Worth a gamble?????

[St.Nick]

Is making the playoffs and winning 50 games closer to winning the championship than missing the playoffs and losing 50 games?

[FNQ]

Is making the playoffs and winning 50 games closer to winning the championship than missing the playoffs and losing 50 games?

Good God Nick.... I just gave that point to you in the previous post. Physically, yes. Any closer to a championship actually? No.

Here's why:

Are we going to ride smallball to a title?

Is this type of drive and dig defense the one that title teams use?

How can we stop an interior presence?

What about physical teams that force us to the outside?

Cold shooting?



Now let's say Nellie steps down this offseason. Then we are closer to a title in that we're shying somewhat away from smallball. I can't imagine Smart thinks the exact same as Nellie... any steps towards traditional basketball makes us better because we have that kind of talent now. Meanwhile, other teams are stockpiling smart "traditional" players or making good trades to jump far ahead of us.

So while some teams are getting better by drafting, playing, and developing good, long, big players, becoming ready to become the elite teams of the future, the present teams are making final trades to complete the puzzle. As some teams decline (PHX/DAL) there are young teams (POR, NO) moving into their spots. And the Warriors? With the current management, we'll watch the aging teams get worse than us, watch the younger teams get better, and be stuck scratching our collective asses.

Thats of course, if we stay the course... a coaching change w/ a focus on our more efficient young players would bring us a lot closer to a championship for the future. A lot of coaches can do that better than Nellie... and that's what we need.

[WarFan]

And then we'll be depending on Smart, a Nellie disciple...

I've seen this mentioned a few times before from various posters, but I've never really understood it. First of all, Smart has been an assistant here since Musselman. Previously, he was a minor league HC and succesfully lead the Cavs to the 1st pick and LeBron as an interim HC there. So I don't see what makes him a Nellie disciple. If anyone was a Nellie disciple it was Avery and he's certainly used different strategies as a HC. Same thing for Popovich.

It just seems like people are completely dismissing Smart as a Nellie disciple and a continuation of the same. Unless I'm completely missing something, I just don't get it.

[FNQ]

Glad ya asked, here's a few signs:

- always in complete agreement with smallball via interviews, and even suggests to go smaller a lot

- did you watch Summer League?

- Nellie's anointed him as successor and he, Mullin, and Smart all have said on occasion that they believe their brand of ball eventually will be more successful

I hope I'm 100% wrong and Smart decides to take the team a more traditional route... but right now it doesn't appear that way. But I'd definitely prefer Smart in the driver's seat, right now, as any change could be a lot more beneficial than negative.

[turk3d]

Smart, may be just doing the "Smart" thing and kissing Nellie's butt while he bides his time until he takes over. I'm hoping that's the case and that when he does take over, he lives up to his name.

[nbenmargi]

A Warriors fan that hates smallball...

[turk3d]

Don't hate smallball. Don't love smalball. Actually like it, just not 100% of the time.