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WW.NET: Biggest surprise and disappointment thus far in the season for the Warriors?

Hu: Biggest surprise is how well Baron is holding up at his mega-minute pace -- not just because of his injury history, but because of the pounding he consistently takes driving to the basket and guarding bigger guys. There’s been at least a half-dozen times he’s hit the floor and come up limping/grimacing, and I start thinking “Uh oh.” And yet, he plays right on.

Biggest disappointment? Probably the bench. Nellie thought he’d be two or three-deep at every position, but he’s barely scratching out an eight-man rotation right now. It might not be the smartest thing to overplay BD, Jack and Monta, but Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus haven’t been at last year’s level and Kelenna Azubuike has been quiet after a strong start. Injuries to Troy Hudson and Austin Croshere don’t help, and Nellie’s already made the decision to go with his vets, so forget about Wright and Belinelli for now.

WW.NET: What changes have you seen in the way teams approach or prepare for a game vs. the Warriors?

Hu: As Avery Johnson likes to say, the Warriors aren’t Cinderella’s anymore. Teams know they’re legit, know their strengths and weaknesses. And opposing coaches almost always mention the breakneck pace and the tough matchup against BD.

WW.NET: Why didn't the Warriors pick up the option on O'Bryant's contract? What downside could there have been?

Hu: The downside is money. The offseason was all about clearing cap space for this summer. Every key guy outside of Jack and Al are playing for contracts – and it’s going to take a lot of money to rework BD’s deal and keep Andris and Monta, if that’s the direction they decide to go.

WW.NET: O'bryant played his best game vs. the Clippers and hasn't been given a legit opportunity since, what is Nellie's reasoning behind that?

Hu: Nellie will say that he sees the guys in practice every day and knows what they can and can’t do. Whatever that is, its obvious POB isn’t going to play for Nellie, and so the Warriors can either try to get something back in a trade, or simply have him come off the books this summer.

WW.NET: Pietrus has struggled thus far and seems to be making the same silly mistakes that have plagued him his whole career i.e. silly fouls, no offensive repertoire, horrible shot selection etc.., was he disappointed to come back to Golden State after he didn’t get the big contract he was hoping for?

Hu: He was absolutely disappointed. But he didn’t have any leverage given the market for restricted free agents. The Warriors had no reason to offer more than the qualifier, and they didn’t like any of the sign-and-trades presented. So here they are again until the trading window expires on Feb. 21. If MP isn’t moved for something the Warriors deem better before then, he’ll walk this summer and sign with another team for part of their midlevel exception.

WW.NET: Do you envision the Warriors using the Trade Exception to acquire a player?

Hu: No, not unless it’s going to net them that coveted big man. Again, they want cap space.

WW.NET: With Hudson's season and career likely over, are they looking to bring in another guard ASAP to help take the load off of Baron's back?

Hu: There have been talks, but it also seems like the backup PG position is jinxed, doesn’t it? Keith McLeod, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Troy Hudson – they all haven’t worked out for various reasons, or maybe one big reason, that BD is BD and there’ll be a big drop off no matter what. For now, they can use Monta, Jack and Matt to spell him. Just don’t expect any trades for vets with a decent salary or non-expiring contract.

WW.NET: Azubuike has been a pleasant surprise this year, is he still getting acclimated to the NBA and the Warriors because he seems passive at times when he should be more selfish and aggressive.

Hu: Yes, but the flipside is that he rarely takes bad shots. He’s as good a finisher as the Warriors have, so it would be nice to see him attack the rim again like he did early in the season. But like many a Warrior, it seems like he’s fallen into shooting mostly 3’s.

WW.NET: Wright and Belinelli have played sparingly at best, any plans to increase their minutes in the near future?

Hu: I just don’t see that happening. Nellie’s playing for wins, not to get guys experience for the future. So as much as we’d like to see what Wright can do with his length and Belinelli shoot his way out of a slump, they won’t get the luxury minutes like rookies on bad teams do.

WW.NET: Will Baron make the All-Star team? Wouldn’t be bad if he didn't make the team and got some rest as well as extra motivation for the second half, right?

Hu: Just did a blog item about this. If you look at West guards, Kobe and T-Mac are probably in as the starters. Nash and Iverson are locks. So that leaves guys like Tony Parker, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, BD and maybe even Brandon Roy fighting for 1 or 2 spots, possibly more depending on injuries.

I think BD is more deserving than Parker or Williams right now, but I don’t like his chances against Paul -- not with the game in New Orleans.

WW.NET: If you could make a move or two to tweak the roster, what would it be?

Hu: Call me crazy, but I’d love to see Ron Artest here. I just don’t think Sac would ever deal him to the Warriors. So the more realistic “tweaks” might be adding a low-cost, risk-free vet who can be used for a few minutes in areas of need, a la Ruben Patterson or quasi-retired P.J. Brown or Chris Webber. And yes, I’m kidding on the last one.

WW.NET: Any plans by Nellie to rein in Jackson and his shot selection a little?

Hu: Good luck with that. Jack has taken more shots than any 40-percent shooter I can remember, but that’s his game. Nellie lets him do it because he needs Jack on the floor ... and because of those nights when Jack suddenly heats up after missing everything.

WW.NET: Will the Warriors make the Playoffs?

Hu: They should. Look at the record they’ve put together without actually playing very well. Avoiding losing streaks, finding ways to win, grinding out games on the road – that’s what playoff teams do.

Thanks to Janny Hu for taking time to sit down with WW.NET.