Offseason Buzz: Golden State Warrios

Shapecity · Aug 29, 2009

Without the drama of last season, the Warriors would be an enticing dark horse choice to make the playoffs. Offensive talent galore plus Don Nelson equals 45 to 50 wins, easy. But it's hard to imagine Monta Ellis or Anthony Randolph forgetting their disputes with Nelson and/or team president Robert Rowell. Or the rest of the roster dismissing how Al Harrington and Jamal Crawford were handled once they fell out of favor. The Warriors no doubt will be entertaining, but most likely in an oh-no-not-again kind of way.

To see which player is taking off, who is crashing and which name you'll need to know for the 2009-10 season, you must be an ESPN Insider.

Trending Up: Monta Ellis
2008-09: 14.57 PER
2009-10 projection: 15.94 PER

It's all about the ankle. If the ankle is back to full strength, Ellis can resume his ascent as one of the league's best scoring guards and be an up-tempo catalyst for a small, running team. He probably won't get many assists, but if he scores 20 points a game and shoots 50 percent from the floor, I doubt the Warriors will mind.

Ellis might have some tough defensive assignments, however, as the Warriors are considering pairing him with 6-foot-3 sharpshooter Stephen Curry. That's a potentially potent offensive combo, but Ellis would have to guard the opponent's best backcourt player every night, and his offense could suffer for it. -- Hollinger

Trending Down: Corey Maggette
2008-09: 16.91 PER
2009-10 projection: 15.69 PER

Any discussion of Maggette comes with three asterisks. The first is injuries -- he missed 31 games last season and has played more than 70 games just twice in the past nine seasons. The second is defense -- he treats it as optional. And the third is his passing, or lack thereof. Maggette's assist ratio dove to a career-low 8.9 last season, and only one small forward had a worse pure point rating. On a Golden State team that featured more gunners than a World War II battleship, he exacerbated an existing weakness.

The plan to start this season is for Maggette to come off the bench and play 25 to 30 minutes a night. If the Warriors follow through on that, he'll be a strong Sixth Man of the Year candidate because of his undeniable ability to score and draw fouls.

The greater question, perhaps, is where those minutes will come. Given the Warriors' lack of an imposing power forward and Nelson's history of experimenting with small lineups, there's a good chance Maggette will be checking a lot of power forwards. If so, the foul trouble might limit his minutes and in turn put an 18-point ceiling on his scoring average. -- Hollinger

Bucher's Name to Know: Anthony Randolph
As much as it might make Warriors fans cringe, there's no way around it: He is Chris Webber reincarnate, a wildly talented young big man Nelson dedicated last season to putting in his place or shipping out. Owner Chris Cohan appears to have learned from the last time, when he quickly dealt Webber, and this time is refusing the multitude of inquiries made by teams from around the league for Randolph over the summer after his tumultous rookie season.

But there's keeping him, and then there's playing and developing him, something the Warriors didn't get around to until late March. With a new season, and both Rowell and Nelson eager to prove their offseason renovation of departed VP Chris Mullin's roster was a success, how much time will they devote to realizing Randolph's monstrous gifts? Especially when, at this stage, he's best suited to playing small forward, captain Stephen Jackson's domain. As is, Randolph is listed as a power forward, which in Nellie's small-ball system means his minutes will depend on how much coverage he provides for the team's porous perimeter D, a role more capably handled by both Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf.

The other potential issue with Randolph is his health. Soaring to block every shot, chase rebounds and hammer home dunks takes a toll on a 6-foot-10, 210-pound frame. A chiropractor on last season's medical support staff who was instrumental in keeping Randolph playing through several nagging injuries has been let go, whether for political reasons (Mullin had brought him in) or budget restraints. In any case, keep a close eye on the reckless and wiry Randolph's hops and agility. If there's a chance to ogle them at all. -- Bucher
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Source: ESPN

HiRez · Aug 30, 2009

Ellis and Maggette OK, Randolph's analysis is a little weird, can't agree with it.

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Offseason Buzz: Golden State Warrios

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Offseason Buzz: Golden State Warrios

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