Golden State Warriors preview by Atma Brother #1
1. What can the Warriors learn from the 2006-07 season to help them improve their 2007-08 campaign?
It's all about believing. No one thought Don Nelson would leave the relaxing confines of the Hawaiian beaches for a shot to help end the curse he helped start. No one thought Baron Davis would rebound from a difficult 2005-2006 campaign. No one thought Andris Biedrins would do anything, but foul out of games like the movie "Gone in Sixty Seconds." No one thought Monta Ellis would take home Most Improved Player honors and steal the show at the Rook-Soph game. No one thought Matt Barnes would even make the final roster cuts back in October. No one thought any other team would be foolish enough to trade for Dunmurphy's apathetic play and horrendous contracts. No one thought Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington would fit in brilliantly with their teammates, be a perfect match for Nellieball, and resonate with the Bay Area fanbase. No one thought an incredibly undersized, but blazing fast, supremely athletic, crafty, and mentally tough starting five of Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, and Al Harrington could end a 12-year curse by going on an unfathomable run to close out the 2006-2007 regular season. No one thought the Golden State "there's an 83rd game?" Warriors could do the unthinkable and shock the world by pulling off the biggest upset in NBA Playoff history against an all-time great regular season Dallas Mavericks team.
No one.
But the entire Bay Area believed and we're looking forward to We Believe 2.0. It would be great for the league if the Warriors reached the second round of the playoffs again. Afterall, their run was probably one of the few highlights in last year's dismal NBA postseason and they're a forgotten big market team that could really help the league pull in additional revenue with a lasting return to relevance. However, the Warriors are by no means a lock to even make the 2008 Western Conference Playoffs. All Warriors Nation can do in 2k7-2k8 is believe.
2. What was the Warriors' best and/or worst move during the offseason, either by free agency, trade, or draft?
The best move was unquestionably bringing back Nellie. This roster was built for him. No Nellie, no playoffs. It's that simple.
The worst move was trading Jason Richardson, at least for its impact on this upcoming season. He along with Baron Davis formed the BoomRich backcourt and were the identity of this team - passionate, athletic, powerful, smart, fiery, and fun to watch. When healthy, which unfortunately wasn't often enough, they were a top five maybe top three backcourt in the league.
If Brandan Wright can Do the Wright Thing this season by helping out on the glass and giving the Warriors some type of back to the basket interior presence and other players can pick up the slack for JR, the Warriors can avoid taking a few steps back this season. In the long run, if Wright morphs into a Chris Bosh-type big man this trade could be a steal. If the Warriors manage to use that $10 million trade exception before it expires (which recent history has demonstrated that the Warriors are not adept at) to net at least a near All-Star player then the Warriors' worst move turns into a heist along the lines of last year's pillage of the Indiana Pacers.
But that's a lot of IF's to bank on and break up what was a good thing at the end of last season that was only going to get better. After a painful 12-year playoff drought for Bay Area hoops, Warriors Nation wants to believe, not wait to see if some IF's will actually materialize.
Take it how you want, but the Warriors pretty much bet the house on Kevin Garnett this summer and didn't win the sweepstakes. The draft day J-Rich deal for the top power forward prospect and $10 million exception it netted were done with the goal of either directly or indirectly improving the Dubs' chances of bringing KG to the Bay. That didn't happen thanks to some collusion by Celtics' "braintrust" Danny Ainge and former Celtic great and atrocious Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale. Garnett would've loved playing Nellieball in front of the best fans in the league, but oh well.
3. Who is the Most Important Player on the Warriors? The MIP is not necessarily the most talented, but the one that makes the biggest difference in his TEAM doing well each game.
Baron Davis aka Boom Dizzle is the glue that holds this high octane offense and suffocating, turnover-inducing D together. Without him this installment of Nellieball fizzles. He is the closest thing the Warriors have had to a superstar since that Latrell Fontaine Sprewell fellow. There's no question he's both the most talented player on this team and the biggest difference-maker. Take away BD and this might be one of the worst teams in the league.
