Heavy competition for small forwards
Pending no rehab setbacks with point guard Stephen Curry, power forward David Lee and center Andrew Bogut, who each had surgery last week, the Warriors will go into next season with four solid starters.
Soon-to-be sophomore shooting guard Klay Thompson will join the trio, but the team still has a big decision to complete the starting lineup. At small forward, the Warriors have Richard Jefferson and Dorell Wright under contract, are expected to put a qualifying offer on Brandon Rush and have voiced interest in re-signing Dominic Mcguire.
“I think he’s there now; I think we have a starter,” general manager Bob Myers said. “The question is who is going to embrace that role and own it? He has to fit with the other players on the
“I’m not going to hand any job to anybody. I think it’s only fair to give everyone the opportunity to fight for the job.”
floor.”
Since Curry, Lee and Thompson are proven scorers and Bogut is a capable offensive player, Myers said the right small forward would have to be able to be effective without the ball in his hands. Myers and coach Mark Jackson said they’d like to find a small forward who defends and rebounds and can knock down the occasional three-pointer.
That’s where the Warriors’ stable is split. Rush, the best defender/shooter option, has said he’s most comfortable coming off the bench; Mcguire is the best defender of the remaining trio; and Jefferson and Wright are the better shooters.
“I’m not going to hand any job to anybody,” Jackson said. “I think it’s only fair to give everyone the opportunity to fight for the job. We have a number of guys who are capable of doing the job and being effective.” Rookie statements: First-year players Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler logged major minutes during the final third of the season, but the Warriors’ organization isn’t sure either did enough to lock up a primary backup role next season.
Regarding Jenkins, Jackson said: “I’m very comfortable with him coming in next year with the opportunity to be the backup point guard. I’m not going to commit to him. If we can get better and make it an open competition, I think that’s best for us.”
On Tyler, who could be the first big man off the bench, Jackson said: “This summer is going to be big for him, because in spurts he played very well. Is he a power forward? Is he a center? He needs to work and prove he belongs, because he’s not going to be handed anything.”
Lead assistant: Assistant coach Michael Malone, who interviewed for the Warriors’ head coaching job earned by Jackson, is again going to get head coaching interviews this offseason. He’s already been linked with Orlando, where his father is an assistant.
“When we interviewed him, we knew he was a hot commodity,” Myers said, “and we know he will continue to be a hot commodity. We’ll do everything we can to try to keep him to stay, but if he gets an opportunity to be a head coach in this league, that’s something he’s going to do.”