As the Golden State Warriors ended the last season with only 36 wins, they missed the playoffs once again. Though the Warriors are one of the teams that seem to struggle every year, they are still able to sell out of Warriors tickets. The Warriors are one of the most exciting teams to watch and when they were able to upset the Dallas Mavericks in 2006, the league definitely started to notice. Golden State was led by their amazing front court of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis and the team was definitely known for their high scoring and fast paced system.
New look on the court and on the sidelines
When the organization let go of Keith Smart, they then went on a search to find the best coach for the young yet exciting team. The Warriors then gave the go signal for ex-NBA star Mark Jackson. The 46 year old point guard who played for nine different NBA teams will make his rookie debut as a coach. There really is not much that the league knows about Mark Jackson as a coach, but he definitely has the mindset of a true point guard as he was the 1998 NBA rookie of the year and was an All Star in 1989. Though many people are skeptical about Mark becoming a coach, he just might be able to do for the Warriors what Avery Johnson was able to do for the Dallas Mavericks. The point guard position is the most important position on the court and it is said that they are the coaches on the floor. If this can prove to carry on to the Warriors 2012 campaign, the league might have to deal with a repeat of the 2006 season when they shocked the league.
The Warriors display a modest lineup with no players making it to the All Star game last year. Though Monta Ellis was one of the leading scorers during the 2011 season, it left a sour taste in the Warrior fan’s mouth as he was snubbed during All Star weekend. Many NBA analysts believe that Monta’s stats were inflated because of the system that Warriors play in. Stephen Curry on the other hand is preparing to continue to improve in the NBA. The 2011 NBA sportsmanship award winner will continue to help lead the Warriors back to the playoffs. The son of ex NBA star Dell Curry will be able to have the opportunity to become one of the most dangerous point guards in the league as he is able to improve his field goal percentage, three point percentage and points per game every season.
The Warriors will have to mesh as a team in order to come out of the competitive Western Conference. Though the Warriors have only been in the NBA Playoffs once in the past ten years, if Mark Jackson and company can learn how to recapture the “We Believe” magic in 2006, this just might be the year the Warriors make some noise in the NBA.
