GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
By Zack Lange


     Do you know who the Golden State Warriors are, or where they're from? In this page those questions will be answered. You will also be informed on the history of the Warriors as well as who the old players were. Down below there are images of current players as well as old ones.











Troy Murphy
 Jason Richardson
 Mike Dunleavy
 Adonal Foyle
 Erick Dampier
 Brian Cardinal
 Cliff Robinson
 Calbert Cheaney










Wilt Chamberlain (100-point game)
 Mickael Pietrus
 Nick Van Exel
 Speedy Claxton
 Keith Wilkes
 Rick Barry
 Gus Williams
 Nate Thurmond






Philadelphia Logo
 Old Golden State Logo
 Current Logo



History
     The Golden State Warriors originally came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but moved to San Francisco, California in 1962 and then moved to SanFrancisco/Oakland, California in 1971. With all their moving from place to place, the Warriors finally became the Golden State Warriors, named after California (the official Golden State). The Warriors won their first and only championship in 1975 over the Washington Bullets in only four games.
     Some of the Warriors original players included Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Keith Wilkes, Nate Thurmond, Gus Williams, and Al Attles. Wilt Chamberlain, the best of them all, is a Hall of Famer and holds the NBA scoring record for a single game with 100 points. Chamberlain even averaged 50.4 points per game in 1962. Rick Barry, another Hall of Famer, was on the team in 1975 when they won the championship. Nate Thurmond, a Hall of Famer too, was one of the best rebounders and shot-blockers in the NBA. Nate Thurmond was also on the championship team. Other players that played in 1975 were Gus Williams and Keith Wilkes. Al Attles both coached and played for the Warriors, and was the head coach for the championship team in 1975.
Current Players
     The Warriors have been at the bottom of the league lately, and may miss the playoffs for what seems like the billionth straight time. Even though the Warriors aren't an elite team in the NBA, that doesn't mean they aren't exciting. The Warriors are very exciting! They have Jason Richardson: the only player besides Michael Jordan that has won two consecutive Slam Dunk Contests. The most amazing thing about this feat is the fact that he won them in his first two years in the NBA. Now Richardson is in his 3rd year and may win the Dunk Contest again. Richardson is a starter alongside veterans Erick Dampier, and Cliff Robinson. The other starters are Speedy Claxton, one of the quickest guards in the NBA, and Mike Dunleavy, the 3rd pick in the NBA Draft a year ago. On the Warriors bench they have Brian Cardinal, Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle, Calbert Cheaney, Mickael Pietrus, Avery Johnson, Popeye Jones, and the two injured players, Nick Van Exel, and Evan Eschemeyer. Brian Cardinal has been the most surprising player on the team this year. This is because they didn't expect him to even make the team after he was cut by the Detroit Pistonsm, and played minimal minutes for the Washington Wizards last year. Mickael Pietrus is a rookie from France, and was arguably the best athlete to come out of Europe. Avery Johnson is an old point guard and a natural leader. Avery was on the San Antonio Spurs championship team in 1999. Calbert Cheaney is a veteran player with an excellent midrange jump-shot. He played for the Utah Jazz last year and had his career resurrected under Jerry Sloan. Nck Van Exel is a solid veteran point guard that likes to play in the clutch. Last year Nick was on the Dallas Mavericks and led them in scoring in the playoffs. Van Exel is on the injured list right now with a sore knee. Popeye Jones is an old hustle player that can give you instant energy and a lot of rebounds in very little time. Troy Murphy has been on the team the last two years, and after a disappointing rookie season he turned it around and was one of five players to average at least 10 points and 10 rebounds. Currently Troy is recovering from foot surgery. Adonal Foyle is very similar to Popeye Jones in that he is instant energy, but Adonal has a special talent for shot-blocking. Evan Eschemeyer is on the injured list, and has been there all season. Eschemeyer might be able to help the Warriors off the bench, once in a while.
News
     Last year the Warriors' record was 38 and 44, (38 wins and 44 losses) which kept them from making the playoffs again. The year before last was very disappointing as the Warriors won only 21 games, and lost 61. Now they are looking for a playoff birth for the first time in several years, but so far it doesn't look good: they are several games below the .500 mark (.500 is 50% wins, 50% losses). Maybe they can pull it out and get to the playoffs, but most people think not, and I am one of them. Maybe I'll change my mind if they get a BIG winning after the All-Star break. My prediction: 35 wins, 47 losses. Last updated record: 20-25
     To find out more about the Warriors go to these sites:
www.nba.com/warriors/
www.sfgate.com/
www.mercurynews.com/
sports.espn.go.com/
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
Last Updated: 1/29/04