After two consecutive playoff appearances (2013 and 2014) with Mark Jackson at the helm as the head coach, the Golden State Warriors decided to part ways with Jackson. There have been many critics of the team's decision to fire coach Jackson after he led the franchise to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since they had done it in 1990-1991 and 1991-1992 with Don Nelson as head coach. Although the popular opinion is that the team overachieved, it looks like the teams management and owners believed that they had assembled a championship caliber team that actually underachieved.

There was never a doubt about the talent on the team for these past two seasons. The question has always been: Can the team stay healthy?  Most of the concerns were for star point guard Stephen Curry and star center Andrew Bogut. At times it looked like Curry had "tissue paper" ankles, turning them in ways ankles don't like to be turned. Bogut was recovering from a leg injury when he was acquired in a mid-season trade for Monta Ellis in 2012. There were questions whether he would ever regain good health and then maintain it, as it seemed like he had some serious bad luck. For the most part, Curry has been able to stay healthy and was able to contribute to both playoff runs. Bogut, on the other hand, unfortunately sustained fractured ribs towards the end of the season and wasn't able to play in the 2014 postseason. With a healthy Andrew Bogut, the first round series versus the Los Angeles Clippers could have easily went Golden State's way. Curry and Bogut were both healthy for the 2013 postseason, but the team was without key starter David Lee for practically all of that postseason and eventually were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. 

Golden State enters the 2014-2015 season with a new head coach, Steve Kerr, hoping that he will arrange all the pieces together to lead them to their third consecutive playoff appearance for the first time since their run from 1974-1977. But the goal is an NBA championship, not just another playoff appearance.  Although  this will be Kerr's first head coaching stint, he will have former Phoenix Suns head coach, Alvin Gentry, by his side as the lead assistant coach to help the team attempt to achieve the ultimate goal of an NBA championship.

The Western conference is as strong as ever, but it is no time to sleep on the Golden State Warriors. When you have arguably the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, there is always a chance. The age old question is: "Can a team win a championship by shooting jumpers?" Most basketball aficionados say it's not possible, but then again, nobody has ever seen two shooters as well as Curry and Thompson playing on the same team.  The current NBA is already being regarded as a more guard oriented league with more "unskilled" big men than previous generations. There is very little doubt that Curry and Thompson are at least a top three backcourt duo in the league and a case for them being the best backcourt in the league could easily be made. So why can't they lead Golden State to big things in 2014-2015?  

The biggest weak spot for the team last season was the bench, which ranked 24th in the league in points per game with only 28.0. On paper the bench looked solid. Harrison Barnes showed glimpses of brilliance during his rookie season, especially during the second round of the 2013 playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs. He was forced to take the role of a sixth man when the team signed Andre Iguodala in the offseason and just couldn't find a groove as a sixth man all season. Mid-season acquisitions, Jordan Crawford and Steve Blake, had previous success in the league and were expected to help solidify the bench, but they just weren't able to perform up to par. Jermaine O'Neal was a big boost for the team but injuries limited him to only playing in 44 games during the season. In 13 of those season games, he was forced into the starting center position due to Andrew Bogut's injury woes, thus weakening the bench.

The team enters the new season with a retooled bench. They went out and strengthened their bench in the offseason by adding Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, and Brandon Rush, while maintaining Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and Marreese Speights. Also, Festus Ezeli, a former first-round pick who missed all of last season due to injuries, is expected to be back this season and be the main backup center to Andrew Bogut. If Barnes is able to live up to his full potential and with an always improving Green, this team could become the deepest in the league. In training camp and in preseason play, Barnes has impressed coach Kerr so much that Kerr has stated that he has even began contemplating moving Iguodala to the bench and starting Barnes at small forward instead. If egos are held in check and every player on the team is willing to sacrifice his stats for the better of the team, then having multiple potential starters for one position is a huge positive.

Taking the league by surprise is no longer a possibility for this Golden State Warriors team. Everybody in the league knows about the greatness of this team and will gun after them. Instead of opponents circling the matchups against the Warriors as easy wins, they will be circling the matchups as "prove it" games and bring their A games as opposed to taking the games lightly. Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr kept resonating all offseason that they rather play with the pressure of having high expectations than play with a bad team and no expectations.

The team is not yet considered by many to be a favorite to win the championship, but with such a dynamic roster, led by Stephen Curry, they will ultimately go as far as their health permits. If they will be fully healthy for the duration of the season and playoffs, NBA fans from all over the world will be in for a treat.

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About the author
Arthur Chernostrik
Born in Ukraine but raised in San Francisco, California. I Graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014 with a B.S in Biology and plan to attend Medical School in the near future.