Some people look at the Richardson trade and talk about how it breaks up the chemistry the team had the last quarter of the season into the playoffs, when they played so well together.

That may be, but there are two key reasons why things went the way they did:

* they played like every game was their last
* they usually went with a shorter rotation

We all saw what they did to Dallas, but we also saw how the Warriors not only couldn't match up with Utah in the second round, they also couldn't maintain their own level of play. Credit Utah to an extent, but also understand that the Warriors ran out of gas. Why?

Because they used it all up to get to the playoffs and beat Dallas.

Coming into this season, if the Warriors kept their core they'd still be a good team. They'd probably win 40+ games, but with the way other teams are improving there's no guarantee that group of players would be a playoff team again.

There's also no way that team gets through a whole season without breaking down if forced to rely on a rotation of seven or eight guys. That's part of why you need a deeper bench to spell your best players here and there. That's why you're going to lose a few games in the regular season that maybe you win if you really have to but you understand it's a marathon, not a sprint. This is in addition to the occasional stinker any good team is bound to put up once in a while.

The point is that the Warriors couldn't afford to go into 2007-08 happy with what they did last year, content with what they had built. They may very well not make the playoffs this year, but it's clear they're trying to set themselves up to be a threat for a number of years, if not for the long term.

This is part of what building a successful franchise is all about. We're used to losing so we want to hold on to exactly what we've got when we finally make the playoffs, but that's not good enough.

Sometimes you have to take a risk to get better. This is a good risk. Jason Richardson was a fan favorite and he was the heart of the team, but anyone being honest could tell you he did not reach the level someone of his ability should have here. You can probably point directly to his free throw shooting as the reason why he drove to the basket less and less, content to shoot jumpers from outside. He got better at that part of his game, but it turned him into a more singular threat. His inability to handle the basketball consistently was another major factor in that. He was not a creator. Monta Ellis has already shown he has that ability in him. Keeping Ellis is probably the correct move.

For once the Warriors dealt from a position of strength and now we get to see what Brandan Wright develops into, assuming he stays. Belinelli? I've got a good feeling about him.

Don't get down on this team. Something tells me the people making the decisions finally have a clue. They're building a team that shouldn't have to rely on an amazing run just to make the playoffs.