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The Warriors: Breaking News (And It's All Bad)
New year, same crap. Actually, it's still 2006, so maybe the Warriors are just clearing their pipes of the last dregs of bad karma before starting a new year and a new franchise era -- one that will be known to future Warriors fans as The Warriors Decade. Either way, Saturday night in Sacramento, fate and bad planning teamed up to dish the Warriors a cosmic double-tap, with the Kings throwing in an unhappy ending, for good measure.
Jason Richardson broke his hand, first round draft pick Patrick O'Bryant was optioned to the minors, and the Warriors took a 116-97 facial from the Kings.
Just when it seemed like Richardson might be gaining a little momentum in his quest to fully recover from knee problems, fate stepped in to remind Warrior nation of our place in the universe. In the second quarter, JRich broke his right hand while playing defense when Mickael Pietrus accidentally kicked him. Total fluke injury. Richardson immediately left the game and was treated to X-rays and a cast by the Kings medical staff. The bad news is he's out six to eight weeks, or maybe indefinitely.
The good news, apparently, is that this new injury will allow his pre-existing injuries to heal. Per JRich, "It could be a blessing in disguise, so we'll see." Concurs Coach Don Nelson, "We haven't seen the real Jason Richardson anyway. There was somebody disguised as him playing . . . His knee should be really healthy (when he returns)."
Get well soon JRich. Photo from SI.com.
In fact, Richardson has missed nine games already this year due to injury. He missed all of training camp recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in August. He also missed eight games in December with a bone bruise on his left knee. Now you can scratch January and February. AP/ESPN is already labeling him "oft-injured". Low blow.
In the games he has played, it's clear JRich hasn't been the same player as the one that led the team with 23.2 points per game (ppg) last year. Or the one that has raised his scoring average each of the last four seasons. This year, JRich is shooting only 37.7 percent and is scoring just 13.1 ppg.
One thing that hasn't been missing has been his heart. The guy is a tireless worker and a lay-it-on-the-line scrapper. He's not a natural leader, but he leads by example. Case in point. Late in the fourth quarter of the Celtics game on Friday, Warriors up comfortably, one of the Celtics is posting up JRich in the lane, the entry pass comes in from the perimeter, and JRich, who is actually well sealed off from the ball, anticipates the pass, gets the edge on his man, and dives headlong, Superman style, to deflect away the pass. That's JRich, all hustle and heart, every play. And the fans love him for it.
Left to ponder life without a Richardson, the Warriors threw up an el-foldo the rest of the night. Things look grim in the near term as well. Once the deepest part of the roster, the Warriors backcourt is now paper thin. Monta Ellis has missed the last three games with an achy right shoulder and Anthony Roberson has been hobbled by a stubbed big toe. Pietrus is an injury perpetually waiting to happen. That leaves just franchise work horse Baron Davis and bench man Keith McLeod to carry the load. Is Dujuan Wagner still taking our calls?
And here's some more really big news, like 7 feet, 249 pounds big. Rookie center Patrick O'Bryant, the team's number one draft choice in 2006 and the ninth overall pick in the draft, has been assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League. We hardly knew ye' Patrick.
Now that is either damn poor talent evaluation or damn poor hiring (of a head coach who doesn't like big men), but either way, somebody in the front office needs to take a serious hit for this one. It's the team's first round pick and he didn't even make it to the All-Star break. We realize that he's green, but come on. That's just bad planning. Not in taking O'Bryant, but in taking O'Bryant and then hiring a coach who doesn't like to play big men. Another wasted pick. Brilliant. Somebody needs to pay.
Beyond bad planning, we smell a Nellie doghouse. First Ike Diogu comes up lame with an enigmatic ankle injury after incurring the wrath of the Supreme Nelson. Then Troy Murphy (funny Murphy joke), upset at lack of playing time and incessant trade rumors, comes down with a mysterious foot injury and, voila, he's on the pine for an extended stretch. Now O'Bryant, whose only infraction as far as we can tell is being seven feet tall, a guy Nellie threatened with the D-league before the season even started and who Nellie has let play in only 12 games all year, has been exiled to Bakersfield. Pat-tern.
Nellie's not going to be happy until he's got Baron playing point center and Monta playing power forward. And it looks like Warriors fans may not be happy for six to eight weeks.