No Crawford: Maybe good game strategy, but it reflects poorly on front office

February 27, 9:31 AMGolden State Warriors ExaminerMatt Steinmetz

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Warriors coach Don Nelson recently used the word "logjam" to describe his backcourt situation. He all but said a week or so ago that when the team is at full strength, there likely won't be enough minutes for some of the guards.

One solution Nelson came up with is to give a player a game off every now and then to ease the minutes crunch. Nelson said Jamal Crawford won't play tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats. What it likely means is more minutes for Marco Belinelli and Anthony Morrow, and perhaps C.J. Watson.

As a basketball strategy, I like the move. As an organizational move, it's pretty awful.

I like the move basketball-wise because it gives some immediate clarity to the minutes situation. With Crawford, Belinelli, Morrow, Watson, maybe even Monta Ellis in mix there, who knew who would play and how much?

The sight of guys moping over to the sidelines upon coming out was getting very old very fast.

Belinelli had been playing well before his injury, and he's come back to a big-time minutes squeeze. Morrow has shown potential this season, but Nelson can't get him onto the court.

I like that Belinelli and Morrow know they're going to play tonight, and that should have a positive effect.

But the other side of the coin isn't positive. It's negative.

The fact of the matter is that the move smells of "gimmick." You've got bona-fide pro in Jamal Crawford, a guy who is averaging about 20 points per game, and you're telling him you don't need him tonight. 

Forget the circumstances for a moment, the bottom line is you're choosing to play a game without someone who can help you win it. For a team that has cried the injury blues this season, it really flies in the face of logic to not play a guy when he's healthy.

And here's the other thing, and no less important. Perhaps even more important.

What the move also does is call attention to the issues of the Warriors' front office, and the events that put them in this position in the first place.

It's only logical _ and right _ to ask: Who put a roster together that is so unbalanced that they have to sit one of their leading scorers so they can get other players into the game?

The answer to that question should be executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin. But we know that he didn't put this roster together by himself.

There have been others involved ... from president Robert Rowell, to Nelson, to general manager Larry Riley.

The Warriors often downplay or dismiss criticism of their fractured front office and their moves since the end of last season.

But isn't this latest move _ to sit out one of your starters _ an indication that the criticism has been fair?