Winning in The Golden State

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Golden State Warriors Dynasty Terms and Conditions

I will attempt to perform my duties as GM of the Golden State Warriors as realistically as possible, I will attempt not to abuse any AI loopholes to make my team better. I will not rearrange the roster heavily every year, only when a real GM would do so. I will report relevant statistics for the Golden State Warriors. I will briefly recap the major awards and championships at the end of the year. I will only do a game by game recap if a Warrior reaches a noteworthy feat like 50+ points or a triple double. I will occasionally give star ratings to players these star ratings are my own and are independent of DDSPB's rating system, they are to determine my players overall worth and give the reader a realistic look at the team. Generally they are more harsh than DDSPB's rating system although my rating system also goes up to five starts.

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Background

The Warriors have just been been one of the worst teams in the league over the past 16 years only making the playoffs twice during that stretch. The old coach and old ownership are out, a new coach and new ownership are in. The Warriors have had an active off-season with Larry Riley trading for David Lee. Analysts have predicted that the Warriors would win anywhere between 25-55 games during the regular season if healthy, essentially no one knows how these new Warriors will fare.

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Front Office

Owners
Lacob and Guber: The brand new owners have paid a record sum of money for the Warriors franchise. This is mostly impart to the Warriors rabid fan base. The old owner was able to make a profit on the team despite all of the losing seasons. Imagine how the franchise could do with a consistent winning record. Lacob and Guber have said that they do not want to go into the luxury tax unless they have a legitimate chance at competing for a title. Both cite the Boston Celtic's acquisition of the “Big Three” as a situation where it would be appropriate to go into the luxury tax.

GM
Larry Riley: The new ownership might be inclined to fire Riley if he slips up at all, but so far he acquired David Lee and drafted Stephen Curry two moves that present him favorably. Riley still has a lot of work to do in order to make Golden State a contender. Can he do it in time to keep his job?

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Coaching

Head Coach

Keith Smart: Smart was Don Nelson's understudy for many years in Golden State. Smart likes his players to play fast and hard, but he also emphasizes defense. Smart prefers veteran players over young players and likes to have a fairly deep rotation off the bench. So far Smart is unproven and many believe that he will have a hard time replacing Don Nelson especially on offensive game plans. Currently Smart has a two year deal with the Warriors.

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Starters:

C Andris Biedrins: An excellent rebounder who can run the floor and pass. Biedrins cannot shoot and has a limited post game, his offense is relegated to put backs and dunks. Biedrins can be seen as a slightly above average defender at center who has the ability to block shots. Biedrins has a hard time defending centers who are extremely physical and tends to get into foul trouble easily. **1/2

PF David Lee: The only former all-star on the team Lee is in his prime and is an efficient scorer who can play the post as well as shoot mid-range jumpshots, Lee is also an excellent passer for a power forward. Lee's major weakness his defense, average at his best of defense Lee puts in a lot of effort and if fundamentally sound, he just simply lacks defensive ability. Lee is an elite pick and roll player. ***1/2

SF: Dorell Wright: Wright was brought in for cheap by the Warriors, Wright has a lot of talent defensively, he can be a stopper on perimeter players and he can even defend larger opponents in the post. Wright is limited offensively he is mostly a catch and shoot player, he does not draw fouls and never commands a double team. **1/2

SG: Monta Ellis: Ellis is one of the speediest players in the league he is very adept at cutting through the lanes without the ball, he also has a very good mid range jumpshot and is a good pick and roll player. Monta also has shown that he can defend larger opponents with at least average ability, which is not an easy task for a 6'3” shooting guard. Monta is also a good passer but has shown to be very turnover prone. Ellis has tried to carry the team on his shoulders in years past and has not succeeded Ellis is better when he plays within the teams offensive parameters. ***1/2

PG: Stephen Curry: An elite shooter with a flare for highlight reel passing. Curry is a smart player with great court vision. What Curry lacks in pure athleticism he makes up for in every other category. Like Ellis Curry is turnover prone and is accused of making one handed passes too often. The Warriors are looking for Curry to cut down his turnovers so that he can become a more reliable pure point guard. ***1/2

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Bench

PG/SG/SF Reggie Williams: Williams is an efficient scorer who can hit three pointers and drive to the rim. Williams lacks defensive prowess. Williams is the Warriors main scoring bench player and has the capability to carry the offense for short bursts. Williams can also be a good creator with the ball. ***

PF: Louis Amundson: A scrappy power forward with good shot blocking and rebounding skills. Amundson scores very few points but does it efficiently through offensive rebounding and dunks. Amundson has high energy and intensity that can really help the Warriors off the bench. **1/2

PF/C: Ekpe Udoh: The number six overall pick in the draft Ekpe Udoh is a bit of an unknown. The Warriors are hoping for a competent defensive player with a wide variety of tools on offense. Udoh was known for his shot blocking and passing in College and he is big enough to play center in the Warriors system. **

SF: Rodney Carney: Carney is capable of making spectacular dunks and is capable of making good defensive plays but he has yet to play efficiently at the NBA level. Carney can be an effective back up SF when Dorell Wright needs rest because of his defensive capabilities and his offensive hustle. **

PF: Brandan Wright: A good post player who has scored efficiently in the past Wright has been racked with injuries in his short career, he has also not shown much improvement on defense from his rookie year. Wright has good length but not enough bulk to be an effective defender at PF this combined with defensive mistakes and consistent injuries make Wright relegated to limited minutes off the bench. **

SF/PF: Vladamir Radmanovic: Radmanovic does not have the strength to play PF effectively and doesn't have the quickness to guard small forwards. Radmanovic is a streaky shooter at best and is mistake prone. With that being said Radmanovic is a veteran player who always plays with great intensity, that might not be enough to keep him in the league much longer. *

PF/C: Dan Gadzuric: Gadzuric is capable of being an above average defender in the post. Gadzuric is a fairly good rebounder and shot blocker, but he isn't good enough at those things to be a solid rotation player at this point in his NBA career. Gadzuric brings size in the paint and that is something the Warriors lack. *1/2

PG/SG: Charlie Bell: A capable defensive player that doesn't bring much else to the table. Bell is a veteran who likes to play physical and tough defense. Best as a shooting guard, who doesn't shoot often Bell might play a couple of minutes on a defensive assignment if he is lucky. *1/2

PG: Jeremy Lin: Lin was undrafted but showed good promise in the summer league where he played well against the No. 1 pick John Wall. Lin is a slasher who can get to the rim and distribute, Lin has yet to develop a spot on jumpshot. Lin possess the talent to become a good defensive player but he needs more NBA experience. *1/2

PF: Jeff Adrien: A short bulky rebounding specialist Adrien has yet to show that he can do much more than rebounding. Adrien possesses a few offensive post moves that he has yet to consistently hit on the NBA level. *1/2

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Roster Analysis: The Warriors have a good scoring core, but lack interior defense in a major way. The two guards Curry and Ellis make for a spectacular duo but might not be able to defend other elite guard combos effectively. The bench is not very deep and if you stray from an 8-9 man rotation the Warriors suffer it isn't the best news that Keith Smart likes to work with a deep rotation.

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Overall Assessment: The Warriors might surprise a few people and by the end of the year their offensive output will make the Warriors look good on paper, but when it comes down to it the Warriors are far from being an elite team in the NBA. The good news is that it seems as though there is a good core of players and the team really only needs an interior stopper and some bench depth to be competitive. The two small guard situation could be dealt with after the Warriors start consistently making the playoffs.

[Zorro]

Sounds good. This will be fun to follow. I took the Knicks and I was thinking of taking Golden State because they looked very interesting. . Now I will not have to. I can follow yours. Good luck..........................................Z

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First 10 Games

Overall Record 6-4

Horners 117
Warriors 96

The Warriors had a disappointing home opener loss as Chris Paul dominated with 27 points and 11 assists.

Warriors 139
Raptors 106

Monta Ellis was the player of the game with 30 points, but it was an overall team effort that gave the Warriors the first win of the season. Seven Warriors were in double figures with their scoring.

Nets 92
Warriors 69

One night they scored 139 and the next they score 69. The Warriors shot awfully only hitting 30% of their shots. Former Warrior Anthony Morrow was the player of the game for the Nets.

Grizzlies 104
Warriors 97

The Grizzlies squeezed this close game out despite Biedrins and Lee's duel 13 rebound night.

Warriors 126
Nuggets 110

Another great team effort propelled the Warriors past the Nuggets. Ellis, Curry, and Lee were all at the top of their respective games.

Warriors 110
Grizzlies 93

The Warriors got revenge on the Grizzlies. David Lee and Stephen Curry really shined in this game, Lee with an impressive double double, and Curry with 28 points and 8 assists and four steals.

Kings 122
Warriors 115

Despite a 46 point night by Monta Ellis the Warriors fell to the Kings, who essentially won in the fouth quarter when they outscored the Warriors by 14 points.

Warriors 111
Timberwolves 83

The Warriors easily beat the Timberwolves holding them to only 83 points.