CNNSI: Offseason Outline: Golden State Warriors

[Phantom Post]

Pretty much what we've been talking about but he makes some interesting
points about Landry and Jack. (Pat)

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Offseason Outline: Golden State Warriors
by Rob Mahoney
http://nba.si.com/2013/05/17/offseason-outline-golden-state-warriors/?sct=uk_wr_a2


Here's a look at what's in store for the Warriors this offseason after
their second-round loss to the Spurs.



� What's the biggest priority for Golden State this offseason?

Assessing the ceiling of the roster as currently constructed. It may be
a bit dramatic to call the Warriors' predicament an identity crisis, but
atop Golden State's agenda must be figuring out what role David Lee and
Jarrett Jack play with this team moving forward. The former is under
contract for the foreseeable future, but the team's success in his
absence should invite a healthy amount of introspection. Lee is a
fantastic facilitator, scorer and rebounder to have around, but what
kind of role and usage best fit those skills, and where do the Warriors
draw the line in terms of running the offense through him at the top of
the floor and letting Stephen Curry handle the ball as much as possible?
A ball-dominant Curry was the clearest recipe for success throughout the
postseason, and Mark Jackson will need to figure out how to best
reincorporate Lee without giving up too many of Curry's touches. It
would be far too hasty to suggest trading Lee at this point, but
Jackson's vision for Lee's revised usage would at the very least shape
how the Warriors go about the rest of their offseason plans.

Jack's situation is a bit more precise and immediate, as the Sixth Man
of the Year candidate will be an unrestricted free agent set to
entertain offers from across the league. Jack has his warts, but his
ability to create offense is fairly coveted and easily marketable; teams
in need of a reserve guard will likely pursue him based on his success
in this particular role, and choose to look fondly on his playoff
averages of 17.4 points and 4.7 assists per game rather than dwell on
his shortcomings. He's due a payday - the only remaining questions are
how much he'll get on the open market and where any interest might leave
Golden State. Curry's development as primary ball-handler has made Jack
a bit less essential, and there were certainly times in the postseason
when his tunnel-visioned ball-handling did the Warriors more harm than
good. As good as Jack is at creating and converting pull-up jumpers and
feeding immediately available teammates, he has enough flaws to make the
Warriors consider going on without him - particularly when re-signing
him would likely require a handsome contract and a sizable luxury tax
payment.

� How can the Warriors improve this offseason? Through free agency? The
draft? Trade?

Mostly through internal improvement. Golden State no longer owns either
of its draft picks for this season, is likely to be over - or at least
near - the luxury tax line, and has a roster that largely consists of
important rotation players and dead-weight contracts that would be
difficult to move. The Warriors will have a few cap exceptions to work
with as they see fit, but also must contend with the possibility of
losing both Jack and Carl Landry (who has a player option for 2013-14)
while getting nothing in return. Those two accounted for 53 productive
minutes per game, and if both Jack and Landry wind up on other teams
next season, Golden State will need to spend most of its offseason
resources in finding remotely suitable replacements.

All of which leaves the Warriors cap-strapped, relatively light on
tradeable assets (unless they deem to part ways with a core player or
rookie-scale contributor) and without any picks. Luckily, the core of
the team is so young that Golden State should improve in spite of its
roster inflexibility; the Warriors have six potential - let me stress
that word: potential - rotation players with three years of NBA
experience or fewer, not to mention Andrew Bogut's improving health and
Brandon Rush's return to the hardwood. The postseason also brought about
something akin to a breakthrough in the way that Golden State executes
its offense, making this team better positioned to emphasize the
strengths of its best players while it goes about building out their
skill sets and better learning the nuances of the game.

� If Golden State must choose between re-signing Jack or re-signing
Landry, which option makes the most sense?

Losing Jack would hurt the Warriors more than his vocal critics would
have you believe, but I'm still inclined to say that Golden State should
keep Landry if it comes down to a choice between the two. The reasons
being:

� As valuable as Jack is, his greatest contributions to the Warriors
come by way of filling a specific need (ball-handling) that happens to
be reasonably replaceable on the open market. Golden State won't find a
player who can provide all that Jack does in their price range, but
they're much more likely to find a competent ball-handler with the mini
midlevel exception than they are an efficient post scorer. What Landry
offers is a bit more specialized and a bit less common, even if he
wasn't as productive as Jack in a general sense.

� Retaining Landry allows the Warriors to consider all options with
regard to Lee's future - even those that could involve trading him away
down the line. He isn't a Lee replacement by any means, but is an
effective enough player to fill minutes in the case that moving Lee
becomes a more viable option down the line.

� I'd wager that the market value for Landry will be less than the
market value for Jack, allowing the Warriors to avoid the bigger
financial commitment between the two while shaving a bit off of their
luxury tax bill.

� As good as Jack is, he stands to potentially impede Curry's
development. That in itself is no reason to avoid re-signing him, but
it's something to consider as the team looks to continue its forward
momentum into next season and beyond.


--

Pat

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