The Golden State Warriors had experienced the most embarrassing losses a team could imagine on Friday night. They lost to the struggling Toronto Raptors 130-77. Some might caution against being too hasty after a night like that, but there is a legitimate reason for the Warriors to rev up the tank engines.

The Warriors are currently 10th in the Western Conference with a 23-26 record. They are only one game ahead of the 11th seed Sacramento Kings and they could very easily fall out of the playoff race. There is some question as to whether the Warriors have a desire to fall off, but their hand might be forced either way.

The Curry Conundrum

Steph Curry is generally the type of player who is way too good tank. Curry bruised his tailbone and has missed a lot of games recently. Golden State has struggled on both ends of the floor without Curry but especially offensively. The Warriors don't have any high-level shot creators without Curry on the floor and this reflects in their wins without him.

Curry is currently listed as day to day, but he has been listed as that since the injury and played twice then went back on the shelf so any timetable for his return is unknown.

If Curry continues to miss time, it is almost certain that the Warriors will be passed by the Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans could catch them too. The Warriors could gain this ground back after Curry returns if they start to win, but it could behoove them to continue on these losing ways for the remainder of the season.

The Draft

This year's draft is the perfect one to be tanking in. At the top, there are an elite top five guys in Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green, and Jonathan Kuminga, all of which could be great additions to the Warriors core. There is also talent after the top five who could make a huge difference for the Warriors in the new or distant future. Names like Corey Kispert, Scottie Barnes, Keon Johnson, and Kai Jones could all be excellent additions to the Warriors' core.

In addition to their own pick, the Warriors have a top-four protected pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. If this pick falls outside of the top four, it will belong to the Warriors and it is certain to remain in the lottery. If the Warriors end up two lottery picks in a draft like this, it could really negate the Warriors' need to rebuild in the future. This is a draft where adding two lottery talents could legitimately change the direction of a franchise and, for a team like the Warriors, that can be incredibly valuable due to their aging stars.

The Competitive Culture

The Warriors' culture has gotten a lot of focus over their dynasty years and for good reason. Golden State built a culture on winning at the highest levels and unselfish, team-oriented basketball and some fear that two straight seasons of losing could tarnish that culture. However, many forget that the Warriors spent years losing before they became the dynasty they are remembered as. Losing, and smart drafting is what allowed them to get the core pieces of their first championship team in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Harrison Barnes.

The Warriors planned on competing this year and they probably could have if they had a healthy Klay Thompson. However, this deep into the season, the illusion of competing has faded and they should accept where they are. If they draft well, they could return to competitiveness next year assuming they can remain healthy.

The Mechanics of Tanking

Steve Kerr is not a stranger to driving the tank. He did it very successfully last year and the Warriors ended up with the second pick in the draft. There can be arguments as to whether or not they took the correct player with that pick, but they ended up with the second pick nonetheless.

The Dubs already have a ready-made tank-squad when Steph Curry is injured. Draymond Green is a great player when on a good team, but on a bad team, he can struggle. His gravity as an offensive player is non-existent when not playing with elite shooters and he can only do so much to help the defense. Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre are solid players but their also the perfect players to soak up inefficient shots to help them lose. The Warriors can fill around these players with interesting young guys who aren't ready to win yet like Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, and Alen Smailagic. This squad is the perfect one to drive the tank up the lottery rankings.