Golden State Warriors

LGW: Jordan Crawford Warriors Trade Already Paying Off
Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors boast the best starting lineup in the NBA. However, the biggest criticism for the Warriors this season has been the lack of scoring from the bench.

To address this problem, the Warriors made a change. They acquired Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Boston Celtics last Wednesday in a three-team trade.

Although Brooks is a solid player with lots of potential, Crawford is expected to have a larger role off the bench than Brooks.

In Crawford, they acquired a 6-foot-4 combo guard who is averaging 13.2 points and 5.5 assists per game this season. The Warriors acquired Crawford because of his scoring and his ability to handle the ball.

Read the rest of the article on Let’s Go Warriors.

Squeeze the Orange Roundtable
Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

I had the great opportunity of participating in a weekly roundtable for an NBA blog, Squeeze the Orange. I answered a question (#3 on the roundtable) about the Golden State Warriors’ trade for Jordan Crawford and if I thought the Warriors would make another trade before the deadline.

Check out my answer and the rest of the rountable here!

LGW: Harrison Barnes Impresses on His BobbleHead Night
(Photo: LetsGoWarriors.com Instragram account)

(Photo: LetsGoWarriors.com Instragram account)

On his own bobblehead night, Harrison Barnes busted out his best game in over a month. In the Golden State Warriors’ game last night against the Denver Nuggets, Barnes finished with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 31 minutes. He also shot 4-for-8 from the field, 2-for-3 from three, and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.

Besides his impressive stat line, he also played most of the fourth quarter and finished the game with the rest of the starters, as Mark Jackson decided to sit Andrew Bogut for the end of the game.

Jackson most likely played Barnes over Bogut so that Barnes could potentially get more isolation opportunities for post-ups against the small-ball lineup the Nuggets were using.

Regardless, Barnes had a great all-around game. Throughout the game, Barnes looked much more confident and smooth than in recent games.

Read the rest of the article on Let’s Go Warriors.

LGW: Seth Curry Santa Cruz Warriors Update: Focused On Improving As a Point Guard
(Tim Cattera/NBAE/Getty Images)

(Tim Cattera/NBAE/Getty Images)

On January 9th, Seth Curry returned to the Santa Cruz Warriors after a short stint with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Curry was called up by the Grizzlies on Christmas Eve, but he only made one appearance with them in a game against the Detroit Pistons. He was waived after the game.

Curry made his return to the Warriors in their second and final game of the annual D-League showcase in Reno, Nevada.

In this game, Curry burst back onto the D-League scene and finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals on 12-for-22 shooting.

Behind Curry’s strong performance, the Warriors beat the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 127-115.

Curry looked confident in his first game back with the Warriors, and he showed how much he has improved as a point guard. In fact, Curry told NBA.com that he has focused on improving his point guard skills since he first joined the Warriors.

“That’s what I’ve tried to show from the beginning of this D-League season, that I can play the point and run a team well and get people involved and score in different ways,” Curry said. “I think I’ve been able to do that so far, and I’m trying to keep that going.”

Read the rest of the article on Let’s Go Warriors.

LGW: Marreese Speights Showing Improvement off the Bench for the Golden State Warriors
(December 28, 2013 - Source: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images North America)

(December 28, 2013 – Source: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images North America)

Marreese Speights has had a rocky start to his time with the Golden State Warriors.

In the offseason, the Warriors signed Speights to a three-year deal in the hopes that he would replace Carl Landry‘s production from last season. Unfortunately, that hasn’t quite happened…yet.

Last season, Landry, along with Jarrett Jack, was one of the most important players off the bench for the Warriors. In 81 games with the Warriors last season, he averaged 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game, and he shot 54 percent from the field.

In 37 games this season, Speights is only averaging 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds on 38.7 percent shooting and in only 12.2 minutes per game.

To be fair, Speights and Landry have completely different skillsets. Speights is more of a mid-range jump shooter than Landry was, and Landry has more success with post-ups than Speights does. Although neither one is known for their superior defensive ability, Landry held his own in that department last season.

With that being said, Speights has recently started to play more like the player the Warriors hoped they would get when they signed him in the offseason. He’s playing with more energy, and he appears more confident out on the court.

Read the rest of the article on Let’s Go Warriors.

Golden State Warriors: How To Best Take Advantage Of Chris Paul’s Absence

Oct 31, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) and Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) go for the ball in the first half of the game at Staples Center.Clippers won 125-115. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The Golden State Warriors are playing dominant, near perfect basketball right now. They just had a 10-game winning streak and went 6-1 on their significant seven-game Eastern road trip. The Warriors are close to unstoppable right now and they continue to move up in the Western Conference standings.

This past Friday, the Warriors were presented with an opportunity to gain a commanding lead in the Pacific Division. On Friday, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers suffered a separated right shoulder after being fouled by Monta Ellis in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Paul will not need surgery and is expected to miss up to six weeks. Paul is so much more to the Clippers than just their point guard. He’s a superstar in the NBA, he’s the vocal leader on and off the court and he’s their floor general.

Darren Collison, the backup point guard for the Clippers, will have to pick up some of the slack in Paul’s absence. Paul thinks the Clippers will be fine without him, but it’s doubtful that the Clippers will be able to fully make up for the impact that Paul has on the team on a daily basis.

Obviously, Paul’s injury doesn’t directly impact the Warriors at all, but how can the Warriors take advantage of Paul’s absence? The Warriors can’t control how the Clippers respond to Paul’s injury, but the Warriors can control what they do with this kind of opportunity.

The Warriors can start to secure a lead in the Pacific Division. Paul is expected to return before the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans on February 16th, so, until then, the Warriors need to, proverbially, keep their feet on the gas pedal. They need to continue to play as dominantly as they are now, and most importantly, they need to continue to play stellar defense.

In addition, they need to ignore what the Clippers are doing. They need to focus on their own schedule and not worry about how the Clippers are playing.

The Warriors will only face the Clippers once during Paul’s absence. They face off at Oracle Arena on Jan. 30 and this will surely be an entertaining matchup that the Warriors should be able to win.

Dec 25, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala (9) celebrates with point guard Stephen Curry (30) after drawing a charge for an offensive foul against Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

With Paul out of that game, Stephen Curry should be able to dominate. Usually in Warriors-Clippers games, Paul and Curry go head-to-head in a feisty, competitive battle all game long.

Paul knows how to disrupt Curry’s shooting. Paul is quick so he can keep up with Curry and stay close to him, and he forces him into taking tough shots. With Paul out, Curry will be able to score more freely and also not have to worry about guarding Paul at times.

In addition to Curry potentially dominating in the Warriors’ next game against the Clippers, Curry will also be able to gain some ground in the NBA All-Star voting. In the second returns of NBA All-Star balloting for 2014, Curry received the third most votes out of all Western Conference guards, behind just Paul and Kobe Bryant.

Paul and Bryant will both miss a significant amount of time before the All-Star Game this year, so this is an incredible opportunity for Curry to not just make the All-Star team but to also potentially start the All-Star Game. Curry was snubbed from last year’s All-Star Game, so all Warriors fans would love to see him start for the Western Conference this year.

Russell Westbrook is also expected to be out until after the All-Star break after having his third knee surgery since April on Dec. 27. Because of the competitive nature of the Western Conference, it’s always difficult for guards to make the All-Star team, especially for the first time. However, with Paul, Bryant and Westbrook all out, it seems as if this will finally be the year that Curry will make the All-Star team and possibly start.

Paul’s injury doesn’t directly impact the Warriors, and his absence should not affect the Warriors’ play at all. His injury only affects the Warriors in the sense that they now have an opportunity to build a bigger lead in the Pacific Division.

With Paul’s injury, Curry also has an opportunity to finally go to and potentially start for the Western Conference in the 2014 All-Star Game. Both Curry and the Warriors need to take advantage of these opportunities.