2010-11 NBA Predictions: 5 Ways To Make The Golden State Warriors Relevant Again
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The Golden State Warriors aren't a good team.
Was that blunt enough?
They just aren't, but they do have the talent to build something the could resemble a very good team within the next five seasons.
It all starts with the odd man out, changing the schemes, changing philosophies, and building around who you already have.
Sounds simple, but in reality many teams have tried and failed.
The Golden State Warriors have two things that most teams dream of having.
Two young point guards that have shown they have the skill set to run an NBA team. So it's not like the Warriors are completely without talent, but they can use their existing talent to bring upon a new era of Golden State basketball.
Thanks for Reading.
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Get Rid Of Monta Ellis
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Monta Ellis is a very good player and he is one that you can build your team around, but right now it seems that there is a market for a player like Monta Ellis.
and besides, if the Golden State Warriors want to move forward as a good basketball team, they are going to need to play defense.
and first of all, you don't play defense very effectively with a two point guard lineup in almost 40 minutes of every game. They are both just too small and too ineffective on defense for your team to even stand a chance against a team with a bigger two guard.
Second, Monta Ellis sucks at playing defense. He doesn't want to play defense and with a new coach, I think there could be a little head butting as a we move forward.
A great offense is very hard to beat, but a good defense is what takes you places. If the Golden State Warriors want to go anywhere soon, I think they should trade Monta Ellis for either a very good player of the same caliber or draft picks, prospects, and proven players.
Monta Ellis could be included in a trade for Carmelo Anthony. He alone wouldn't bring Carmelo to Golden State, but he packaged with another proven player would.
If that doesn't work, then you trade Monta Ellis for first round draft picks and young first round draftees. There is a reason why the Portland Trail Blazers, SanAntonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder are full of talent.
and that is because they compiled draft picks over the years, drafted well, and built their team under one coaching system.
Building through the draft has shown it can work time and time again, Monta Ellis would be a great way to get two or three draft picks.
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Play Defense
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We already touched on this, but It isn't just an issue derived from the size of the guards the Golden State Warriors play with.
Defense is a team thing and the Warriors really don't have anyone that plays good D.
They don't have a defensive stopper, they lack defensive schemes (although that could change under the new head coach), the lack interest in Defense, and the personnel on their roster just isn't that kind of group.
Starting with their new acquisition, David Lee.
Lee is a great rebounder and a really hard working guy, but you won't see much post defense from him. Obviously, signing Lee wasn't a defensive signing. But as the Warriors best big man, you would expect some defense to come in the package.
At this point they are hoping that Biedrins turns into a player that is worth the $9 Million dollars per year contract.
Something that leads me into my next topic...
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Quit Signing Bad Contracts
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Knock it off.
Nothing hurts an organization more than signing an undeserving player to a long term, big dollar contract. Signing for potential is one thing, but signing a player that has already played out his rookie contract (and is clearly undeserving) to an even bigger contract is another.
Andris Biedrins anyone? Vladimir Radmanovic and Dan Gadzuric too. Those three players command over $23 Million Dollars.
Not only does that hamper your ability to sign free agents over the summer, it hurts you're ability to renew big name prospect's contracts and absorb bigger contracts in the trading process.
Overall, overpaying for players hurts your ability to build the talent level of the team.
It isn't helping anyone but those being overpaid.
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Find A Legitimate Shooting Guard/ Small Forward
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So right now you have Monta Ellis and Dorell Wright running those two positions.
Not bad, but there are better options.
Like I said earlier, you could trade away Monta Ellis, handing over the team to Stephen Curry, for either a bigger shooting guard/small forward or lottery picks.
Heck, right now if you traded away Monta Ellis and David Lee, the Golden State Warriors would be in a position to build a playoff team within the next three to four years.
That is as long as you get lottery picks in return and you continue to collect lottery picks during that process.
In reality, that would speed up this process entirely.
Think about it. The Golden State Warriors are going to be a lottery pick team next season, so there is one draft pick there.
The season after that, the odds are just about the same for the Warriors to make the playoffs.
(those odds are bad).
So you would have another lottery pick there.
Really, just to end this sooner rather than later. The Warriors future is bleak.
Stephen Curry is young and you should most definitely hold onto him because finding a point guard in the draft of Curry's caliber is very difficult.
So at this point, you will be three years out with three lottery picks to show for it and my guess is that you would be closer to making the playoffs, but still not quite there.
If you pick a draft that you think has the potential to have the game changers and be a deep draft, then you trade Monta Ellis to a basement team in return for a first round draft pick in that year.
Then, if you can, you trade David Lee for a first round draft pick in that same draft.
Obviously, those two players would be difficult to trade concerning the money they command and (also) obviously those two players wouldn't just be worth two first round draft picks.
But they would be worth prospects and expiring contracts. (along with draft picks)It may sound pretty radical, but this is how dynasty's are formed. Through the draft.
You rarely build great teams through free agency.
Almost every single team that is a playoff team in today's NBA, has built their team around one or two really good draft picks.
(i.e.- Derrick Rose/ Joakim Noah
Brandon Roy/ LaMarcus Aldridge
Kevin Durant/ Russell Westbrook
Tim Duncan/ Tony Parker
Chris Paul/ David West
Brandon Jennings/ Andrew Bogut
John Wall/ Gilbert Arenas
Yao Ming. Aaron Brooks
Rudy Gay/ O.J. Mayo)
You get the picture.
Build through the draft and...
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Draft Well
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So we've talked about just about everything around the draft but I haven't covered the most important part.
You have to draft well.
I don't care how many lottery picks you compile, if you aren't drafting with a plan, then you might as well not draft at all.
Take a look at Kevin Pritchard and the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2006, Kevin Pritchard orchestrated a perfect draft that earned the Blazers the rights to Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.
First, Kevin Pritchard traded Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa to Chicago for LaMarcus Aldridge.
Then, Pritchard turned around and traded Randy Foye straight up for the rights to Brandon Roy.
Word.
The Blazers, in one really good draft, set themselves up for playoff contention with just two solid acquisitions.
and really, The Golden State Warriors already have that first pillar in Stephen Curry, if they can get two players anything near the quality of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, then they would be a playoff team in no time.
Golden State is already a step ahead, all they need is to compile draft picks and draft with a plan.
I mean, if the Blazers had Stephen Curry right now, they would probably be in the Western Conference finals on a yearly basis.
Just a thought.
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(On a Sidenote)
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The Warriors could just keep the same roster and hope that the injuries they had last season were the cause of their terrible record.
Sure, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis are both point guards that could really have the ball in their hands every minute of every game, but you could probably make it work.
As the Mike D'Antoni Suns showed us, it doesn't really matter if you don't play defense. So long as you have players on your roster whose skill sets fit your schemes perfectly.
I mean, not playing defense isn't going to carry you to the Finals, but you can be a playoff team if you run and gun better than any team in the NBA and you have the right personnel to do so.
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Thanks For Reading
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