The Golden State Warriors: A Look Ahead

The Golden State Warriors had more than a decade of futility. Then Don Nelson came back and you know the story: run and gun, playoffs, first-round upset, The Dunk, and general good times.

Last year saw more wins, but a rough and tumble West still left them two games out of the playoffs. The off season wasn't supposed to be a big deal. Conventional thinking was the team would re-sign Baron Davis, Monta Ellis and Andris Biendris and make another playoff run.

But Davis bolted to make movie trailers, the Mississippi Bullet got a big fat contract and promptly got hurt under suspicious circumstances, and Warriors fans should prepare themselves for another year without the playoffs.

Additons:

In a move that was probably somewhat panicky, Corey Maggette got a big fat $50 million contract. The buff swingman is not known for defense, passing, or being a team player, but the last time he averaged over 22 points and 5 rebounds last year. He gets to the line and hits a good clip, and with the green light, he can be a legitimate 25 points a game scorer. I still don't think him and Steven Jackson can co-exist for extended periods of time.

Looking to shore up the back court, the Warriors gave the Nets a first-round draft pick for Marcus Williams. Besides a brief laptop incident, Williams was seen to have great potential in the draft a few years ago. He slipped, and never quite found his groove. This could be attributed to him being out of shape, or just never having time to play behind Jason Kidd, but Warriors fans are pinning a lot of hopes on him.

He should have the starting point guard spot, and if he's in shape, the offense will suit his skills. While he's not a dead-eye shooter, I could easily see him developing into a steady, Andre Miller-type point guard in the next few years. There's going to be some growing pains, but it was a very nice low-risk move.

Ronnie Turiaff can do more than star in viral videos, and his hustle and enthusiasm will quickly make him a fan favorite. At $17 million, his contract is a bit high, but he'll give the team good defense, boards, heart, and of course, dancing.

The Dubs drafted the skinny lefty Anthony Randolph out of LSU with the number 14 pick. The always-excellent Draftexpress said he's "6-10 or 6-11, incredibly long, left-handed, fluid, quick, explosive off his feet, with great open-court speed." The rook had a good summer league, but I don't see how he's going to find time with the crowded swing rotation, not to mention second-year, 6'11 lefty Brandon Wight.

Richard Hendrix is a scrappy rook who may find time because he plays bigger than his 6'8 frame suggests.

Subtractions:

BDiddy, BD, The Beard. Davis move to the Los Angeles Clippers stings Warriors Nation. I maintained that Nellie teams had gone as far as they could, and rebuilding around Monta, Biedrins, and Wright was the right thing to do long term. But it still hurts to see Davis go. He gave the team an incredible swagger, would hit the big shots, and will it to win.

But for all the good memories and fast food clips, the franchise will overcome losing an injury-prone, shoot first point guard. It's hard now, and will be even harder come May, but Warriors fans will overcome.

Outlook:

The upcoming season's going to be very testing for Warriors fans. If Ellis was healthy, I would have thought there was a slight chance the team could have made the playoffs. But now, I think it's just best to sit back, enjoy the scoring, and scout next year's draft.

Don't get me wrong, Williams, Jackson, Maggette, Al Harrington and Biedrins is a solid starting unit. And with Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Randolph and Turiaff coming off the bench, this team can win some games. It'll be entertaining too—I'll be going to at least the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and 76ers games.

The non-playoffs teams in the West have only gotten stronger (I'm looking at you Portland), and the Warriors should finish with around 35 wins. If anything, this year should be used to get Ellis back in shape and ready to take over this team for good.

Photo Credits: Monta, Williams, Jackson