Nelson Offers Details Of Lineup Changes

Janny Hu, San Francisco Chronicle

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A day after saying that the Warriors "obviously" were going to make changes this summer to avoid having a second straight bad season, coach Don Nelson offered more details Tuesday of his planned makeover.

Among the possibilities:

Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson starting in the backcourt, Jamal Crawford coming off the bench, Corey Maggette and Kelenna Azubuike returning to their natural small-forward positions, and Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright splitting time at power forward.

It might not happen all at once, or begin tonight against the Nets, but Nelson reiterated that he'll use these last 19 games to look at some experimental - and even traditional - lineups.

"We've got our center position pretty well taken care of," Nelson said. "We've got a great sixth man (Maggette). The people that we've invested our money in ... (Ellis) hasn't been able to play all year," Nelson said. "We've got a lot of talent at the other positions that's either going to help us acquire somebody who's a good fit, or going to be able to rise up and be part of what we're doing."

A high draft pick notwithstanding, the centerpiece of Nelson's long-term plan appears to be a backcourt of Ellis and Jackson, both of whom are under contract for at least another four seasons - assuming Ellis' deal is not voided by the Warriors over his moped accident. The pairing would help solve some of the Warriors' size and rebounding issues and allow Jackson to return to his natural shooting-guard spot.

It also would squeeze Crawford out of the starting lineup, assuming he does not opt out of the final two years of his contract or is not traded. Crawford, who has started all 45 games he's played for the Warriors, hasn't come off the bench since he played behind Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis with the Knicks at the start of the 2006-07 season. Now, the Warriors' guard may be asked to join Maggette as a highly paid reserve. "You have to ask coach that, but I think I can play wherever. You have to be able to do more than one thing," Crawford said. "I just have to go out there and play when my number's called." Jackson said he preferred to start alongside Crawford and Ellis, but would do whatever Nelson asked, joking that given his coach's ever-changing lineups and free-flowing system, "I'll end up playing '2,' '3,' '4' again."

As for the frontcourt, Nelson says he is happy with his center combination of starter Andris Biedrins and backup Ronny Turiaf. The question mark, as it has been for the last decade, remains at power forward, where the Warriors have two potential impact players in Wright and Randolph, whom Nelson projects to be a small forward. Nelson has spent most of the season playing the undersized Maggette and Azubuike at the '4' because of his preference for small-ball and a combination of injuries and inexperience, but said that could change as he gets his full roster back. Wright practiced for the first time since dislocating his left shoulder two months ago, and Nelson said the second-year forward looked better than expected after his long layoff. Would Nelson be fine with giving up his trademark mismatches for a more traditional lineup? "The bigger you are, the less you do those kinds of things and the more you rely on your positions to hold your own," Nelson said. "It's not that I want to do those things. I do it to stay competitive and give our team a chance to win."

BRIEFLY: Ellis has been cleared to play after a checkup with Dr. John Belzer after Monday's practice. ... Turiaf was held out of most drills Tuesday with soreness in his left knee, but is expected to be available tonight. ... Guard Marco Belinelli (sprained right big toe) is doubtful.

NEXT GAME
Who: Nets (28-35) vs. Warriors (21-42)
Where: Oracle Arena When: 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: CSNBA/680

Nets update: New Jersey is coming off a 106-101 home win over the Knicks on Sunday. ... Point guard Devin Harris leads the Nets with 22.5 points and 6.9 assists per game and recently was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. ... Former Stanford big man Brook Lopez has started 56 games and is sixth in the NBA in total blocks. ... Ex-Warrior Eduardo Najera is done for the season after having surgery for a right abdominal strain this week. Forward Bobby Simmons (strained left shoulder) is questionable.