A Warriors Monday mailbag on a Tuesday. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and apologies to those I didn’t include.

Justin Cheng via email: The roster is overloaded with bigs that we don’t need or use (JMM and Andy V). Assuming we don’t keep the roster as it currently stands, where would we find a scoring wing: bargain bin, D-League, overseas, or trade?

To the first part of your question: I agree. And Steve Kerr has actually publicly admitted it. The roster is too imbalanced with big men. It hasn’t become a glaring issue because Golden State’s only injury issues — and they’ve been minor — have come from the big man spot. If any of the wings or guards has to miss extended time, Bob Myers would likely need to make an immediate move. It shows most is in mop-up time of blowouts. Too often, Shaun Livingston is forced to be on the court instead of resting because there aren’t enough bodies to fill those garbage time 1, 2, 3 slots. In Memphis, to combat it, Kerr actually played James Michael McAdoo at the small forward. But that’s not wise or necessary. At some point before the playoffs, you’d expect them to swap either Varejao or McAdoo for a guard/wing. Let’s look at the possible avenues you laid out, one by one.

-Trade doesn’t seem too likely. The Warriors don’t have their first round pick this upcoming draft, don’t have any appealing, out of the rotation assets and are unlikely add a guy like Patrick McCaw into a deal because they’ll need his cheap labor into the future. And that’s why a trade is complicated: Golden State has no desire to take on money or contract responsibility past this season, considering the puzzle of mega and mini deals they must configure together this summer.

-Overseas? If it’s an in-season signing, that’s usually a former NBAer desperately searching for a way back into the league on a half-year, make-good minimum deal. Someone like Dorrell Wright or Josh Smith come to mind in this type of scenario. But I’m not sure Golden State wants to go that route. This next guy is more likely.

-D-League. If it’s going to be from there, it’s going to be from Santa Cruz. And if it’s going to be from Santa Cruz, it’s likely going to be Elliot Williams. He’s a guy the Warriors liked so much entering camp that they gave him a partial guarantee. But Williams had a knee scope that set him back and forced him to miss training camp. JaVale McGee impressed enough that Williams had to be cut. But once he’s healthy and feeling comfortable, a Williams for Varejao/McAdoo swap could make roster sense.

-Bargain bin: That would be the buyout market, which typically doesn’t formulate until right after the trade deadline. Teams try to unload unhappy and overpaid veterans for as many (or any) assets as possible. When they can’t, the two sides often come to a buyout agreement. If they are off another roster before March 1, they are eligible for the playoffs with their new team. The Warriors and Cavaliers will be the most appealing destination to these ring-chasing rentals. Who are possible candidates? Maybe a Jose Calderon, Randy Foye type. Nothing too appetizing. But that’s why they’re on the bargain bin.

Reading this on your iPhone or iPad? Check out our new Apple News app channel here. Click the + at the top of the page to save to your Apple News favorites.

Branko Coebergh via email: I’ve never closely followed Thunder media coverage, but recall noticing KD over the last couple of seasons with his former team seemingly becoming more antsy and combative with the media in his press conferences (though never at Westbrook levels). I have gained a very different impression since he joined the Dubs. As someone who has been around KD for some time as a beat writer, do you think that he seems more satisfied and happy with his basketball life since joining the Dubs?

Two seasons ago, KD missed 55 games because of three separate foot surgeries. He’d never had a serious injury in his life. Now he had a significant injury with continued, frustrating setbacks. That irritation occasionally boiled over into interview settings. That’s the year he had a couple of his known mini blow-ups with reporters. One in particular, at All-Star weekend, surfaced because a foreign reporter asked him if the team should fire Scott Brooks. He always defended Brooks. Those little outbursts created an outside view that he was unhappy and ornery because that was the tiny window so many had into his world. But that was always overblown. Before the foot trouble, after it and sometimes during it, Durant was his typically talkative self in OKC. He’d do his 8ish minutes of media availability after most practices. He’d linger for small talk occasionally. He’d talk after every shootaround (a rarity among NBA stars). He was never short. He was close with many of his teammates. He was friendly with the staffers. One of his best friends (Royal Ivey) is an OKC assistant coach. This was not an unhappy guy. There’s a reason the decision ate at him.

The environment is much different in Golden State. It’s loud and laid-back and crowded and fun. Sneaker reps and family and visitors run around in the practice facility and the locker room. You can wear pregame headphones or have a postgame beer. It’s not unruly, just less rigid than in Oklahoma City. The veterans ensure work gets done, but it’s not all basketball all the time. This is part of what appealed to 28-year-old Kevin Durant. But that doesn’t mean it would’ve been better for 23-year-old Kevin Durant around a bunch of other 23-year-old emerging stars. There’s a reason he was delivered to the Warriors doorstep as one of the most skilled, lethal, trained scorers in NBA history. There are plenty of 7-footers. There aren’t any with his cultivated, refined skill. That’s from relentless practice. Nine years of practice under a disciplined, strict OKC umbrella created, in large part, because that’s what the franchise player, Durant (a self-proclaimed “drill sergeant”) preferred. One basketball environment doesn’t have to be better than another. It can just fit different guys at different times of their career better. Durant does seem to be having more fun now. But that’s because he’s allowing himself to have more fun.

John Jung via email: Who is your favorite rookie so far among McCaw, Looney, and Jones? Who do you think has the biggest potential?

Kevon Looney isn’t a rookie, but since he missed a heavy portion of his first season and is still only 20 years old (younger than Patrick McCaw and Damian Jones), we’ll loop him into this discussion. But the answer to your question is McCaw. If Ian Clark wasn’t shooting/playing so well, McCaw would be getting 15-plus minutes every night. He’s had some rookie struggles, which are often attached to inconsistent court time. But Steve Kerr trusts him. He’s polished and already proven he can have an impact on this stage with plenty more likely to come. I believe it was Andre Iguodala who said McCaw would be a 15-plus year rotation type player in this league, which is an incredible draft haul at 38th overall.

It’s way too early to judge Damian Jones, good or bad. That pec injury basically stripped his entire rookie season. Jones is still trying to regain any type of court rhythm. The recent big night in the D-League was a positive sign. But he’s way behind McCaw’s growth curve and doesn’t seem to be a viable rotation option until he gets a full summer and then NBA training camp down. It’s wait and see. Kind of like Looney last season.

As for Looney, he’s skilled and has shown a nice offensive touch. But his physical and athletic limitations basically eliminate him from use in certain matchups. Increasingly, teams are attacking slow-moving bigs in the pick-and-roll. Looney has difficulty unlocking those hips and sliding defensively, plus he can’t get up to challenge shots. McCaw can play in any setting with any lineup. Looney is matchup dependent.

Spencer Cooper via email: With all of the success (analytically speaking) the Warriors have had with JaVale in the first half of games, what is it that Zaza brings to the floor that Kerr finds so valuable to not even experiment?

Small sample size, but the numbers do tilt a little toward JaVale McGee’s direction. The Warriors typical starting lineup, with Zaza Pachulia, is a very solid +105 in 277 minutes together this season. When you replace Pachulia with McGee, that lineup is an incredible +43 in 44 minutes. Because of the four All-Stars, both lineups are unsurprisingly dominant. But JaVale’s inclusion (again, minuscule sample size) has turned them a bit more potent.

But as to your question about Pachulia, it’s the little things. I understand the infatuation with JaVale McGee. What do fans (and players and media members) love? Dunks. JaVale crushes them at a ridiculous rate. He has 36 dunks this season in fewer than 200 minutes. It’s fun. He’s fun. His minutes are entertaining.

What are fans less interested in seeing? Rotational team defense, powerful screen-setting and smart interior passing. There’s a reason Pachulia was the more coveted free agent, league-wide this offseason. He’s had a steadier, more impactful career. McGee will continue to get minutes. He’s earned them. And he’s carved out a perfect niche as a change-of-pace off the bench high-flyer. But just because McGee’s highlights are more memorable, it doesn’t mean Pachulia’s are less important. Here are three screens from a Jazz game a couple weeks back, freeing Curry for jumper (he misses) and Durant for two dunks. Then here are a couple nifty passes.