Wait 'til next year

Can the Golden State Warriors become the Phoenix Suns of 2006?

That's the question on Warriors fans' minds as their team steamrolls through the final portion of the 2004-05 season on a wildly entertaining tear that'd been equally impressive in both style and substance.

The Warriors have won 17 of their last 25 games, with many victories coming against quality teams like Seattle, Houston, Phoenix and Washington. An eight-game winning streak was broken Sunday night in a 136-134 double overtime loss to San Antonio, but Golden State's recent stretch has Bay Area basketball fans buzzing for the first time in a long while.

While a horrendous start to the season took the Warriors out of the playoff picture early, Mike Montgomery's team has spent the past month gaining confidence and momentum heading into the offseason. With Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and the newly acquired Baron Davis all locked into long-term deals, it appears Golden State has its foundation.

Davis has done for the Warriors what Steve Nash has done for the Suns: He has made the whole thing work.

Like Phoenix last season, Golden State already had plenty of talent on its roster but lacked the point guard to tie it all together. Chris Mullin acquired the often-injured Davis from New Orleans at the trade deadline with the hope that a change of scenery would motivate and inspire him. Mullin was dead on. Davis has worked his way back into shape, and his creativity has opened up the floor for Richardson and fellow wing men Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus.

Montgomery, to his credit, recognized Davis' prodigious talents immediately and scrapped much of the offense his team had run all season. Now, Golden State simply plays off Davis with a series of high screens and isolations, much like Phoenix does with Nash. Murphy provides the big shooter at the four spot that spreads the floor, giving driving lanes to Davis, Richardson and the rest of the team's athletic players. And since they don't run many plays, the Warriors are very difficult to scout. You never know what's coming.

Golden State has excited its fans with this recent stretch, and the crowds have been growing rapidly. The Warriors are showing promising signs for the future, and while an argument can be made that it is easier for a team to win when they have nothing to lose, there's no question that Golden State will be a team to watch next year.

Mullin has invested a lot of money in this club, so the Warriors will be well over the salary cap for years to come. To go along with Richardson, Davis and Murphy, Derek Fisher and Adonal Foyle are locked into multiyear deals. This is the squad Mullin has built, and there isn't much flexibility to make more moves.

They key for the future will be Davis. He must stay healthy, which is hardly a given. His back problems have bothered him most of his career, but if he's on the floor and playing well, perhaps the Warriors can become a playoff team next season. Or maybe even become next year's Phoenix Suns.

Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.