Warriors Media Day

Tweet

Last year was a disappointing season by all accounts. It started with this, had an abundance of this, and ultimately led to this.

But that was last year. Last year’s roster was flawed. The Warriors didn’t have a real defensive presence in the paint (unless you count Kwame Brown’s nine games) and lacked depth. The front office addressed those weaknesses to a degree with the deadline deal for Andrew Bogut and the offseason acquisitions of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry. The players – minus Andris Biedrins – have responded by taking it upon themselves to show up to the practice facility early to catalyze the learning curve with their new teammates.

However, as expected, the overarching theme of Media Day and what almost assuredly will be the story throughout the season, was the status of Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut’s ankles. The success or failure of this season for the Warriors largely hinges on those two hinges.

The questions heading into Training Camp will answer themselves as the season gets underway. Until then, here are some pictures to kick off the season.

The Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol. The Heat have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Thunder have Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka. Well, this is the Warriors’ core. Although it doesn’t scream, “Title contender” like the aforementioned teams, this is the best core the Warriors have had since the “We Believe” team.

Then there’s the mystery of Andris Biedrins. Biedrins was showered with questions about his commitment to basketball, his confidence, and his tan (he swears it’s real). Unpopular opinion alert: I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Yes, he makes a ton of money, but I just feel like he’s a dejected guy that lacks all self-confidence and wants to curl up into the fetal position and disappear.

Last year was interesting because although the Warriors were essentially out of the playoff picture from the opening tip on Christmas Day, Warriors fans still had something to root for. What started out slowly turned into the Tank Express going down the tracks with a full head of steam. After almost losing their first round pick with a meaningless win against the Timberwolves in the final week of the season, the Warriors were fortunate enough to dodge a couple of offseason bullets to land Harrison Barnes.

I’ve always been of the mind that Harrison Barnes would be a better professional than a college player. Whenever I watched him at North Carolina, I always thought, “I just don’t see it. There is nothing about his game that screams future star.” The NBA is a more wide-open game, however, that can showcase the athleticism that Barnes possesses. At least that’s the hope that the Warriors have.

Potentially interesting note: Jay Caspian Kang wrote an entire piece about how Harrison Barnes seems almost too polished. I couldn’t help but think about it when Barnes was asked, “Obama or Romney?” He responded with, “Woo, you want me to answer that? I’m not answering that one.”

For more in-depth coverage of Warriors Media Day, head over to Warriors World where more content will be posted shortly.