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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PRINT MEDIA

Contra Costa Times (Marcus Thompson II): Stephen Jackson breaks his silence. “I’ve got no choice but to go out there,” Jackson said. “I’m just going to do my job. I don’t want to be fake. I’m just going to go and play basketball and handle my business.”

We’ll see how that turns out.

San Francisco Chronicle (Ray Ratto): Chris Cohan will sell someday. But not just yet.

San Francisco Chronicle (Rusty Simmons): A brief summary.

WEB MEDIA

ESPN.com (Marc Stein): A distinct lack of good news on the trade front: “… no deal appears close in an economy where teams are overwhelmingly reluctant to take on players in their 30s possessing long-term contracts.”

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VIDEO

KCAL (via YouTube): Start here, with Shannon Brown crapping all over Mikki Moore in hi-def. (Or click on the jump for the embedded video.) Honestly, that dunk was so personal and intimate, it felt like we ought to give the two of them the arena, alone, for a few minutes, to work out the ramifications amongst themselves.

BLOGOSPHERE

Ball Don’t Lie/Yahoo! Sports (J.E. Skeets): The Dunk Heard ‘Round The Internets.

(BTW, all jokes aside, when you take the Brown dunk and combine it with Kobe Bryant skirting Moore like a pylon on the Lakers’ very next possession on his way to a banked layup and three-point play, it does make you wonder if all Moore can give you defensively is a poor imitation of Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s constant attempts to draw charges. Because if that’s the case, the Brandan Wright injury is going to hurt more than I even expected.)

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After a two-day deluge of drama, things have settled into a more sedate groove at 1011 Broadway, with coverage to match. Now we can just focus on whether small ball is once again doomed to failure, if Brandan Wright can play well enough to somehow convince Don Nelson not to go with Corey Maggette at the 4, and who might be able to knock Anthony Morrow out of that final starting spot.

– Geoff

PRINT MEDIA

Contra Costa Times (Marcus Thompson II): Stephen Curry is “holding his own” while playing with the NBA veterans, according to Nelson. I know he counseled against reading anything into lineups on Day 2, but it sure seems like Morrow has the inside shot at starting, and the Curry/Azubuike/Maggette/Wright/Turiaf crew will fill the 6-10 roles.

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Just got the release from the Warriors, and it’s short and to the point:

“Guard C.J. Watson, who underwent an MRI exam this afternoon, will be sidelined a minimum of 1-3 weeks due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Watson suffered the injury during yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) initial morning practice.”

This is not a good start to a critical year for Watson. As a restricted free agent this summer, Watson passed up an offer from the Warriors worth a reported $5.4 million over three years in favor of signing a one-year deal worth just more than $1 million and hitting the unrestricted free agent market next summer. The injury will put him further behind in fighting for minutes in Golden State’s crowded backcourt.

– Geoff