 20 or so games Davis could/should/might miss because of injury.

WN 4/7

--By the end of Sunday night it wasn’t so much about the Warriors’ loss at New Orleans, finishing their road trip at 1-3. Instead it was about the gift they received from the basketball gods - otherwise known as the Seattle SuperSonics - in the form of a double-overtime Denver loss.
The Sonics’ incredible 151-147 victory over the Nuggets means two things to the Warriors. First, that the Warriors now have control over their fate (true, the Nuggets can say the same thing). And second that they might not have to run the table now with a 5-0 finish.
4-1 might do it, as long as one of the victories comes Thursday night against the Nuggets at Oracle Arena. If the Warriors go 4-1 and beat Denver, it means the Nuggets will have to win every one of their four other remaining games: At the Clippers, at Utah, and home games against Houston and Denver to beat out the Warriors.
Had the Nuggets beaten the Sonics on Sunday night - and keep in mind Seattle is the worst team in the Western Conference - they would have had a significant advantage over the Warriors.
Forget about Dallas. Mavs are in great shape. But the next 10 days should be great.

--Here would be a realistic way for the Warriors to make the playoffs. Beat the Kings at Oracle on Tuesday and figure on the Nuggets righting themselves against the Clippers in L.A. the same night.
Then the Warriors will have to beat the Nuggets Thursday at Oracle in what should be almost a repeat of last year’s playoff atmosphere. You would hope, anyway. But assuming the Warriors win that game, then maybe, just maybe, the Warriors win at home two nights later against the Clippers and the Nuggets lose at Utah, the final game of their four-game road trip.
That would put the Warriors two games up and the Warriors could afford a loss at Phoenix, even if the Nuggets take care of the Rockets at home the night after the game against the Jazz.
If that occurs, the Warriors could win the division the final evening of the regular season with a win over the worst team in the Western Conference - Seattle. The Nuggets finish with a virtual gimme at home against the Grizzlies.
Still, nothing will be as crucial as Thursday night’s game in Oakland.

WN 4/1

--If you were a Warriors fan, Monday was a nerve-wracking night, with two games that directly affected them in the standings. The Denver-Phoenix game couldn’t have been more up-and-down, but in the end Warriors fans got a huge bonus when the Nuggets blew a 21-point second-half lead and eventually lost 132-117.
Still, as nice as that was, it won’t mean much unless one of two things happen on Tuesday: The Suns beat the Nuggets again, this time in Denver, or the Warriors knock off the Spurs in San Antonio.
The Warriors have never won in San Antonio’s new building and have lost 19 in a row to the Spurs on the road. Not since 1997 have the Warriors won there.

--Was it too much to ask, for the Clippers to knock off Dallas at Staples Center? Of course it was. The Clippers did tease you a little bit, pulling within five midway through the fourth quarter but couldn’t get over the hump.
You know it’s a brutal climb when you’re relying on Dan Dickau and Nick Fazekas to bring you home against a Dallas team in desperation mode.

--If the Warriors finish 2-2 on their upcoming four-game road trip (San Antonio, Dallas, Memphis and New Orleans) that will buy them some time; 3-1 will likely put them all alone in seventh; 1-3 and it’s time to start thinking about running the table; 0-4 … don’t even go there.

WN 3/25/08

That was about as unsatisfying to an end of a game as you could have. And to have two days of incredible basketball end on a charge call on Monta Ellis at the end overtime is about as unfulfilling as it gets.
It’s tough not to dwell on referee Bob Delaney’s call on Ellis, whistled for a charge against Derek Fisher with 3.6 seconds remaining in the extra period, but we’re going to try.
--It seems apparent that the play coach Don Nelson was calling would have gotten Baron Davis the ball at the top of the key with a little bit of room to operate, although Kobe Bryant was on his way out there. In that situation, Davis has come through before. It’s just too bad we couldn’t see whether or not he could do it again.

--I’d be interested to know - but probably will never find out - what, if anything the league will do. I don’t expect any kind of statement or review or anything like that. I’d just love to know what kind of internal discussions David Stern and the powers-that-be are having over this call. Or even if they’re having any discussions regarding it at all.
I’d love to know if Delaney would like to have the call back or whether he’d make it again tonight in the same situation. I’d love to know what their thinking at the NBA offices about the call. Likely won’t happen.

--As well as Mickael Pietrus has played in recent weeks, you’ve got to believe Kelenna Azubuike just moved in front of him in the rotation. Azubuike was very good defensively against Kobe Bryant, hit a few big shots during the two games and provided needed rebounding.
If the Warriors can get Pietrus and Azubuike both playing well, they’ll be in business.

--Last year the Warriors got a little bit of karma by meeting the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. This year, if form holds, the Warriors might be matched up with the Lakers. Not good.
Particularly when you consider the Lakers were playing without Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. What’s really scary is that you forget the Lakers have another 7-footer in Chris Mihm, who has been injured all season.

WN 3/13/08

It will be interesting to see how Mickael Pietrus plays Thursday night against Phoenix. No doubt, he’s playing well, coming off his 14-point, eight-rebound night against Toronto. Not to mention his above-average road trip.
But he’s had two bad games against the Suns this year. In mid-February, Pietrus had one point and fouled out in 15 minutes against Phoenix. He was no factor in a late November win in Oakland, either.
If ever the Warriors could use the “good” Pietrus, tonight would be the night.

-

The biggest game of the season could very well be the March 21st game against the Rockets at Oracle.
Who knows what the circumstances will be but you can speculate a little bit.
A Warriors victory would secure the season series against the Rockets, and who knows? By that time the Rockets may have lost a game or two. And if they haven’t, they’ll be coming in on a 24-game winning streak.
At the other extreme, it’s not inconceivable, the Rockets could be coming in on a three-game losing streak (Lakers, Boston, New Orleans). If that’s the case, the Warriors might be overtaking them that night.

--

Regardless of what happens tonight against the Suns, the Warriors have another small window immediately afterward. Then it gets brutal.
But until then it will be Memphis, then at Sacramento and the Clippers.

WN 2/22

A couple quick hits in the wake of the Warriors’ latest last-second win, this one over the Celtics on Wednesday night:

--After watching Monta Ellis the past month or so you realize that he is the reason you don’t make rash decisions in the NBA. The kid didn’t play his rookie year under Mike Montgomery, virtually vanished during last year’s playoffs and got off to a disappointing start this year.
You all know the story by now … He’s not a pure point and he’s not big enough to play shooting guard, either. I think you could make the case there would have been some front-office types who could have/would have made a bad trade involving somewhere between his rookie season and January.
Instead, Ellis was given sufficient time to explore a few different roles and positions with the team and it turns out he ain’t bad.

--Yes, Ray Allen scored 32 points and shot 11-for-17 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range the other night. Pretty good night, no doubt, huh? Except he wasn’t much of a factor when the game was on the line. He didn’t have a field goal in the final six minutes, missing both his outside shots, and wasn’t in on any of the meaningful plays in the last 90 seconds or so.

--The trade deadline has come and gone, with the big deals coming well before Thursday’s noon deadline. It was interesting that Houston and the Hornets chose to trade with each other _ along with Memphis _ considering they’re not that far apart in the standings.
What the Bonzi Wells-and-Mike James-to-the-Hornets-for-Bobby Jackson trade tells me is that New Orleans is desperate for players. They figured they’d get two rotation players for one. Simple as that. Something to keep an eye on there, though, is how the Hornets’ chemistry is affected. It seems like they’ve had great chemistry so far. Wells and James have never been known as locker-room guys.
And I wonder if Houston coach Rick Adelman realizes he’s not getting the Bobby Jackson he coached back in Sacramento.