THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS SURE ARE GOLDEN, AREN'T THEY?
Posted on 29 December 2014
via isportsweb.com
The Golden State Warriors are 24-5. Repeat, the Golden State Warriors are 24-5.
How are they doing it? With a point guard that's MVP worthy, a shooting guard who is just getting better every year and seems to have hit that next level needed to succeed, and a supporting cast that is either overachieving or just putting everything together at the right time.
What about Steve Kerr? How much has he impacted this squad? It depends on who you ask; Dennis Rodman doesn't seem to think Coach Kerr is doing anything. Some people agree, arguing that all Kerr has done is just come in and manage the lineups and substitutions, while allowing Steph Curry to play his game and it's translating into wins. Funny thing is, the people who disagree with Rodman's assessment also argue that all Kerr has done is just come in and manage the lineups and substitutious, while allowing the team to play their game and it's translating into wins.
So what IS the Golden State Warriors' game? A lot of ball movement on offense, playing through their talented bigs and using good spacing, keeping opposing teams guessing and struggling with matchups, and of course, the sharpshooting of their backcourt. The defensive side of the ball has turned around the past few years. Mark Jackson took this team from playing high tempo offense while sacrificing on the defensive side, to playing with just as much pride in stopping a ball as there is in scoring.
You also have the guys on the team who are buying in to everything. Andre Iguodala case in point; former all star, two time all-defensive team, career averages of 14/6/5/2 spg and he's making no fuss about his role now which involves him coming off of the bench. His numbers are a career low across the board, yet you don't hear any rumblings of anything negative coming out of that locker room. Andrew Bogut; another guy averaging career low in points but his rebounding and stellar defense is a key contributor to the success the Warriors are having this season.
How can we forget about Draymond Green and Mareese Speights? They have shown vast improvements across the board, and if you take analytic stats into account then Speights is having a monster year. Per 36 minutes, Speights is putting up 25/11 and is sporting a PER of 21.7! Draymond Green showed everyone flashes last post-season of what he's capable of and has carried over that play to a starting gig at the SF spot. He's produced admirably with 12/8/3 plus over a block and a steal per game. I haven't even touched on Harrison Barnes, whom many felt was trade bait and was going to be used to upgrade the squad (K.Love?).
So was Dennis Rodman right? Is Steve Kerr just leeching off of the team and padding his coaching resume? It depends which side of the glass you're looking through. Don't get me wrong, the talent is all there. Sometimes the talent needs to be nudged ever so slightly in the right direction for everything to come together. In that sense, Steve Kerr has perfected the art of nudging.
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@pjhass84 | OuiTheNorth.wordpress.com
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