I always love it when the West Coast teams come to town because we only get to see these guys twice a year, and only once in our time zone. On the flip side, that means this will be the one and only Bloggers Talk this season to feature the Golden State Warriors. With us today to talk Don Nelson, Stephen Curry and more is Rasheed Malek from Warriors World.
NAS: There seems to be increasing buzz about Don Nelson wearing out his welcome with the Warriors. How do you predict this situation going down, and do you think Nellie is deserving of the axe?
The situation will play out with Nellie finishing out his contract and retiring. There is no way the Warriors will fire Nellie as they don’t want to take the pr hit nor do they have the fortitude to do so. Nellie is not deserving of the axe because that would mean he is solely responsible for the Warriors’ misfortunes. The Warriors’ futility can be attribute to multiple individuals not just Nellie. For as much crap Nellie gets nowadays, He’s still the coach that got the team to the playoffs after a long long time.
NAS: The Warriors have been decimated by injuries all season. Can you think of any games specifically that could have played out differently for GS if they had a little more depth?
With the amount of injuries they’ve sustained its not right to simply pick one or two games which could’ve turned out differently. I think the Warriors would be having a pretty good season if their roster was healthy as they’re missing key members of their lineup and its been that way since the start of the season. I’m not too big on using injuries as a copout because other players have to step it up and pick up the slack.
NAS: What have been your early impressions of rookie Stephen Curry? Does he strike you as someone who’s going to stick around in the NBA going forward?
I’m a firm supporter of Curry and his abilities. He’s going to be a great player in the league as there is nothing he can’t do on the court and his vision along with his basketball iq are what make him special. He’s had a up and down beginning thus far but has shown he has all the tools and attributes to be successful. Great guy off the court as well.
NAS: How legit is Monta Ellis’ season this year? Do you think he can keep up this high level of performance?
Monta is going to end up averaging 25/6/5 for the season and will be an all-star as he is playing at an incredible level right now. His ability to get to the rim and finish is mindboggling and he might be the best finisher in the league as he can finish with both hands effectively. He’s taken on the leadership role and re-focused on the defensive end where he’s guarding the best wing player on the opposing team every night.
