Golden State Warriors

I'm going to be very honest with you. I barely knew what Michael Malone looked like until I typed his name into the search bar for a picture. As Clips search for new coach, Paul is known to be a proponent of Warriors assistant Michael Malone. They were together in New Orleans. — Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) May 21, 2013 This hasn't stopped people from suggesting that he was a bigger reason for the coaching turnaround than Mark Jackson. I was listening to ESPN Radio the other day and some guy essentially said Jackson doesn't know the Xs and Os and simply a great preacher. Cool story, bro. I don't much about the coaching trees in the NBA because I'm not a Zach Lowe but from secondhand accounts and Twitter, he's a very coveted assistant coach. Think the San Francisco 49ers Greg Roman. Chris Paul was on the New Orleans Hornets when Malone was the assistant coach. And he likes him. Therefore, this means RUMORS! But with the offseason starting now, this is just the beginning of a few big decisions for Bob Myers. How does this impact the coaching staff if he leaves? Does the fact that Mark Jackson not signing a long-term contract concern you? Who will draw up the Xs and Os now? Speculate away, friends.

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority hosts end of season celebration

I woke up Thursday morning probably like any other Oracle ticket holder, juiced with anticipation for the game that night. All I could think about was "Roaracle". Specifically, that moment when the Golden State Warriors rally with a three-pointer from Stephen Curry and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has to charge onto the floor to obstruct the referee's march up the court just to call timeout -- because it's too loud and the raucous crowd's frenzied and the ref's brain suddenly realizes one of his six senses has become impaired. I wouldn't be surprised if Jarrett Jack woke up that morning and thought the same thing. NOTE: This is a “Monster” recap to close out the season -- you will get this NOWHERE else (Poor Man’s Commish doin’ work)!! -- and as a tip of my hat to DubNation. If you want the condensed version, just read the pre-amble and the finale and skip the four sections of the game recap. But if you skip the recap, you won’t know that the Warriors -- as they always fight, whether flat or not -- actually could’ve stole this one... Pre-amble -- Juiced! Q1 -- Out of the gate: not pretty, but definitely in it Q2 -- HB, please get up...please Q3 -- Steph Rules at work: take advantage of the big man Q4 -- It came down to one Steph jumper over an iso vs Parker Finale -- Jack’s tears speaks volumes Pre-game: Juiced! Cue the Dance Cam on the jumbotron. Flo Rida's "Wild Ones" track starts with the piano intro and Sia Furler wails, "Hey I heard you are a wild one, oooohhhhooohhhh..." Imagine 19,500 people now standing and cheering in euphoria, most of those fans wearing their yellow playoff t-shirt, most of those fans nodding to that increasing "Wild Ones" beat, most of those fans dancing in their seats, and the best of those fans being captured on the giant LCD screens atop the middle of Roaracle. By the second verse, more and more people are getting into the groove, happiness spreads as the jumbotron shows a kid making up moves on the fly, some patrons start pointing to the video as it transitions to a normally calm adult bespectacled professional, who gets it on with his own jerky movements, the sleeves on his dress shirt now rolled up, waving the yellow t-shirt as if it were a rally towel, the top button of his dress shirt now unbottoned to reveal the white t-shirt underneath -- the abandonment of ensemble that used to represent his cool, calm, collected 9-to-5 self. Plus, backs against the wall. I mean, Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets was a so-called “must-win”, but this one: truly win or go home. Instead of the usual nervousness that has plagued this franchise since ‘74-75, there was a feeling of ”I can’t wait to get this started” to see how Golden State would respond to a one-and-done. Alas, that “Wild” moment never happened Thursday night. The Warriors came out flat, with the Spurs poised. Out of the gate: not pretty, but definitely in it The game started out ugly for the Warriors as they displayed simple ineptness down low, coughing up not one, not two, but three (possibly four, my memory escapes me!) interior possessions. To make matters worse, When Steph hit his first trey in Danny Green’s grill, it was clear he had much more confidence on this night than in Game 5, when he had passed up a few shots. Pop called a timeout almost before the ball splashed through, but it was way too early to bust out Flo Rida. Again, a masterful use of the timeout as defense by the Spurs’ sage. David Lee made an early cameo and, lo and behold, the Warriors had their starting five that should’ve been had Lee’s injury against the Nuggets not occurred: Steph, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Lee, and Andrew Bogut. A nice little “keep-away” game of pickle with Bogut soon ensued, but as the Spurs had done so often in this series, it was matched by an equally stellar play on the other side

It has been less than a week since the Warriors' season came to an end with Thursday's Game 6 defeat to the Spurs, and we're already looking toward the future and what's to come for the Warriors next season and beyond.

May 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30, left) and power forward David Lee (10, right) react after game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports For the many eliminated playoff teams, the weeks after elimination are a time of regret. With the NBA Draft Lottery looming, 14 teams are hoping for the fortune that eluded them during the regular season, leaving now-eliminated playoff teams to reflect on what could have been. While many Golden State  Warriors fans may be looking forward, eagerly waiting to build on this season’s playoff success, some may still be mired in frustration. Among more enjoyable trends, injuries have been a central theme of this postseason, and as anyone reading this article has heard, the Warriors were not left unscathed. David Lee tore his hip-flexor during Game 1 of the Warriors’ first round series against the Denver Nuggets. Lee was expected to miss the rest of the season, but played limited minutes versus the San Antonio Spurs. Lee did play a role off the bench, generally as an offensive interlude to begin the second quarter, but was drastically limited in role and effectiveness. Playing almost entirely without their lone all-star, the Warriors lost 4-2, but contended in nearly every game. The Spurs played consistently excellent defense on Stephen Curry and seemingly benefited from a severe injury to Curry’s ankle. A healthy Lee demands defensive attention that may otherwise have been focused on Curry, and could have helped in freeing him offensively. The Curry-Lee pick and roll was the staple of the Warriors’ productive regular season offense. Per mysysnergysports.com, 20 percent of the Warriors offense was finished by a pick and roll ball handler or roll man. This would be a significant portion without considering Lee, Curry and other Warriors passing out of the pick and roll to other players after forcing defensive helping help. So, it stands to reason that adding a fully healthy Lee would have drastically increased the Warriors chance at upsetting San Antonio, right? May 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) hugs Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) after Spurs win over the Warriors for game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Golden State Warriors 94-82 to win the series. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports Well, maybe not. During the regular season, the healthy David Lee played in all four of the Warriors’ games versus San Antonio, totaling 155 minutes, about 38 minutes per game. Though this is a small sample size, and the playoffs are a different situation, Lee did nothing in these minutes to signify that San Antonio would struggle with him in the playoffs.  he Spurs held Lee to a far below average 47.3 percent true shooting percentage, and he was not compensating for this in other areas.  He rebounded 17.8 percent of available rebounds, only slightly above his regular season 16.8 percent rebound percentage and his assist percentage dropped from 16.8 percent to 12.1 percent. Furthermore, Lee’s inefficiency and lack of creation did not come in a decoy role similar to Curry’s post-injury, but at a greater usage than his season average, meaning Lee’s offensive struggles had an increased impact. With Lee on the court in the regular season versus San Antonio, the Warriors surrendered a respectable 101.1 points per 100 possessions, but only scored 99.6.  With Lee off the court, the Warriors allowed only 98.9 points per 100 possessions, and scored 104.6. While these sample sizes, especially the 42 possessions with Lee off the court are too small to be determinant, do not suggest that a healthy Lee would have helped the Warriors. In the series against San Antonio, the Warriors scored 101.9

By: Scott Horlbeck Special. I think that’s the best way to put it. “Waaaaaaaaaaarriors. Waaaaaaaaaaaarriors. Waaaaaaaaaaaaariors. Waaaaaaaaaaaaariors.” As the haunting chants echoed through every foot of the Arena, the players sauntered out onto the court for one last goodbye. Like gracious students at the retirement of their favorite teacher, the players began to clap, radiating [...]

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Nerlens Noel is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports For the first time in a while, the Golden State Warriors aren’t among the 14 teams eligible to win the No. 1 overall pick. They don’t have a draft pick either. So, unless they plan on trading for a pick, the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery or is an event with little value to them. General Information Time: Tuesday, May 21, at 8:30 p.m. ET Place: Disney/ABC’s Times Square Studios, New York City, New York TV Network: ESPN Odds (Courtesy of Pro Basketball Talk) 1. Orlando Magic: 25 percent 2. Charlotte Bobcats: 19.9 percent 3. Cleveland Cavaliers: 15.6 percent 4. Phoenix Suns: 11.9 percent 5. New Orleans Hornets: 8.8 percent 6. Sacramento Kings: 6.3 percent 7. Detroit Pistons: 3.6 percent. 8. Washington Wizards: 2.5 percent 9. Minnesota Timberwolves: 1.7 percent 10. Portland Trail Blazers: 1.1 percent 11. Philadelphia 76ers: 0.8 percent 12. Toronto Raptors: 0.7 percent 13 Dallas Mavericks: 0.6 percent 14 Utah Jazz: 0.5 percent

May 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30, right) receives a hug from head coach Mark Jackson (left) after leaving the game during the fourth quarter in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports The Golden State Warriors are going to have a shortened offseason for the first time in six years. They gave the San Antonio Spurs a run for their money,  but in order to keep competing with the Western Conference powerhouses, they have to keep improving. Here are three areas the Warriors need to improve upon in the offseason:

I grade on expectations and I didn’t expect this: 47 wins despite all their injuries and a trip to the second round of the playoffs. With that in mind, here are my grades for the Warriors. GM Bob Myers Grade: A Comment: The Warriors’ front office nailed the three draft picks. PG Jarrett Jack was [...]

Kyle Terada – USA Today Sports Images The Golden State Warriors surprised everyone with their performance in the 2013 NBA Playoffs when they upset the third-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round and gave the San Antonio Spurs one heck of a fight in the second round. Considering that they spent the 2011-2012 season tanking for a higher draft pick, this season was unexpected and wildly successful for them. Now they are looking towards the future with their young team and have to believe that they are on the cusp of becoming a team that can contend atop the Western Conference. With the young and immensely talented backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in place, the future looks bright for the Warriors. Despite their young roster and the success that they enjoyed this season, though, the Warriors have work to do this off-season, most of which includes trying to keep their rotations in-tact by deciding what to do about Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry. They also could use a little more depth at several positions. With their salary cap situation, though, Golden State has little room to work in free agency. In most cases with a team in their cap situation, the franchise would be looking to improve through the 2013 NBA Draft. The problem with that is the fact that the Warriors don’t own any picks in this year’s draft. Their first round pick was traded in 2008 to the Utah Jazz and was top-six protected, but will obviously fall out of that range. Their second round pick was traded to the New York Knicks in the deal that landed the Warriors David Lee. Considering that their recent drafts have landed them Thompson and Harrison Barnes, who really shined in the postseason, it’s unfortunate that the Warriors can’t continue to build through the draft. The Warriors are going to have to get creative this summer. They are going to need to see if they can buy out some bad contracts and if they can get their owners to shell out more money than maybe they had originally planned. They could also see if they are able to trade into the draft. Either way, Golden State is a team on the rise, but this off-season will determine how good they can be next season. Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.