Super Splash: Warriors Preview

Stephen Curry, Trey Burke

Likely the strongest position on this Warriors team is point guard. The offseason saw a member of the "Big 3" , Harrison Barnes, get shipped out to Atlanta. In return the team brought in tremendous depth, addressing a serious problem on the bench. Now that 21-year old Trey Burke is in town, the bench could very well be just as much of a threat as the starters. Curry leads this Warriors team as the face of the franchise, despite numerous trade rumors. By no means is he one of the "elite" guards in the league but his dominant 3pt shooting ability is unmatched. This year he will look to lead his team out of the first round for the first time ever, along with possibly making his first all star appearance.



Eric Bledsoe, Klay Thompson, Jordan Adams

This move has drawn a lot of criticism for multiple reasons. Bledsoe is "too small" will get "overpowered" and "dominated" because he has a "point guard body" with "two guard skills". Well, the coaches along with the players seem to disagree. Bledsoe, along with Tyson, are the defensive anchors for this team and Bledsoe really can be thought of as an ideal glue guy. He's not going to score a lot but that's but his job. His job this season is to stop the opposing guards from driving, generate steals, and fill in the blanks. No matter who happens to come his way, this kid should be able to cause a ton of problems for the opposition. This time around, Bledsoe will look to help the Warriors get to the Finals, just like he did with the Clippers just two years ago. Klay is listed here because he plays the position. There are really only two players who will ever be at this spot, Bledsoe and Klay. One or the other will be on the court at all times.


Klay Thompson, Andrei Kirilenko, Glenn Robinson

This is the second move that has drawn plenty of scrutiny. The question ? Is Klay capable of playing the 3 or is he too small ? The answer is simple. He's not small at all. At 6'7, Klay Thompson will cause a ton of matchup problems for both 2 and 3 guards. He is another player who is capable of doing it all. Not only will he jump out on the wing to light it up alongside Curry, but he can easily dish out the assists and crash the boards fairly well. Having two of the best 3pt shooters in the CSL is a blessing and you can be sure Klay will be receiving quite the pretty paycheck come extension time. Another player deserved to be mention is the man no one wanted: Andrei Kirilenko. He was the very last person to have his phone ring during free agency and it was well worth the wait. AK is going to be pitching in nearly 30 minutes a game and is in a similar situation with Bledsoe. At all times you will see either Kirilenko or Klay on the court occupying the wing. AK47 might not be his old self anymore at a ripe age of 33 years old, but he can sure make a significant impact and limit high scoring Small Forwards from lighting up the scoreboard. The defensive duo of AK-Bledsoe is going to be extremely tough for anyone to get past in the playoffs.



David Lee, Tyler Hansbrough, Andrew Nicholson

He was thought to be the odd man out of town once we saw Tyson Chandler come in from the Miami Heat. However, those rumors could be wrong as the team looks to be sticking with him...for now. In fact, it might be highly unlikely that Lee goes anywhere. Some may make the argument that he in fact needs to go because he takes shots away from the splash brothers or that he is a defensive liability. However, his job is just as crucial as the rest of the roster it seems. He isn't going to block a bunch of shots or grab 20 rebounds a game or anything you might hope for, but he is pretty fantastic at scoring the rock. It wasn't too long ago when he was averaging 20 & 9 a game shooting 50% from the field. His scoring ability in the paint is crucial to the team's success because of his ability to spread the floor for the guys out on the wing. If he's not going to score, he's going to dish it out to one of the wide open splash brothers so you have to pick and choose your battles. You can either force Lee to score, or the Splash Brothers, and I think we know who everyone will take. Hansbrough was another late addition in the offseason and should play a pivotal role in the rotation. He's the primary backup to Lee and could very well end up with the most playing time he has seen his entire career.


Tyson Chandler, Enes Kanter, Wang Zhelin

The biggest and baddest player on the Warriors roster, Tyson Chandler, will be spending his season coaching from the bench. He was pryed away from a championship Miami Heat team and brought to Golden State with the hopes of skyrocketing the Warriors to the finals. That dream will have to wait a year and for now, he will have to make due with coaching up Enes Kanter to fill his shoes. With the team's anchor down and out, all eyes immediately turn right back to Kanter for help. He was the team's starting center last season and now he'll be jumping right back into that role. Mark Jackson is hoping Enes can turn back the clock a bit and put up the type of numbers he did in his days as a Celtic. Since he's arrived in Golden State he just has not been the same player. The pressure that falls on him now is bigger than ever as there are not many players capable of filling the shoes of Tyson Chandler. However, unless Enes wants to play for his 5th team in 3 years, he should be motivated to improve his game and reach for new heights.

I love the construction and flexibility of this roster, Warriors definitely one of the toughest teams in the West.

That Tyson loss was a big hit for you guys, lucky for you, David Lee was sitting on the bench, and Kanter will be given the opportunity to thrive.

  Even without Tyson I still really like the makeup of this team and think if you get hit at the right time you could make a deep run. The West may be deep but it looks WIDE open.

Super Smash Bros.. My favorite game back when i was like 7yo, playing Nitendo 64.. Hahah
So nice man

Really loving what I'm seeing about your team. Congrats man!

That makes me feel old, Marcos. Super Smash was my favorite game when I was 12 or 13! And Goldeneye... And Cruisin' USA...

Riot (MKE) wrote:That makes me feel old, Marcos. Super Smash was my favorite game when I was 12 or 13! And Goldeneye... And Cruisin' USA...

Yup that's more of my life story right there.

The picture is really great ^^..
Golden state will make a deep run, even without Tyson. Just a great roster.