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April 18, 2003

Tim Roye Journal

Radio broadcaster answers your e-mails!
With the addition of Head Coach Eric Musselman, the Warriors improved 17 games this year
NBAE Photos/Getty Images
2002-2003 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (38-44)
The Warriors season ended this past Wednesday with a 117-111 loss to the Los Angles Lakers, a loss that saw Golden State drop the last four contests of the season. Despite that, the 38-44 record was the best for the club since the 1993-94 campaign.

Golden State was the most improved team in the NBA, going from 21 wins to 38 and that kind of jump is usually only made when you add a superstar type of player. Coach Eric Musselman deserves a great deal of credit for getting the players to believe that they can compete and for preparing them as well as any team that I have ever seen.

Twenty-four home wins combined with a 19-11 record against the Eastern Conference shows that the Warriors are competitive with most of the league and is handicapped by being in the tough Western Conference.

I have many other observations on the season, but I will save some of those for future journals. Also starting next week, I will provide my analysis of each player in-depth as part of the warriors.com season-in-review section. Each week, warriors.com will breakdown the players for each position beginning with the point guard position and Gilbert Arenas and Earl Boykins.

HEALTH
The Warriors had four players start all 82 games and you have to go back to 1986-87 to even find a season where the team had four players play in 82 games. Overall, in one of the healthiest years in recent memory, six players appeared in 82 games, the most in the franchise’s West Coast history. Veteran Warriors observers note though that after the injury plagued campaigns of years previous, maybe the team was due a year of unusual health.

LAST ROAD TRIP
The Warriors traveled to Phoenix and Dallas and I enjoyed my time in both cities. The Suns are playing really well and could give the Spurs some problems in the first round. Dallas was an interesting location as our hotel was filled with young girls participating in a regional dance contest. For many, it was probably the first time in a big city hotel and those of us who travel all the time forget how exciting that can be for a child.

A healthy Shaq should knock off Minnesota
Jeff Gross/Getty Images/NBAE
FEARLESS FORECAST
WEST
First Round
  • San Antonio over Phoenix in six games. Tim Duncan proves his worth.
  • Sacramento beats Utah in five games. The Kings know this team well.
  • Los Angeles Lakers over Minnesota in six games. The Lakers have a healthy Shaq.
  • Portland upsets Dallas in seven. The Trail Blazers ride Wallace and the Mavs realize how much a healthy Finley means to them.

    EAST

  • Detroit needs six to dispatch Orlando. The key to the Pistons is Ben Wallace and his injury.
  • New Jersey goes seven against the mercurial Milwaukee Bucks. Gary Payton faces off against Jason Kidd in what is the East Bay point guard duel.
  • Indiana beats Boston in six. The team with the best talent in the East overcomes the mad bombers from Beantown.
  • Philadelphia against New Orleans promises to be a slugfest with it going seven. The Answer prevails on the home floor.

    THE ROSTER

    murph
    Murphy
    ANTAWN JAMISON - - - finished with 22 points per game, good for 13th in the league and showed steady improvement on the defensive end, started 246 consecutive games, second behind John Stockton in the association

    TROY MURPHY - - - Mr. Double/Double (37—9th in the league), the only player to improve by 5 points and five rebounds from a year before, 10.2 rebounds was good for fifth in the NBA

    ERICK DAMPIER - - - scoring tapered off as others took over, but played 82 games and was in the Top-10 in the league in blocks per game at 1.88 per contest...was also in the Top-20 in offensive rebounding

    arenas
    Arenas
    JASON RICHARDSON - - - showed signs of becoming a more all-around offensive player and was 19th in the three-pointers made (123), but still has ways to go in ball-handling and mid-range game

    GILBERT ARENAS - - - soared to a new level this year and became one of the most explosive scoring points in the league 18 plus per night was sixth among points, and was 6th in the league in assists and will be the most discussed Warriors player in the off-season

    EARL BOYKINS - - - proved beyond a doubt that he belongs in the league, with numerous Warriors wins a result of his play off the bench, one of the best assist-turnover ratios in the league

    MIKE DUNLEAVY - - - have no fears, he is a player….set season/career highs with 21 points and nine rebounds in the season finale against the Lakers, will get stronger and better this summer and will be a major factor for the club next season

    foyle
    Foyle
    BOB SURA - - - improved his shooting and was the teams best defender outside of the center position, has settled into his off the bench role with an ability to change the tempo of the game

    ADONAL FOYLE - - - by our measure, the best back-up center in the league and combine his numbers with Dampiers and you have a pretty good tandem, finished in the Top 10 in blocks at 2.5 per contest

    CHRIS MILLS - - - missed the last 19 games of the season with left ankle tendonitis and with one more year on his contract, needs to have a comeback year if he wants to continue playing

    DANNY FORTSON - - - needs to forget about this year and start clean next fall, will be a player that the Warriors would like to move in the off-season for the best of both parties

    JIRI WELSCH - - - will stay in the Bay Area this summer and confidence needs to be built up, along with body strength

    MAILBAG

    The athleticism and length of wingspan should make Richardson a better defender in future years
    Rocky Widner/Getty Images/NBAE
    Hey Tim,
    I was watching the Warriors-Suns game the other night and was getting sick to my stomach watching multiple Suns players drive down the middle of the lane and having four Warriors do nothing more than wave at him. If I was Coach Musselman, I would spend nearly all the time at training camp working on defense, since the Warriors already have such a high powered offense. What do you think?
    Aaron
    P.S. What a season, huh? Let's hope it's just the beginning

    Aaron,
    There is no doubt that defense will be a major emphasis next season. This is a young team that needs to commit itself on the defensive end and I believe that they will make a major improvement next year because in Arenas, Richardson and Dunleavy, they have athletes with good wingspans and that will help the process. The driving down the middle part is all about trusting your teammates to help you out and that is unfortunately a skill that comes over time. This team has not been good defensively for years and it will not change over night. It was a good year and let’s hope that the jump from 38 wins to 46 victories can come as early as next season.
    Thanks again
    Tim

    Hello Tim!
    Have you heard anything about Steve Logan lately? Apparently, he's joined the "Pennsylvania Valleydawgs" of the USBL who start their season next week (Saturday, April 19).

    You're privy to more Warriors news than most of us, so I thought you might be able to get some more info on Logan beyond what's on the Dawg's website For instance, is Logan still injured? Is he in shape? Will his success in the USBL be enough to get him out of the doghouse and into the penthouse, or will he have to compete in this year's summer pro league to secure a spot? How does Earl Boykins fit in? Will Logan and Yinka Dare lead the 'Dawgs to yet another USBL championship?? These are the things THE PEOPLE want to know, Tim!
    Thanks!
    The GSW Kid

    Darryl Dawkins in his prime as "Chocolate Thunder"
    Getty Images/NBAE
    Hey Kid,
    Logan did sign with the ValleyDawgs and will hopefully play over the weekend. It is a situation where if he plays well, then the Warriors will invite him to join their summer league team for the July session in Los Angeles. So, it is up to him, as the Warriors retain his rights because of his play and signing with both the NBDL and the USBL. The ValleyDawgs feature former NBA big men Yinka Dare and Keith Closs and they are coached by former NBA legend Darryl Dawkins, he of the Philly “Chocolate Thunder fame. Boykins is a free agent and I know the Warriors would love to have him back, as he was an important piece to the teams improvement this past year.

    The Dawgs won the USBL in 2001 and look for another title this summer.
    Thanks for the info and best of luck.
    Tim

    Hi Tim
    I was at the Nuggets game and I heard you mention the www.sign-arenas.20fr.com website during your broadcast...

    I wanted to make sure you knew about the "other" Gilbert website that a friend and I started...we aren't the original, but we have a good relationship with the other one, we link to his and vice-versa...Ours is www.staygilbert.com

    Keep up the good work. I from time-to-time will listen in to other teams' broadcasts (via the internet) and I truly believe you are one of the best hoops play-by-play guys in the business. You combine an excellent description and explanation of what's going on in the game with the perfect amount of excitement and enthusiasm. I also particularly enjoy the few occasions when you get to call games with Jim Barnett, who I also believe is one of the best in the business. I'd love for the Warriors to bring back the old days of the simulcasts, but I realize that's not likely to occur.
    It's been a fun year for us fans, that's for sure. Have a good off-season.
    A Warrior AND Tim Roye fan
    John Fike

    John,
    First, thank you for the kind words and I assure you that I have a great job and love every minute of it. I like working with both Jim Barnett and Bob Fitzgerald and we tend to help each other get ready for the broadcasts.

    There is no doubt that the relationship between Gilbert and Bay Area fans is a special one. I believe that Gilbert really wants to stay with the Warriors and keep playing in the NBA on the West Coast. He likes his teammates, and knows that he is biog part of where this team is headed. One thing is for sure and that is he will be the most discussed Warriors player in the off-season. Your email has now informed more fans of the web sites and they can link them thru the Journal
    Tim

    I try to answer as many of the emails that I receive and hope that you continue to send them in the off-season.

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