So, with 19 games left this season, the big question is…can the Warriors win 7 more for Nellie to help him become the all-time winningest *coach (*without an NBA championship – but wait, that’s not the sub-category).

Below are the last 19 games and my prediction for each:

March 11 @ home vs. Portland = LOSS
March 13 @ home vs. Toronto = WIN
March 15 @ home vs. Lakers = LOSS
March 17 @ home vs. New Orleans = LOSS
March 19 on the road vs. San Antonio = LOSS
March 20 on the road vs. Memphis = LOSS
March 22 @ home vs. Phoenix = LOSS
March 24 @ home vs. Memphis = WIN
March 27 @ home vs. Dallas = LOSS
March 31 on the road vs. Utah = LOSS
April 2 @ home vs. New York = WIN
April 4 on the road vs. Toronto = LOSS
April 6 on the road vs. Washington = WIN
April 7 on the road vs. Minnesota = LOSS
April 10 on the road vs. Clippers = WIN
April 11 @ home vs. OKC = LOSS
April 13 @ home vs. Utah = LOSS
April 14 on the road vs. Portland = WIN

Total wins = 6

Yikes!! That would mean Nellie would end the season tied with Wilkins. That would be awkward, wouldn’t it?

The W’s do play some bad teams but they are almost all on the back ends of back-to-backs.

I think if Monta comes back, the Warriors could win one more but I’m basing it on the current team with maybe one more D-League call-up so at least they can set one record this year.

The Warriors right now are slated to draft at #3. The seemingly consensus top overall pick is Kentucky PG John Wall. The second pick is Ohio State guard, Evan Turner.

But what if the Warriors had the top pick. It certainly appears as though Curry is the PG of the future. But, would they pass on the best player in the draft because he plays the same position as last year’s top pick? Maybe if you legitimately want to get better. But, would you pass up on a potential superstar? Or, do you trade Curry for a legit big man like Amar’e, since Curry was apparently the sticking point why last year’s trade didn’t happen.

Do the Warriors need a small forward? With Azubuike coming back, Maggette (unless we trade him) and even Randolph possibly playing that position – maybe. The best small forward according to NBADraft.net is Wesley Johnson from Syracuse.

With Monta, C.J. and Anthony Morrow, the Warriors are certainly stacked at guard but if they make a move in the offseason and trade Monta, perhaps they do pick up a guy like Evan Turner.

And at PF, assuming both Brandon Wright and Randolph come back healthy, that’s a strong core and a young core.

Center could be the position that desperately needs an upgrade. Biedrins has regressed considerably this year and Turiaf is a back-up at best. So who are the best Centers in the draft? DeMarcus Cousins from Kentucky is a PF/C. Hassan Whiteside from Marshall, even though I’ve never heard of him is a potential top 5 pick and a center as well. After that, there’s really nobody until Cole Aldrich who could be Todd Fuller re-visited (not sure if that would get anybody too excited).

We’ll see how the ping pong balls drop and how Larry Riley and Nellie assess this team in the offseason. Not an easy task.

The Warriors will sign Reggie Williams from the Sioux Falls Skyforce this week for an NBA-record tying fifth time. Williams is a 6 foot 6 swingman from the Virginia Military Institute.

Who knows whether Williams will be effective or not but one thing is for certain, the Warriors have found some nice “diamonds in the rough” from the D-League. And, we did not count Anthony Morrow, who never landed in the D-League, but did go undrafted out of Georgia Tech and now is another young piece of the future.

I thought I’d rank the top three best D-League call-ups over the last couple of years:

3. Anthony Tolliver – when the Warriors decided to sign Tolliver instead of Cartier Martin, they apparently knew what they were doing. Tolliver has been the closest thing the Warriors have had to a legit Power Forward who can actually shoot outside. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stays with the team next year as he would certainly help deepen their bench. While he has been inconsistent, he’s had enough good games to show his value.

2. C.J. Watson – The 40-point man has been a critical member of the Warriors. In fact, some might argue that the offense flows better when Watson is on the court and it’s tough to argue. Injuries have continued to plague the Warriors but Watson has managed to stay on the court and his recent shooting has been a cause for some optimism and part of the Warriors recent success.

1. Kelenna Azubuike – This year aside, Azubuike started the year on a tear and was arguably the Warriors best player. His shooting, defense and overall playmaking landed him a starting job and when he returns healthy, he will remain a key piece of the Warriors future.

Now let’s hope the Warriors can continue to assess talent in the draft using Curry as the springboard and Randolph and potential centerpieces for the future.

Let’s examine #6. Andris has always been an above average rebounder. He was last night, getting five boards in something like seven minutes. But his offensive game is…well…offensive.

Watching him play reminds me of his rookie year. When he has the ball in his hands, it seems like he has no idea what to do with it. He passed up a dunk because he got flustered. He seems totally lost on offense. He has lost his touch and the sense of smoothness he was developing last year. I don’t know what it is. I know that he developed a really good repoire with Stephen Jackson so perhaps Jack being gone is hurting Biedrins more than we think.

What I do know is that Biedrins was completely useless on offense last night. On a night that we desperately needed some presence. It was very disappointing and I’m not sure how he rights the ship.

No trigger was pulled
Will it pay off in the end?
Boo Larry Riley

Big contracts remain
Biedrins, Maggette Ellis
Offseason is next

Can fans be patient?
For not much longer I fear
Curry is the core

Very interesting indeed. I’ve never been a big Kevin Martin fan. He’s a good scorer on a bad team (shades of Monta perhaps) who doesn’t play much defense (definite shades of Monta). Who knows what kind of player T-Mac will be but of course his big value is his expiring contract for $20M (or something in that neighborhood). Carl Landry is actually quite good and could end up being the real steal of that trade.

This is coming off of the Warriors 32-point win over said Kings. Quick sidebar… C.J. Watson scored 40 points. Umm…what?!?! I’ve watched this guy play a lot and I didn’t think he had the capability of scoring 20 let alone 40. Amazing! Curry is looking legit and had a nice rebound shooting game and of course, 15 assists.

But, what struck me was how well the ball moved (again) when both Monta and Maggette were off the floor. So my long, drawn-out lead in is that I would not be surprised at all if Maggette were traded tomorrow at the deadline.

I don’t think Monta will but I have a feeling his minutes will be reduced quite a bit and Nellie will be very slow and methodical to letting Monta heal.

But I think Maggette can really help a contender, similar to the Antawn Jamison trade for the Cavs. One team that keeps popping up in my head is the Spurs. I know they have Richard Jefferson who plays the same position but I remember the Spurs being the other team besides the Warriors that were interested in Maggette’s services this offseason. We know that the Spurs are having a down year and it’s no surprise that their window is closing quickly. I know Roger Mason Jr. has asked for a trade so maybe the W’s dump Maggette, get someone like Mason Jr. plus some expiring contracts. Some move like that would surprise me the least. It was also curious that Nellie held Maggette out much of the second half, just like Kevin Martin was held out before he was traded.

Mark my words – at 10:57PM PST on Wednesday, February 17

I just read today from both Matt Steinmetz and Tim Kawakami that the Warriors had recently turned down a trade request from Memphis who offered OJ Mayo and cash to the W’s for Monta. While on the surface it’s somewhat intriguing, I don’t think the Warriors would be served getting even younger than they are now.

That being said, I would not be completely disappointed if the Warriors didn’t swing a trade tomorrow but there also aren’t too many players on the team that I would be crushed to see go. Right now, I think Curry and Morrow are untouchable and anyone else is fair game. I would probably be a little disappointed to see Randolph traded unless the W’s landed someone great.

Bottom line, the Kings are better and the Clippers are getting better and the Warriors better step up or show that they can compete with the other teams in their division. All we want is progress…SHOW US PROGRESS, DUBS!

Ok you get it. I thought the W’s would lose by 20 and as it turns out, I was only wrong by 50 points as the Warriors pounded the Clippers by 30, 132-102. I can’t remember the last time I saw the Warriors play as well as they did for as long as they did. And they beat their “third quarter blues” by putting up 46 in that quarter alone. It was a stunning display.

Not only did they hit what seemed like ALL of their open shots but they played really good defense. Tolliver was an offensive wiz, Morrow was a beast on offense and on the boards, and Turiaf played his best game in my opinion. And, what can you say about Curry. He is so likable as a player for what he brings to the court. He has far exceeded my expectations and I know now why Knicks fans were so disappointed (or pissed based on their boos) when the Warriors took Curry one pick before New York.

The bigger question now arises – based on Curry’s development as THE go-to guy and someone who can run the offense, does that spell the end for Monta in the Warriors future plans?

So, as I hear names like Amar’e thrown out every few minutes that he’s available at the trade deadline, I asked myself what I would love to see the Warriors do to get better.

I don’t think anyone would argue that the Warriors need to get better. I also think there are two schools of thought here.
1) Play out the year with the players the Warriors have, draft a top 3-4 talent, get everyone healthy and see next year what they really have. Next year’s team could be pretty good with Randolph back, Ellis with another year of seasoning and leadership, Azubuike back, Brandon Wright back, Morrow healthy, Biedrins and Turiaf back full speed, Curry with a full year under his belt, Maggette with a clearly defined role, etc.

2) Blow up the team and trade away youth for some proven players, players that play defense and perhaps a legit post player who they haven’t had since Webber was in his prime.

Right now, the second one seems pretty appealing but the truth is, who could the Warriors really get, who would want to stick around, and how much would they have to give up to get a player of this caliber.

The more I think of it, the more I think the Warriors hold off on anything drastic, give their young healthy players a chance to really get some playing time and see how the team plays the first part of next year. If they don’t seem to gel or if the fragile W’s get hurt again, then I think you cut your losses and completely blow the team up. But how can you even assess who is valuable, who should stay, etc. with the D-League sensations the Warriors have assembled this year.

Who knows, maybe the Warriors get lucky on ping-pong ball night (yeah right!!). Maybe they can re-sign Raja Bell and make that bench even deeper with healthy players.

I think trading away the young core is too early right now and I’m surprised to say that I am willing to wait until next season to really see what we have.

Monta is averaging 26 points a game to go along with 4 rebounds and 5 assists, while playing almost every minute of every game and playing alongside the D-League all-stars and Stephen Curry. Plus, Monta is arguably one of the most electrifying players in the league.

Kaman is a good center on a bad team. Monta is a very good player on a really bad team. Kaman over Monta is a total slap in the face. If Kobe and Carmelo get hurt and Monta sneaks in that way, I would love to see Monta decline (he probably wouldn’t but rather go out and prove that he belongs there). But how many times is he going to be disrespected by the Commissioner, by the league and by refs every game.

Chris Kaman is a scrub who is putting up good numbers. Plain and simple, Monta was robbed!