Originally Posted by GSDOUBLEU
Paul i found the Monta vid:
It's # 6 on the countdown.
eff it make the avy 100x100. Try to make it as least kb as possible. If it's above the limit it's cool.
No border so the file can be smaller ( will it) tag: GSDOUBLEU time: 00:53- 00:56 (where he lands)
Thanks in advance Paul.
Originally Posted by Paul Is 0n NT
Damn, I just got back from AT&T/Cingular and already got DSL. It's the 1.5 mbps speed. That's the best they had for my area (Daly City). I originally wanted the 6.0 mbps... I even wanted to go down to the 3.0 mbps but they still didn't have it available. This sucks. I didn't have Comcast BTW, I had RCN who turned into Astound!. I was so pissed at cable because I have 3 computers hooked up to my wireless modem and I'm suspecting my neighbor's stealing my internet access because it's so slow.
[h2]The Mbenga Mystery[/h2]
By Adam Lauridsen
Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at 4:33 pm in Don Nelson, Patrick O'Bryant, Chris Mullin, Kosta Perovic, Brandan Wright, Stephane Lasme, DJ Mbenga.
Goodbye Stephane Lasme. Hello DJ Mbenga. It's hardly an earth-shattering move, but it's interesting if only for being a head-scratcher.
Granted, I haven't seen that much of DJ Mbenga. However, from the short glimpses I have witnessed, he simply isn't that good. He hung around the Mavs for three years but rarely managed more than 4-6 minutes a game. With Dampier constantly modeling suits on the bench and Diop setting foul-per-minute records, there was time open on the Mavs for him to seize. He's not a scoring threat, which means minutes will be even harder to snag in Nelson's system. Finally, with O'Bryant and Wright finally earning minutes (and trust), along with Croshere returning from injury, we have some serviceable bodies on the front line.
We obviously have a need for a stronger, active big-man - and there's an argument to be made that DJ is the best cheap option available - but from what we've seen I'm not convinced that Nelson will play him or that the few minutes he might get are worth cutting ties with Lasme. Hence, the head scratching.
Here are my best guesses, however, as to what's behind the move:
- Practice - I feel somewhat silly even typing this, but Mbenga may have been brought in purely as a practice player. It's one thing for Wright (or POB) to look good when he's being guarded by Al Harrington or Matt Barnes, but the experience does little to prepare him for the harsh realities of wide-bodies like Carlos Boozer, Dwight Howard, Chris Kaman, or Al Jefferson. By bringing a big, heavy body into practice, the Warriors can gain more experience against a body that actually resembles a traditional NBA low-post player. Before we get worried about him taking time away from Andris, POB, and Wright, it's worth waiting to see whether he even makes it into games. If he can help accelerate the development of our youngsters against heavier, stronger players, the move is a little easier to swallow.
- Knowledge of Nelson's System - DJ's time with the Mavs will make him an easy addition to the Warriors scheme. Nelson obviously has trust issues with his rookies and new players, even with some increased minutes for guys outside the top 6 rotation Friday night. By bringing in Mbenga, he gets an energy player known for his defense and rebounding, but also a guy who will know his role on the team. He probably will only see spot duty, but Nelson might actually be more willing to let a more-predictable, less-talented player get time at this point than a less-consistent, more-talented youngster like Wright or POB. If this is the explanation, however, it seems awfully short-sighted coming at the cost of Lasme.
As with the signings of Croshere and Hudson, this is a minor move so it's not worth too much hand-wringing (or head-scratching). The obvious take-away point beyond all the speculation above is that Mullin and Nelson are still looking for ways to tweak this roster. It remains to be seen whether it needs a whole lot more than tweaking, but it makes sense to try the small changes before leaping into the big ones.
- Lasme's Tweener Status - I was intrigued by Stephane Lasme. When I saw him in practice and during the preseason, he looked to have an NBA motor, if not NBA body. Nelson, however, has seen far more of him against NBA competition than any of us. For an undersized college player coming out of a second-tier program, there's always the possibility that his numbers and skills simply won't translate to the NBA. Still, two months seems like an awfully short period to make that conclusion, particularly given the challenges of Nelson's system. But if anyone had to go in order to bring someone else on board, Lasme makes sense. I'll reference a post I wrote mid-summer on the Mullin Doctrine: scarcity is key. Kosta might be years away from helping an NBA team, but offensively skilled 7-footers are a rare beast. Undersized, offensively challenged tweener forwards, however, are available every year at picks 20-60. I wish Lasme the best in the NBA, but he was the most replaceable (and therefore expendable) piece of our roster.
Great, Mbenga being target practice for Warriors to #%%* on. We need to sign dudes that can actually help us win games, notanother piece of !#+% sitting on the bench.
