location.replace("https://www.nba.com/warriors/blogs/dotcom/20140512");
Coming off a 51-win regular season and a first round playoff exit, the Warriors, like 28 other NBA teams, will be looking for bigger and better things in the 2014-15 season. And while deciding on who will be the next Warriors head coach is of chief concern, it’s not the only issue facing the Warriors this offseason. With that in mind we bring back Steve Berman (Bay Area Sports Guy), Grant Hughes (Bleacher Report) and Sarah Todd (SFBay.ca) for another edition of the Bloggers Roundtable.
Other than the coaching situation, what should be the team’s top offseason priorities?
Steve Berman | Bay Area Sports Guy | @BASportsGuy
If this team has designs on competing for a championship, they'll need to show they're willing to spend what it takes. They have a mid-level exception that could help them bolster what was a weak bench in 2013-14. They've avoided going into the luxury tax zone up to this point, but now it's time for the organization to extend itself financially.
What should they spend that money on? Somehow they need to get a backup center, as Jermaine O'Neal may retire and Festus Ezeli didn't play at all in 2013-14. It's just as important that the Warriors get a backup guard -- preferably a point guard, but anyone who can handle the ball, break down a defense and distribute would help.
Beyond personnel, the Warriors' next coach needs to commit to improving their transition game. They spent a lot of money on Andre Iguodala, and they're wasting him if a halfcourt, one-pass-and-shoot-it kind of offense is the norm. Running seemed like more of a priority early in the season, with bigs pushing the ball and such. Maybe it was the lack of depth and heavy minutes played by some of their starters, but the Warriors didn't run enough as the season wore on.
Grant Hughes | Bleacher Report | @g30three
On the court, a little more shooting on the second unit would be helpful. We saw the bench struggle to score all season long, and the Dubs gave up a lot of leads because of that deficiency. With limited cap space that will probably restrict the Warriors' free-agent acquisitions to veteran's minimums or the mid-level exception, we probably shouldn't expect big names to fill out the vacancies on the roster. But Bob Myers has wowed everybody in the past, so it's hard to put anything past him.
And remember, Steve Blake is an unrestricted free agent and Jordan Crawford is due a qualifying offer of about $3.2 million that the Warriors might be hesitant to extend. So unless Nemanja Nedovic is ready to take on a much larger role, Golden State will need to find a backup point guard in the bargain bin.
Sarah Todd | SFBay.ca Sports Director/Warriors Reporter | @NBASarah
Aside from the coaching situation I think the team's top offseason priority is to make the bench deeper. The gap between the top six players and the rest of the bench was too wide. The Warriors are going to need to make moves to back up both the front and back court. Jermaine O'Neal was a surprise, but he can't have much left and with Bogut and Ezeli out, he wasn't enough. Steve Blake and Jordan Crawford were fine short term answers to backing up Steph, but again, long term they just aren't enough to take the team to the next level. I think there are going to be a lot of moves made in this offseason.
What was the biggest surprise of the Warriors’ 2013-14 season?
Sarah Todd | SFBay.ca Sports Director/Warriors Reporter | @NBASarah
Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green. After the 2012-13 playoffs I was sure that Harrison Barnes was on a trajectory that was out of this world and that this was going to be his breakout year. I think two things happened. He was moved to the bench and that changed the way he played and who he played with so much that everything was thrown off, and also I don't think his ability to progress as rapidly as what was thought was reality. I still think Barnes has the potential to be a great player, but it is going to take more time than we thought. Draymond on the other hand progressed at exactly that level. He exceeded so many expectations and proved that he is a do-anything-needed-work-harder-than-everyone type of player. If I'm the Warriors, I'm never letting that guy go.
Grant Hughes | Bleacher Report | @g30three
I think everybody was prepared to see Draymond Green become a bigger part of the rotation, but I'm not sure many expected him to become a critical part of the team. Without exaggeration, he was as vital to Golden State's playoff performance as anyone not named Stephen Curry. His defense on Blake Griffin was phenomenal, and he played with a perfect blend of intelligence and unbridled aggression. There are no 50-50 balls where Green is involved; his nose for the rock and ability to rebound way outside his area make it more like 90-10.
Going forward, Green must become an even more significant part of the Warriors' makeup. Guys with his diverse skills and knack for winning don't come along often, so the Dubs would be wise to make his role as big as possible.
Steve Berman | Bay Area Sports Guy | @BASportsGuy
There wasn't a whole lot that surprised me. On the positive side, Draymond Green's ascension on the offensive end was nice to see and Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both flashed more inside scoring ability than we've seen previously.
On the other hand, David Lee's midrange game completely vanished, which was odd and unexpected since he came into the season talking about possibly shooting threes from the corner. The stuff with Brian Scalabrine getting reassigned and Darren Erman getting fired for allegedly recording conversations while he wasn't around was wild. But the biggest surprise to me was the regression shown by Harrison Barnes. He started out the year with a toe injury and he lost his starting spot. However, I never thought it'd be painful to watch him play basketball. Whether he was thinking too much or teams adjusted to his style of play, the possessions where Barnes would dribble out the shot clock and hoist an off-balance jumper were tough to stomach.