ESPN.com's Chad Ford gave a pretty objective and fair analysis of the Warriors in his online chat today.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State Warriors BLOG): Please tell Warriors Nation we're not headed to the lottery.... AGAIN!

Chad Ford: (12:11 PM ET ) I was high on them in the pre-season, but after watching them a lot and given the Artest trade, I think they're going to finish at the bottom of the Pacific again. I think Chris Mullin made a major mistake by not aquiring Artest. I think the Warriors would've preferred to get two young players like Diogu and Pietrus. I know Mullin feels that they both have a lot of upside, but at some time you have to decide that your franchise is going to more than a farm team ... you have to actually win. Artest was a great fit for that team and I think Mullin overvalued his young guys. In two or three years, they may look back and Diogu and Pietrus will be great players. But, another two years of missing the playoffs and Mullin may not have a job.

I'm with Chad on missing out on Artest. It was a colossal mistake that was exacerbated by Ron going to the division rival Sacramento Kings. The Kings gave up an All Star in Peja and Mullin was not ready to give up anyone on the roster aside from Baron and JRich? Artest gives the Kings a pretty solid lineup when healthy:

PG: Mike Bibby
SG: Bonzi Wells
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Shareef Abdur-Rahim
C: Brad Miller

The Kings starting frontline is vastly superior to the Warriors threesome of Dunleavy-Murphy-Foyle. Although not at the Boom-Rich level the Kings' backcourt is solid and clutch (Bibby). Look for the Kings to beat up on the Warriors in the 3 games left between the two Northern California squads this season. The Pacific Division could have 4 teams in the Western conference playoffs (Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Kings). That's just embarrassing for the Warriors who are 1 game out of the Pacific division cellar and showing no signs of life.

Ford made an excellent point about the Warriors being a farm team. At some point you have to stop worrying about how good your team is going to be in 3-4 years and play to win now. It's been 11 years since the Warriors made the playoffs. If every year is a "rebuilding year", you're doing something wrong. It's tough to buy that the Warriors young guns will ever be star players.

What are thoughts about Chad Ford's take on the Warriors?