Golden State Warriors: 2013-14 NBA Preview
By Phil Watson
Stephen Curry leads the revamped Golden State Warriors after a record-setting 2012-13 season from 3-point range. (Flickr.com photo/Keith Allison)
2012-13 Vitals
47-35, 2nd in Pacific Division, 6th in Western Conference
Defeated Denver Nuggets 4-2 in First Round
Lost to San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in Conference Semifinals
101.2 PPG/100.3 OPP PPG
2013-14 Roster
Harrison Barnes-F
Kent Bazemore-G
Andrew Bogut-C
Stephen Curry-G
Seth Curry-G
Toney Douglas-G
Festus Ezeli-C
Draymond Green-F
Andre Iguodala-G/F
David Lee-C/F
Nemanja Nedovic-G
Jermaine O’Neal-C/F
Marreese Speights-F/C
Klay Thompson-G
Offseason Additions
Seth Curry (undrafted FA), Toney Douglas (FA-Houston and Sacramento in 2012-13), Andre Iguodala (sign-and-trade from Denver), Nemanja Nedovic (1st round, 30th overall, trade from Phoenix), Jermaine O’Neal (FA-Phoenix), Marreese Speights (FA-Memphis and Cleveland).
Offseason Subtractions
Andris Biedrins (trade to Utah), Jarrett Jack (FA to Cleveland), Richard Jefferson (trade to Utah), Carl Landry (FA to Sacramento), Brandon Rush (trade to Utah).
Projected Starters
PG – Stephen Curry
SG – Klay Thompson
SF – Andre Iguodala
PF – David Lee
C- Andrew Bogut
Season Outlook
The Warriors came out of the wilderness in 2012-13, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and posting their best record since 2007-08, when they missed the postseason despite 48 wins.
Golden State improved from 23-43 in coach Mark Jackson’s first year to 47-35 and a first-round upset of the Denver Nuggets in his second.
But there are pieces aplenty gone and lots of new faces to work into the mix as Golden State looks to continue to ascend in the rugged Western Conference.
Gone are veterans Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry, for starters, two key pieces off the bench from last season. Jack averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 assists in 29.7 minutes per game as one of the top third guards in the NBA. But Jack’s strong season priced him out of the Warriors’ budget and he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Landry, meanwhile, averaged 10.8 points and six boards a night in 23.2 minutes and opted to sign with the Sacramento Kings to reunite with another important piece off the Dubs’ bench.
Assistant coach Mike Malone, generally credited for the strides Golden State made defensively, is now the head coach of the Kings. Also gone from last year’s squad are three smaller pieces, Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush, who were packaged up and shipped off to the Utah Jazz as part of the sign-and-trade that brought perimeter defender extraordinaire Andre Iguodala from the Nuggets, one of the premier free agents on the market this summer.
The Warriors did address the depth situation, bringing in veteran big men Jermaine O’Neal and Marreese Speights as free agents while bringing in veteran guard Toney Douglas and young backcourt players Nemanja Nedovic and Seth Curry (yes, Steph’s little brother). Nedovic was the final pick of the first round in the June draft and came over in a trade from the Phoenix Suns. The 22-year-old Serb played four years for Red Star Belgrade in his native Serbia and played last season with Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius in Lithuania. Seth Curry was a starter at Duke whose draft stock plummeted because of some injury issues that limited his participation in pre-draft camps.
Douglas will be coming in to assume Jack’s role as the first guard off the bench. The four-year veteran split last season between the Houston Rockets and the Kings, averaging 7.5 points and 2.1 assists in 18.2 minutes.
O’Neal is entering his 18th NBA season and was as healthy as he’s been since 2009-10 last year for the Suns, averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.7 minutes a game, although he missed 27 games with various aches and pains. Speights, meanwhile, averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 39 games with the Cavaliers after being traded from the Memphis Grizzlies in January. At least one of the big men will have to step up to fill the reserve role of Landry and center Festus Ezeli, who is out until Christmas at the very earliest after knee surgery.
And that’s not getting into the “Andrew Bogut hasn’t played a full season since he was a rookie” thing. Bogut missed 50 games last season and though he played well during the playoffs, he’s not exactly developed a reputation for being a guy who can be counted on to be in the lineup every night. Over the last two seasons, Bogut has played in 44 of a possible 148 games.
The addition of Iguodala likely means Harrison Barnes goes to the bench. Barnes had a solid, but not spectacular rookie season and though many were proclaiming Barnes a breakout star in the playoffs, a lot of the spiking of his numbers had to do with getting 13 more minutes per game in the postseason after David Lee went down with a hip injury in Game 1 against Denver.
Best-Case Scenario
Iguodala, Douglas and Speights fill the roles they were brought in to fill and Barnes emerges as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate coming off the bench. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson live up to Mark Jackson’s boasting about the best shooting backcourt ever and the Dubs challenge the Los Angeles Clippers for supremacy in the Pacific Division and a top-four seed in the West for the first time since 1992.
Worst-Case Scenario
Jack and Landry are sorely missed because Barnes isn’t providing the hoped-for spark off the bench and Douglas is proving that he’s no Jarrett Jack when it comes to being a distributor who allows Steph Curry to play off the ball for spurts. Meanwhile, the league learns just how important Mike Malone was on Mark Jackson’s bench.
Predicted Finish
55-27, 2nd in Pacific Division, 4th in Western Conference