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O.G. Broe's Profile
The Warriors have been picking up Coach Nelson's system quickly thus far.
Under the tutelage of new Head Coach Don Nelson, the initial three days of training camp for the Warriors have resembled school. A lot of teaching. A lot of learning. A lot of listening. Thursday's two practice sessions, in fact, reminded me of specific type of school ---- traffic school. Coach Nelson sent his team through various offensive and defensive schemes on Thursday and the word he uttered most frequently was "STOP." The Warriors, in the midst of running a fast break, had a player make a wrong cut and boom, there was the most commonly-used phrase of the day.......
"STOP. What are you suppose to do in that situation?"
The Warriors, in the midst of learning a defensive rotation, had a player forget to double team.
"STOP. What are you suppose to do in that situation?"
The Warriors, in the midst of running a 2-on-1 fast break, had a player fail to run the wing correctly.
"STOP. What are you suppose to do in that situation?"
Yes, Don Nelson is doing a lot of teaching in training camp and he's even playing cross-walk guard and repeating his new favorite word. Stop. Stop. Stop. Thus far in training camp, he has been, by far, the most vocal coach on the floor. A lot of head coaches will simply oversee practice and defer to their assistants to run the show, but not Coach Nelson. He has his pulse - and his say - on virtually every possession. In fact, during team scrimmages, he will group the offense together, pop in the middle of the huddle and provide his strategy. Short. Simple. Concise. And, more often then not, the results are positive.
Despite, however, his penchant for the four letter word (STOP) in practice, the new coach mentioned on several occasions on Thursday how happy he was with his squad and their ability to pick up things very, very quickly.
"I applauded them today," said Nellie after the morning practice. "They have done really well. They are a very bright team. I don't think I've had a team pick up some of the nuances of my system as quickly as they have in three days. Very impressive."
Also very impressive during the early stages of training camp - and especially on Thursday - has been an old staple and a new face, Troy Murphy and newcomer Dajuan Wagner. Murphy, who is very happy with his new position at center, drilled almost every open shot he had on Thursday night. And, under Nellie's system, he is going to have a ton of open opportunities. He may, in fact, accumulate numbers at the center position that could draw him All-Star consideration. Yao Ming will, almost assuredly, be the Western Conference starter by popular vote. However, if the former Notre Dame star is able to take advantage of Nellie's system - like many players have during their careers - he might get some consideration. Last season, he averaged 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds. If he should increase those averages to, say, 17.0 and 11.0, AND the Warriors win their share of games, he might get a nod or two from some of the other coaches around the West as a center.
Coach Nelson has already referred to Dajuan Wagner as a 'steal.'
Wagner, on the other hand, is not concerned about All-Star games or switching positions, he's just happy to be around. And, he's taking advantage of the opportunity. Coach Nelson referred to him as a "steal" after Thursday's practice and credited Chris Mullin and Rod Higgins with finding a player of his caliber. The 6'2" guard has demonstrated an ability to shoot the basketball and get to the basket in camp, two traits that will serve him well in Coach Nelson's system. Remember, the kid was the sixth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by Cleveland and averaged over 13 points per game his rookie season before injury and illness slowed his progress.
One of the most impressive performances in training camp thus far took place late on Thursday, when Mike Dunleavy stepped to the free throw line. Dunleavy, as with all 18 players on the roster, must shoot 100 free throws at the end of every practice. Each player is required to pair up with a teammate and chart the other's progress in increments of 10 (10 x 10). Last season, Mike D. shot a respectable 78% from the charity stripe. On this night, however, he nailed a perfect 100%. Yes, he actually made 100 out of 100 free throws, enough to put a smile on the face of Hal Wissel, who was hired by Coach Nelson to help address the team's free throw problems. As an indication of some of the success enjoyed in camp to date, many players have shot the ball well from the line, including Troy Murphy (98% tonight), Dajuan Wagner (93% tonight), Adonal Foyle (90% tonight) and Andris Biedrins (85% tonight). Wissel indicates that most players will shoot about 10% better in practice then in a game situation. So, we'll expect to see Mike D. shoot 90% from the line this season.
Mike Dunleavy went 100-for-100 at the charity stripe to close out practice on Wednesday.
Jim Harrick, who has been appointed as the new head coach of the Bakersfield Jam - the Warriors' NBDL affiliate, attended Thursday's morning practice. Harrick was eager to watch a Coach Nelson-led practice and to witness some of the young talent on Golden State's roster.
And, finally, one of the most talented offensive players in franchise history was provided a lesson on Wednesday (yes, it was a day ago, but we had to share this with you). Mitch Richmond, who scored 20,497 points as an NBA player, challenged Warriors' guard Andre Owens to a three-point shooting contest after the morning workout. About 20 minutes later, Richmond remained on the floor as the jubilant Owens trotted to the locker room with a big smile on his face, his fist in the air and a little more cash in his wallet. During one stretch, Owens nailed about nine consecutive threes, displaying a shooting touch that could prove beneficial in his effort to impress coach Nelson. It has already impressed Mitch Richmond.
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