2011-12 Golden State Warriors Predictions
Written by Jack Jones
The Golden State Warriors are coming off a 36-46 season in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division. That finish was good enough for the third-best record in the division, which is known widely to be one of the worst in the NBA. The Warriors have elected to hire Mark Jackson to be their next head coach this offseason.
Jackson played in the league from 1987 to 2004 while playing on seven different teams, most notably the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. He was also a commentator for ESPN and ABC alongside his former coach Jeff Van Gundy. This will be his first season as a head coach.
Golden State is clearly an up-and-coming team in this league. They have a lot of young players remaining on their roster, and this is a squad that could challenge in the West sooner rather than later. They have one of the most dynamic backcourts in the league with Monte Ellis and Stephen Curry.
Ellis did it all last season, finishing 8th in the league in scoring (24.1) and 2nd in steals (2.1) while also dishing out 5.6 assists. Curry averaged 18.6 points and a team-high 5.8 assists. Neither player is really much of a force on the defensive end, though. Each could also cut back on turnovers as Ellis (3.2) and Curry (3.1) combined for 6.3 turnovers per game.
The Warriors finished 7th in the NBA in scoring (103.4), but they were just 27th in scoring defense (105.7). A big reason for that was their lack of perimeter defense, but they weren’t much better in the post, either. I really believe that C David Lee was an excellent addition last offseason.
Lee averaged 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, but he doesn’t get many blocks and is more of an offensive player down low. SF Dorell Wright (16.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG) came out of nowhere to provide a huge spark offensively as well, but he’s no defensive stopper, either.
To get better defensively, the Warriors really need C Andris Biedrins to stay healthy. He missed 23 games last season, but when healthy, Biedrins certainly provides a huge lift on the glass and contesting shots. Golden State went out and signed Kwame Brown from the Charlotte Bobcats to try and add another defensive presence inside. Brown average 7.9 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.
Golden State appears to have one of the top draft classes with rookies Klay Thompson, Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler. They do lose Reggie Williams, Al Thornton, Vladimir Radmanovic and Acie Law in free agency, but these three rookie should be an upgrade.
Thompson was one of the most underrated scorers at the college level out of Washington State last season. He averaged 21.6 points for the Cougars in his junior season before leaving early to enter the NBA draft. Jackson called Thompson “a big-time talent,” who will “play right away.”
Western Conference Prediction: 3rd Pacific Division – While I do believe the Warriors are going to improve upon their 36-46 record from a year ago, I just can’t see them finishing any higher than third in this improving division. The Lakers are still the team to beat, while the Clippers are nipping on their heels after trading for Chris Paul. Golden State is going to be able to light up the nets at an even more alarming rate with the addition of Thompson, but they simply haven’t done enough to address their defensive needs. Jackson will get this team to play harder at this end of the floor, but a small improvement defensively won’t be enough to get them into the playoffs.
Jack Jones has also listed his complete rankings of where each team in every division will finish with his 2011-12 NBA predictions article.
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