WW.NET: Biggest challenge in his rookie season?

The biggest challenge of my whole rookie season was adjusting to how long the season was and how it appeared to last forever. It seem like it never ended. I only played 30 or 35 games in high school and my one year at North Carolina. That, to me, was the biggest adjustment. It’s not playing the game of basketball, because that is what you’ve been doing your whole life. But, the length of the season was, for me, the biggest challenge and toughest adjustment.

WW.NET: What are you working on to improve your game this offseason?

Overall, I’m just trying to become a better basketball player, a more consistent player. I’d like to include a lot of different options - more versatility - to my game and make it more difficult for a defender to guard me. I'm specifically talking about trying to break down my guy one-on-one and hitting open jump shots. Also, I’m working in the weight room with Mark Grabow everyday to get stronger. Like I said, it’s a long season and I don’t want my body to get beat up during the season and I want to keep myself healthy.

WW.NET: Best moment from your rookie season?

The best part for me was getting more opportunities towards the middle and the end of the season. Being able to be part of the team that was trying to push for the playoffs was special. The fact that Coach Nelson had more confidence in me and did not hesitate to put me in tough situations as the season progressed, that was probably the best part of the season.

WW.NET: Which NBA player do you compare your game to and why?

I like Chris Bosh. We have similar body types. He’s left-handed and I’m left-handed. I like a lot of the things he does, especially his versatility inside and out and his ability to block shots. I try to take a few things from him and, of course, K.G. I really want to do my own thing and establish my own identity, but I like what those two guys do on the basketball court.

WW.NET: What do you feel the team needs to improve on going into next season?

I think we are a pretty talented team, overall, as far as position wise at every spot. We won 48 games last season and that didn't happen by accident. We should have been in the playoffs. We are really athletic, really fast and really young. If we can continue to build on that style and also tighten up our defense and take away easy baskets, I think we can be pretty good next year. And, I think our young guys, me included, have a lot of room for growth.


WW.NET: Nellie recently said he envisions a larger role for you this season, how do you feel about the chance at a larger role?

It’s good to hear. It’s good that the coach is going to have confidence in me to get out there and play. But at the same time, I still have to do my part to earn his trust. I have to play at a higher level consistently and give the team something when I'm on the floor. But, I'm confident that I can do that and I think I proved that at certain times this past season. But, I have to produce and help us get some W's; I can’t just go out there and take up space. I still have to bring something to the team and help us win.

Special Thanks to Raymond Ridder and Brandan Wright

WW.NET:  Will the Warriors make the Playoffs? Which teams would be a good matchup for the Warriors in the 1st round and which would pose the toughest challenge?

TK:  Yeah, I think the Warriors will make it and, as I've mentioned in many places, I seem to have been much more convinced of this far earlier than Nelson and Mullin ever were this season. Which is weird, but oh well. They seem a lot more confident of their spot these days. 

You know, I haven't thought much of Denver all season... and now the Nuggets are sinking a bit. I've been thinking 7th seed for the Warriors for a little while--maybe a tie with Phoenix for 7/8 and the Warriors get the tie-breaker if they beat Phoenix in any of their final two meetings.

Problem for the Warriors heading into the playoffs: Their worst match-ups all are at the top of the conference (San Antonio, Utah, Lakers) and among the top teams, only Houston looks like a good Warriors first-round draw. You know, I actually think Houston is a tougher draw for the Warriors without Yao than they were with him, which goes contrary to normal GSW thinking--can't beat the great bigs--but there ya go.

If I'm the Warriors, I'd love to see Phoenix, Dallas or New Orleans in the first round... I know things are volatile in the West, but I just don't see any of those three teams jumping up to 2 or 3 and I don't see the Warriors getting any higher than 7, assuming Dallas steadies the ship with all those home games down the stretch. So Houston is the best draw, possibly, and the Warriors just have to hope the Rockets cool down by then.

I'd be most curious with a San Antonio-GSW draw--the Spurs never win back-to-back or even get to the conference finals the year after a title. I think Duncan wears down over two long playoff campaigns. I don't think the Warriors would win that potential first-round meeting, but it might be better than expected.

I think the Lakers would be a killer match-up. Just killer, in a bad way, for the Warriors. Why? K-o-b-e.

WW.NET:  Who do you envision the Warriors targeting this offseason via trade, free agency etc..and Will Baron Davis stay?  If Baron Opts out, would Gilbert Arenas be an option?

TK:  If Baron opts-out, I think many things--maybe all things--are possible, but I don't expect him to opt-out and I don't expect the Warriors to want him to opt-out, either. They're both sort of stuck with each other, now that we know Don Nelson is likely to be back, which is good for the Warriors. Baron's probably not going to get 5 and $90M from anybody, including the Warriors. The Warriors aren't getting a better player than BD, especially not for one year, $17M. I think they'd keep Baron over any thought of Gilbert.

So I think they go one more year together, with Mullin telling Baron that if he keeps it straight, there'll be 3 and 45 or 4 and 60 coming on the back end of 2009.

But Mullin is never satisfied with status quo, so if he knows he has Baron for another year, I think he'll be shopping for a youngish veteran big man and my guy, as I've written, is Elton Brand. Don't know if he'll opt-out. Don't know how healthy he is. Don't know if the Warriors can get him in a sign-and-trade (since that's almost certainly how a deal would have to go for Brand.)

Still, how many big guys can bang and still play Nellie's system? I've listed them before: KG, Boozer, Stoudemire, possibly Dwight Howard, Bosh, Duncan... And then... Brand is the next guy. Maybe the only guy left. I think the Warriors will take a look at Brand. Who knows what the Clippers will do and what Brand thinks of what the Clippers are doing, but if you're asking me, how do the Warriors improve over Brandan Wright, if they feel they have to? It's Brand.

WW.NET:  What’s the future looking like for Nellie? Is he grooming Smart to take over much like he did with Avery Johnson in Dallas?

TK:  OK, you asked me that before Nelson's option was picked up and before Nellie said that's nice, now let me think about it a while. I think Nellie will ask for a bonus clause here or there, but I think he'll be back next season. I think this is too perfect a situation for him to walk away from, assuming Baron comes back, and I am assuming that.

Will Nellie groom anybody? Well, I'm not so sure he was too thrilled about the Avery grooming situation and I don't think Don's ever going to be put in quite that situation again. He didn't like getting shoved aside by Cuban when Cuban thought the team was ready to win a title and he sure didn't like Avery getting the credit for taking Dallas to the finals. HATED THAT. 

Smart probably will be the guy eventually, but it won't be Don training him. It'll be Keith learning from Don, watching Don, watching Don's interaction... but not as a pupil/mentor. Just as an assistant and a main man.

WW.NET:  Gasol to the Lakers, Shaq to the Suns, Kidd to Dallas, C-Webb to GS, which is/will turn out to be the best move and which is the worst move?

TK:  Webber to the Warriors? When did that happen? I keep checking those box scores and I don't see him... No, I kid. I kid! Obviously, I wasn't a fan of the Webber signing at the time and I have remained steadfastly confused by that move. Wright was better than Webber two months ago, he's better now and Webber might not ever suit up for the Warriors again, pending his knee soreness.

So no Webber in this conversation--he was an imaginary move... Don's imagination.

Gasol clearly was the Prime Move. He fits the Triangle, complements Kobe and he's young enough to be good for a while. I didn't care for the Kidd move--Dallas is a set-piece team and Kidd isn't a set-piece player... But he could help in the playoffs, we'll see.

I thought the Shaq trade was a give-up by Phoenix. Just a flat give-up. OK, that was a nice win over San Antonio the other day and Shaq looked good. But Phoenix was special because they ran and everybody scattered and Marion guarded the toughest guys and Nash found the holes. Shaq sort of plugs up the avenues for Nash, doesn't run and doesn't play defense unless it's against Duncan.

WW.NET:  Your Talking Points Blog is one of the most active and read blogs in the Bay Area sports community, what do you like/dislike about being able to blog?  Do you prefer it to the more conventional/traditional print media?

TK:  This blog stuff is new for all of us in the newspaper business, but I do like it. No way I'd spend as much time doing it if I didn't like it and see that it's the future. Or really: It's the now. I figured I'd like writing faster and edgier because I do write fast and I do write edgily most of the time. I had no idea that the Warriors would be such a driving force for the Talking Points blog, but it has just fit perfectly: The audience is out there, the games are nicely scheduled for persistent posting, the players are interesting, trade talk is entertaining... It just happened. I have no complaints about that at all.

Hey, I was at Warriors practice today when they announced Nelson's option and I thought, Dang, I don't have my laptop, I won't be able to blog for a few hours! I'm going to be way late on this for the rabid Warriors fan that may or may not be checking my site to see updates. That's a new feeling. Didn't feel good or bad, just felt different.

I love the energy of the blog world. I love the back and forth, as anybody who reads my site can tell. Sports is the Great Debate--everybody take a side, let's argue.

The louder and angrier the response... then I know I must've hit the right nerve and maybe the debate opens up more interesting discussion points. Maybe not. But it's worth the effort. Obviously, it can get ugly on blogs very quickly. But I have thick skin. I'm tossing stuff out there based on things I know, have seen, have heard or have analyzed, so I'm comfortable with anything I say. I've got a pretty good track record. I'll admit it if I read or said something incorrectly. And I can take whatever happens after that. (Not that I have a choice!)

WW.NET:  You state and reference a lot of stats in your blogs  which websites or blogs do you visit on a daily basis and feel like do a good job of covering their preferred topic or subject?

TK:  I look at a lot of sites... and I know this sounds like the olden times, but I actually use reference books, too. Is there a day I don't grab my NBA Register or NBA Guide? Not many of them, I'll tell you that.

For NBA stuff, I'm all over the Lenovo +/- stat that NBA.com provides... it's in the NBA.com boxscores now. I've always been intrigued by that stat dating back to watching the Warriors always fall behind when Murphy was in the game then rally back when he was out, yet Musselman and Montgomery kept loyally putting him right back. I used to do my own +/- for Murphy and it was never good.

Then I asked Nelson what he thought about it and he told me it's one of the key things they look at. Wham, I was sold on the stat and you can tell because I use it a ton. I just like things that tell us about things other than pts, rebs, assts, FG%--they're all offensive stats. For me, +/- can be random in a single game (when you follow it play by play, it's amazing how much one three-pointer changes everybody's +/- for the game), but man, if you're piling up -10s every night, I don't care what you're scoring, you must be failing your team somehow.

82games.com is another site I like, and again, it's for defensive insight, mostly. You've got to get into the deeper sites to get anything that sheds light on defense. John Hollinger is a great guy and a wonderful thinker, but I've told him and I've written that most of his stats don't take defense into account, and that's how he got Ike Diogu as the key ingredient in the mega-Indy trade. Oops! The best players play offense AND defense, not just one or the other. I don't see too many people saying that. I do.

I also do a lot of my own computing, which brings major error potential into play but hey, I always try to explain that from the outset. I'm no Hollinger or Rob Neyer (for baseball), but I've always been interested in collating statistics in a meaningful way--reading Bill James did that to me. Stats can be mis-used, probably often by me, but I think the right stats in the right perspective... they tell you almost everything that dumb analysts miss.

If I had some imaginary goal for what I'm doing.. it'd be a hybrid between the normal newspaper columnist, the Hollinger/Neyer/James stats-analysis guys and the best bloggers. Probably impossible to do. But can't stop me from flailing attempts at it .

Thanks to Tim Kawakami for spending some time with WW.NET.

WW.NET:  The Warriors just completed a very successful 3-1 road trip, 4 games in 5 nights, What differences do you notice in their play at home vs. games on the road?  Is there another team that plays as hard as the Warriors in terms of playing vs. bigger guys, insane tempo, etc...?

TK:  That was an excellent trip for the Warriors--that was a 1-3 or 0-4 trip in any other year and maybe 2-2 if somebody got extra hot. 3-1 is superb, obviously, but it's getting normal for this team. I haven't checked the home/road splits lately, but my sense is that Warriors just play tougher defense on the road these days.

Are they out-of-sync at home? Maybe. Teams know what to gear up for at Oracle and maybe the Warriors are a little loose, especially early, before the home folks. On the road, it's back to the emotions of late last season--GSWs vs. the world, and they love that.

Baron, in particular, gets juiced up by the hostile crowd and the opponent and that's when he gets to playing defense. When he plays defense, the Warriors get steals and that fuels everything else they do. And that's all triggered by Baron. Stephen Jackson's defense has fallen off from the early stages, but he's in there, too, feeding off the hostility. Nobody outside of the Kobe/LeBron/Manu Universe hits bigger 3s than SJax.

WW.NET:  Brandan Wright finally got playing time the last few weeks  but we now get word that Nellie won't play him with Biedrins back, is there any reason why Wright shouldn't be playing 10-15 minutes a game? Who does Brandan Wright’s game compare to?

TK:  Nobody has argued or raised Nelson's blood temperature more about Brandan Wright... than me. I watch him and I can't see why any coach would want him to sit for most of a year, just can't see it. He's raw and skinny, no question, but he also competes--that's what I saw from his first weeks just working out. Wright competes more than Diogu and O'Bryant ever have.

But even when Wright was starting and playing well, I figured he'd go right back to the bench when Biedrins was back... and that's what has happened so far. I personally think Wright could get minutes in there--nip and tuck from Harrington, Pietrus and Barnes--but we know that Nellie does not like putting ANY non-shooters on the floor, so if he plays Biedrins he's sure not going to want to pair him with Wright and have two non-outside shooters.

Wright with Biedrins is an experiment for next year. I don't see it happening for a while--until Nellie gets desperate, thinks Wright can hit the mid-range J or Nellie retires.

I've compared Wright to Chris Bosh for a long time--but that was when Wright was at North Carolina. Now that I've seen him up close, I don't think Wright will ever have that Bosh high/low post game. I think Wright is closer to Kirilenko, but a better finisher around the basket for sure. Maybe Kirilenko's defensive aggressiveness and versatility (I'd like to see Wright get a run at Kobe for a couple possessions) with Rasheed Wallace's finishing ability (but not Sheed's strength or shooting ability). I like that combo.

WW.NET:  Patrick O'bryant has been glued to the bench or inactive all season and with the recent comments he made, is there something personal between him and Nellie? Otherwise, he brings shot blocking, rebounding two qualities that the team sorely lacks.

TK: Again, you're preaching to the choir on O'Bryant. I don't think it's a personal thing between him and Nelson, other than the normal stuff between a young, sometimes unfocused player who just doesn't fit the basketball sensibility of the old stubborn coach who likes to pick on young unfocused big players.

O'Bryant is a stationary, not-always-energetic big man and Nellie hates those guys. It just so happened that POB was drafted a few months before Nelson was hired--neither one is to blame for that, but they don't fit and won't ever fit. I think O'Bryant will be decent down the line for some other team--he can block shots, he's not dumb, he has a decent passing and shooting touch. I'd better think all that since I campaigned for the Warriors to take him... When they had Montgomery coaching, it actually fit. I swear.

WW.NET:  Harrington, Pietrus and Barnes all have been inconsistent and as a result seen a reduction in minutes, which of the 3 has been the most disappointing this season? 

TK:  Interesting group you've got there. I think Nelson would always say that he's most disappointed in Harrington, since he's the designated rip guy for Don. I think most fans would say Pietrus, since his errors and weaknesses are so obvious every time he plays weak or makes errors.

But for the strength and depth of this team, I might say Barnes has been the stealth disappointment. Nelson just cannot depend on Matt like he did at the end of last year--I mean, Barnes might've been the team's third most important player in the playoffs, right? Not so much now. Obviously, there have been reasons for it, but now the Warriors are heading into late March not knowing what to expect out of No. 22.

Even Baron has been getting a little tweaked up by Barnes' play of late, and he and Barnes are tight. I think Baron sometimes can't understand why Barnes is doing some of these things. He's such a vital part of the energy and chemistry, but when Barnes does silly stuff, it's like a plug being pulled on the Warriors' mojo.

Amazingly, lately Nelson has been using Pietrus in the Barnes role. And equally as amazingly, Pietrus has been delivering.

WW.NET:   Captain Jack has taken off since he came to Golden State, did you ever expect him to play as well as he has?  He has to be considered the gem of the trade, right?

TK:  Yeah, I thought Harrington was the best player in that trade and I think Mullin thought that, too. I also thought Jackson could help, but only sporadically, when his mind was right, and I never knew if his mind would be right. Thought he was high-maintenance, high-turnover, blow-up-the-locker-room. Oops. Jackson has been the best player and best team guy in that trade from the moment he arrived in the East Bay and now, even with his foot messing up his defense, Jackson has to be one of the six or seven best small forwards in the NBA while Al has sort of settled into an up-down thing with very lackluster finishing skills around the hoop.

If I had to rank 'em now, off the top of my head at SF, it'd be: LeBron, Manu, Carmelo, Pierce, Tayshaun, SJax, Shawn Marion, Josh Howard, Kirilenko, Artest, Igoudala. I know I've forgotten somebody and I might move a few of those around if I give it more thought, but that's the way I've got it now.

Plus, I really think it's enormous that Baron has one guy in that locker room he can't dominate just by will--SJax. BD is accountable to nobody, but he does listen to SJax when Stephen is talking.

WW.NET:  Monta and Biedrins are both going to be looking for contract extensions, are the Warriors committed to re-signing them and how much would it take to re-sign both? Does Monta end up getting more than Barbosa 5/36 and Biedrins similar to Kaman like figures 5/55?

TK: I think the Warriors are heading into this summer determined to extend both Ellis and Biedrins for the long-term, but they also know that the market has changed for restricted F/As. It's not free money for hope and prayer young players any more, as it was for Dunleavy, Murphy and Richardson.

Will somebody come up and throw money at Ellis and/or Biedrins to give the Warriors something massive or two things massive to match or let go? Maybe. They obviously have great value and all it takes is one... But I just don't see the crazy market like we've seen in the past. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it " target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\u003e This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it u003c/a\u003e]\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e",1] ); //-->

Ellis is such a huge part of the Warriors' post-BD future so yeah, I could see the Warriors paying him more than Barbosa's 36M. Biedrins... I don't think 5 for 55M is in the cards. I like Biedrins' game. I like Biedrins. He's young, he's fast, he hustles... But if you're going to play fast, and the Warriors are going to play fast as long as Mullin is GM, then I don't know if you sink $11M per to anybody who doesn't shoot 3s and run the break, unless he's Boozer, Garnett or Duncan. Which Andris isn't. I'd say more like 5 for $45M, which is probably why he didn't get the extension last summer in the first place--he has a right to expect/want more than that.

 Part 2 Coming Tomorrow

WW.NET hooked up with Stan McNeal of Sportingnews.com to get his take on the Warriors and other NBA related items.

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On Baron being snubbed from the ASG

My opinion is that yes, Baron’s past had a part in him being overlooked. We could say it was his recent shooting slump but the coaches sent in their ballots before the slump really began.

C-webb Expectations

How about 8-10 points, 6-8 rebounds, 2-5 assists, 18-23 minutes? He’ll be in decent shape in another week or so.

On Monta possibly leaving this summer

Based on what happened last summer when restricted free agents didn’t get much love from teams, I would say its doubtful Ellis will be offered anything that the Warriors won’t match.

Artest to the Warriors?

I would be reluctant to give him a big extension, which he wants. He will cause you problems sooner or later. And he is too big to be effective in the Warriors’ style on a nightly basis.

How to improve W’s

Geez, that’s a tough one. They could use a better 4 than Al Harrington but a true 4 might not fit in Nellie’s small-ball scheme. They might be able to find a better 3 than Stephan Jackson but probably not at his price. I think I’ll leave this for Mr. Mullin.

Will the Warriors make the playoffs?

If Tracy McGrady stays healthy, I think the Rockets will pass the Warriors. That’s a big if, though.

Bigger Impact, Gasol or Shaq trade?

Well, the Gasol move has to be considered way better because the Lakers gave up so little to get him. Shaq, however, could have just as big an impact in the playoffs.

Possible re-alignment?

I would say he would not change a thing but I’m sure he’ll be asked this very question at his state of the league press conference during All-Star weekend. Stay tuned to see what he says.

Moves before the trade deadline

Hornets need to add depth, and could if they can get Chris Anderson back. I think there’s still a 50-50 chance that Jason Kidd is traded, but if the Nets can convince him to wait til the offseason, they should. I’d say there’s about a 40-60 chance that Jermaine O’Neal is traded. I think the Kings would like to trade Ron Artest but getting anything close to equal value would be next to impossible.

National perspective on the Warriors

One thing I can tell you is that the atmosphere created by their fans is highly regarded across the land. Great place to watch a game. As a team, the Warriors are another strong team in that group a notch below the Spurs, Mavs, Suns and now Lakers and maybe below the Hornets, too.

Surprises and disappointments

Surprises: Blazers strong first half, Andrew Bynum’s emergence as one of the game’s top centers, the Hornets’ having the best record in the West at the midpoint. Disappointments: Heat having only 9 wins on February 11, the Knicks not firing Isiah and starting over, that Gilbert Arenas hasn’t been able to play very much.

How would you improve the NBA?

Somehow tweak the CBA to make it easier to make trades. Get rid of the half circle under the basket to discourage taking charges. Fire Isiah to make the Knicks relevant again. Contract by two teams and disperse the talent around the league. You could choose from Memphis, Charlotte and New Orleans.

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Leave all comments in the forum.

WW.NET along with The NATETRIX hooked up with former Golden State Warrior Jason Richardson to get his thoughts on his time as a Warrior, the big trade and other topics. Special Thanks to THE NATETRIX for setting up the Q&A.

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1. What is the biggest thing you miss about the Bay?

There are so many things I can say I miss about the Bay, but out of everything I am going to have to say I miss the weather, the weather in the Bay is always great no matter the month or season. I do also miss the food in the Bay there are so many great restaurants.


2. Whats the biggest thing you miss about playing with the Warriors?

The fans, the fans in the Bay are so loyal to the organization thru thin & thick and are just great die-hard BASKETBALL fans.


3. What were your top 3 moments as a Warrior?

There were so many great moments playing for the Warriors, my top 3 have to start off with upsetting Dallas in the playoffs last year that was just a magical run and great to be a part of. Next would have to be the 2003 Slam Dunk Contest that was a great dunk contest with Amare Stoudemire, Richard Jefferson, Desmond Mason and me, also having Michael Jordan as one of the judges, it couldn't get any better than that! Especially winning on my last dunk and bringing the crowd off of their seats with a dunk they had never seen before, it was special. Lastly another top moment for me was playing in the All-Star Rookie game with both Gilbert Arenas and Troy Murphy, all being on the same team and playing in that game was special and an honor to represent the Warriors at that time.


4. Since your ft% this year is better than last year, did you work on your ball handling and free throw shooting over the offseason?

I definitely work on improving my game all the time and I definitely dedicated time in improving my ball handling and free throw shooting. I just realized that I was losing 4 to 5 points a game because I was missing free throws by making those free throws it could help put me in the top 10 in scoring and help my team win more games.


5. Excellent opportunity for you to make the all star team in the East, what would it mean to finally make the all star team this year or next year?

It would mean so much to finally make the all-star team. I think of myself as an all-star player and to make it would mean that my hard work in the summer paid off and the fans and other coaches are recognizing my dedication and determination. It still may be a long shot this year due to my slow start, but I will continue to work hard and improve and hopefully make it next year.


6. If you were in Chris Mullin's shoes, would you have made the trade? Why or why not?

Putting myself in his shoes, yea I would have. The Warriors have Old School (Monta), Goose (Andris), and BD up for new deals, and then you have Stack Jack (Stephen Jackson) who plays my position and does the same things as myself but is signed for less money. So with that, it makes sense to make the trade for cap relief to have a chance to re-sign those guys for the future and still have a guy that does the same things I do on the court.


7. Besides a Win, what are you hoping to do in your first game against the Warriors?

In order to not put pressure on myself I don't look at this game as revenge, I look at it as another game that we (The Bobcats) need to win to push for a playoff spot. I want to play well and to the best of my abilities like I do for every game.


8. You guys are only 3.5 games behind the 8th seed for the playoffs, do you think you guys need to make another trade for a playoff push?

I don't think we need to make a trade to make a playoff push. The last month or so we've been playing great ball considering the fact that we played together for less than a year and now we just have to put it together and become consistent to reach the playoffs, we have the talent and the opportunity it's there for us to take.


9. With the way you're playing this season, do you consider yourself in 100%? Why or why not?

Yea I'm fully healthy this year, I got off to a bit of a slow start this year for whatever reason and that's why my average is not as high as I would like it to be or what fans are used to.


10. Have you played Air jordan on a one on one game yet? And who won and what was the score?

Yea I played knock out with MJ along with Gerald Wallace, Jeff McInnis, and Raymond Felton, I think they might have shown it on SportsCenter. Gerald actually won the game to 10, I was next with 9 and MJ had 5, but SportsCenter made it look like he had 30. That's the treatment you get when you are the greatest player to ever play the game.


11. As the king of pranks, have you pranked anyone on your new team?

Man any and everybody can get it. I pulled a few on my new teammates and they were hilarious but they know not to mess with me. Ask Patrick O'Bryant LOL.


12. How do you compare playing with Baron Davis the last few years to Gerald Wallace this season?

It's hard to compare the two because they are two different players and play different positions. The one thing that they both have in common is their love and passion for the game. They both hate losing and will put their body through pain to go out there and will bring their team to a victory.


13. Is there anything you want to say to your loyal fans in the Bay area?

Yea I'd like to thank you guys for all the love and support you have shown me over the years I was in the Bay. Everything I did on the court was because of your loyalty and support you had for the team even when we were struggling. The Bay Area fans will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks again take care and God Bless.

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Special Thanks to Jason Richardson and The NATETRIX.

Leave all comments in the Forum.

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WW.NET: Biggest surprise and disappointment thus far in the season for the Warriors?

Hu: Biggest surprise is how well Baron is holding up at his mega-minute pace -- not just because of his injury history, but because of the pounding he consistently takes driving to the basket and guarding bigger guys. There’s been at least a half-dozen times he’s hit the floor and come up limping/grimacing, and I start thinking “Uh oh.” And yet, he plays right on.

Biggest disappointment? Probably the bench. Nellie thought he’d be two or three-deep at every position, but he’s barely scratching out an eight-man rotation right now. It might not be the smartest thing to overplay BD, Jack and Monta, but Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus haven’t been at last year’s level and Kelenna Azubuike has been quiet after a strong start. Injuries to Troy Hudson and Austin Croshere don’t help, and Nellie’s already made the decision to go with his vets, so forget about Wright and Belinelli for now.

WW.NET: What changes have you seen in the way teams approach or prepare for a game vs. the Warriors?

Hu: As Avery Johnson likes to say, the Warriors aren’t Cinderella’s anymore. Teams know they’re legit, know their strengths and weaknesses. And opposing coaches almost always mention the breakneck pace and the tough matchup against BD.

WW.NET: Why didn't the Warriors pick up the option on O'Bryant's contract? What downside could there have been?

Hu: The downside is money. The offseason was all about clearing cap space for this summer. Every key guy outside of Jack and Al are playing for contracts – and it’s going to take a lot of money to rework BD’s deal and keep Andris and Monta, if that’s the direction they decide to go.

WW.NET: O'bryant played his best game vs. the Clippers and hasn't been given a legit opportunity since, what is Nellie's reasoning behind that?

Hu: Nellie will say that he sees the guys in practice every day and knows what they can and can’t do. Whatever that is, its obvious POB isn’t going to play for Nellie, and so the Warriors can either try to get something back in a trade, or simply have him come off the books this summer.

WW.NET: Pietrus has struggled thus far and seems to be making the same silly mistakes that have plagued him his whole career i.e. silly fouls, no offensive repertoire, horrible shot selection etc.., was he disappointed to come back to Golden State after he didn’t get the big contract he was hoping for?

Hu: He was absolutely disappointed. But he didn’t have any leverage given the market for restricted free agents. The Warriors had no reason to offer more than the qualifier, and they didn’t like any of the sign-and-trades presented. So here they are again until the trading window expires on Feb. 21. If MP isn’t moved for something the Warriors deem better before then, he’ll walk this summer and sign with another team for part of their midlevel exception.

WW.NET: Do you envision the Warriors using the Trade Exception to acquire a player?

Hu: No, not unless it’s going to net them that coveted big man. Again, they want cap space.

WW.NET: With Hudson's season and career likely over, are they looking to bring in another guard ASAP to help take the load off of Baron's back?

Hu: There have been talks, but it also seems like the backup PG position is jinxed, doesn’t it? Keith McLeod, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Troy Hudson – they all haven’t worked out for various reasons, or maybe one big reason, that BD is BD and there’ll be a big drop off no matter what. For now, they can use Monta, Jack and Matt to spell him. Just don’t expect any trades for vets with a decent salary or non-expiring contract.

WW.NET: Azubuike has been a pleasant surprise this year, is he still getting acclimated to the NBA and the Warriors because he seems passive at times when he should be more selfish and aggressive.

Hu: Yes, but the flipside is that he rarely takes bad shots. He’s as good a finisher as the Warriors have, so it would be nice to see him attack the rim again like he did early in the season. But like many a Warrior, it seems like he’s fallen into shooting mostly 3’s.

WW.NET: Wright and Belinelli have played sparingly at best, any plans to increase their minutes in the near future?