Golden State Warriors: Can They Realistically Compete with Current Roster?

May 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30, right) receives a hug from power forward David Lee (left) after leaving the game during the fourth quarter in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

While the Golden State Warriors are a team with a lot of hype, energy, and youthfulness, they need some veteran pieces in order to compete. Finishing sixth in the Western Conference standings, the Warriors had their best season since 2007 (their 2008 record was better, but they didn’t make the playoffs). Stephen Curry, David Lee, and Klay Thompson, the Warriors’ big three, lead them to the postseason and took them far. The Warriors got past the first round and were the only team that played the Spurs and didn’t get swept.

They have hype and potential, and with Mark Jackson at the helm, they’re destined to be great. That is, if every single player on their roster stays healthy and re-signs with the team. Hypothetically, Jarrett Jack is likely to be re-signed, but Carl Landry is not. With $20 million going to Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins, the Warriors cannot afford to re-sign Landry. With Jack and possibly a new power forward, the Warriors still have enough to make it to the postseason.

A healthy duo of Curry-Lee will do the Warriors some good and surely get them past the first round again. The main concern, or question, is can they contend before moving to San Fransisco (in 2017)? Of course they have the ability, but sometimes, that’s not all they need. The players need the drive and competitive fire. At the beginning of the season, it was unheard of that someone even predicted the Warriors would make the playoffs. Up until their elimination, people were predicting that they would go to the NBA Finals. The Spurs were a huge hurdle, of course, but with some experience now, the Warriors can make up for it.

If they continue to work on specific talents like Thompson’s defense, they’ll be able to take away a huge scorer down the stretch. That’ll always be there. In the offseason, I’m sure Jackson and Curry are going to work out new plays and ways for him to find his shots. Everything that the Spurs/Nuggets took away from the Warriors, including injured All-Star David Lee, will be back stronger.

What else? The main problem against the Spurs was poor shot selection If they’re able to deepen their roster, which they have plans to do, they’ll likely be able to find some combinations and run plays that just work well.

Andrew Bogut was a disappointment this year, we know this. I’m sorry to say this, but did the Warriors give Monta Ellis up for essentially nothing in return? When Bogut was healthy, he looked really good for the Warriors, but we saw that one time this year. Without him, the Warriors have to look to an inexperienced player in Festus Ezeli in the middle. If Bogut is able to rehabilitate, however, the Warriors will have a big man in the paint who plays defense and can occasionally break out to score around 12-15 points.

The Warriors are a great team in terms of talent, but they have yet to prove that they can make-up for injury. Bogut, Lee, and Curry’s health will be a huge question entering the new season, but if they’re all healthy, the Warriors are going to contend without a doubt.