D'Angelo Russell presents Warriors with unique dilemma in lost season

In the 29 games since coach Steve Kerr expressed undiluted disappointment in his team's defense -- their 117.0 rating was dead last at the time -- the Warriors steadily became respectable. They've moved up 10 spots, to No. Here's the truly revealing part: Over the six games that Russell has missed since Dec. 28, the Warriors are, gulp, ninth in defensive rating (106.0).