When and if this lockout finally ends, the Warriors are going to have a lot of preparation and re-structuring to do. First of all, the players will have a rookie coach, Mark Jackson, and a whole new system to learn in a matter of a few weeks. There will be a period after the lockout ends that will serve as “training camp,” but with a new coach, this team really needed a full summer to work out together and learn the new system. Time will be severely limited, and chemistry could become an issue. The rotation isn’t set at all and this particular Warriors team is so young to begin with that the bench is naturally very weak. The Warriors have to address some key issues once this lockout is over.

Mark Jackson

No one knows what new provisions the new collective bargaining agreement will have and how much the new salary cap will be. Therefore, we can’t fully examine the Warriors’ options when it comes to free agency. However, we can determine what the Warriors should address once the lockout is over and what potential free agents they should go after. First and foremost, the Warriors have to address the center position. This is not shocking whatsoever, because Andris Biedrins displayed a whole new level of uselessness this past season. He was supposed to have increased his confidence and his overall game last offseason, but clearly that never happened. Yet again, he was timid to show any form of aggression because he’s afraid of shooting free throws. He was also injured for segments of the season, so he truly was the epitome of useless. The other options the Warriors have for the center position are all players that are generally thought of to be power forwards but have been “converted” to centers since the Warriors severely lack size in the frontcourt. Those players include Lou Amundson, Ekpe Udoh, and Jeremy Tyler. These players have not proven yet that they can be starting centers, so the Warriors have to assume that the center situation is of the utmost importance.

Andris Biedrins

In an ideal world, who could the Warriors target for the center position? Once again, we can’t exactly determine how much the Warriors will be willing to spend on free agents because of uncertainty about the terms of the new bargaining agreement, but from now on let’s just examine all feasible options. One of the top tier centers that will be available this offseason is Nene of the Denver Nuggets. Nene averaged 14.5 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, a .615 field goal percentage, and 1.0 blocks per game during 30.5 minutes per game. Nene’s rebounding numbers aren’t outstanding, but he’s an efficient scorer and is a strong defensive presence in the paint. Nene would be a great fit for the Warriors because he’d allow other scorers such as Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, and Dorell Wright (and even David Lee) to get their usual shots, but he’d still chip in offensively and defensively without disrupting the natural flow of the game. He might require a longer-term, expensive contract though. The Warriors could also try to acquire DeAndre Jordan or Samuel Dalembert, who aren’t quite as talented as Nene, but are still solid center options. Jordan is known as an “energy guy,” who fights for rebounds and is a vicious shot blocker, and would be a valuable player to have on the Warriors. The fear with signing Jordan though is that he is a player who could easily be overpaid. He hasn’t fully proven himself in the league yet, so he shouldn’t receive a long-term, high-salary deal. Dalembert is a good rebounder, another fantastic shot blocker, and a seasoned veteran. Dalembert is also a great guy and a great leader, so his veteran presence would definitely be appreciated on a young Warriors team. His field goal percentage and points per game aren’t as stellar as Nene’s though.

Nene

Another component that the Warriors will have to address is the third guard/backup point guard situation. This can be expanded to just a general improvement in depth. Jeremy Lin is extremely overrated by Warriors management and should not be depended on for backup point guard duties. The other option the Warriors have right now is Charles Jenkins, but he’s a rookie and we don’t know if he can fill that role yet. The Warriors first round draft pick this season is Klay Thompson who could be the third guard off the bench and he could back up both Monta Ellis and Dorell Wright because of his size and athleticism. However, he’s also a rookie and the Warriors cannot rely on a rookie to provide all the scoring off the bench. The Warriors have an extremely grim amount of depth on the team and that is one of the main reasons why they weren’t successful last season. A deeper bench will create a more well-rounded team and will help reduce minutes for the starters.

Jeremy Lin

The Warriors need to bring in rotation-type players during the free agency period that could play the 1-3 positions. In free agency, the Warriors should target players such as: Jason Richardson, Arron Afflalo, Sebastian Telfair, Shane Battier, and Tayshaun Prince. The Bay Area will always love Jason Richardson, and if he doesn’t sign with some championship-level team, he has said he’d love to return to the Warriors. He could fill the sixth-man role and can score quickly and efficiently, so he’d be a perfect fit. Arron Afflalo is an exceptional defender and a good 3-point shooter, but the Nuggets seem to want to keep him, so it might be difficult to sign him. Sebastian Telfair could be an inexpensive free agent that the Warriors could sign, and his experience in the league would make him a much better backup point guard option than Jeremy Lin. Shane Battier, like Afflalo, is a top-notch defender, but he seems like he wants to be on a consistent playoff team. Tayshaun Prince is a solid small forward who is an efficient scorer, has won an NBA championship, and has nine years of experience. He might require a bigger contract than what the Warriors want to pay though.

Jason Richardson

In the new collective bargaining agreement, there will be an amnesty clause, which will allow teams to waive a player and have his salary immediately come off the books instead of it coming off the books whenever the contract ends. The Warriors are one of the teams in the NBA that could benefit from this provision immensely. Based on their biased views of certain players’ skillsets and contributions to the team, Warriors management has immensely overpaid those players and given them horrible contracts (examples: Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, and David Lee, just to name a few). Although it would make sense to amnesty someone like Biedrins who has a very expensive contract and who is a player that should be waived, the Warriors often fall into the trap of being extremely illogical with their decisions. The apprehension towards waiving Beidrins would be that he’s the only true center on the roster, but if management was able to waive his contract, they could easily go after a higher-level center in free agency such as Nene. The Warriors could also use it on Charlie Bell who rarely plays, but still makes $4.1 million. However, it might also make sense for the Warriors to hold onto their amnesty clause and use it in a season or two.

Charlie Bell

Clearly, the Warriors are going to have a lot to do in very little time. Once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, it’s likely that teams will have about a month for free agency. This doesn’t give the Warriors a lot of time, but that one month or so of free agency is a key period that could really set the tone for the rest of the season. Warriors management needs to be as active as possible and try to acquire quality free agents that will address specific needs for this team. Mark Jackson will have his hands full as well. He needs to preach defense as aggressively as possible. The whole coaching staff has to establish a system that starts with defense and allows the Warriors to get out in transition and run the fast break. It all starts with defense though. Jackson should hold the players accountable, and adjust playing time based on who is playing the best, most effective defense. Jackson can’t just say he’s going to do this; he needs to execute it properly. The whole Warriors organization has to instill a new culture, and it all starts with Coach Jackson. If he can become the NBA-version of Jim Harbaugh and instill a whole new style of winning based on unstoppable defense, the Warriors will be a successful team this season and for many seasons to come. There is a lot to be done, but the Warriors organization needs to prove that they are a winning franchise with a culture that accepts nothing but greatness.

Of all the exhibition games played during this lockout, the We Believe vs. Dubs game was one of the most highly anticipated. It featured some of the key players on the 2007 Warriors playoff team and some other former Warriors playing against most of the current Warriors team. Matt Barnes sponsored the event and proceeds went to his foundation Athletes vs. Cancer. This game was played very much like an All-Star game, simply because it featured countless dunks, alley-oops, and head-to-head battles. Also like an All-Star game, this particular game was very high-scoring with the current Warriors winning 158-153. Dorell Wright led all scorers with 41 points. Stephen Curry finished the night with a triple double including 34 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. Other high scorers included Jeremy Lin who had 24 points, David Lee had 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists, Gilbert Arenas had 26 points, Corey Maggette had 34 points, and Anthony Morrow had 29 points.

Watch highlights here:

The addition of Mike Malone to the Warriors coaching staff was a pivotal move by Mark Jackson and it represented an organizational shift towards defense. New Warriors assistant coach Mike Malone has been the “defensive coordinator” for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Hornets. He’s been trained under some of the best defensive coaches, such as Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Brown, and Monty Williams, so it’s not surprising that he will become the defensive voice of the coaching staff.

Matt Steinmetz interviewed Mike Malone about the Warriors’ new defensive schemes, their new dedication to rebounding, and what their offense will look like. Malone claimed that the new Warriors will still be a run-and-gun team, but their run game will originate from defensive stops. He stressed that the Warriors’ style of play will center around: defense, rebounding, running with discipline, and valuing the basketball.

Read more about about his views on the lockout and this upcoming season here.

Matt Steinmetz had two posts recently on the CSN Bay Area website that have caught my attention. The first post discusses the current Warriors roster (from last season) and what players will most likely be back this upcoming season. Because of the lockout, the Warriors might have very limited time to sign any free agents, so the current Warriors roster will most likely be the same roster for this season. There are a few players that might be cut or sent to the D-League, but other than that, the 2010-2011 Warriors roster will be very similar to the 2011-2012 roster. Steinmetz lists every player and how many years/money is left on their contract, which is helpful in order to review who will be back this season. Within the post, there was a poll that asked “Who is the most important player for the future of the Warriors?” The possible answers were Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Davis Lee, and Klay Thompson. I had to answer it, mostly just to see the results, and I voted for Stephen Curry, obviously. Stephen Curry received 82% of all votes, Monta Ellis received 14%, David Lee received 0%, and Klay Thompson received 2%. I thought this was quite interesting along with being extremely true. Stephen Curry is the future of the Warriors, not Monta Ellis. This starts a whole other discussion, so look for this topic in another post in the future.
Read this post here.

Anyway, on to the other Matt Steinmetz post. This particular post is about the NBA lockout. Steinmetz shares his views on what the players want vs. what the owners want, if there will even be a season, and if there is, how long it will be. It was great to hear Steinmetz’ view on the lockout, because many other opinions on this subject are pessimistic, not just about when the lockout will end, but pessimistic in tone. It was refreshing to hear a more positive take on the lockout with a little more hope and a little less complaining.
Read this post here.

When the Golden State Warriors picked Klay Thompson with the number 11 pick in this year’s draft, there was a swirling sense of mixed emotion. Actually, mixed emotions is an understatement. This draft pick sent varying amounts of panic throughout Warriors fans. Klay Thompson is not really known for his defensive prowess, so this was slightly concerning. Especially since Mark Jackson, the new head coach, has preached defense as the new identity of the Warriors, so this pick was not exactly a ringing endorsement. Some fans felt confusion and discomfort with the pick. Some felt utter joy, for various reasons. Some believed that Klay Thompson was an extremely valuable asset, and the Warriors were lucky to draft him. Others felt joy simply because this might have signaled the departure of Monta Ellis. No matter what the overall consensus was on this pick, we all knew this draft would be weak, so we had to go in with relatively low expectations. With that in mind, Klay Thompson seems to be an acceptable draft pick for the Warriors.

The real question though is, what will Klay Thompson’s role be this upcoming season (if there ever is one)? Some analysts believe that he is ready to be a starter. This seems pretty drastic, so instead, let’s assume he’ll be a role/bench player. It makes more sense to examine how effective he can be, not just in the league, but specifically for the Warriors. Let’s start with the positive side. Klay Thompson has a strong all-around game. He has a high basketball IQ, he moves without the ball gracefully, and can score in large numbers. His game has been compared to Brandon Roy, which is a fantastic model to follow. Like Brandon Roy, they both have solid, reliable jump shots, they have good size for shooting guards (Thompson is 6’7″ and Roy is 6’6″), they are strong ball handlers, and they can both easily score 40 points on any given night. Last season with Washington State University, Thompson averaged 21.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, .9 blocks, and 1.6 steals while shooting 43.6% from the field, 39.8% from 3 point range, and 83.8% from the free throw line. These all appear to be strong numbers, but what’s a little concerning is that for a shooting guard, he collectively only shot 42.3% from the field in 3 seasons in the NCAA. Just for comparison, Brandon Roy played 4 seasons at the University of Washington, and over those 4 seasons he shot 51.2% from the field. Brandon Roy was ultimately drafted higher, but Thompson’s field goal percentage is still of some concern if his game is so similar to Roy’s.

Brandon Roy

This leads into the more negative aspects of Thompson’s game. Thompson has been criticized for his lack of athleticism especially in transition. When driving to the basket in a half-court offense, Thompson can be athletic only against a certain type of defender. However, during fast breaks, his slow food speed is exposed. He can’t always react fast enough to quick defenders in a half-court or full-court set, and this can inhibit his ability to drive to the basket. He also has never shown a strong commitment to defense. Thompson’s coach Ken Bone at WSU discussed Klay’s defense and said, “I do hope he continues to work on his defense. He has shown, at times with us, where he could really guard. He has great basketball instincts, he competes well, he has about a six-foot-nine wingspan – but he didn’t always play great defense.” Klay Thompson is a hard worker, and if given the right motivation (from his former or current coach), he could become a much better defender. If Coach Mark Jackson actually follows through on his claim to distribute playing time based on who plays defense, than Klay Thompson will have no choice but to improve his overall defense. We’ll have to wait and see if Thompson is able to respond to this challenge.

In a perfect world, let’s assume that Klay Thompson will improve his defense enough that Mark Jackson is comfortable playing him consistently. Will Thompson step up and become a solid rotation player or even fill the 6th man role for the team? I believe that Klay Thompson can become the Warriors’ 6th man. He might not win Rookie of the Year or anything, but he could truly become a consistent, effective contributor on this team that so badly needs a stronger bench presence. Jerry West clearly believes that Thompson is going to be an impactful player, otherwise he wouldn’t have had the strongest voice in the draft process for the Warriors. The whole coaching staff and management chose to believe in Jerry West and essentially let him decide who they would draft. Since management has strongly implied that Monta won’t be traded, it seems that Klay Thomspson should aim towards the 6th man role. He can fill in the back-up minutes for both Monta and Dorell Wright, so he’ll have many opportunities to become the “leader” of the bench. He has the perfect style of play to become that spark off that bench. He can score in bunches and if he becomes a better defender, it will be very difficult for Mark Jackson to not have him as the 6th man. Klay Thompson will need consistent minutes (about 25 minutes a game) to develop into the all-round star player that so many analysts saw during this draft process. If Klay Thompson is able to improve his defense, improve his transition game, and improve his leadership skills, he will become an effective and efficient player for the Warriors this upcoming season.

Watch these highlights of Klay Thompson:

Warriors fans can stop panicking. Their beloved point guard, Stephen Curry, is not only going to be on the Warriors this upcoming season, but he also wants to be the starting point guard for the Warriors for a long time to come. Earlier today, the Charlotte Observer released an article that merely suggested that Curry would be happy playing for the Charlotte Bobcats, because he’d be back in his hometown and around his family. The article started as a simple interview, which involved Curry discussing potential added “pressure” if he were to play in his hometown on a regular basis. Read what Curry had to say in the original article here.

Then, the media did what the media does best. They flipped this story from a harmless interview into a wild frenzy of confused fans. Slam Online released the story this afternoon with the headline: “Stephen Curry Wants to Play for the Charlotte Bobcats … Some Day.” This headline is so incredibly misleading, when really the interview was just basic speculation on Curry’s part. Read Slam Online’s article here.

Amongst the chaos, Curry managed to send out two tweets that must have soothed the minds of many concerned, distraught Warriors fans. The first tweet read: “Probably #nobodycarestho. But… If you have read a certain rumor today, plz don’t confuse my love for my fam as a WISH to play in Charlotte.” The second read: “I’m #GSW for life and ready for the long haul. Just answering a question about the pressure of family in my hometown. Ok that’s all. Thanks.” Warriors fans have got to appreciate Curry’s honesty and class in this unnecessarily dramatic situation. Stephen Curry is a classy, smart man who has shown he wants to play for the Warriors for as long as possible. Hopefully, the Warriors organization sees his loyalty and dedication and keeps him around for the long haul.