By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

Warriors coach Don Nelson said Wednesday that he wants to treat tonight’s exhibition finale against the New Orleans Hornets as if it were a regular-season game, with a typical rotation and a closing lineup meant to procure a win.

So when Nelson listed his expected starting lineup — which already featured Corey Maggette in place of the injured Anthony Randolph — it came as a bit of a shock when C.J. Watson was the first name out of his mouth.

C.J. Watson? A guy who strained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee three weeks ago? Really? Over a healthy Anthony Morrow, who’s been the Warriors’ best player in this exhibition season? Over a healthy Stephen Curry, who is already after three weeks as a pro Golden State’s best facilitator of ball movement?

Sure. This is Don Nelson, after all, whose motivational techniques never lack for bluntness. (Recall the Rob Kurz-over-Randolph situation early last season.)

I think there’s a two-fold dynamic in play here. Watson said Wednesday that his right knee is only back to 75 or 80 percent of full strength, and he’s logged less than 100 minutes of play in three exhibition games this season, so there’s a question of conditioning and using the last chance to really get Watson back into game shape.

There’s also certainly a component meant to keep expectations for Curry from getting out of control. There are going to be struggles for any rookie point guard, no matter how highly prized he may be — Steve Nash, for example, shot 42.3 percent from the floor as a backup to Jason Kidd in 1996-97, and committed a turnover just less than once in every four plays.

So to throw Curry out there on Opening Night as a starter, alongside Monta Ellis and (if Randolph still isn’t ready) Maggette in a lineup that will get slaughtered defensively, may not be the wisest course of action.

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By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

Anthony Randolph was absent from practice Wednesday and listed on the Warriors’ official injury report as being “questionable” with a “bruised lower back.”

But coach Don Nelson reported after practice that there may be more to Randolph’s aches and pains — namely a knee injury of unknown parameters.

“Anthony Randolph has a tail bruise and other issues that he’s going to work on,” Nelson said, “So he may miss some time.”

Asked what the other issues were, Nelson revealed the other problem.

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The Warriors waived rookie forward Shaun Pruitt on Wednesday, an unsurprising but necessary move to get down to the league-mandated maximum of 15 players.

Pruitt, who spent last year, his first out of Illinois, playing in three different countries, was the only player remaining in Warriors camp with a non-guaranteed contract.

The team had come into the season planning on trying to go with 14 players, but with so many injuries at the moment — Kelenna Azubuike (bone bruise in left ankle), Devean George (sore left knee), Stephen Jackson (sore right hamstring), Anthony Randolph (bruised lower back) and, of course, Brandan Wright (left shoulder surgery) are all missing practice right now — that doesn’t look very feasible.

– Geoff

By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

Stephen Jackson said Friday he was done giving daily updates on his Free Jack campaign, opining that “it’s time to be quiet.”

The self-proclaimed cone of silence was pierced fairly quickly, however, by Jackson telling Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears that he’s “scarred” from the last month, and that he doesn’t feel like he can stay in Oakland, even if Amar’e Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer or Chris Bosh appear, gift-wrapped, under his tree at Christmastime.

Media members love Jackson for his openness, his unwillingness to duck questions and his devastating candor, and I am no different. So I’d like to offer Jack one piece of free media advice:

Play to the crowd, not against them.

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Not much to add this morning, so it’s straight to the linkage:

BLOGOSPHERE

Golden State Warriors/San Francisco Chronicle (Rusty Simmons): Don Nelson goes on the offensive in The Jackson Affair, spinning in the masterly manner of C.J. Cregg: “How sad can a guy be making $36 million over four years? To this day, I really don’t know why (Jackson) wants out. We’re trying to win here, and he can be a big part of that.”

Also, after reading Nelson’s quote about how, “I don’t fall out of love with people. I understand that people get divorced and everything else, but, if you have affection for people, I think it lasts a lifetime,” I have to admit, all I could think of was Jake Gyllenhaal in “Brokeback Mountain.”

Inside The Warriors/Contra Costa Times (Marcus Thompson II): Q: Is it worth worrying about Stephen Curry’s early shooting woes? A: Maybe.

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