Saltzman Says...Warriors next coach nearing decision?

Joe Lacob is back in the country.  What does this mean for the Warriors fan base?  According to some reports, the Warriors will go through the June draft without a coach.  According to other reports, however, the Warriors will pick up the pace considerably now that Lacob is back from his vacation.  Larry Riley, the Warriors general manager, has apparently already started the interviewing. According to SI.com, Golden State officials met with former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and top Dallas assistant Dwayne Casey last week.  The Warriors have also received permission according to different reports to speak to Lawrence Frank of the Celtics and Chuck Person and Brian Shaw of the Lakers.  Frank was a former head coach in New Jersey and Brian Shaw is an Oakland native.  The three potential candidates that seem to be out of the running are long time Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, former Houston Rockets and New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy and top San Antonio Assistant, Mike Budenholzer, who is believe to be the future successor of Gregg Poppovich.

Could Brian Shaw come home to Oakland to lead the Warriors?

So again, what does this all mean for the Warriors fan base?  It seems clear that Joe Lacob, Larry Riley and Bob Myers, the Warriors new assistant GM, have a plan in place.  It seems like, from an outsider's view, that the coach is a chip in the same way the players are.  If you believe reports that the coach might not be hired until after the draft, than the next coach's opinion of his own players loses its value.

It would seem that barring a big trade, Stephen Curry, David Lee, Dorell Wright, Ekpe Udoh, and Monta Ellis are the safest bets to stay, probably in that order.  As much as the team publicly loves Monta, it is possible that the team would move him if it meant getting a better defender to team with Curry.  If talks were to heat up with Philadelphia, for example, for Andre Iguodala, a swap of perimeter players could happen.  Andris Biedrins also seems a safe bet to stay, but only because his stock has never been lower.

Reggie Williams, Acie Law, Al Thornton, Charlie Bell, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Lou Amundson could all be moved or released.  Amundson is the only one of that group that is a strong defender.  With Jeff Adrien and Jeremy Lin possibly playing more in the D-League than the NBA next year, that means that only 7 players by my count are likely to return next year.

PG Stephen Curry
SG Monta Ellis
SF Dorell Wright
PF David Lee
C Andris Biedrins
PF/C Ekpe Udoh
PF/C Lou Amundson
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PG Jeremy Lin
PF Jeff Adrien

The Warriors would desperately need a starter at C who can score, a defensive minded guard, and a defensive minded wing player.  Those three positions that have been discussed quite heavily this off-season, would give the Warriors the 8 man rotation all good teams possess.  With Biedrins and Amundson allowed to be fringe players instead of consistent contributors, the team's chances for success would improve dramatically.

I will keep you all posted.