It seems that no matter what they do, the Golden State Warriors cannot quite get over the hump. Do not expect to see playoff basketball in the bay area this year. They are not awful by any means, but they are probably at best going to finish 10th in the West. Last season, the team raised many eyebrows when they essentially traded superstar Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut. The surprise was not that they traded Ellis. The writing on the wall had been there for a while. The shock is that they received Bogut in return. He did not play for them last year, and it looks unlikely that he will have any impact this year. According to a report on the team's website from October 20th, his rehab for his surgically repaired left ankle is on schedule, but there is no timeline for his return. That does not sound very optimistic to me. Solid true centers are hard to come by, and Bogut is certainly solid if healthy. But that is a gigantic if.
As for the players who will be on the floor, this team has a good talent pool. Stephen Curry has superstar potential. He averaged 14.7 points per game, and shot 45% from beyond the 3-point line. I am concerned about the fact that he averaged only 28.2 minutes per game. He does not seem to be extremely durable, considering he only played in 26 games last season. He rolled his ankle in a recent preseason game, but that does not appear to be too problematic. I am also concerned about the fact that he is a scoring point guard and only a decent passer, but the team addressed this issue by adding Jarrett Jack. Someone who played like a superstar last year was David Lee. He averaged 20.1 points per game, along with 9.6 rebounds per game. He also averaged 37.2 minutes per game. These stats are impressive, but Lee does not seem to have the intangibles that make a team great. This was evident during his time with the Knicks. His numbers look nice on paper, but the do not translate into wins necessarily.
Klay Thompson and Brandon Rush are both very good, and seem to have a great upside. Richard Jefferson is no star, but he is a good guy to have on your team. Carl Landry was a formidable addition. I believe that this team had the second best draft behind the Hornets. Harrison Barnes was one of my favorite players in the draft, and I love the blue collar attitudes of Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green. Despite the positives, the weaknesses this team possesses are glaring. Getting rid of Dorell Wright made sense from a salary cap standpoint, but he still was a important piece for this team. I like coach Mark Jackson, but his lack of experience may be a hindrance. They still lack size, especially considering how limited Bogut will be (although their three draftees are 6'7" or taller). They allowed 101.2 points per game last year. They are not good shot blockers.
The biggest ailment this team faces is something that is completely out of their control; the fact that they are in the Western Conference. I would give them a shot at the 7th or 8th seed if they were an Eastern Conference team. But they have very little chance to compete against the Thunder, Lakers, Clippers, Spurs, Grizzlies, Nuggets, or Mavericks. I think Utah and Minnesota are slightly better than them as well. I just cannot give my vote of confidence to a team that is this abominable defensively. They are fun to watch and they have exciting young talent (as well as stunningly gorgeous uniforms), but unfortunately they are still a mediocre basketball team. Plain and simple.
No comments:
Post a Comment