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Ball Don't Lie

Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:05 am EDT

Meet your new Warriors' starting point guard

By J.E. Skeets

The preseason point guard shortcomings of Marcus Williams and C.J. Watson — mixed with the comical off-court activities of one Monta Ellis — have created a huge opening for a new floor general in the Bay. Well, today, we learned which body will be filling that hole. It's this sharply dressed chap, of course:


His name? DeMarcus Nelson. His frame and game? A 6-foot-4, 200 pound undrafted rookie and training-camp invitee who wasn't even the point guard at Duke. Seriously. Is Don Nelson a wild basketball scientist, or what? He's like a drunk Beaker.

Inside The Warriors questions the move:

"If Chris Paul was in town today, he would be matched up against the undrafted rookie out of Duke. Does that spell doom for the Warriors? Or is DeMarcus Nelson the best chance the Warriors have at this point? He certainly maybe the best chance defensively. He's big and physical and defensive-minded. When's the last time the Warriors had that at point guard?"

Hmmm ... did Terry Teagle ever play the point?

Lots more on DeMarcus here and here. Congrats, kid.

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53 Comments

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  1. eric b
    1. Posted by eric b Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:52 pm EDT

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    i went to duke when demarcus was there. dude is a great guy, has freakishly long arms and is a great athlete when healthy. he is not a) a point guard; b) an nba player or c) a scorer or shooter. maybe don nelson can coax some of that out of him, and maybe the ws don't need a point guard or a shooter to play point, but this seems odd to say the least. he's like a bigger, slower, less pg worse shooting version of chris duhon who will play similar d and rebound better, but he won't be a point guard in the league in a real system for long. the real problem will be offensive and doing little things like bringing the ball up the court and not turning it over 4 times a night. that said, congrats to nelson and good luck to him - can't wait to see the mad scientist at work.
  2. TheOtherBootyBrother
    2. Posted by TheOtherBootyBrother Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:39 pm EDT

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    To be more accurate Beaker was typically the voice of reason(Chris Mullin?), Nellie would be drunk Bunsen Honeydew.
  3. TheOtherBootyBrother
    3. Posted by TheOtherBootyBrother Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:39 pm EDT

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    Nelson should at least be interesting though, Marcus Williams and CJ Watson just made my head hurt when i tried to watch them play.
    A lot of onus on Maggette and SJax to make plays going to the hoop now though.
  4. A Yahoo! User
    4. Posted by A Yahoo! User Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:10 pm EDT

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    Wow, and to think I wasn't going to watch any Warrior Games. Now I have to see how this plays out. I love it when undrafted guys make it.
    Who is the CockBlocker? Find out @ http://www.pickupbasketball.net/
  5. khandor
    5. Posted by khandor Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

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    It says here & now that this is a fabulous decision by Nellie.
    In fact, the type of decision that just might save the Warriors season this year from being a calamity.
    In conjunction with the upside talents of Anthony Randolph, Captain Jack, Maggette, Biedrins, Harrington, et al., a move like this means that the Warriors will still be gunning for a playoff spot this season AND will have a decently stocked cupboard of young assets looking down the road apiece in the Western Conference.
    Don Nelson has been one of the best coaches in the NBA for a long, long time ... because of his ability to see clearly the mis-matches on the floor his individual players can create based upon their unique skill sets, offensively, defensively and in terms of rebounding.
  6. Doctor F
    6. Posted by Doctor F Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:47 pm EDT

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    my first thought? wow Avery Johnson looks way younger now he's stopped coaching...
    yup, brain is still in neutral, thank god it's only Monday. damn. Tuesday. coffee.
  7. OzFraud
    7. Posted by OzFraud Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

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    In regards to comment one ( eric b), you have no idea what you are talking about. I highly doubt that you even attended Duke (or any college at all) with D. Nelson. Finish high school and pay attention in class. We Dubs fans are deep!
  8. d1mplez123
    8. Posted by d1mplez123 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:33 pm EDT

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    This is a very interesting move, but it can't be the answer for the dubs. With that said, I trust one of the greatest coaches in the NBA to make the right call to save this season.
  9. tupark82
    9. Posted by tupark82 Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:23 pm EDT

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    um andrew f? he looks nothing like avery johnson not to mention he's about 2 shades lighter
  10. Edeezy
    10. Posted by Edeezy Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:32 pm EDT

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    DeMarcus is outta the Bay... Holla. Hold it down boy!
  11. Zack G
    11. Posted by Zack G Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:58 pm EDT

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    DeMarcus Nelson could be one of the best stories of the preseason. He looks solid, and is by-far the best defender on the Warriors at this point. Here's a good article:
    http://hoopsoup.com/2008/10/20/don-nelson-to-go-with-demarcus-nelson-at-pg-for-the-warriors/
  12. gianni_m27
    12. Posted by gianni_m27 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:08 pm EDT

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    I don't think he'll bring the ball down as much as you think, with Jax out there and Al or even Andris starting breaks, PG isn't that big of a deal for Nelson... except for 20 seconds to go and you have the ball. only the most important part of the game, OUch.
    Also saying Baron wasn't physical and non defensive is not true. He could play some D. And he posted up almost any point guard in the league.... he was very physical.
  13. Sky P
    13. Posted by Sky P Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:26 pm EDT

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    if you watched any of the warriors pre-season games then this move sort of makes sense. dude was playing really well in those games.
  14. God s Gun
    14. Posted by God's Gun Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:56 pm EDT

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    SHOULD HAVE KEPT DAN DICKAU! He can run the point perfectly! So what the hell happened to CJ Watson?
  15. kronophage
    15. Posted by kronophage Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:49 pm EDT

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    The Dubs have 3 players on the team with more than 5 years of experience (Cpt Jack, Al, Mr. Maggette), and although 7 of their players have playoff experience, they still have a statement to make to the West as well as the rest of the NBA this year and they will show everyone why they are the most entertaining team to watch and why, come playoff time, they belong there.
  16. MAC
    16. Posted by MAC Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:02 pm EDT

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    Vallejo bizness
  17. Gary L
    17. Posted by Gary L Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:06 pm EDT

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    I saw he play a few pre season games and he looked alot better then Watons and Williams. I think he will be ok
  18. Daniel N
    18. Posted by Daniel N Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:52 pm EDT

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    hahaha demarcus he's the man...go dukies!!!
  19. deegottee
    19. Posted by deegottee Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:36 pm EDT

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    all you haters keep hating "it is what it is"markie you did that playa apprently they have not watch the ..... NBA preseason
  20. CAPRICE
    20. Posted by CAPRICE Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:07 pm EDT

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    Good job markie, i knew you could do it. After watching you play high School Ball and college (DUKE), i knew you were going to be a star in the nba one day. All you needed was a chance, and now the time has come, keep up the good work.
  21. stephen s
    21. Posted by stephen s Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:30 pm EDT

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    Awesome to finally see Markie not only in the NBA but starting. After watching him dominate in high school and break records I'm definitely happy for him. He's got the upside for sure, he knows how to score and distribute, plus he's an amazing defender and can run the floor.
  22. Vaytrain Williams
    22. Posted by Vaytrain Williams Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

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    Don Nelson is a genius...He is gonna run the offense through Steven Jackson (2 guard) and Corey Maggete (Small Forward) and everytime Maggete drives, Jackson and Harrington will be wide open for 3. This is great, you have this guy out there anally malest the point guards and it quiets the other teams point guard when they are on offense
  23. cory g
    23. Posted by cory g Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:21 pm EDT

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    watson williams and nelson will be carrer backups once monte ellis comes back so it really doesnt matter
  24. MizMarvel
    24. Posted by MizMarvel Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:10 pm EDT

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    Baron Davis played Nellie ball which takes credit away from Baron's defense
  25. Angela F
    25. Posted by Angela F Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:46 pm EDT

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    hell do great

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Ball Don't Lie is an NBA blog edited by J.E. Skeets. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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