Warriors' Mark Jackson says team can't wait for Andris Biedrins

Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson doesn't seem all that happy that center Andris Biedrins didn't show up to the team's voluntary mini-camp. Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area files this report.

But after Sunday’s practice, Jackson insisted his tone hasn’t changed when it comes to Biedrins.

“Not necessarily true,” Jackson said. “I still think he’s a big-time post defender, still think he’s a big-time pick-and-roll defender. Never hid the fact about his free throw shooting. At the end of the day, we drafted a young big man and we hope to have a healthy Andrew Bogut.

“The competition was wide open and today Festus Ezeli is my backup center. Unfortunately Dre got hurt. If you’re the only guy not here and then you get hurt, it’s unfortunate. What I will say is we’re going to be patient, continue to treat him and hopefully he gets back healthy. He adds depth to that position. But no matter who it is, we don’t have time to wait for anybody in fairness with what we’re trying to accomplish as a team.

Biedrins is still recovering from a groin injury he suffered about a week ago. The groin injury has prevented him from playing or practicing the past few days, and he has yet to register any points or rebounds in 16 minutes in the two preseason games he's played against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Currently it seems Jackson is ready to go with Festus Ezeli as his primary backup center behind Andrew Bogut until Biedrins gets better, but it's unclear whether Biedrins will be able to regain one of the top two center spots.

Biedrins has seen his production decline the past few years, averaging about five points per game in 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Warriors center got 1.7 points per game last year.