The Warriors had a lot of injuries last season which helped them fall to 29-53 (35.4%) on the year. Don Nelson loves the run and gun style which makes the Warriors one of the funnest teams to watch in the NBA. Now he needs to get them back to winning basketball games which will be easier said than done with players like Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson running their mouths. Nelson has been with the Warriors for three years now and he has a regular season record of 119-127 (48.4%) and he has a 5-6 (45.5%) record in the post season. Despite his record at Golden State, Nelson is still one of the best coaches in the NBA. He has compiled a career record of 1,309-1,007 (56.5%) during the regular season and a 75-91 (45.2%) record in the post season. This year won’t be a success for the Warriors unless Nelson adds to his post season numbers in the 2009-2010 NBA season.

The job of the centers for the Warriors is to rule the paint at both ends of the court and they do that well. The Warriors don’t run many plays for the centers on offense so they need to hustle and hit the boards for putbacks and dunks. 23-year old Andris Biedrins is a player on the rise. He played in 62 games for the Warriors last season and he averaged 30.0 minutes, 11.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.6 blocked shots per game. He will be backed up by 26-year old Ronny Turiaf who is a solid bench player. Turiaf played in 79 games last season for the Warriors and he averaged 21.5 minutes, 5.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 blocked shots per game. These guys make a pretty good combo at center for the Warriors.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON FOR THE CENTERS: B

20-year old Anthony Randolph will be the starting power forward for the Warriors this season. He played in 63 games last season for the Warriors and he averaged 17.9 minutes, 7.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Randolph will give the Warriors some muscle and defense this season. 22-year old Brandan Wright will likely miss the first 4-6 months of the season with a severe shoulder injury. He played in 39 games last season for the Warriors and he averaged 17.6 minutes, 8.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. 33-year old Mikki Moore will likely be in line for big minutes with the Warriors at both power forward and center. Moore played in 70 games for the Kings & Celtics last season in which he averaged 17.2 minutes, 3.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: C

The Warriors have a very talented combo at small forward with 29-year old Corey Maggette and 25-year old Kelenna Azubuike. Maggette will likely be the starter again this season. He played in 51 games for the Warriors last season and he averaged 31.1 minutes, 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Kelenna Azubuike stepped up big time while Corey Maggette was injured last season as he can really put the ball in the basket. He played in 74 games for the Warriors last season and he averaged 32.1 minutes, 14.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Azubuike is also a outstanding shooter from long range as he nailed 44.8% from three point range. 32-year old Devean George will be #3 in line at small forward. He played in 43 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 16.5 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B

31-year old Stephen Jackson will be the starter at shooting guard unless he’s moved in a trade. He played in 59 games for the Warriors last season and he averaged 39.6 minutes, 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. If Jackson is moved the Warriors would likely start rookie first round pick (#7) Stephen Curry out of Davidson. He was by far the best offensive player to come out of this draft so he should fit right in with the Warriors. 24-year old Anthony Morrow is also around to provide a offensive jolt off the bench. He played in 67 games for the Warriors last season and he averaged 22.6 minutes, 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Morrow can also really shoot the ball from long range as he hit 46.7% of his shots from behind the three point line.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: B