Warriors Lose 7th Straight

The Golden State Warriors were supposed to get better after they dealt away Al Harrington, a player who was underachieving for them, but that hasn't been the case. Instead, the W's have been win-less since dealing Harrington for Jamal Crawford, as they have lost 7 straight after Monday's loss to Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. I hate to say it, but this team is looking eerily similar to their pre-Baron Davis days and I'm not quite sure why. Yes, they are desperately missing Monta Ellis, who really is the best player on the roster now that Baron Davis is gone. However, the team still has talent as is. Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, and Crawford are all-star type players and Andris Biedrins is having a breakout season in all categories. Even guys like C.J. Watson and Kelanna Azubuike have stepped up in Monta's absence, but the they're still not winning. So why are they 5-13 you ask?

I could go on for a while, but the big problem for the Warriors is that they're giving up 109 points a game. And the major reason for that is their inept front-court play. Brandan Wright has shown flashes, but he hasn't made the proper adjustments yet in his second year and has looked over-matched more often than not on the defensive side of the court. He's also looked a bit rushed and out of control on offense. I know it's still too early in their careers to label them yet, but the '07 draft picks, Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli, have been busts thus far and remember, Wright cost the Warriors Jason Richardson. 19 year-old Anthony Randolph is also raw and not ready to help much at this point, especially on a nightly basis. Ronny Turiaf is essentially a more athletic version of Adonal Foyle, bringing a dynamic defensive ability to the court, but he's basically obsolete on offense. Due to the below average defensive play up front, the Dubs have been out-rebounded by 10 or more in each of their last 5 games. Yes, getting Monta back (hopefully by the end the the month) will be a major shot in the arm for them, but if they don't start hitting the boards, and keeping teams out of triple digits, it's going to be tough to get back to .500 and make a playoff push even with star guard.

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