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Golden State Warriors: Should They Sign JaVale McGee?

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 20, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) during game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 20, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) during game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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JaVale McGee
Jan 30, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) reacts while walking to the bench during a time out in the second half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 110-100. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

Pro: Insurance

The Warriors’ title odds go down the toilet with a single Andrew Bogut injury. Having a guy like JaVale McGee to provide insurance for a potential Bogut injury wouldn’t completely make up for his absence, but it would at least soften the blow and keep Golden State’s championships aspirations on life support in that hypothetical scenario.

Last season, Bogut only played 67 games and missed the playoffs. The season before he played only 32 games. Since the 2009-10 season, he’s missed 150 out of a possible 370 games. With Andrew Bogut, having a replacement on hand is a necessity.

Festus Ezeli has potential at the ripe age of 25. But he’s had his own problems staying healthy and his season averages (4.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.8 BPG) don’t exactly scream “Bogut insurance.” He’s still a raw player and though he’s shown signs of being a good shot-blocker with a little more development, he’s nowhere near ready to anchor the league’s leading defense if it comes to that.

Marreese Speights and David Lee have been effective scorers off the bench, but they’re not the answer defensively in the event of a Bogut injury. For all his goaltending mishaps, McGee has averaged 1.8 blocks per game over his career.

He won’t anchor a league-leading defense, and he’s had problems staying healthy as well. But McGee is fully healthy right now, so with three bigs that have a penchant for injury problems, at least one has to be healthy come playoff time, right?

Next: Con: Disrupting The Chemistry

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