Golden State Warriors All-Decade Team
This decade was a crazy one for the Warriors.
Golden State opened the new century with several consecutive lottery-bound seasons.
That was all until they acquired Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington and coach Don Nelson to lead the Warriors.
They had arguably the best postseason run by a low seed in the decade, as they defeated the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks on route to the conference semifinals, where they came up short against the Utah Jazz.
This slideshow will be a trip down memory lane for some and a refresher for others.
Second-String Frontcourt
1 of 7Mike Dunleavy, SF
Years with Team: 2002-2007
Dunleavy was possibly one of the best shooters of the early part of the decade for the Dubs. He was an instrumental part of keeping the Warriors somewhat afloat in the competitive Western Conference before the infamous 2007 playoff run, which he unfortunately was not a part of.
Al Harrington, PF
Years with Team: 2007-2008
Acquired in the beginning of the 2007 calendar year, Harrington flourished in Don Nelson's run-and-gun tempo and was a great second banana for the team until he demanded a trade in 2008.
Troy Murphy, PF
Years with Team: 2001-2007
Honestly, Murphy's biggest contribution for Golden State this decade was being a part of a trade to the Pacers along with Mike Dunleavy for Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson. He peaked in the 2004-05 season, scoring over 15 points to go along with nearly 11 boards.
Second-String Backcourt
2 of 7Gilbert Arenas, PG
Years with Team: 2001-2003
Drafted in the second round by the Warriors, Arenas was a total steal, averaging 18 points and six assists in his second season with the team. It's unfortunate that Chris Cohan couldn't cough up the money to retain the guy.
Monta Ellis, SG
Years with Team: 2005-present
The best player of the Guber-Lacob era, Ellis is a great leader, and hopefully Golden State doesn't lose another electric scoring guard like they lost Arenas. He is the unquestioned leader of the team, and it's been great to see his growth as a Warrior—entering the league as a second-round pick, coming off the bench, to becoming one of the best scorers in the league in just six years.
Starting Center: Andris Biedrins
3 of 7Years with Team: 2004-present
The talent pool to choose from is tiny. That's why there wasn't a true center in the second-string frontcourt section.
With that, I have to say that Biedrins really isn't a terrible player. While he may have his difficulties now, he didn't a few years back, and that's why Chris Mullin foolishly gave him a huge payday.
He used to be a double-double machine who was amazing on the pick-and-roll (kind of like what David Lee is supposed to be), but now he's just a lost center who makes a quarter of his shots from the charity stripe.
Starting Power Forward: Antawn Jamison
4 of 7Years with Team: 1998-2003
Antawn Jamison truly gave it his all when he was a Warrior.
He easily had his better years in Golden State, even averaging close to 25 points and nine rebounds in the 2000-2001 campaign.
In his latter years, he and Gilbert Arenas made a formidable duo before they both took their talents to Washington, D.C., building a playoff contender while they were both in their primes.
Starting Small Forward: Stephen Jackson
5 of 7Years with Team: 2007-2010
Captain Jack. Arguably the most clutch Warrior of the decade until Monta showed glimpses this past season.
The acquisition of him and Al Harrington in the middle of the 2006-07 season helped officially usher in the We Believe Era, and he had an amazing run with the team.
Well, that was until we shipped him off to Charlotte for next to nothing.
Starting Shooting Guard: Jason Richardson
6 of 7Years with Team: 2001-2007
Richardson helped bridge the poor lottery teams of the early 2000s with Antawn Jamison to the We Believe Era, eventually leading to the Guber-Lacob era.
He was one of the most electric scorers in the league and played his last seasons with the Dubs in his prime.
He was also a really classy guy, sending an apology letter to Warriors fans after Golden State missed the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year in 2006.
But it's okay—they made it back in 2007.
To sign Monta Ellis, Chris Mullin had to free up cap space on 2007 draft night, so he traded one of his best players to the Bobcats.
I don't know why, but Warriors GMs really seem to like trading swingmen to the Bobcats for nothing.
Starting Point Guard: Baron Davis
7 of 7Years with Team: 2005-2008
B-Diddy.
He was easily the best Warrior of the decade, and although he was only in the Bay for a few seasons, he made a profound impact on the team.
The bearded point guard was the leader of the We Believe Warriors, the first eighth-seeded team to upset a first seed in seven games.
He wasn't nearly as lazy as he is in Cleveland right now, evidenced by his infamous slam over the then-amazing defender, Andrei Kirilenko, in the conference semifinals.
That was until he abruptly opted out of the $17 million he had on the table after the Warriors won 48 games in the regular season but failed to miss the playoffs only to join the Clippers, a worse team, for less money.
Thank you for reading!
Please leave your comments on who should be in the All-Decade Team should be below.
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