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The Golden State Warriors are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA. The team played in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the predecessor of the NBA and won the title in the team’s first season professionally in 1946. The early Warriors, then located in Philadelphia, were led by the scoring sensation Joe Fulks. Fulks was a bridge to the modern game, scoring on drives to the basket and jump shots.
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About The Golden State Warriors
Soon the BAA became the NBA and the Philadelphia Warriors again found themselves in the midst of a championship run. This time the leader was Paul Arizin. Arizin drove points home with a laser of a jump shot. He and center Neil Johnston were a powerful offensive duo that took the wizards to the championship in 1956. The team was able to put the Fort Wayne Pistons down in five games in a best of seven series.
The game continued to evolve and the player who redefined the center position joined the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959. Wilt Chamberlain was a tall, athletic player who dominated the post. Chamberlain’s combination of height (7 foot 1) and athleticism made him a monster. His scoring averages over the seasons were as high as the 40s and 50s and he still holds the NBA record for most points in a game with a 100 point effort on March 2, 1962.
Despite Chamberlain’s incredible skill, his team could not overcome the Boston Celtics. The Warriors left Philadelphia for San Francisco in 1962 not having been able to take advantage of having a player whose height and athleticism were rare for the era. The move to San Francisco was a new start, a start that saw Wilt traded back to Philadelphia to the 76ers. The new Warriors rallied around Rick Barry. Unfortunately, a dispute over pay between Barry and Warrior management after he led to the team to the NBA Finals in 1967 resulted in his departure for the ABA.
The Warriors managed to remain competitive without Barry, but were no where close to as good a team without the talented forward. By 1971 the San Francisco Warriors had become the Golden State Warriors and by 1974 the team reacquired Barry. He joined a roster with Jamaal Wilkes and Phil Smith. The Warriors shocked everyone, including home town fans when they defeated the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors were unable to return to the finals, but put together an excellent season the next year with a 59-23 record and a trip to the conference finals. The team began to fall in the standings, struggling to make the playoffs in the ‘80s. The Warriors soon began to play a different kind of ball, Nellie Ball.
Coach Don Nelson envisioned an offensive force that could shoot from all over the court and leave defenses helpless. He created that offensive masterpiece with Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin. “Run T.M.C” became a joy to watch, but the three failed to make deep playoff runs. Nelson believed that the Golden State Warriors lacked the front court players to make his style of ball work on a championship level. In 1993, he thought he found that kind of player in Chris Webber. Nelson had already broken up Run T.M.C by trading Richmond and found that Webber and Latrell Sprewell were no personally cohesive with Nelson.
The rift between the player and the coach began to tear the team apart and the Warriors returned to the woes of the ‘80s. The next century found a Golden State Warriors team with young talent like Jason Richardson, Antawn Jamison, and Gilbert Arenas. The depth of the competition in the Western Conference and major mistakes by team management soon found Jamison and Arenas with new teams and the Warriors again struggling to stay out of last place.
Jason Richardson became the focus of the team. He was to play alongside Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy with Baron Davis as the star point guard. Dunleavy and Murphy never became the players they promised to be and soon the team turned to Don Nelson. The Golden State Warriors hoped that the coach could turn a team with Davis, Richardson, Monte Ellis, and Andris Biedrins into a true contender.
The 2006-07 season was encouraging. The Golden State Warriors entered the playoffs as the number eight seed and found themselves in a series with the Dallas Mavericks, Nelson’s old team. The Warriors outplayed the best team in the Western Conference in a shootout, but could not do the same to the Utah Jazz.
The failure led to the trade of Jason Richardson for rookie Brandan Wright from the Charlotte Bobcats in 2007. Davis, Ellis, and Stephen Jackson became the new Run T.M.C for the Golden State Warriors and the Oracle Arena. The won 48 games, but the competition in the West was so competitive that even a near .600 winning percentage could not guarantee a playoff spot.
This disappointment after the 2007-08 season only worsened after Baron Davis left the Warriors surprisingly for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors got their revenge when they signed Corey Maggette away from the Clippers. Chris Mullin and Golden State Warriors management felt that Monte Ellis had developed into a solid replacement for Davis, but an offseason injury will make Marcus Williams or the C.J. Watson the new starter. Williams played behind Kidd for years and Watson is coming into his second year in the league without much playing time.
The surrounding talent will help his cause. Stephen Jackson is the player every coach wants on his team. He can run, shoot, and play defense. He and Maggette make a ridiculously athletic duo on the wings. Andris Biedrins is a south paw with size and a jump shot. Add the versatile Al Harrington and the offense should have no problem scoring points. The question is defense. Biedrins is a beast in the paint and Jackson is a very good perimeter defender, but the rest of the gang is not exactly known for their stopping ability.
The Warriros are hoping that Ronny Turiaf can come off the bench and provide defense when needed. The rest of the bench is aquesiotn mark. Marco Belinelli disappeared last season after hype had him making a huge impact after last year’s offseason. Kelenna Azubuike had his moments on the wing last season, but it is not known whether he can consistently deliver. This season should be interesting for the Golden State Warriors. The athleticism makes this a possible upstart team, but the lack of experience may be too much for Nellie and the veterans to overcome.
