| Summer League Analysis: Game 1, Vs. New Orleans Authored by J.T. Magee - July 8, 2007 - 3:16 pm
Well, all season, Golden State’s pedigree was all offense, no defense. That was until they installed a deadly 1-3-1 zone. The LVSL version of the Warriors had no such zone. Their attempt at a 1-3-1 resulted in mixed results. Their real zone was all offense in the highest paced game of the Summer League so far. Thanks to steady play from their starting swingmen, Golden State is one of two teams to watch out for due to their fat-paced play. Too bad Memphis and these Warriors won’t see official action against each other.
Marco Belinelli
Belinelli was considered a reach by some people. Golden State was stacked with plenty of shooting guards, so how would Belinelli get any playing time? He would be buried behind the likes of Monta Ellis and Jason Richardson. After his lights-out shooting en route to 37 points, Belinelli may find himself running alongside Ellis off the bench.
The Warriors have three key components from last year in free agency: Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and Kelenna Azubuike, who we’ll address next. If they re-sign just Azubuike and potentially Barnes, there is still enough room for Belinelli to see some action. He started off hot and never cooled off. In the first quarter, he was looking to pass first and Azubuike and Pierre Pierce were thankful for his unselfishness. He would get his, though.
During the first half, he scored 24 points, hitting at least two or three 3-pointers in a row. He even spotted up from 35 feet away and swished it. It was nothing to him. It’s funny to see what happens when shooters get in the zone. He had one of the best games of his career, hands down. The opposition wasn’t much to write home about, but Belinelli made the most of his shots. The most impressive thing about Belinelli is how he took that confidence and put it into other parts of his game. He moves well without the ball and the key point of his “he’s on fire” moment was when he was calling for the ball at the top of the perimeter. I thought he looked too selfish, thinking to myself that he should try to cut into the lane. He got the pass, shot it and it went in. From there, il Belinelli era sul fuoco.
His defense was remarkable. He would deflect passes and help force turnovers, eventually getting two fat break dunks. When I say remarkable, it was remarkable for him because he let his confidence affect his play on both ends of the floor. He let his confidence take over his defensive deficiencies and he looked like he wanted to play defense. His passing was fundamentally sound. His drives were very impressive. He was finishing and able to get to the free throw line.
Overall, this may be his best game for a long time. I’m not sure how he’ll be able to duplicate this action again. He was on fire. It’s too bad the LVSL only goes until the 15th. It would be better to see the league run until the 20th and see him match up against teams with better guards. More teams equal fewer chances for players to make themselves stand out. One performance can help determine a future and Belinelli’s looks pretty bright after his play against New Orleans. Best offensive performance so far and perhaps for the entire LVSL.
I tried to keep it to, at the most, a couple of paragraphs for every player, but Belinelli was worth the extra space. I wish I would’ve made the same effort for Rudy Gay and Tarence Kinsey from Memphis. Hats off to Belinelli.
*Just came across this article on Belinelli. Hands down, this explains everything I did not. This article was strong with Belinelli’s positives and also gives some pointers into what NBA teams are looking for when looking at players. Very good read. I highly recommend it for those looking for more on Belinelli. If my job was to focus on one player, I would hope to point out everything this writer wrote out. Since I’m trying to focus on every baller in the LVSL, I tend to miss some things. Preetom Bhattacharya nailed it on the head. Link:
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22656.shtml
Kelenna Azubuike
Azubuike was aggressive with his takes and knew what he had to do: score. He wasn’t completely efficient with his shots, but his shots were shots that Head Coach Don Nelson would approve of in the fast-paced offense they like to run. He is strong in his approach to the game on both ends of the floor. His defense was above average, but it was his overall play that made him one of the better slashing guards so far. He was very sporadic with his shot selection, but he did something only 5th graders do: follow their own shot. Azubuike shot an air ball, then went and got it back and scored. Isn’t it lovely when players make fundamentally sound plays out of nowhere?
He may have come out of Kentucky too early, but it’s looking like his move is paying dividends. There is no way he won’t be on an NBA roster for the entire season. This kid has a lot of potential. Hopefully, he re-sings with the Warriors because Nelson is the type of coach that can utilize his talents and bring the best out of him. Azubuike was a very nice find in the NBDL for Golden State.
Watching these two together was a thing of beauty. They played off each other like they’ve been on the court for a long time. They both displayed very high IQ’s and made great reads. I can’t wait to see them again.
Pierre Pierce
If it weren’t for legal troubles, Pierce would be on someone’s NBA roster. He has the knack for scoring. As a point guard, it’s hard to come by a kid with as much talent as Pierce not playing in the NBA. He was primarily a scorer today and displayed a great handle when attacking the hoop. I’ll accept his play from today, but I want to see him get the big men involved more. He got into a little flow where he would distribute and the ball would come back to him and he would make a play. As a point guard, even in this offense, the bigs have to feel like they’re a part of the team. I don’t mind Pierce scoring a lot, but I will mind it if he doesn’t get his big men involved more next time around.
Patrick O’Bryant
I feel really bad for O’Bryant. This is by far the worst situation for him to be in. He was exiled to Bakersfield a couple of times and never seemed to be a part of the team at all. It looked like his confidence was shattered early on and he hasn’t fully recovered. There were some times during the game where he would get down on himself after making a smart foul. He would clap, say “gosh darnit,” then go to the block for the attempted free throws. O’Bryant was near the hoop a lot and that’s where he should be. He wasn’t getting a lot of rebounds which was puzzling. He just needs someone to be there for him, nurture him into the shot blocker he can become, then light a confidence fire under his arse and tell him to go control the paint. Even though he’s still too weak, he’s long enough to disrupt what the opposition wants to do down low.
He has a lot of potential, but because he’s such a late bloomer, he’s going to take a lot longer. Golden State should try to sell low on him and trade him away. It’s too bad he can’t be packaged with their huge Trade Exception because he and the TE would make a nice package for Gerald Wallace. This is the wrong place for such a small town kid. Minnesota would be the best situation for him, but for now, I want to see him get more confident. He can ball, but it’s a matter of the guards involving him more.
Josh Powell
Powell has a good mid-range game. He’s comfortable taking one dribble and pulling up for the jump shot. He didn’t make a lot of his shots, but his confidence in his j stood out. He is a decent rebounder for his size, but he was bullied around a little too much when he was playing interior defense. He runs the floor well enough to see playing time in the regular season, but his defense is a little too shaky to have him on the floor for extended minutes. This is a good environment for Powell. Now, if his confidence could only rub off on O’Bryant.
Katelynas Mindaugas
I really feel like an idiot right now. Back in 2005, I thought Mindaugas was a decent NBA draft prospect. Enough to think he could go to San Antonio. I thought his energy and athleticism could be used off the bench. What I find even more repulsive is the fact I had his name switched around. … Yeah. That’s all I should say for now. Mindaugas got his hands on the ball whenever he had a chance to. Off loose ball, off rebounds, off loose balls. Mindaugas established a role as a scrapper who will ignite the fast break quickly. His size is a little diminutive for the 4 spot and his lack of quickness keeps him off the perimeter. So he tried to make plays without having to force anything. Hopefully, he will show a little more versatility so I can at least feel like I had just a little bit of smarts in putting him in RealGM’s Mock Draft. (Sigh.) I can’t do anything but shake my head on that one. Oh well. It happens.
Toby Bailey
Bailey was a contributor off the bench. He has a dependable 3-point shot, but he’s not the veteran presence these young Warriors can depend on. I never got a good look at the former standout at UCLA, so I’ll try to see if he brings more to the table than just a 3-point shot.
Carlos Powell, Corey Williams, Alpha Bangura & Stephane Lasme
These four were on the floor for a little bit and I barely got a look at a couple of them. Lasme looks like a decent shot blocker, but his leg injury took him out of action. It looked like a hyperextension. Hopefully it doesn’t keep him out for too long. Powell looked better down low than the other Powell in his limited minutes. He’s a little small, but there are a lot of players in the LVSL he should match up well with. Corey Williams, better known as “Homicide” on the street ball circuits, displayed a great handle and an underrated court vision. His time may have past him by, but I want to see him along with the starting lineup because I feel he would involve the bigs more than Pierce did. Alpha Bangura should be starting in the NBA just because of his name. No one could touch that name. I never got to see him play, so I won’t comment on him. But that name is too cool not to mention.
Overall View:
Golden State ran the floor and the guards were the big reason why they won the game. Belinelli and Azubuike are legit NBA players. If they continue their great play alongside each other for the rest of the LVSL, they’ll be on the First Team, without a doubt. Very good game for the Warriors overall. I’d like to see them install the 1-3-1 zone more precisely. O’Bryant looked confused in his role and it hurt their defense. Other than that, great game for Golden State. |
