LAS VEGAS -- If Bay Area folks want reassuring signals regarding Don Nelson's willingness to keep coaching the Golden State Warriors, this is where they should look.
This is where Nelson can be found daily, watching three or four games in one sitting.
Marco Belinelli
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Marco Belinelli has risen quickly in the eyes of Warriors coach Don Nelson.
This is where Nelson was seen and heard Monday night, laughing and huddling in the stands with Baron Davis as they took in a Kevin Durant show together.
This is where a Warriors rookie who was born to play in Nelson's system, according to Nelson himself, has generated more excitement than anyone at the NBA's sunbaked Las Vegas Summer League, Durant and Greg Oden included.
By now you've probably heard someone make the inevitable connection between Marco Belinelli and how his quick-trigger game is a Nellie Ball natural. Yet it should be noted that Nellie -- who has yet to publicly confirm that he'll be back on the Warriors' bench next season -- is making that connection, too.
Told by one reporter that Belinelli (pronounced Bell-LEE-nell-ee) has to be some sort of relative, Nellie chuckled and said: "I think it's going to work out real well for the both of us."
For starters, that would require Nelson to state his intention to return for the second year of a three-year deal in his second Golden State stint. Nelson refused again Monday to discuss his future, but sources close to the situation say that the 67-year-old wants his annual base salary of $3.1 million bumped to at least $5 million annually if he's to return for the next two seasons. Nelson made $5.1 million last season because of two $1 million bonuses, one for halting Golden State's 12-season playoff drought and another for getting the Warriors to the second round via their historic first-round upset of the 67-win Dallas Mavericks.
The Belinelli Factor, by contrast, is looking as solid as it can after a couple games at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. The Italian, taken No. 18 overall by the Warriors in last month's draft, announced himself with a stunning 37 points in Saturday's debut and followed that up Monday with 23 points in Golden State's 94-87 victory over Philadelphia.
"I think he's been sensational," Nelson said.
Belinelli didn't quite reach that stratosphere against the Sixers, needing 23 shots to get those points, but he continued to play with a poise and fearlessness to back up the Warriors' claim that they just might have snagged the most NBA-ready rookie available.
He's not your typical foreign-born rookie, true. Given his considerable experience back home in Italy, in a league long regarded as Europe's strongest, Belinelli arrived as a much more polished product than most 21-year-olds. But his 5-for-8 shooting from the 3-point line Monday, after a 5-for-7 spree of triples in the 37-point game, is atypical early success from deep for an overseas kid making the transition to the longer NBA shot.
As a teenager in Italy who earned regular playing time at a younger age than 2006 No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani did, Belinelli was proclaimed by basketball officials and media experts in his country to be predestinato ... destined for greatness. No one is putting his NBA prospects in that category -- we haven't yet seen how this crafty 6-5 scorer will adapt physically and defensively to the NBA game -- but the famously hyperbolic Nelson has already seen enough, after two July outings, to declare that Belinelli has the ability to compete for spot minutes at point guard. Challenging Monta Ellis for the starting 2-guard berth left vacant by the deal that sent Jason Richardson to Charlotte is another possibility.
"He shoots the shot you don't expect," Nelson said. "He shoots it a little late, or he shoots it a little quicker than the [defender] expects. He'll surprise you how he comes off screens or when he back-cuts you. He's very unpredictable offensively, and that's what I like about him."
So much for the notion that unpredictable rookies are the scourge of coaches.
"This is one," Nelson said, "that doesn't make me nervous."
As for the notion that Nellie will ultimately decide he's not going to coach Belinelli...
"I'm worried, but at the same time I'm not worried," Davis said during a break from his unexpected appearance to see Durant. "They'll figure it out. Everyone will play fair because it's a fair organization."
Davis didn't use the word fair by accident, since he's seeking his own contract extension from the Warriors this summer. Yet when asked specifically if Nelson's role in the Warriors' historic late-season surge merits an increase in guaranteed money, just one season into his original contract, Davis insisted: "He deserves it."
Y'all got to worry about paying Drunk Nelly his money. He no longer likes the 3-year contract he signed last year and wants more more more and what Ross Perot Jr. owes him too.
Y'all got to worry about paying Drunk Nelly his money. He no longer likes the 3-year contract he signed last year and wants more more more and what Ross Perot Jr. owes him too.
Yeah, I don't think KD is gonna be *that* good. You could see the pics could be taken multiple ways. Being the stat/history nerd I am, I took that perspective.
Have I mentioned that Kevin Durant will become the first rookie since Elvin Hayes to lead the league in scoring?
Mark my words now, son.
AS IF.
Um. None of those dudes *lead* the league in scoring during their rookie seasons.
Yes, but if Durant wants to lead the league in scoring, he has to outscore all of those guys. Doubtful. (My money's on Kobe again this year.)
Melo had it going until the brawl (and even a while after), then he has AI as a teammate and doesn't knock down 30 a night (although he was still dropping 30 a game here and there), but damn if Kobe didn't just light it the fuck up in the last month of the season! I think it will be a close call next season and it depends what happens with the Kobe situation. If he gets a KG or JO to play with, he might not be dropping 50 a game... We'll see!
Have I mentioned that Kevin Durant will become the first rookie since Elvin Hayes to lead the league in scoring?
Mark my words now, son.
AS IF.
Um. None of those dudes *lead* the league in scoring during their rookie seasons.
Yes, but if Durant wants to lead the league in scoring, he has to outscore all of those guys. Doubtful. (My money's on Kobe again this year.)
Melo had it going until the brawl (and even a while after), then he has AI as a teammate and doesn't knock down 30 a night (although he was still dropping 30 a game here and there), but damn if Kobe didn't just light it the fuck up in the last month of the season! I think it will be a close call next season and it depends what happens with the Kobe situation. If he gets a KG or JO to play with, he might not be dropping 50 a game... We'll see!
Yea, he certainly did. He was like #2 or 3 in scoring until the last 30 games. I was quietly rooting for him to get his 2nd title after he passed Carmelo.
Why is Lamond Murray playing for the Nugs Summer League team? That saddens me. Murray was one of my favorite college ballers ever. Grindin it out in the Summer League...
Are y'all catching any of these games? Rick Kamla gettin some mic work.
BRANDON BASS
JOSE JUAN BAREA
Rep yr teams' summer league team ballers.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
Have I mentioned that Kevin Durant will become the first rookie since Elvin Hayes to lead the league in scoring?
Mark my words now, son.
AS IF.
Um. None of those dudes *lead* the league in scoring during their rookie seasons.
Yes, but if Durant wants to lead the league in scoring, he has to outscore all of those guys. Doubtful. (My money's on Kobe again this year.)
Melo had it going until the brawl (and even a while after), then he has AI as a teammate and doesn't knock down 30 a night (although he was still dropping 30 a game here and there), but damn if Kobe didn't just light it the fuck up in the last month of the season! I think it will be a close call next season and it depends what happens with the Kobe situation. If he gets a KG or JO to play with, he might not be dropping 50 a game... We'll see!
Yeah, but honestly Kobe started the season slowly, having come back from some surgery or something (people were even whispering about "is it over for Kobe?" at hat point); if it weren't for that slow start, his average for the season probably would have been quite a bit higher.
Just saying: when Kobe is playing the game that he's forced to play with these teammates, nobody else is even touching him as far as scoring.
Have I mentioned that Kevin Durant will become the first rookie since Elvin Hayes to lead the league in scoring?
Mark my words now, son.
AS IF.
Um. None of those dudes *lead* the league in scoring during their rookie seasons.
Yes, but if Durant wants to lead the league in scoring, he has to outscore all of those guys. Doubtful. (My money's on Kobe again this year.)
Melo had it going until the brawl (and even a while after), then he has AI as a teammate and doesn't knock down 30 a night (although he was still dropping 30 a game here and there), but damn if Kobe didn't just light it the fuck up in the last month of the season! I think it will be a close call next season and it depends what happens with the Kobe situation. If he gets a KG or JO to play with, he might not be dropping 50 a game... We'll see!
Yea, he certainly did. He was like #2 or 3 in scoring until the last 30 games. I was quietly rooting for him to get his 2nd title[/b] after he passed Carmelo.
LOL, dude--you never did anything involving Kobe "quietly" in your life.
Comments
LAS VEGAS -- If Bay Area folks want reassuring signals regarding Don Nelson's willingness to keep coaching the Golden State Warriors, this is where they should look.
This is where Nelson can be found daily, watching three or four games in one sitting.
Marco Belinelli
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Marco Belinelli has risen quickly in the eyes of Warriors coach Don Nelson.
This is where Nelson was seen and heard Monday night, laughing and huddling in the stands with Baron Davis as they took in a Kevin Durant show together.
This is where a Warriors rookie who was born to play in Nelson's system, according to Nelson himself, has generated more excitement than anyone at the NBA's sunbaked Las Vegas Summer League, Durant and Greg Oden included.
By now you've probably heard someone make the inevitable connection between Marco Belinelli and how his quick-trigger game is a Nellie Ball natural. Yet it should be noted that Nellie -- who has yet to publicly confirm that he'll be back on the Warriors' bench next season -- is making that connection, too.
Told by one reporter that Belinelli (pronounced Bell-LEE-nell-ee) has to be some sort of relative, Nellie chuckled and said: "I think it's going to work out real well for the both of us."
For starters, that would require Nelson to state his intention to return for the second year of a three-year deal in his second Golden State stint. Nelson refused again Monday to discuss his future, but sources close to the situation say that the 67-year-old wants his annual base salary of $3.1 million bumped to at least $5 million annually if he's to return for the next two seasons. Nelson made $5.1 million last season because of two $1 million bonuses, one for halting Golden State's 12-season playoff drought and another for getting the Warriors to the second round via their historic first-round upset of the 67-win Dallas Mavericks.
The Belinelli Factor, by contrast, is looking as solid as it can after a couple games at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. The Italian, taken No. 18 overall by the Warriors in last month's draft, announced himself with a stunning 37 points in Saturday's debut and followed that up Monday with 23 points in Golden State's 94-87 victory over Philadelphia.
"I think he's been sensational," Nelson said.
Belinelli didn't quite reach that stratosphere against the Sixers, needing 23 shots to get those points, but he continued to play with a poise and fearlessness to back up the Warriors' claim that they just might have snagged the most NBA-ready rookie available.
He's not your typical foreign-born rookie, true. Given his considerable experience back home in Italy, in a league long regarded as Europe's strongest, Belinelli arrived as a much more polished product than most 21-year-olds. But his 5-for-8 shooting from the 3-point line Monday, after a 5-for-7 spree of triples in the 37-point game, is atypical early success from deep for an overseas kid making the transition to the longer NBA shot.
As a teenager in Italy who earned regular playing time at a younger age than 2006 No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani did, Belinelli was proclaimed by basketball officials and media experts in his country to be predestinato ... destined for greatness. No one is putting his NBA prospects in that category -- we haven't yet seen how this crafty 6-5 scorer will adapt physically and defensively to the NBA game -- but the famously hyperbolic Nelson has already seen enough, after two July outings, to declare that Belinelli has the ability to compete for spot minutes at point guard. Challenging Monta Ellis for the starting 2-guard berth left vacant by the deal that sent Jason Richardson to Charlotte is another possibility.
"He shoots the shot you don't expect," Nelson said. "He shoots it a little late, or he shoots it a little quicker than the [defender] expects. He'll surprise you how he comes off screens or when he back-cuts you. He's very unpredictable offensively, and that's what I like about him."
So much for the notion that unpredictable rookies are the scourge of coaches.
"This is one," Nelson said, "that doesn't make me nervous."
As for the notion that Nellie will ultimately decide he's not going to coach Belinelli...
"I'm worried, but at the same time I'm not worried," Davis said during a break from his unexpected appearance to see Durant. "They'll figure it out. Everyone will play fair because it's a fair organization."
Davis didn't use the word fair by accident, since he's seeking his own contract extension from the Warriors this summer. Yet when asked specifically if Nelson's role in the Warriors' historic late-season surge merits an increase in guaranteed money, just one season into his original contract, Davis insisted: "He deserves it."
i have full faith
He's been Ballinelli every second I've seen him in Summer league games so far. We'll see...
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-26-24/Player-with-a-Past--Pierre-Pierce.html
they're making some serious moves right now. Hopefully, they can gain from moving JR...
I'm ready for next season.
Yea, he's a baller.
Mark my words now, son.
AS IF.
2 years in a row bitch! Not that anyone cares, but this man has slowly collected his accolades, post-Shaq. 2 All-Star MVPs, 2 Scoring titles. Not bad.
Um. None of those dudes *lead* the league in scoring during their rookie seasons.
You're slippin' man. He's just saying, Kevin Durant ain't gonna "be the first rookie to ever win a scoring title" with those guys dropping 30 a game.
I think that was his point--if none of them managed to do it, Durant probably won't either.
Yes, but if Durant wants to lead the league in scoring, he has to outscore all of those guys. Doubtful. (My money's on Kobe again this year.)
No, I'm saying Durant is not outscoring these guys next season. Period.
Also a great point.
Melo had it going until the brawl (and even a while after), then he has AI as a teammate and doesn't knock down 30 a night (although he was still dropping 30 a game here and there), but damn if Kobe didn't just light it the fuck up in the last month of the season! I think it will be a close call next season and it depends what happens with the Kobe situation. If he gets a KG or JO to play with, he might not be dropping 50 a game... We'll see!
Yea, he certainly did. He was like #2 or 3 in scoring until the last 30 games. I was quietly rooting for him to get his 2nd title after he passed Carmelo.
Are y'all catching any of these games? Rick Kamla gettin some mic work.
BRANDON BASS
JOSE JUAN BAREA
Rep yr teams' summer league team ballers.
Yeah, but honestly Kobe started the season slowly, having come back from some surgery or something (people were even whispering about "is it over for Kobe?" at hat point); if it weren't for that slow start, his average for the season probably would have been quite a bit higher.
Just saying: when Kobe is playing the game that he's forced to play with these teammates, nobody else is even touching him as far as scoring.
LOL, dude--you never did anything involving Kobe "quietly" in your life.
I'll send a prize to the first correct answer.
P.S. This IS a trick question.
Lew Alcindor
Michael Jordan
George Mikan
Jerry West
Close...but no cigar...you DID get the trick part right though