Golden State Warriors: Predicting the Starting Lineup for the 2011-12 NBA Season

While the NBA lockout is making the start of this season cloudier and cloudier, it is making the Golden State Warriors projected starting five very clear, for better or worse. 

The Warriors were dead last in the NBA in rebounding rate and in the bottom five in overall defensive efficiency, meaning a lot is riding on new head coach Mark Jackson and his defensive mentality that he will be bringing to the team.

The good news is that he shouldn't have to spend a lot of time on the offensive end as the Warriors can put the ball in the hoop. Although, with this new mentality, the Warriors should be getting what they will need to be much more efficient on offense.

Here is the outlook for the starting five that Mark Jackson will be working with in his first year as a coach.

1. PG- Stephen Curry

This is a big year for Curry as he is entering his third year and it's time for him to make the step into the elite point guard status.

This lockout is especially hurting the Warriors as the sooner coach Jackson can start working with Curry to make him the point guard he needs to become, the better. That, and not being able to be attended to by the Warriors medical staff concerning his ankle that he had surgery on, the Warriors can only hope that it will be 100 percent by opening day.

For the Warriors to have a successful season, Stephen Curry's name is going to have to be able to be used in the same sentence as the Russell Westbrook's, Derrick Rose's and Rajon Rondo's of the NBA.

If his point guard skills can catch up with the rest of his ability that shouldn't be a problem.

2. SG- Monta Ellis

How sick are you of hearing the Monta Ellis trade rumors? Imagine how he feels.

You can't go on the Internet without seeing Ellis' name being mentioned in numerous possible trades.

However, the longer the lockout continues, the likelier the chances that Monta Ellis remains a Warrior for the start of the 2011-2012 NBA season, especially if the NBA sees a shorten season which seems very likely.

At this point it would be hard enough to get a new coach and philosophy in with the same team coming, back let alone trading away major pieces.

I think the Ellis/Curry backcourt gets a last chance under coach Jackson in what should be their last chance to figure it out if they can indeed play together.

If we are facing a shortened season, then give them the 50 games or whatever it will be, but for a full season, if at the All-Star break the Warriors are lottery bound, then it's time to cut one of them loose.

Give Jackson a chance to try to make it work, but if he can't do it this year, then Warriors need to move on. A lot to ask of for a first year head coach, but it's gone on long enough.

3. SF- Dorell Wright

Dorell Wright was a pleasant surprise last year and now he is going to have to prove that last season was no fluke. The pressure will be on him to as expectations will be at an all-time high for him. We'll see how he will handle it.

Improving on defense is going to be key for him, as well as the theme for the entire starting five.

By changing the defensive philosophy, the Warriors shouldn't be free wheeling it on offense again and Wright isn't going to get as many shots up as last year and he will have to become a more efficient shooter.

Based on last year's improvement, he has it in him to make the transition.

4. PF- David Lee

David Lee was the biggest free agent haul, (dollar wise) in the history of the Warriors franchise and for all that money, his first season went as well as The Green Lantern did.

There is reason for a bit of optimism though, as the Warriors were actually playing good basketball at the start of the last season and Lee looked great to start the year.

When Lee's arm was bitten into by what was left of Wilson Chandler’s front teeth, it took Lee out for several weeks and neither he nor the Warriors looked the same for the rest of the season.

This is going to be a big transition year for Lee. While the Warriors can’t get a whole new offensive mindset as they will have to still get up and down with the roster, but if the Warriors try to play more of a half court offense it will be new for Lee as playing the New York Knicks and last season for the Warriors, half court offense wasn't really, let’s say emphasized. 

What was really troubling was Lee's rebounding and field goal percentage totals. Down by nearly two rebounds a game from his last two season averages and he shot four percent lower this past year than his previous career low.

He needs to improve his rebounding and his overall improvement this season will depend a lot on the development of the next guy.

5. C- Andris Biedrins

Last season was an utter disaster for Biedrins.

Keith Smart spent three weeks in Latvia just to work with him and that seems to have been just as good as if Biedrins didn't touch a basketball for three weeks. In fact, maybe that would have been better.

Warriors fans can look at this guy in two ways, one as a 25 year old starting center who has shown flashes of being a legitimate starting center. With the right coaching and with Larry Riley’s complete physical and mental outlined training program to follow this summer (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/29/SPUQ1J9Q4A.DTL) (with the lockout your guess is as good as mine as to if he would actually do this on his own) can transform into the player some thought he would be.

Or as an overpaid seven year NBA veteran who has lost it mentally and physically and whose best years (whatever they were) are behind him.

The Warriors presumably are the first one as they had the chance to get rid of his contract and chose to keep him on board.

Here's to hoping they are right and if Mark Jackson can get him to be the player that was putting up 20 and 20 games then hand him the coach of the year award no matter where they finish in the standings.