From the futile to the fantastic, the Warriors have spent the first 20 years of this century outraging and thrilling their most loyal fans. Dub Nation takes pride in knowing the post-2011 era, after the franchise was reset, bears little resemblance to the 10 previous seasons.
Which is why our goal of assessing the last 20 seasons and assembling a 15-man roster composed of the best Warriors during that period was comfortably surmountable challenge.
[RELATED: Klay's 37-point quarter 'religious experience' for Kerr]
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There was one particularly tough call, but there were far more no-brainers. Without further ado, we present, in alphabetical order, our All-Warriors team of the 21st Century:
GUARDS (6)
Gilbert Arenas: His 129-game Warriors career is the shortest of anyone on this team. But what an impact. Drafted in the second round (No. 30 overall) in 2001, Gilbert was the first player fans grew to love with since the Run-TMC era a decade earlier. He electrified to such a degree that a website (staygilbert.com) was created to basically beg him to not to leave as a free agent.
His departure broke hearts all over the fan base.
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Steph Curry: If the Warriors housed every player in their history in a single high-rise, he would have the penthouse suite above Wilt and Rick and Mully. Curry is the only MVP winner in the team’s 58-year Bay Area history, and he did it twice, in back-to-back seasons.
He owns three rings, and his presence was influential in the momentum that led to the construction of Chase Center. Steph torched the old shooter’s blueprint and started a 3-point revolution that altered the way the game is played in gyms around the world.
Baron Davis: Anytime the Warriors want a quick roar at a home game, certainly at Oracle but also at Chase, the game-operations crew know what to do. Play the B Diddy video from 2007. The one where he soars above 6-foot-9 Andrei Kirilenko and mashes him into the dirt.
BD’s arrival in February 2005 lit a fire beneath franchise. Into a locker room of snoozers came this walking alarm bell. The Warriors woke up, and “We Believe” was conceived.
Monta Ellis: Tough call. In his best seasons, the Warriors were a cumulative 95-145. He was the No. 4 scorer on the “We Believe” team and never came close to All-Star status. But Monta is the fastest of productive Warriors this century, using his quicks to average 25.5/24.1/21.9 in the three seasons before he was traded.
Being the most magnetic player on awful teams matters when the tally of losing seasons equals 11.
Jason Richardson: The Warriors had gone eight years without a playoff appearance and four without an All-Star when J-Rich owned 2002 All-Star Weekend in Oakland. A few hours after being named MVP of the rookie game, he came back to win the Slam Dunk Contest on a bounce pass to himself, between-the-legs throwdown that had Arenas dancing on the sideline.
J-Rich was a good player that delivered a seminal moment to a starving fan base.
Klay Thompson: He owns the record for most 3-pointers in a game, 14. Owns the record for most 3-pointers in a quarter, nine. Owns the record for points in a quarter, 37. Owns three championship rings. Has five appearances in the All-Star Game. The only player in shot-clock history to hit 60 in less than 30 minutes. After four seasons among the league’s top-three wing defenders, he was named to the All-Defensive team in 2019.
Any questions?
FORWARDS (6)
Kevin Durant: The biggest free-agent acquisition in the history of the franchise, KD was in Oakland for three seasons, all of which ended in the NBA Finals. The Warriors won two of those Finals, and he was named MVP in both. Too quick for power forwards, too long for small forwards, Durant was a matchup horror, able to create for himself or a teammate. In his spare time, he protected the rim.
The day he announced he was coming to the Bay was, for Warriors fans, Christmas in July.
Draymond Green: To comprehend his impact, one needs three sets of eyes. One to observe Draymond, one for his teammates and one for opponents. Communicating vividly and blowing up offensive sets, he choreographs the defense as an elite point guard does the offense. He also orchestrates the Warriors’ offense.
The result? Three rings, four All-Star Game appearances and a DPOY. To study Draymond at his best is to appreciate the tools required for consistent winning.
Andre Iguodala: Much like Draymond, Andre’s greatest value is his ability to feel the subtleties. Or, as Warriors assistant Ron Adams describes it, “to see the pictures.”
Iguodala is a master at using his hands for the steal/block, which often ignited transition. His shot is inconsistent, but as a Sixth Man he was quick to decipher what the Warriors needed at any given time – passing, energy, rebounding, scoring -- and apply it upon entering the game.
Stephen Jackson: Jackson’s toughness and fearlessness were essential to the Warriors’ massive upset of the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. He slipped inside Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey and then crept into the head of the big German, who was at least five inches taller.
At the other end, Jack made the game easy for his big men and also walked into crucial 3-pointers. The Draymond of the “We Believe” squad.
Antawn Jamison: The oldest man on our roster, Jamison opened the century playing 246 of 246 games, averaging 24.9/19.7/22.2 in scoring and 8.7/6.8/7.0 in rebounding. He is one of 11 players with back-to-back 50-point games, his second coming on a night in Oakland when he matched Kobe Bryant basket for basket.
Kobe was 22 years old, Antawn 21.
David Lee: Lee snapped the team’s 16-year All-Star Game drought. Selected in 2013, he was the first Warrior invited since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.
D-Lee’s defensive inadequacies are as well-chronicled as his personal-stat monitoring, but the first big acquisition under new ownership was a double-double machine, holding that average (18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds) throughout 2012-13, the first of seven consecutive winning seasons.
CENTERS (2)
Andris Biedrins: Averaging 9.5 points and 9.3 rebounds in the “We Believe” season, the 6-11 Latvian climbed to 10.5/9.8 and 11.9/11.2 the next two seasons, leading the NBA in field-goal percentage at 62.4 in the second season. He was one tier away from All-Star consideration at age 23.
Much of his offense was a product of playmaking teammates, but Biedrins was settling into a productive career when he nosedived and never recovered.
Andrew Bogut: If Lee was the first marquee acquisition under new ownership, Bogut was the first addition via seismic trade. With him coming from Milwaukee and Ellis going to the Milwaukee Bucks, the trade was unpopular with many fans -- until it was evident the 7-footer’s presence was crucial to a playoff-worthy defense.
He was a nice lob threat, but his greatest contribution was bringing a defensive mentality previously foreign to the franchise.
WILD CARD
Matt Barnes: The only man to suit up for the “We Believe” Warriors of 2006-07 and, a decade later, the World Champion Warriors of 2016-17. Barnes was not an elite player; he knew that. He scratched and bumped and gritted his way into relevance.
Not one of the other 14 players on our roster would not want Matt as a teammate.
Honorable mention
Harrison Barnes, Ian Clark, Jamal Crawford, Adonal Foyle, Jarrett Jack, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, JaVale McGee, Anthony Morrow, Zaza Pachulia, Marreese Speights, David West.