The Sleeper? DeMarcus Nelson

One guy who’s been ripping it up in practice is former Duke guard and Vallejo native DeMarcus Nelson. I watched most of practice on Thursday, and he was dominant. He threw down one tomahawk dunk that shocked me a bit, then he almost broke the rim trying to dunk on like three big men. He also knocked down open shots, ran the offense, got to the basket, scored in traffic, defended C.J. Watson. He looked really good.
He’s getting it done in games, he just doesn’t get many minutes behind Marco Belinelli. He’s averaging 5.3 points in 10 minutes.
“That’s all I want is a chance,” Nelson said after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s what I’ve been working for … Summer league has been good. I’ve been playing well. I’ve been trying to do everything they ask me to do, and at the same time demonstrate what I can do. It’s been great. I love the guys. I love the system here, and we’re 3-0.”
Nelson will stick with the Warriors’ summer league squad in Utah. He said he felt good about his chances of being invited to training camp in October.
One thing that really stands out about him is his hunger. He plays with an aggressive urgency, like he knows he has something to prove. It can hurt him some, as he tries to do too much (four turnovers in 10 minutes vs. Dallas). But the dude has a chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t understand why he’s in this situation, struggling trying to make training camp. It only took one question for him to let loose.
Question: Did not getting drafted shake your confidence?
Answer: “It didn’t shake my confidence in who I was. It just frustrated me because I had a great senior season. I don’t think anybody else in the country had a better senior season than me. I don’t think anybody had the pressures of leading their team every night, defending the best offensive player (point guard through power forward), scoring, being the leading scorer, being the leading defensive player, and then still setting up your teammates on the offensive side. I had to do that every night for me team. There was not one player who had that type of responsibility. And then going into predraft, I played well at Orlando, second-leading scorer at camp. And then workouts, I went against some of the top guys and had great workouts. Everywhere I went, I had a good showing. So the draft was tough for me because it didn’t feel like I was fully appreciated for what I do. It never shook my confidence in who I am. But it just more so ignited a passion, a deeper passion, a fire.”
Many people talk about how these athletes should stay in school. He did. All four years. At Duke. He has experience under pressure, in big games, playing a key role. His body is developed. He knows his strengths and weaknesses.
He is somewhat undersized for a shooting guard (6-foot-4, 200 pounds), and not really a point guard (though he can handle well). Other than that, I think he’s good enough to play in the NBA, and probably worth keeping around to see if he develops.
With the Mickael Pietrus gone, and Kelenna Azubuike possibly on his way out, and Marco Belinelli moving up in the rotation, the Warriors need a competitive practice player and someone who can play spot minutes. Maybe he turns out to be a player.

http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2008/07/18/the-sleeper-demarcus-nelson/

Nelson, Warriors Finish Summer League, 7-2

As one of the most impressive teams at both the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and the Rocky Mountain Revue in Utah, the Warriors earned the reputation of being 'the team to beat.' And today, playing their fouth game in five days, the Warriors were taken down by the Hawks in a 105-91 contest. It marked the team's only loss at the RMR, and their first overall loss since their fourth game in Vegas.

The Hawks came out firing and never stopped, hitting 11-of-24 three-pointers on the game. And despite the loss, there were still plenty of positives for the Warriors. DeMarcus Nelson put forth perhaps his best effort of the summer, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. In what has become a trend, Anthony Randolph had another solid game, registering 20 points, six rebounds and three assists, while knocking down all six of his free throws. And last but not least, Anthony Morrow tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, but his final game of the summer most definitely took a back seat to the news he received earlier in the day. Prior to the contest, the Warriors announced that they had signed Morrow to a contract, a deserved honor for the rookie. At the time of signing his contract, Morrow had averaged 18.6 points in six previous Summer League games for the Warriors, while converting 16-of-19...yes 16-of-19 three-pointers (84.2%).

Golden State finished with a 3-1 record in Utah, which was good enough to earn them a tie for first place. Coupled with their 4-1 finish in Vegas that also netted them a first place tie, the Warriors finished 7-2 overall in what has to be called a very successful summer.

DeMarcus Nelson: The reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year from Duke lived up to his reputation and played a key role in the Warriors' success. Nelson played in all nine of the Warriors' summer league games and showed a hunger that did not go unnoticed. Nelson wound up averaging 8.8 points, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 19.0 minutes per game.

DeMarcus Nelson Finds a Home.. For Now

Former Sheldon High star DeMarcus Nelson has signed a free-agent deal to play with the Golden State Warriors in summer league in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

Nelson, undrafted after four seasons at Duke capped by being named Defensive Player of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, has a good chance to get an invitation to training camp. Up-tempo Golden State would be an obvious fit for the athletic combo guard.

The Warriors will play five games in Las Vegas from July 11-19 and then four in Salt Lake City from July 21-25. Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, Anthony Randolph and Richard Hendrix are the other familiar names on the summer-league roster.


http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/013673.html