By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

In 60 games prior to the Warriors’ 110-88 defeat in Chicago on Wednesday, only once did they have a worse ratio of assists to field goals than the 13 assists they had against the Bulls while scoring 36 buckets – a mark of 36.1 percent.

The rock-bottom game? That was the infamous 123-88 blowout in San Antonio on Dec. 6, the 11-assist, 31-FG catastrophe that prompted Don Nelson to institute the European-style ball-movement offense which brought Marco Belinelli and Anthony Morrow to prominence in December.

That was the style that made the Warriors watchable again after an opening month that devolved into little else but Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette going one-on-one … or two … or three – and having the predictable lack of success.

So why did the Warriors fall into that same mode Wednesday, with the ball stagnating – as pointed out in the comments on the live game entry, Jackson (8-20), Maggette (5-16) and Jamal Crawford (4-15) combined to shoot 17-for-51 – and the offense collapsing faster than the Dow Jones Industrials?

It can’t all be fatigue. Yes, the Warriors were finishing up a back-to-back, but the Bulls also played Tuesday, and unlike Golden State’s laugher in Minny (where nobody played more than 29 minutes, and even then, the minutes weren’t all that taxing for much of the time), Chicago went only seven deep (Anthony Roberson and Aaron Gray each got four minutes of garbage time) in failing to win at Charlotte.

(aka How To Lose Fake Money And Real Credibility, Part 14)

What is it with guys on the trading block and injuries? Al Harrington has his back, Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich blows out a thumb, and now the biggest non-surprise of all: Knicks center Eddy Curry — who makes your fearless prognosticator look practically svelte — is having problems with his balky knee.

God help the Nets if they ever truly decide to put Vince Carter up for sale. The guy will probably get broken in half before the first serious offer comes in.

Thunder (1-5) at Pacers (2-3), 4:05 p.m.
Pick: Pacers -11.5
It’s small consolation, but at least Seattle doesn’t have to watch putrid basketball being played.

Trail Blazers (3-3) at Magic (4-2), 4:05 p.m.
Pick: Magic -7
Brandon Roy has hit game-winning shots in each of Portland’s first three home games this season. Unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, those are the only wins they’ve had all year.

Raptors (4-2) at Celtics (6-1), 4:35 p.m.
Pick: Celtics -8.5
Can’t we just skip to the part where the Celtics and Lakers play a best-of-seven series?

Nets (2-3) at Heat (3-3), 4:35 p.m.
Pick: Heat -9
I don’t like that various computer simulations have this as a 5- or 6-point game. Oddsmakers shouldn’t be allowed to use my “Never Pick A Team That’s Had A Night Off In Miami” rule against me.

Grizzlies (3-4) at Suns (5-2), 6:05 p.m.
Pick: Suns -11.5
Allegedly, Shaq is on Twitter now.

Yesterday: 5-3
Season record: 44-47-1

– Geoff

[EDIT at 3:30 p.m.: I looked up and then forgot to list the team offensive efficiency stats from John Hollinger. The Warriors are 21st so far this season, averaging 85.0 points per 100 possessions. A year ago, they were third, at 96.6. Just another sign they need another facilitator to move the ball in the short term.]

It’s been a week now since Al Harrington put on his impassioned Elvis impersonation, and the Warriors seem no closer to moving their forward to happier climes.

In fact, I’m beginning to get convinced that Harrington and the Warriors might be stuck with each at least until Monta Ellis returns from his ankle surgery.

That fact was put into stark relief Monday when Joe Dumars struck almost without warning, collecting Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for three players, most notably point guard Chauncey Billups.

Pulling the trigger on that deal was almost comically easy for Dumars, since it represents a victory in both the short and long views — the immediate effect is an upgrade from Billups to Iverson and a desired shakeup in the team’s culture, while the two-year plan is the opening of a slot for rising guard Rodney Stuckey.

For the Warriors, however, there do not appear to be any such no-brainer trades lurking out there by which Harrington can be set free.

That’s because Golden State’s short- and long-term goals cannot be easily resolved by any one player.

In the short term, it’s indisputable that the Warriors need help at the point guard position. DeMarcus Nelson, while a find as an undrafted rookie, is a raw, unfinished combo guard who’s not yet ready to be the primary playmaker on an NBA team. C.J. Watson is a score-first guy with flashes of occasional passing creativity, but not enough consistent ability to get past his man on the dribble. Stephen Jackson is too turnover-prone to be a full-time initiator. Marcus Williams has, for better or worse, been banished to irrelevancy.

But the whole point of signing Ellis to a six-year, $66 million deal was to make him the Warriors point guard of the future. (Admittedly, the timetable had to be moved up on that transformation once Baron Davis opted out, but Don Nelson has said consistently and pretty much from the moment he got here that Ellis would need to be a point guard to attain greatness in the NBA.)

So while someone such as Kirk Hinrich…

Warriors forward Al Harrington is finally telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, apparently.

After claiming early Tuesday afternoon that he “wasn’t at that point” of demanding a trade, Harrington hours later did in fact march into executive vice president Chris Mullin’s office to demand a trade, according to his own testimony in other outlets.

Not much I can add to that. Obviously, my earlier report — while accurate in terms of quoting Harrington — was proven inaccurate because of the underlying deceit. Mea culpa.

One thing I will be asking Al later this morning is why he didn’t go public over the summer to try to force the Warriors’ hand. Doing it the day before the season makes him come off as the bad guy, his team-first claims notwithstanding; a concerted effort in June and July would have allowed him to hold the upper hand in the PR war at this point.

Until then, here are some possible trade partners and targets for the Warriors:

CHICAGO: Kirk Hinrich
He’s a superfluous hybrid guard on a team that also has Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon and No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose. Of course, he’s also got $36.5 million remaining on a deal that runs through 2011-12, and a defensive pairing with Monta Ellis would be akin in some ways to laying a welcome mat to the hoop.

MEMPHIS: Javaris Crittenton
Long of arm but short on accomplishments, Crittendon is probably the biggest reach in this group, although there are other bonuses to be had: Because the Grizzlies have so much room under the salary cap, the cost-conscious Warriors don’t have to take any other contracts back, although Memphis will presumably try to foist a Marko Jaric or Greg Buckner on them.

CHARLOTTE: Raymond Felton
This might be the best fit of these choices. Not only is Felton available because of the presence of D.J. Augustin, but the Bobcats are desperate for frontcourt help because they chose Augustin over Brook Lopez, and don’t want to play Emeka Okafor out of position at power forward.

OKLAHOMA CITY: Earl Watson
Another situation where a highly touted rookie (Russell Westbrook) has been brought onboard, making Watson more sellable. With the addition of a second player to balance out the salaries, longtime potential Warrior Chris Wilcox could also be discussed.

ATLANTA: Speedy Claxton
When Josh Childress was still in the fold, there wasn’t that much need for Harrington in Atlanta. With Childress plying his trade in…