This have been rough for the Warriors this season -- the injuries, the inconsistency, and most recently, the loss of Tom Abdenour. With that said, how would you evaluate the SB Nation NBA Power Rankings that positions the Warriors at # 22 in the NBA? With the Warriors finally rounding out their roster with Andris Biedrins allegedly practicing and planning to suit up tomorrow versus the Hornets (and Rodney Carney waived), is this THE roster that the Warriors felt would be competitive enough for this season? Is this finally 'fully-loaded' roster going to be indicative of how good (or bad) the Warriors truly are?
Well, even without Biedrins this past week and rookie F/C Ekpe Udoh stepping in, the Warriors gave glimpses of how great and simultaneously horrendous they are. Case in point, the Warriors lost what looked to be a very winnable game against the Atlanta Hawks, 103-93 (#12). They followed it up with a one point win against the lowly but rejuvenated Charlotte Bobcats team led by the Silas coaching duo. Then the Warriors looked about as dominant as the Miami Heat (#2) and the Orlando Magic (#7) against the Miami Heat AND the Orlando Magic...in the first half. Of course, after dominating the Heat with a 20 point lead in the first half and upwards of 12 points with the Magic, the Warriors' coach Keith Smart was clearly out-coached. It was like a scene out of the move Waterboy when Coach Klein of the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs tricks Coach Red Beaulieu's Louisiana State Cougers through sneaky play calling:
Players like Lebron James and Dwyane Wade executed (Erik Spoelstra 'helped') and you now Coach Stan Van Gundy wasn't going to let rookie Ekpe Udoh get the best of quite possibly the MVP of this season, Dwight Howard. The Warriors were routed in the second half of both games.
So, how will the Warriors do this week? Well, they take on the New Orleans Hornets (#10) tomorrow (LOSS) and then face the Lebron-less Cavaliers at home (WIN!). They close out the week against the Los Angeles teams with the Clippers (#21) (LOSS) at Staples then the Lakers (#6) at home (WIN!).
So why do I think the Warriors can actually go 2-2 this week, capping it off with a win over the Lakers? Well, the Warriors are a really bad road team, even against bad teams. That Bobcats win could have easily become a loss. The Clippers are as bad as the Warriors with as many mental mistakes. But they seem to have much more hustle and you get the feeling that the every power forward is getting theirs against David Lee, Blake Griffin is DEFINITELY included in that bunch. But with the Lakers semi-imploding with various players calling out other players publicly for either being ballhogs or being wusses, the Warriors look like they might be able to sneak away with a win. Can someone please start some fake drama on the internet to get the Lakers even more frazzled, please?
If the Warriors go 2-2 this week, I'm thinking they deserve to at least leap frog the Clippers in the SB Nation standings. #21 here we come!