Golden State Warriors 2006-07 Preview  

 For the past 12 years, the Warriors have been known as losers and considered the joke of the NBA. Don Nelson’s going to make people respect the Warriors no matter what.

However, this is not a Don Nelson team. The backcourt can’t hit free throws, the frontcourt isn’t very athletic, and the really they don't play all that well team ball.

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Nelson is very creative coming up with offensive mismatches, and the Warriors have a roster ideally suited for such tinkering. He is already lobbying to have power forward Troy Murphy, who shot 181 3-pointers last year, listed as a center on the All-Star ballot, a move he also made with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas.

The Warriors have the tools to be the highest scoring team in the league (defense is another matter) and win 45 games

The Warriors are trying to break a string of 12 seasons under .500 and without a playoff appearance. It won't be easy. Nelson's first task is to determine his best players, and he'll soon find that they're mostly guards. So, expect to see some four-guard lineups.

The shame of it is that this team has loads of talent, but it's a horrible fit for the system and they will struggle to finish over .500 again this season. Nelson will need the players for his system, so look for a fire sale in the second half of the season.