Each weekday for the next two weeks, we’ll be counting down the NBA Draft lottery teams leading up to the June 26th draft. It would be a fool’s errand to project what each team will do; tryouts vary by day and if anything, that’s an exercise in futility we’ll post at 5 p.m. on draft day. Instead, what you’ll be reading is what we would do if we were running each team.

Arguably the most dynamic starting backcourt in the league seems certain to be ripped apart this summer. The city’s pissed at coach Don Nelson for his second half benching of Davis in the most important game of the season. The magic from the 2007 postseason? Might as well be as old as Run TMC. The faces may be different, but the stories remain the same – the Warriors, to us, are like Jen Aniston – at first glance, from far away, they look spectacular (top scoring team in the league), but upon closer inspection, not so much (permitted 108 ppg, worst in the league). They’re terrible on the defensive glass and play no defense. So they should think big, right?

The indefatigable Chad Ford is hearing the Warriors would package last year’s No. 8 pick, the disappointing Brandan Wright (he turns 21 in October), and the 14th pick for an experienced big man. Ford mentions suitors. In his mock draft, Ford had the Warriors grabbing another raw big man, DeAndre Jordan from Texas A&M. A beat writer at Contra Costa Times also smells a trade of some sort. For a team on the cusp – 48 wins, narrowly missing the playoffs – the Warriors face a terribly pivotal offseason, where they will either set themselves up for the next five years, or begin rebuilding:

- Will Baron Davis exercise his $17 million option and bolt?
- What to do with Monta Ellis?
- Do the team’s last two three picks, Patrick O’Bryant, Marco Bellini, and Wright, have a future with the team?
- Will Andris Biedrins get help up front?

Our initial draft thoughts were for the Warriors to grab a tough, NBA-ready power forward like Darell Arthur of Kansas. But seeing his pre-draft measurements … the guy seems a bit small and doesn’t quite have the wingspan one would want out of their power forward. However, for a team that forces tempo, perhaps he’d be an ideal fit. He’s tough, won’t steal shots from chuckers like Davis/Ellis/Stack Jack, and who knows, maybe the guy has the potential of becoming a Leon Powe-type: undersized, but too aggressive for words, and efficient when necessary. We also like an agile power forward like Kosta Koufos from Ohio State.

14. Golden State – Darrell Arthur, Kansas