Complete Grades and Awards for the 2012 Golden State Warriors

The 2011-12 Golden State Warriors were a disaster. In every aspect.

After having the most productive offseason in recent team history, expectations were high for a group returning nearly all members of a Warriors team that had increased their win total by 10 the previous season.

But then, things happened. A lot of things, actually. And none of them good.

Injuries (most notably Stephen Curry's) kept the team from finding enough playing time to develop any real consistency. The team drudged through its typical highlight wins (vs. Chicago, vs. New York, vs. Miami to name a few) and its typical head-scratching losses (at Charlotte, at New Jersey, at Sacramento, among others).

Ultimately, the team's inconsistent play (and not just that of this year, but the inconsistent track record of the Warriors core) cost it tits best player (Monta Ellis) and an up-and-coming player (Ekpe Udoh) for a former All-Star center (Andrew Bogut) who would never play a single game for them this season.

The Warriors then half-embraced a plan to tank the final month of the season and salvage their top-seven protected draft pick in what scouts say is a loaded draft class, but even that hasn't gone well. With Sunday's win in Minnesota (on the back end of a back-to-back-to-back no less), the team finds itself holding the eighth-worst record and edging closer to losing that pick.

With all of that said, there's still a Warriors season to remember, and here's how it all went down...

Grade: Incomplete

For this Warriors bunch, there are a few incomplete grades to be handed out, and all for different reasons.

For starters, it's hard to give rookie coach Mark Jackson any type of letter grade. His players seem to like him, but player comments about their current coach are always tough to read.

The fact is this: Jackson inherited a roster fit to play the opposite style that he wanted, and by the time he had adjusted, the team jettisoned his best scoring option and best post player for an injured Bogut.

Jackson's job is safe for now, but the team won't be giving him a free pass next year.

Other incomplete grades go to Richard Jefferson (acquired at the trade deadline), rookie Chris Wright and in-season signings Mikki Moore and Mickell Gladness.

Jefferson's contract is a nightmare (two years, $21 million remaining), but he brings another veteran voice to the locker room and a reliable three-point shot (41.3 percent as a Warrior).

Wright struggled to find enough minutes to make an impact at the NBA level, but should have helped his frequent flier miles with trips between Oakland and the Warriors' D-League affiliate in Bismarck, ND.

Gladness and Moore were brought in to weather the storm (if you believe the front office) following Udoh's departure and Lee's injury, or to bolster the tank run (which they've done in spades).

Grade: F

This should really be changed to an F-.

There's only one recipient of this grade, and it shouldn't shock anyone: Andris Biedrins.

The seventh-year big man struggled to stay on the floor at times this season, but struggled even worse when he was out there.

His fear of finding any offensive touches remotely close to the hoop is evident in his nine free-throw attempts in 739 minutes. This isn't a clamoring to get Biedrins to the line (where he's shot below 33 percent for the past three seasons), but that fear has decimated his production.

He managed a career-worst 3.7 rebounds and just 1.7 points. His scoring numbers look even worse considering he connected on a team-best 60.9 percent of his attempts. If he could ever rebuild the confidence that former Warriors coach Don Nelson systematically tore down, his shooting percentage shows that he could be a productive Warrior again.

He still wouldn't be worth the money (two years, $18 million remaining), but they're stuck paying that salary no matter his production.

Grade: D

This might be a little harsh, so let's look at it this way: This "D" stands for disappointing.

Dorell Wright's season can't really be classified any other way.

After setting the Bay Area on fire (and receiving some Most Improved Player consideration) last season with career highs in points (16.4), rebounds (5.3) and three-pointers made (194), Wright struggled to adapt in his first year under Mark Jackson.

Defenses forced Wright off of the perimeter at first because of the threat of his three-point shot, but later because they learned he struggles inside the perimeter.

He looked lost when he had to put the ball on the floor and lost minutes to fellow wings Brandon Rush and Dominic McGuire as the season wore on.

The news that his starting role is now up for grabs heading in to next season comes as little surprise to anyone.

Grade: C

It was a tale of two seasons for the two Warriors in this category.

For starters, there's third-year point guard (and hopeful future franchise player) Stephen Curry.

Some may argue that the ankle injuries that cost him all but 26 games this season should garner an incomplete grade, but the nearly 30 minutes per night he logged when he did play showed enough.

Curry is the X-factor on next year's team, and that has less to do with his health than most think. There's an assumption among the Warriors faithful that Curry can be a franchise point guard, but his numbers don't tend to agree.

There's a certain level of improvement that you'd like to see after three seasons, but that hasn't shown up for the former Davidson star. He's a gifted scorer (14.7 points on 49.0 percent shooting), but his assist-to-turnover numbers (5.3:2.5) leave plenty to be desired and trailed those of journeyman Nate Robinson (4.5:1.5) and rookie Charles Jenkins (3.3:1.2).

The other C goes to rookie big man Jeremy Tyler. When the Warriors bought Tyler from the Charlotte Bobcats in the second round of the 2011 draft, they understood he was a project player, and he's looked the part.

The Warriors' tank job might not have meant more to anyone than Tyler, who's logged five of his six double-digit games in April. There will be more growing pains ahead, but he's earned the right to compete to be Bogut's backup next season.

Grade: B

The B's belong to the two point guards who tried admirably to fill the shoes of Curry: Robinson and Jenkins.

Robinson had taken a fall far from grace. The one-time valuable bench piece for the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics had struggled shaking the "malcontent" wrap and, as such, had appeared in just four games after being acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder at last year's trade deadline.

His January signing (to help fill Curry's vacancy) was met by an apprehensive fanbase, but his six double-digit totals in his first seven Warriors games showed that he was not the typical midseason replacement.

The Warriors couldn't have expected a better year from Robinson. His decision-making was not always what Jackson wanted, but he brought a valuable energy to the second unit and finished with respectable totals (11.2 points and 4.5 assists in 23.4 minutes).

While Tyler may have benefited the most from the youth movement, Jenkins, the 44th pick in this past draft, has enjoyed the greatest jump in stock.

He demonstrated an uncanny protection of the basketball for a rookie point guard all season, but as his minutes increased, so did his confidence and aggressiveness.

He's enjoyed 10 double-digit games this season (with a career-high 27 coming on March 25 in Portland) and has tallied 10-plus assists in four games. His play should alleviate any concerns new GM Bob Myers should have in case the impending free agent Robinson leaves this summer.

Grade: A

I know what you're thinking. This seems like an awful lot of players left to receive an "A" on a 23-win team.

But each of these four players (David Lee, Klay Thompson, Brandon Rush and Dominic McGuire) earned their high marks.

For starters, Lee was sensational this season. He enjoyed the second-best scoring season of his career (20.1) and found his way to 9.6 rebounds despite logging plenty of minutes as an undersized center following the Warriors' trade deadline moves.

Thompson, meanwhile, has looked every bit of the second-best rookie in this class (great considering he was the 11th overall pick). He's embraced the role of being Ellis' replacement in the starting lineup and has emerged as the team's best scoring threat. There's still room for growth, but his size (6'7", 205 lbs.), basketball IQ and DVD-quality shooting stroke suggests that he'll realize his massive potential.

Rush and McGuire embraced their roles as defensive stoppers and brought a toughness and physicality that has been lacking since the departure of Stephen Jackson.

For his part, Rush played exceptionally well on both ends of the floor (9.8 points on 50.1 percent shooting and 45.2 percent three-point shooting). He was clutch when called upon late and took over games when needed (five 20-plus point efforts).

McGuire defended everyone from point guards to centers and played with a nasty streak that Warrior fans may have never seen. His jump shot is nonexistent, but he battled on the glass (3.9 rebounds in 17.5 minutes) and even ran the offense when needed.

Lee and Thompson will once again play key roles on next season's club; Warrior fans could breathe easier if impending free agents Rush and McGuire do too.

Best Dubstitute: Brandon Rush

If there's anything this Warriors team can take from this throwaway season, it's that for the first time in recent history, the club boasts a playoff-caliber second unit.

Between Robinson, Jenkins, McGuire and Tyler, the Dubstitutes did exactly what teams want second units to do—kept leads handed to them by the starters or fought back into games when the starters weren't clicking.

But while the rest of the reserves' stats seemed to rise and fall at random, Rush was the consistent contributor for Coach Jackson.

Acquired days before the regular season tip-off from the Indiana Pacers for seldom-used forward Lou Amundson, Rush needed all of three regular season games to make his mark with a team-lifting 19 points in the Warriors early upset of the New York Knicks.

He paced the league in three-point shooting for much of the season's first half before dropping in to a tie for fifth-best (45.2 percent).

But unlike many previous Warriors reserve wings, Rush showed the ability to contribute in more ways than perimeter shooting. He was the team's best perimeter defender all season (or at least tied with McGuire) and became the team's best driver following Ellis' departure.

If there's one negative to take away from Rush's season, it's that he played so well he could have priced himself out of the cash-strapped Warriors' plans for next year. The Warriors are expected to extend a $4 million qualifying offer to the former Jayhawk, but that might not be enough to keep him in the Bay.

Most Improved: Warriors Front Office

Professional basketball is a tough business.

Former Warriors head coach Keith Smart improved the team's win total by 10 and was promptly shown the exit.

Now-former Warriors GM Larry Riley orchestrated one of the most productive calendar years in terms of player movement and was subsequently demoted. Hey, at least he still has a job with the team.

The Warriors have frustrated fans with playoff promises turned acquisitions for the future along with a possibly failed tanking experiment.

But it's hard not to be excited about next year's roster.

Between finding three productive rookies in what was rumored to be a historically weak class, to bringing in quality bargain free agents, to potentially nabbing the team's missing center piece at the trade deadline, there's not much that the player personnel team did this year that didn't work.

Myers, Jerry West and the rest of the front office having a lottery pick in this upcoming loaded class (which may be possible even if that pick is outside the top seven) almost seems unfair at this point. Everything this front office has touched lately has turned golden.

MVP: David Lee

This voting will be even easier than awarding LeBron James his trophy.

Lee has been the team's best player from start to finish, and no one's come remotely close.

For a guy who's seemingly always at a size disadvantage (6'9", 240 lbs) and plays alongside bigs who wouldn't make most NBA rosters, to bring what he brings each night speaks volumes about his character and work ethic.

He's not the most talented player to wear a Warriors jersey this season, but he's been the most productive.

Despite their heralded backcourt duo that started the season (Curry and current Milwaukee Buck Monta Ellis), the offense ran through Lee then, and it has throughout the season. His basketball IQ and passing ability make him one of the rare NBA big men that needs to touch the ball every possession.

He'll never be the best player on a great team—or perhaps even on a good team—but with the talent that the Warriors have on board already for next season, he may not be the in the team's top two.

If he's the team's top option again next year, it will be another long season. If he's the second or third option, you may want to reserve your playoff tickets now.