Monday, January 29, 2007

It all begins here...

The Warriors are about to embark on their most important road trip of the season. They play 6 games in the next 10 nights away from the O in Oakland. 5 of those games are against eastern conference teams, with only 2 of those teams currently holding winning records.

Taking their two game winning streak on the road to Cleveland tomorrow, early indications are that the Dubs have caught a much needed break for tomorrow's game. All everything Mr. Lebron James (the number one pick in my fantasy draft by yours truely)most probably will not be playing because of a sore toe.

This is so huge for the Dub squad which have only won 4 games (good for second worst in the lig)on the road this year. Without Lebron, the Cavs are not a playoff team. I expect Cavs coach Mike Brown to slow it down, avoid the running game that the Warriors will love to play and dump the ball into Z and have Larry Hughes and others cutting trying to get layups and high percentage shots. Of course, I also think that without Lebron, the Cavs will not be the same team that stole a win at the O last week, in the debut of the DubThugs. The Warriors are semi rolling, and motivated to get this trip off to a good start. A win tomorrow at the Q (Quicken Loans Arena) could propell the Warriors into a winning streak, which they desperately need.

I also think that this tirp could see another trend of this season's Dubs come to an end. They are currently 0-10 on the second night of road back to back's. Wednesday nights game is in Atlanta, against the Hawks, and I'm sure that AL will be eager to show (one of) his old team(s) what they are missing. Stephen Jackson was also a Hawk in the not too distant past, but more than anything, the Dubs NEED this game. They currently sit at 21-23, two games under .500, and with Minnesota's win against Phoenix tonight, 2.5 games out of the final Western Conference playoff spot.

After Atlanta, the team has Thursday off, and then they are onto Philly and Charlotte on Friday and Saturday nights. So in essence, the Dubs play their next four games against probably 4 of the worst 6 teams in the league (of course, that includes the Cavs sans Lebron).

Sunday is another off day, before what I now look forward to as the match up of the year. Monday, Februay 4th, the new look DubThugs play the Indiana Pacers, who amazingly now start Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. I think Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington will do exactly what they did to the those two soft front court players back in early December....pre-trade, which is to say, DOMINATE. I am definitely going into work early to leave early. My prediction, is the Dubs will run them off the floor, and win by Double digits.

I know this is a bold statement, but I'm feeling the momentum of Saturday night's laugher against the Bobcats. I'm thinking the Dubs win tomorrow, and use the the momentum to go 5-0 on the first 5 games of the trip. Don't think they will beat Minnesota in Minnesota to end the trip, but then again, if they actually go 5-0 in the first five, anything can happen.

So I'll have to keep track, but anything less than 4-2 on this trip will be a dissapointment. 4-2 would put the Dubs at 25-25, and back at .500 after the trip. I really feel that the new players are starting to come together, understand their roles, and yet still want to play hard to please Coach Nelson, their new teammates, and generally show the NBA community that they are difference makers. We'll see.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Yeah!

Great finish at the O last night. Monta saved the day, Baron, and possibly the season.

I've watched him play a lot this year, and while he has his faults and shortcomings, there are a few things I do love about him.
Seems to me that everytime he comes into a game, he almost always hits his first shot. As a bench player at any level, you don't have time or the luxury as a starter to let the game "come to you." You have to "get in the game." Monta does this extremely well. I'm continually impressed by the way that he
A. Turns the corner
B. The lift on his jumper

Monta made a bunch of great plays last night, and he will certainly be remembered for the shot he made to win the game, but how many people will remember the layup he converted at the end of the 3rd quarter? He got the ball with about seven seconds to go, raced up the court, turned the corner on the ancient Cliff Robinson (a former Dub Fav) and layed the ball in with .8 seconds to go. This was a huge basket because it cut New Jersey's 6 point lead, to 4 to start the 4th.

Last night's 1st quarter was extremely difficult to watch. First off, the Dubs made Mikki Moore look like an all-star. The Dubs were called for traveling on 3 of the first 4 possessions and if you ask me, the Sarunus/Baron back court should be ditched forever. What made it worse was Vince Carter was doing whatever he wanted. Last night was the 3rd time I've seen him play in person, and the first time that he has been completely healthy. Let me just say this. The hype is real. Carter's main flaw is that his motivation is not the same as a Kobe or Wade. His skill set is just as good if not better, and he can certainly still jump out of the gym. On his jump shot, the ball comes out of his hand effortlessly with perfect rotation. He took two 3's in the quarter, and both were nothing but net. In the second half, Nelson was smart and the Warriors double teamed him everytime he touched it. No matter, Carter finished with a career high 13 assists. If only he could find a way to play motivated night in and night out. Oh well though, thats not my problem.

Back to the Dubs. While Stephen Jackson had his second tough outing in a row, Al Harrington was again, offensively awesome. 29 points on a variety of scoring moves. The best of which was a reverse spin dribble around his man and finish at the tin. The antithesis of DunMurph...if you will. Harrington also got himself to the line, and his clutch free throws with 27 seconds to go put the Warriors in the position they needed so Monta could make the final shot. I think Harrington is going to be a 20+ guy a night in a Warriors uniform. The Warriors need his low post moves, and when the offense is stagnant, or needs production, especially in the half court, I think they may have found a consistent option. Granted he is still in his Eastern Conference body, but once Nelson gets him to lose some pounds, he is only going to get better. I'm getting more and more excited watching his play with every game that goes by. As Nelly pointed out, if he can only improve his rebounding numbers, he is going to be awesome.

As Kawakami pointed out, the win last night could have saved the season. Mid January is a bit early to be issuing such bold statements, but had the Warriors dropped last night's game (at home) they would have fallen 5 games under .500 instead of the 3 they are now. A win Saturday is very conceivable, and then, 5 games into the trade, the Warriors will hit the road to play six very beatable Eastern conference teams including my (newest) most anticipated game of the year, the Warriors vs. the Indiana Pacers on monday February 5th. For now though, Ellis can bask in the glory of his clutch game winner, and then Emeka Okafor and Charlotte Bobcats come to town on Saturday night.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

DubThugs

The DubThugs is my new name for our team. Even my dad was commenting to me how different the team looked on TV last night. "They are much more athletic" he said.
"Its like they are a whole different team"

Exactly.

Last night during that run midway through the second quarter, I got giddy. It was starting to sink in. I was never going to have to wait for Mike Dunleavy to be something he is not. Instead, I was watching Al Harrington make moves not seen in a Dubs uniform since Chris Webber was a rookie. You know.....an actual athletic post move and finish. I had to pinch myself, because even though we (I feel like I can say we again) were everywhere on the court, making steals, getting out on the break, I knew that the Lakers still had the great equalizer. Kobe. In the end, we all knew what happened. Baron went down, and so did our chance to win.

But now that its been a few days, I want to address some positives and point out that Warrior fans (for the first time in a long time) have something to be excited for.

Stephen Jackson: I even wrote about him on this blog back on December 1st. He is a bad dude. I'm willing to forgive his indiscresions in Indiana, and give him a new beginning in Oakland as long as he continues to:
be 6'8, freakishly long, athletic and generally a bad ass dude. It was so refreshing to see him play with some emotion on Saturday night in his debut. He took the mic and addressed the crowd, and then, played his best game of the year, and almost pulled out the win for the Dubs. Frankly, if they had Baron they would have won the game, and Jackson would have been the hero. Instead, Dubs fans were just offered glimpses of what we haven't had in a long time. A seriously tall guard/forward combo, who can shoot, drive, defend, and make free throws. The Warriors get a lot of deflections in the way they are always switching their defensive schemes. You can add Jackson to the list of Davis, Barnes and Biedrins as guys who always seem to come up with the ball when its to be had in their area.
Indiana fans were quick to point out that Jackson often gambles for steals on defense, and waits around in the back court to complain to the refs while his man is busy streaking up the court. I did notice a bit of this on saturday, but Dunleavy used to do that too, but without offensive production. I think Jackson is going to get a legit chance to play a lot of minutes for Coach Nelson, and is going to get plenty of shots to stay happy. I'm glad he is on my team, because frankly the Warriors have been so soft for so long.
Al Harrington: While anything other than an aweful debut would have contributed to a win, last night, we saw probably what Chris Mullin had in mind when he aggressively went after Harrington in the off season. Like Jackson the night before, Harrington did everything but rebound the basketball. He had 31 on an array of post moves, aggressive drives, jumpers and three pointers. I also saw him initiate the break a bit, which is going to be needed because that is one thing that Dunleavy was very capable of doing. I was so giddy to see an athletic post player making solid basketball moves that translated into points. Because lets face it, both Dun and Murph just couldn't finish with any sort of regularity.
Sarunus J.........: I don't know how to spell his name correctly yet, so for now, he is just Sarunus. He is another thing that a winning team needs. A decent back up point guard. Not sure he can defend anyone, but as long as he can run the offense effectively while Baron takes a breather, I think we will be ok. Definitely an upgrade on Keith McCloud.
I think Josh Powell is going to get some run too. Did anyone else see that shot block he had during his brief stint in the 2nd quarter? That was a serious rejection! Dude is another type of player we haven't had. An athletic front court player. I think Nelson will figure out what he has with Powell and he will start to get some consistent mintues as well.
I'm really looking foward to tomorrow night, not only because I'll be at the O for JKidd and Vinsanity, but because I think the Dubs are going to get their first win with the new squad. It was unfortunate that the first two games of the new era went down as they did, but both the Cavs and Lakers are solid playoff teams. Their are only 40 games left, and the Warriors are currently 4 games under .500 and thus out of the playoff picture. I think they can make it, but I'm not sure they will. One thing for sure is that it will be exciting to watch, as this team as they are now assembled will be one of the more entertaining outfits in the league. The Warriors already lead the league in fast break points scored, so with the addition of Jackson, Harrington and Powell all running the lanes now instead of the other stiffs, those statistics are only likely to go up.

One interesting side note about tomorrow's game will be the return of Jason Kidd to Oakland. In the past, Jason has gotten the better of the Dubs, but I just don't think he is going to have enough fire power without RJ (Richard Jefferson) in the lineup.

Regardless, I'm just so excited that the slow white era in Oakland has transitioned into something much faster.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

I'm In Shock.....

(Editor's note: This post was written during extreme levels of intoxication, and while being inturrupted twice by female roomates on the day of the trade.)

I just checked ESPN.com for the score of the Dubs game. They are down 14, 79-93. I checked the box score. Our line up is of 5 guys and Renaldo Major, called up from D league today. He has played one minute. I laughed out loud. The rest of the box score inclued Al Harington, Stephen Jackson and Sarunas Jasikevicius. Their caption was has not entered the game.
At this point, the game is over. Brand, Casesell, Ross, Mobley, and Maggette are all in double figures. This game was suppossed to mean something in the over all scheme of 2007. But tonight it was just a fill in game until the New Warriors take the floor on Saturday night at the Arena with Al Harrington at power forward and Stephen Jackson at small forward against Lebron James...and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But back to the trade. Who won? Who Lost?
At this point, most people and myself included know the Warriors won. They traded two slow white guys for for two athletic black dudes and immediately upgraded their entire team. John Hollinger from ESPN.com is using his P.E.R. (player effieciency rating) to determine that Ike Diogu might be the player that in ten years, this trade is named after. But you know what.....
I don't care at this point. The fact that Mullin was able to jettison the rediculous contracts he handed to Murphy and Dunleavy makes this deal a win for the Warriors. Nelson figured out in one game that those two couldn't play in the same front court together, and he never played the two together again. Now the Warriors are much more athletic in the front court, and their only remaining white player happens to lead the NBA in field goal percentage.
Sounds like a winning a formula to me.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Open Auditions

I seriously felt like yeterday, Mike Dunleavy and Corey Maggette held their own personal open auditions to be traded away from their current teams. For the third time this season, I've had the opportunity to sit in great seats in the sideline club section, instead of my normal vantage point in the corner. From row 8, i was not close enough to hear what was said, but could see the expressions on the players faces, which is often times.....priceless.
Both Dunleavy and Maggette came off the bench, and had respectively good games. For Dunleavy, the Warriors got something that they thought they would have all season. 3 3's in 13 point second quarter, and a total of 13 rebounds for the game. He was everywhere, he played hard, and for once, with what seemed to be sense of purpose. Perhaps he wanted to show his dad, and his dad's team he could play. But my thinking is that he wanted to show the front office of his dad's team, that he was worth trading for. For all Dunleavy's supposed multi skills in his 6'9 frame, what he is not is a stong NBA forward. He is too soft to finish with any kind of regularity, and his jumper is not as good as many thought it would be coming out of college. What he does well are the little things. He doesn't seem to have much of an ego, which is important in a game of ego's. When the Warriors win, and they go on these sputs of running and gunning, I often see Dun making the extra pass, helping it swing from the strong side, to the open shooter in the corner of the weak side, often Pietrus or Barnes. Nelson has recently called him a "blend" player, which i took to mean a great role player, and someone who can blend into the offense. Coincidentally, the Clippers could use a player like Mike. I watched yesterday as Monta Ellis took whoever was in front of him to the rim. He spun around Maggette and Livington for hoops. He took Cassell and Mobely off the dribble for layups. After each bucket, the Clipper players glared at each other like
1. They couldn't believe this kid just took them to the hole with such ease and
2. WTF was the other guy doing to help out.

I saw no accountability. Now I'm certainly not saying that Dunleavy is capable defender, he is not. But he would be perfect for a team like the Clips who need that player on the floor to make the extra pass around the perimeter to Ross in the corner. Or someone with enough basketball savvy to continue to dump the ball into Brand when he is feeling it. Currently, the Clips have 5 guys in their starting 5 who would prefer to shoot everytime. Then, they bring Maggette off the bench, and he definitely wants to shoot it.
When Magette came off the bench in the first quarter, the Warriors where in their normal 2-3 match up zone with Dunleavy on Maggette's side. The Clips swung the ball to him, he took the pass, made one strong dribble towards baseline around Dun and went in for the layup, 2 points. He is almost the exact opposite of a small forward than Dunleavy. Though they finished with almost the exact same line, both with 18 points, Dun got 9 of those with his 3 3's and Maggette earned his from the line. What Maggette can do that Dunleavy can't is attack the rim. He is not much of a three point shooter, but the Warriors have enough guys who love to do that anyway (the rest of the team). The Dubs need a slasher who can finish at the rim, and just as importantly, who has the respect of the referees when he goes to the rim. Also, something Dunleavy has yet to earn. Dun, for all he is supposed to be able to do is just an highly over paid role player. Maggette, though he comes off the bench would be a starter on most teams. Deep down, I know that both players would welcome a change of scenery. And while Maggette does have an ego, and isn't exactly a choir boy, he does well what many Dunleavy doesn't and vice versa. I know that it is not Dunleavy Sr. who is opposed to bringing on his son, but rather others in the organization who wonder what would happen if the rest of the team felt like a coach was giving his son preferential treatment. At this point, I think both teams would benefit from a trade and I can't wait to see if both players as hard tomorrow as they did for Dr. Martin Luther King.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Um yeah...

Apologizies for not getting this out sooner. I guess I was torn. My Warriors played literally, their worst game of the year, yet Dwight Howard, put on one of the best individual power forward performances in the last 10 years. Acording to the great Elias Sports Bureau, "Dwight Howard scored a career-high 30 points and collected 25 rebounds in Orlando's 91-76 victory at Golden State. Howard became only the second NBA player in the last 10 years to reach those levels in a regulation game. The other was Lorenzen Wright, who had 33 points and 26 rebounds for Memphis on Nov. 4, 2001."
So, um, yeah, I guess you could say he was ballin'. Dover and I just sat there. I was in amazement of A. mostly Howard, and:
B: The hotness of Andris Biedrins girlfriend, who, I guess I haven't mentioned in this space yet, but sits one row in front of me at the games, and DAM she is FLY. Way too tall for me, obviously a little too tan for the middle of January, but so obviously Scandanvian/Eastern European looking with her natuaral blond hair, pointed nose, and style of a girl who is bangin' an pro basketball player.
Back to Howard, all i kept saying anytime he came to our side of the court, was "look how fucking big he is." Even though he and Andris are about the same height, and approximately the same age, Howard dwarfs Biedrins. From the opening tip, (which he won) to the final free throw that netted him his career high of 30 points, he was cleaning the glass, and dunking on anyone the Warriors through at him. I don't remember Karl Malone at that age, before his jumper, and crafty below the rim moves of the back to back finals years, but I honestly think that this dude is going to tilt the balance of power to Eastern conference fairly soon.
I have nothing to say about the Dubs. They should have won this game. Up 5 at the half, which included 10 first quarter turnovers, they missed 21 of 25 shots and all 3 three point attempts in the third quarter on their way to scoring 10 points. Truely dismal.
Baron is hurting. The whole team is hurting. Pietrus started the game wearing the mask, (which incidentally was the result of a DHoward elbow to the nose from their meeting in early December), which he later threw to the scorers table in disgust. BD came out of the second half without both black wrist guards that he started with. It didn't matter. The Dubs gave up a season high 56 rebounds to the Magic, of which, well, you can guess, Howard had most of. The Warriors are lucky that the only have to see the Magic twice a year, because this kid is going to be SHAQ type special. Hopefully you read the link from yesterday's post from Eric Neel of ESPN.com page2, because the Magic guards don't even have the patience yet to run the offense through Howard. He score all his points on put backs and about 12-15 shots a night. Once they start running the offense through him, and if they can get a legit point guard, other than Carlos Arroyo or Jameer Nelson, the Magic are going to be sitting atop the Eastern Conference for years to come.
Dubs bounce back tomorrow against the defending NBA champions Miami Heat, to even their record at 19-19.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Love of the Game

This post (via Truehoop) today by Henry Abbot pretty much sums up why I love the game of basketball, and why I continue to buy season tickets to a team that hasn't won a meaniful game in over 12 years. By the way, if you don't already make it part of your regular internet rotation, Truehoop is definitely one of the best authorities for all that is the game of basketball.

"I have been surprised--although not, upon reflection entirely unsympathetic--at the many comments and e-mails I have received saying, in essence, how dare you cover Jason Kidd's divorce on this basketball blog?

It has kicked off a little tug of war within me, I'll admit. I don't want to be some mindless gossiping jerk. And I confess a certain admiration for those one or two sportswriters in the nation who could write about it but prefer not to, for instance Dave D'Alessandro:

As for the Kidd Stuff, I am reluctant to share details for two reasons -- it's not our business, and there are kids involved. It's fair to say this, though: It's been going on for much more than a month, and it hasn't affected the guy's performance in any discernible way, but if there is any slippage, it's something the organization will undoubtedly have to consider as they make their offseason plans. It is my earnest hope, however, that they don't use the same, sanctimonious public methods that Jerry Colangelo used... We all feel bad about this, because Jay's a great guy, but c'mon -- you must have other things more serious in your life than to ruminate on the difficulties of a couple you've never met. I know I have one: The paper wants me to write a column about this whole mess, just when I felt like taking a nap. So far, here's what I've come up with for my thesis: "Marital strife -- why I'm against it." I'm not being glib, I'm just wondering why this is anyone's business, mindful that I'd get a cogent argument from some gossip page pinhead.

And I'm not the only one wrestling with this. Here's Sam Rubenstein:

Ugly, ugly days out in the swamp. It really says something about the way sports is covered that the New Jersey Nets were playing exciting basketball for years and it received less local coverage than the boring to disasterous Knicks, but as soon as some off the court personal stuff happens, they’re front page news... What am I supposed to do? Respect his wishes to not delve into his personal life and focus on basketball? It’s a good thing he doesn’t play baseball, cause with the moral highgroundalizing (I invented that word. Don’t swaggerjack it) that’s going on today, he wouldn’t make the Hall of Fame anymore. But do we pay attention to this, or just let the Kidds be? It’s not like they were just some quiet, innocent couple that was forced into the limelight. Joumana was once a key story line of a playoff series. Their son is a bigger NBA child star than L’il Dun or Mister Allen Iverson. This is public property. I don’t know what to do.

I have to go home at some point this evening for dinner, so I don't have time to spell out all of my many thoughts on the matter. (And I'll confess, I'm interested in a nuanced discussion of what should be out of bounds to protect the Kidd children--as they are not only presumed innocent, but are also the one party who could be hurt here but does not, as far as I know, have lawyers and advisers watching their back. They also probably would do well to have mutual admiration and love of both of their parents, which is tough when they are trashing each other in public.) But I think my main argument for blogging about Le Divorce Kidd on TrueHoop is something along these lines:

Throughout the course of human history, there has been a tradition of storytelling. While the nature of those stories: the medium, the setting, the social structures etc., have changed again and again and again (the paleolithic version of the blog, known as "the campfire," was a lot more fun, but it makes your clothes smell smokey) the underlying themes that appeal really haven't changed all that much. Through Shakespeare, Chaucer, the Bible, any soap opera, the New York Post and the fat majority of just about every story ever loved by the masses, you will find the same stew of underlying themes, ladeled directly from a bubbling cauldron of love, struggle against long odds, peculiarities of character, revenge, family, honor, and gristly tidbits of scandal. (The above list is also sometimes paraphrased not entirely inaccurately as "sex, drugs, and rock and roll.")

I'm sure there are other ingredients too, but you get the idea. It's hard wired. There are things humans tend to find delicious. That's what makes a good story. Not necessarily good for the participants, but good for the audience. Everyone who works in communications (journalism, movie-making, advertising, PR, marketing, song-writing, almost any kind of art) knows about this on some level; their ability to succeed depends in part on mastering their understanding of this.

The people who have made us love the NBA certainly know this, as they have been exploiting it for as long as they have been successful. You won't see the words "backdoor screen" in a single NBA TV promo, because they have barely marketed basketball to us at all. Instead they have long been selling us all those human interest, timeless-appeal stories. They sell us "Reggie Miller, the villian." They sell us "just about every other NBA player is a great guy who reads books to children!" They delicately hint at selling us "will-he-explode-on-TV-tonight Ron Artest." I was at Madison Square Garden for Stephon Marbury's first home game as a Knick, and it might as well have said "Welcome to the Prodigal Son Returns Night" on the marquee, because everyone in the building knew that was the story. They sell us "keeping it real Allen Iverson." Every Christmas since Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had their soap-operatic split, the NBA has pitted them against each other as our Christmas present.

I read somewhere recently, and I wish I could remember where so I could link to it, that David Stern patterned the NBA's marketing of its players after Disney's marketing of cartoon characters.

If that's not true, it might as well be.

As a business approach, the modern marketing of the NBA was never really about basketball, per se. It's about those timeless plotlines--which are really what "celebrity" is all about--jocked up in a basketball setting and ready for delivery to our living rooms. If NBA basketball was sold on the shelf in grocery stores, it would say "Human Drama, Thrills, and Heartache!" on the label.

There are good business reasons for that. There might be a few thousand people worldwide whose pure love of basketball is strong enough to compel them to buy NBA season tickets. (I am very thankful that of that group, many seem to read TrueHoop. I'd like to consider myself part of the group--and as a lifelong player and watcher, the joy of the game runs deep in me--but the truth is that's only part of what drives me; some of my favorite things about basketball, like Pat Conroy's My Losing Season and everything Gary Smith has ever written about the NBA--those things are driven mainly by the universal plot themes of all entertainment.)

The way to make big money in sports is to get non-sports fans rooting. In high school, the fans are thick with parents and potential prom dates who scream loud but know little about sports. They are there for the human interest in the players on the court. As the players get better and better, that process goes onto steroids.

That's what the Super Bowl is all about. That's why the NBA Finals are so important. That's what all those timeout hype-mania events are about (although I find most of them totally annoying and distracting, but that's a topic for another time).That's the All-Star game attempts to tap into. It's a human drama, so big and exciting you can get into it even if you're only somewhat interested in sports.

Side note: in a bizarre twist of fate, I had an extra seat to a skybox at the All-Star game in D.C. I brought along a friend who could not name one player, and had never knowingly seen a basketball game in his life. The All-Star Game is made of 1% basketball and 99% razzle dazzle. I told my friend to wear the loudest suit he owned. There were celebrities everywhere, and lots of free food. He had a spectacular time.

Of course, the way the NBA markets itself is only the tip of the iceberg. You'd also have to consider every sports endorsement ever done, including by Jason Kidd himself. With the exception of those Better Basketball ads--which actually are about basketball--they almost all beg you to focus on the universal thoughts, ideas, and character of the human more than the hoop skills. Here's Jason Kidd driving his SUV to the Meadowlands, talking about himself. Here's Michael Jordan in street clothes, walking into the stadium, thinking about the universal theme of failure. Grandmama. LeBron's character, that is so complex there are four of them. There's Vince Carter (and, for that matter, Ben Wallace) on the cell phone, dealing with the kinds of family issues we all deal with, in a commercial that has nothing to do with basketball other than the fact he's in uniform.

So, when Dave D'Alessandro tells us that we "must have other things more serious in your life than to ruminate on the difficulties of a couple you've never met" I feel like he has made a minor violation to the NBA's unwritten contract with fans. Caring about the fortunes of those exact strangers is, by design, 90% of the reason we buy tickets. Of course we freaking care about this couple. They're people we have been talking about day in and day out for years--even when they weren't marinating in that stew of human drama. (And Joumana has long been part of the basketball story too. In that series with the Celtics Kidd fought for his family honor, we were told. We fretted for them when dad plowed into little TJ sitting courtside and hurt him. When Jason was a free agent, deciding between San Antonio and New Jersey, Joumana was a big factor in the decision. She has also been employed by NBA TV, at times to interview her husband.)

Now that all hell is breaking loose in their lives, well, it's hard to see why we'd stop caring now. Any interest we have in it doesn't come from some insane part of us. It comes from a normal human part of us, egged on by millenia of storytelling tradition and David Stern's cast of Disney characters."

Food For Thought...

Saw Baron outside the OC last night. Said hi, wished him luck tonight. He was getting into a cab with some homies. Didn't recognize em, but hey, I guess he's allowed to have non-NBA friends. I like that Baron hangs out in the city. All the other professional athletes seem to stay in the suburbs playing video games and doing who knows what.

Anyway, some links for your Warrior enjoyment, or dissatisfaction.

Make sure to read the Eric Neel article at the bottom about Dwight Howard. Going to see him at the O tonight. Should have my thoughts tomorrow. Peace.

Kawakami's official Merc piece today.

Kawakami's blog today, a follow up on the article.

Eric Neel on Dwight Howard.

Monday, January 08, 2007

So its been a while. But the Dubs are still .500. Its been 7 games since I last posted. As predicted, the Dubs held serve at the O. They have won 6 in a row at home. They unfortunately did not win the games I thought they would win at Sacramento and at Memphis. Granted they have been playing through major injuries, but hey, so has every other team in the association thus far.
The quick off the top of my head recap.
Dubs got off to the good start by waxing the 76ers behind a career game (at the time) from Matt Barnes. They beat Boston. Done and Done. Two games you expect to win. They then lost the next night to Sacramento. While I think that the Dubs are a better team, and their record proves that, they are 0-8 in the second half of back to back's on the road. It was encouraging to see them beat NO/OKC on the road 3 nights later. This was a win that they needed, had to have, and ended up getting. The loss at Memphis was unfortunate. If only the Dubs could have played against the Mike Fratello led team, instead of the new coach (Barone is it?) Memphis will undoubtedly play better in their new uptempo style down the stretch. But still, they are the worst team (record wise) in the West. The Seattle game was one that worried me because I felt like Ray Allen could go off and offset any a few good performances by the Dubs. Well, he did indeed go off for 38. Luckily, the Dubs and Matt Barnes made the plays down the stretch, and got the V. Last night's Suns game was predictable. The stat on the TV said it all. The last 9 games the Warriors have played in Phoenix have been the second half of back to backs, and in only one of those games had the Suns played the night before. The Dubs record in those games..... 1-8.
So after that important stretch that started on December 26th, the Dubs are still what I thought they were..... A .500 team.

Wednesday night at the O starts a new important 8 game stretch. Orlando starts the normal January parade of Eastern Conference games to the Arena. The Dubs have traditionally (in the last 4 years) fared well at home against the Eastern Conference. The Magic game will be tough, as the Dubs narrowly escaped their game last month against the them in Orlando. They are the second best team in the east. Still, Wednesday's game is the first of a stretch of 8 games where the Dubs play 6 in Oakland. In my mind it is possible to go 6-0 in those games. Will it happen? Doubtful. The Warriors are too banged up. Baron has been playing too many minutes, and he admirably tried to give it a go last night, but both his wrists are hurting from a hard fall in the Seattle game. If he can recover, the home games against Orlando, Miami, the Clippers, Cavaliers, Nets and Bobcats can all be won. However, my prediction is that in this 8 game stretch, the Dubs will go 4-4. They will probably lose both road games to the Staple center this month. Jim Barnett was saying that two Clipper games next week are the most important of the month. I tend to agree with him. If the Dubs could somehow win both games, they could finish 5-3 over this stretch.
Essentially, I see the Dubs as a .500 team, if Baron does not miss a significant number of games. If they can stay even until Jason Richardson returns, and then in the first 3 weeks after his return, while he aclimates himself back into the lineup, I think they will have a chance to make a run into the playoffs. Regardless, I think this team is definitely growing before our eyes. Should be interesting.