"The idea was sound and the goal overdue when the Warriors last spring vowed, for the umpteenth consecutive season, to add size.

They would get bigger and taller and longer, through the draft or a trade or free agency -- or all three.

And management followed through, delivering on the most conspicuous and long-standing of its unmet aspirations.

General manager Larry Riley and his staff used all three devices to get help for Andris Biedrins, the 7-footer from Latvia, whose six years in the NBA have been defined by evident promise, nagging injuries, steady rebounding, bouts of self-doubt and, most consistently, little support in the paint.

Yet Friday, when the New York Knicks show up to face the Warriors at Oracle Arena, Biedrins will be right back in the role he knows so well.

In the middle, mostly alone, as smaller teammates scamper and flit about the floor.

"Hey, it's just like the last couple of years," Biedrins was saying after practice Wednesday, laughing at the turn of events.

David Lee, the 6-9, 240-pound power forward acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with the Knicks, started the first eight games but is out while receiving treatment for an infection. He hopes to return this month.

Ekpe Udoh, the 6-10, 245-pound forward drafted with the sixth overall pick, will continue to rehabilitate after undergoing surgery in July to repair torn ligaments in his wrist. He hopes to make his pro debut early next month.

Lou Amundson, a 6-9, 225-pound forward who signed as a free agent, still is mending after October surgery on his right index finger. He also could return next month.

The big-man cavalry that arrived over the summer is temporarily unavailable, leaving Biedrins to patrol the middle for a team that, under first-year coach Keith Smart, has taken visible measures to add defense to its repertoire.

"It will be hard," Biedrins says of his task over the next several games, "but I think guys will step up from the bench. Guys like Brandan (Wright) and Jeff Adrien. We need them, especially now that we're missing D-Lee. We just have to fight through. It's a chance for other guys to step up and show what they got.""