11/8/07  Bulls vs. Pistons  a win.
Noah's line: 12 minutes, 5 rebs, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 pts

11/6/07  Bulls vs. Clips a loss.          
Noah's line:   19 minutes, 4 rebs, 3 blocks, 1 steal, 2 pts

11/6/07  Warriors vs. Cavs,  a loss.
Brandan Wright's line: 4 minutes, 1 rebound

It's still early in the season but Joakim Noah looks NBA ready as far as defense and rebounding. He can rebound and block shots. He missed a couple layups in the first game and fans thought "he wasn't exactly good"  afterwards.  Word in the Chicago Bulls blog is that Coach Skiles told Noah to shut up after his first game interview and that Noah has not really learned the plays.  Noah says there's no problem with Coach and he'll "shut up if Coach wants that."

Brandan Wright looks like a true athlete.  But the guy is skinnier than Joe Smith ever was. The Warriors don't really need BWs game now. They need more defense and rebounding and that's Noah's game.

I've talked with all  my Warrior friends and we are all in agreement.  We can't understand why Nellie and Mully didn't draft Noah instead of Wright?   We have argued about the KG trade going up in smoke and whether he was worth it (I thought so, friends didn't) but we figured if McHale wanted Wright, Biedrins,and Ellis than that's why the Warriors had to tell Rod Higgins/Jordan to draft Wright (for the rights to Warriors JRich).   I mean the Warriors didn't even work Wright out and he was injured anyways so maybe that's why the deal fell through or McHale just wanted to fool the Warriors and wanted to help his old teammate and Celtics team (though Nellie was also a Celtic).   But if the Warriors brass had just let go of the KG pipedream then they should have told Higgins to draft Noah who went right afterwards at No. 9.  They say Wright can score but heck he has the body of Joe Smith. I weigh almost as much as Wright and I'm only 6 feet so he must really be skinny and you don't hear Nellie praising him.  He sounds like a project while word is Noah might break into the starting lineup though they already have Ben Wallace.  

Noah's game, high intensity and  defense/rebounding and running the floor would have been a perfect fit for the Warriors. They don't need anymore shooters now that they have added Marcos B. and Croshere and Barnes/Pietrus returned along with the playoff starters minus JRIch.    It really bothers me that we didn't get Noah because I think with him and Biedrins we could've gone deeper in the playoffs and set us up for future championships.  

I hope this Wright guy pans out but there's nothing we can do since the Warriors did what they did.  But Mully and Nelly must really like Wright and he might turn out to be a beast like the Matrix or Stoudamire.  I just thought NOah was a better fit.

The Warriors MUST do something dramatic.  After Mully and then Nellie drastically turned the team around, expectations are through the roof!  Mully brought in BD, stole Jackson and Harrington, hired Nellie who coached his butt off!  The Warriors have to make a big move tomorrow or in the coming weeks!  They cannot stand pat!  That's simply not an option.  You have the West teams getting stronger!  Portland will have Oden AND Brandon Roy,  Seattle will have Ray Allen and Kevin Durant, you got the Jazz with Boozer, Deron W, and Andrei, you got the World Champs and Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, the Super Suns with Nash, Stoudamire, the Matrix (who might move).

I tell you this. I will be immensely disappointed if they play it safe and just stand pat for another big man project like Patrick O'Bryant or Diogu.  Sure a decent wing man might drop down in their grateful laps because of this exceptionally deep draft. But do the Ws need another wing man?  I don't think so unless he's a Latrell Sprewell retroman.  

Disappointed to hear those negative rumors about my favorite player, Monte Ellis. Hope it isn't like the negative things the Giants used to say about Joe Nathan before they dumped him (I know, wrong sport) losing a superstar reliever in the process.  But I say Monta's not untouchable.  Nor the Ws heart and soul, JRich, should be untouchable.   I say we keep BD, Jackson, Harrington, Biedrins, and hopefully Monta OR JRich (but not both) and dump that 18th pick as well for something worth the gamble.

If the right deal doesn't come around and the Warriors do nothing - that in my opinion would really take a little steam out of the greatest upset in NBA playoff history.  Let's say Baron gets hurt again (which is his achilles heal), the Ws will be in trouble  in a super talented wild wild west.

Go Nellie. Go Mully!  Pull off something BIG on draft day! Why? Nellie's and Baron's window of opportunity for a championship is 3 years max because of age and health, respectively.

who does all the various NBA Mock Drafts have the Warriors taking?

  If Mully doesn't trade the pick or move up higher in the draft, who does Nellie/Mully pick if the Ws stand pat?  Is this a deep draft?  Can Nellie provide input into helping Mully pull a star  this late in the first round?  I remember Nellie picking Sprewell in the 24th spot years ago. Mully picked up Monte in the 2nd round and Biedrins at 11.  The Ws could conceivably get lucky like when they picked Gilbert Arenas in the 2nd round.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/photo;_ylt=AhdKvtJIRQKU1LWvdgJx8Xt90bYF?slug=getty-74007451jc006_nbatour _11_38_38_pm&prov=getty

Nice to see Golden State's greatest Warrior Rick Barry at the NBA Nations tour in San Francisco on May 27th!  Wish I could get a signed Rick Barry Warrior bobble head.   A few years back Rick made the list as one of the 50 Greatest NBA players in history - a pretty exclusive club.

The Warriors need a tough banger/rebounder who can run the floor, right?  The Warriors could also use a sharpshooter from the three point line, right?   The Ws have no one who could handle the likes of the Boozers, the Stoudamires, the Duncans, Rasheed Wallaces of the NBA so the Ws get outrebounded and pushed around.  The Ws have a bunch of streaky shooters who could just as easily go 10 for 10 from the arc in one game and 0 for 10 in the next.  

The Answers to all their needs lie in the Florida champions. The consummate power forward Horford or the match-up nightmare of Brewer?  I wish, but unfortunately  Horford and Brewer are projected to go in the top 10.  I'm thinking of their teammate, the son of Yannick Noah, who can play defense, rebound, and who's athletic and can run the floor in Nellie ball. He would've gone in the top three a year ago but after a so-so year Noah might slip into the teens and it'll be up to Mully to move up and try and snatch him.  I've heard the doubters, how he won't be a force in the NBA but I disagree because this guy has fire in his soul and loves the game!  I can just seem him rebounding and running the lanes in a Ws uniform with his hair bouncing up and down. Trust me,  Noah will be a dynamic leader too!

And for the sharpshooter who is quick enough to get open for a jumper, I really like Lee Humphrey.  The guy was one of the best college three point shooters of all-time.   Sure he can't shoot free-throws, but I think that's just mental.  And he doesn't remind me of Bobby Hurley (who  never recovered from flying out of his car near the Arco Arena) who didn't make it in the NBA. This guy Humphrey looks tougher and all he needs is a split second to rifle the ball in from downtown.  The NBA line is farther out but I bet this guy has it all figured out.  Humphrey will last into the second round and may not even be taken but it would be worth the gamble for Mully who would be the only current Warrior who could compete with Humphrey in a 3pt shooting contest.

So there you are.  An athletic defensive force like Noah, and a sharpshooting tough Humphrey from the Florida National Champions!  

Do it Mully!   If he can somehow trade up to get Noah, how can Nellie turn that down?!!

It was the damn free throws!  

Both teams are evenly matched.  The Warriors HAD THE GAME WON!  Despite being out rebounded and despite Monta Ellis not letting Baron rest more. The Warriors had the game won if they just made their free throws.  Utah made their free throws. The Warriors didn't and that's why they lost.

Let's face it!  The Warriors have a lot of great scorers.  But they don't have pure shooters. And they are among the worst free throwing shooting TEAMS in the league. And this time it came back to bite them in the butt!  RUN TMC had great free throw shooters like Mully, Mitch Richmond, and Timmy; Even Roonie (Sarunas Marciulionis) made free throws.  

Pietrus just kissed away his contract extension along with those lame attempts at free throws.  That's really too bad because he plays defense and makes threes and is athletic. But he simply makes too many basketball errors like unnecessary fouls and reminds me of Pedro Feliz who makes too many baseball errors like failing to move the runner to third with less than two outs.  

Baron missed a critical free throw but he almost willed the Warriors to victory.  JRich missed two free throws and then missed another making 2 of 3.  Harrington missed a few free throws. Only Biedrins, lucked out and made his two.  Jackson had a off night but made some shots down the stretch and made  two free throws during OT.

It was the free throws!   If they made a few more this game would've been won.  If the Jazz had missed some near the end they would have lost.

I calmed down a bit after the game saying to myself it's great the Warriors are in the playoffs.  Come home win two with help from the home crowd and go on the road to steal one from the Jazz in Game 5 and then come home to win it in six.  But they lost tonight and coughed up the win.  This is the time! Now's the time to win. Forget about next year!  The Ws have a chance to win and advance!

kirk

or something to that effect.   Gary is right on.  Rick Barry is the greatest Golden State Warrior who ever lived.  He is a Hall of Famer and one of the NBA's 50th greatest NBA players.  And they don't even invite him to the playoff game or pay for his ticket?!  No Class.  The Ws can't go to the next level if Warriors management treat their very best like that.

Well, at least I saw Jamaal Wilkes (Rick's Rookie teammate from UCLA) at the Warrior game and he's a Hall of Fame member of the Warriors last and ONLY championship team... but Jamaal left the Ws to play with Magic Johnson and all those championships - though one of his kids still plays at Cal.

We haven't forgotten you, Rick! The way you used to score 50 points a game by driving the lane or shooting that sweet jumper. The way you used to pass like Pistol Pete, Larry Bird, and Magic.

Don't get me wrong! I love these current Warriors and they're awesome!  But it's kinda weird everyone is talking about the 1975 championship and Rick Barry's absence is rather conspicuous don'tcha think?

The Phoenix Suns can take down the mighty San Antonio Spurs.  Like everyone else is saying, the Warriors are the hottest team in the league now.  None of the remaining teams - other than the Spurs - should scare the Warriors.  I think the Ws can absolutely hang tough with anyone in the West and the East!  Hopefully, Baron can get some rest and get healthy along with Barnes and any other Warrior who's banged up.  If Baron is  90-95% I like our chances to go all the way like in 1975!  Baron will play the role of  Superstar Rick Barry! Jackson will play the role our other future Hall of Famer Keith Wilkes.

Involving, Utah and Houston, I think the Ws can handle both though the Jazz would be less tough than the Rocket's combo of Yao and McGrady.  I think the Ws can match Phoenix' firepower though Stoudamire and the Matrix are awesome and of course Nash.  In the East the Ws can bang with Chicago, Detroit, et all!  

I'm just wary of the Spurs.  Tim Duncan, Ginobili, Tony Parker... did I forget to mention Tim Duncan again?!  I'm very wary of those guys.  For some reason, the Spurs are to  the Warriors what the Ws were to the Dallas Mavs: their worst matchup nightmare. Why is that?  

Go Warriors!   The Ws can go all the way!   Can the Suns take care of the Spurs, though?  If not, bring the Spurs on too!

Maybe, the basketball gods are with us after 13 years of our playoff basketball drought! Kirk

I sure hope it doesn't come down to a Game 7 in Dallas.  Let's hope the Warriors take care of business in Game 5. If they lose Game 5, they better win  Game 6.  Like a lot of folks,  I just don't see them winning a Game 7 because there's too many factors:  playoff experience, playoff history, half-court offense, possible injuries, flaky refs, home-court advantage etc.  But heck, the Ws have broken most of the rules already and they have the Mavs on the ropes.  

Take care of business Tuesday night and bring on the Jazz or Rockets!

I love these Warriors!  They ended 12 years of playoff drought and misery.  12 years of bad trades, bad drafts, revolving door coaches, and general malaise and ineptitude all gone!  And I guess we should be thankful for the Ws just extending the season and simply enjoy their moment there.  

But c'mon! What's with the cocky and brash attitude?  I know Baron and S Jack are leaders and are very tough and talented players.  But getting ejected when you're the best players on the team... THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR THAT, MAN!

Kinda reminds me of a CWebb, Spree, and Billy O Redux of 1993: talented and cocky players who don't go far in the playoffs and who self-destruct.   Can't the Ws just play hard like in Game 1 and let the chips fall where they may?  Just play hard and stop jawing with the Refs.  You won't get respect unless you start winning championships.  The champion Warriors of '75 just played hard with Barry, Wilkes, Smith and company providing the excitement and the coolness during hard fought games.  Baron and Jackson have been kicked out before and this time it cost us something awful - a chance for a close 4th quarter and a chance to rattle the hometeam.

kirk

I know Barkley singlehandedly beat the Warriors the last time they were in the playoffs but why the lack of respect?  Sir Charles never has anything nice to say about our team.  He called the Warriors the worst team in the playoffs when in fact the Warriors are actually one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now and their 16-5 record down the stretch is evidence of that.   He also called the Warriors "midgets."  That was cold.  I guess he hasn't really seen how athletic, fast, and tough the Ws  are and he obviously is not a big Nellie fan either.  He has a point why the best team in the NBA changed their starting lineup but I think Avery did that because he knew what Nellie's small lineup will do to the Mavs.

Based on Tim Kawakami's blog, it's almost a mathematical certainty that the Warriors will not make the playoffs this year.  Although nothing is impossible, the Warriors are probably heading to their 13th straight lottery pick based on how many road games the Warriors have to win and how many home games they have to win when comparing to the records of the Clippers, Nuggets, and TWolves.  I read the blog and it's a pretty disheartening scenario where the Warriors have to hold the line and win some road games (doubtful) while being forced to win an outrageous number of home games (doubtful) - and without knowing what kind of JRich they'll get back it doesn't look good.

So who should the Warriors draft?  Do they have a shot at Noah?  Should they go for best shooter (we need some sharpshooters) or best basketball athlete available?  Or do the Ws go for size hoping that translates into rebounding and defense to help out Biedrins?

Since Monta Ellis' stock is rapidly rising, would anyone pull the trigger in a package deal involving other Warriors (like Foyle, Richardson,  Jackson or Pietrus)  to land Kevin Garnett, Paul Gasol or someone like Chris Bosh?   Most of my GSW friends say absolutely not. Only one or two said "Well, maybe for Garnett."  I think Nellie would make that deal for either Garnett or Gasol.  The Ws are looking for another star player or at least another "post player to compliment Biedrins" according to Matt Steinmetz.  

I hope they can find a way to keep Monta but I'm sure every potential trading partner will ask for Ellis. The reason I like Monta now is because of his star potential and ability to score as a result of his speed;  he's easing the pain of losing Gilbert Arenas.   Nellie is right though, that Monta's future is as point guard since he can't guard  all the NBA big two guards out there.   And  Monta still turns the ball over WAY too much for a point guard.  Any thoughts?

What happened to Kirilenko's game?  Down to 9 ppg and no longer a shutdown defender or shot-blocking artist.  Is Andrei hurt or having emotional or family issues?  Or is he just having a bad year playing?  Now that he's available do you think Nellie can use this guy?  Janny Hu says he's "the best fourth option behind Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Mehmet Okur,"   and that he can be had for a big defensive guard. Big defensive guards we suddenly have an abundance of like Pietrus or Jackson (if he doesn't work out here) or an offensive talent like JRich and somehow throw in Foyle's contract for Kirilenko?  Is Kirilenko another bloated contract the Warriors do not want to take on or can he have a career resurgence under Nellie?

Also, separately in another move, Foyle must be dealt!  Since the Ws were willing to buy out Adonal's contract but he refused (wants to be paid and keep his front row seats to the best show in town!), they should trade him to a team who needs a defensive back-up center with a great attitude - while paying as much of the contract to satisfy the receiving team.  

Damon Bruce says this is a critical part of the season and if the Warriors cannot pull things together soon, knowing their history, expect the very worst  - so that it  may be too late before JRich comes back.  Bruce says the Warriors right now have only four legitimate NBA pedigree players:  Baron Davis, Biedrins, Ellis, and maybe Pietrus (  JRich being out).  He calls Dunleavy and Murphy : "DunMurphy"  and says they are NOT NBA players and they should've been traded a long time ago because NOONE would pay their salaries for what they bring to the table. Maybe if they were ONE person it would be a different story. He referred to Nellie saying "Dunleavy is what he is"  a major disappointment and how Murph is in the doghouse because of his injuries and lack of speed.  

Bruce reiterated  the Warriors not being able to trade for the talented but mercurial Artest or the future Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. If the Ws could not trade for talent before, they definitely cannot unload DunMurphy now.  He said if the Warriors ever traded for KG, the team would be so talent-depleted that KG would probably be worse off here than in Minnesota.  Bruce would probably agree with Atma Bro 1 in that it's not Nellies fault with Mullin Higgins assembling a mismatched and talent-less team who are basically hot and cold streak shooters.  With only four legit NBA players, if injuries occur (a Warrior tradition) they would have a lot less talent to survive and compete than other NBA teams.

Bruce said Pietrus can also be a player and he's improving a lot under Nellie before he got hurt again.  Nellie should play Ike Diogu because he's not afraid to bang and can help the team more than the fruitless minutes DunMurphy and the inconsistent Foyle bring.

Win streak? Not these Warriors. There's no consistency. One night one guy is hot. The next night is brick city. That's what you have when there's no sharpshooter on the team and a bunch of athletic streaky shooters. And they have no superstars unless you consider BD the closest thing. The Warriors whiffed on Artest last year and and now Iverson this year and I'm afraid Mully will come to regret it. As everyone knows, the NBA is a superstar-driven league and if you don't have at least two, you don't win championships. Look at all the past championships. There's always at least two! Shaq and Wade, Duncan Ginobilli and Parker, Shaq and Kobe, Duncan and Robinson, Jordan Pippen and Rodman, Olajuwon and Drexler, Isaiah Dumars and Rodman, Bird Parish and McHale, Magic Kareem and Worthy, Kareem and Robertson, Wilt and West, Russell and Havlicek, Russell and Cousy, Havlicek and Cowens etc. Even the Warriors had future HOFs Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes on their championship team. And how can they have a win streak if Monta and Murph are out with injuries? The bench is depleted and although they might squeak a game out at home, wait til they go out on the road and folks get in foul trouble or injured again. BD is playing like superman now but I hope he doesn't break down which is his history. I have a bad feeling with Baron playing so many minutes. Iverson plays hurt all the time. That's his calling card. The Ws don't scare anyone in defense either without Artest (though I like Biedrins and this year's Pietrus D). The Warriors have too many nice guys and no hard-nosed players. Don't want to sound negative about all this but that's the way the Warriors are built and this year has been.

Warriors are actively trying to deal Dunleavy. If Dunleavy is traded, he'll be playing for his dad in LA now that his dad received an extension to coach down there in LA LA land. The Clippers have to clear some cap room first. Looks like the Ws need to clear cap space if they want to keep Biedrins or Pietrus. And the reports are Murphy is also being shopped around the league. Word is out that Artest is not that happy in Sacto and they may decide to move him before he implodes which can be at anytime anyplace. Artest likes Mully. Can something be worked out? I know Musselman doesn't like any of the current Warriors that he coached, so forget Murph or JRich.

That's the problem with these Warriors. They're a bunch of streaky scorers. Some nights that's good enough. On other nights fuhhgetabout it! They need good shooters like Iverson! Look at what Philly got in return for the Answer! Miller, Smith?! Give me a break. I think the W's number ones for the next two years would be lottery picks instead of the probable playoff bound Nuggets number ones. I don't want to hear excuses about being tired against the Shaq-less Heat. Iverson is a tough dude who can score every night! That's two years in a row they didn't get the superstar from a firesale. They could've had Ron Artest last year and now Iverson this year. Ike has been injury prone and Mully didn't want to part with him last year. Now Monte is injured and before this year he has a history of serious injuries but they kept him (though he and Biedrins are my favorites). I always thought the goal is to get in the playoffs this year and put off the future no matter how rosy it may be - the future is now folks! Mully and HIggins forgot about that and if they don't make the playoffs this year, I wouldn't be surprised if Nellie takes over. Well at least Mully got Baron Davis a couple years ago and Nellie back last year. But if the Ws had BOTH Artest and Iverson ... that's a definite playoff team.

Most underpaid NBA players.  I wish I made half of what these underpaid players make!  But alas... I can't fly through the air and defend Quicksilver either.

1)Lebron James... only $5,828,090?! 'Nuff said.
2)Monta Ellis... $664,209 leading the pack of draft day steals making only six figures including Ryan Gomes, Anderson Varejao, and Paul Millsap. Monta's a legit Most Improved Player candidate.
3)Deshawn Stevenson... $932,015
4)Luke Walton ...$1,375,000
5)Bruce Bowen ...$3,750,000
6)Andres Nocioni ...$3,950,000
7)Chauncey Billups ...$6,364,000
8)Ron Artest... $7,526,316 - He's only the third highest player on his team and still one of the NBA's top all-around talents.
9)Steve Nash ...$10,500,000 -  Nash is only the NBA's 44th highest-paid player.
10) Yao Ming ...$12,455,000 - Ming makes a lot but 32 NBA players make more than the league's premier center.

Peace & goodwill to all!
Kirk

Adonal Foyle made the List of Most Overpaid NBA Players for the 2006-07 season. Awesome!  Check out SI!

1. Marbury and Francis combined Knicks salary of $32,354,375
   
2. CWebb  $20,718,759
   
3. Michael Finley $19,030,999
   
4. Grant Hill  $16,901,500
   
5. Eddie Jones $15,697,560
   
6. Larry Hughes $13,363,012
   
7. K Martin $12,068,182
   
8. Theo Ratcliff $11,666,666
   
9. Raef Lafrenz $11,532,037
   
10. Adonal Foyle $8,125,000

So much cash to burn!  The money NBA owners toss away is kind a like gambling at my favorite Indian casino and I just love those places like I do my main man Adonal!  Some comments like CWebb being a 4th Qtr benchwarmer whose salary skyrockets next year to $22M, Grant Hill a good 30 minute player, Martin just had microfracture surgery, Lafrenz' best 11 point player money can buy, Foyle the king of steady nonactivity...

Why are you so gentle on Mike Dunleavy of the Golden State Warriors? He's a former No. 3 overall pick that has proved to be not much more than a "white hope," yet most of your comments put the onus on Baron Davis. Why the kid-glove treatment of Dunleavy? I enjoy your column, but you're as easy on him as the local press tends to be. They really pander to the readers from the suburbs. We in the inner city clearly see the double standard. You shouldn't play to it.

Steven Millner
San Jose, Calif.

Steven, the reason I don't mention Dunleavy in the "Why aren't the Warriors making progress?" discussion is that I don't think he's capable of making a big difference. The difference maker on the team is Davis because when he's right and in shape he's an incredible player. Dunleavy is what he is: a decent NBA three man who is way overpaid. But if he has a really good year, I don't think it will matter that much to Golden State. They're still not going to be very good. Davis, on the other hand, can take the Warriors to the next level because he's amazingly gifted and can control a game. The onus in the NBA is always on the stars, regardless of race, color or creed. If Steve Nash has a bad year, the Suns won't be that great. If Kobe is injured, the Lakers won't be any good. So why would I waste my time ripping Raja Bell or Chris Mihm? Stars are stars; role players are role players. It's not my fault the Warriors made a huge mistake giving 45 million bucks to Dunleavy.

I went to see the Oakland A's playing the Mariners today because I'm a big Ichiro Suzuki fan; I like the A's but have always been a Giants fan. (I sometimes wish Eric Chavez and Ichiro were roaming AT&T ballbark as a Giant.)

Anyways, I was waiting in line for a Super Dog (which turned out quite good) and lo and behold I heard a familiar voice talking loud and clear to his little boy who was wearing a Sacramento Kings Ron Artest basketball jersey.  I looked over to my right and there was Eric Musselman with his kid.

I went over and congratulated Eric on the new Kings' job and told him that I always loved the way he coached the Warriors; I said it was real bad the way things went down. The man gave me a friendly handshake and then he said "I'm gonna haunt the Warriors!" with a confident grin on his face.

How I wish he was still the Warriors coach.

Kirk

The Mercury had a good article on him yesterday.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14813170.htm

Ian Thomsen of SI.com reports that your Golden State Warriors are up for sale if the price is right.

"One way or another the Warriors must address the future of coach Mike Montgomery -- whether to commit to him or replace him. This is an unbalanced team that relies too much on Baron Davis, especially for interior offense, so expect one or more trades to provide the Warriors with more scoring in the paint. Despite the denials of management, I continue to hear that this team is available to be purchased if the price is right."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=cnnsi-theforgottenone&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns

I bet the price is a lot because Cohan overpaid many years ago and he might want to make up for that despite the team value's appreciation. Maybe Cohan never got over that All-Star embarrassment at half-court or the playoff drought or continuously being ridiculed or maybe the $250 million guaranteed bucks he owes his underperforming players.  Eddie D... You want to come back with a bang in the Bay Area sports scene now that you're a billionaire?!

Peace, Kirk

Cal's Leon Powe is a beast. Just dropped 41 last night against a tough Oregon team that just beat NCAA bound Washington. Leon's fearless and super strong, can shoot in a crowd, and is a ferocious rebounder. Powe and Diogu used to have battles in the paint when Ike played for Arizona State.  And Leon makes his free throws. Leon and Ike and Biedrins can form a formidable front line. Might be a late first rounder, or might move up with his play in the Pac 10 Tournament and in March Madness if Cal goes to the NCAA tournament as expected.

Back by popular demand and thanks to all the Warrior fans who helped with their comments, here is the unabridged version of The List:

What was the worst Warrior move in NBA history? That's the tough question because there were so many. How about...

Trading Wilt Chamberlain on January 15, 1965, for Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, Lee Shaffer, and cash. The Warriors trading one of the greatest most dominant centers in the history of the NBA - Wilt Chamberlain for chump change?! Not only does Wilt beat his Warrior ex-teammates in the 1967 NBA Championship but he later joins the Lakers and teams up with Jerry West and Gail Goodrich in the backcourt, and Jim McMillian and Happy Hairston up front to assemble possibly the greatest NBA team in history during the 1971-72 season. Wilt (the Stilt who once boasted he slept with 25,000 women during his lifetime) Chamberlain led them to an NBA-record 33-game winning streak on their way to a 69-13 record and an NBA Championship.

In 1971-72, Owner Franklin Mieuli moves the San Francisco Warriors out of San Francisco to the Oakland Coliseum and names his team Golden State.  To this day, no Warriors owner wants to lose fans from San Francisco and the SF Peninsula by renaming the team the Oakland Warriors;  Golden State is a nice name, though.

The Warriors allowed former Rookie of the Year, Rick Barry, and his 35.6 PPG to jump to the ABA's Oakland Oaks in 1967 to play for his father in law. The year before, the Ws led by Rick and Nate Thurmond barely lost to the Chamberlain- led 76ers for the 1967 NBA championship. Only a court decision would force Barry to return to the Warriors four years later to set up their brilliant 1974-1975 championship that followed - the epitome of this tragic franchise.  Oh, what might have been had the genius-player extraordinaire Rick Barry stayed a Warrior all along.  

The strange dismantling of a championship team. In the next few years, the Ws get rid of starting point guard Butch Beard, guard CJ (Charles Johnson), future Hall of Famer Jamaal (Keith) Wilkes.   CJ would later win a championship with the Washington Bullets in 1978. Wilkes wins three more championships with Magic and Kareem.

Letting guard Gus Williams leave in 1978 to the Supersonics.  Gus was THE Sonic star who teamed up with some good players like Jack Sikma, Dennis Johnson,  Paul Silas, Freddie Brown to win Seattle a championship in 1979.

Warriors swapped Robert Parish and their 1980 first-round draft pick to Boston for the first and 13th picks in the 1980 NBA Draft. Golden State used the No. 1 pick to select Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll. The Celtics then use the Warriors' pick to draft Kevin McHale. The 7-foot center Joe Barry Carroll would ring up six seasons of at least 17.0 points per game (including 24.1 ppg in 1982-83), but Parish would go on to win three championships with the Celtics, teaming with Larry Bird and McHale on one of the best front lines in NBA history.  Warriors Coach George Karl destroyed Carroll's locker after he felt Joe Barry dogged a playoff game against the overpowering Lakers - and I think it was the same series where Sleepy Floyd went off scoring 39 pts in one half to beat the Lakers for their only win of that series.

The Warriors let budding star Bernard King leave to the Knicks in the 1982-1983 season.

1983 drafting of #7 Russell Cross over #15 Clyde "the Glide" Drexler  

1986 Drafting Chris Washburn at #3 in the infamous Len Bias draft. Mark Price went at #25, Dennis Rodman at #27 and Drazen Petrovic went at #60. When Warriors staff picked Washburn, who had size and talent, up at the airport the story goes he was quietly reading a comic book in the car and wouldn't talk. He was later banned from the NBA for repeatedly failing drug tests.

Dealing Mitch Richmond to Sacramento in 1991 for rookie forward Billy Owens and a 1995 second-round pick thus breaking up RUN TMC (with Timmy Hardaway and Chris Mullin). Owens would be traded many times over the years. Don Nelson (Nellie) said this was his dumbest move ever. RUN TMC had led the league in scoring (116.3 ppg) and compiled a franchise-record .809 free-throw percentage while setting an NBA record for the fewest offensive rebounds per game in a season (11.2).

Nellie trades the 1993 #3 Draft Pick, Penny Hardaway, and three No 1s for eventual Franchise destroyer CWebb (Chris Webber) that has haunted the Ws ever since.

The Curse of Cohan?

Chris Cohan forces the sale and purchase of the Warriors in 1994 the year after - and the last time - the Warriors make the playoffs. Cohan sides with Nellie (over the disgruntled star) so CWebb takes his early-out clause in his contract; and then Cohan gets rid of Nellie who wanted the W's to lose to obtain the number- one pick. In a matter of hours the Warriors lose their best star player and their innovative future Hall of Famer Coach.

Warriors get Tom "Googs" Gugliotta for CWebb. Spree freezes Googs out (because his main man CWebb is gone) and Googs goes up in flames. Warriors trade Googs for Donyell Marshall. The rest is history. The Curse of the Warriors exists to this day of continuous playoff drought years.  

Cohan hires Dave Twardzik as GM. OMG.

Cohan replaces Greg Papa with Bob Fitzgerald (a good radio man but inferior tv broadcaster) on tv broadcasts of Warrior games because of Papa's Raider affiliation. This was almost as bad as KNBR axing Larry Krueger in terms of losing quality - in this case a super play by play man.

Twardzik's 1995 drafting at #1 of Joe Smith over #5 Kevin Garnett, #4 Rasheed Wallace and #3 Jerry Stackhouse. Whew!

Twardzik's 1996 Drafting of Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant.  Twardzik in an interview said he wasn't impressed with Kobe's game after watching the same high school all-star game that Jerry West attended; did Dave forget to wear his glasses?

Cohan reportedly prevents a trade of Joe Smith for Jason Kidd when Nellie was cleaning house in Dallas.  Spree becomes Joe Smith's mentor.

Cohan hires Coach PJ Carlesimo in 1997 because he wants more team discipline.  PJ then tells Spree (Latrell Sprewell) to put a little more mustard in his passes and Spree proceeds to choke Carlesimo leaving his large finger imprints on (the SI photo of)  PJ's neck.

The 1997 Drafting of Adonal Foyle over Tracy McGrady.  Oops!

The trading of our first to Atlanta for Mookie Blaylock instead of drafting sharpshooter Jason Terry in 1999;  Captain Mookie never met a golf course he didn't like and he didn't like Warrior practices.

Letting future All-Star Gilbert Arenas leave in 2003 without making a deal - even a backroom deal; "Cohan wouldn't look me in the eye," said a still-irate Gilbert  ($60 million dollar richer) Arenas calling into KNBR radio show explaining how his teammates told him not to trust the owner.  The NBA creates the "Gilbert Arenas rule" so that other NBA teams can go over the cap to sign their own second round draft picks; big deal.

GM St. Jean's 2002 Drafting of Mike Dunleavy No. 3 while Amare Stoudamire goes at No. 9 to Phoenix not knowing the Dun dude had an adverse allergic reaction to an open shot.

Salary-cap hell:  recap of the Chris Mullin GM Spending Spree (not for free) era in Golden State.

Mully gave
1)a $58 million extension to Troy Murphy;
2)a $70 million extension to Jason Richardson;
3)a $45 million extension to Mike Dunleavy Jr.;
Mully signed
4)Derek Fisher for $36 million;
5) Mully re-signed Adonal Foyle for $41.6 million (At least the others have ball skills); And finally Mully
6)traded an expiring contract for the remaining 4 years at $62 million of Baron Davis.
(If you're still totalling, that's $313 million. A third of a billion dollars. Yikes!)

Mully's 2005 Drafting of  Ike Diogu over Danny Granger but this is still up in the air.

Which one of these was the worst ever Warrior move?   Tough call.  But it's all part of being a long suffering Warrior fan that we wear to this day as a badge of honor.

Steve Kerr recently rated the W's 18th in his NBA power rankings:   Golden State Warriors (23-27, Last ranking: 18) This is Kerr's observation:

"Baron Davis goes down and the Warriors win in Cleveland. Coincidence? They seem to share the ball more without him."

Yeah, I agree to an extent with Steve K.  The Warriors definitely share the ball more because without Baron there are no real stars so the ball tends to move to the open man and no one person hogs the ball.  

When Baron has the ball, he earns his assists mostly dishing to JRich (for 1/3 of the shots), and then (1/3) to someone who's open or when Baron sets someone up for an open shot; but then Baron takes 1/3 of the remainder of the shots - sometimes good drives to the hole and other times outside bricks.  So when his outside shots or free throws are bad, we're in trouble.  

It's a catch 22 because without Baron we'd be the same team we were last year, a mediocre team with some improvement among the players.

Kirk

The Warriors $5,287,500 Trade Exception - expires Feb 14th acquired for Cliff Robinson. It's the biggest trade exception in the whole NBA!

Anyone hear any trade rumors! That'll be real lame if Mully says something like "The best move sometimes is no move" or "There aren't any deals for big men but everyone knows that." Is there a chance the Ws would just decide to lose this exception?!

I read names like Paul Pierce, Magliore etc on other Warrior websites. Like you guys, I would like to get a banger and a sharpshooter.  Sharpshooters I like are Brent Barry, Earl Boykins or Earl Watson.

Bangers... geez, anyone of the usual suspects. Fantasy Junkie had some great choices like Chandler, Kaman, Boozer, Randolph and Magliore.

What was the worst Warrior move in NBA history? That's the tough question because there were so many. How about...

Trading Wilt Chamberlain on January 15, 1965, for Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, Lee Shaffer, and cash.

Allowing former Rookie of the Year Rick Barry and his 35.6 PPG to jump to the ABA's Oakland Oaks in 1967 to play for his father in law.

Warriors swapped Robert Parish and their 1980 first-round draft pick to Boston for the first and 13th picks in the 1980 NBA Draft. Golden State used the No. 1 pick to select Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll. The 7-foot center would ring up six seasons of at least 17.0 points per game (including 24.1 ppg in 1982-83), but Parish would go on to win three championships with the Celtics, teaming with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale on one of the best front lines in NBA history.

1986 Drafting Chris Washburn at #3 in the infamous Len Bias draft. Mark Price went at #25, Dennis Rodman at #27 and Drazen Petrovic went at #60. When Warriors staff picked Washburn, who had size and talent, up at the airport the story goes he was quietly reading a comic book in the car and wouldn't talk. He was later banned from the NBA for repeatedly failing drug tests.

Dealing Mitch Richmond to Sacramento in 1991 for rookie forward Billy Owens and a 1995 second-round pick thus breaking up RUN TMC. Owens would be traded many times over the years.

Trading the 1993 #3 Draft Pick, Penny Hardaway, and three No 1s for eventual Franchise destroyer CWebb that has haunted the Ws ever since.

Cohan purchasing the team in 1994 the year after - and the last time - the Warriors make the playoffs. Cohan sides with Nellie so CWebb takes his early out clause in his contract; and then Cohan gets rid of Nellie who wanted the W's lose to obtain the number one pick. The Curse of the Ws exists to this day of continuous playoff drought years.

The 1996 Drafting of Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant

Hiring Coach PJ Carlesimo in 1997 who tells Spree to put a little more mustard in his passes and Spree proceeds to choke Carlesimo leaving his imprints on the SI photo of PJs neck

The 1997 Drafting of Adonal Foyle over Tracy McGrady

The 1999 Drafting of Greg Foster over Andrei Kirilenko

2002 Drafting of Mike Dunleavy No. 3 while Amare Stoudamire goes at No. 9 to Phoenix

2005 Drafting Ike Diogu over Danny Granger but this is still up in the air.

Which one of these was the worst ever?

Hope I'm wrong, and you former GSW Blogger's are wrong, when you coined Ike Diogu as a "poor man's Corliss." But did anyone see former Cal center Sean Marks of the Spurs stuff Diogu point blank in the paint one on one?  Not Tim Duncan, but Sean Marks!  I was shocked and more than a little dismayed.  How did he go off against the Pistons a while back? Is this the same guy and does he have lead in his shoes?! Makes me wonder how Barkley became such a wonderful scorer and rebounder not being that tall.

Hope he comes back strong like Biedrins or Ellis. He did, however, soar high for a rebound in a crowd.