Would Larry Sanders be a good fit?

Larry Sanders, who famously stepped away from the game, is looking to return to the NBA. Would he be a good fit on Golden State?

Signing Kevin Durant has forced the Golden State Warriors to completely re-tool their bench.

They traded away Andrew Bogut to the Dallas Mavericks and let Festus Ezeli walk and join the Portland Trailblazers. To replace them, they’ve signed Zaza Pachulia. Still, there are holes at the center spot and the Warriors are looking to add a rim protector to come off the bench.

Believe it or not, there aren’t that many good centers that will sign for the veteran minimum out there right now. But the Warriors might be able to take a risk and gamble on a player who was once a solid contributor. With four All-NBA players starting, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston, the Warriors don’t need greatness out of their backup center; they need competence.

Larry Sanders has been out of the game of basketball for over a year now. Not because of age, physical injury, or a lack of interest from NBA teams. Rather, Sanders stepped away from professional basketball on February 25, 2015 for personal reasons, four days after he was suspended a second time for marijuana.

Sanders, listed at 6’11 on Basketball Reference, left his career and a whole lot of money on the table to preserve his mental health. In a brave move, he stepped away in order to work on himself, admitting that he was getting treatment for anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.

It was a decision that shocked everyone; an up-and-coming star leaving the game right before entering his prime. He clarified that he still loves the game and, if he felt like it was appropriate and he got into the right mental state, he could return.

Well, it looks like Sanders is ready to make his return.

There were reports saying that he had been working out in California and gaining some interest from teams. It looks like two of those teams are the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. For Sanders, it could be a lot worse than garnering interest from the last two NBA champions.

He tweeted out this picture, implying that he would be signing with Golden State.

Everyone was weighing in on what this meant for the Warriors, expecting an official announcement at any time. But it never came and Sanders tweeted out this picture shortly after.

Yes, that is a cavalier.

It looks like he’s probably nearing a contract with one of those teams. The Warriors definitely need a rim protector off the bench and Sanders, when he played, was one of the best.

But does signing him make sense for the Warriors?

Golden State prides itself on being a top organization, built around athletes who are even better people than basketball players. Owner Joe Lacob and General Manager Bob Myers have emphasized over and over again just how important it is to them to have high-character people in the organization.

As good as he was, Sanders was a bit of a distraction for the Milwaukee Bucks. He found himself in trouble several times throughout his career. He was caught and punished twice for testing positive for marijuana, but, based on who Golden State keeps around and where they play, that doesn’t seem to be a big concern.

He hurt his hand during a night club incident. He received fines for disorderly conduct and assault and battery. It was an injury that kept him out of 25 games.

While some of his problems probably can be attributed to an unstable mental state, it’s hard to know just how much. The Warriors have succeeded over the last few years because of their top notch chemistry. All of the guys on the court get along. Even with Draymond Green‘s fiery nature, everything works.

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It’s difficult to say whether it’s a risk the Warriors want to take or should take. It would depend a lot on how Sanders has progressed. You can’t risk messing up world championship chemistry, especially as you’re trying to ease in several new guys including Durant.

From a basketball standpoint, signing Sanders does make some sense.

For the veteran minimum, you could be getting good value. He can play and his skill set is exactly what the Warriors are looking for. He’s an athletic big man who can control the paint on the defensive end. He could block shots and finish off alley-oops.

He won’t be the player he once was; at least not right away. After missing more than a year of basketball a season after he missed a lot of games due to injury, it’s going to take some time for Sanders to get the hang of the NBA again.

Next: Time to move on for Dubs

There’s no better team to get back into the swing of things than the title favorites. The Warriors play loose and free. With their star-studded lineup, they’ll probably have a lot of games where the starters won’t need to play the fourth. Blowouts in which a guy like Sanders can get some playing time.

Sanders is a risk. There’s no doubt about it. But, if he’s ready to return and he’s reached a relaxed mental state, then perhaps the Warriors can make it work. Signing him might be worth a shot.