Warriors vs Hawks: Golden State could be left shorthanded, small without Bogut

Marreese Speights and Kevon Looney.

The above pairing represents the full complement of reserve big men available for the Golden State Warriors on Monday night if center Andrew Bogut (who is listed as questionable with an achilles injury) is be unable to play against the Atlanta Hawks. With backup center Festus Ezeli already out of the lineup with injury, the Warriors have already been operating shorthanded in the recent past, and Golden State's depth took a hit when the team waived Jason Thompson in favor of Anderson Varejao, who isn't eligible to play until he passes a physical.

Of course, it is nice to have Draymond Green, who Steve Kerr and company will deploy for the majority of "center" minutes. Green was an NBA All-Star who will likely be named to an All-NBA team after the season, but in a regular season game in February, it is unlikely that Kerr would lean too heavily on Green at the 5, opening the door for the Hawks to potentially expose the likes of Speights and, maybe, Looney for a few minutes.

It is fair to suggest that Atlanta will be grasping at straws regardless, as the Warriors are arguably the best team in the NBA, but this isn't the peak form of Golden State's roster, even if Bogut can go at less than full strength. Green will play big minutes either way and the visitors are devastating this season when he plays center, but the Warriors are undeniably shorthanded and that could produce a window of opportunity for the Hawks. Stay tuned.