The Smart Moves

This post can also be seen on WarriorsWorld.net, the best Warriors fansite on the web and an ESPN Truehoop site.

At 30 and 41, the Warriors are once again out of the playoff picture. They’re once again placed in NBA anonymity. They’re once again a franchise very much in structural and organizational flux. And after this season is over, the Warriors will once again be looking for a new head coach. The Warriors caught lightning in a bottle with Don Nelson and the after though that was the “We Believe” movement. Keith Smart was Nelson’s head assistant and defensive coach (Yes, really) back when Nelson was sporting the turtleneck on the Warriors sidelines. Smart was given the keys to the Warriors once Joe Lacob decided to not bring back Nelson, and although Smart had been an admirable NBA assistant for years, it was clear that he was on a short leash. Lacob constantly stated his inclinations of making a big splash early (still waiting), and I think we’ll finally see some movement this coming off-season.

Yes, the Warriors are better, but compared to what? 27 wins? The Warriors couldn’t do any worse. As a man claimed to be a defensive coach, Smart has been Don Nelson 2.0. In the previous three season under Nelson, the Warriors ranked last in opponents PPG each year. Under Smart, the Warriors are 28th. His infatuation with jumper happy Acie Law is disturbing. His insertion of Ekpe Udoh into the lineup was long overdue. His team’s consistent strategy of getting down double digits in the first quarter, then to come back in the 4th and lose the game (known as a “good effort” by a certain play by play man) is dismal. It’s safe to assume that Keith Smart won’t be back next season. If the Warriors want to be a true playoff contender, and I mean a true playoff contender, these are the coaches they should take a hard look at.

Jeff Van Gundy:

The Warriors first call should be to this man. A defensive mastermind, Jeff Van Gundy would finally provide the Warriors with a proven, experienced defensive coach. Well respected in NBA circles, Van Gundy will provide the Warriors with a defensive mind that they haven’t seen in…well…ever. In his last stint in Houston, the Rockets were top five each season in both scoring defense and opponents PPG. Van Gundy’s career win total is 430 and 318, which includes a 41-40 record in the playoffs. In seasons in which Van Gundy coached all 82 games, his team finished with an above .500 record 7 out of 8 times. Are the Warriors read for a Van Gundy type coach? A technical, charismatic defensive architect? It would be a stark contrast from Smart, so the team would get a much needed reality check with JVG at the helm.

Mike Brown:

You might notice a trend between the first two coaches: DEFENSE. In five seasons with Cleveland, Brown had a record of 272 and 138 (42-29 in playoffs). Sure he had Lebron James, but who else did he really have? When Cleveland made it to the Finals in 2007, their starters (minus James) was Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, Dwight Gooden and Big Z. Lebron could only do so much, hence, a series loss in only four games. Like Van Gundy, Brown is a defense first kind of guy. His lack of offensive firepower led to his demise in Cleveland. What do the Warriors have an abundance of? Offense. What do the Warriors desperately need? Defense. Hmm…seems like a perfect fit. Oh yeah, and Mike Brown was taught by Greg Popovich, the second best coach in the NBA behind one Phil Jackson.

Brian Shaw:

The riskiest pick of the three coaches listed, Shaw is a current assistant coach with the Lakers. Deemed as “The Next Big Thing” in NBA coaching circles, Shaw was born in Oakland and has already interviewed for numerous coaching positions. Shaw has been claimed to be the coach in waiting after Phil Jackson retires, so whether he leaves the Lakers is still very much up in the air. But if there was one team I think he’ll take a hard look at, it’s the Warriors. It would be a homecoming for Shaw and he would coach in of the biggest markets in the league (Do I sound like Joe Lacob here? Sorry. Not intentional. Moving on). Shaw is also well versed in the scheme of the triangle offense. Whether that would fit in the Warriors is questionable, as the Warriors lack the necessary pieces to run the triangle (or any playoff caliber system). Shaw is a clear risk/reward proposition, and whether Lacob takes this risk on the Bay Area product, well, only time will tell.

So how about it Mr. Lacob? Which one do you prefer? Either way, it’s the smart move.

POSTED BY: J-RAM

A Voice of Mis-Reason

This post can also be seen on WarriorsWorld.net, the best Warriors fansite on the web and an ESPN Truehoop site.

(We feel your pain Ronny…)

It’s safe to say I’m in the younger demographic of Warriors fans. I can’t remember Greg Papa calling games even though I was six years old when he left the Warriors organization. As a result, I’ve been fully drenched in the voice of one Bob Fitzgerald for most of my basketball viewing tenure. It was my understanding that a sports play by play man should be well educated in his sport, have experience in the field and call the game with a certain class and reason that represents the organization. Fitz arguably carries the first two traits (I stress arguably), but the last one is definitely up for debate.

The beauty of social media is the opportunity to hear and react to what people are saying mere seconds after something happens. From the Super Bowl to another Miami Heat choke-job to the “winner” Charlie Sheen, we can all post our feelings about a topic in an instant. As each Warriors game goes by, the hatred for Fitzgerald rises. I see it on Twitter and blogs. Warriors fans see it. Heck, I think Kings fans see it all the way from Anaheim. Now, this disdain for Fitz, commonly known as “Giggles” in the Warriors online realm, isn’t a new development, but it was something I feel should be addressed again as my actual ability to enjoy a basketball game on TV is diminishing as the games go by.

Whether it’s continuously calling losses “Great efforts” or saying “Monta Ellis should spend the summer with Lou Williams,” Giggles has supplanted himself as a joke when it comes to sports play by play in the Bay Area. Fitz creates the illusion that the Warriors are title contenders when in fact they’ve only made the playoffs once in the past sixteen seasons. Fitz’s pregame spiel feels more like postgame after a loss, constantly giving reasons why the Warriors won’t win the game. I’ve talked to many Warriors fans, and almost all of them consider Fitzgerald an incompetent mockery of the position. Not only does it hinder the watchability factor of the team (which the Warriors pride themselves on), but it engulfs fans with false hope and continuous homer-ism of where the franchise is going.

Veteran Warriors fans have listened to Fitzgerald for his entire tenure, while some are just getting to know him. On a franchise which prides itself so much on the “experience”, it’s shocking to me how this man still has his job. His constant defense of the franchise in every facet imaginable is hitting a tipping point with fans. This is by no means a new complaint either. The franchise has heard these complaints from fans for years, and now that we finally have new owners, fans expected some major changes, mostly starting with Fitz. I guess a standard prerequisite in becoming a Warriors owner is “Must not listen or take account of fan’s requests, even if the fan-base will be happier because of it.”

Unfortunately for Warriors fans, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have yet to differ themselves from Chris Cohan, both for on and off the court issues with the franchise. The scorn for Fitzgerald is easily noticeable: Why does he still have his job? If somebody isn’t doing his job correctly, isn’t that means for a firing? Well, Fitzgerald also has a radio show on KNBR 680, calls games for the newly rekindled San Jose Sabercats and does the Olympics as well. I get the sense that Lacob doesn’t want that kind of publicity on his hands. But what he doesn’t understand is the importance of pleasing his fan base and not just himself.

Lacob recently said that fans that aren’t season ticket holders “aren’t real fans”. This sounds like a man out of touch with his fan base, only eight months into his job. If Lacob oversees the internet and reads blogs like he says he does, he must see the hatred for Fitzgerald. It’s impossible not to. The man is a disgrace to sports play by play men, a valiant Warriors homer even when all is bad, and another Cohan leftover that should be thrown out of the building along with Robert Rowell. Did you get that Mr. Lacob? That’s the fanbase talking, now get to work.

POSTED BY: J-RAM