Golden State Warriors Update – June 25, 2010: Fun with Numbers

The all too frequent post-draft Warriors letdown is here, and with it, a review of the slightly revised Wacky Warriors World.

It’s all about the numbers, so let’s get the party started:

0) The percentage of confidence the Warriors (lame-)brain trust* appears to have in Anthony Randolph and Brandon Wright.

To draft yet another skinny power forward yesterday despite the glaring needs at the 3 (with the trade of Maggette and the knee of Azubuike) and at the 5 (with Andre Biedrins’ game falling into a black hole last year), the powers that be must have some secret strategy that involves fielding a team of nothing but power forwards. We see a train-wreck on the horizon...

And, as Jethro says, surprise, surprise, surprise. The next two picks were a 5 (Greg Monroe, Georgetown) and a 3 (Aminu, Wake Forest). No worries, the Warriors are stockpiling young, lanky, athletic 4s whose games are not yet complete. There’s a master plan. No, really.

2) The number of pieces in the suit Udoh wore to the Warriors interview. That impressed the Warriors brass, and now we are in on the secret: the front office drafting strategy is to find the best dressed players so, when they go on the IR, they look good sitting next to the 7 or 8 players in uniform...

3) The number of power forwards the Warriors (lame-)brain trust obtained in the lottery over the last 4 years. This too-many-forwards-at-the-dance theme is getting more airplay than Lady Gaga…

5) The number of quality, first-rate players in this year’s draft. Actually, it’s only 4 1/2, but because Wesley Johnson, was selected too early, we give him a half nod. It should be noted that the Syracuse forward was chosen by the only team with a worse front office than the Warriors. Mark these words: The T-Wolves will rue the day they passed on DeMarcus Cousins, a lock to be a 20/10 guy (and Minnesota doesn’t have a center. Sound familiar?...)

6) In a draft that is 5 deep, of course, the Warriors select 6^th.

6-10) Apparently, 6’10” is the height the Warriors (lame-)brain trust would like all its players to be…

45) Days until the new owners take control.

46) Days until the Warriors (lame-)brain trust gets its walking papers, and a newer, better era begins...

18,000) The number of fans Udoh identified as the Warriors home game attendance. He used this figure as proof that it’s a quality organization, and why he wants to play here. That needs to be said again: Before the draft, Udoh said he wants to play in the Warrior organization. Uh-oh, hold on. Is this a sign of mental instability? Does he need to check in with Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace before reporting to camp? Calling Latrell…

OK, so look, don’t get us wrong – Udoh could be a presence and one day, perhaps a very good NBA player. He can block shots, he hustles, he can board. Nevertheless, and we say this with all due respect, the Warriors jigsaw puzzle pieces just don’t fit together. There are redundant edge pieces, not enough middle pieces. One can only hope there are trades and free agents in the Warriors near future.

Was the Warriors draft…predictable? Yes. Poor Choice? Yes. But the fans are used to it. Regardless, for the Warriors, it’s a long-term plan. It’s always a long-term plan. But in 46 days, perhaps the new regime will usher in an era of quality, sensibility, sanity and winning...

As always, Go Ws!

* The official Warriors (lame-)brain trust is the tight inner circle who use circular logic to make franchise decisions, namely President L’il Bobby Rowell, GM-in-training Larry Riley, soon-to-be-ex coach Maui Nellie, and IRS scofflaw Chris Cohan .

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#21

Golden State Warriors - June 7, 2010

Management Throws Its Fans a Bronx Cheer on the Way Out

“Kiss me. While I’m being f**cked, I like to get kissed a lot” – Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon

I guess they figure it hurts so much, the fans don’t feel pain anymore. So as a parting shot, throw one last below-the-belt sucker punch and it won’t matter.

They, of course, refer to the de-synapsed brain trust of the Golden State Warriors, the soon to be ex-management and ex-ownership (quick poll: how many Warriors fans think they can’t leave town fast enough? We thought so…).

And the sucker punch they might throw is the potential trade involving Anthony Randolph.

Can’t happen. Shouldn’t happen. Should never happen.

You see, the thing is the Warriors have not seen talent like this since Rick Barry’s 1978 departure.

Yes, Curry is very good (offensively) and Monta is fast as lightning and can score by the boatload. But neither comes close to Randolph’s natural abilities, the one roster player with true superstar potential.

Yes, Randolph has a permanent “if you take my lunch money, I’m gonna cry” look on his face and is a goofus on the court at times. And he has his fair share of Ron-Ron low hoops IQ bonehead plays. And yes, he is slow to learn the play sets.

But, you see, he is really talented. We mean really, really talented. Like “oh-wow-did-I-just-see-that-on-a-basketball-court?” talented. Like “I-wouldn’t-trade-him-for-anyone” talented (OK, well, if you gave us Lebron. But you know what we mean…). And did we mention he added another 20 pounds of muscle this off-season, to compliment the 20 pounds of muscle he added last off-season?

What is rumored is moving Randolph to Minnesota along with the #6 pick for the T-Wolves #4 pick, so the Ws can draft Demarcus Cousins. Now that is rich. If L’il Bobby Rowell, GM-in-training Larry Riley, and Maui Nellie think Randolph needs an attitude adjustment, Cousins may take them to a new level. Here is a guy who, at pre-draft workouts, decided to blow off a pre-arranged, agreed upon 30 minute interview with an NBA club. Cousins said sorry, talk to my agent, and then went off to play video games with his friends.

Not that the Warriors don’t want Cousins, warts and all. They do. In fact, he is precisely what they need: a true center with size, great footwork, soft hands, good moves, defensive presence and a natural rebounder and shot blocker. Just not at this price.

Under what circumstances would the Ws want to trade Randolph to the T-Wolves? Almost none. But just for fun, lets consider broadening the trade: lets add Biedrins and Al Jefferson.

Think about it from the Warriors viewpoint: A front court of Cousins and Al Jefferson (along with a combo of Maggette, Wright, and Azubuike at the 3) to go with Curry and Ellis. Solid rebounding, shot blocking and low post scoring to go with a blindingly fast backcourt that and score and pass. Looks a lot more promising than the last few rosters.

The Warriors would give up, Biedrins (or really, dump his bloated $40 mil, 4 year contract), Randolph (did we mention that he put on another 20 pounds of muscle this offseason?), and the #6 pick, presumably Aminu – a swingman with athleticism, a huge wingspan, good defensive instincts, great finisher on the break and no jump shot (think Iguadala without the shot).

Minnesota now admits what we all knew at the draft 2 years ago – Kevin Love plays Al Jefferson’s position, and they only need one of them. So the T-Wolves keep Love and add three youngsters up front – Randolph, Biedrins and Aminu. Add that to a backcourt of Jonny Flynn and Corey Brewer, and, in another year, Ricky Rubio.

It might work. But we ask, do the Warriors have to trade Randolph?

Of course, in the end, what the Warriors have is the gang that couldn’t shoot straight; perhaps senior management and ownership are tired of seeing themselves lambasted by the fans and the press, so they figure: why not give them one last Bronx cheer on the way out of town?

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An NBA Finals Note: Is the fix in? Did Stern lean on the refs to make sure the series gets back to L.A. for games 6 and 7? It’s not new that Rondo’s blatant travels go uncalled, and Pierce and Ray Allen are rewarded for flopping. But the two phantom fouls on Kobe and the lack of calls on the Celts bigs in the forth quarter were suspicious. The clincher, though, was the out of bounds call with 1:43 left. Without replay, it looked off Garnett, but the refs called it Celts way. When the refs went to slow motion replay for review, it was quite clear – and Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson all agreed – that it was irrefutably off KG. Still, the refs awarded the ball to Boston. That’s when we knew…

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And a final goodbye to John Wooden, one of the great basketball minds and great people of our lifetime. Thank you for all you have given to our world.

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As always, Go Ws!

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#20

Golden State Warriors Update - May 10, 2010

Where Are They Now?

As a common media theme, “Where Are They Now?” is often a headline for a feel good piece, locating sports heroes who, decades earlier, captured fans’ hearts and minds by leading local franchises to gritty wins and improbable upsets. Many years later, in their 50s and 60s, those former stars are often found doing community work or finding interesting ways to occupy their golden years.

In the strange, time-warped world of the Golden State Warriors franchise, things are a bit different. Anything can happen quickly, and it often does. In the three years since the now legendary 2007 playoff victory over Dallas, the Warriors jettisoned six of their eight rotation players and watched their victory total dwindle to 26 from 48 three seasons ago.

The stars of that Warrior playoff team are long gone from the hearts and minds of fans, and Warriors Update thought it might be interesting to review the new world order version of “Where Are They Now?”

Warriors-World changes are brought to you by: L’il Bobby Rowell, GM-in-training Larry Riley, coach Little Nell, and IRS fugitive and soon to be ex-owner Chris Cohan. Without further ado:

Stephen Jackson – Charlotte Bobcats – Lead the Bobcats to their first playoff appearance in franchise history this year. Coach Larry Brown called him “an elite player” and claimed Jackson was the missing piece. In 71 games, Jackson averaged 21.1 ppg, 5.1 rebs, 3.6 asts, 1.6 stls. In return, the Warriors received injured and subsequently released Raja Bell, and Vladimir Radmanovic, who played in 33 games and averaged 6.6 ppg on 38% shooting.

Jason Richardson – Phoenix Suns – Charles Barkley calls JR “the barometer” for the Phoenix Suns, as their leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 23.4 ppg on 52% shooting and 6.5 rebs. He is, unquestionably an offensive force and a major factor in the Suns conference finals appearance. Warriors rec’d Brandon Wright for JR, who has played 77 games in 3 years, including none last season. Wright averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.3 rebs when he played.

Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes – Orlando Magic - Both are rotation players, on the court during critical fourth quarter minutes in playoff games on a championship contending team. Barnes is averaging 25 min/gm in the playoffs, contributing 7 ppg and 4.8 rebs. Pietrus, usually assigned to cover the opposing teams toughest player (Stephen Jackson, Joe Johnson, Lebron James), is averaging 9.5 ppg in 21 min/gm in the playoffs. Both left via free agency; the Warriors received nothing in return.

Al Harrington – NY Knicks – Has been both a starter and sixth man as the Knick’s second leading scorer at 17.7 ppg, averaging 30 min/gm. Giving coach D’Antoni unconventional alternatives, Al has opened the floor for the Knicks by knocking down 3s as well as posting up smaller forwards. Warriors rec’d Jamal Crawford, who was then traded to Atlanta (where he was 6^th man of the year) for injured Speedy Claxton and AC Law, both of whom we released.

Baron Davis – LA Clippers – When focused (its true, this was a problem with the Warriors as well), one of the toughest and most talented point guards in the league. Despite an “off year,” Davis averaged 15.3 ppg, 8.0 asts and 1.7 stl/gm. If the Clips are healthy next season, and pick up a player or two, they could be a high quality team, enough so to wake up Baron and see him return to his all-star form.

Davis left via free agency, so the Warriors rec’d nothing for his departure. To be fair though, Davis’ departure freed up salary cap money to sign another player. The Warriors grabbed Corey Maggette.

All in, the net looks like this:

Gone: Jason Richardson, Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Mickael Pietrus

Replaced by: Brandon Wright, Vladimir Radmanovic, Corey Maggette, and mostly D-leaguers filling out the extra roster spots

With roughly the same total roster salary obligations now as then.

Looking over the changes, Warriors Update can only conclude this: Wow. OK, next...

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As always, go Ws…

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#19

Golden State Warriors Update _ Mar 22, 2010 II

IT'S OFFICIAL: THE TIME HAS COME

Below is this morning's Warriors press release. Finally, a step in the right direction:

WARRIORS RETAIN GALATIOTO SPORTS PARTNERS TO CONDUCT SALE OF TEAM

Leading Sports Advisory and Finance Firm Has Participated In More Than 70 Major Sports Transactions

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have retained Galatioto Sports Partners (“GSP”) to conduct a sale of the Team, it was announced today. GSP, acting as the Club’s exclusive financial advisor, will manage all aspects of the sales process. As such, all related inquiries should be made directly to GSP.

Neither the Warriors nor GSP anticipate making any further public comments regarding the sales process until and unless a definitive agreement on a transaction is reached.

The Warriors, currently majority-owned by Christopher Cohan, are a premier NBA franchise located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the fifth-largest market in the NBA. The team plays its home games in Oakland, California, at Oracle Arena.

Galatioto Sports Partners, the leading sports advisory and finance firm, specializes in providing investment banking and innovative financing solutions to the global professional sports market. GSP was established in early 2005 by Salvatore Galatioto. The principals of the GSP have acted in a variety of capacities on more than 70 transactions in the major North American and European sports leagues.

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As Always, Go Ws!

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#18

Golden State Warriors - Mar 22, 2010

The Time Has Come

In the midst of a "we-are-now-officially-mailing-it-in" and "are-you-kidding-defense" road trip, news - important news - has arrived: It has yet to be confirmed, but, but:

A friend of Warriors Update has let us know that earlier today ESPN's Mark Stein tweeted this: Warriors just announced that they've retained a sports firm to formally conduct the sale of the team

Hold back from breaking onto song until its confirmed. But, even if its just a rumor, its a good start...

Quick! Someone call Larry Ellison!

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As always, Go Ws!

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#17

Golden State Warriors Update - Feb 21, 2010

Da-Nile: it runs run deep, and the current carries everyone nearby with them.

Warrior Update attended Friday’s Jazz-Warrior game, and saw a masterful work of art. It was precision surgery, using minimal effort to extract an NBA victory, carving up the opposition with ease and exactness. A well-coached team executing a well thought out game plan. The evening was a cornucopia of layups drills, dunks and wide-open threes, almost resembling a practice scrimmage.

Of course we describe the Jazz, not the Warriors. Jerry Sloan’s team displayed a ball movement offense that had multiple scoring options on each possession, and a defense comprised of well-timed blocked shots and filled passing lanes. The easy steals led to wealth of perfectly executed fast breaks.

For serious hoops fans, this was a reasonably predictable storyline with little surprise. But for Warrior Update, there was a plot twist. Not on the court, but in the stands.

As the Jazz began pulling away with a 20-point lead midway through Q2, a senior Warriors ticket salesman visited us in our seats. We shook hands and made small talk.

After a particularly annoying trey in which the Jazz had their choice of open players beyond the arc, we wondered aloud about season seat renew rates, given the sad state of the Golden State franchise. With the Warriors stuck in neutral and little hope for the future, we mentioned how Warrior Update should have the pick of the litter for seats next season. We didn’t see a way out for the team. The Ws have the fifth highest NBA salary commitment for the ’10-’11 season with little talent to match the price tag. Fans will recognize this.

We opened up the opportunity for rebuttal by laying it on a little thicker: we spoke of GM-in-training Larry Riley going on record saying he was content to do nothing at the trading deadline. We concluded that this reflected an organization with no strategy or direction, stuck after dismantling a playoff team 3 years and nothing to show for it.

And, yes, we were not disappointed: Being a good company man, the manager of premium seating politely gave us directions to a certain North African river: “Who knows how good this team could have been? If only we didn’t have so many injured players.”

Sure, we always believed a healthy Randolph and an uninjured Wright would overpower Carlos Boozer; that Azebuke could dominate Kirilenko and Millsap; and of course, that would pave the way for Stephen Curry to outplay all-star Deron Williams. Those 10 TOs Curry had Friday night, well it wouldn’t have happened...But it’s hard to paddle upriver, so we smiled quietly. For the moment.

We forgot to mention that this same Jazz team took 4 of 5 playoff games from a better Warrior team, the one with Baron, Stephen Jax, Al Harrington, and J-Rich. Stating the obvious, that 2007 Warrior team was much more talented team than the Friday night’s suited up Warriors – both those in NBA uniforms and in business suits.

We also failed to mention all the cases of teams, take Boston and Houston for instance, who lost superstars for long stretches, but somehow are playoff bound. The sum total of all the Warriors on the IR don’t add up to Yao Ming and T-Mac. Not even close. Yet Houston will end up winning 35 more games that the Warriors this year...

Rather than debate injured players we continued the discussion of franchise moves. Ever since Mullin was fired, we said, we have watched the organization overpay for some players while underbidding or trading others. Oh, but Maguette was a Mullin signing, said the company man.

Aha, we thought, this is how revisionist history reshapes a scapegoat.

Let’s go to the videotape: coming off a 48 win season, Mullin and Baron Davis reach a handshake deal for reasonable length and at a market price. But wait, Nellie and President L’il Bobby Rowell decide no, not so fast. Doesn’t work for us. So, Baron splits to sign a max deal in L.A. The reaction? Uh-oh, maybe that was a huge mistake. Lets cover our tracks, change the headlines, sign someone quick. A couple of rash, max deal offers were made to Elton I'm-not-really-a-max-guy Brand and Gil I-don't-need-to-keep-my-guns-at-home Arenas. Thankfully, both said no. A desperate attempt followed to sign anybody; that anybody turned out to be Maggette.

The Ws signed Maggette to a 5-year $10 million per year, an offer he couldn’t refuse. Why? Because his next best offer was mid-level exception around $5 million per. Ha. Ha Ha Ha. And somehow, now that is Mullin’s fault.

And so the sad saga continues...

Some random Warriors notes:

- Anyone else notice the alarming details behind Stephan Curry’s pre-all star break triple-double game? In a rare event, the Warriors were crushing the opposition, up by 30 early second half, and by 38 with 8 minutes left. Maybe the blowout win threw Nellie off, confusing him about how to substitute: Curry played all but 2 minutes and 13 seconds of the game. Deavan George played all of 4 minutes and Chris Hunter, 9 minutes. .... And still we wonder why the Ws have so many injuries...

- We wrote to a NYC friend to congratulate him on the Knicks clearing space for two max contract free agents this summer, and to lament the Ws standing pat with a bad team and unwieldy future salary commitments. Our Knicks fan’s response: “Well, its another lost year for us, but there is at least hope, which is better than bad and hopeless.” Not that he is implying that’s where the Warriors are. No, no...

- That “hopey, changey thing” seems to be working in D.C., for the Wizards that is. Last night the Wiz began their rebuilding project Friday night, sans their big three - Butler, Jamison, and Arenas. And what do you know? The 18-33 Wizards beat the 36-18 Denver Nuggets. Not only do the Wiz get a fresh start with lots of cap room, but they let their young talent play and they showed they could.

- That is perhaps the Warriors Update dream: trade their big three contracts - Maggette, Biedrins and Ellis, clear out all cap space and start again. And the Ws have better young talent than the Wizards. Alas, it is not to be; the Warriors are stuck in neutral, in the mud – neither here nor there, no room to maneuver, with the wheels sinking deeper into the slushy ground every moment...

- And to that end, We have to think the following trade, in its basic form, was workable: Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins for T-Mac and Carl Landry. For Houston's duo that was traded, they instead received Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong, both poor man’s versions of the equivalent Warrior duo. But, then again, that would take ingenuity, aggressiveness, thoughtful ideas and most of all, a plan. When do we get a little of that?

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As always, go Ws...

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#16

Golden State Warriors Update - Feb 10, 2010

The Franchise Falls To the Hardwood

Eventually, it was bound to happen. Everyone knew it. Monta Ellis leads the league in minutes played, and that has consequences. We are not talking about bone-tired turnovers at critical junctures late in games; they are a given, certainties. We are discussing the limits a body can take.

“The Franchise,” AKA Monta Ellis, plays 44 minutes of all out, fast paced ball; late in a game, he drives to the hoop, a body twisting, jaw dropping, highlight reel move; he scores, he gets bumped (no foul), he lands awkwardly; his muscles, too fatigued to cushion the blow, fail him; his full body weight comes down on a joint – a knee, an ankle, a shoulder – and something gives.

At that precise moment, the Warriors’ fat lady stands up, sings and takes a bow. For the Golden State franchise, it’s over. There’s nothing left on the carcass, save more excuses – another untimely injury, a competitive loss, some tough calls. You have heard them all before, many times.

No one dares to stand up and speak the truth: The Warriors play fundamentally unsound basketball. No defense, no half court offense, unforced turnovers, sloppy passing. The team is poorly coached (rotation? what rotation? lets wing it). The team has meager talent, having unloaded almost all of its quality players from 3 years ago, getting nothing in return. We wonder if the Golden State organization is aware, its peninsula broke off and is aimlessly drifting in the vast ocean.

Pre-season, Chris Webber opined that Nellie would not get the 25 victories he needed this season to become the NBA’s all time winning coach. Looks like a good call by C-Web. The Warriors have 13 wins and 39 losses, on pace for 21 wins. The record is not a fluke, not an outlier. In the world of statistical sampling, if you could replay this season to this point 100 times, the Warriors record would average 13-39, exactly what it should be.

The Warriors’ sad state rekindles the old argument of worst NBA franchises in modern times. In the next Warriors Update, we will compare the Warriors to the ‘09-‘10 Nets, the ’72-’73 Sixers, and ‘05-‘06 Knicks. Who stands out the most? Stay tuned…

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As always, go Ws…

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#15

Golden State Warriors Update - Jan 28, 2010

Good News, Better News as Warriors Get Blown Out at Home

New Orleans rookie Marcus Thornton knocked down an open trey at the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter last night, stretching the Hornets lead over the Warriors to 23. With another Golden State loss secured and Chris Paul safely on the bench, our beloved Warriors Update crew cried uncle and left Oracle Arena. It was another meaningless fourth quarter for an irrelevant team, out of the playoff picture 44 games into the season.

Yesterday’s par-for-the-course woeful performance was overshadowed by Oracle Arena buzz of Warriors news that was good, and got better. No, we are not drinking and texting simultaneously (we always remember the golden rule: drinking, driving, texting: only one at a time).

As harsh as it sounds, part of yesterday’s good news was the Warriors being undressed despite dressing 11 players. Supporters who double as believers (read: team employed announcers and beat writers who need access) can no longer exercise their pre-packaged, pop-in-the-microwave excuses: the team is short handed; they are road weary; they are playing an elite team. Jeez, even their best excuse, Monta is worn out, didn’t fly; Ellis was well rested, having had the previous 4 days off.

(Which, by the way, reminds us that we’ve been thinking about the Warriors injury bug. It begs the question: is it just a coincidence that the Ws have more injuries than other teams? Or is there an issue with the strength and conditioning staff and program? Just saying…)

So the Dubs were blown out by an 8-16 road team that recently shed 2 rotation players for salary cap / luxury tax reasons (if you don’t think Devin Brown matters, recall the December 23rd Hornets-Warriors game. Brown started, played 25 minutes and chipped in with 11 points, 2 boards, 2 dimes and 2 steals).

Last night’s performance was indicative of Golden State’s last 100 games. They came up way short, not even competitive. The naked truth is clear: management dismantled a very good 2007 playoff team, and have absolutely nothing to show for it.

Perhaps this could be a springboard for change. Which leads us to…

Yesterday’s Better News: It was reported and confirmed that earlier in the day Larry Ellison, the fourth wealthiest person in the world, stated unequivocally that he would like to buy the Warriors. Let me repeat: Larry Ellison wants to buy the Warriors. This should be Shubert, or at least Radiohead, to the ears of any Golden State fan.

By now, everyone agrees that any change is good change. But it’s better than that. The truth is, Ellison likes to win. We mean he really, really likes to win. One doesn’t build an empire like Oracle, amassing a $22 billion net worth without the drive and desire to claim victory at every turn. Moreover, his dedication to winning America’s Cup is almost unprecedented.

Ellison is willing to do what it takes – hire the best advisors, put together the best team, spend what it takes to put his team in position to win it all. Sound like a good formula for the frozen tundra Warriors? In the words of everyone’s favorite helicopter-riding moose hunter, “you betcha!”

Apparently, the Ellison news conference went down like this: at the Oracle headquarters in Redwood City, CA, a post business announcement Q&A included the plea “can you please buy the Warriors?” Ellison quickly responded, “I’m trying, I’m trying.” Then, as if to underline the dysfunctional nature of the current Warrior franchise, he added: “Unfortunately, you can’t have a hostile takeover of a basketball team.”

It's true, no one can force a sale of the team. But fans can change the financial and emotional equation for the current owner. Then, who knows? Perhaps he tires of the public humiliation, the futility, the losing, the financial losses. Maybe he relents and puts a realistic price tag on the franchise he has run into the ground.

So remember: friends don’t let friend attend this season’s Warriors games. Connect the dots: Less attendance, less revenue, more financial losses, increased desire to sell, asking price lowered, non-hostile transaction is completed.

We’re #28. Here’s to hoping it gets worse, so it can get better.

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As always, go Ws…

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#14

Golden State Warriors Update - Dec 26, 2009

An Open Letter to the Warriors Brass

Gentlemen:

There’s no denying it. Trouble is brewing in Warrior-land. Losses are piling up early in the season. Attendance is dropping off. Fan interest is waning. And yes, irrelevance has arrived, not even 1/3 into the season.

Chris, Li’l Bobby, Nellie, GM-in-training Larry, your enumerable, loud and very public problems are front and center: your dysfunctional image; your slow but steady negative cash flow; your public lashings for turning the 2008 .585 winning club into a .250 losing team in the blink of an eye.

But, hey, fellas, we have the answer you’re searching for. It’s quick, it’s easy and it solves all your problems in one fell swoop.

To make it work, a number of breaks have to fall your way, and, interestingly, everything is working so far. All that is needed is one last piece needs to fall in place: The New Orleans Hornets have to lose games. A bunch of them, and the sooner the better.

Look what’s happened so far: The Steph Curry and Anthony Randolph dress rehearsal well this week in Louisiana. Hornets attendance is dropping faster than New Orleans levies, and ownership there is bleeding money with no end in sight.

The quicker New Orleans is out of the playoff race, the faster a Hornets roster purge, rebuilding program and salary relief will seem logical and well, downright sensible.

If it happens quickly, maybe you can steal another Hornets franchise point guard and no one will notice, a la Baron Davis, or Pau Gasol for a Big Mac and some frequent flier miles.

The deal works like this: Golden State acquires $89 million of salaries with

- Chris Paul ($13m, 3 years)

- Emeka Okafor ($10m, 5 years)

And New Orleans takes back $33.1 million of salaries with:

- Stephan Curry ($2.7m, 4 years)

- Anthony Randolph ($2m, 3 years)

- Warriors 2010, 2012 #1 picks

- Raja Bell ($5.1m, 1 year)

- Speedy Claxton ($5m, 1 year)

- Deavan George ($1.6m, 1 year)

- Vlad Rad ($6m, 2 years)

Why does this make sense to New Orleans? First, New Orleans has an 09-10 payroll of $73 million and a 10-11 payroll of $72 million. They will owe $12 million in luxury tax to the league this season, and about the same next year. Add to that a regularly half empty arena and you are staring at an untenable business model that loses money faster than the Warriors lose games. The Hornets are a .500 club at best and the faster they realize it, the easier it will be to consummate this trade. They just don’t have enough pieces to compete, and probably won’t make the playoffs this year or next. Time to break up the dynasty.

But the Hornets can sell it as a win-win: immediate luxury tax relief and expiring contracts (Raja, Speedy, George). Shed $50+ million of salaries over the next few years and put together a promising nucleus that can compete in short order. Curry, Collison, Randolph and Bobby Brown make up a reasonably good nucleus that can quickly become respectable.

The Warriors have a multitude of reasons to do this:

1) The flailing franchise is revived, and team becomes competitive again, almost immediately, maybe even playoff bound. Lagging ticket sales pick up.

2) Management gets a new face, a true superstar, to market.

3) Monta gets on-court help. Finally.

4) The Warriors right away have the best backcourt in the NBA.

5) The mortgaged future becomes less relevant as the front office markets George Allen’s “the future is now” mantra.

6) All those power forwards who publicly - and emphatically - said no to Oakland reconsider.

7) The franchise’s financial bleeding stops and a massive cash flow meltdown is averted.

8) The value of the franchise improves enough for Larry Ellison to say yes to Chris Cohan’s price.

9) Professional basketball returns to the Bay Area.

Come on, fellas. It’s a way out. It’s the way out. It’s your only way out.

Just root for the Hornets to lose. The sooner the better.

So, L’il Bobby, right the sinking ship, repair your image, get back to the playoffs. Trade the future and expiring contracts, and get Chris Paul.

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Warriors Notes and Thoughts:

The Ws are 7-21, and the next five games are against top 10 teams. 7-26 two weeks from now is likely, but don’t be surprised if one of these teams, on the road, is a bit tired, takes the Ws too lightly, maybe missing Paul Pierce, gets into a tight game and one or more of the Warriors’ non-shooting shooters (Morrow, Watson, Vlad Rad) starts finding the bottom of the net again. Turiaf and Biedrins grab just enough rebounds to hold off the comeback and voila! The Ws beat a good team! Nicely done, says management; it’ll give fans a touch more false hope, sell a few more tickets, and in the end, improve to 8-25...

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The “I-hate-to-think-of-it” thought of the day: What happens to the Warriors if, after 46 minutes of a hard fought one on five game for Monta, Ellis’s fatigued calf muscles give out and he endures a high ankle sprain? We shudder to think of the D-league team that tries to compete after that...

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As always, Go Warriors!

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#13

Golden State Warriors Update -Dec 10, 2009

How Do You Spell R.E.L.I.E.F.? NJ Nets

We are certain we heard it last night: Pfffft. It was not leaking air from a post game Continental Arena balloon. Nor was it the sound of resignation from Warrior fans after realizing their team has the 25^th best record in the NBA – after last night’s victory.

It was, in fact, Warrior management’s collective sigh of relief after defeating the 2-18 Nets, the NBA’s 30^th best team. Designated coach-in-training Keith Smart got a strong effort from the players to confirm management’s certainty that the Warriors are not the absolute worst team in the league.

Management is, on this point, spot on. At full effort (and they pushed hard last night), leaving everything on the court in a contested game (five point lead with five minutes left) against #30, they demonstrated they deserve the #25 spot. Don’t deny them their due.

Management seems content to ride out Plan A: a strive-for-mediocrity strategy plotted out in preseason (see Warriors Update – September 24). Yet it is a bit disconcerting to hear GM-in-training Riley, Lil Bobby Rowell and Coach Nellie all continually discuss how difficult it is to evaluate the quality of their roster, given all the injuries and missing players. We apologize. We just don’t know how to buy into that one. Is there something the Warrior brain trust knows that fans, media, players, and other NBA teams don’t know?

For the record, the evaluation is in. Its in the standings; they are 25^th best. And holding. If Monta Ellis tweaks an ankle, then its an easy call to move to Plan B: the ping-pong-ball-prayers-strategy, in hopes the balls bounce their way for a franchise changing #1 overall pick in 2010.

The bottom line for the current Warrior roster is the talent isn’t there.

At their best, full effort, full roster, no injuries, playing as well as they can on both sides of the court (for sure, a dream scenario for any NBA team), this Warrior team is a .500, 41 win team.

Sure, Randolph shows a lot of promise. And Curry, for all his mistakes and inconsistency, is showing he may belong. CJ Watson adds some value, and everyone loves Turiaf’s effort and positive presence.

And, of course, Ellis is making his case as an elite NBA all-star. But look at the overall team and compare them to, say, the Lakers. Lets concede that Ellis is Kobe Bryant - which he isn’t. Would the Lakers fall apart, or even drop to .500 if Kobe missed 30 games? Artest, Gasol, Bynum, Odom, Shannon Brown. I don’t think so.

But the Warriors without Ellis? As they say in Brooklyn, Faagetaboudit.

We hate to admit this, but here is: That Laker lineup, without Kobe, is better than a completely healthy Warriors lineup that includes Monta Ellis.

That’s the difference between defending champs and 25^th best.

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Would you or wouldn’t you?

A dream in the making: Trade Stephen Curry, Anthony Randolph, two #1s, throw in Speedy Claxton, for Chris Paul?

An interesting proposition, indeed. You refuse to give up Randolph, for sure. You don’t really want to trade Curry. And you pick up a huge, long-term contract without shipping an equivalent elephant, leaving luxury tax or close to it for the next few years. But now you have, without question, the best backcourt in basketball. CP3 and Ellis. The question is can you do anything with it? Do you have enough firepower left to surround them with enough talent to make a real run? Where is Chris Mullin when you need him most? Oh yea, we forgot. He was let go last year...

Then, of course, you have to wonder if New Orleans would pull the trigger on something like this…would you do it? Let us know…

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As always, Go Ws...

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#12

Golden State Warriors Update -Nov 29, 2009

The Not-Quite-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players

Last night was opening night at the theater. Previews of the post-Jackson era Warriors were promising. As the curtain rose and play began, it was clear the Warriors had assigned themselves the junior varsity role, trying to prove they belong.

They were nervous Nellies for sure. From the opening tip, the Ws were paddling like mad just to keep their heads above water, trying to stay in the game as the Lakers made it look easy in a route of the Warriors in Oakland.

The list of poorly executed fundamentals was long. Yes, the Warriors will do better next time. No, unfortunately, they are not likely to win next time.

All told, it was a night of Truths and Questions:

Truth: The Lakers won by 33 with a sub- par game from Kobe and a below average outside shooting night. Had the Lake Show been on fire, it might have been 30 at halftime, 50 by game’s end.

Truth: The Warriors at their inspired best vs. the Lakers at their sleep walking worst would be competitive, all things considered - that would be talent, coaching, defense, style of play.

Truth: The Warrior ball movement offense was supposed to thrive without Stephen Jackson. Apparently, it worked well for a full 2 ½ games but took a leave of absence last night.

Truth: As good as Monte Ellis is - and Warrior Update thinks he is an all-star talent - he now seems to believe it’s on him to be all, do all. Watch out or before you know it, there’ll be a new Stephen Jax; new name, same game.

Truth: Successful basketball at the highest level is an inside-out game: pass, dribble-penetrate, kick it out or lay it up. This involves floor spacing, ball handling, moving without the ball, passing, knocking down open shots. Last night, the Ws stopped passing the ball on offense; it appeared as if Stephen Jackson reincarnate was in every Warrior uniform, as every player seemed inclined to jack up covered 3s and early jumpers.

Truth: As good a shooter as Anthony Morrow is - and he may have taken Ray Allen’s mantle spot as owner of the league’s sweetest stroke – he does not make good decisions: when to shoot, pass, drive, dribble. Can someone find a tutor to raise his basketball IQ? He is in danger of missing the league minimum, a low bar indeed. Yes, Morrow has worked on his game, expanded his abilities, but its not paying dividends. Maybe his best spot would be as a Peja clone: spot up, knock em down...on a team, of course, with an inside-out game and talent...

Question: What happened to Anthony Randolph?!? He went from the early season league darling to all-pro boob. His hoops IQ is elevating Morrow to Mensa category. Even his fouls look bad. Yet he has enough nerve to chest bump and trash talk Kobe and Pau, when losing by 25. We know there is something there...

Question: Why was the ball so slippery for the Warriors last night? Ellis, Curry and Watson all lost the ball, dribbling with no pressure. Just bounced out of their hands. Oops, here, you take it. Funny how that didn’t happen to the Lakers...

At times, the Warriors have sufficient talent and game know-how to surprise even the better teams. And from time to time, they will do so this season on their way to 30 wins. But last night was flaw exposure night. All of them. And it was ugly.

Raise your hand if you thought they played a better brand of basketball when nobody, including the Warriors players themselves, believed they could win in Cleveland, Boston, Dallas and San Antonio. Uh-huh, thought so. We did as well. That reckless abandon lead to better ball movement, better floor spacing and more movement without the ball. And more success.

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As always, go Ws!

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#11

Golden State Warriors Update -Nov 17, 2009

News Flash: Warriors Implosion Happening at Warp Speed

I pass on to you today's blog posting from beat writer Tim Kawakami, in its entirety. It speaks for itself. What a sad, sad state of affairs...

Ellis/Warriors situation set to hit full boil at Thursday meeting: Trade inevitable

Posted by Tim Kawakami, San Jose Mercury News, on November 17th, 2009 at 10:13 am

Multiple NBA sources have confirmed that Monta Ellis’ status with the Warriors could be determined Thursday, when his agent is scheduled to meet with team management in Oakland.

Several sources indicate that Ellis’ agent, Jeff Fried, already has discussed the possibility of the Warrriors giving Fried and Ellis permission to talk to other teams to quicken the pace of trade talks.

The Thursday meeting could formalize those general discussions. One source said that Fried tacitly has been given the go-ahead to try to come up with a trade, but that team president Robert Rowell may not yet have officially signed off on it.

(Al Harrington was given similar permission last year. It’s believed Stephen Jackson received tacit approval earlier this year.)

Rowell and GM Larry Riley apparently will represent Warriors management in this meeting.

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(UPDATED:) Multiple sources say that, apparently at Don Nelson’s urging, the Warriors have been calling teams and offering to trade Ellis in recent days.

It is likely that their efforts will only intensify, barring some 11th-hour peace treaty. Ellis has four years and $44M owed to him after this season, but several sources say that he will be less difficult to trade than Stephen Jackson was.

And it seems inevitable that Ellis will be traded, presuming that Nelson remains in power, and every source I’ve talked to believes that Nelson will remain in power.

Ellis’ grievances with the Warriors date to their handling of punishment for his scooter accident and to concerns about Nelson’s commitment to him as a player and to Rowell’s decisions as the team’s No. 1 executive.

(Including personal promises made by Rowell to Ellis and Stephen Jackson at the end of last season that the Warriors would upgrade the roster significantly in order to make sure this year is not wasted.)

But the latest developments, reactions, and red-hot trade talk, stem from 2 recent events, one public, one not:

* Two sources say that Nelson embarrassed Ellis when Ellis tried to step into a leadership role in the aftermath of the 28-point home loss to the Clippers on Nov. 6.

The sources describe the scene in the post-game locker room: Ellis, as a co-captain, began loudly addressing to his teammates, telling them that this performance could not be tolerated.

But then Nelson came into the room and told Ellis to be quiet.

Speaking to reporters a few minutes later, Ellis was near-tears. A snippet…

-Q: Your coach said he was embarrassed by this game. Are you embarrassed?

-ELLIS: We all should be embarrassed. This is a terrible game, terrible performance. We looked like we didn’t know what we were doing out there. We looked like a high school team. We didn’t do nothing.

* The Clippers-game episode now sheds greater light on Ellis’ cryptic comments during his public verbal altercation with Nelson after a practice in New York last week.

First, in front of reporters, Ellis accused Nelson of blaming him for everything. When Nelson denied it and then walked away, waving his hands, Ellis said:

“See, that’s why I won’t do it. I just won’t do it.”

What did that mean? My read: Ellis was saying that whenever he tries to lead the team, it’s rendered meaningless because the coach and management disrupt everything.

Ellis has his own weaknesses and is far from a perfect player, but he is not wrong on this point.

When he sees how little Nelson cares about building a real team and sees the bumbling of Rowell & Co., Ellis is seeing the truth about the Warriors.

He’s living it. He’s not the ideal Nelson guard, and that has played out over a few years now. But Ellis is one of the more talented guards of his size in the NBA. However…

Like so many other players before him, he is realizing the hopelessness of life with Nelson, Rowell, Riley and Chris Cohan.

He wants out. Just like Stephen Jackson. Like Al Harrington. And, probably, like Anthony Randolph in a few months and Andris Biedrins and… well, you just name the good player. He wants out or soon will want out.

They all have an expiration date. It’s the Warriors. The only ones who stay are the fools, the corrupt and those with no other choice.

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As always, Go Ws!
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#10

Golden State Warriors Update -Nov 16, 2009

Stephen Jackson Goes, But Problems Stay

This morning, the Warriors shipped Stephen Jackson out of town in the hope that the circus would leave with him. It is safe to say, though, the fabulous disaster called the Golden State Warrior Implosion is a work-in-progress that can’t be FedEx-ed to North Carolina. More on that later, but first, this morning’s deal:

To Golden State:

- Raja Bell - 6’5” shooting guard, small forward. contract: 1 year, $5.3mm

The skinny: A good 3-point shooter, a better on-ball defensive stopper vs. 1s, 2s and some 3s. High hoops IQ, good defensive team player; below average dribbler, does not drive well, rarely creates for his own shot.

- Vladimir Radmanovic – 6’10” small / power forward. contract: 2 years, $6.7mm/yr

The skinny: best asset is his distance shooting for his size; a very good 3s guy; can run reasonably well for a big guy; weak defensively, is soft, a poor rebounder for a big, does not play with his back to the basket.

To Charlotte:

- Stephen Jackson, 6’8” shooting guard, small forward. contract: 4 years, $8.9mm/yr

The skinny: Despite all that you shed when trading away the whole Jax package, you also lose a 20ppg player who is a defensive one-on-one stopper against almost anyone in the NBA. A go-to guy who creates his own shot at any time (including times when you wish he wouldn’t), can run the offense and get others involved. Of course, he only does this when he feels like it; is a much worse ball handler than he thinks he is.

- Acie Law, 6’3” point guard. contract: 1 year $2.2mm

The skinny: A promising, strong point guard who dribbles well, see the court reasonably well, and has Baron Davis upper body strength to back down opposing points guards. Never really got the opportunity to play extended minutes, but showed potential with limited playing time.

How the Warriors fared:

- The big plus: long term salary cap relief. Perhaps this was the goal all along, with overall team improvement a secondary goal. Go team. Now the Ws have cap space to compete for the great 2010 free agent class (please stop laughing…)

- The Ws lose offense. Bell, at 10ppg, and Radmanovic, a 9ppg guy, can’t replace Jackson’s points. Funny how it works out that the highest scoring team in the NBA may now scratch its head, wondering where the scoring punch will come from, especially in half court sets…

- It is now Monta’s team as the offensive centerpiece. But Ellis, as the only consistent scorer who can create his own shot, will need more help than ever as teams will now freely collapse on him.

- The Ws are a weaker defensive team. I’ll bet you didn’t think that was possible…

- Raja thrived in D’Antoni’s Phoenix system; there is no reason to think he won’t do well in Golden State, except there is no Nash in Oakland, and Nellie is D’Antoni lite in a clown’s outfit…

- The organization's overall noise level will drop for a while. But after the Ws record goes to 3-13, then 4-18, no one will remember why Jax was shipped out, or care why...

- Its hard to say losing Acie Law was a huge loss; that said, Law showed enough to think he might be a keeper. We wonder why Riley and Rowell didn't include Speedy Claxton instead, a guy who won’t play two minutes with the Ws. Hmm...

Bottom line: The Ws failed to get the one Bobcat who could have made this trade a net positive, Boris Diaw. However, given Golden State's pending implosion, the organization got some value in return. Not enough, though, to change the team dynamics or improve the wins-loss ratio.

Nellie’s old Milwaukee buddies took him to a Springsteen show after the Bucs loss this past weekend to help him forget how bad his defensive adjustments are. The Boss’s show is over; Nellie’s show isn’t, just missing a headline act. The Ws move on to Cleveland tomorrow, no doubt inching closer to the lottery. I wonder if the Ws are scouting next year’s Blake Griffin yet…

Maybe Chris Webber is right. Perhaps Coach Nellie won’t get the 24 wins he needs to become the NBA’s all time leader in victories this season.

So it begs the question: how many losses does Nellie need to be the NBAs all time leader in losses?

One last mention: Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Al Harrington, Michael Pietrus, Matt Barnes. Now Stephen Jackson. The purging of the best Warrior team in 15 years is almost complete. Good going, Li’l Bobby…

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As always, go Ws….

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#9

Golden State Warriors Update -Nov 6, 2009

NEW RULES

Before the 1-2 Warriors embark on a string of really, really, really tough games (six in a row: Cavs, Celts, Blazers, Mavs, Spurs, Lakers; ouch!), they have a few winnable games (Clips, Kings, Twolves, Pacers, Knicks, Bucs), but will win only if they follow the NEW RULES:

NEW RULE: Corey Maggette is no longer allowed to shoot from the outside. New limit: four feet from the rim.

NEW RULE: When Monte misses six jumpers in a row, someone has to tell him to drive to the hoop.

NEW RULE: We do not care what position he plays; Randolph must play more than seven minutes a game.

NEW RULE: When an opposing player scores several times in row down the court, its time to consider changing the defensive scheme.

NEW RULES: For everyone excited about Stephan Curry - and deservedly so as Curry shows promise - pay attention to the guy the Warriors passed on, Brandon Jennings. The Bucs point guard is currently leading most rookie of the year polls. And apparently, one year in Italy did for him what five years could not do for Marco Belinelli…

NEW RULE: Nellie promised to play the young guns this year. Well, play them.

NEW RULE: When the Ws decide to double team, it has to be understood that it is part of a full, five man strategy; part two is called sliding to cover the next pass. Team defense. Yea, let’s do a little of that.

NEW RULE: Someone has to wake up Andres Biedrins. Not only is he not contributing, he is a liability. Is he Dampier-esque? After signing the big contract, perform drops off a cliff and injuries sideline him. The unconsummated Amare trade is looking better and better…

And finally, NEW RULE: Play Randolph. He is the future. And in the words of a legendary Redskins coach, the future is now.

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As always, Go Ws.

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#8

Golden State Warriors Update - Sep 24, 2009

Last Night's Revival Tent

They're passing out the Kool-Aid. Again. Its a routine pre-season activity. Only, fearing resistance to this year's strain, its extra-strength. And judging by the Q&A, its being lapped up.

Warrior Update attended a Warriors event last night at a BMW dealership in San Rafael. It was billed as a chat with Larry Riley (GM-in-training) and Robert Rowell (um, cough, Warriors President). Clearly, though, it was a thinly veiled attempt to sell some of the more exclusive seats (read: pricey first 10 rows) . Apparently, unlike previous years, these seats are not driving off the lot the moment they are unloaded.

The gathering was held on the showroom floor of the car dealership in Marin, which in itself was interesting. Not the car dealer, but the North Bay location. Has the front office exhausted the fan base within ballistic missile range of Oracle Arena? Are they now selling to people who, 41 times a year, are going to drive an hour each way to be entertained by a 29 win team? Um-mm, really?

About 100 people were there, including fans, 4 Warrior Girls, a dozen sales executives and the Warriors TV and radio team - Bob Fitzgerald and Jim Barnett.

Following 45 minutes of light food and drinks, Bob Fitzgerald grabbed the mike and emceed, taking the middle stool between Riley and Rowell. Each gave a five minute pep talk, followed by Q&A. Questions were hand written, pre-submitted and obviously screened; clearly, management learned the lesson some time ago: live questions to a regime less popular than Kim Jong-il could lead to classic YouTube moments. Picture the collective sigh of everyone's Kool-Aid acid test wearing off when a live interactive moment with Warrior management spreads faster than United Airlines breaking guitars.

The questions were lame, no surprise there, and the answers were off-the-shelf predictable, even less surprise:

- Steven Jackson; "he wants to win, just like us"
- What is the projected starting five; "never written in stone, whatever helps us win"
- Any big trades in the making; "anything to improve the team, given the reality of the shrinking salary cap and lackluster economy" (and the owner's cash flow crisis)
- Is there any way for me to get free season tickets; "no" (We drove from the city for this?)

Rowell, Riley and Fitzgerald all expressed excitement about the young team, potential growth, and as always, the teaser of perhaps making the playoffs.

Then the moment came.

If you listen closely, there is usually a revealing moment of truth. Sometimes its subtle, you have to really search. Other times...

Riley was speaking of Nellie's focus this year: Nellie is more focused then he has ever seen him; Coach is excited, committed to developing the young players; We are going to see some great coaching this season; If this team can hang around .500 come February, we are going to see some very good coaching late in the season."

Wait.
Stop the Tape.
Hit that 8 second TIVO rewind button.
Did I just hear that?

"If this team can hang around .500 come February..."

There it is, the moment.

The Warriors are striving for mediocrity.

5 months into the season, the goal is to win half the games. The Kool-Aid must have been extra strength, though, because, in last night's revival tent, it passed without a murmur.

Its safe to say most organizations expect to be at least .500 by February; Good teams would be highly disappointed. But not our Warriors.

After hearing the distinct sound of air escaping our personal balloon, there seemed to be little hope of discussing the off season free agency. Some teams add Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. Others get Marion and Drew Gooden. Others still add Shaq or Artest or Andre Miller. The Dubs get Devean George and Acie Law.

For this well honed goal of a .500 record, Warrior Update owns 4th row seats.

Dare we ask: Are there other Russian oligarchs who want in? Could Larry Ellison change his mind?

Yet through the haze, we can still see one thing clearly: we are still excited to see Anthony Randolph.

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As Always, Go Ws!
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#7

Golden State Warriors Update - Sep 1, 2009

The Warriors Signs Two Players...

...and prove Stephen Jackson's point.

The News: A couple of days after Jax undressed the Warriors front office and exposed their money-first, winning-second strategy, GM-in-training Larry Riley announced more roster fine tuning with the signings yesterday of Mikki Moore and CJ Watson.

Moore agreed to a veteran minimum deal of $1.3 million for one year and, although restricted free agent CJ hasn't officially signed, he tweeted (on Twitter, that is) his personal fans that the 1 year, $1 million qualifying offer is a done deal; when someone tweeds, its now a fact, right?

The Real Deal: We all know CJ's resume: solid offensive player, good mid-range jumper, can create his own offense, does well under pressure, decent ball handler, OK passer, 3s range only in the short corners. And, to show Watson bleeds true orange&blue Warriors blood, what passes for point guard matador defense is the occasional steal that ignites a fast break.

Mikki Moore is an active, athletic, lean 6'11" forward/center who plays mostly in the paint on both ends. Mikki is quick for his size and is tough enough to board in traffic, occasionally cleaning up around the rim. He is, at times, too aggressive, not super smooth on offense, and is no outside threat what so ever. On the this team, he will see time and add on-court value.

The Devil In The Details: Both are good signings, value for the price. More so though if you were, say, San Antonio or Cleveland, trying to shore up the end of your bench for a title run. The problem, is that unlike the 5-7 minutes/game each would see with the Spurs or the Cavs, these two will see 12-18 minutes a game with the Ws. And when not in the Nellie doghouse and shooting well, they might get as much as 30 minutes in the occasional game.

So the Dubs are filling up their #8-10 guys with minimum wage-ish guys. No surprise there. The Warriors recipe works like this: start with significantly over market price salaries for guys 1-6 (read: Maguette, Biedrins, Ellis, Jackson), add in a tight wallet overall, mix in a zero tolerance policy for luxury tax, and what do you get? Not much left for the rest...

How Does Cap'n Jax Fit Into This? Stephen Jackson spoke about wanting to play on a title contending team and while Moore and Watson are serviceable guys, neither would get crunch time minutes on a serious contender (which, ahem, the Ws are not, in spite of Riley's lip service yesterday. By the way, how did he keep a straight face yesterday as he said " we are working towards a championship"?).

The proof in the pudding: Moore averaged 6 minutes a game with the KG-less Celtics during last year's playoffs; he only saw garbage time, despite 40 power forward minutes per game in street clothes throughout the entire playoffs.

The Amusement (The one thing you can always count on with the Warriors): Rowell always has a clever angle, and his genius here is in assembling a team of first name spelling mistakes. Its the close-but-no-cigar-players-names: think Devean, Acie, Monta, Ronny (pronounced Ro-an-ny) and now Mikki.

Ahhh, how Warriors fans find entertainment where they can...

P.S.: Tim Kawakami is reporting that there is not much of a market for Stephen Jackson. Between his 4 yr, $36MM contract and his past on-court behavior problems, there's no surprise there...

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As always, Go Ws!

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#6

Golden State Warriors Update - Aug 29, 2009 - II

JACKSON WANTS OUT IS CONFIRMED; HERE'S WHY

It didn't take long to confirm the news that Stephen Jackson wants out of Warrior-ville.

Apparently, he said so in an interview he gave to Dime Magazine while at a party in New York with Al Harrington.

Fan response could (and does) include:

- Something else is going. Jax's about face didn't happen so quickly without something else happening. Nellie or Riley forced the issue.

- He heard his name in trade rumors, and figures he'll preempt it.

or more convincingly:

- Jax played Robert Rowell (Warriors president and owner Chris Cohan's right hand man) like a fiddle: He got a contract extension - while still under contract for another 18 months - in the middle of last season, claiming he "wants to be a Warrior for Life." He got his money, then he leaves.

The last is plausible.

But here is what Warriors Update thinks: For Stephen Jackson, its about winning.

And the Warriors front office consistently proves Cohan's financial position comes first. Sure, they wouldn't mind winning; after all, how long can they dupe fans into watching a consistently bad team?

Look at the evidence:

First, Rowell breaks up the '07 playoff team but nixing the very reasonably priced Baron Davis extension Mullin had negotiated.

Then they sit idly by while Nellie doesnt give his young talent time on the court to evaluate what he has. Worse yet, Nellie plays head games with the young talent and talks to them through the press.

Rowell then "fires" Mullin, the only front office person with NBA credentials, and gives the GM job to Nellie's side kick Larry Riley.

Finally this off season, they sit idly while free agent player after player find new homes, giving new hope to numerous franchises. Many players who signed reasonably priced contracts, including Shawn Marion, fit well into Nellie's system and could have helped move the team into playoff contention.

But the fact remains: for the Ws, positive cash flow comes first.

And now the players see it. Some cant do anything about it, locked into contracts with no leverage. Others - the D league pickups (thank you once again, Chris Mullin) mostly - are just thrilled to be in the NBA.

But others (read: Stephen Jackson), understand whats going on, have leverage and are being vocal about it.

Jax did want to be a Warrior for life when he signed the contract. Then again, he believed the Warriors wanted to put together enough talent win a championship. But now, he sees it differently.

A lot can be said about Stephen Jackson. His volatile personality. His league leading turnovers. His "never met a shot I didnt like" on court attitude. His techincals (second only to Sheed last year). But he, more than BDavis, led the Ws to a winning season and the playoff victory over top-ranked Dallas in '07.

And he is smart. Smart enough to see whats going on.

If - and its a big if - the Warriors are headed in a championship direction, they won't be there for several years. That much they have made clear.

Jax understands that, and realizes he can't wait that long.

Honestly, who can blame him? Who would want to play their last 4 or 5 years for a team striving for mediocrity?

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As Always, Go Ws!

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#5

Golden State Warriors Update - Aug 29, 2009

News Flash: Stephen Jax Wants Out

I will confirm this in the next few days, but here is the news story as it appeared last night:

Appearing in New York with Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson said he does not want to return to the Warriors this season.

"I don't think I'll be a Warrior next year. I'm looking to leave," Jackson said.

Jackson said the Warriors have been made aware of his desire to be traded.

"I really can't get too much into it right now, but I'm just looking to go somewhere where I can go and win a championship," Jackson said.

Jackson listed the Cavs, any of the three teams in Texas and the Knicks as his preferred destinations.

Jackson won a championship as a member of the Spurs during the 2002-03 season.

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As always, go Ws!

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#4

Golden State Warriors Update - July 17, 2009

"I'm Not Dead Yet"

It wasn't Monty Python's black knight you heard screaming "I'm Not Dead Yet" last night. It was the Warriors' sophomore Anthony Morrow in the Vegas summer league, setting a league record, scoring 47 points on 69% shooting including 7 of 9 3s.

Apparently, Morrow didn't want to disappear in the shadow of celebrated draft choice, Steph Curry, whom everyone assumed would take Morrow's role as designated deep shooter (I know what you're thinking: isn't that every Warriors' position?) during the regular season. Morrow to Nellie: "Your move..."

The other Anthony, the all-star-in-the-making Anthony Randolph, sat out the game, but will likely win league MVP with his impressive stats: 26, 8 and 3 (that's 3 blocks/game).

Lots of big stats for the Ws in Vegas over the last two weeks. Is this a bit of older kids playing in a little kids game? Or is it just superior play? Either way, its all good news for the Ws.

None the less, lets be realistic: Unless the Ws make a banner headline trade (probability sans Mullin with current ownership,this is an improved but still challenged team. If everyone stays healthy, this is an improved team that would do well to be a .500 club, and is less than likely to be fighting for a playoff spot come March and April.

One more player to watch: Cartier Martin. He has impressed summer league coach Keith Smart with his hustle and tough play, although at 6'6", he may have trouble finding a spot at the already crowded wing position on the Ws roster (Curry, Monta, Jax, Maguette, Morrow, Azebuke, Belineli). We will see how it all shakes out...

As always, Go Ws!

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