Golden State Warriors: Is Andris Biedrins Worth Saving?
What a great weekend of March Madness. Not only the basketball, it also made me completely forget about how bad the Golden State Warriors' season has gone. While we were all watching college basketball, Andris Biedrins sprained his ankle, and now, the Warriors may be without him for the rest of the year.
Would it be wise for the Warriors to sit him out for the year or save hope that he can come back from the injury and help them down the stretch to build momentum for next year?
We all had high hopes for him and the Warriors this year. Well, some hope at least. However, this year has turned out to be just like every other year—not quite bad enough to win the lottery and certainly not good enough for the playoffs. Pretty much the worst spot to be for any NBA team.
An ongoing problem with this team, as it has been for the last few years, is the play of Andris Biedrins. No one really knows what happened or how it happened, but there is no explanation for how one can go from putting up 20-20 games to looking like he has never touched a basketball in his life.
It’s easy to blame Andris Biedrins for another bad Warriors season because well, he is making it easy to blame him. I wish I could be writing something positive about him, but I wouldn't know where to start.
Now, Andris Biedrins' season just got even worse. Or better, depends on how you look at it, as he may be shut down for the rest of the season with a sprained ankle. An injury that would probably keep Kobe Bryant out maybe a quarter now has Warrior nation talking about shutting down Andris Biedrins for the year.
I say don't save any hope that he comes back this year, let him rest and get healthy—physically and mentally. Give him a break from basketball.
He probably needs one because he has been playing basketball professionally since he was just 16 years old. Essentially, he is in his ninth year of professional basketball. No wonder he is breaking down; he may be just tired of basketball and, playing as poorly as he has been, who can blame him.
Maybe he can take this time to get his mind right and figure out what he needs to do to be successful with this team.
From the Warriors' standpoint, it makes complete sense to shut him down for the year, even if it turns out that his ankle injury isn't as serious as believed. They're out of playoff contention, so why risk it?
Plus, Andris Biedrins is almost untradeable as is—imagine if he came back this year and further damaged his ankle. They would have an overpaid cheerleader instead of just an overpaid underachiever. Shut him down and recharge his batteries.
We know there is a basketball player in there somewhere; maybe this break is just what he needs.
While he is out, get rid of anyone else that is not going to be a part of the Warriors' future. Go look to the D-League and call up someone to play the rest of the year. It's worked in the past with Kelenna Azubuike, C.J. Watson, Reggie Williams and Anthony Tolliver.
Why not give it another shot? Maybe they can find another diamond in the rough, preferably a defender.
Since we are most likely stuck with Biedrins for the remainder of his contract, he is worth preserving, so it's best to shut him down, send him back to Latvia and hope he comes back a new man. That or we find a way to not let him back into the country, forcing the NBA to void his contract.
Anybody a deportation officer?
