The Rise and Fall of 34

By Adam Lauridsen
Friday, February 29th, 2008

After the frantic pace of the Warriors' mid-season schedule, two days off
between games seems like an eternity. We have plenty to talk about as
fans - from Nelson's rotations to Webber's perambulations - but it's worth
taking time before we plunge back into the wild West to enjoy how far we've
come.

Reader Petaluman points out under the last post that the Warriors have now
equaled their win totals for the 04-05 and 05-06 seasons with 34. To put
that in the bluntest terms, we could lose every game for the remainder of
the season and be no worse than the team we fielded two years ago. I get as
caught in the ups and downs as anyone (and probably more than I should), but
the year-by-year comparison is a sobering reminder that there's been a whole
lot more up than down since Nellie came into town.

Biedrins rejoins Warriors following appendix surgery
# Forward practices with team, but he won't return to the lineup immediately

By Geoff Lepper
STAFF WRITER

02/29/2008

OAKLAND -- A human appendix typically weighs one pound or so. That's quite a
bit less than the metaphorical burden lifted off the shoulders of the
Warriors on Thursday.

One week after unexpectedly having his appendix removed, center Andris
Biedrins worked out alongside his team for the first time since then and
said that he hopes to be back in another week or so.

"We'll see," said Biedrins, who has a checkup today with his surgeon, Dr.
Bruce Moorstein of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland. "It's
day-by-day, how I feel. I'll start to do more and more every day and we'll
go from there."

Golden State has four games in the next six days, all of which Biedrins will
presumably miss. The Warriors play back-to-back contests in Miami and
Orlando on March 7 and 8, with a three-day break after that. So a realistic
target date for Biedrins' return might be March 12 at home against Toronto.

Warriors report

Contra Costa Times
02/29/2008

Today's game:

vs. Philadelphia

# TIPOFF: 7:30 p.m., Oracle Arena

# TV/RADIO: FSNBA; 680-AM

# RECORDS: Warriors 34-22, 76ers 26-32

# 76ERS UPDATE: Having won eight of its last 10, Philadelphia has jumped up
from being a playoff afterthought to a tie for the Eastern Conference's
seventh seed. Part of that surge can be attributed...

SFGate
Biedrins returns to practice after surgery
Suspected food poisoning was appendicitis
Janny Hu, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, February 29, 2008

(02-28) 20:50 PST -- Andris Biedrins didn't do much Thursday.

He threw the ball around, shot some layups, took a few free throws. He
tweaked and turned his body ever so slightly, but just seeing him work
out for the first time since last week's appendectomy was a welcome
sight for his teammates.

"Just to have him around and know he's OK and know he's going to be
back with us soon, that's always a positive," Stephen Jackson said.

For a while, the Warriors weren't sure when their 21-year-old center
would be up and about again. For that matter, neither did Biedrins.

The trouble started Feb. 20 when he began feeling some discomfort in
his stomach. He thought he had food poisoning, so he took a few pills
for the pain.

That didn't help.

Cro-mentum (Warriors 105, Sonics 99)

By Adam Lauridsen
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

Sometimes the little things make a big difference. The Warriors started the
second half of Tuesday's game neck and neck with one of the NBA's worst.
Then Austin Croshere got down to business. Boxing out, fighting for loose
balls, making lay-ups, throwing his body into opponents. These aren't the
skills that make you an All-Star, but they were the little things that
shifted the game's energy to the Warriors favor. Just another night in the
Wild West, where every single win counts.

For a stretch of the first half it looked like the Warriors were once again
going to play down to their competition. A run to close the second quarter,
triggered by some classic scrambling defense, seemed to shake the team out
of their complacency. Nelson went with Croshere over Wright to start the
second half. The momentum continued and the Warriors never looked back.
Nelson made subtle but substantive use of his bench, going 11 deep and
getting solid contributions from the second squad.

These guys, in their individual ways, were the game changers:

Warriors 105, Seattle 99: Croshere up, Wright OK, Webber is. is. what do you
think?

By Tim Kawakami
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

Post-game Q & A's with Don Nelson and Brandan Wright attached. and an
interesting pre-game Q & A with Nelson (talking about Wright, Patrick O'Bryant
and Monta Ellis' defense).

Let's do this very quickly so I can get over to the bridge before all the
ramps are closed from 880.

-Austin Croshere, on fire. 14 points in the third quarter, dribbling past
defenders, finishing like Monta Ellis?

Yep, Croshere showed up and if he plays like that once a week, and his back
holds up, the Warriors are a vastly improved team.

Big if. But a huge thing.

-If Croshere had been healthy and/or played like this once a week, there
would've been no need or thought to sign that other aging power forward. I
forget his name.

Warriors find spark in victory
# Croshere scores a season-high 14 points in beating the SuperSonics

By Geoff Lepper
STAFF WRITER
02/27/2008

OAKLAND -- The installation of Brandan Wright as the Warriors' new face at
power forward might have to wait until Austin Croshere relinquishes the
role.

Warriors coach Don Nelson gave Wright his second career NBA start Tuesday in
place of the recovering Andris Biedrins, but it was Croshere who relieved
Wright in the second half and provided 14 points and five rebounds to spark
the Warriors to a 105-99 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.

Monta Ellis added 30 points and six rebounds and Baron Davis tacked on 20
points, 10 assists and a career-high tying seven steals as the Warriors
(34-22) finally were able to easily put away one of the teams with losing
records that have littered their February schedule.

32 points off 25 SuperSonics turnovers, which allowed it to overcome
Seattle's 50.6 percent shooting, 70 points in the paint and 31 fast-break
points.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

Contra Costa Times
02/28/2008

Of the 15 players the Warriors have under contract, as many as 10 could
become free agents next season. Here's the list, with an educated guess on
the chances they will still be in Oakland next season. (Note: some salaries
for this season are pro-rated.)

# ANDRIS BIEDRINS (C, fourth season in the NBA, makes $2.64 million this
season, will be a restricted free agent, meaning if the Warriors make a
qualifying offer, they have the right to match any other team's contract):
Leave a little wiggle room in case some team decides to throw a max contract
Biedrins' way. Barring that remote possibility, Biedrins will be back.
Chances for return: 99.9 percent

# MONTA ELLIS (G, third season, $770,000, restricted): Similar situation to
Biedrins' -- unless some team goes absolutely bananas, Ellis is staying put.
Chances for return: 99.9 percent

O'Bryant just wants a chance to play

By Geoff Lepper
STAFF WRITER

02/28/2008

OAKLAND -- Mickael Pietrus was the most voluble Warrior seeking a change of
venue last week before the league's trade deadline. But he wasn't alone.

Though he eschewed Pietrus' speechifying, second-year center Patrick
O'Bryant would have equally welcomed a move. And, just like Pietrus,
O'Bryant is all but certain to pack up and go elsewhere once the season is
over.

"I'll play anywhere I'll (get a chance to) play," O'Bryant said. "I'm a
basketball player, not a basketball watcher."

This much is clear: He doesn't plan to sign up voluntarily to serve under
Warriors coach Don Nelson again.

"Obviously, if something weird were to happen and Nellie didn't (have his
option picked up), then maybe," O'Bryant said of a return to the team that
selected him No. 9 overall in 2006 but this summer declined to pick up his
third-year option.

SFGate
O'Bryant, Perovic hardly centers of Nelson's attention
Janny Hu, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, February 28, 2008

(02-27) 20:17 PST -- Believe it or not, Warriors coach Don Nelson says
he considered giving Patrick O'Bryant a shot with Andris Biedrins out
and Chris Webber not quite clicking.

The deliberation, though, was more clerical than practical.

"Sure, he's a member of the team," Nelson said. "I know he's down
there."

More than halfway through his second season, O'Bryant has been shunted
all the way to the end of the bench, to an inactive territory that
usually consists of him and rookie center Kosta Perovic.

In Nelson's opinion, the 7-footers are essentially equal on the depth
chart, which might be as much a boon to Perovic as it is a knock on
O'Bryant.

The former first-round pick has the size and length to be a factor in
the NBA.

What he still doesn't have is Nelson's trust.