Golden State Warriors BLOG moved to GOLDEN STATE OF MIND

The New Era: Golden State of Mind + Blowin' Up the Blogdome!

2006-02-02T00:11:00.000-08:00

As heavily rumored and much anticipated, the Golden State Warriors BLOG is becoming part of SBNation as Golden State of Mind.

Update your bookmarks. We're now over at http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/

Shout out to J.Cob for winning The Name Game and narrowly beating (and saving us from) our own DJ Fuzzy Logic's proposed name "Thong in Your Mouth".

Like The Jefferson's we're moving on up! SBNation is home to the Bay Area favorite Athletics Nation as well as great hoops blogs Blog-A-Bull and Sactown Royalty. We're excited to join the nation and bring the Golden State Warriors BLOG faithful over. Being part of SBNation means an increased voice and forum for you- with more comments and diaries.

Before we move forward to our new home base, we'd like to thank all of you for your continued support. It's been less than a year, but we've grown faster than the Warriors payroll!

Here's some of the sites and writers that have shown us love:

About.com's look at the "brightest and most prolific bloggers to add to your bookmark folder."

Golden State Warriors Blog
Described as "Your one stop destination for Warriors news, hype, rumors, humor, science, history, and fashion." Yep, you need a sense of humor to be a Warriors fan and these guys have it in spades. The Dunleavy-bashing is worth the cost of a click.

Let's just say... we're all About the jokes! (sorry bad joke)

True Hoop

The Golden State Warriors Blog is right on top of every little Warrior detail, including the minutia of Baron Davis's training regimen.

BBallBlog

From the Golden State Warriors blog (which is one of the best blogs we've seen that focuses on one team)...

Deadspin Blogdom's Best: Golden State Warriors

Bright, snappy, well-written. If you’re a Warriors fan, will put a smile on your face despite the Pacific Division standings.

Thanks and see you on the SBNation site where we'll continue to drop science!

Golden State of Mind
news, hype, rumors, humor, science, history, and fashion
WE'RE A GREAT TIME OUT!

Update your bookmarks. We're now over at http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/

Recap: Warriors 107, Sonics 111

2006-02-01T22:01:00.000-08:00

Not much to analyze here, just look at the 3rd quarter. The Warriors outplayed the Sonics in quarters 1, 2, and 4, but the 3rd quarter was disastrous, possibly the worst quarter of the season. Before getting into that, let's look at the first half. The Warriors started out blazing hot, scoring 38 in the first quarter and another 24 in the second quarter on better than 50% shooting. Andris Biedrins tore it up. He finished with 16 for the game on 7-10 shooting with 8 boards. He made some nice moves in the paint against the young Sonics frontline. He used both hands to finish moves and didn't get overpowered down there. After I write that article blasting him, he comes out and has the best game of his career. Either it's bad timing or he reads the site and wanted to prove something to me. I think it's the latter of the two.

2 of his 16 points

So, the first half ended with a Rashard Lewis breakaway layup on a ball that Mike Dunleavy gave up on. Lewis hustled to it, and cut the deficit from 8 to 6 giving them a little momentum going into the half. If Dunleavy doesn't give up on it, Lewis doesn't get a breakaway layup and the Warriors stay up 8 and the Sonics don't end on a high note. Then the 3rd quarter came. They were outscored 29-9, shot 2-21 from the field and basically gave the game away. Like I said before, not much to analyze, if they make a couple shots in the 3rd, they win the game. The 14 point deficit heading into the fourth was just too much. They cut the lead to 4 in the closing minutes but never were able to get closer than that. JRich was sorely missed during that 3rd quarter. If he's around they don't shoot 2-21 and put up only 9 points.

Boxscore

Baron using whatever he can to get by Luke.

Warrior Wonder
After talking trash about Andris Biedrins, he came out and had a big first half and so I'll give this to him. Baron had a big game, but we've come to expect that from him. Biedrins had a career best game, so I want to give this to him for probably the one and only time he'll receive this prestigious award.

Monty Reaches Into His Bag of Tricks

2006-02-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Finally Monty changes up something in practice as an attempt to get the team to shoot better free throws.

Montgomery's Warriors are 26th out of 30 teams in the NBA in free-throw percentage (71.6). Entering Monday, they were 29th over the past 10 games at 67.4 percent. In 10 of their 23 losses, the Warriors have missed enough free throws to cover the final deficit.

So Montgomery pulled out one of his trusty drills to help the Warriors solve their free-throw-shooting woes. The Warriors normally close practice by splitting up in twos and shooting free throws. But after practice Monday, Montgomery changed things up.

He put everybody on the baseline and called players one by one. Whoever he called had to walk to the line and make two free throws, alone on the court, while the others watched. A miss resulted in sprints for everyone.

I hated this drill in practice, Coach always put the worst free throw shooter on the line and we ended up running. Monty should adjust the drill so that the guys who shoot the most free throws during the game (Baron and JRich) punish the team more for a missed free throw than the 12th man to equal the pressure of being the star player. So if Baron misses, the team runs 2 suicides rather than 1. Actually Monty should change the punishment. So in addition to running suicides, you have to pay each player $100. Or you have to compliment Mike Dunleavy on his skills. Or you have to look at Troy Murphy in the eye and not laugh because he looks like a bum. Or better yet, if you miss a free throw, you have to watch Adonal shoot a bank shot. Noooo! Monty should get creative with this, I think he's onto something.

Madonna/Whore Complex in Sports

2006-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

What is the role/function of cheerleaders? What is their specific role in Professional sports?

When I was in high school, cheerleaders—at times—tended to be social outcasts-cum-“spirit leaders.” Contrary to the media stereotype that cheerleaders were blond, skinny, bimbos and that cheerleading was an exclusionary activity for the popular kids, cheerleading at my high school was rather a democratization of coolness; it was a process of social mobility where nerds and honor students faked rhythm, hoping that their public support of jocks at games would translate into less beatdowns or acceptance into lunchtime social circles.

Far from the high school gymnasiums and the extremely robotic cheers (this might exclude cheerleading done in urban areas) and moves that make ballet look like breakdancing, Cheerleaders of professional sports are breaking all the rules, creating some tsunami type waves in the media, almost as much as high profile stars that they root and dance floor. While players along the lines of Artest, Owens, J.O’Neil, Shaq, Sprewell, Reggie White, Muhammad Ali, etc. have been policed for saying their piece (poignant critiques about race in sports), sexuality—what is and isn’t—seems to be the center of much debate the role of cheerleaders. Yet, from recent news about cheerleaders and their overflowing homo/sexuality, I think that we can conclude that Americans (men specifically) are rather schizophrenic when it comes to their attitudes about women’s sexuality.

A few weeks ago, the Detroit Piston’s cheerleader’s swimsuit calendar was blasted by the Michigan-based American Deceny Association for being, like myself, too sexy. This organization considered these representations of scantily-clad—some topless—women as equivalent to forms of prostitution (see here for recap). Ironically, a portion of the money made from the calendar goes to charity. A few months earlier, two Panthers Cheerleaders were dismissed from the squad for violating team conduct. But from the news report, its unclear what the violation clearly is. What is considered MOST important in the article is that the two cheerleaders were caught by club patrons for having sex with each other in the bathroom; what didn’t come until more than half way through the report is that they were belligerent, provided false information to police, and were publicly drunk. They were charged with battery, which is I guess the reason they were kicked off the team, but its interesting that that their sexuality is somewhat assumed to be part of their “violations of conduct.”

As much as professional sports try to market themselves, athletes, etc. as “family fun,” c’mon… you know that shit ain’t true! Based on my recent experience at the Warriors game (and the Warrior girls wearin’ some of the best outfits outside of strip clubs that won’t give you the ‘ho’ ‘slut’ or ‘prostitute’ label), the very sexuality that is being contested is in fact the very things that some—I would almost say MANY—men watching sports enjoy. Hell I admit it, I enjoy it!

Example: At the one game I attended this season, the cheerleaders were lined up along the stairs, staggered about 20 steps from each other. Atma, Hash and I were sitting next to some rowdy fans that the HBN approves of for their great high fives. Yet as one of the many beautiful Warrior girls danced right next to us, the fans behind began whistling and yelling what some/most might consider degrading statements. The one I remember most was, “Yea! I just wanna touch you girl!”

I will say that NOT everyone in the stadium is like this, nor are male arousals to cheerleader gyrations a recent phenomenon @ Warrior games (maybe more recently than before tho). I think the HBN can all agree that their outfits—along with other teams—have gotten progressively more exposed. But what has struck me in the recent news is the contradictory desire for cheerleaders to fulfill our heterosexual desires optically yet also needing to contain this sexuality at the same time. Professional sports strategically traverses the boundary between satisfying and objectifying women for their largely male audience, but simultaneously conscious of how not to offend another huge market—women and children. Is capitalism to blame for the unfair treatment of women—representations of sexuality as cheerleaders—in a society that perhaps instead of challenges the exploitative capacity of capitalism, rather criticizes and attacks women for doing jobs that many men are setting up for them? To what extent are capitalism and professional sports reflective and reproductive of our stereotypes and desires about women?

Well, I’m not proposing any solutions, nor am I criticizing men for the sexism that we’ve learned socially, but I am just raising some questions about the treatment of cheerleaders in mass media. Anyhoo…

Here at the HBN, we stand in solidarity with women in fighting sexism, homophobia (people gettin’ some in the bathroom is alright by me), and misogyny! We celebrate the Warriors for their commitment to racial diversity, local dance talent, and dancing in general. The lone bright spot in the Mullin “dynasty” of (mis)management is the increased visibility of dancers of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry—more than any other team in the NBA! Below is my tribute to, in my opinion, the top 5 dancers on the Warriors! Here is my “STARTING FINE” (or Starting Five)

The NEW SOLID GOLD DANCERS! I haven't seen gold look this good since the Golden Age of Rap and the heigh of Mr. T's popularity!

ROBIN

Representing FREMONT!

GERILYN

My friend knows her from high school, plus she's FINE!

ALLYSON

I'm not normally into White girls, but Allyson makes this list cause she is a non-stop Warrior Wonder! She's got some crazy back for a White girl; the type of back that makes Black women freak out that White people are not only appropriating their culture, but their booties too. No joke: My friend and I were both at different meetings where a groups of young Black women were discussing the state of white girls asses and the crisis of Black racial identity if white girls are now contesting them for having back.

SHANIA!

Man, Shania deserves rookie of the year. I swear she's Asian, too.

AUDREY

Rounding out the starting fine is Audrey, who offers veteran leadership on this all-star, all-nba cheerleading squad. As a 5th year, she knows exactly what moves provide the spark during timeouts.

Sixth Wo/Man of the Bench!

SANAE!

For Atma Brother #1....
I once ran into Sanae as i was picking up tickets for a Warriors game. She was walking out of the colesium and i said "Hey! You're a Warrior girl!" She looked at me and kept walking without saying anything... She's so awesome!

One Minute Man

2006-01-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

Which Warriors player personifies a "One Minute Man"? Take a guess. My vote goes to Andris Biedrins since he cannot stay in the game for longer than a minute without fouling.

There's got to be a foul somewhere.

After all Ron Artest trade talk and how the Warriors didn’t want to give up some of their young talent, namely Ike and Pietrus, I was a little surprised to hear Biedrins’ name as one of the young players Mullin is having trouble parting with in a trade. From what I’ve seen, there has been little if any improvement in his game from last year to this. This may be a little premature considering he’s only 19 (will be 20 in April), but trade this guy away while he still has some value and upside. Most players his age show flashes of potential and play well over the course of a couple games. I’ve never seen Biedrins do that. Physically, he’s gotten stronger and he shows flashes of skill on offense and defense on one possession or another, but over a prolonged period he cannot put together a decent effort. It’s not even consistency that he lacks, if there was something to be consistent with, then he would lack it. He lacks skill and right now he’s not improving.

Let’s look at his numbers from this year versus last season. In his rookie year, in 12.8 minutes per game he averaged: 3.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, shot 57.7% from the field, 47.5% from the line and 2.9 fouls. Now this year in 10.4 minutes per game, he’s averaging: 2.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 63.3% from the field, 38.5% from the line, and 2.2 fouls.

First of all, he’s playing less minutes in his 2nd year than his first. Sure Ike has come in and played to take some of his minutes, but Biedrins should be taking minutes from Foyle and Murphy. He’s got to earn those minutes and should be averaging more minutes per game. This has affected his other numbers. His points, rebounds, and blocks are all below last year’s miniscule averages. What's more is that he hasn't scored or rebounded in double digits the entire season. Oftentimes, he has games where his points plus rebounds don't add up to double digits. I'm not really sure where this guy has improved from last year. You expect your first round draft choice to improve from year to year, especially if he's a project. There's a four letter bad word that can describe him, it begins with an "F" and ends with a "P".

Everyone knows about his propensity to foul in limited minutes, 2.9 fouls per game last year and 2.1 per game this year. It’s always fun to see what someone’s averages might be if they played all 48 minutes. So this year, if he were to play 48 minutes and there was an unlimited number of fouls you could get, he would be averaging 9.7 fouls per game. It’s funny when he comes into the game and we try to predict when he’s going to get his first foul (usually within a minute), but it’s hurting the team. First off, if he collects two fouls in a couple minutes, he’s already helping put the other team in the bonus quickly. This leads to more free throws and since the Warriors are an uptempo team it hurts them by slowing the game down. The second reason this hurts is that Monty can’t play him for extended minutes to give Foyle and Murphy a break. Those guys need rest. Foyle should not be playing more than 25 minutes per game and Murphy shouldn’t be playing more than 35 which is right around their averages. But when Biedrins gets into foul trouble these guys have to play extended minutes which tires them out later in the game. There are times that he shows he can play defense effectively without fouling, but more often than not, the whistle blows and the ref is calling out Biedrins' number as the culprit. Another one of the funny stats is his free throw percentage this year, 38.5%. I know he doesn’t take many shots, but you have to make more than 2 out of 5 free throw attempts. I'd like to see some improvement the 2nd half of the year from Biedrins in all aspects of his game because the Warriors are going to need him to eat minutes so Adonal and Troy aren't on the floor for extended minutes.

I cannot see a reason that Mullin would not be willing to trade Biedrins if he’s offered a tough veteran to help the team this year and next. The biggest problem the Warriors have is down low on both offense and defense, and Biedrins is no help on either end of the floor. Please Mullin, trade away the big man for a tough defender down low, a marksman from 3, or a backup point guard. You need to make a move before the season gets away from you. Biedrins is not one of your cornerstone players for the next decade. You already have Foyle and Murphy signed to long term deals plus Ike and Taft as two big men to develop. Either bring in a coach for the big man to improve his game or trade him while you can. For the Warriors sake, I hope the big man proves me wrong and turns into a very good player that can soak up 30 minutes per game at center, but I haven't seen anything in his short career that would lead me to believe he won't be another failure in the Warriors sorry draft history.

Breaking News!

2006-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

As much as I'd like this top secret news to be about the actual team, maybe a trade I heard from an inside source or some movement within management, this has even greater impact on your fan experience at the Arena. Sit down for this one...The Warrior Girls are going to break a new outfit. This uni is all about cowboy boots. But not your ordinary brown or black leather cowboy boots, these ones are a shiny Warrior orange and blue that go about to the knee. While the boots didn't look so hot while they practiced in their sweats and whatever other workout clothes they had on, they should definitely be hot when they break them out on the hardwood in front of the 20,000 fans.

And they'll be dancing to that song that goes:
"These boot were made for walkin, and that's just what they'll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you."

While we drop knowledge about the team, we also give you comprehensize Warrior Girl coverage as well. You just can't get better Warrior girl coverage from any other site. Expect to see these boots and whatever revealing clothes they will wear with them at a Warrior game in the future.

Recap: Warriors 98, Blazers 83

2006-01-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

BAY AREA PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: Warriors Nation and the general warrior loving public here by decry the way our starting line-up has been utilized. Therefore, we would like immediate benching of the following players:

M. Dunleavy – For averaging poop, and playing like crap.

A. Foyle – Because he is better off the bench.

And replaced with:

M. Pietrus – did you see him last night?

I. Diogu - Well this could be refuted but you get the point.

Last night Baron Davis blew up. 29 points and 16 assists! He had a fantastic game and was a pleasure to watch. But I do not want to focus this recap on Baron for we all expect MORE games like this. No, for this recap I would like to discuss three important factors to this victory, Pietrus, Monta, and our hustle players.

Pietrus: This guy was a stud tonight. Box score doesn’t really do him any justice to what he did on the floor. Some excellent defensive plays were overshadowed by his incredible dunks as he ran the fast breaks and moved between defenders. Pietrus is BACK and better then ever. Still a little rusty for being out over a month, the fans were happy to see his aggressiveness on both ends of the court. His performance tonight was capped off by his sweet ESPN double clutch dunk. Great game Pietrus!

They called him Air France all night. I'll even wear a french flag to see him start!

Monta: Now I’ve been praising this kid from the first day of preseason when I was interested to see a high-schooler the size of me, play in this league. I think warrior fans last night finally saw what management was hoping for all along. Monta bested last night’s performance (against lakers) by having a career night with 14 points, 5 rebounds in 27 minutes of play. The kid also shot a fantastic 70% shooting. What was more impressive was his level of confidence and speed. Monta was all over the court following Pietrus’ lead of being aggressive on the defensive end as well as the offensive end. There were so many times where the announcers screamed for Monta to take the ball to the hole. I think he was a little reserve in trying to get Baron the ball, but I hope Monta comes off the bench more and more. This kid can play and should have more of an opportunity to learn on the court.

Little in size, Giant on the court!

Hustle Players: Ok so we beat the Blazers. No big deal. Only the worst team in the west right? Well we beat them pretty convincingly without our 2 starters in JRich and Dunleavy. Is it a coincidence we play better without Dunleavy or JRich? No, tonight was about the other players. Monta, Pietrus, Ike, and the rest of the bench actually played like a team. There were no individual games out there except your occasional Baron move or Fisher “wanna-be Kobe” move. Apart from that I was finally pleased to see some outlet passes, pick and rolls, and unselfishness. Play of the night was a 3 on 2 fast break for the warriors, were fisher drove the lane, passed to Murph who could have laid the ball up or dunked but instead slapped the pass to Monta for the secure points.

In conclusion, we beat up on a crappy team. Nothing to get excited about. However, we desperately need to play Pietrus and Monta more. No doubt about it. Coach has got to get that through his thick skin! Bringing Dunleavy off the bench is fine until he can show he deserves to start. Holding Pietrus and Monta back just won’t help us get any better.

Warrior Wonder: Baron deserves it but I give my nod to 2 players tonight. Pietrus and Monta, for the reasons above. These two players need more playing time. Flat out. Check it out: both had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and both played 27 minutes. Next game against Seattle will be a true test to see how these guys play against a better defensive team. I’d like to see them both play 31 minutes, scoring 20 points each and having 7 rebounds.

Jessica should be our Box Score Icon for now on:

Recap: Warriors 105, Lakers 106

2006-01-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sure the Warriors lost, but this isn't a loss I mind. A one point overtime loss on the road without JRich is nothing to be ashamed about. For the most part they played tough. Are they headed to the playoffs? Well that's another story.

Boxscore

"What I have to pass the ball?"

Most of hoops nation had their eyes on their game to see how many points Kobe would drop. Pietrus played some pretty solid defense on Kobe on the first half (5 points) and then Monty used Derek Fisher to guard him for most of the second half (25 points). Yeah don't ask. I'm over simplifying it, but basically Monty doesn't have a clue about shutting down the other team's best offensive threat. Kobe didn't really seem to be trying in this game till the 4th quarter. Maybe the unfair criticism about his 81 point game got to him.

Air France took off!

Mikael Pietrus started in place of the injured JRich and showed some flashes of why many teams in the league are interested in him. Finally getting some minutes (39), MP2 dropped a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The points are nice, especially the 2 dunks, but what I like most about Pietrus' night was his rebounding. He's a big, athletic wingman. MP2 should be rebounding like this more often. Mikael can do wonders for his offensive game if he wasn't so in love with the three pointer, developed a midrange game, took it to the hole more, and focused on rebounding.

His 1 steal and 1 block hint at the defense he's capable of. With Monty foolishly going with Fisher on Kobe in the second half, Pietrus pretty much shut down Lamar Odom. Odom was going at Dunleavy before he was knocked out of the game with a rolled ankle (keep reading), but looked like a scrub against Pietrus.

Monty- START PIETRUS INSTEAD OF DUNLEAVY. Dunleavy has had every chance in the world and still hasn't shown he deserves to be starting. Pietrus gives the Warriors defense and aggressiveness- something they need to avoid being down by so many points early in games.

T-Double had 15 points and collected 14 boards. His defense has really picked up the past few games. Aside from one perfectly timed block on Odom late in the game, Foyle had a pretty bad night. 4 rebounds in 27 minutes from your starting center is unnaceptable.

Derek Fisher really likes to shoot. No, I mean he really likes to shoot. He took 15 shots, but at least he went to the line 10 times. Have you noticed that every time he plays the Lakers he tries to be like Kobe (more so than usual)? My theory is that Fish wants to play for Phil and the Lakers real bad and he's trying to put on a show for them.

Before he rolled his ankle, Dunleavy looked like he was headed to another bad game. He's usually a pretty solid free throw shooter, but he missed both of his attempts last night. But for the first time, I think I saw why maybe some clueless Warriors fans think he's so smart. I always thought people believed this because a) his dad is a coach (which is dumb since intelligence is not genetic) and b) he's white (which is dumb because race has nothing to do with intelligence). It's because he has a big head.

His head is 3x the size of Smush's!

Dunleavy rolled his ankle in the first half after landing wrong when trying to collect a rebound. If you've ever played hoops, rolling your ankle is pretty painful. It's usually not a serious injury, but one that lingers and isn't fun. On a side note- is Mike Dunleavy Jim Barnett's love child? After Dunleavy landed wrong, he blamed Mike's ankle roll on Andris Biedrins (aka the Human Foul Film) for being out of position. Huh? Look Andris might be pretty uncoordinated (his free throw stroke makes Ben Wallace's look like Ray Allen's), but how is he responsible for Dunleavy's rolled ankle? Just insane.

Baron: "Get this scrub out of here!"

Hate to say this, but the Warriors are a better team without Dunleavy getting 30+ minutes a night. Even Jessica Alba who sat courtside seemed happy to waive Dunleavy goodbye.

Jessica: "Seeya Mike! My post up moves are more fantastic than yours!"

Tough loss, but good effort. Playoffs? PLAYOFFS?! Let's not get into that.

Warrior Wonder
Aside from jacking up an impossible shot at the end of the 4th when he was triple teamed, Boom Dizzle played like a superstar last night. 29 points, 10 dimes, and 3 steals without JRich is incredible. Baron took it to the hole, set up his teammates, and played pretty good defense. Great game.

Boom Deazy even had time to tickle Devean George behind his knee as he drove past him!

Midterm Report Card for the Warriors

2006-01-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Warriors are at the halfway point of the 2005-2006 season. After 41 games the Warriors stand 19 and 22 good for a .463 winning percentage. 11th place in the Western Conference and 3rd in the Pacific. Probably not what Warriors Nation was expecting, but honestly- when have things ever gone according to plan for the Dubs? Let's see how the Warriors have done in the first 41 games:

Baron Davis: B
Boom Dizzle has dazzled Warrior fans with his dimes (9 a game), but struggled with his shooting and shot selection. Baron's had some trouble defending some of the quicker guards in the league.

Jason Richardson: A-
Aside from hitting free throws (only 66.2%), there isn't much more you can ask for offensively (nearly 23ppg, 6boards, and 3 assists). Defensively JRich is improving as well. Near All Star effort.

Mike Dunleavy: D+
I don't think there is another team in the NBA stupid enough to play Dunleavy over 32 minutes a game. His scoring (10.9ppg) and rebounding (4.7rpg) have regressed from both last season and two seasons ago. Pretty sorry defense aside from a handful of suprising, but welcome games. There is no reason Mike should be shooting three pointers (23.8%).

Troy Murphy: C
T-Double's rebounding is down from nearly 11 a game last season to 9 this year, but he's showing us more offensive skills. Defense is Charmin' soft.

Adonal Foyle: D+
If you play Adonal 10-15 minutes a game he's amazing energy off the bench. Unfortunately he's a starter and paid like a star.

Derek Fisher: C
Good guy, not so good point guard. Streaky shooter at best. Never met a shot he didn't like.

Mickael Pietrus: Incomplete
He's only played 18 out of 41 games. It's tough to assess MP2 with the bizzare minutes Monty gives him. Absolutely no reason why he shouldn't be starting over Dunleavy. When the Warriors are always giving up so many points in the first quarter, you think you'd insert some defense into the starting lineup.

Andris Biedrins: D-
You love the guy's energy, but he's more likely to foul than grab a rebound, block a shot, or score. Still very raw and hasn't show any real improvement.

Ike Diogu: C
Nice kid, but a poor man's Corliss Williamson? Let's hope not.

Zarko Cabarkapa: D+
If he got Dunleavy's minutes, he'd probably put up similar numbers... and that's not a good thing.

Calbert Cheaney: C-
This former flop (#6 overall pick) brings some needed veteran leadership, but he should NEVER be playing (1.8ppg in 10.4minutes per game). Warriors Nation doesn't call him "the towel" for nothing. Still, his teammates seems to appreciate his influence.

Chris Taft: Incomplete
Too bad the kid's faced so many back problems. He might be able to help this team.

Monta Ellis: Incomplete
Honestly, who knows how good or bad this kid can be? When he does get some minutes, you have to love his hustle.

Coach Mike Montgomery: D-
He'd probably be fired by now on any other team.

Warriors Front Office: F
Unless some other team is dumb enough to trade for some horrendous contracts, this is your Golden State Warriors lineup for the next 2-3 years. Not bad enough to be at the top of the lottery, but not good enough to do better than the 7th or 8th seed. Aw good times!

Warrior Girls: A+
DJ Fuzzy Logic will cover this soon...

Junior Jam Squad: A+
The kids are off the hook!

Team Thunder: A+
Their jams are almost as good as JRich's.

Thunder and the big inflatable Thunder: A+
I luv that big Thunder and his headbutt!

Golden State Warriors BLOG: A+
We're a great time out!

You: A+
Thanks for your support! We love your comments. You guys drop more science than Jim Barnett (and I like the guy!).

Make sure to drop your grades in the comments.

The Kobe Show Comes To Town

2006-01-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Troy Murphy for first team All-Defensive! Turn around!

He scored 81 points the last time the Lakers played. 81. To put that into perspective, there have been entire teams who don’t score more than 81 in a full game. This past Wednesday the Hornets scored a whopping 68 in a game against the Spurs. Kobe nearly had that in 3 quarters. So what does this have to do with the Warriors? Well he’s playing them tonight. The Lakers aren’t playing the Warriors, Kobe and those other 11 guys are. I’m excited for one thing for this game, how many points will Kobe put up? I want the Warriors to win badly, but I’m also curious to see if Kobe will try to match his 81 or break it. If he scores 35, big deal right? Ho hum, you're averaging 35. I say he drops at a double nickel, 55. With no JRich tomorrow because of his injury, it might be a long night for Mike Dunleavy. Everyone knows that Monty isn’t playing Pietrus, the best perimeter defender we have. If Monty doesn't play MP2 on KB8 and chooses to go with MDJ with no JRich around, I say fire him on the spot. No post game news conference, no thanks for playing. Just a swift kick and tell him to go back to the Farm. Just promote Mario Elie. Knowing Monty, Mike Dunleavy will most likely be guarding Kobe if JRich can’t go. Dunleavy will be in more highlights on Sportscenter than he's been his whole career, it's just that the highlights won't be of his own. It will be Kobe with a turnaround jumper with Dunleavy standing there, Kobe for three with Dunleavy standing there, and then Kobe dunks with Dunleavy in some awkward pose between Kobe's legs. At least there will be some good pictures to put up on the site afterwards.

So go ahead Kobe, entertain me/ us. Shoot away (as long as Odom gets some more assists since he’s on my fantasy squad). If you’re tuning into the game, Kobe is the story, whether you want to see him score a ton of points or get shutdown, he’s the top attraction in this game.

I say he scores 55. How many points do you think he’ll score?

GSW BLOG Droppin' Dimes

2006-01-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

Golden State Warriors BLOG spotting on... ESPN.com's Daily Dime for January 27, 2006.
Thanks to Chad Ford for answering my question today. Chad's on point.

Recap II: Warriors: 93, Mavs 102

2006-01-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

Two words. Ho. Rendous.

I’m thinking of ending the game recap here, as for anyone that saw the Mavs – Warriors last night, the above description is all they need to sum it up.

But then I remember that there are some who:

a) may not have watched the game
b) put a bullet through their TV screen out of sheer rage in the 4th quarter

For those of you that fit into either one of those two categories, I’m here for you. Let the pain train begin.

Box Score | AP Recap

Thanks to an old friend, I was actually able to be at the Arena last night to witness this travesty in person. When the game first started, I actually remember thinking to myself, “Wow, the Warriors are playing some pretty decent basketball!” This isn’t to say that they were the most dominating force out there, (they let the game get close at times), but when push came to shove, one of the Dubs was always able to step it up and keep a respectable lead.

My thoughts going into this game were,

“Contain Dirk, and we can come away with a W.”

Okay, that’s not entirely true, I also thought,

“Remember, they stop serving beer after the 3rd quarter so plan accordingly!”

In respects to the game, I’d say the first thought was the most important. And we did contain Dirk. Or rather, he seemed to contain himself. Either way, he didn’t get a lot of touches, and whether that was a matter of his own free will or our great defense, it didn’t matter to me. So why then did we not walk away with a much needed win?

Take your pick. Poor defense. Terrible free throw shooting. Terrible in-game shooting. Getting embarrassed on rebounds (4th quarter especially). Useless turnovers. Bad coaching. All of the above.

It was the 4th quarter when the nightmare began. We got STOMPED on. And we did nothing to stop it. The Mavs were literally dancing in the paint with us on every possession. Sure, sometimes they missed. But it’s easy to grab boards over us when Derek Fisher is the only one on our team going after them. And so the beat down continued.

Mavs take it down. Make the shot. We take it down. Bad pass/miss. Mavs take it down. Miss the shot. Mavs offensive board. Mavs make the shot. Hash weeps like a little girl. Mavs fans point and laugh at him.

Yes, there were some Mavs fans there. One of the highlights of my night was when Dunleavy dropped a simple pass out of bounds and a loud drunk Mavs fan behind us started heckling him on how crappy he was. You should have seen the look on his face when, contrary to his expectations, all the surrounding Warriors fans burst into applause. That’s when it hit me that Mike Dunleavy sucking is something that Warriors fans and opposing team fans can all agree on! Way to promote unity Dun!

Wow! Even a guy on Ecstacy can shut Dunleavy down.

All said and done, the dubs scored a petty 15 points in the final quarter. The lead slipped through our fingers like… um… some sort of viscous liquid that by definition would be slippery. (Someone call the analogy police.) At the end of the game, the Warriors fans were forced to take the walk of shame back to their cars, most of which were parked at the local BART station.

As I stepped out of the Arena, I stopped for a second to let the wretched display of basketball I just witnessed set in. An old woman who exited behind me saw me. When she noticed that I was wearing a “The City” shirt, she came up to me, still stunned herself, and asked:

“I don’t get it… What do the players do in practice?”

A profound question. Monty, your comments?

This loss has sunk us into a 3 game losing streak. And with the Artest trade all said and done, it doesn’t look there will be a light at the end of this tunnel anytime soon. But on the plus side, those of you that expressed nervousness about losing our young talent in the Artest trade; well.. we have no choice but to expiriment now. Despite dismal showings tonight, I would like to see Ike and Pietrus log more minutes out there. We seen many glimpses of raw talent from both of them and I, for one, do not yet think that they are flukes.

If there is one thing I can credit Warriors fans for, it's never losing hope. So, my brothers and sisters, now that Artest is off the table, what are the next steps to turn the past couple of months around? Monty, Mullin, hope you're reading.

WARRIOR WONDER: T-DOUBLE! Mr. Consistency came strong with the points (22) when needed and pulled down much needed boards all game. (14) I can't say enough good things about how this kid plays. When the team seems to lose their mojo out there, this guy still knows that he is out there to do a job. And he does it well.
Also, not to be ignored, 10 assists and 26 points was supafly Baron. Truth be told, I was happier to see the 10 assists than the 26 points. We need you to create plays with dynamic passing, not end plays with never ending 3's. Step in the right direction!

Chad Ford on the Warriors

2006-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

ESPN.com's Chad Ford gave a pretty objective and fair analysis of the Warriors in his online chat today.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State Warriors BLOG): Please tell Warriors Nation we're not headed to the lottery.... AGAIN!

Chad Ford: (12:11 PM ET ) I was high on them in the pre-season, but after watching them a lot and given the Artest trade, I think they're going to finish at the bottom of the Pacific again. I think Chris Mullin made a major mistake by not aquiring Artest. I think the Warriors would've preferred to get two young players like Diogu and Pietrus. I know Mullin feels that they both have a lot of upside, but at some time you have to decide that your franchise is going to more than a farm team ... you have to actually win. Artest was a great fit for that team and I think Mullin overvalued his young guys. In two or three years, they may look back and Diogu and Pietrus will be great players. But, another two years of missing the playoffs and Mullin may not have a job.

I'm with Chad on missing out on Artest. It was a colossal mistake that was exacerbated by Ron going to the division rival Sacramento Kings. The Kings gave up an All Star in Peja and Mullin was not ready to give up anyone on the roster aside from Baron and JRich? Artest gives the Kings a pretty solid lineup when healthy:

PG: Mike Bibby
SG: Bonzi Wells
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Shareef Abdur-Rahim
C: Brad Miller

The Kings starting frontline is vastly superior to the Warriors threesome of Dunleavy-Murphy-Foyle. Although not at the Boom-Rich level the Kings' backcourt is solid and clutch (Bibby). Look for the Kings to beat up on the Warriors in the 3 games left between the two Northern California squads this season. The Pacific Division could have 4 teams in the Western conference playoffs (Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Kings). That's just embarrassing for the Warriors who are 1 game out of the Pacific division cellar and showing no signs of life.

Ford made an excellent point about the Warriors being a farm team. At some point you have to stop worrying about how good your team is going to be in 3-4 years and play to win now. It's been 11 years since the Warriors made the playoffs. If every year is a "rebuilding year", you're doing something wrong. It's tough to buy that the Warriors young guns will ever be star players.

What are thoughts about Chad Ford's take on the Warriors?

Warriors Recap: Warriors 93, Mav's 102

2006-01-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

To Recap: We stink.

Well not necessarily, but when it comes to crunch time, we are as clutch as the coyote missing the road runner! NOT EVEN CLOSE.

First three quarters were brilliant and the crowd was electric. Pietrus came back for full effect and the warriors showed promise of team playing. As I sat in the crowd cheering with the fans we all felt a little ease now that the whole Artest drama was over.

"Maybe this will make Dunleavy and Murph play with more confidence knowing they won't be traded" sentiments passed all through-out the stadium. It seemed true but only for a short moment.

Quarters 1 - 3:
Everyone played exceptionally well. Passing was the key. JRich and Troy had a couple sweet give and go opportunities and Dunleavy drove to the basket giving us chances at the line (which we did not capitalize). I wonder if or why Monty does not have the warriors spend 2 hours a night on their STUPID free throws! I mean honestly. How much money can one make and not be able to make a stupid free throw!! It makes NO sense.

Quarter 4:
This is where the ultimate let down began. Well actually it was the end of the third quarter when the warriors let dallas make a couple 3 pointers with less then 20 seconds left. This was extremely embarrassing. It wasn't like Dirk or Stack took the game over, but the warriors were 1 for 14 in the fourth. Howard and Harris running the floor untouched didn't make it any easier to watch.

I'm too angry to write this post so I will end on a good note. The picture below illustrates our night. Dallas dunking all over us. But if you look closely you can see none other then YAOBUTTAMING :) thank you and good night.

Yea thats me! I decided to remain seated for this play!

Game Recap from Espn.

Getting (ar)Testy

2006-01-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

To the Clips? Nope. To the Kings? Probably not. Regardless of your thoughts on Artest you have to love the drama.

BUT, Warrior fans have to be scared. Every team that pops up in the rumor mill is in the Pacific Division. If the Lakers, Kings, or Clippers somehow manage to pull off a trade for Artest, say goodbye to any chance at the playoffs Warriors Nation. Artest is going to make life miserable for JRich four times a year and put any of these squads far ahead of the Warriors. The Warriors are already barely above the Pacific Division gutter.

Kobe and Artest? Brand, Cassell, Mobley, Kaman, and Artest? Bibby, Miller, Abdur-Rahim, and Artest? The Warriors simply won't be able to compete.

Mullin and crew need to bring Artest to the Bay or else the playoff drought is going to extend to possibly 12-13 seasons at least. Everyone not named Baron and Jason should be on the block for Artest.

What are your thoughts about the Warriors and Artest? Are you worried about Artest on another Pacific Divsion team?

Recap: Warriors 93, Clippers 96

2006-01-23T22:26:00.000-08:00

This has to be the worst loss of the year. With a 19 point lead late in the third quarter, the Warriors let the Clippers back into the game by allowing a late run to end the 3rd quarter. They started out extremely hot shooting 60% in the first half. They came out smoking in the 3rd quarter too with a bunch of fast breaks and playing uptempo style of ball. And then everything fell apart. The Clippers tightened up on defense and slowed down the attack by not allowing any easy buckets. In the end, poor free throw shooting finally caught up to them. Actually poor isn't the right adjective. Horrendous and Shaq-like are probably better suited to describe the 11-23 (47%) free throw performance. I cannot fathom why these free throws problems continue throughout the season. All you have to do is practice. Sit at the free throw line at practice and shoot a couple hundred everyday. Or bring in Rick Barry during his offtime at KNBR and have them all learn to shoot underhand free throws. Do something about this problem. Making free throws is all mental, so the more practice and confidence you get, the better you can bring that to the real game.

Boxscore

I swear I kept hearing "My precious..." everytime Gollum, I mean Sam Cassell, had the ball in his hands. Seriously though, Cassell was the difference in the game. He hit some HUGE shots in the 4th to bring the Clippers all the way back. 13 of his 24 points came in the final period. At one point it seemed like he couldn't miss, even with a hand in his face, he would knock down jumpers. He also got to the line a bunch of times in the 4th on his pump fakes and flops. He knows how to work the officials and get to the line where he shoots 87%.

As for the Warriors? It was good to see the adjustments the team made from the last game as they played much better in the post. After getting manhandled in the paint the game before, the Warriors outrebounded the Clippers 51-37 and limited the points in the paint to about even with better interior defense.

Murphy played much better defensively in the 3rd quarter on Brand by denying him the ball in the post. He also grabbed an alarming 20 rebounds to go with his 16 points. He's not a great defender, but he played extremely hard tonight to limit Brand's domination in the post. You may look at the numbers and say Murphy didn't play well as Brand poured in 28, but tonight it was the defense of the perimeter that cost the Warriors the game.

Not sure what to say about Baron. When the Warriors were winning he was driving to the hole, and not settling for that 3. When the Warriors began to lose the lead, he launched 3's and hit none of them. He needed to keep pushing the ball, keep attacking the bucket. He ended with 10 assists but he had 8 in the first two and half quarters. So over the last 15 or so minutes, he had 2 assists. It wasn't that he played bad defense on Cassell in the final period, but it was his man who went off and that cannot happen if the Warriors want to win. He's got to play better D on Cassell if they want to win this game. Great players take over the game and get their team to win. Cassell was able to do that, Baron not able to. I don't rip Baron much but when the man you're guarding takes over the game, you have to take responsibility. Sure it's a team game but Baron's defense has to improve. For as strong, quick, and athletic as he is, there's no reason to play the type of defense he does.

As a side note, Shaun Livingston is going to be very nice. The numbers don't show it, but he looks like he's going to be a very good player in the future. Just 19 years old and he is so smooth out there on the court. He's a 6-7 point guard with nice handles, quickness and a nice jumper. I was impressed with what I saw. Compare him to our 20 year old Biedrins, and Livingston is much farther ahead in his progress. If he's able to stay away from injuries Livingston will be a star.

By the way, Ike plays 3 minutes, Pietrus 10. Atma thinks there's a trade happening soon since they're not playing these guys. I think Monty has no idea what he's doing. Maybe we're both right.

Warrior Wonder - JRich
He was the only one they could count on tonight to consistently score. He scored 30 on 11-20 shooting, 4-6 from 3, and 4-5 from the line. In fact, I don't know why they didn't go to him more considering he had the hot hand in the 4th.

Recap: Warriors 92, Clippers 105

2006-01-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing this game wasn't televised in the Bay Area because the Warriors got stomped on by another Pacific division foe.

Boxscore

This is the closest the Warriors came to grabbing a board today.

Even without seeing the game on TV, we can sum up the loss in 5 sentences.

1. The Warriors didn't start playing defense until the 2nd quarter giving up 37 points in the first!

2. The Clips DOMINATED the boards with 49 Rodmans to the Dub's 27.

3.Not only is Chris Kaman good looking, but he's got GAME (17 points, 15 boards, 4 blocks).

Air Kaman was in Da House?

4. Mike Dunleavy came back down to Earth (3 for 11 FG and 0 for 3 3pt).

Troy doesn't know what Mike is doing here. Neither do we.

5. Monty refuses to give Ike (8 minutes) and Pietrus (11 minutes) a chance. Both Dunleavy and Murphy, the Warriors starting forwards, had poor showings, but still logged over 32 minutes a game each. Give Ike and Pety a chance! (Sorry that was 7 sentences for those of you counting)

Warrior Wonder
Baron (22 points) and Jrich (23 points) had pretty good scoring nights, but FSN Bay Area deserves some props for not televising this sorry outing.

Anyone catch the game in LA or on League Pass? Drop your knowledge in the comments.

The Warriors face off against the Clips tomorrow night in Oakland. Redemption or continued schooling?

Recap: Warriors 99, Cavs 79

2006-01-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

I'm still can't believe the Warriors pulled this one off like they did without B Diddy. It has to be the biggest shocker of the year for the Warriors.

Boxscore

JRich played big on his B-Day!

Credit this win to the the unexplainable coaching of the Cavs as much as the Warriors. It was almost like the Cavs were trying to lose this game. The Warriors Charmin soft interior was exposed big time in the first half. Bay Area product Drew Gooden and Center Ilgauskas dominated the Warriors. Drew had a double-double with 16 points (on 7-8 shooting) and 10 boards at the half! Gooden was scoring points at will a la Wilt in the post, but then in the second half a strange thing happened. The Cavs pretty much benched Gooden and Ilgauskas. It made no sense at all. Both players had double-doubles playing 25 minutes or less. This was the first game of the season where Monty clearly was not the worst coach on the floor.

Because of the Cavs horrendous coaching last night, the entire burden of winning the game was placed on the shoulders of The Chosen One Lebron James. You have to feel for the kid. In the 2nd half the best offensive option he had to work with was former Warrior Donyell Marshall. Were the Cavs trying to lose? It doesn't add up. For pretty much having to go 1 on 5 on offense in the 2nd half, Lebron deserves some props for a 14 point, 9 rebound, 6 assist night.

Credit Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus for some great defense on Lebron James the entire night. You read that correctly- Mike Dunleavy helped shut down Lebron James last night. Before the game even the most passionate Dunleavy fan would expect some serious posterizing by Lebron on Mike. Somehow, it didn't happen. Mike Dunleavy did things last night that I have never seen him do in his 4 year career. He has been one of the worst defenders in the league, but he was a legit stopper last night on the King. Mike has been appropriately labeled soft over his NBA career, but against Cleveland he took it to the hole with authority. It was shocking. Warriors Nation has never seen Mike this aggressive or consistent for this long of a stretch.

It is time to trade Mike Dunleavy. Buy low, sell high. Mike's value will never be this high. NBA fans and teams always seem to try to trade their players when their values are low (Ron Artest is a prime example) and they are struggling. It's just bad business sense. Guys like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett should be on the trading block. Their teams aren't going to win and their star player's value are at highs. For the first time in forever Mike's stats in a 7 game stretch actually look good. His value is inflated right now. He's not going to average 22 point (on a high shooting %), 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

More than anything the Warriors need a rebounder, especially one that can scoop up some offensive boards. Right now a package with Mike Dunleavy may be able to bring in a rebounding force. Drew Gooden (who should have walked away tonight with a 25-18 night) comes to mind. He would fit perfectly. Let's remember that the Warriors have gone 2-5 during Dunleavy's best stretch. He's playing well, but he's not the answer.

MP2 looks better every game. He wasn't as hot shooting the ball last night, but he blanketed Lebron James in some Deion Sanders-esque defense. Hopefully, the Warriors realize that they have an up and coming stopper with Pietrus and give him more minutes. There is no reason why he shouldn't be playing 30+ minutes a game every night when he's 100% healthy. If it weren't for the knee injury that caused him to miss 20+ games, Pietrus could very well be starting at the small forward spot with Dunleavy coming off the bench.

T-Double had a pretty poor 1st half with Gooden abusing him, but turned it on in the 2nd half to finish with 16 and 11. Troy even dropped a few nice passes that led to easy buckets. The only question remains- did he pay the Cavs to bench Gooden in the 2nd half?

What happened to Ike? He isn't getting the minutes or touches. I am little worried that Ike is the 2nd coming of Corliss Williamson. Nice low post scoring moves, but not much else. Let's hope it's not true because Ike is a fan favorite. Ike's rebounding and defense leaves a lot to be desired.

The Kings are reportedly close to getting Ron Artest, but the Warriors are still in the hunt. It's time to step up and be smart. If a Pacific division team gets Artest the Warriors are in trouble. Life is going to be tougher for the Warriors, especially Jason Richardson. Offer Dunleavy and Ike and make it happen. Will Mike Dunleavy ever be a top 10 small forward? Will Ike Diogu ever be a top 10 power forward? Mullin and company can't get attached and overrate their players. You have to give up talent to get talent and Artest is some serious talent that you don't want your rivals getting.

Warrior Wonder
Only half of the Boom-Rich backcourt was on display last night, but the birthday boy did not disappoint. JRich was All Star worthy with 22 points, 5 boards, 5 dimes, and 3 steals. Jason deserves some serious props for his much improved passing. JRich probably won't make the Western Conference All Star team, but he's played like a star pretty much this whole season.
Happy 25th!

The Shot Heard Around the World

2006-01-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

This past Warriors-Sonics game on MLK Day I handed out the Warrior Wonder to fan favorite/ face of the franchise Adonal Foyle. He got some serious props for the outlet passing and hustle, but his "bank" shot was FUGLY. If you missed the game or want to relive what might possibly be the funniest blank in the history of the NBA, then you HAVE to check out this "highlight". Props to Elemental from the GoldenStWarriors.com message board. It's a gem.

I'm starting to think that Adonal is just such a good shot blocker that he can't help himself from blocking his OWN shots. He's so quick with the swats that the camera doesn't pick it up when he blocks his own jumpers. Amazing.

"I'll block your shot AND mine!"

Is Adonal's missed bank shot the funniest miss you have ever seen? Count me in for a Yes vote.

Boom Dizzle Fizzled

2006-01-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

The league has suspended Baron Davis for tomorrow's game against the Cleveland Cavs for the scuffle with Luke Ridnour.
Yeah, you heard right. 3 days after the Ridnour got punked by B Diddy, the league decided to hand out a suspension. What's up with the delay? The suspension seems kind of harsh, but then again we're not Sonics fans.

Do you think the suspension was justified?

The Name Game

2006-01-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

We can't get into any details right now, but the Golden State Warriors BLOG could be moving soon. It's BIG. We'll let you know as soon as something goes down. Stay tuned here in the mean time.

We need a new name for the blog. Any suggestons? Post your ideas in the comments.

New Poll is Up

2006-01-17T22:51:00.000-08:00

The newest poll is up on the right so make sure to cast your vote for where you think the Warriors will finish this season, which seed they'll get or if they'll miss the playoffs. We'll keep this one up for a couple weeks and post the results afterwards. Mullin has listened to these polls before, so maybe if us Warrior fans let him know that we don't believe the Warriors season is headed for success, he'll actually make a move.

Rock the Vote!

Fantasy Flop and Fantasy Fortune

2006-01-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s the midway point of the fantasy basketball season and in the two leagues we have going, the GSW Blog is STRUGGLING in one and doing well in the other. Let’s look at both leagues and give props to the top performing squads.

GSW Blog Fantasy League I
UGLY. That’s one way to put it. There’s also embarrassing, horrible, and just plain bad. After all the trash talking the beginning of the season, we sure didn’t back it up. We’re sitting in 13th place at 19-31-5, a good 18.5 games out of first and 8 games out of the playoffs. The good news? We’re only 8 games out of the playoffs. The bad news? 8 games is nearly half our wins for the entire season. Even with LeBron, we’ve struggled to put up a decent season. We have had Artest sitting on the bench the whole season. We’re thinking about dumping Artest to try to save the season, so if you’re interested in trading for him instead of dealing with the waiver wire, send us a trade for the potential All-Star. Geez I feel like Donnie Walsh. We’ll take the best offer available, don’t underbid or he’ll go to another team. But unlike Donnie Walsh, we’re not going to wait until the February 23rd trade deadline to deal. This season still has about 10 weeks to go, we still have a shot. Hey we're not perfect, but you can be sure we'll be making a comeback this second half of the season.

As for the other squads, Giants has a sick team with KG, Vince, Jamison, CWebb, and BKnight. Maybe that’s why he’s in first. He’s followed by Domino, The Hopeless Causes, and jOe. Those are the cream of the crop right now. 4.5 games separates the 4th place team from first. After those squads, there’s a big dropoff with Foyle’s Follies 9.5 games out of first and one of our favorite commenters, migya rounding out the top 6. Barring any major injuries, it’s starting to look like the top 4 spots are set with the final 5th and 6th seeds up for grabs. It’ll be exciting to see this finish.

GSW Blog Fantasy League II
We’re right there at 3rd in the standings, 3 games out of first with KG, Chris Paul, and JRich carrying the team. Luckily, we’ve been able to make due with Boozer out but come playoff time, if Boozer isn’t back, we’ll be cutting him and picking up a real player. This team is definitely solid and ready for a title run.

The team JRich is currently in first but he’s only got a slim lead of 0.5 games on second place TripleDouble. We’re third and Sarunas Marciulionis is 4th just 3.5 games out of first. Just as in the other league, the top 4 teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack as the team in 5th place, This is the Year, remains 9 games out and RUN BJMT is 10 games out. Only 3.5 games separate 5th and 9th place, so anything could happen these last few weeks. Warriors’ GM is sitting in 10th place 14.5 games out of first. Now I really hope that this isn’t Chris Mullin in disguise. If it was, then maybe it’s not surprising that his team is currently out of the playoffs. Come to think of it, he’s got Mike Dunleavy, Adonal Foyle, and Derek Fisher on the team, 3 of Mullin’s favorites. Hmmm. I’m just joking, but that would be funny if it were true. Actually this squad is good with Tmac, Billups, Ben Wallace, and Baby Al. I’m excited to see how this league turns out as well.

Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying the league and wanted to say good luck to all of the fantasy squads for the rest of the season. We'll make sure to update the standings on a more regular basis from here on out. Also make sure to talk your trash either to us or some other team in the league by leaving us a comment right here.

If you didn't get a chance to join either league, drop us an email and let us know if you were interested. Maybe we can setup an NBA playoff fantasy league for more people.

Recap: Warriors 109, Sonics 93

2006-01-16T22:48:00.000-08:00

Happy MLK Day!

Without the suspended Ray Allen, the Sonics are one of the worst teams in the NBA. Exactly what the Warriors needed to snap the 5 game losing streak!

Boxscore

Just one of the many highlight jams from this afternoon!

There's no better way to end a losing streak than against a bad team minus their superstar. The Warriors looked fabulous at the arena tonight, but let's be honest this game doesn't mean much. A blowout against the Sonics is nice, but let's remember they are one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. Still- it was fun to watch.

The Boom-Rich backcourt was on point again. Boom Dizzle nearly got his 2nd triple double in a row. Baron took it to the hole and dropped dimes on the regular. Aside from letting Luke Ridnour blow past him a few times, there isn't much more you can ask from B Diddy. Jason's 26 points, 5 boards, and 4 assists ain't no joke either. He skyed for several highlight jams.

He undeservedly started and played major minutes. He didn't show up for 25 games this year. He continues to shoot blanks on wide open shots when he's the 4th or 5th option. He was abused by Bryan Bowen of the Rockets. He was severely outplayed by backup Guard/ Forward Pietrus when MP was healthy. He complained about his teammates and coaching in the media. And what happens? It's shocking. The Warriors reward Mike Dunleavy with even more playing time (over 38 minutes in the last 5 games) and the team gets him more shot attempts. Is he related to Chris Cohan in any way?

Dunleavy played a team high 42 minutes and actually put together a good night with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Props to you Mike and all two of your supporters. You seem to have turned it around after undeservedly getting chance, after chance, after chance, and well... after chance. Usually Dunleavy's the 4th or 5th option on the court, so he's going to get a bunch of open looks. If the Warriors front office is going to insist on playing him so many minutes, Mike needs to provide something and knock down some shots.

It's great to have Mickael Pietrus back. 19 points in 14 minutes? Let's hope the only reason he played 14 minutes and not 42 like Dunleavy is because the team is trying to ease him back after the injury. Otherwise- management and the coaching staff are INSANE. Air France had a NASTY one handed jam with the left in the 2nd quarter. And 1 mixtape worthy!

Troy's struggling a little bit with his shot, but it's good to see him contributing with some nice passing (a real nice feed to a cutting JRich and 3 dimes overall) and 7 boards. When Troy slumps it's 12 points and 7 boards. Not bad at all. He'll snap out of it.

DJ Fuzzy Logic always hypes up Adonal Foyle's great outlet passes. I usually fall to the floor laughing when Fuzzy Logic does (since I don't believe it), but on MLK Day 2006 Adonal's outlet passes weren't a joke. They were off the hook! Foyle's outlet passes lead to fast break buckets or free throws for Baron, Pietrus, and JRich.

The best outlet passing center in the league?

It's a little strange that Ike lost his starting job to Adonal Foyle this game. He's out of position at the 5 spot, but that doesn't explain why he only got 9 minutes of playing time today. Is Ike on the trading block?

Well, it looks like the Warriors screwed up again in the 2004 draft. Biendrins is a good kid and if he could learn to stop fouling he'll be a good shot blocker and rebounder, but wait a couple of years and he'll have nothing on big man prospect Robert Swift. The Sonics took Swift right after the Warriors selected Biendrins. Swift is going to be smooth. He is already more offensively developed than Biedrins will ever be. It's amazing if you think about it actually- the Warriors selected the WRONG white guy. Usually they just take a white guy (ahem, Todd Fuller, Mike Dunleavy, Andrew DeClerq) and it turns out all WRONG.

WARRIOR WONDER
Adonal Foyle. Gotta love them outlet passes! (We'll ignore that ugly wide open shot that he tried to bank but hit the top of the backboard- it was FUGLY.)

Make sure to post your game thoughts in the comments. We've been getting some great discussions going!

Dunleavy Hatin' + Tea Bagging Reaches New Heights

2006-01-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

Whoa! An entire blog devoted to dissing your least favorite Warrior? Say it ain't so! I thought we were harsh sometimes (check the archives). We try to stick to humor when it comes to calling Mike Dunnuthin' out, but 2LiveCougs has taken it to a different level with The Best Damned Mike Dunleavy Jr. Blog. It's described as:

The Internet's one and only site dedicated to the most untalented and overpaid player in the NBA - Mike Dunleavy Jr. aka Elf Boy, Skip To My IQ, Manute Dunleavy Jr., Lil' Dun Dun, Dungleavy, Dungina, Ryan DunLeafy Jr...

Good luck 2LiveCougs. (I guess that's what we're supposed to say, but doesn't that mean we're encouraging Dunleavy to play worse?) I still find it incredibly hard to believe that Warriors (mis)management resigned him for 4 more years when fans constantly boo him at the arena and the Internet is a playground for Dun dissing. I might be stating the obvious but- the majority of Warriors fans are not Dunleavy supporters.

Hmmmm, well at least Dunleavy seems to have found a way to enjoy his time on floor more.

Two questions:
1) Do you think Lamar Odom enjoyed Mike's gesture?
2) Is this a flagrant/ intentional foul of a XXX sort?