BRANDAN WRIGHT one of the fastest rising stars in the basketball scene.
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Rookies get some minutes
There was a bright side to the Warriors' 109-87 loss to at the Detroit Pistons on Sunday: the rookies got some run. Forward Brandan Wright and guard Marco Belinelli both got significant minutes. Brandan Wright finished with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and a block in 16 minutes. Belinelli had five points, an assist and two turnovers as he spent some time at point guard. He even drew some "oohs" from the sparse crowd on a fall-away 21-footer from the top of the key. It was garbage-time action, as coach Don Nelson benched his starters for most of the third quarter and the entire final period. "I think they needed the work," Nelson said of his bench. "I wasn't unhappy with any of them. They got a chance to play, they did all right." Brandan Wright set career highs in points, minutes and assists. He got to show off his soft touch with a couple of mid-range jumpers as he went 4-of-8 from the field. "It was a good li'l run," Brandan Wright said. "The game was out of hand. It was an opportunity to go out there and get some good time. ... It's just another game. It's a long season. When I get opportunities, I've just got to go out there and play the best I can, not worry about the score or what's going on, just do the things I do best." Rough road The Warriors didn't get a break from the league's schedulers. Nearly 38 hours after their nationally televised home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors tipped off at Detroit. That's a quick turnaround by league standards, the NBA's version of a baseball's day game after a night game setup. It gets tougher, as the Warriors cap a back-to-back set in Memphis tonight. "We've got to take a page from (the Pistons) and not make excuses about the travel or whatever," said point guard Baron Davis, who had two points on 1-for-8 shooting in 23 minutes. Off glass Shooting guard Kelenna Azubuike played just over seven minutes Sunday as the tendinitis in his right knee was giving him problems. He spent the second half in the locker room getting treatment. So far, the treatment -- liquid Advil and wearing a knee brace -- hasn't worked. Azubuike said his knee is really hurting. He didn't rule out playing tonight in Memphis. "We're going to take a look at it, see if we can treat it and go from there," Azubuike said. "It was pretty bad today. I wasn't myself. ... We've got to do something." ... Guard Troy Hudson was inactive with left hip inflammation, the same injury that caused him to miss 11 games in November. ... Assistant coach Keith Smart had more of a presence on the Warriors bench Sunday. He called a timeout and did all the talking in some of the huddles. The last time he took over the vocal duties was at Washington on Nov. 23 as Nelson was under the weather. This time, Nelson said it was part of Smart's grooming. "He can run a huddle every now and then, can't he?" Nelson said. "We're going to do some more of that. Part of my job is to teach the younger coaches and give them some experience. I don't have to say everything all the time."
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