I've put a lot of thought into this and here is what I feel needs to happen if we wish to see the Warriors become a perennial playoff team for the first time in roughly 20 years.

1.) Finish this season with 24 or slightly more than 24 wins. There are two reasons for this: (a) It gives Don Nelson the record for most coaching victories and (b) it almost guarantees the Warriors a bottom three record. For reason (a), Don Nelson has to retire. He was a great coach and will be a hall of famer but the man is old and is too much of a mad scientist with all of the different rosters he experiments with. The team is lacking identity and it needs a younger coach with fresh ideas and more energy. Hopefully by getting the record before the end of the season, he won't feel compelled to come back and will step down. For reason (b), obviously the Warriors needs a top draft pick to turn around their fortunes. In order for that to happen they need a high enough probability to win the top pick and surely being one of the three worst teams in the NBA, like they are right now, would certainly help. That leads me to #2.

2.)  Use the top draft pick to get John Wall. The Warriors are notorious for botching high draft picks (Washburn, Webber, Smith, Jamison, Dunleavy, etc.). I know the Warriors have a solid frontcourt but neither Ellis nor Curry is a true point guard. Wall can become the leader that Rose and Paul have been for Chicago and New Orleans. He has the same build, posts similar college numbers, and plays for a similar big time program. So what happens to Ellis or Curry? Onto #3.

3.) Trade Ellis and his lucrative contract to another team that has a big man who will become a free agent this summer. Clearly two such big men come to mind: Bosh and Stoudemire. Toronto would be insane to let Bosh just walk away without getting anything in return. Same goes for Phoenix. If somehow the Warriors front office can arrange a sign and  trade deal with either Toronto or Phoenix, they can get the dominant big man they have always coveted without having to spend that much more than they are spending right now on their roster. My preference is Bosh since he is younger and less injury prone but I wouldn't mind having Stoudemire either.

4.) Finally, I would dump all of the other overpriced players. Maggette is definitely one who has to go. No way Claxton comes back. Maybe you keep either Bell or Radmanovic or perhaps both and I like Biedrins. The rest of the squad should stay since they would act as good role players and have fairly affordable contracts.

Here is how the new Warriors starting roster would look: PG Wall, SG, Curry, SF Bell, PF Bosh, C Biedrins. Off the bench you would have Randolph, Wright, Watson, Morrow, Azubuike, and perhaps a couple more players that would be added after getting rid of Maggette.

Considering that Bryant, Nowitzki, Duncan, Nash, and McGrady are all in their 30s, the door is pretty wide open for younger teams to control the Western conference. Sure, those guys will still be putting up all star type numbers for a few more years but they can't play forever. I believe if all of the items above do in fact happen, the Warriors would consistently make the playoffs and after a few years with some more improvements to the roster and becoming a more cohesive squad, the Warriors could contend for a title. Only one more problem to worry about: the Warriors’ front office. Are Chris Cohan and his cronies (Rowles and Riley) smart and savvy enough to make these kinds of moves? I highly doubt it but we all know one who is smart enough to make these moves and has the money to buy this team. Just keep praying the Oracle man comes in to save this team.

Below is a letter I recently wrote to the Warriors front office on the morning of Wednesday, December 10. I have yet to hear from back from them.

Dear Warriors Front Office:

 My friend and I are current Warriors season ticket holders and I'm writing to express our frustration this year. 

We first became season ticket holders for the 2007 - 2008 season and even though our seats were pricey we enjoyed watching a good brand of basketball, especially after the Warriors made the playoffs the previous season for the first time in 13 years. Even though the Warriors didn't make the postseason last year, we were still happy with the product on the court and the price we paid to see that product.

Unfortunately we feel like we are being ripped off big time this season. We were asked to renew the same seats for an extra thousand dollars but for a significantly worse product. Also, we were required to renew our seats for the 2008 - 2009 season before the previous season had ended. This is unusual since I am current 49ers season ticket holder (and a former Stanford football season ticket holder) and I always was asked to renew my seats no less than two months after the season was over. This way it gives fans an opportunity to reflect on the past season, see if they like the direction the team is heading, and analyze the offseason moves the team has made. In a way we feel like a bunch of suckers since shortly after last season was over Baron Davis left to LA and Monta Ellis injured his ankle.

To make matters worse, clearly we are in a recession and it is very difficult to sell our seats. Last year we had no problem making our money back for a mediocre opponent on a weeknight. Now we can't even sell our tickets for even 1/4 of the price we paid for them when the Warriors play a playoff calibre team on a weekend. Furthermore, almost everything about the experience of going to a Warriors game has got worse. Traffic from the peninsula is a nightmare if you are taking the San Mateo bridge and most concession items increased in price. I know you have no control of the traffic situation but when you consider all of the trouble your fans go through just to get to the game and how much extra they had to pay for tickets for a terrible product, at the very least you can lower the prices of some concession items. FYI, the San Jose Sharks charge $7.75 for 16 oz. of quality beer while you are charging $9.50 for 16 oz. of Bud Light.

At this point, my friend and I will not be renewing our tickets after this season unless we can get the same seats for no more than half the price we are paying right now. I know of several other season ticket holders who feel the same way. Considering how bad the economy is and the direction the team is heading, it's only fair that we are offered the same seats for next season at a significantly lower price. Hopefully you will get your act together and do what is right for your fans and for your business.

Sincerely,   Disgruntled Season Ticket Holder