The Week that Was:
Using the weeks as measured by when this column comes out, this was likely the first of the season that could be classified as disappointing.
The Lakers seemingly played their best game of the season and won going away in easily the most surprising result of the Golden 
State year so far. From there, the hope was for a rebound game against the rival Clippers and that looked possible until a fourth quarter fueled by former Warrior Jamal Crawford (remember that?) and seemingly permanent Curry nemesis Chris Paul.
Returning home helped right the ship but so did facing a decimated Minnesota team without Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Corey Brewer.
A single two loss week does not move the needle too much but it felt different after such a fantastic start.
The Soapbox: Any Cause for Concern?
While some people will justifiably focus on the depressing loss to the Lakers right before Christmas, I was more concerned with their only win of the week. The Warriors did not dispose of a reeling Minnesota team as easily as would have been good to see after a disappointing LA trip. They still won by plenty but I wanted to see them put the Wolves away by halftime like they did earlier in the month in Minnesota. A win is a win but it feels a little weaker against a team that played Robbie Hummel 21 minutes.
Stephen Curry was absolutely right to say after the Christmas Day loss to the Clippers that “it’s important not to overreact to losing two games in a row.” Good teams do that all the time, especially on the road against two teams who had plenty of emotional ammunition after demolitions earlier in the season. Games like the one against the Lakers happen every year and even though the Warriors were their only win since 12/14, they have not lost a game by double figures since falling to the Pacers on the road almost two weeks ago.
For me, the reason to be concerned comes from one simple question: how good can this team be in a playoff series without Andrew Bogut?
We know unambiguously that the Warriors are a great and possibly elite team with Curry, Klay, Draymond and Bogut on the floor. Having that core with surrounding talent like the Small Forward tandem of Iguodala and Barnes along with a fun bench unit allows the pieces to fit together. Moving Festus and/or Speights up the list takes a few things away from the offense (as any non-Bogut would) and weakens the bench at the same time. We saw this last season when Memphis struggled without Marc Gasol and countless other examples in the NBA.
There are two ways the Warriors can improve that outlook: prioritize Bogut being healthy for the playoffs and adding a more relevant depth piece that can supplement and/or replace the Aussie depending on need.
I talked about one of these possibilities last week in Kevin Garnett but there are not a ton of other logical fits unless Bob Myers strikes gold in either the trade or buyout market. Jermaine O’Neal would be another but we will have to see if that will become a legitimate possibility.
The more likely solution is to focus on making sure the priority with Bogut is the playoffs. Home court and seeding are secondary since this team should know by now that they can beat anyone at full strength as long as they get a seat at the table. Heck, the two teams that pose the greatest threats (San Antonio and Oklahoma City) may not be top four seeds themselves. Working from that understanding yields better results and the more recent
The Week to Come:
Another challenging and compelling week for the Warriors that starts with what should be another easy home win against an inferior opponent, this time the Sixers.
It gets substantially harder from there with Kyle Lowry and the East’s #1 seed and then Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Both PG’s are problematic for Stephen Curry but also provide the opportunity for him to make an early statement in the MVP race.
While it could go in a few different directions, I see 2-1 as the most likely outcome.