The Golden State Warriors were a breakout team in 2012. Their young roster made headlines after making it all the way to the Western Conference semifinals before getting ousted by the San Antonio Spurs. Riding high on the success of last year, expectations are much higher heading into 2013. After making a few roster adjustments, there are still two open spots in the lineup up for the taking.
Head coach Mark Jackson is still attempting to make decisions on who the starting five will be and will allow the preseason to determine a few things before the year officially kicks off. As of now, Andrew Bogut, David Lee and Stephen Curry are guaranteed to start. This is a bit surprising considering the Warriors signed Andre Iguodala in the offseason to a four-year, $48 million deal. That is not exactly sixth-man money.
After an up and down rookie season, Barnes made his name in the postseason, putting up 16.1 points per game along with 6.4 rebounds. He looked like a very big bright spot going forward for Golden State. However, after the Iguodala signing, Barnes said he was fine coming off the bench in favor of the veteran.
"Winning the game matters more to me," Barnes said, via CSNBayarea.com. "I can imagine much worse problems. I feel confident about this team and where we can go. Regardless if I'm starting or coming off the bench, I think we have a chance to make a serious playoff push."
Along with Barnes and Iguodala, the Warriors also have talented Klay Thompson to work in. He is fully capable of starting at small forward, leaving Jackson with some decisions. The battle appears to be down to Barnes and Thompson. Both started last season and both were breakout stars. They deserve the spot. Last offseason Thompson averaged 15.5 points per game and 4.6 rebounds. The issue becomes muddy when 10-year veteran and All-Star-regular Iguodala enters the picture.
"I just want to be fair to everybody and allow my eyes to tell me what's the best way, moving forward, for us as a basketball team,'' Jackson said. "It's a process that I'm trying to see the chemistry that we have, the different ways that we start and the different ways we come off the bench.''
Jackson is certainly taking the right approach letting competition play itself out. Make no mistake, Iguodala will be starting. The Warriors did not pay him all of that money to let him come off the bench for limited minutes. Jackson will be forced to pick between two solid wing players, sending a former starter to the bench.