Stepping Up

Just when all this trade talk has almost cease to exist (lots and lots of rumors!), the Warriors quietly go on a two game win streak. Nothing fancy. To be honest, I was too busy watching the NCAA games at this moment. And while selection day has come and gone, I was looking at Duke and Stephen Curry’s little brother. While Seth may look stockier, he is by far not as good as his brother. But at this point, looks like Seth has MUCH stronger ankles than his bro.

In a blowout win against the Mavs on Saturday, S(tephen). Curry again aggravated his right ankle. He did manage to score 10 points but he was a non factor in the game and the following game. Frustrated with this ankle (due to a shorten season= more games, less time to rest) Curry slammed his fist into the chair before sitting out for good in the third. He did manage to get his 300th career steal before tweaking the ankle.

After years of trade speculation, Monta Ellis just took the court as if he knows he was gonna be in a Warrior uniform for the rest of his contract. He did what Monta does. He scored. And that night, he had a big boost from Nate Robinson (21 points, 5 boards, 3 steals in 25 minutes) and from David Lee (25 points, 9 boards in 33 minutes.) Monta was not shabby himself (20 points, 8 assists in 31) minutes. In the third quarter, Ellis and Robinson scored 25 points out of 31 for the Warriors.

And unlike the game against the Grizzlies, the Warriors never fell behind, outscoring the Mavs by 11 in the first quarter. The Warriors outscored the Mavs in three of the four quarters, only losing one point in the second quarter. In almost every statistical category, they beat the Mavs. The outscored the Mavs in the paint 42-26, while scoring 10 more fast break points. They also shot 40% from the field while hitting 84% from the free throw lines. They played hard and played well. The deserved that win. For a second, it almost felt like the 2007 playoffs again, when the Warriors upset the Mavs in the first round. And while there was no dramatic win, it was good win for the Warriors are the pull to a .500 record at home.

As for the second game over the weekend, the Warriors blew a 21 point lead, only to fend off the run from the Clippers and hold on the win. David Lee had another monster game, even with foul trouble,  and finished the night with 18 points and 10 boards. Rumor mill winner Monta Ellis ran around for 19 points and 11 assists. Surprise, surprise. Dorell Wright came to play against the Clippers and had 20 points but only scored two of the points in the second half. He had 18 in the first half and for a second, you thought he could have a 30+ night, but he came out in the second half like his usual self.

Stephen Curry played a measly 10 minutes before returning to the bench for good. And while he wanted to be out there, in the long run, it is best if the Warriors can get by without him. He seems to injury plagued this year and you wouldn’t want to count on him. Anything he gives you should be looked at as an extra bonus at this point.

The patience in letting Ekpe Udoh grow is a great sight to see. Too many times, the Warriors have often let good young players go because they developed too slow for management’s taste. But Ekpe has come at a great time and he rewarding the brass with his continued solid play. Sometimes it is not in the stats that a player can have an impact. Wright is not that type of player at all, Udoh is. Against the Clippers, he had 14 points and 6 boards in 33 minutes. While I would like to see him control the boards a lot more, I think he has playing great defense and has been giving the Warriors a defensive presence around the basket.

Klay Thompson had another nice night for the rookie. Coming off the bench he scored 11 points in 19 minutes. While it will take Thompson more time to grow, he is a nice look into the future of when and if the Warriors trade either Ellis or Curry for something they need. Thompson gives them more size on both sides of the floor as well as ability to hit from the outside. It is only a matter of time before Ellis or Curry is traded while they still have decent value in return.

The Warriors look to travel to the state’s capitol to take on the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Then they’ll return home for the lone appearance of the Celtics.