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: The Present Tense

Warriors Season in Review: 2007-2008

(Warning: Long post about the Warriors. Read at your own risk.)

So much promise. So much potential. So much success. So much pain. That was the year for my Golden State Warriors. In a year in which the Western Conference was stronger than I can ever remember, and perhaps stronger than any other conference in sports history, the Warriors finished the season at 48-34, good for 9th in the West. It was their best record since the 1993-1994 season, in which they won 50 games and made the playoffs.

Coming off the finish from last year, and with so much new hope, I tried to be cautiously optimistic. After the 0-6 start, I thought all was lost, but then they started winning, and winning, and finally were in the top 8, and stayed there most of the season. Baron stayed healthy and should've been an all-star. For about 70 games, Captain Jack played the best basketball of his career. Monta! made huge strides on offense, becoming one of the best finishers in basketball (though he reverted on defense). With all these things, one would think the Warriors would've been good enough, but they weren't. Ultimately, their defense, their thin bench, and their weak front line prevented them from making the playoffs.

The Warriors showed they could play defense last year against the Mavs, but that inspired scrambling defense was only rarely present. As in years past, the Warriors made superstars out of average NBA players. Off the top of my head, I know that players like Josh Boone, Travis Outlaw, Matt Bonner, and Brandon Bass owned the Warriors. They were unstoppable. The Warriors D just could not adjust. And when it came time to rebound, they were consistently pounded on the boards. Teams like the Jazz just beat down the Dubs on the glass, and really, there was nothing they could do. Al Harrington is not a rebounder and Andris Biedrins can only do so much without any help.

As I said above, the bench was super weak this year, and really hampered the team. Az played well sometimes at home, Pietrus was good in the second half, Croshere played a few good games, as did D-Leaguer CJ Watson. But there was just no consistency. There was no one on the bench who could come in and consistently score or play a positive role. They tried to have Harrington fill that role, but it really only worked at home. I haven't looked at his splits, but I would be willing to guess that Harrington's numbers were significantly better at the Oracle.

Ok, with that long-winded intro, here are some player observations and conclusions:

Coaching:
Nellie, you are nuts. Sometimes I think there is a method to your madness, but really, there isn't. Your decision to bench Baron in the second to last game was indefensible. If there is a mathematical possibility of making the playoffs, you do everything you can, even if your chances are 0.1%. And seriously, you need to make some sort of effort to coach defense, or run a play. The players love you though, and your laissez-faire approach seems to work with this squad. I'm not sure that I want you back though. Your playing style is not conducive to winning playoff basketball, and your eccentricities are sometimes too much to handle.

Backcourt:
The backcourt was by far the best part of the team. The Baron-Monta! duo was the highest scoring guard combination in the league, and meshed well together. With the two playing together, they force the other team to match up to them since Baron can effectively guard 2s. However, at the end of the year, I could really tell how much J-Rich was missed. A 3 guard rotation is perfect for Nellie-ball, and why not have a great 3rd option instead of a mediocre one like Az or Pietrus. To replace J-Rich with nothing at all really hurt. Hopefully the longterm proves me wrong, but I still hate the trade.

Really, that trade cost us the season. Like I said, to trade away a 20 point scorer, good rebounder for his position, and good defensive player and replace him with a rookie who could only contribute in a few games was a huge drop off. On top of that, J-Rich absolutely owned the Warriors in the game at Charlotte this year, and single-handedly beat us. Considering how close the playoff race was, winning that game was crucial, and the absence of J-Rich killed us.

Belinelli was supposed to be J-Rich's replacement, and looked great in summer league. Unfortunately, he probably got more minutes in all of summer league than in the other 82 games this season. His D kept him off the floor, which is what I was worried about earlier in the season. Hopefully he can work on being serviceable, because his offense is too valuable to keep off the floor.

Frontcourt:
Captain Jack was great, for 70 games. The toll of the long season caught up with him at the end of the year, where his play was needed the most. He played great defense, made clutch shots, and played some inspired offense for about 40 minutes a game. And then at the end of the season, he looked tired and played lazily. He settled for 3s, didn't get back on defense, and consistently took the ball into traffic looking for fouls, without drawing any contact. It was really tough to watch, and really upsetting. Hopefully his minutes are managed better next year so the same kind of fall off doesn't happen again. Also, kudos for Captain Jack for his community assist award and staying out of trouble.

Baby Al was the best player in training camp. Unfortunately, that was the peak of his season. He had a few big scoring games, but was really inconsistent. His shot was flat, and he didn't work on the boards the way he needed to. He hung out at the three point line, and about half his shots came from 3 point land. Al, I know you can shoot the 3, but really, you're 6'9, you need to use your size and speed to your advantage. Hanging out at the 3 point line is ok sometimes, but you need to mix up your game. The predictability of Al's game hurt the progress of the team. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised to see him moved this summer, which is a shame. I like Al, but he's really not a very smart player.

And speaking of not smart players, there's Mickael Pietrus, maybe the person with the least amount of basketball smarts this side of France. Pietrus's sulking until the trade deadline really hurt the bench production. He played solid D after the deadline, but really, it was too little too late. And then he sat out for about 7 or 8 games with a hamstring injury, when really he should've only missed 4 games. Capt. Jack even called him out, but he rested anyways, when the Warriors most needed him. Pietrus will probably change locations this summer, and I for one will not be sad to see him go.

Biedrins had an up and down season. He finished about the same as where he was last year, which is a bit of a let down. He shows signs of life on the defensive end, and has great hands. He runs the pick and roll to perfection, and can keep up with smaller guys. However, without help, he gets pounded down low, and is unable to keep bigger guys off the glass. I still really like AB, and hope he sticks around for a long time.

Brandan Wright, hmm, what do I say about him. He looks like he could be really good. Was he worth the few wins his presence and J-Rich's absence cost us, time will tell, but for this year, no it was not. Wright had a couple of really solid games given his minutes. He rebounds well, and plays good help D. He's too thin though, and really needs to work on his strengthening. Hopefully Nellie doesn't turn him into an outside player because he really needs to play inside. He's still really raw, and a couple years away, but he definitely has the potential. I hate that word.

Conclusions:

I know I've covered some areas more than others, and if you'd like more elaboration, I'd be happy to in the comments. Overall though, it was a weird season. We won, and more than I'd ever seen, but ultimately, the winning was not enough. We couldn't win when it really mattered, and that kept us out of the playoffs, which is a shame. I really think we could have tested the Lakers in the first round, though I doubt we'd win more than 1 or 2 games.

Changes are happening this summer whether we like it or not. The Warriors have 9 potential free agents, and an uncommitted coach. Really, anything can happen, but mostly, like every year, I want the Warriors to make a run at an elite front court player, even if it means giving up on a few of our better guys. Even though he's a Dukie, the player I want the most is Elton Brand, and I think he can be had, but we'll see.

Ok, this post is way too long, I'll end it abruptly.

Full post as published by The Present Tense on April 24, 2008 (boomark / email).