GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
New Season Brings New Owner and a New Outlook

Everyone loves a David and Goliath story. We like superstar athletes from humble origins, dark horse political candidates who defeat the corrupt status quo and, yes, even "mere" billionaires who come out of nowhere to outbid one of the wealthiest men alive.

Joe Lacob, welcome to Oakland. When all the conventional wisdom (including this writer) predicted a Larry Ellison coronation, you went about your business and persuaded the loathsome Chris Cohan to sell you the team — perhaps even at a price below His Oracle's offer.

Any man with the chutzpah to pull off this maneuver is bound to lead the Warriors to sunnier climes. For this ever-hopeful aficionado, the new ownership group's boardroom success is only the beginning of a Golden State revival.

A Strong Foundation

Before Joe and friends vanquished the Cohan Curse, the Warriors were already feeling good vibes in the incipient Stephen Curry Era. Last season finished with Steph bringing leadership to the team and new flow to the offense. As a rookie point guard, he made his teammates better and his team consistently competitive. To top it off, Curry joined Team USA at the World Basketball Championships and helped win gold for the first time since 1994.

Curry is now teamed with David Lee, an All-Star from the Knicks who brings the Warriors their first legitimate center since … Joe Barry Carroll? To get Lee, the Warriors traded away Anthony Randolph and Kelenna Azubuike, two highly talented and well-loved youngsters who may yet turn into stars. Lee is a highly productive player, however, who averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game last year. He will join Andris Biedrins, Brandon Wright and free agent signee Louis Amundson in a lean and active Warriors front line.

Monta Ellis will join Curry in the backcourt as the team's scorer-in-chief, fresh off a season in which he averaged over 25 points per game. The Curry-Ellis dynamic is perhaps a bit awkward, given that last year the team clearly flourished under Curry's leadership after a mid-season Ellis injury. Both Curry and Ellis are ball-dominating guards, both are relatively small for their position, and both are relatively weak defensively (although Ellis is definitely stronger than Curry in this area). Ellis trade rumors abounded in the off-season, and the team may yet trade the shooting guard if the right offer comes along. For now, however, Monta has projected an attitude of stability and maturity, and the team just might be able to pull off a starting tandem of two small but deadly players.

An Evolving Front Office

Lacob and Co. have shown a deft hand in their first months of influence. Although the NBA Board of Governors would not make their ownership official until October, the new owners began to make an impact in late July, when the team signed local product and Harvard point guard Jeremy Lin to a two-year contract. Lin, who grew up in the Palo Alto area, will compete for backup point guard minutes behind Stephen Curry. The team has followed the Lin signing by picking up a number of scrappy, intelligent players, including Admundson, Rodney Carney, Charlie Bell and likely starter Dorell Wright, formerly of the Miami Heat.

These personnel moves — which emphasize hustling and team players over pure shooters and scorers — presaged the end of the Don Nelson era. On the eve of training camp, the Warriors made it official: Nellie Ball is done. Keith Smart, Nelson's understudy and a former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, will guide the Warriors into the next era.

Here's to the 2010-2011 Warriors: a glimmer of hope for this season, and a good dose of optimism for the years to come.