BRANDAN WRIGHT one of the fastest rising stars in the basketball scene.
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Wright on track
The Warriors didn't make any moves before the trade deadline on Feb. 21, unable to parlay swingman Mickael Pietrus - who has made his desire to play elsewhere quite clear - into some much-needed frontcourt help. It appears as if they've added some energy, athleticism and finishing ability - with a little bit of rebounding and shot blocking mixed in. The addition has come in the form of rookie power forward Brandan Wright. He's recently moved from the end of the bench and into the regular rotation, and he's turned out to be quite the substitute for the trade deadline quick fix the Warriors failed to coup. Over the last six games, five of which he started, Wright is averaging 7.7 points on 64.5 percent shooting with 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 18 minutes. Not a bad Plan B, huh? "I guess you could say that," Brandan Wright said. "After the trading dealine was over, we knew what team we were going to have, what guys were going to be around. Guys had to step up. We had to fill roles." Wright's production has been sincerely welcomed, as Golden State - which visits Miami tonight - is severely short on big men.Starting center Andris Biedrins had his appendix removed on the day of the trade deadline and hasn't played since, a span of six games missed. Chris Webber, who has started both at center and power forward, played sparingly before being sidelined by a sore knee. Coach Don Nelson still doesn't think enough of second-year 7-footer Patrick O'Bryant to put him in games. And Nelson considers rookie 7-2 center Kosta Perovic, recently sent down to the NBA Development League, as neck-and-neck with O'Bryant. That left Austin Croshere and Al Harrington as the Warriors' big men. It was the perfect time - better yet, the Wright time - for the Warriors' rookie to jump in the fire. "He's playing well," second-year guard Kelenna Azubuike said. "Hopefully he can continue that and get some more minutes. He's bringing energy. He has a nice game, nice touch around the basket. He's athletic. He does a lot of nice things out there." Perhaps the best part about Wright's emergence is that it allowed the Warriors to enhance their depth without any additional cost. They kept all their draft picks. They didn't have to dip into the $10 million trade exception they own. And they got to keep Pietrus, which could turn out to be a bonus if the last couple of weeks have been any indication. At his best, Pietrus fits the Warriors style of play and brings what they'll need down the stretch and in the playoffs. Lately, he's been at his best. The last five games, Pietrus has averaged 12.8 points on 59 percent shooting with 4.6 rebounds in 24.4 minutes. For the most part, he's been active and aggressive, and a pest for opponents, displaying why the Warriors didn't just trade him away for anything. Because of Wright, the Warriors can feel much better about not sacrificing Pietrus for help down low. To be sure, Wright will take more patience than would a veteran acquisition the Warriors might've acquired. Not only is Wright a rookie, but he has just one year of college ball at North Carolina under his belt. The last two games - Tuesday's win at Atlanta and Wednesday's loss at Charlotte - Wright was fairly quiet. He totaled 11 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes. Not bad, but not the 12.5 points and 7.0 boards in the previous two games, home wins over Portland and Philadelphia. "He's playing like he doesn't have any pressure on him," Harrington said after Wednesday's loss to the Bobcats. "Tonight he got hit, so he wasn't as active as he usually is. He caught one of them welcome-to-the-NBA elbows (from Charlotte's Emeka Okafor). But, for the most part, he's been playing pretty hard, playing well." Read more at the www.timesheraldonline.com |
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