Golden State Warriors GM Larry Riley: "This Is a Playoff Roster"

Well actually, it could well be in 2013.

With certain Western Conference teams committing trade deadline seppuku, the Warriors see an opening. They have a real center in Andrew Bogut, and they've broken up the unworkable Ellis-Curry arrangement.

Still, the perennial lottery team should perhaps try and temper expectations, seeing as how they're a full four games out of the Western Conference eighth seed. That "this is a playoff roster" (via Twitter), is in reference to this year stretches credulity and signals alarms. Some other Riley quotes:

"Obviously we’re excited."

"You can’t win with two small guards, we’ve never had a five."

"We’ve changed the team. And it was time.”

"We’re gonna take a shot at the brass ring."

This talk stands in sharp contrast to notions that GSW is tanking for a top-seven protected pick—a notion floated by ESPN's John Hollinger. So that's where we're at in a league that incentivizes its many perennial losers toward failure: It is difficult to know whether a team is shooting for the stars or the dumpster.