Last season: 35-46, 10 games out of the playoffs in the West.
Head Coach: Mark Jackson, who better hope to find something better to say to his players in the huddle than “Hand down, man down!” if he hopes to keep their attention as the season wears on.
Key Departures: Reggie Williams, Charlie Bell, Jeremy Lin.
Key Additions: Kwame Brown, who was added for one year and $7 million in free agency.
Best case scenario: Improvement defensively under new head coach Mark Jackson, which should be the priority, and solidifying a system and foundation for the team to build on in the future.
The team’s new ownership group was reportedly in trade talks for Chris Paul, trying to make a splash to show the fans that they’re serious about upgrading the team’s roster. But ultimately, all they were able to get was Kwame Brown, which isn’t as bad as it initially sounds. Brown was a serviceable center on the defensive end of the floor last season, and is now the Warriors’ biggest and strongest player on the roster. Clogging the middle and making things difficult on opposing teams’ bigs in this league matters, and Brown should be able to successfully do both of those things immediately.
For that to happen: Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry will need to continue to form their chemistry together, and show that they are indeed capable of playing together and sharing the basketball. Additionally, they’ll need to buy what Mark Jackson is selling, and with no NBA head coaching experience under his belt, it’ll be very interesting to see how the Warriors’ two star scorers relate to their new coach.
More likely the Warriors will: This team should be capable of moving the right direction, but with the limited overall talent on the roster, don’t expect miracles in terms of seeing positives in the win column just yet.
Prediction: 28-38, out of the playoff picture once again.