Monday, December 08, 2008

5-15 and no, that's not a reference to tax day.



The Warriors finished the miracle 06-07 season with a 42-40 record.
They finished the playoffless 07-08 season with a 48-34 record.

Right now, they're 5-15. Do you see them going 37-25 for the rest of the year? Do you see them finishing the season on a 43-19 run? Didn't think so.

Less than two years after their historic playoff run and less than a year after a heartbreaking yet wildly entertaining 07-08 season, the Warriors and their fans came into the 08-09 season with high hopes. Though Baron Davis would be wearing a Clipper's jersey, the Warriors still had the likes of Ellis, Biedrins, and Jackson, a formidable starting three. Not to mention 20pt a game Corey Maggette and a rising star in Kelena Azebuke.

Three weeks and nine loses ago, the Warriors looked good but not great. All they were looking to do was hang around in the west until Ellis returned. A week later with the addition of Jamal Crawford and the departure of Al Harrington, it looked as though the Warriors were poised to gain ground on the floundering Mavericks and the aging Suns. The only thing that the Warriors have done since their win at home against Brandon Roy's Blazers is show how horrible they are at defending the ball. They're the worst defensive team in the NBA and though I haven't googled it, they're probably breaking some sort of NBA records for points allowed.

While watching them score is fun, watching their "matador" defense is sickening. They make the interior of the opposing hoop look like a six lane freeway. And when Biedrins and Turiaf are the only ones crashing the boards, opposing offensive rebounds have at times equaled the Warriors rebound total.

It's sad to say that the Warriors of today have once again reverted to the Warriors of old. They're a bad team with good players and good fans. And though we're only 1/4 of the way through the season, it's most likely over. So why not get the young guys a chance to play? Why aren't Randolph and Wright starting or at least getting more than twenty minutes? These are two long and lean guys that can rebound and score inside. These are two guys that can help Biedrins gobble up some boards. I would love to see the threesome of Biedrins, Wright, and Randolph on the floor at the same time and see what happens. And why not? You know what you're getting from Maggette and Jackson, it's time to start to get an idea of what the Warriors can do with some young talent.

I've come to grips with the fact that the Warriors are going nowhere fast and being a Giants fan I've grown accustomed to watching bad teams. But like the Giants, the Warriors have a ton of talent. Why not get these guys ready this year and see what they can do with extended and regular minutes. We know the Warriors can score, we know that when Ellis gets back and gets healthy he and Crawford will be able to run a break. We need to know how Randolph, Wright, and Morrow factor into the equation for next year. And Don Nelson needs to get away from the six man rotation. There's a reason why at least twelve guys suit up every night and it's not to make the bench look good.

I'd like to see the starting five look like Crawford, Maggette, Jackson, Biedrins, and Azebuki/Ellis. With Randolph, Wright, Turiaf, and Morrow coming off the bench in a designated fashion. You know you can score with the starting five so why not try and build a lead with them and rotate long guys like Wright, Randolph, and Turiaf once a lead has been established? The only guy that's not going to score much is Turiaf but what he brings to the floor defensively is priceless. Build a lead and rotate Maggette for Turiaf, Wright for Jackson, and Randolph for Crawford, Ellis/Azebuki when you need to. That gives your guys a rest so that when they come back out onto the floor, they can run and guy at full boar all the time.

What I'm trying to say is that it would be nice to get a NFL-like rotation going. An offensive and defensive line if you may. But the cool thing is that 95% of the Warriors can score. Shuffle guys in and out of the game and keep the opposition on confused.

I'm a Warriors fan through and through. I'm not just a bandwagoner so I'll be watching them when they're good and when they're bad. I just want to see a little change is all. There's enough talent on this team to make a loosing season look good. But in order to do that, you have to start playing the unproven and the unknown to see what you can have for next season.

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