2014-2015 Season Preview: Golden State Warriors Q&A
To help get ready for the 2014-2015 NBA season Pelican Debrief is going through each of the 30 NBA team’s with help from other Fansided NBA writers. Today we are joined by Eric He of Blue Man Hoop, Fansided’s Golden State Warriors blog, to talk Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and more.
1. What are the expectations for Steve Kerr as he replaces Mark Jackson this year?
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Eric: Expectations are high for Steve Kerr. Mark Jackson helped turn the Warriors from a perennial bottom-feeder to a legitimate playoff team, and last season led them to a 51-win season. This is not simply a new coach replacing an inadequate coach and taking over a struggling team; Kerr will be tested right away and should be expected to lead the Warriors to a deep playoff run. It’s definitely interesting, considering all the controversy surrounding Jackson and his firing, but Kerr can ease a lot of concerns if he does well right out of the gate.
2. Was Klay Thompson really worth not trading for Kevin Love?
Eric: We’ve talked about this to excess on our site, but just like the Kerr-Jackson swap, only time will tell and hindsight is 20/20. The bottom line is this: the Warriors felt that upgrading from David Lee to Kevin Love was not worth giving up Klay Thompson. The Warriors value Thompson a lot; Jerry West, who holds a lot of weight in the front office, adores him and Kerr was clamoring to keep him as well. They want to see what Thompson can do in Kerr’s new system, which is designed to create more space for the Warriors’ lethal three-point shooters.
3. How does Stephen Curry take the next step as a player and do you expect him to do it this season?
Eric: Stephen Curry is a dynamic offensive superstar, and it’s scary to think that, at age 26, he has yet to reach his prime. His biggest issue, though, is on the defensive end. Being 6 ft. 3 inches and 185 pounds puts him at a disadvantage right away when defending bigger and more physical guards. Last season, the Warriors would often put Thompson on the other team’s better guard to mask Curry’s deficiencies on defense (another reason why they kept Thompson: his defense). Curry tries hard, but he is just naturally smaller and it will be a challenge for him to defend the likes of Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook. I’m honestly not sure if he’ll improve on defense this season; it depends on what shape he’s in and if the Warriors give him a chance to defend the opponent’s better guard.
4. Is the Warriors big man rotation good enough to compete for a title? Can Andrew Bogut be trusted enough to stay healthy all year?
Eric: The biggest concern I have about this team is their depth down low. Bogut is injury prone and other than him, the Warriors have no proven center. Festus Ezeli, the backup, has his own injury issues and it remains to be seen how he performs after missing all of last season. Ognjen Kuzmic, the only remaining center, is unproven. The Warriors needs Bogut healthy – just look at how the Clippers’ big men abused the Warriors down low when Bogut was out for the playoffs. I’m somewhat shocked that they haven’t gone out and signed another big to provide some depth.
5. What is the best case scenario for the Warriors this season? The worst case? What do you think actually happens?
Eric: As a fan, I want to answer “championship” to all three of those questions, but a realistic “best case” would be a trip to the Western Conference Finals and build upon the playoff performances of the past two seasons. It’s going to be tough, though in a Western Conference that is so tough and stacked with contending teams from top to bottom. That’s why, in the worst case scenario, the Warriors could end up missing the playoffs altogether despite having a good season, like the Suns did last season when they went 48-34 and finished ninth. What I think happens is somewhere in between: a playoff berth in the fourth to sixth seed and at least a trip to the second round.