BRANDAN WRIGHT one of the fastest rising stars in the basketball scene.
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Warriors' Wright begins to open some eyes
OAKLAND -- The national consensus after this summer's NBA draft was that the Warriors traded away the present, in the form of proven scorer Jason Richardson, for the future, represented by an undeveloped 19-year-old power forward who still wore braces. Brandan Wright still has his orthodontia in place. But he's making significant strides in his quest to make the future happen now. Brandan Wright, who turned 20 on Oct. 5, has been getting more and more work with first-team Warriors in the 10 days since he returned from a back injury. During the Warriors' last two practices, coach Don Nelson has made a point of playing Brandan Wright together with swingman Stephen Jackson to get the Warriors' second-best player used to working with the rookie. Nelson has tried hard to downplay expectations for Wright, but the No. 8 overall pick out of the University of North Carolina is having none of that. "I'm trying to get better as fast as I can," Brandan Wright said. "I'm not here to make it a long, slow, drawn-out process where I'm not ready to play until March or April. I'm trying to play as soon as possible. That's why I'm out here working hard every day and trying to get better." Forward Matt Barnes can see Brandan Wright possibly forcing his way onto the floor sooner than expected. "He's made huge strides since training camp," Barnes said. "I'm not a coach, but just from being out there with him, I don't think it's going to take him a year (to be ready)." Of course, the only guy who really needs convincing is Nelson. He's happy with Brandan Wright's progress but not yet sold on the notion of handing over serious minutes, especially while he leans heavily on his veterans in an attempt to stay afloat during Jackson's seven-game suspension. "(Brandan Wright) is just an interesting player that I think is going to be good, and the more he plays, the better, the quicker he'll be good," Nelson said. "I hope he gets to a point where I need to play him because he'll help me this year. I don't see that yet. ... It'll all happen, it's just, how long is it going to take?" For Brandan Wright, the biggest challenge -- outside of adding strength to his lean 6-foot-10 frame -- is how to get better without the benefit of real-game experience. Even a veteran such as Barnes said he wasn't comfortable when he was getting 10 minutes a game, so you can imagine how tough it might be when your entire NBA career consists of one 3-minute, 43-second stint. "It's just one of those things where you come in and you've got to be ready," Brandan Wright said. "You can't make it a downhill thing. You've got to bring the level of the team up when you do come in. If you do bring it down, you're not going to play. It's as simple as that." There is one way that Brandan Wright could get all the playing time he'd want and then some, but it's not very appealing to either he or the team, since it would involve a continued lack of success. "There will be a point, if things aren't going well, that I'll be playing those young guys more," Nelson said. "It's just common sense." Barnes is hoping for a situation that's a bit more pleasant: "I just know that when it comes time to make that run at the end of the season, I know Brandan will be a big part of it." Notes: Barnes and Baron Davis both returned from a day off, but neither practiced fully. Barnes (sprained right ring finger) and Austin Croshere (back disk inflammation) did drill work, while Davis used the stationary bike. Troy Hudson (left hip inflammation) was out, and forward Mickael Pietrus was absent with the team's consent. Pietrus is not expected to return for a few days, and it's possible dealing with his personal matters will force him to miss games next week. ... Rookie center Kosta Perovic shaved his head Saturday, a move he said was not prompted by losing a wager, but by choice. "A change, that's it," he said. "No bet, no, no." ... Brandan Wright confirmed Perovic's story. "He said he was bored yesterday," Brandan Wright said. "That's exactly what he said: It was a rainy day and he was feeling down, so he cut his hair." ... Perovic's new look prompted a double-take from one teammate. "I thought Pat Burke was back," Barnes said, referring to the training-camp invitee who was released before the season began.
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