Golden State Warriors

Do the Golden State Warriors Have the Deepest Roster in the NBA?

Mar 02, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The Golden State Warriors have made several upgrades to their roster this offseason. On paper, this roster is better than last year’s. Although it was rough to lose Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry, the Warriors made some significant additions to the roster that more than made up for the loss of those two players. They upgraded not only their bench, but their starting lineup too.

Mark Jackson has said that he technically has six starters on his team, which isn’t a bad problem to have. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut are all more than capable of starting, so Jackson will have to decide which player would be the best sixth man.

It makes the most sense for the Warriors to start Thompson over Barnes. Barnes will excel in the role of sixth man, because he will be able to go up against weaker lineups, which will allow him to dominate his opposing small forward. Barnes would be the primary scorer off the bench, so, if anything, he will get even more chances to show off his game.

This is one of the reasons why Iguodala’s presence will help not only Barnes’ development, but also will help the whole team’s identity. On the court, Iguodala likes slashing to the basket, which will complement Curry and Thompson’s shooting very well. Iguodala is also athletic, versatile, and hard-working. His veteran presence will only help this team grow the team chemistry that they had last season.

July 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Andre Iguodala (left) poses for a photo with Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers (right) in a press conference after a sign-and-trade deal for Iguodala to become a Golden State Warriors player at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

On the bench, the Warriors have so many players that can contribute, besides Barnes. In the offseason, the Warriors acquired Toney Douglas, to fill Jack’s role of backup point guard, and Marreese Speights, to fill Landry’s role of backup power forward. They also acquired Jermaine O’Neal to fill the backup center role that Festus Ezeli and Andris Biedrins had last season. Biedrins was part of the trade to acquire Iguodala, and Festus Ezeli is currently out with a knee injury.

Douglas is an excellent defender. He gets steals, he gets deflections, and he’s quick and agile. He also can shoot the three pretty well, and he’s got a high basketball IQ. Just in training camp alone, he’s already made an impact. He’s helped Curry, Thompson, and others improve, because his defense is making them work harder and perform better.

Speights isn’t quite the scorer that Landry was, but he can shoot the mid-range shot. Defensively, he’s a better rebounder and shot blocker than Landry was though. Speights is also 6’10” and 245 pounds, so he can play both power forward and center. He’s 25, so he’s still developing his game and maturing. He will only continue to grow, so he’s a great addition to this Warriors team.

O’Neal is a 17-year NBA veteran and a six-time All-Star. His veteran leadership and size will help the Warriors. He’s played in 90 postseason games, so he can bring his experience to this young Warriors team. He’s 6’11” and 255 pounds, so he’s quite the inside presence. He blocks shots and rebounds, so he will help the Warriors’ defense.

In addition to those acquisitions, the Warriors also drafted Nemanja Nedovic with the 30th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. It’s not clear how many minutes Nedovic will play this season, but he is certainly an intriguing prospect. He’s extremely athletic, he’s great in the open court, he attacks the rim, and he’s fearless. He could work on his passing and ball distrbution skills. If given a chance, he could certainly upgrade the Warriors in the areas of athleticism, fearlessness, and ability to attack the basket.

During the summer, Kent Bazemore and Draymond Green participated in the Las Vegas Summer League. These two players led the Warriors’ Summer League team to winning the inaugural Las Vegas Summer League Championship. Both of them improved greatly because of this experience.

Bazemore is an excellent defender, and, according to many of the Warriors players and coaches, he has shown much improvement in many other areas too. He has improved his ball distribution skills, and he’s become a better shooter, even from three-point range. Douglas, Nedovic, and Bazemore can all play backup point guard, so it will be interesting to see how minutes will be distributed. Regardless, Bazemore will get more minutes this season, whether it be at backup point guard or shooting guard, because he’s worked hard and improved in the offseason.

Feb 9, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Kent Bazemore (20) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks point guard Darren Collison (4) during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Warriors 116-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Green has lost 15-20 pounds this offseason, which has improved his agility and fitness level. Losing this weight has also helped Green take some pressure off his knees. Green will be a great energy guy off the bench, and he does everything pretty well. Especially now that Green has a full season and playoff experience under his belt, his versatility and passion will be an even greater asset off the bench for the Warriors.

Even though he’ll be out the first few months of the season, Ezeli will be another quality weapon off the Warriors bench. He was thrown into a starting role last season when Bogut was injured, and he gained some valuable experience from that. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s improved once he returns from injury.

To add more depth at the center position, the Warriors have also signed their second round pick from last season, Ognjen Kuzmic. He is a 7’1″ center and is very athletic and mobile, given his size. He can rebound, block shots, and he can play defense. He needs to bulk up a little more, work on his post game, and work on a perimeter jumper though.

As if the Warriors weren’t already deep, they also have four quality prospects fighting for the final roster spot. Dewayne Dedmon is another 7-footer who can rebound and block shots. Joe Alexander is a forward who already has some NBA experience. Cameron Jones, a shooting guard, played for the Santa Cruz Warriors last season, and he’s a good defender and shooter. He also was a significant contributor to the Las Vegas Summer League championship team.

Lastly, Seth Curry, the younger brother of Stephen Curry, is a combo guard out of Duke who, like his brother, is a fantastic shooter and has some experience handling the ball. It’s unclear which player will get that final spot, but it would be great for the fans to see Curry get it.

Arguably, the biggest strength for the Warriors this season is their depth. The Warriors have the deepest roster in the NBA, and this is one of the reasons why they will be legitimate contenders in the Western Conference this year.

Let’s Go Warriors: Jarrett Jack and the Other Great Sixth Men in Golden Warriors History

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The sixth man on an NBA team has a crucial role. They come in off the bench and provide some energy, usually in the form of scoring, and they hopefully provide a smooth transition between the starters and the reserves.

In Golden State Warriors history, there haven’t been many pure sixth men. Some players have started off as key bench players and then later become starters. There are also some players who aren’t necessarily the first person off the bench to go into the game, but they were typically the most important player off the bench.

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

Let’s Go Warriors: It’s All About Family at the Dell and Stephen Curry Camp

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The Currys are all about family. Dell Curry even said it himself. At the State Farm Dell and Stephen Curry Parent/Child Basketball ProCamp this weekend, Dell told all the participants that family is the most important thing to the Currys. Anyone in attendance could see the camp’s focus on family bonding, not just basketball.

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

What Seth Curry Brings to the Golden State Warriors

Mar 24, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Seth Curry (30) celebrates making a basket during the second half against the Creighton Bluejays during the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Duke defeated Creighton 66-50. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

There’s a new Splash Brother in town. The Golden State Warriors signed Seth Curry, Stephen Curry’s younger brother, to a non-guaranteed contract on August 23rd, which happened to be his birthday. Curry went undrafted out of Duke University. Since his contract is non-guaranteed, he will have to earn his spot onto the active roster, but there’s a good chance he will be able to grab one of those final roster spots.

Even if Curry makes the final roster, it’s unclear how many minutes, if any, he’ll play this upcoming season. Curry could end up playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors for parts or the majority of the season, like what the Warriors did with Kent Bazemore during last season. If Curry gets any playing time, it will most likely be in garbage time when the Warriors have a significant lead or are down by a large amount.

Regardless of how many minutes Curry plays for the Warriors this season, he provides a skill that any NBA team could use. He’s an incredible shooter, just like his brother. In his final season at Duke, Curry averaged 17.5 points on 46.5 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent shooting from three.

He was able to shoot this well despite having a stress fracture in his right shin. He sat out almost all of Duke’s practices, so he could rest, not risk further injury, and conserve his energy for games. After successful surgery and rehab on his shin, Curry is ready to play basketball again and help out the Warriors in any way he can.

“I’m an established shooter who can come in right away and not go through an adaption period to the NBA,” Curry said. “I’ve been around this game my whole life. I can come in right away and fill a need. It helped that I spent four years in college, too.”

Curry’s biggest strength is obviously his shooting. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor, and he can create his own shot too. He’s not just a catch-and-shoot player. He’s not super quick or athletic, but he finds ways to get to the basket. The Warriors don’t have many three-point shooters on their bench, so Curry’s pinpoint shooting could certainly make him a valuable asset to this team.

Mar 9, 2013; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Seth Curry (30) shoots in the first half at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

There are a few areas in which he can improve though. He became a better defender over his college career, but he can still improve. He could also improve on rebounding. Curry only averaged 2.5 rebounds last season at Duke. He’s only 6’3″, so he’s not expected to rebound like David Lee. However, he could earn more playing time if he crashes the boards more. Also like his brother, he could bulk up a little more. This would help him rebound more too.

The biggest part of Curry’s game that he can improve on is his playmaking ability. As mentioned before, Curry is 6’3″, so he’s a little small for a shooting guard, which is his primary position. Curry is a combo guard, but he didn’t get much experience playing point guard at Duke. He played point guard for parts of his junior season, but he’s naturally more of a shooting guard, so he ended up playing the majority of his minutes at that position.

Last season at Duke, Curry averaged only 1.5 assists. If he wants to earn more minutes with this Warriors team, he has to work on his playmaking. With the additions of Toney Douglas and Nemanja Nedovic, Curry won’t be expected to be the primary point guard, but, by learning to get his teammates involved more, it will make him more of a versatile player.

Since he’s such a good three-point shooter, defenders will likely try to chase him off the three-point line. If he added a pump fake to his game, he could then drive to the basket and swing the ball out to an open teammate. Stephen has mastered this skill, and if Seth can learn this from his brother, he could become a valuable asset to this team.

Seth Curry is somewhat of a long-term project for the Warriors. However, he will be worth the wait. He’s a hard worker, he’s passionate, and he’s determined to get better and learn as much as he can. He’s also extremely close to Stephen, and those two will push each other to be better. Plus, having Seth on the team is certainly a big marketing opportunity for the Warriors.

The newest Splash Brother is in town, and he’s going to do everything he can to make a splash with the Warriors.