The Golden State Warriors have reassigned Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s NBA Development League affiliate. 

Bazemore has appeared in 15 games for Golden State this season, recording eight points and 24 minutes and returns to Santa Cruz following two previous assignments this season where he has an average of 22.5 points and 5.0 steals per game in two appearances.

Tyler has appeared in 10 games for Golden State this season, averaging 1.3 points and 2.3 minutes. Tyler also rejoins Santa Cruz with his third assignment having played in two games earlier this season, posting averages of 9.5 points and 9.0 rebounds.

The Golden State Warriors are one of the few teams in the NBA to never pay the luxury tax, though they are currently over the threshold.

"I think it would be better not to be in the luxury tax. We’d all prefer not to be, because that’s why it’s there, to keep teams from doing it. But some teams, given certain circumstances, will enter the luxury tax."

The tax is counted at the end of the season.

"We can afford to do it if we deem it’s the right thing to do," said Lacob." We’re in it actually today, as you point out.

"There’s no mandate that says we have to be below the luxury tax. We’re just going to wait and see what’s the best thing to do for this team, how are we performing at the trade deadline? And if we make a move that helps our team and winds up being further into luxury tax, then so be it, that’s what we’ll do.

"We’d only do that if we thought it was really going to improve the team and to take us to a higher level."

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob spoke about Andrew Bogut's microfracture surgery, which was kept secret for several months before the center finally told the San Francisco Chronicle that "we don't want to fool anybody, anymore."

"This is a difficult subject for us, obviously," said Lacob. "I don’t want to appear defensive, obviously, about my organization or anything else.

"But whatever procedure he did have, and he apparently did have a small amount of microfracture, that was all factored into the opening day assignment day of when he would be ready."

Bogut played four out of the first five games of the season and has been out indefinitely ever since. Bogut said in November that the Warriors had asked him not to speak about the microfracture surgery.

"I think it’s an irrelevant thing to talk about," continued Lacob on Tuesday. "We could’ve obviously handled it better. I will tell you—you’re a smart guy and some of the journalists are not as smart as you, is all I’ll say.

"You know how this works in the NBA, as to what’s released about a medical procedure. While everybody tries to be honest, certainly, and open, there are many factors, including what agents and players want in those releases, not just the team.

"We’re kind of… it’s not always entirely our choice. And it’s irrelevant. It doesn’t even matter. I think people are focusing on something that really is not important.

"What’s important is he was supposed to be ready for opening day, that was the timeline set, whatever the procedure was, and he was, and he regressed."

Paul George and David Lee have been named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Dec. 10, through Sunday, Dec. 16.

George led the Pacers to a 3-0 week which included wins over Central Division rivals Cleveland and Detroit. George averaged 23.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks. He shot .474 from three-point range on the week and ranks eighth in the league with 54 made three-point field goals on the season.

Lee helped the Warriors to a 3-1 record which included wins at Miami and Atlanta. Lee tallied 22.8 points on .606 shooting from the field, 12.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals. He posted a point-rebound double-double in all four contests and extended his double-double streak to seven consecutive games -- the longest such streak in the NBA this season.

David Lee has begun the season averaging 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.

Lee has yet to play on a winning team during his NBA career with the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors. 

The Warriors are currently 13-7.

"He's a heck of a player," Mark Jackson said of Lee. "I think he's the same David Lee, but he's winning."

"He's closing games with garbage plays, rebounds, big shots," Stephen Curry said. "He was probably seen as a stat-stuffer. I know last year and the year before, you'd look up and he'd have 28 and 15, and you're wondering how that happened. And we were losing. It adds more meaning to what he's doing when he's being productive in wins.

"When you're watching the game, you can see how much of an impact he has on the game on both ends of the floor. Without him, we're not 13-7."

Lee is on a six-year, $80 million contract and has often been criticized for posting empty stats.

"I don't care about numbers," Lee said. "I can get 30 points pretty much anytime I want. I get satisfaction from winning."

Charles Jenkins is in his second NBA season with the Golden State Warriors after a standout college career at Hofstra where he became the school’s all-time leading scorer.

Mark Jackson spoke glowingly about the progress Jenkins has made under his tutelage.

“He’s been ready since Day 1,” said Jackson. “We drafted him and he is a legitimate pro in every way, works his tail off. He’s always ready whenever I call upon him, the first in the gym, the last to leave, a sparkplug.”

Jenkins averaged 17.5 minutes per game as a rookie, but is playing just 4.5 minutes per game during the first part of 12-13, backing up Stephen Curry and Jarrett Jack.

RealGM caught up with Jenkins for a video interview to discuss his homecoming to the Brooklyn area, his development with the Warriors, and what the future holds in his contract year.

Click here to view RealGM's interview with Jenkins.

The Golden State Warriors have tried to move away from their reputation as being one of the softest teams in the NBA.

"What I will say is that probably had some truth to it in the past," Mark Jackson said. "We've certainly addressed that via the draft, via trades, via free agents. And also through experience. We're a different basketball team today."

The Warriors have improved on defense, currently tied for eighth in the NBA in field goal percentage defense.

"We have the ability to play both brands of basketball," Jackson said. "So we're a good mix of East and West. ... We want to be physical. When we're hurt is when teams are more physical than us ... But when teams have the ability to be both versatile and physical, it's a tough matchup."

Draymond Green is trying to do the little things to make a difference for the Golden State Warriors.

“I never cared about stats, and I still don’t care,” said Green, who won the national player of the year award last year at Michigan State. “My goal is to have an impact on the game. Sometimes, you have the biggest impact by making plays that don’t show up in the stats. Those are the plays I live for.”

Green’s biggest hurdle is the travel the NBA schedule requires.

“The travel is unreal, and that’s the toughest adjustment I’ve had to make,” Green said. “Playing four games in five nights — one night here, one night there, one night somewhere else — happens all the time in the NBA. You have to fight through it.

“Playing the games has not been a major challenge for me, not like the travel.”

Stephen Curry has recorded consecutive 20-point, 10-assist games for the first time in his career, and the Golden State Warriors’ message to him has been simple: Be aggressive at all times, whether it’s while playing point guard or shooting guard.

"I think it's just trying to be aggressive," Curry said. "Picking up the tempo has been a big emphasis for us. In training camp, that was a point of emphasis. But we started off kind of out of rhythm offensively.”

Coach Mark Jackson heard plenty of talk that the Warriors may have signed Curry to an extension too early, giving him a four-year, $44 million deal before the season. But as far as Jackson is concerned, Curry’s play has squashed that notion and is continuing to improve on both ends of the floor.

"Give our ownership and our front office a lot of credit because there were some people that were saying, 'We know he's a good player, but let's hold off on signing him,' " Jackson said. "We knew exactly who he was as a basketball player, person and face of this franchise. He's playing on a level that we thought he would play at. Leading his team, making plays down the stretch, defending -- it's great to see."

The Golden State Warriors will send Jeremy Tyler to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League for Sunday's game.

Tyler was a second round pick by the Warriors in 2011.