Why the Warriors Should Stand Pat at the Trade Deadline

The Golden State Warriors are currently on a five-game losing streak that was topped off with a bad loss to Houston at home before the All Star break. They are 30-22  and would make the playoffs as the sixth seed if the regular season ended today.

Some believe that it is time to start panicking a bit, maybe even make a trade before the deadline that could possibly benefit the team. I strongly disagree.

February 12, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson (left) instructs center Andrew Bogut (12) during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Golden State will be just fine as they have showed us they are certainly capable of playing good overall basketball, and they have done just that throughout the season. The NBA is a long season and typically every team, even the best, go through rough patches. The Warriors have shown us great resilience throughout the year, and under head coach Mark Jackson, I will continue to believe in their success.

The Warriors have absolutely no business looking into any potential trades before the deadline. The five-game losing streak was just a hump of poor basketball in many areas. I would not make any modifications to the team that could potentially harm the chemistry they have built as a unit.

Nevertheless, speaking of team chemistry, Andrew Bogut is a reason the Warriors have recently not looked like themselves. Chemistry is a big part of basketball, without it it’s near impossible to become an elite overall team.

They have been playing without their star center Andrew Bogut through the majority of the year due to injury. They figured out how to play without him and the offense started clicking, and they began playing very good ball without their big. Now, Bogut is an impact player and incredibly valuable to the team, but the Warriors are just not used to having him on the floor. The incorporation of Bogut after so many games played without him is disrupting the team’s offense and chemistry.

As I said, I’m big on Mark Jackson and believe in him to bring this organization to the next level. He will figure out how to utilize Bogut in the offense without disrupting the great things the team was doing before the big man’s return.

Once Bogut becomes a legitimate force in the offense, and guys like Stephen Curry and David Lee continue to play at the level they were playing the first half of the season and trade talks will swiftly fly out the window. Golden State is a very deep team with a lot of productive role players who have made a significant impact, and if that continues as well the Warriors will be just fine.

I’m expecting a postseason appearance.