First, I apologize for the long delay in posting something new on Warriors Wire. I have been swamped at work with high school sports, the World Series and many other responsibilities. I’ve had to take a step back from this blog because of other demands on my time. So I apologize. I’m excited for a new NBA season and can’t wait to see how this Warriors team performs. As most of you know, the Warriors open the regular season tonight… Read More »
Continuing a series that looks at the players on the Warriors roster this season and the expectations I have for them, we turn our attention to David Lee, the big offseason acquisition and all-star power forward for this squad: When the Warriors traded for David Lee during the offseason, it finally gave hope to those Warriors fans who were tired of watching small ball. The Warriors, bereft of a legitimate big man for years, finally had one. Lee is a talented offensive player,… Read More »
In the previous blog entry, I only transcribed the question-and-answer portion of the news conference. I didn’t transcribe the beginning of the conference and the scripted comments by general manager Larry Riley and new head coach Keith Smart. If you wanted to read those as well, here they are: Larry Riley: Thank you for coming today. It’s obvious by now that the Warriors have decided to make a coaching change, and it’s with great pleasure that I present to you Keith Smart,… Read More »
FROM MONDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE WITH GM LARRY RILEY AND COACH KEITH SMART Larry Riley calls Keith Smart a “tactician” and says he’s very well prepared. He talks about how much time he has spent working practices. Riley says “he’s extremely ready to take this job.” Riley says the Warriors owe Don Nelson a debt of gratitude and he says that he, personally, owes Nelson a debt of gratitude. Keith Smart has always been well spoken. He is articulate and at… Read More »
Multiple sources are reporting that Don Nelson and the Warriors will part ways, with assistant coach Keith Smart replacing Nelson as head coach of the Warriors. CSN Bay Area’s Matt Steinmetz reported that Nelson will make the move official Monday, in time for the start of training camp, which begins Tuesday. The Warriors open the regular season Oct. 27 against the Houston Rockets. Nelson is the NBA’s all-time coaching leader in victories with 1,335 wins. ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that… Read More »
Whether you like it or not, it’s seeming more likely that Don Nelson will return to coach the Warriors for the start of the 2010-11 season. Nelson, who has led the Warriors to 29 and 26 wins the past two seasons, is owed $6 million in the final year of his deal, which expires at the end of this season. That’s chip No. 1 in Nelson’s pocket, and possibly the most important piece to the puzzle. Chip No. 2 —… Read More »
Another good link today, this time from CSN Bay Area’s Matt Steinmetz, who has a detailed look at Joe Lacob’s upcoming decisions on what to do with Warriors coach Don Nelson, general manager Larry Riley and president Robert Rowell. I won’t give away all the details here, but Steinmetz’s take is replace Nelson with assistant Keith Smart, keep Riley and keep Rowell around, but change his title and put him in charge of aiding with the new owners’ transition period. It’s… Read More »
Usually, it’s unacceptable when athletes or coaches make excuses following a loss. It’s looked at as an admission of weakness, and no self-respecting player or coach would want to give future opponents any indication of feebleness or frailty. The Warriors made excuses after their last loss, Saturday’s 104-95 loss to the Pistons. In this instance, however, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. There are justifiable reasons that explain the Warriors’ inability to close out games this season. Some… Read More »
Is it time to break out the “We Believe” T-shirts again? Holy cow. What a great game. If you’re a Warriors fan, you better hope you have that game on your DVR, because you won’t want to delete it. You never want to overstate one win, but this could be a turning point for this Warriors squad. Warriors 111, Mavericks 103 (on the road!). Check out the box score and Associated Press recap. Now that the Stephen Jackson cloud has… Read More »
There was some thought last week that if all went well, Andris Biedrins and perhaps Ronny Turiaf could return in time for this week’s games, including a tough two-day swing through Texas that begins today against the Dallas Mavericks (10-3) and ends Wednesday with a date in San Antonio against the Spurs (6-6). Today’s game Warriors at Dallas Mavericks (10-3) TV: 5:30 p.m., CSN Bay Area Unfortunately, Turiaf remains day-to-day with his ailing left knee, and it’s unclear when he will return.… Read More »
