Golden State Warriors
73-9
Additions: Zaza Pachulia, Kevin Durant, David West
Departures: Andrew Bogut, Jason Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, Festus Ezeli, Brandon Rush, Marreese Speights
How do you come back from beating Michael Jordan and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls regular season Wins record at 73 games? Well, by signing Kevin Durant of course. Even though the Warriors are coming off of an epic Finals loss; they can at least be happy with the fact they have Durant on their squad for the inevitable Cavs-Warriors Finals Trilogy. At 2 years, $54.3 million and an opt out option after this year, Durant will be joining the Big 3 of Golden State including Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. They also signed Zaza Pachulia to a 1 year, $2.9 million dollar deal and David West, to a 1 year $1.55 million dollar deal to add some size to those guys. With the departures of Andrew Bogut, Marreese Speights, and Harrison Barnes, the absolute no doubt weakness of this squad of Superstars will be rebounding. Zaza at 6'11 and resigning Anderson Varejo at 6'10 will add some height plus David West's 6'9 frame. But most of the time if their Starting 5 consisted of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green are on the floor; they will lack size and rebounding but will try to make up for it with three point shooting. The expectations for this team are through the roof after adding Durant, but how much better can you possibly get from being the all-time Wins leader the season before?
Returning Players: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, Anderson Varejao, James Michael McAdoo, Ian Clark
Just how good is Steph Curry? He is most certainly the best shooter in the league, and is a top 5 Guard in the League without question. Last year, he was 1st in PPG, 1st in three pointers made, 1st in free throw %, 1st in steals per game and 3rd in three point FG%. You can safely say that Steph was the best shooter last year. But just exactly how good of a shooter is he? Like I said he was first in three pointers made with 402; Klay Thompson was 2nd with 276. Now granted he took over 230 more shots than Klay, but Klay only shot 42% from three compared to Steph's 45%. So Klay would have to go 126 for 236 to match Steph's record mark. I know he doesn't have as good of a % as Steph, but Klay is just about as good of a shooter as Steph. If you don't think Klay could hit 126 out of 236 attempts, you may be calling me crazy. But if I were to tell you I could have a guy shoot 402 for 886, or 276 for 650; you'd figure they are about the same shooter, one just shoots more. Now that brings me to my next point. With Steph taking over 880 three point attempts and Klay taking over 650, how on Earth will there be enough to go around with Durant being added into the mix? And on top of that, is this the best core of shooters on an NBA team ever? Well, let's see.
Returning Players: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, Anderson Varejao, James Michael McAdoo, Ian Clark
Just how good is Steph Curry? He is most certainly the best shooter in the league, and is a top 5 Guard in the League without question. Last year, he was 1st in PPG, 1st in three pointers made, 1st in free throw %, 1st in steals per game and 3rd in three point FG%. You can safely say that Steph was the best shooter last year. But just exactly how good of a shooter is he? Like I said he was first in three pointers made with 402; Klay Thompson was 2nd with 276. Now granted he took over 230 more shots than Klay, but Klay only shot 42% from three compared to Steph's 45%. So Klay would have to go 126 for 236 to match Steph's record mark. I know he doesn't have as good of a % as Steph, but Klay is just about as good of a shooter as Steph. If you don't think Klay could hit 126 out of 236 attempts, you may be calling me crazy. But if I were to tell you I could have a guy shoot 402 for 886, or 276 for 650; you'd figure they are about the same shooter, one just shoots more. Now that brings me to my next point. With Steph taking over 880 three point attempts and Klay taking over 650, how on Earth will there be enough to go around with Durant being added into the mix? And on top of that, is this the best core of shooters on an NBA team ever? Well, let's see.
G- The Guard play from the Warriors is almost incomparable to any other team in the League. Steph finished the season at 30.1 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game while Thompson averaged 22.1 points, 2.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. You won't out score the duo of Curry and Thompson, but you may be able to out defend them. However, Steph led the League with 2.14 steals per game and at 6'7, Klay Thompson can creates mismatches with his size. Last year, when defensive Guard duos came to play against Golden State, the Celtics' Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas gave them the most trouble by far. Bradley, the first team all NBA Defensive star, held Steph to 25 for 66 shooting, and 9 for 28 from three in three games against Golden State. He went 3 of 15 from three in the last two games they played against the Celtics. The Warriors won the first game in double-OT, but easily should have lost three separate times; while they lost the second game at home, snapping their 54-game home winning streak. What I'm trying to get at here is that if they aren't shooting well or are getting defended against well; the Warriors are easily beatable. The way to beat Golden State is by getting to their Guards with quick, sneaky defenders and make Draymond beat you; although with the addition of Durant you need to have a good defender at the 4 spot too. Golden State tried Drafting a defender this year in Patrick McCaw #30 Overall, who at 6'7 is a lanky, spread the floor defender who needs improvement on the offensive side of the ball; but can somewhat shoot. Losing Barbosa and Rush will mean that guys like Ian Clark and especially Shaun Livingston will have to step up off the bench. Iguodala finished 2nd in 6th Man of the Year voting, and will most likely be in that role again off the bench to start. Unless they decide to go small with Curry/Thompson/Iguodala/Durant/Green as their starting lineup, it seems it will be the Big 3 plus Durant and Pachulia or Varejao as the starting 5. This team usually only goes as far as Steph and Klay take them (with the help of Draymond), but with the addition of Durant; they will need to learn to pass the ball more and shoot the ball less.
F- Draymond Green is the most valuable player on the Warriors. That is, until Kevin Durant came. All the proof I need is Game 5 of the Finals last year, when they lost the first Home game of the Finals when Draymond got Suspended 112-97 (yes, I know Bogut got hurt early on, but you won't have him this year anyhow). Not enough? How about Game 7 of the Finals, where Steph/Klay put up a total of 31 points, shooting 12 for 36, and 6 for 24 from three; while Draymond had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. The regular season means nothing if you don't show up in big games; and game 7 of the Finals is as big as games get. Draymond showed why he's the MVP of this team (and that the NBA MVP voting is a popularity contest) by putting everything he had into Game 7 to try and snag their second ring back to back years. He's the only energy guy this team really has, with the exception of Andre Iguodala when he gets into a defensive mode. Iggy is one of their best defenders, as he plays the LeBron or Melo type when he's not playin the Guard spot; which he won't have to do as much this year with their lack of size. They also need to replace what Harrison Barnes brought to the table (11.7 points, 1.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game) and all the things he did so well for Golden State last year. The #1 question of this team is how will Durant (28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game) fit into this system. He averaged over 19 shots per game, while Steph averaged over 16 and Klay averaged over 15. That's a lot of shots to have to compact into one game, while trying to get other players like Green the ball too. The real question is, will there ever be a night that all three shooters are off? That's the only way you'll really be able to compete with this team. If their shooting is off, then they can't rebound due to lack of size and that puts them in a vulnerable spot. David West was brought in to add veteran presence on the glass and down low, but he's too small at 6'9 to be battling with guys that are bigger Power Forwards/Centers. While McAdoo and Looney are the depth guys, they need someone to step up and be a force on the boards. The Forwards will have to help rebound with Zaza and Varejao in order to compete in the long run; and especially in the Finals should they meet Tristian Thompson, LeBron James and the Cavs again.
F- Draymond Green is the most valuable player on the Warriors. That is, until Kevin Durant came. All the proof I need is Game 5 of the Finals last year, when they lost the first Home game of the Finals when Draymond got Suspended 112-97 (yes, I know Bogut got hurt early on, but you won't have him this year anyhow). Not enough? How about Game 7 of the Finals, where Steph/Klay put up a total of 31 points, shooting 12 for 36, and 6 for 24 from three; while Draymond had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. The regular season means nothing if you don't show up in big games; and game 7 of the Finals is as big as games get. Draymond showed why he's the MVP of this team (and that the NBA MVP voting is a popularity contest) by putting everything he had into Game 7 to try and snag their second ring back to back years. He's the only energy guy this team really has, with the exception of Andre Iguodala when he gets into a defensive mode. Iggy is one of their best defenders, as he plays the LeBron or Melo type when he's not playin the Guard spot; which he won't have to do as much this year with their lack of size. They also need to replace what Harrison Barnes brought to the table (11.7 points, 1.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game) and all the things he did so well for Golden State last year. The #1 question of this team is how will Durant (28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game) fit into this system. He averaged over 19 shots per game, while Steph averaged over 16 and Klay averaged over 15. That's a lot of shots to have to compact into one game, while trying to get other players like Green the ball too. The real question is, will there ever be a night that all three shooters are off? That's the only way you'll really be able to compete with this team. If their shooting is off, then they can't rebound due to lack of size and that puts them in a vulnerable spot. David West was brought in to add veteran presence on the glass and down low, but he's too small at 6'9 to be battling with guys that are bigger Power Forwards/Centers. While McAdoo and Looney are the depth guys, they need someone to step up and be a force on the boards. The Forwards will have to help rebound with Zaza and Varejao in order to compete in the long run; and especially in the Finals should they meet Tristian Thompson, LeBron James and the Cavs again.
C- By far their weakest position. So weak, that they have a 32 year old, 6'11 Center who was a Bench player for the Mavericks last year, averaging 26.4 minutes per game starting for them or ex-bench player Anderson Varejao. That's what they expect to throw out there and be able to compete on the glass against other teams including if they play the Cavs in the Finals again? Well, they Drafted, Damian Jones who is a 6'11 Center/Power Forward out of Vanderbilt who has some potential; but is coming off surgery so not sure what we'll see from him. Surely, their grinder will be Varejao. He's a tough body low, and can split minutes with Zaza to compete with Tristian Thompson in the Finals should the Trilogy happen. He's only listed at 6'10 however, but is going to have to do with what the Warriors have to work with. Losing guys like Speights and Ezeli are going to be killer to Golden State this year. Replacing Andrew Bogut will be no small task, as he was spectacular against Thompson in the Finals. I thought the key to that series was going to be how Iguodala played LeBron and how Bogut matched up against Thompson down low. Both were fantastic matchups, but this years Trilogy Finale will be different again; similar to the last two years. The first time, Irving/Love go down, the second time, the all-time winning team blows a 3-1 lead, now the third time; Kevin Durant is added to the mix in a crazy lopsided offensive team to try to claim the Trilogy Trophy. Will the third time be the charm for Golden State? Or will LeBron and his Big 3 prevail? It may come down to the Centers to decide the fate on the boards for who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Overall
It should almost of been illegal for the NBA to allow Kevin Durant to join the Warriors. Coming off a devastating Finals loss after being up 3-1 and being the all-time winning team; last season surely left a sour taste in Golden State and their fans mouths. The good news for the Warriors is that they are in position to be in the Finals for a good stretch of time if they play their cards right. They have 4 top 10 players in the league on their team. It's plain and simple; the Warriors are the best team going into the 2016-2017 season even though they lost the Finals last year. How they will mesh together will be the key to how they live up to all the hype of this "Super Team." It's a much better version of Derek Rose's (Insert My Knicks Link) "Super Team" that he plans his Knicks to be; but the Warriors have a real chance to break some scoring records and make a serious Finals run for this year and the next years to come. (Good Luck predicting their record...)
Prediction: 68-14
Overall
It should almost of been illegal for the NBA to allow Kevin Durant to join the Warriors. Coming off a devastating Finals loss after being up 3-1 and being the all-time winning team; last season surely left a sour taste in Golden State and their fans mouths. The good news for the Warriors is that they are in position to be in the Finals for a good stretch of time if they play their cards right. They have 4 top 10 players in the league on their team. It's plain and simple; the Warriors are the best team going into the 2016-2017 season even though they lost the Finals last year. How they will mesh together will be the key to how they live up to all the hype of this "Super Team." It's a much better version of Derek Rose's (Insert My Knicks Link) "Super Team" that he plans his Knicks to be; but the Warriors have a real chance to break some scoring records and make a serious Finals run for this year and the next years to come. (Good Luck predicting their record...)
Prediction: 68-14