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: The Present Tense

Warriors Season Preview: 2007

I know a lot of people are thinking, basketball already? It's October, I've got baseball playoffs, the NFL season, and College Football gone wild (or in Mac's case, ugh more sports?)! Well, with me, all those things are great, but the Warriors will always take center stage. So in the spirit of last year's preview, I figured for my 100th post here, I'd go ahead and write up a season preview.

Offseason Moves:
With the trade of Jason Richardson, and the unloading of Adonal Foyle, the Warriors have a whole new look, and are now completely Chris Mullin's team. In Richardson's place came Brandan Wright, a young power forward out of UNC with a lot of potential, but still very raw. Wright in no way will replace J-Rich this year, though he makes substantially less money, so in that way, it was an ok move. However, anyone who has talked to me knows that I absolutely hated the move. J-Rich was the soul of the team, and the BoomRich back court was one of the best in the NBA. With J-Rich's departure, the back court is definitely less well off.

Other moves this offseason included the drafting of Italian superstud Marco Belinelli. When he was drafted, I thought it was a bit confusing, but after his summer league performance and the early reviews, he seems like a baller. I think the first jersey I buy since Mullin might be a Bellinelli jersey (moving from #17 to #18). The Warriors also added some veteran depth with white boy extraordinare Austin Croshere and Laker killer Troy Hudson. I like Hudson to back up Baron if he stays healthy, and Croshere is good for outside shooting and falling down. Croshere can be a pretty hard nosed player, so as long as he plays hard, I'll have no problem with him. The Warriors also added former Phoenix Sun Pat Burke. I have no idea how much he'll play, or if he'll make the team, so we'll see.

Aside from additions, the Warriors brought back Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and Kelenna Azubuike, and brought Kosta Perovic over from Europe. Keeping Barnes, Pietrus and Azubuike for cheap was quite the coup, and with Barnes and Azubuike, we're keeping two solid players who play Warriors basketball. Pietrus, well I could take him or leave him, but as long as he plays D, I'm happy he's back.

Nellie Ball: The Starting Lineup and Key Subs
Where last year there were jumbled parts that didn't quite resemble a Nellie ball lineup, this year, the roles are clearly established, and it's pretty exciting. With Baron Davis manning the point, the Dubs have one of the best at the position in the league when he's healthy. If anyone watched BD own the Mavs last year, you know how great he can be. The trick is him staying healthy. If Boom can stay healthy this year, I'm going to be calling for MVP.

At the 2, while the starter isn't set in stone yet, the 4 options are all very good. While Nellie has stated he wants Monta! to man the one, he'll probably still get a lot of burn at the 2, and as well he should. Monta! can be a scoring machine, and can D up points pretty well. Hopefully he recovers quickly from a scary neck sprain so we can see last year's Most Improve Player get even better. Belinelli might be option #2, though he'll have to pick up his D to stay on the floor. If he can do that, and score like he's done as a pro in Italy and in the Summer League, he could be a First Team All NBA Rookie. Pietrus might also be the next best option. However, like all the previous years he's been on the Warriors, he needs to play smarter, and accept the fact that he is not the next Air Jordan. Pietrus will be fine off the bench for the rest of the year, though I wouldn't be surprised to see him traded by the deadline. Azubuike is another good option as he is an overall solid player, he just needs to find his role with the starting unit.

At the 3, Stephen Jackson provides a strong body with a solid stroke and good D. Jack's problems have been well documented, so I won't go into that, except to say, he'll be missed the first 7 games this year, and I hope he can keep his shit together so he stays on the floor. Barnes will probably start in Jack's place for the first 7, and will likely be one of the first off the bench. Barnes provides great energy, D, and can shoot the 3. I'm really happy to have Barnes back.

Al Harrington is the perfect 4 for Nellie Ball. He's quick, can handle the rock, go inside, shoot the 3, and is serviceable on defense. He's definitely going to have to improve his rebounding so the Warriors don't get abused like they did in the Utah series. Nellie has said that Al's been the best Warrior in camp this summer, and he's had a good start to the preseason, so I'm excited to see what he can bring this year.

Manning the post is Andris "I must break you" Biedrins. You all know I'm a big fan of AB. The guy is just a hard worker and just tries to improve every year. Last year, AB was a great defensive and rebounding presence, and managed to score almost 10 a game. If AB can develop an offensive game, and shoot something resembling a free throw, watch out Western Conference. This could be Biedrins's year to win the MIP.

Off the Bench:
Outside of the starters and key subs, we have Hudson, Croshere, Patrick O'Bryant (the Notorious POB who has actually been solid in the preseason), Pat Burke, and rookies Brandan Wright, Stephane Lasme, and Kosta Perovic. I wouldn't expect to see much out of the 3 rookies this year as they are all pretty raw. It'd be great to see Wright step in early and help Biedrins out up front, but I doubt that will happen this year. O'Bryant is going to have to pick it up and hopefully play a solid 10 minutes a game to allow Biedrins to rest. If not him, then Croshere will have to fill in and play bigger than he'd like to.

Overall Assessment:
Instead of hopelessly optimistic, I'd say that this year I'm cautiously optimistic. The end of last season was so amazing, that it seems impossible to top that. The final run, one of the greatest upsets in sports history, and taking over the sports world (see, e.g., celebrities at Warriors games). I think realistically, the Warriors are looking at anywhere between the 6 and 10 seeds. If the team stays healthy, and plays to it's capability, we might be looking at a 45+ win season. Last year's 42 wins is a realistic benchmark, but I really think we should pass that with a healthy Baron. The key though is stability and health, if we have those things, I'm expecting good things. I mean, potentially, we could end up with any of the major awards of MVP (Baron Davis), Coach of the Year (Don Nelson), Most Improved Player (Andris Biedrins), or Sixth Man of the Year (Monta Ellis), and a potential an All Rookie teamer in Marco Belinelli. My bold prediction is 45-37, and 7th in the Western Conference.

I'm excited for the season, but am disappointed in not having FSN Bay Area now. The Warriors will be on national TV more, but I'm going to miss Bob and Jim. Hopefully I'll be getting some sort of sports package that gets me the local broadcast of Warriors games. Things tip off October 30th against the Jazz, I'm ready now.

Full post as published by The Present Tense on October 14, 2007 (boomark / email).