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| | Tuesday, August 8 Great one-two punch, but not great team | |||||||||||||
| ESPN.com The Golden State Warriors haven't made the playoffs in a few years, but the excitement generated by Larry Hughes teaming up with Antawn Jamison might put an end to that problem. Fans of the Warriors know that their team isn't perfect, with Erick Dampier at center, Vonteego Cummings still learning at the point and a new coach in Dave Cowens, but they are very eager for the team to start winning.
I think the Warriors are going to be a little better this year, although not much. It would be a little far fetched to believe that the Warriors will have as many injuries as they did last year. I am a huge Larry Hughes fan and think that he can lead a team. He is exciting to watch and with time I believe he will become one of the best shooting guards in the league. In fact during this miserable season one bright spot I found was Hughes showing up Kobe Bryant. And you can bet Kobe was none to happy about that. I think we will improve this year, but not dramatically. It's OK, we're going in the right direction!! Alex C San Rafael, Calif. Excellent piece. Eric Karabell hit the Warriors right on the button. Jamison is the focal point of the Warriors, Hughes is an up-and-comer, but can they really play together. Hughes takes more shots than Allen Iverson. Well, maybe not as many, but a couple less. Finally, somebody gives Vonteego Cummings credit. He's more important than Mookie, when will they ever deal him? Veterans are good for the young Warriors, but Terry Cummings needs to call it quits. Everybody keeps dumping Del Negro and now he's dumped on the Warriors. Why do they keep accepting these deals, especially giving up Jason Caffey when they could have as easily gotten rid of Marshall. We've lost a lot to end up with Marshall, he's a very up and down player. Run TMC, I don't know about that, that will never happen again. Basically the key to the Warriors is Erick "will you ever live up that potential" Dampier. If he could grab 10 boards a night the Warriors will double the win total definitely. Health is key to the Warriors, but if that's taken care of the next thing we'll worry about is can these guys play together as a cohesive group. Hopefully, someday the Warriors can return to the playoffs, but the West is so stacked now that there's little room to get in. The Kings could leave a crack, but they do own that No. 8 seed. Jermaine Racela Mountain View, Calif. I live in the Bay Area and I'm a die hard Warriors fan. I've followed them through the good times (Run TMC and Webber's rookie season) and bad (the Webber trade until the present). I've seen them make stupid trades and idiotic draft choices.The Warriors, in the past couple of seasons, have lacked competitiveness throughout the whole four quarters of each game. They would show glimpses by hanging with teams through three quarters only to fall apart in the fourth. Another problem with the Warriors in recent history is the health issue. The Warriors wouldn't have had the 19-63 record last year if they could just keep their players healthy. By the end of the season, it seemed like the Warriors were playing with six or seven players! The team had no desire or will to win and players simply didn't want to suit up for a losing team. Aside from Donyell Marshall, the biggest disappointment has been Erick Dampier. The man is a wimp. He just signed a multi-million dollar contract and he hasn't come close to living up to it. Luckily the Warriors have two players who could be potential All-Stars -- Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison. These two players are our only hope to rising out of the cellar of the NBA. The Warriors and their fans are just about due for a little success. We've suffered long enough. We don't want to end up like the Clippers and be eternally bad. The Warriors and their fans deserve better. Jeremy Brady San Bruno, Calif. Why is Donyell Marshall never mentioned when it comes to the Warriors? Marshall has had an up and down career, sure, but it's hard to argue with his talent or numbers. If the Warriors would just quit starting him at small forward and center, Marshall would -- no exaggeration -- be one of the league's elite power forwards. Leave Marshall at the four, and the Warriors will surprise everyone next year. Duff Wallis Kingston, Ontario First, it is time for the national media to understand that the Warriors never had a chance to keep Vince Carter. If Golden State would not have agreed to swap Jamison for Carter, Toronto would have just drafted Carter in the first place. Second, G.S. should be a much improved team. Jamison and Hughes are young and talented and will only get better. Erick Dampier, if healthy, is a solid defensive center. Mookie Blaylock should have a few more years left in the tank. Vonteego Cummings and Bobby Sura add quality depth and athleticism to the backcourt. Up front Marshall and Mills add versatility. If Golden State is able to land Danny Fortson, the power forward position will be solidified. If not, Adonal Foyle should be able to fill that role. The bottom line is that Golden State is now a young and athletic team. They may still be a year or two removed from postseason because of the strength of the Western Conference. However, they will be an enjoyable team to watch, reminiscent of the "Run TMC" days. It's a shame that they were left off of any national television coverage. Mark Windsor, Calif. The Warriors are headed up. Jamison and Hughes are two of the top youngsters in the NBA and are both future franchise players. With Dampier, Marshall, Blaylock, Mills, V. Cummings and Sura, they have tremendous depth. Danny Fortson is looking like he might come to the Bay Area and Chris Porter might be the sleeper of this year's draft. If Dave Cowens can put all this talent together then this will definitely be the best basketball you've seen in this part of town since Hardaway, Sprewell, Mullin and Webber were here. T.M. Berg Oakland, Calif. This will undoubtedly be yet another frustrating year for us Warriors fans. While Jamison and Hughes are talented players, that's all this team has. Dampier, Blaylock and Donyell Marshall are below-average players at their respective positions, and the Warriors bench should probably be starting the CBA all-star game. It will be back to the lottery for the Left Coast losers, which is more salt in the wound since the team's draft picks for the next umpteen years belong to Washington as a result of the Webber trade. Plain and simple -- Don Nelson killed this franchise. Ryan Fong Chicago, Ill.
The Warriors, I believe, are an up-an-coming team. Jamison and Hughes will soon be All-Stars and Marshall isn't bad either. Vonteego Cummings should emerge as a better than average point guard and take over the starting job. Also, they have Del Negro, Sura, Mills, Porter and Foyle to help where needed. Porter will show that he deserved better than to be a late second-rounder while Mills, Del Negro and Sura will provide a strong veteran bench. I project that the Warriors will get around 40 victories. Ryan Michael Ptak Euclid, Ohio Gone are the fun days of watching Run TMC. This team has become cellar dwellers and has not made any improvements to lurk premier players to the Bay Area. In a town where both the Athletics and Raiders challenge for postseason entry, can the Warriors even give us a 10-game improvement? The Warriors need just about everything including an ER station on the court. Health will remain a big factor on what happens this year. Jamison will blossom and give you production and Hughes has shown some flashes of brilliance, but that's about all you have here. And both of these players must work on their defense. I like Mills coming off the bench and giving them a shot in the arm, but others need to produce. Marshall has been the biggest disappointment in the Bay Area. He needs to toughen up and do some damage in the paint. Even though he shoots well from long range, he should concentrate on the low post and establishing that. Dampier needs to stay healthy and play consistently. He has potential but it just seems he doesn't work hard at it. In order for this team to move up someone has to take control and give this team some leadership. This team lacks just about everything -- most of all team spirit. Look for them to win under 35 games (and that's if they're healthy or unless a miracle happens like they get Brian Grant or Glen Rice in some fantasy offer). Hey at least we can still dream of these things, right? Howard Chou Redwood City, Calif. Wow! You got it right! I'm so used to analysts just dumping on the Warriors. Your thoughtful, thorough analysis was a breath of fresh air. When healthy, this should be a .500 team. Of course no NBA team is healthy throughout a season. Maybe 35-40 wins seems about right barring a rash of injuries approaching last year. That is probably just good enough to miss the playoffs for another year, but get them recognition as one of the most improved teams in the league. Erick Dampier and Donyell Marshall, in that order, are the two biggest question marks. Dampier, because of the perennial question as to whether he will ever show enough interest and aggressiveness to be a middle-of-the-road starting center in the NBA. Marshall, because he has shown stretches of greatness, but will it ever be more than that? The Warriors would be more than happy with 20 rebounds and 20 points a game from this duo, especially if it came with a few blocked shots. Mark Simmons San Jose, Calif. I just finished reading the User Comments on the Dallas Mavericks, and somebody wrote in their letter that the Mavs will be the NBA's St. Louis Rams. They're dead WRONG!! The NBA's Rams are the Warriors. Next year things will change (starting with the beating of the Mavs): Vonteego Cummings will dominate Steve Nash. Larry Hughes will school Michael Finley and break his ankles. Donyell Marshall will do the same exact dunk he did on Dikembe Mutombo, except this time on Dirk Nowitzki. Antawn Jamison will take Gary Trent to the post and drop in easy hooks that nobody can block (except for O'Neal and Garnett). And Mark Davis (if re-signed) will take down Shawn Bradley with another bodyslam. I like the Mavs and all, but since that one game, a rivalry was born and this time Golden State will win the war. Nuff' said. Brian San Jose, Calif. I have been a Warriors fan for as long as I can remember. And during that same time, the Warriors have lacked a decent center. I believe that if Dampier can remain healthy and either Vonteego or Mookie can take control of the point, the Warriors will have a .500 season or better. Although Dampier has at times looked sluggish in the games he has appeared in, he still has enough talent to be a solid player in the middle, which is what the Warriors need to contend in the West. I feel Dave Cowens can turn around the Warriors in a similar manner as he did with the Hornets. Anthony Carranco San Diego, Calif. Ha! 32-50? No way. Being a Warrior fan since the days of Run-TMC I have no reason to believe next year will be much better. These guys are like a CBA team that was somehow misplaced into the NBA. OK, so maybe they were not healthy and they couldn't generate any chemistry whatsoever. Well, it's not gonna happen overnight and certainly will take longer than a summer league and a little preseason camp to develop. And to get that 13-game improvement -- who would those wins come against? The West is too strong and even its perennial also-rans like the Mavericks and even the Clippers have a better looking roster than the Warriors now. Jim Gaithersburg, Md.
I believe that if Jamison and Hughes are able to work together in a positive manner, then their work ethics will give some encouragement to the other players on the team to step it up a couple of notches. And if Vonteego Cummings is able to become the player people have envisioned him to become, then with the young talent and the veteran leadership that is within the Warriors roster, this club can possibly restore what once was a championship franchise to a respectable competitive playoff team. Joseph Ragadio San Mateo, Calif. What the Warriors need to do is go out and spend some money on some big-name free agents like Maurice Taylor or Tim Duncan. How do they plan to improve if they are always going to be conservative and go for second-tier free agents like Danny Fortson or Derek Anderson. This is the Bay Area; it's a big market, they need to attract fans, they're not going to do that by going conservative and doing things like making Adonal Foyle their top priority. I have to admit with the acquisition of Larry Hughes and getting Antawn Jamison back healthy the future looks a little brighter. We have hit rock bottom too many times. Hopefully this season the Warriors can start the way back up ... at least to mediocrity. Francis Union City, Calif. The Golden State Warriors have the talent to be a playoff-bound team within the next two years. What they're currently lacking is team chemistry, but if they get consistent, decent play from both Dampier and Marshall, they should be able to compete with most teams on any given day. Jamison and Hughes should develop into All-Star caliber players in due time, but it's the role players they are surrounded with that's critical. Also, I don't think Dave Cowens is the guy to coach this team, but owner Chris Cohan is too conservative to be bold and daring, and that reason alone is probably why the Warriors will be exceptionally mediocre for years to come. Steven Choi San Francisco, Calif. Following the Warriors the last decade has brought me more "highs" and "lows" than I believe any professional sports team could have produced in the last 10 years. Look at these names: Mullin, Richmond, Hardaway, Sprewell, Gugliotta, Webber, just to name a few. Not to mention we had the draft rights to Penny Hardaway and Vince Carter. All I can say is that Larry Hughes will become a franchise-saver and develop into an eventual league scoring champion, and Jamison will be an All-Star. And please stay healthy! Dave Turville Salt Lake City, Utah Your evaluation of the Warriors was right on the money. Although I'm the biggest Warrior fan, I actually thought you guys were easy on them. Golden State has finally clinched the title of worst NBA franchise in California and worst franchise overall from the Clips. Due to atrocious drafts (two words ... Todd Fuller), dreadful mishandling of players (keep Nellie, trade Webber?!?), and all the negative press still emanating from the Carlesimo/Sprewell incident, Golden State has finally become a team not only with a bad reputation, but also a team very few brave souls would sanely choose to play for even if they had cap room to sign anyone! At least the Clippers have some signs of a future. At any rate, Hughes, Jamison and Vonteego are a good nucleus, but you need more than that to contend with the likes of Shaq/Kobe, Duncan/Robinson or even the aging Stockton/Malone in the Western Conference. Unless the Warriors relocate to the CBA they seem destined to remain in the NBA cellar. Vance Thinh Milpitas, Calif. | ALSO SEE ESPN.com's Offseason Spotlight Index Offseason spotlight: Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||
