NBA Offseason Crucial for Warriors' 2010 Playoff Hopes

Amidst all of the supposed 'drama' and 'chaos' surrounding the Golden State Warriors front office, there actually is a talented team.

Ronny Turiaf and Andris Biedrins currently occupy the center spot. Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright are the power fowards; Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson are the small fowards. Finally, the Warriors have Monta Ellis, Jamal Crawford, and/or C.J. Watson in the backcourt, in addition to a small surplus of solid wing players (Kelenna Azubuike, Marco Bellinelli, Anthony Morrow, etc).

It's a competitive group, no doubt. However, this team is not good enough to compete in the Western Conference playoff race constructed as is. Which is why this upcoming NBA Draft and free agency period are extremely crucial.

With the 7th pick in the draft, the Warriors must first address their main needs, which are a playmaking point guard and a rebounding power foward. (Basically, the same needs from last year.) Johnny Flynn of Syracruse would be an ideal choice at point guard, who averaged 17.4 points and 6.7 assists last year for the Orange. Explosive guard Stephen Curry of Davidson would also be a good choice. Brandon Jennings would be another option, but may not be quite ready to handle to the point at the NBA level.

At power foward, the W's would be wise to select Jordan Hill of Arizona, who did a very nice job for the Wildcats last season (18.3 ppg, 11 rpg). However, it would be better to acquire a more experienced power foward than to drart one.

Let's face facts: This draft class is not the greatest one, and if the Warriors could acquire one or both of their needs via trade in exhange for the 7th pick, or via free agency, that would be better. The team has entirely too much youth anyway. In terms of the free agent market, Paul Milsap, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller, and Kirk Hinrich are all available, and would be great additions to the team. In a perfect world, the W's could sign Odom to a deal, since the Lakers may not be able to pay both him and Trevor Ariza what they want. Then they could go after Miller, who is a solid veteran point guard.

Here's another scenario: How about a trade that would send Crawford and Azubuike to the Clippers in exchange for Baron Davis? The Clippers would get two talented scorers, and the Warriors would re-fill the hole at the point that Davis himself created in the first place.

Whether or not this team makes the playoffs in 2010 all depends on what happens on draft day and in this offseason. With the right moves and the incorporation of a little more defense, the Warriors will be able to compete in the Western Conference for years to come.