Golden State Warriors Roster: Golden Bait for Rick Adelman?
With Mike Brown replacing Phil Jackson in Los Angeles, there is one less candidate on the Warriors list of potential head coaches. However, that does not mean the Warriors are at a disadvantage; in fact, this bodes very well for the team.
By bringing Jerry West aboard, the Warriors brass gained an immense amount of respect from the league and the fans; therefore, the Warriors must capitalize and sign Rick Adelman to be the new head coach.
Although he is in his mid-60s, Adelman boasts a very nice resume with the only unsuccessful stop being—you guessed it—in Oakland. Times have changed, however—new ownership, new uniforms, new mantra, anything to get away from those dismal Cohan years.
Rick Adelman would be the perfect fit for the Golden State Warriors because of the way their roster is set up. Let’s take a look at what the starting five should be heading into next season: PG Stephen Curry, SG Monta Ellis, SF Dorell Wright, PF David Lee, C Ekpe Udoh.
That starting five draws comparisons, in my opinion, to the early-2000s Sacramento Kings coached by none other than Rick Adelman himself. What the Golden State Warriors have is a poor-man’s version that potentially could be even better under Adelman.
Point Guard: Stephen Curry
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Envisioned as the floor general, Stephen Curry’s time is now. It’s time for him to live up to the hype and become the point guard everyone expects. He can score and pass just like Mike Bibby, but Bibby never became the leader he was always expected to become.
Shooting Guard: Monta Ellis
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The Warriors have what the Kings did not during their reign atop the Western Conference: a scoring shooting guard.
Monta Ellis, under Rick Adelman, could be retained in order to relieve stress off of Curry or may become expendable given how much management feels Ellis would net in a trade.
The Kings had Doug Christie, a hound on defense and a reliable scorer on offense. The Warriors would need a Christie-type player to defend the opponent’s best option, for example Kobe or Durant.
Small Forward: Dorell Wright
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Dorell Wright was one of the most improved players last year and showed that he can not only stripe it from behind the arc, but can also change the game through his athletic and versatile abilities.
Dorell would be to the Warriors what Peja Stojakovic was to the Kings: a deadly shooter who can spread the floor. There’s an added bonus though: Dorell’s athleticism bodes well for the Warriors in that not only does he spread the floor on offense, he can play some defense too—unlike Stojakovic.
Power Forward: David Lee
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Every Warriors fan knows who Chris Webber is. They know what he’s done and what he’s accomplished and it might be a second chance for the Warriors to capitalize on a power forward who can almost do it all.
That’s right, David Lee is going to be the Chris Webber of this offense. He can score, he can rebound and he can pass. David Lee has the intangibles to take this team to the next level.
From pick-and-rolls to posting up, Lee is the double-double machine Rick Adelman would love to have.
Center: Ekpe Udoh
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Last but not least is the center position.
Andris Biedrins is not living up to the contract the Warriors gave him and Ekpe Udoh should be the new starting center. Fending the paint with rugged defense, blocking shots with his 7'4" wingspan and cleaning up the boards: That’s what Ekpe needs to do.
Vlade Divac, although renowned for flopping, posted solid numbers that Ekpe would need to emulate in a Rick Adelman offense.
