Warriors face questions heading into offseason
# Keeping free agents and adding to the bench are the main priorities
By Geoff Lepper
STAFF WRITER
Article Launched: 04/18/2008
OAKLAND -- The San Antonio Spurs have s****ted a great one for more than a
decade. The Boston Celtics conjured one almost out of thin air this
season.
And the Los Angeles Lakers' ability to create one on the fly infuriated
West
Conference rivals.
The thing all those teams have in common -- aside from oodles and oodles
of
victories this season -- is a trio of outstanding players at the top of
their rosters.
For San Antonio, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili form the core
of
a team that has won two of the last three NBA titles.
In Boston, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen arrived last fall just in time to
resuscitate Paul Pierce's career. And the addition of Pau Gasol to Kobe
Bryant and Lamar Odom in the City of Angels has Jack Nicholson grinning
like
the Joker.
Given that backdrop, here may be the biggest questions the Warriors need
to
contemplate as they evaluate the 48-34 season they just completed, the
answers of which will determine how the team proceeds through its
thorniest
and most im****tant summer in years:
Is the troika of point guard Baron Davis, combo guard Monta Ellis and
swingman Stephen Jackson -- all 20-points-a-night scorers -- a sturdy
enough
foundation upon which a champion****p-caliber team can be built? And if so,
how long will that window stay open, given that Jackson is 30 and Davis
just
turned 29?
"I think so," Jackson said. "Because we can play with any stars in the
league. We can go out there and match up and play against them. That's
just
always been our confidence."
Last season, that confidence was backed up with results. As they plowed
their way through the final games to claim their first playoff berth after
a
12-season drought, it didn't seem to matter who the Warriors were facing.
Golden State had the resourceful air of a team that would find a way to
conjure up victories even in the tightest of spots, as evidenced by its
8-4
record against fellow playoff teams in the final six weeks.
This season, the situation was stood on its head. The Warriors never could
get over the hump against the teams that will be participating in games
this
weekend, fini****ng 2-8 in its last 10 games versus playoff squads.
"I think we have a really good core group of players, we've got young guys
coming up," Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin said. "(But)
obviously, we didn't make the playoffs this year, so to put the adjective
'champion****p team' on a team that's not in the playoffs wouldn't make
much
sense."
Mullin made clear Wednesday that he would like to keep the central pieces
of
his team together, guaranteeing the return of Ellis and center Andris
Biedrins, both up for restricted free agency, and expressing an
expectation
that Davis -- a potential unrestricted free agent -- would be back as
well.
That means to build on this season's six-win jump, Mullin will have to
improve the sup****ting cast. Unless Davis does opt out of his $17.8
million
salary, the Warriors don't have the room to go after a top-of-the-line
free
agent, and will have to use their mid-level exception if they choose to go
that route.
The team also has a $10 million trade exception that expires on June 28,
and
will be able to match any offer sheets that might be signed by Ellis,
Biedrins or guard Kelenna Azubuike, another restricted free agent.
Golden State has roughly $46 million committed to the six players it
currently has under contract -- Davis, Jackson, Al Harrington and rookies
Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli and Kosta Perovic -- so using the bulk of
the trade exception would push them very close, if not into, luxury-tax
territory.
Unless, that is, the team was willing to part with Harrington, who didn't
mesh particularly well with coach Don Nelson at times this season.
"We need to get deeper, for sure, and better," Nelson said. "But we'll
have
to stay under the cap and do a good job of managing the monies that we
have."
Regardless of whatever moves the team makes to satisfy the bottom line,
the
bench is in need of a drastic revamp. The four most-used reserves --
Azubuike, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and Austin Croshere -- are all free
agents, and each of those last three failed to live up to expectations.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, Nelson held out his rookies
early in the season for fear of losing critical games, and by the time it
was clear the Warriors needed their help, it was too late.
"We got a little too young this year. Three rookies on a team (is)
difficult
for any team," Nelson said.
That said, Nelson and, to a more qualified extent, Mullin expect that trio
to vie for more im****tant roles next season.
"I'm really encouraged by the way they've developed despite not getting a
lot of playing time," Mullin said. "Not only physically, but also the way
they've handled the rigors of mentally adjusting to that -- not getting
down, not getting discouraged, not giving in. ... That is im****tant in
this
league; do you have the mind to deal with disappointment, things not going
your way? And I've seen that in them."
It wouldn't be summer with the Warriors if the perennial search for a
low-post presence didn't rear its head. While it remains a priority,
Mullin
said he's more satisfied with the team's rebounding and interior defense
than in past years. What's missing is someone who can score from the low
block, a role the Warriors are hoping Wright will grow into.
"You look over the course of time, teams that have a low-post scorer do
much
better than teams that just rely on outside (scoring)," Mullin said. "So
yeah, that's something either you acquire or you develop it."
That's especially true on a team where the two most free gunners hit less
than 43 percent of their attempts: 42.6 percent for Davis, 40.5 for
Jackson.
And there is also a need for a shot blocker. Without a legitimate force
protecting the rim, opponents will continue to pounce on the defensive
shortcomings of Davis and Ellis at stopping dribble-penetration.
That's a long shopping list for one summer, but with Nelson saying he's
going to coach one more season, at most, it might be the time for an
all-out
push.
"It's always urgent for me," Jackson said. "I want to win. Time is ticking
on everybody."
Contact Geoff Lepper at glepper@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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