The Bay Area News Group (Marcus Thompson II) reports: Finally, guard Marco Belinelli said he has made it to the NBA. Sure, he has been in the league since the Warriors’ drafted him with the No. 18 overall pick in 2007. And he’s certainly collected more than a third of the nearly $5 million he will earn over his first three seasons. But Belinelli said it wasn’t until now that he felt as if he’d arrived. For the first time in his career, he said he feels as if he is part of the team. He’s getting minutes, providing offense and growing with teammates. There’s no telling how long this will last, as the Warriors’ injured players figure to return and Coach Don Nelson’s whims are likely to change. In the meantime, Belinelli is enjoying the experience.
Category: Golden State Warriors Blog
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Keith Smart to coach Warriors defense
The Bay Area News Group (Marcus Thompson II) reports: The Warriors have a new defensive coordinator. No, Monte Kiffin will not be joining the bench. Warriors Coach Don Nelson announced after Friday’s 115-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks that assistant Keith Smart will be a “defensive coordinator” and that assistant Sidney Moncrief will be Smart’s assistant. Nelson said he is relinquishing the defensive duties because he has grown too lax. “I’ve decided to identify one of my weaknesses at this point in my life, which is I’m not tough enough anymore,” Nelson said. “I’m a little soft as I get older, and I feel like I haven’t done a very good job defensively this year. … They will be handling all of the defensive training, the game plans defensively and, during the game, the switching of situations. They’re in charge of the defense now.” Smart and Moncrief will have to start their upgraded roles without arguably the Warriors’ best man-to-man defender as swingman Stephen Jackson’s sprained left hand has forced him out of action again.
Dec 19: Hawks 115, Warriors 99
The AP reports: Expectations are changing for the Atlanta Hawks, who won a game by 16 points and then said it wasn’t good enough. Flip Murray scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hawks beat the Golden State Warriors 115-99 on Friday night. The Warriors fell to 3-13 on the road with their fifth straight loss overall, but they held slim leads at halftime and after three quarters. The Hawks finally pulled away with a 13-2 run early in the fourth quarter… Marvin Williams led Atlanta with 22 points… Missing injured top scorers Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson, the Warriors were led by Marco Belinelli’s career-high 27 points. Brandan Wright added a career-high 19 points but Jamal Crawford scored only six points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field.
Warriors waive Richard Hendrix
The Golden State Warriors have waived forward Richard Hendrix, the team announced today. Additionally, the team has transferred guard Monta Ellis from the Suspended List to the Inactive List.
Hendrix, 22, did not appear in any regular-season games with Golden State this season and was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Developmental League on November 14. In nine games with the Jam, the 6-9 forward is currently averaging 13.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.11 steals and 1.22 blocks in 28.7 minutes per contest. Hendrix was originally selected by the Warriors with the 49th selection in the 2008 NBA Draft.
With today’s transactions, Golden State’s roster currently stands at 15 players.
Dec 17: Pacers 127, Warriors 120
The AP reports: Danny Granger took a major step in his evolution into a team leader with his fourth-quarter effort against Golden State. The Indiana forward scored 41 points in the Pacers’ 127-120 victory Wednesday night. Most important, he scored 13 points in the final 6 1/2 minutes to carry his short-handed team… Jarrett Jack scored 24 points, Marquis Daniels added 23, and rookie Brandon Rush had 10 points and 11 rebounds in his second career start for Indiana. Jamal Crawford scored 29 points, Marco Belinelli had a career-high 21 points, and Andris Biedrins had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State… Indiana played without starters T.J. Ford and Troy Murphy.
Mike Dunleavy happy to be gone from Warriors
The San Francisco Chronicle (Jon Shea) reports: Mike Dunleavy put up career numbers last season and said Wednesday it wouldn’t have happened if he still were a Warrior. “That wasn’t possible out there,” said Dunleavy, referring to Oakland. “It’s no coincidence so many guys who come from Golden State go elsewhere and succeed. The proof is in the pudding. I take responsibility for certain things. You look at guys who went elsewhere after leaving Golden State, they found a way. Whatever that means or says, you could read it through.” Dunleavy hasn’t played this season because of a sore right knee but said he still hopes to play a significant number of games “and pick up where I left off.”
Ex-Warriors GM Dick Vertlieb dies
The San Francisco Chronicle (Tom Fitzgerald) reports: In 1974, general manager Dick Vertlieb pulled off a controversial trade that immediately helped bring the Warriors their only NBA championship since moving west in 1962. He dealt future Hall of Fame center Nate Thurmond to Chicago for center Clifford Ray and $500,000. Ray teamed with Rick Barry to help the Warriors beat Ray’s former team, the Bulls, in the Western Conference finals before sweeping the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals. Mr. Vertlieb, a passionate, eccentric club executive who left an even bigger mark on the sports landscape in Seattle, died Dec. 5 in Las Vegas after a long bout of stomach cancer. He was 78. He helped found the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle SuperSonics. As the Sonics’ first general manager, he tried to negotiate a sale of the Warriors to a group of investors from the Northwest. He failed, but Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli was so impressed that he hired Mr. Vertlieb as GM.
Warriors recall DeMarcus Nelson from D-League
The Golden State Warriors have recalled guard DeMarcus Nelson from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League, the team announced today.
Nelson, 23, started all nine games for the Jam after being assigned on November 14, and averaged 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.22 steals in 32.7 minutes per contest in the D-League. At the time of his recall, he led the team in scoring and steals, while ranking second in assists and third in rebounds.
Prior to being assigned to Bakersfield, Nelson appeared in eight games for the Warriors this season (five starts), averaging 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14.6 minutes per contest. The 6-4 guard became the first undrafted rookie to appear in the starting lineup on Opening Night for the Warriors since the team moved to the West Coast in 1962.
Dec 15: Magic 109, Warriors 98
The AP reports: Jameer Nelson scored 23 of his career high-tying 32 points in the second half, and the Orlando Magic beat the Golden State Warriors 109-98 on Monday night for fourth win in five road games. Marcin Gortat, starting in place of the injured Dwight Howard, recorded his second career double-double with career bests of 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Magic improved to 19-6, their best 25-game start since opening the 1994-95 season at 20-5. Rashard Lewis added 21 points and Courtney Lee had 16. Andris Beidrins scored 23 points to lead the Warriors, who have lost 12 of their last 14 games. Marco Belinelli added 19 points and Jamal Crawford scored 16.
Dec 13: Nuggets 123, Warriors 105
The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets didn’t need another 33-point third quarter from Carmelo Anthony. Fourteen was enough to put away Golden State. Anthony had 27 points and nine rebounds, Chauncey Billups added 16 points and 11 assists, and the Nuggets beat the Warriors 123-105 on Saturday night… Kenyon Martin, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained left wrist, had 15 points for the Nuggets, who had six players score in double figures. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Rob Kurz had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, who have lost 11 of their last 13.