Trapeze dancers, tight rope walkers, your bowels, and Mel Gibson. What do they have in common? They all thrive on a degree of physical and/or mental control. Do you know someone that exhibits a persona of control, but when they lose control, it’s heartbreaking, pathetic, and unfathomable how they could dip so low?

The Warriors part owner, Joe Lacob, is accustomed to having control, but when he lost the crowd during Chris Mullin’s ceremony this year, it was unbearable to watch. His attempt to take the crowd back had no rhyme or reason to it. His pride took a hit and he reminded me of a meathead that tried to pick a fight with me in an empty college bar. Consistent with the meathead, Lacob was unwilling to accept being ignored and kept coming back for more.

The Warriors have lost control of their identity. Until next season, their franchise has the look of a three sided coin in flight. Will they improve, worsen, or stay the same? They can’t hang their hat on upsetting the Mavericks in 2007 anymore.

Since Mark Jackson rode his one-car train into town, it’s obvious that the Warriors wanted to create a traditional roster and some trades went down. Stressing the importance of a balanced roster, they made some tough decisions for the perceived betterment of the team. They traded away crowd pleaser Monta Ellis for oft-injured Andrew Bogut and ditched developing the promising forward, Ekpe Udoh, because he didn’t fit the scheme. I like Bogut, when he’s not injured.

They also made a head scratching decision that sent Captain Jack’s large contract to the Spurs for an even bigger contract in Richard Jefferson. They got a first round pick in return, which I guess can be justified after trading away an improving Udoh. The downside is that they have one more year of limited freedom during free agency and have put their stock into having a successful draft, which is never a guarantee (please see Hasheem Thabeet, Michael Olowokandi, and Kwame Brown). The risk may be worth it to them after some of Captain Jack’s antics spoiled the morale for the Warriors in 2009 during his first campaign with them.

It was pretty obvious during some games this season that something had to be done. David Lee is a subpar defender and Curry and Ellis’s lack of size would always be the Achilles heel or scapegoat (depends on how you want to look at it) come playoff time. That’s IF they make the playoffs. The Warriors started playing for ping pong balls in the last 5-6 games of the season. Can it be more obvious than starting 3 rookies?

So what did we learn from the Warriors this year? Stephen Curry needs a bionic ankle implant, Dorell Wright’s 2010-2011 campaign was a fluke, Klay Thompson is starting caliber guard, David Lee and his contract aren’t going anywhere, Charles Jenkins can get to the tin, and Mark Jackson has friends in high and low places.

They need to find a balance between donuts and broccoli.  Once they find the right balance, the perceived sense of control will return, cofidence will rise, and they’ll end up with a record that they can hang their hat on.

The Warriors are not in the playoff race.  What is there left to talk about?  Rookies?   Mark Jackson?  Joe Lacob receiving a barrage of boos during Chris Mullin’s jersey retiring ceremony?  The aforementioned items qualify as “news” but do they have anything to do with where the Warriors ought to or want to be right now?

Rookies: With Stephen Curry nursing his ankle, Charles Jenkins went off for 27 points against the Blazers last night.  Jenkins was a 2 time CAA player of the year while playing for Hofstra University inLong Island and scored over 2,500 points in his college career.  In Golden State, his best case scenario is becoming Stephen Curry’s main back-up.  He’s not a spot shooter, he’s a playmaker that gets to the tin but could never vault himself into the starting lineup.  He’s not big enough to play the 2 spot against bigger guards like Wes Matthews,Kobe, and Eric Gordon.  He’ll get dominated in the post.  Let’s call last night an anomaly and a hot hand situation until he does it again.  Excuse my cynicism but consistency is key to minutes and success.  He’s also playing behind a wildly inconsistent Nate Robinson.  What does that tell you?

Klay Thompson was touted as NBA ready prior to the 2011 draft.  He is the son of Mychal Thompson, a former Lakers and Blazers player, his mother played volleyball at a high level, his brother Trayce was drafted into the MLB in 2009, and his other brother Mychel has been on and off the Cavs roster this year.

The aforementioned info isn’t a result of quickly glancing at Wikipedia.  I highlighted Klay’s potential in this space last year after he was drafted.  Klay’s current disposition puts him just where I pegged him.  Brandon Roy Lite.  A sub-par defender due to limited lateral speed, a natural shooter, and absent the marijuana ticket before entering the NBA, a stand-up guy.

What do we do with that?  We trade Monta and build around Klay, Curry, Lee (Nobody will take his contract), Bogut, and a solid role player/sixth man like Brandon Rush.  Why?  Because Klay is big enough to play the SG spot against all guards unlike Monta.  I never bought into Dorell Wright’s “breakout” year last year since it occurred in his 7^th NBA season and now he’s back to his expected production.  For any football fans, Brandon Lloyd is a perfect parallel.  He topped 1,400 yards in 2010 in his 8^th NFL season despite never breaking 1,000 yards in a season prior to that.  In 2011, he totaled less than 900 yards.

Jeremy Tyler has been called raw so many times that I’m convinced a sushi joint is going to be named after him in the Bay Area anytime now.  Mark Jackson has been giving him a longer look since the Warriors secretly mailed in the season.  He left high school a year early to play in Israel’s Super League but left for personal reasons after averaging 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 temper tantrums per game.  He returned to the states only to ship out again to play for the Tokyo Apache for a season until the infamous Tsunami hit.  I highlighted Jeremy’s decision to leave school early and his adventures overseas in this space if you’re interested.

Joe Lacob: Who cares?  Okay, okay, for those that do care.  He bought the Warriors in 2010 with Peter Gruber.  He is responsible for the astronomical contract for David Lee and using the amnesty clause on Charlie Bell instead of Andris Biedrins.  I like the idea of signing David Lee long term but not as a piece to build around and limit future contracts.  His animal-like energy is contagious and he fits the mold as a great passer out of the post to hit sharp shooters like Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.

After it was clear that Andris Biedrins was turning in another injury riddled and disappointing season, something had to be done.  Lacob had a chance to get closer to Warriors’ fans hearts if he just sat down when they started to boo.  It’s hard to blame for trying to talk over the booing fans during Chris Mullin’s ceremony but I’m sure he realizes that now.  Do you like it when someone talks over you, especially when you’re pissed off?  For being a successful business man, which I assume requires some intuition, he should understand how the masses function.  Oh well.  Everyday is full of news stories and that moment will be long forgotten especially if his plan to set up a traditional roster starts piling up wins next year.  Fans flip flop so easily and he’ll win their hearts back.

Mark Jackson: Who the hell knows.  He has zero coaching experience and has seemingly been toying with the minutes of each player all year, which started with benching Monta and Curry in a close game early in the year.  He gave Richard Jefferson 30 + minutes just days after signing him and did the same for Nate Robinson.  We know what Jefferson is made of.  The silver lining is that he played in the NBA and understands the culture at the very least.  I won’t pretend to know what goes on in the front office but I have a feeling Mark Jackson wanted a traditional roster.  It’s familiar territory and like the one he played on with the Knicks with Patrick Ewing manning the paint.  Mark hasn’t been in enough situations to be judged yet.  There’s a learning curve and Mark is stuck right in the middle of it.

If we take a look at the emergence of point guards in the NBA as opposed to true centers, point guards have been popping up everywhere.  The only true centers that are still effective are Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby & Sammy D (before they got old), Serge Ibaka, and, oh ya, Andrew Bogut (when he’s not tripping over his left foot).

I am optimistic and you should be too.  Most of those true centers are on successful teams in the playoff hunt and are even contending for a title.  For now, just let Joe Lacob know that he sucks because that’s what sports fans do.

Playing it safe is no longer an option for the Warriors.  After whiffing on DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler during free agency, they were practically forced to shake up their roster to bring legitimate size to their front court. 

 The Facts: The Warriors traded Ekpe Udoh, Monta Ellis, and Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.

Since the Warriors failed to attract a dominant center via free agency, they took a different route, which naturally received more criticism than any offseason free agent signing.  What deserved more criticism was their obvious desperation when they were willing to throw 7 million dollars at Kwame Brown, the NBA’s symbol of unmet expectations.  If they traded an asset (or even a potential one) for Kwame Brown, the internet in the Bay area may have actually exploded and Y2K may have actually culminated.

In elementary school, it was almost more embarrassing to make the Effort Roll than to fail the grade altogether.  Almost.  Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber (owners) are putting forth an effort and are having themselves a multi-million dollar learning experience.

Forget the stats.  Management wasn’t interested in stats especially when they’re skewed by the absence of a seat on the bench for Monta.  His shooting percentage has always been a weapon used to devalue him.  For a guy averaging 35 plus minutes per game for his career (40+ in the last two years) and having a poor supporting cast outside of Curry, the abundance of  tired and ballsy shots are going to skew his overall stats. 

The Warriors have been interested in parting with Monta Ellis for two and half years now.  Coincidentally, two and a half years ago, Stephen Curry was drafted and the term ‘co-existence’ suddenly became a bigger fad than Beanie Babies and parachute pants in the 90′s.  Co-existence was muttered about 40 times per game and most likely dominated headlines for blogs just like this one.  There are ‘co-exist’ bumper stickers everywhere.  The 2009 draft had a subliminal effect on the creation of that bumper sticker despite both causes being completely unrelated.   

For two and a half years, Monta’s name has been incessantly included in trade rumors for a reason.  Judging by Monta’s disposition (smiling his ass off in a devilish way) in last night’s interview, he got his due closure.  Imagine going to work everyday knowing that they’ve tried to send you packing on more than one occasion but just couldn’t find any suitors.  What will that do to your psyche?

The Warriors brought in Andrew Bogut as the answer to the Warriors’ gaping hole in the middle that also fits Mark Jackson’s defensive scheme.  The trade also indicates that Bogut’s ankle is healing correctly.   They didn’t give up on Ekpe Udoh.  Udoh is undersized to compete with the stature of players like Bynum,Chandler, Dalembert, and Howard while Andris Biedrins is still learning how to walk and chew gum at the same time. 

Somehow, the Bucks were able to untangle the antlers of Scott Skiles and Stephen Jackson in order to unload his contract.  The Warriors are reportedly shoppingJacksonas I write this and I hope they can send him away just as easily as the Bucks did.  The only thing Stephen Jackson will be responsible for in GoldenState is limiting the development of Klay Thompson and leaving Brandon Rush wondering why his ass is getting sore.  The Warriors surely won’t miss Kwame’s 5 inch vertical leap, his joyous and enthusiastic, I mean monotone and uninterested demeanor.

There’s a reason why James Harden’s style of play is hit with the prevalent cliché known as the ‘old man’s game’.  He plays below the rim (except when he dunks of course), already has a stockroom full of up fakes and pivot moves for any situation (comes in use on a crowded subway), and sports a smooth mid-range jumper (insert corny Keith Stone joke).   His mechanics on the court add an element to quantum theory that is yet to be discovered as he somehow manages to fill up the box score without breaking a sweat.

Harden has the 6^th man of the year award locked up with Brandon Rush in a distant second.  Brandon Rush is in a distant second, not because he’s bad, Harden is just that good.

I flipped the tube on early in the 2^nd quarter of the Warriors versus Grizzlies game just in time to catch Rush skying through the paint to complete a tip-in.  His forearm easily cleared the rim.  Rush doesn’t deliver a flurry of up fakes like Harden but brings the same poise and poker face to the game as Harden.

When Mark Jackson got to the Bay Area, he rented 15 fire trucks in order to hose down the Warriors running game and then made each player volunteer for the dunk booth at the county fair just to make sure it was extinguished.

The Warriors hung with the Grizzlies only when they were running the ball and getting kick-out threes on the break.  Unfortunately, these breaks created some turnovers, which prompted timeouts.  During these timeouts, I can imagine Mark was screaming at the Warriors to “simma down now” .

The Warriors staff may need to figure out how to take the good with the bad when they consider their assets.  Which scenario is uglier? Klay Thompson overthrowing a pass occasionally on the fast break or a series of missed contested 17 footers?  The Warriors are young, don’t have a true center (Andris who?), and NEED to run the ball.  It puts the opposing defense on their heels, increases the intensity of the game, and forces the other team to adjust creating some hysteria for them. Once the Warriors slowed down the game, they got murdered in the half court set due to a disadvantage in size, not speed, and watched the game slip away.

At one point, I nearly convinced myself that Marc Gasol’s dome piece is actually bigger than David Lee’s torso but somehow David Lee was trying to guard Gasol in the post.  Lee was just 3-9 from the field.  Monta is reportedly being shopped for Dwight Howard (yes, you can’t read a sports piece without some mention of Dwight being traded).  The Warriors are well aware of their entire rosters’ lack of size and how it hinders their ability to guard many teams in a half court set.

There’s a lot of talent on the roster and this year’s attempt to make the playoffs is circling the drain for the Warriors.  Whether it’s going to be Def Leppard, Fatboy Slim or Ronald Reagan, somebody has to challenge management to tear this roster down and build it into something that doesn’t have such glaring pitfalls.

For all of the box score watchers out there, please consider the box score of the Warriors game to be an anomaly as opposed to Lebron James’ 35 points tonight.  Lebron’s performance was more indicative of the flow of the game as he consistently slashed through the Bucks defense and pounded the ball home until it was time to kick his feet up on the bench next to Dwayne.

Tonight’s hero of the Warriors vs. Suns game was Ekpe Udoh while Stephen Curry was kicking his feet up on the bench.  Udoh didn’t fill up the box score but had a key block down the stretch in tandem with a layup that sent the Suns into panic mode causing them to consider every caught pass beyond the 3 point line as a chance to gun it and stage a come back.  Unfortunately, that hesitation on the part of the Suns players only stagnated the offense and deterred ball movement allowing the Warriors to make their defensive rotations in time.

Not to take anything away from David Lee’s stat stuffing performance and millionth double-double of his career, but under the reign of Mark Jackson, it’s hard to say who is going to be on the floor in crunch time.  Jackson seems to go with the flow and has no regard for the pecking order that existed before he came to town.  Curry wasn’t kicking his feet up because the game was decided.  Also, I doubt there is any locker room hazing on fellow rookie Klay Thompson as he has been given the opportunity to play and take big shots all year.  The kid has talent AND the confidence to take big shots.

Late in the 3^rd quarter, the game was sloppier than a drunk David Hasselhoff attempt at eating a hamburger but the Warriors were able to capitalize and go on a run to take a substantial lead going in to the 4^th quarter.  They never let go of the lead after their run although they allowed the Suns to crawl back and make it exciting over the final 4 minutes of the game.  I think Peter Gruber and Joe Lacob (Warriors Owners) motioned to Mark Jackson asking him to put the erratic Nate Robinson in the game just to get the fans on the edge of their seats.

The hustle and competitive spirit of the Warriors and Suns was very different than what we have been seeing out of a team like the Clippers all year.  I would describe the Clippers’ games against almost everyone as chippy and more sensitive than an eight-year old boy that is intolerant of his older brother’s daily pink belly attacks.  I would describe the competitive spirit to be respectful between the Warriors and Suns tonight.  They played hard but none of the plays resulted in an I-am-going-to-intimidate-you stare down or a let-me-think-of-the-best-insult-first competition.

That’s not to say one approach is better than the other but this is more of a contextual perspective.  The Clippers feel that they are contenders and that they have something to prove, while the Warriors are fighting for to finish with a .500 record and the Suns are fighting to keep Steve Nash in town by playing their asses off every night out of respect for his toughness and dedication to the franchise.

The Warriors get the Blazers at home in a nationally televised game on Wednesday night.  Expect everyone’s hair to be tightened up and legs to be fresh for what I believe will be a high scoring affair with at least 40 fast break points, 3 irrational confidence 3 point shots from Nate Robinson, and a very minimum of 3 wrecking ball style drives from Gerald Wallace with two of them being charging fouls and one questionable blocking foul.

Sorry for the lack of stats, but as I said, the stats are about as important as Khloe Kardashian’s presence at a Mavericks home game.  Please stop putting her on camera, I just want to get back to seeing Mark Cuban sipping on his 64 oz. Mountain Dew.

Let’s say Woody Allen and Jiminy Glick matched up against Conan O’brien and Richard Kiel in a 2-on-2 pick-up game.  One would expect the taller pair to run away with the victory 9 out of 10 times.  Last night against the Jazz, it wasn’t Glick and Allen but Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry that went against all odds and took over the game despite the presence of Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap.

History in the NBA has shown that size is important when chasing relevancy and of course, a championship.  Take a look at the last 10-15 years and consider the success of Tim Duncan and the Spurs, Hakeem and the Rockets, Shaq and the Lakers.  I hate to take some merit away from a guy like Iverson, but the 2001 finals was a tough gig for him with an aging Mutombo and an underwhelming Todd MacCulloch trying to prevent Shaq from averaging less than 33 per game.  Lastly, the Magic had no business being in the 2009 NBA finals without a guy like Dwight manning the paint.

Dating back to the years when Cookie Monster was my hero and I was filling up my Huggies 5 times per day, the Celtics needed McHale, the Lakers needed Kareem, and the Pistons needed Rodman and Lambieer.    

There’s a reason that the Warriors overpaid for 7-footer, Kwame Brown, and had to sign journeyman, Earl Barron, after Brown tore his pectoral muscle.  There’s a reason why they are giving an undersized Ekpe Udoh so many minutes at center.  They understand the philosophy of a winning team, which encompasses a dominant center.  There’s still a gaping hole at center and I don’t think Biedrins, Udoh, or Barron are the answer, which explains the rumors of Ellis slouching on the trading block over the summer.

Although the ambiguously dynamic duo of Curry and Ellis was successful last night in a win over the surging Jazz, the Warriors will continue to try to squeeze juice out of a raisin at the center position with the trade deadline fast approaching and not much to pick at on the free agent market. 

Woody needs to be paired with Conan and Glick with Kiel just like Jefferson and Milsap needed Earl Watson and Devin Harris last night.   Would the movie Twins have been half as funny if Arnold Schwarzenegger’s long lost twin was Jean-Claude Van Damme and not a butterball like Danny Devito?

I don’t think the Warriors have given up on Ellis and Curry but history speaks much louder than the present situation.  With Harris (hamstrung) and Watson (ankle sprain) sitting out last night’s game, D-League special, Jamaal Tinsley was asked to take the point but doesn’t have the speed anymore to cover Ellis and Curry.

As beat writers and analysts have been screaming this year, ‘The Warriors need to get back to their running game’, they may have the right idea.  The Warriors ran the Jazz out of the gym last night, scoring 71 points in the second half and took good care of the ball with only 8 turnovers. 

The Warriors get the Kings tomorrow, which could produce another high scoring affair that will hopefully be in favor of the Warriors.

I’m still unsure of what to make of Nate Robinson since he joined the Warriors this year. Maybe I’m just jaded by him shooting at the wrong basket during his New York Knick days or his irrational confidence (missed) fade away three against the Thunder last week when the game was tight. Scott Brooks rarely let Robinson off the pine in his stint with OK City last year but Jackson was willing to thrust him into action just days after signing with the Warriors.

Coincidentally, Robinson was probably surprised after losing a definitive role in New York, Boston, and Oklahoma City.  The luster may wear off in Golden State but right now he’s blinding Mark Jackson.  I don’t blame Robinson or the coaching staff.  It is a challenge to find a consistent role for a guy that’s 5’8″.

One thing that can’t be denied is that Robinson’s energy seems to be more contagious than influenza in a nursing home.

Jackson has regularly been employing a rotation that runs nine deep, which has become common nature amongst other NBA teams in this condensed season. During the last two games, Jackson has been slow to bring his starters back into the game in the 4th quarter. Last week against the Thunder, he waited until the second unit managed to squander four straight fast breaks before bringing Curry and Ellis in around the six minute mark. Those fast breaks wouldn’t have happened without the energetic defense from the second unit but that energetic defense created, for lack of a better term, bonehead moves on the break each time.

Last night against the Kings, Jackson didn’t bring Curry back into the game until there was less than one minute left in the game. Ellis sat the entire 4th quarter. In Jackson’s defense, Curry and Ellis have struggled from the field in both of those games.

Jackson is 1-1 with that strategy although a loss to Oklahoma City didn’t have to happen as that was a sloppy game that produced enough turnovers to maintain an ambiguous outcome.

If Jackson isn’t going to trust his star players in crunch time, the Warriors might as well put them on the trading block to bring in players that he can trust. Is it Jackson’s Napoleonic complex shining through and would it matter if he had a mixture of Clyde Drexler, Larry Bird, and a mid-late 90’s Grant Hill on the bench? Something tells me that he would still be playing a second unit that managed to shoot 35% from the floor in the 4th quarter. Jackson had the following to offer about his game plan:

“I’ve been part of teams as a player where the coach would stick with the hot hand and then look my way with 5 minutes, maybe 4 minutes left”

Jackson went on to say that he would rather have the coach stick with the hot hand and not look his way with 4-5 minutes left in the game. I guess 2-12 from field between Klay Thompson and Nate Robinson isn’t the hot hand he was talking about. Curry’s diplomatic response is exactly what he needs to say to keep the peace.

“We understand coach made the decision to stick with those guys. They took the game home for us.”

The real hot hand last night was Brandon Rush, who hit a key three pointer late in the 4th quarter and two more during the 4th for good measure. While a win shadows the questionable coaching decision, I can’t imagine that keeping Lee, Curry, and Ellis on the bench during every close game is going to fly with the front office. Don’t forget that Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber made a few promises to their season ticket holders. Irrational confidence must be contagious in Golden State. The Warriors get Utah, Sacramento, and Oklahoma City over their next three games. On a side note, Andris Biedrins is about to catch fire from the free throw line as he hit his first one of the season last night.

Shaquille O’Neal was quick to protest the effectiveness of the “Hack-A-Shaq” tactic during the halftime show last night.  Shaq must have repressed the 2008 NBA playoffs against the Spurs when Greg Popovich successfully implemented the “Hack-A- Shaq” approach on him and advanced to the next round.  Shaq called Popovich’s approach a “coward move”, which didn’t stop Pop’s affable response during the next year’s preseason game, having Michael Finley wrap up Shaq in the first five seconds.

Despite the fact that Dwight Howard’s name doesn’t rhyme with the word hack, Mark Jackson used the same approach last night, sending Dwight to the line for 39 free throw attempts, sinking 21 of them. Jackson sent rookie, Jeremy Tyler, into the game with the sole purpose of using up a foul to send Dwight to the line.  At that moment, it was a logical move.  Dwight sank one of the two free throws and the Warriors had over 20 seconds for the last possession of the quarter.  Jeremy Tyler finished with no other statistics in 1 minute and 12 seconds of playing time.

Considering the plethora of perimeter shooters on the Magic (Anderson, Reddick, Richardson, Nelson, Turkoglu), I can imagine that Coach Jackson used this approach to eliminate an abundance of 3 point shots during the game.  During the plays that Howard got the ball in the paint, it generally resulted in an inevitable dunk or an easy layup.  Judging by Jackson’s reaction to Howard’s dunks (looking at the scoreboard with a blank stare), he deemed those plays as inevitable too.  Those plays also put Biedrins, the Warriors only experienced center, at risk to rack up more fouls.  Biedrins fouled out in 21 minutes last night.

The Warriors might be in the market for Kyrylo Fesenko, who they almost signed recently, after hearing the news that Kwame Brown will miss the next 3 months with a torn pectoral muscle.  Kwame has become a symbol of disappointment in the NBA after being drafted as a #1 pick and missing a majority of the condensed season isn’t going to do him any favors. 

On the other side of the ball, Monta Ellis couldn’t be contained by Jason Richardson or Jameer Nelson and finished with 30 points on 12 of 23 shooting.  David Lee continued his high energy, I-don’t-care-if-I’m-half-your-size style of play and posted his sixth straight double-double.  In a past article, I detailed Klay Thompson and tagged him as a defensive liability but also as an offensive threat due to his ability to hit the three.  Thompson went 4 of 5 from beyond the arc last night and saw an increase in playing time with Stephen Curry and Dorrell Wright sitting out. 

The Warriors have dropped 5 of their last 6 games but have stayed competitive in all of them, losing by no more than 11 points each game.

The Warriors have four winnable games coming up against the Bobcats, Pistons, Cavaliers, and the Nets but will have to do it without Curry.  Curry has suffered multiple ankle sprains in the past year and two this season after having surgery on his ankle in the offseason.  There has been speculation out of GoldenState that Curry will sit out for the upcoming road trip and will return to the court next Friday (01/20) for a home game against Brandon Rush’s former team, the Pacers.

While Louis Amundson was busy playing a handful of unproductive minutes for the Pacers last night, Brandon Rush was busy building a case to become the 6^th man on the Warriors roster this season.  That under the radar swap of Amundson for Rush is looking pretty good right now. 

Rush led the 3^rd quarter surge against the Knicks last night, scoring 12 points, collecting 2 steals and blocking 1 shot in the 3^rd in front of a sell-out crowd.  Rush may have served as a catalyst for the 4^th quarter performance from Monta Ellis, who also scored 12 points in a quarter.  Whether it was Rush’s hot hand, or pep talks from David Lee and Mark Jackson, something got Monta going after looking dejected on the bench in the first half.   

Ellis must have learned his A-B-C’s from Alec Baldwin’s character, Blake, in the classic 1992 film, Glengarry Glen Ross. “A-Always, B- Be, C-Closing”.

 Closing seems to be all the Warriors knew how to do last night.  They shot 66.7% (10-15) from the floor in the 4th and forced the Knicks to take 8 three point attempts while Bill Walker was the only Knick able to convert 1 from 3 point land.  One would think that the Warriors were too undersized to handle the duo of Amar’e and Carmelo but Dominic McGuire seemed to have Melo’s number and Amar’e was shut out of the paint and seemingly the entire 4^th quarter game plan. 

 As Blake from the aforementioned film would say to the Knicks, “Put that coffee down, coffee’s for closers only”.     

 From the perspective of a common sports fan, the Warriors didn’t deserve to have their coffee during free agency as they failed to close on Tyson Chandler, Deandre Jordan, and Chris Paul.  They wanted to join the free agent party but lacked stars like Blake Griffin and Carmelo Anthony to get anyone excited about signing with them.  Tyson Chandler spent a majority of the 4^th quarter on the bench with 5 fouls.  Mark Jackson gave Brandon Rush a vote of confidence by keeping him in the game during the middle of the 3^rd quarter after he picked up his 4^th personal foul. 

 During free agency,Chandler went to the Knicks in a theoretically good fit, the Clippers matched the Warriors multi-year offer for Deandre Jordan, and everyone knows Chris Paul’s fate was ultimately decided by David Stern.  When Kwame Brown was signed, I was cynical because Samuel Dalembert was still on the market and has now signed with the Rockets for the same 2011-2012 salary as Kwame.  I won’t pretend to know why the front office wasn’t interested in Sammy D but I’m not complaining about the impact that Biedrins and Brown have had on the Warriors roster as they have both looked spry on the court.  Neither of them will fill the stat sheet but does that really matter when the Warriors are winning games against the Bulls and Knicks?

 The Warriors were able to defeat the Knicks without Stephen Curry, who is still struggling to stay healthy after having his ankle operated on in the offseason and tweaking it in the first game of the season.  Ishmael Smith filled in nicely for him, notching 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 29 minutes of action. 

Mark Jackson arrived at Golden State with defense in mind, possibly recognizing the inherent offensive talent of his roster and that defense can create turnovers, fast breaks, and 3 point attempts that turn into long rebounds putting the opponents on their heels when trying to transition.  Mike D’Antoni will not go down in history as a defensive minded head coach and his high powered offensive scheme suffered last night because of Mark Jackson’s defensive scheme.  Needless to say, the Warriors will enjoy their morning coffee today and they deserve it for closing on the Knicks last night.

Mark Jackson is lucky to have some players that are undoubtedly physically and mentally gifted.  The ambiguously effective duo, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, has long been criticized for exciting offensive play that doesn’t translate into wins.  Some have criticized first year coach, Mark Jackson, for coming intoGoldenStatewith an emphasis on defense without any regard for working in favor of his roster’s strengths, which is believed to be offense.

 While the half court alley-oop from Curry to Lee will stand out in today’s highlights, the Warriors often left the Bulls on their heels or sprinting back failing to effectively execute a transitional defense.  Along with the three stars (Ellis, Curry, Lee), the Warriors filled holes on defense well and created holes on offense consistently.  David Lee drew Joakim Noah out of his comfort zone often by loitering at the wing and the top of the key.  This cleared the paint often for Curry or Ellis to penetrate, creating a defensive collapse out of respect for their playmaking abilities, and a dish to Lee for a 15-20 foot jumper.

 The Warriors forced the Bulls into 20 turnovers, and made good on 20 fast break points, led by Curry’s six steals. 

 Exciting guard play on the defensive end too!

 Derrick Rose shot 4 of 17 from the field and seemed to have trouble adjusting his game to the constantly shifting Warriors defense that was covering the high screen rolls very well and doubling down on Rose when they could.  Mark Jackson has these guys active and it seems that the 4th-8th options will be awarded playing time for defensive prowess.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, Dorrell Wright lacks the lateral speed to be a lock down defender and could cede minutes to the athletic but less offensively talented, Brandon Rush.  Regardless, Wright will get his minutes for his shooting ability and how that can stretch the floor for dumpoffs to Andris Biedrins and Kwame Brown.

 Just like David Lee abused Joakim Noah’s shortcomings, he did the same to Carlos Boozer last night.  He drew Boozer outside of the paint, faced up, and took him with the first step on a few occasions.  Lee used a plethora of post moves on Boozer to inch his way into the paint.  Lee’s court awareness and ability to create holes was very impressive.  Lee moved as much off the ball as I’ve seen Ray Allen do in a game.  He looked reenergized after struggling last season with an elbow injury.

 A new coach and a new scheme might be just what the Warriors needed to stop muddling in mediocrity.  I’ll be back to see if that carries over to a matchup with the Knicks on Wednesday.