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Golden State Warriors Warriors' biggest challenge will be staying healthy
By Marty Burns, CNNSI.com Last year, Warriors players missed a combined 414 games because of injuries, most in the NBA. Danny Fortson, Marc Jackson, Chris Mills and Larry Hughes, among others, all went down for significant stretches. By the end, Mookie Blaylock was skipping practice to hit the links, and the Warriors were limping to another dismal season. Besides keeping his team in one piece, head coach Dave Cowens' main goal is to teach Hughes the point guard position. If Hughes can make the transition, something he was unable to do in Philadelphia, highly touted rookie Jason Richardson can get more time on the floor and give Golden State a much more athletic backcourt.
Cowens' other priority will be to get more out of disappointing center Erick Dampier, especially since free agent Jackson doesn't appear to be coming back. The Warriors are nowhere near as bad as their record of last season. Antawn Jamison's emergence as a big-time scorer, and Fortson's stellar play before getting hurt, give them a solid forward tandem. They still lack shooters, but rookies Richardson, Troy Murphy and Gilbert Arenas could help significantly in that area. There's no reason the Warriors can't improve by 10 to 15 wins this season -- but only if they can stay out of the trainer's room. Standout stat: 2 Games the Warriors won after the All-Star break last season.
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