His Warriors had just polished off an 89-81 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center, their second consecutive loss. And Jackson looked the worse for it - sapped, irritated and grappling.

He said his primary source of willpower at this point is the promise of a brighter future, which was on display against Philadelphia. Sunday was a humbling update on the progress necessary before that future starts shining.

"I hate losing, so you know I get frustrated," Jackson said after totaling 12 points (on 5-for-14 shoting) with seven assists, seven rebounds, four turnovers and three steals in 43 minutes.

"After games, all kinds of stuff go through my mind. It's starting to look unfamiliar, from when I first got here to now. ... But the good thing about it is (that) it's early, we're getting big help from Jamal Crawford when he comes in. We'll see what happens. I can't take too much more, I'll tell you that. I am 30 years old. I'm going to continue to work with these young guys and support them and give all I can for this team and this organization. But at the same time, I'm human. You know."

Nelson gave his youngsters plenty of minutes Sunday, including crunch time action. It was no doubt a deviation from precedent, as Nelson has been known to choose victory over development.

In 29 minutes of action, rookie forward Anthony Randolph exhibited why he should and shouldn't be out on the court. He had six points on 3-for-10 shooting, many of his attempts falling in the "bad shot" category. He had four rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Second-year forward Brandan Wright played 15 minutes off the bench and made his first four shots, finishing with 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting. But a crucial late turnover trying to push the ball up court - with four-plus minutes left in a two-point game - tainted his performance.

Even guard Anthony Morrow, who knocked down back-to-back open 3-pointers to tie the game at 76 midway through the fourth quarter, forced a couple of shots on critical possessions. After nailing the second three-pointer, the Warriors got a stop and a chance to take the lead. But Morrow, out of a post-up, took an off-balance turnaround jumper over a bigger defender.

"The only thing that's keeping me going right now is the fact that it's early and our young guys are playing so hard," Jackson said. "They want to get better, so I can't die on them."

The way the veterans were playing, the Warriors wouldn't have had a chance without the youngsters. They trailed by as much as 22 in the second quarter.

Philadelphia swingman Andre Iguodala started a 16-2 run late in the second quarter with consecutive 3-pointers. Sixers forward Elton Brand capped the run with a 16-footer, putting the Warriors behind 57-35 with 1:40 left in the half.

Nelson started using his youngsters more in the second half, stomaching their mistakes. Three starters - center Andris Biedrins and swingmen Corey Maggette and Kelenna Azubuike - combined for less than eight minutes in the fourth quarter.

"I think this was a good game for our young guys to play in," Nelson said, "and they competed and all did some good things. I'm not discouraged. I know the mistakes are going to cost us, but they're doing good things. ... But hey, it won't be long (until) they'll be playing."

But how long is the question. How long before they are good enough to help the Warriors win consistently? Based on Jackson's demeanor Sunday, it can't come soon enough.