Golden State Warriors: Grading the Team's Offseason Moves

When the Golden State Warriors opened their season on Christmas night no one wanted or expected a season like this.

In fact, the year began with an optimism like few seasons before with names like Jerry West and Mark Jackson added to the fray over the summer.

Sure, the roster still looked like it was a player or two away from contending. And the possibility of success with a Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry was no clearer than it had been when the duo was formed three years ago.

Even the thoughts of tanking for a top-seven protected pick in a deep draft were muffled when the 2011-12 Warriors first took the floor that night.

What has since transpired, unfortunately, has been nothing short of a disaster—on and off the court.

Before the Warriors even made it to their season opener, the team was throttled by reports that a former team employee was suing the organization and Ellis for allegedly harassing the employee with inappropriate messages and photos.

Curry stumbled out the gate—literally—re-aggravating an ankle injury in the team's final preseason game. Since then, he's been in and out of the training room and has failed to play in more than 16 consecutive games.

Fan favorite Ellis and (scapegoat-turned-favorite) Ekpe Udoh were shipped out in February along with their biggest offseason acquisition (Kwame Brown—well, his $7 million expiring contract, at least) days before the trade deadline for Andrew Bogut (who's battled his own injury demons this year and in seasons prior) and, eventually, Richard Jefferson and the San Antonio Spurs' first-round draft pick.

Not surprisingly the Warriors struggled to maintain relevancy, before ultimately accepting their fate (see: no playoff berth) and embracing the tanking movement to keep the aforementioned pick.

So with this season going as well as a (deep sigh) typical Warriors season, one might be tempted to place a lot of the blame on the club's newest members.

Here's why one should avoid that temptation.

Jerry West

After five decades around basketball, it's probably safe to value West's opinions.

Though he's played a limited role in his first year as a team consultant, he was reportedly Klay Thompson's biggest fan and a large reason why the team selected him 11th overall.

But West's legacy with the Warriors won't be defined by Thompson's production. He'll always be linked to the Bogut-for-Ellis swap as he's pleaded with the team to get bigger since his arrival.

He asked for patience from the fans regarding any reaction to the trade.

I suppose I'll grant him that patience with the fairest grade I can give.

Grade: Incomplete

Chris Wright

When Wright details his NBA career to his grandkids one day, this may be the story's climax—he outscored his team's starting center (Andris Biedrins).

No one will blame if he leaves out the fact that his 2.1 points were actually enough to surpass Biedrins.

Wright's tenure with the D-League Maine Red Claws (just four games) was enough to earn him a spot in Warriors' training camp. He then did enough in camp to earn a spot on the Warriors bench, although he hasn't avoided two trips back to the D-League since.

He plays with a lot of energy, but that's not enough to hide the fact that he may not have NBA-rotation-player skill. The fact that Jackson likes to play stretches with three-point shooters at the 4 doesn't help Wright either.

GRADE: D+

Kwame Brown

Many fans gasped when the Warriors signed Brown to a one-year, $7 million contract after failing to acquire their first and second options (Tyson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan) in the free-agent market.

Brown wasn't a bad signing for educated fans. First, you had to look past the contract amount (the Warriors had to overpay to keep the contract one year and leave flexibility for this offseason). And second, you had to forget the "bust" label (he would've been labeled an "'inside presence" had Michael Jordan not made him the first high school player selected with the top draft pick in 2002).

He had hands of stone and was incredibly limited on offense, but he gave the Warriors their first physical interior presence since Adonal Foyle's days

His time in the Bay was cut short when a torn chest muscle cost him the remainder of the season. That $7 million contract is now the property of the Milwaukee Bucks.

GRADE: C+

Jeremy Tyler

Tyler has been an enigma ever since the Warriors bought his draft rights (39th pick) from the Charlotte Bobcats for $2 million on draft night.

At one time, Tyler was the face of his draft class. Many rankings had him as the top player in his class after an impressive junior campaign in San Diego High School. But after an ill-advised decision to forgo his senior season to play professionally overseas, Tyler fell off the NBA radar after stints in both Israel and Japan.

Since arriving in Oakland, Tyler has struggled to find any meaningful minutes (outside of his stint with the Dakota Wizards, the team's D-League affiliate).

Recently, Tyler has finally found a way into the starting lineup (tanking—or a youth movement—may have had something to do with that) and has posted career highs in points (10) and rebounds (11) in the past week. He possesses a better-than-average midrange jumper, although he's yet to flash the athleticism that excited scouts years ago.

GRADE: C+

Mark Jackson

The former king of the catchphrase as part of ESPN's basketball broadcast team, Jackson's rookie campaign has been tough to analyze.

He inherited a roster built to play a completely different style than he would like.

Also, the former point guard—with no coaching experience at any level—had to navigate a condensed training camp and hectic 66-game schedule in this strike-shortened season.

And the fact that the organization understands the importance of keeping their draft pick, it's easy to imagine that Jackson has been urged to "take it easy" down the stretch of their remaining games.

He does seem to have the support of his players and his rotations have shown a hint of the accountability that he preached before starting his coaching campaign.

GRADE: C+

Dominic McGuire

When the Warriors inked McGuire to a one-year deal worth just under $1 million, the deal was seen as either a roster-filler or Warriors' GM Larry Riley's late attempt to find a few defensive players (along with Brown) to fit Jackson's system.

Expectations were low and his minutes were lower. McGuire failed to play more than 20 minutes in all but one game between the season opener and February 28.

Jackson was still learning how to use his best defender, while his teammates were learning how to play with the offensively-challenged, defensive stopper.

Since finding a niche as the team's best defender (on the perimeter and in the post), McGuire has been a mainstay in the Warriors rotation and should have earned a contract with the team going forward.

He's not the type of player the Warriors have had in a long time, and that's a big compliment.

GRADE: B+

Charles Jenkins

The backup point guard spot has been one of the team's biggest weaknesses for years. They might have found their answer in the middle of this year's second round.

Like many of the new Warriors, Jenkins had a hard time finding consistent playing time to start the season.

But as Curry struggled with ankle problems, Jenkins struggled to adjust to the NBA game.

The all-time leading scorer at Hofstra, Jenkins looked like he was still learning how to play the point guard position. Perhaps what led to his increasing minutes, though, was the fact that his learning had more to do with creating for others and less to do with protecting the basketball.

As Jenkins has logged more minutes, he's now begun to show an understanding of when to look for his own shot. And the best news for the Warriors is that while he's increased his scoring (all five of his double-digit efforts have come in the past four weeks), he's still shown remarkable control of the basketball.

GRADE: A-

Klay Thompson

Thompson spent a good chunk of the year on NBA.com's Rookie Ladder periphery before leaping into the top three after Ellis' departure.

Thompson entered the draft as the best shooter in the class, but has shown flashes of a smooth all-around game that accentuated his need for more playing time.

His outside shot has been as good as advertised (41.7 percent, 15th-best in the league and tops among rookies), but his defense and handles have been good enough to excite Warriors fans about his potential.

His game still has its flaws. He needs to learn how to move better without the basketball and create for his teammates.

But he's got enough time to show why Jerry West believes in him.

GRADE: A-

Brandon Rush

If Rush were just a perimeter shooter (where he's connected on the NBA's seventh-best 44.6 percent) he'd be tough to distinguish from the Warriors long line of perimeter shooters.

Even then, he'd still be a steal considering what they gave up for him (Lou Amundson).

But Rush might be the most versatile player on this team.

Outside of McGuire, he's the team's best individual defender. He rarely loses his matchup and is the first Warriors guard in years that can do this.

He's also the best slasher on the post-Ellis Warriors and has the strength and athleticism to finish in the paint or at the rim.

He may not be with the club after this season (the Warriors are expected to make a $4.1 million qualifying offer to him), but the team has a glut of perimeter players.

If his play is anything like this season, he'll either be a building block with this team moving forward...or another franchise's steal of the offseason.

GRADE: A