According to a source with knowledge of extension negotiations between Baron Davis and Warriors management, the Warriors are playing hardball with their star point guard. President Rowell and VP Mullin came at Baron with an “insulting” offer - so much so that B. Diddy is questioning whether the Warriors view him as their franchise player.
Tough negotiating is hardly a bad ploy, especially considering the Warriors’ history of fiscal irresponsibility. But there is a time and place for it, and this may not be the time. It was last offseason, when Don Nelson and Mickael Pietreus were looking for too much icing on their cake. But now might be a bad time for Warriors management to throw around its weight.
Why? Because Baron, the team’s best player, had already issued the first peace offering. Instead of threatening to opt out, instead of seeing which desiring team he could use to sweeten his deal, Baron bowed down. He said he wanted to stay a Warrior and he wasn’t going to demand a ridiculous amount of money. He conceded his leverage. Even if he recognized he had very little, it was a relatively commendable gesture because he made himself vulnerable by voluntarily setting aside his options.
The proper response to that is not to stick it to him, or make him think you are sticking it to him. Sure, get the best deal for the team, but don’t make him regret throwing himself at the mercy of the execs.
Why not, you say?
• The Warriors need Baron. Losing him means starting over, it means getting back in the skimpy market for a proven frontline NBA star, a franchise player. Even if you are of the belief that Monta is Baron’s replacement (which I am not, especially not yet), then the Warriors will be needing a No. 2 or No. 3 star, which is also hard to coup. Plus, he’s the reason guys like Al and Jax, and anyother player with the Warriors
on their short list is Baron.
• The Warriors will be sending a bad message to players, future and current. In less than a year, three players have voiced their disapproval with how they were treated by management (Jason Richardson, Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes). That’s not a good way to land a top motivated talent, which the Warriors will need to do. Players won’t want to come if the Warriors are not shelling out big money and have a rep - justified or not - for lowballing.

You know those ads that the NBA is running with the split faces? One half is one player and the other half is another player, but they are playing the same thing?
I just got word that Baron has one. Yes, the NBA is only using players in the postseason, and Baron isn’t in it. Guess who he’s pared with? Adam Sandler.
It’s a promo for Adam Sandler’s new film “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.”
It’s pretty funny.

http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/promos/nbat_9593.asx

It’s been widely understood, and more than intimated by head coach Don Nelson, that Keith Smart will be the Warriors next head coach. But Nelson’s possible departure and the recent shake-up in the coaching ranks has brought up an interesting question.
Should the Warriors stick to their plans of annointing Smart as the successor? Or should they go out and get one of the names that are available?
Honestly, it’s a tough call. The names are enticing. Avery Johnson, who was introduced as coach of the year just two years ago. Mike D’Antonio, who is reportedly but unofficially out in Phoenix, has mastered the system similar to the one the Warriors play. Sam Mitchell, who may get fired in Toronto, was last season’s coach of the year and one of the young talents in the league. Flip Saunders may be on his way out, too.
These are all winning coaches. Avery and D’Antoni (if he becomes available) Playoff coaches. Avery has been to the Finals. D’Antoni has been to the West Finals. They couldn’t get their team to a championship, which is why they are (likely) out, but they have gotten their team to the playoffs regularly, which is the next step for the Warriors.
If you are Chris Mullin, do you go out and get a proven coach who can take this team to the next level? Or do you stick with the groomed assistant who knows the system, the organization and COULD be one of the next young coaching talents?
As tempting as it is to go nab one of those vets, it may be more beneficial to go with the guy who is familiar to the franchise. A new guy would have to a spend a year or two getting accustomed to the team, to the franchise, to the media, to the fans. There’s a whole feeling out period that needs to go on, which could cost the Warriors a season of progress. True, it may be a necessary price to get to the ultimate goal, but that may not be the best thing coming off missing the postseason. True, it may take Smart as much or more time to get used to being the head man. But he may just be able to smoothly step in, as did Avery.
Another reason I’d say go with Smart is the cost. Smart is cheaper than Avery or D’Antoni (should he become available), and could turn out to be just as good. Remember, Avery and D’Antoni were young, unknown commodities when they first took over. They stepped into to great situations and thrived. If Smart can do the same, and it’s set up for him to do so, they Warriors will get the same results for much cheaper. That money is better served going towards the luxury tax they’ll have to pay to bring in some help.
As tempting as it is to get the proven commodity, I’d say stick to the plan. Stick with Smart.

It’s hard to not look at the stats of the Warriors guards and come away impressed. But there were some areas where the guards fell short - and it hurt because of their importance to this team. I’m a little harder on them (especially Baron Davis) because their value to the team and their overall talent is greater than anyone else’s on the team.

Baron Davis — He averaged 21.8 points in 39 minutes, his highest marks in those categories since 2003-04, whe averaged 22.9 points in 40.1 minutes. He also set a career high in rebounds. But where Baron falls short — and this is only a shortcoming because he is expected to be elite — was being a point guard. Baron proved two things this season: 1) he is still a top-notched scorer and 2) he can stay healthy (though that is relative). Unfortunately for the Warriors, they only need No. 2. Golden State doesn’t need Baron to be a dominant scorer, but a playmaker. They are better when he’s not the leading scorer. His assists (7.6) dropped under 8.3 for the first time since he joined the Warriors. His field goal percentage also dropped (42.6) fairly significantly off last season’s career-best 43.9 percent. They needed him to make stuff happen for everyone else, not get his. Last year, he played like Chris Paul. This year, he was Gilbert Arenas. They are much tougher to defend when he’s racking up 15 assists than when he’s scoring 40. Plus, he was bad down the stretch.
Grade: C+

Monta Ellis — He really took his game to another level this year. His became a reliable offensive weapon, partially filling the void left by Jason Richardson. There’s no question this dude has the potential to be the next. But looking at just this season, he was atrocious on defense, and that hurt the Warriors in the long run. If Baron is going to play 40 minutes, Monta has to guard the Allen Iversons, the Chris Pauls, the Tony Parkers, etc. He couldn’t this season. His best defense was getting 30 himself. Plus, Monta has the tendency to force offense and take quick shots at the wrong time. He was excellent on the boards, though, and he’s already a much better ball-handler than he used to be.
Grade: B

Marco Belinelli — I give him a lot of credit for keeping a great attitude while not playing and while sitting in the disgruntled section of the locker room (with MP2, Matt Barns and Al Harrington). He thought he should’ve played more, but he always kept a smile on his face and kept working hard. And when he got in, he stroked it some. Grade: B

C.J. Watson — He was much better than I expected, and he fit because he can score. Could’ve been more aggressive, but I understand why not. He produced when he got the minutes, and that’s all you can ask from a guy who started on a 10-day contract.
Grade: A-

The Warriors have a wealth of small forward/shooting guards. Last year, this position was one of the team’s great strengths. It was where the Warriors versatility lied. It was the position their best defenders played. This year, they weren’t so good. The Warriors, with the way they play, need swingmen who produce consistently. One of the reasons for the lineup shuffling was the inconsistent production of the swingmen.

Stephen Jackson: He had a career year. He averaged 20 points for the first time in his career. He averaged four assists for just the second time in his career (both coming with the Warriors). He shot his best percentage from 3-point range ever. He averaged 39 minutes, five more than last season. His previous career high was 36.8. So Jackson certainly had a big year. He wasn’t as good defensively this season as he was last season. He wasn’t the stopper he proved to be a year ago, and he didn’t make it to the defensive end way too many times. That is mostly due to the amount of minutes he played.
Grade: A

Mickael Pietrus: He was the distraction this year - not Baron’s health, not Jackson’s temper, not Monta or Biedrins’ contract. But Pietrus’ contract issues and trade demands, then late-season injury woes, was the biggest locker room issue. That’s a sign of a good locker room.
His play picked up late in the season, negating a horrible first half of the season. He evidently relaxed when the trade deadline passed. What he gained with stellar bench play, he lost with an elongated groin injury.
Grade: D

Matt Barnes: He just didn’t bring it this year. He has reasons. His mother dying. The disappointment of not getting the deal he wanted plus the pressure of trying to do even more to get a bigger contract. Nellie riding him. Barnes certainly had distractions this season and they obviously took away from his play. Not only did he shoot drop three points off his scoring average from last season, and dropped from 36.6 percent from 3 a year ago to 29.3. But he didn’t have the zeal on defense, the all-out hustle, the blue-collar, do it all resolve he showed last season, especially during the playoffs.
Grade: D

Kelenna Azubuike: He improved this season. He played more, raised his scoring and rebounding averages. Came up with some big plays. Solidified himself as an NBA regular. He did have some growing pains. He stepped out of his role too much, especially down the stretch, and he wasn’t as consistent from behind the arc. His defense was poor sometimes, but that could be expected from a second-year player. He’s cheap, so his production looks a whole lot better and his mistakes are a way easier to swallow.
Grade: B-

The few the Warriors do have, at least the ones who played did well. I know that sounds odd, considering the Warriors routinely get beat on the boards and pounded inside and give up easy layups. But the big men the Warriors did what they do well. To me, it is unfair to ask Biedrins to be an enforcer. It’s not fair to ask Al Harrington to protect the basket. It’s not fair to ask Patrick O’Bryant to run the floor. These players have never done that. I wouldn’t blame them for not providing the inside presence the Warriors’ need, but management.

Andris Biedrins: He was great this year. Led the league in field goal percentage, nearly averaged a double-double. This is despite being down low by himself in most situations. That has to be a tough job rebounding 1 against 4.
Grade - A

Al Harrington: He had the difficult task of being a spot-up shooter, something he’s never done before. I was encouraged by the fact he took it upon himself to diversify his game — shaking a fist of rebellion in the face of Nellie. He should have rebounded better, though. His average dropped (from 6.4) to 5.4 per game. Though he would have a hard time rebounding from the perimeter, that shouldn’t impact his defensive rebounding. Plus, he shot his worst field goal percentahe (43.4) since 2002-03. It was a tough year for Al. His ppg and minutes dropped, too. Some of that had to do with Nellie.
Grade: C-

Austin Croshere: He was big in spots this year when he did play. He often was key energy off the bench. But his shot was suspect (sorry, I expected him to be a shooter). His back is jacked up, so what he gave despite his injury was considerable.
Grade: B-

Brandan Wright: He was surprisingly further along than I thought. He was labeled a project so much during the draft that I was thinking he wouldn’t be able to contribute. He turned out to be better than expected. He knows how to use his length and athleticism. He brings energy on both ends and does what he can do, which is about what you should expect from a rookie. Grade: B

Chris Webber: Poor guy. He was set up to fail. He should’ve known better.
Grade: Inc.

Kosta Perovic: Now, he is as raw as expected. He is big and long, which definitely fits the Warriors need. He looks pretty skilled, but he is slow.
Grade: Inc.

Patrick O’Bryant: I don’t think he is as bad as he looks. He’s just really a bad fit for here. This is a fast team that wears it’s emotions on his sleeve. He’s too slow and he doesn’t LOOK like he’s trying hard enough. He has some offensive skills and he can protect the rim - if his confidence is up. It hasn’t been since he’s been in Golden State. Grade: D

Last season, I considered Nellie a legitimate Coach of the Year candidate. This season - though the team added 6 wins to it’s record from last year - I don’t think he did as good a job. As a matter of fact, I think he had as much of a hand in the Warriors missing the playoffs as anyone. That said, he did a solid job. I don’t know how many coaches could squeeze 48 wins out of this roster. I thought they’d get 42 or 43 wins and miss the playoffs. I wasn’t sold on the hype, so Nellie gets credit for making the Warriors practically a 15-win team.

The assistant coaches, from what I could tell, had a big hand in keeping that locker room from falling apart. They did the ego massaging and explaining that Nellie wouldn’t.

Highlights:
• 48-34 record
• Nurtured Ellis into a productive force despite his obvious flaws. Though Nellie believes Monta’s brightest future is at PG, he didn’t stubbornly stick to that and went with a small backcourt. Turning Monta loose was at SG was key to the team’s success
• Same thing applies for Biedrins. Nellie would much rather a center who can shoot from outside. But he, instead, milked Biedrins for what he could bring. He probably shouldn’t get kudos for that, as that is what coaches do. But with Nellie’s judgemental coaching style, its worth mentioning
• Gave responsibility to Keith Smart, presumably the next head coach. Smart ran practices, led the huddle during timeouts, addressed the team in the locker room after games, etc. It is important that the players see Smart as head coach when he does take over, and Nellie helped make sure that happened by letting Smart spend some time in the big chair.

Lowlights:
• Ran Baron and Jackson into the ground (and tried to run Monta in the ground) because of his lack of faith in reserves. Justified or not, you can’t play 82 games with seven players.
•He ruined a lot of players confidence, which is counterproductive to the task at hand. His irregular rotation and sharpe tongue didn’t bring out the most in everyone - namely Harrington, Barnes, Pietrus and Azubuike.
•Failed to get rookies of the future much-needed playing time, which means they’ll still be green next year (not so much B-Wright), just like Kelenna and Patrick were still raw this year. It’s hard to believe Belinelli and Watson couldn’t give anything if given some decent playing time.

One argument is that the Warriors won 48 games and that is a major plus. But another argument is that they misses the playoffs by a game because they couldn’t beat a suspect Denver team at home. Nellie is a major reason for both.
GRADE FOR COACHING STAFF: B- (the assistant coaches boosted it up from a C+

Now is a good time for a thorough, honest evaluation since there has been time for emotions to subside and reflect on the entire season.
Let’s start with the decision makers, which primarily include Robert Rowell and Chris Mullin.

HIGHLIGHTS:
*Shed $10 million by trading Jason Richardson and got Brandan Wright and a $10M trade exception in the process
*Did not resort to past bad habits and overpay to keep free agents. By not offering lucrative deals to Mickael Pietrus Matt Barnes, by not giving large extensions to Baron Davis and Andris Biedrins, the Warriors are in a good position to make moves this offseason. They have the flexibility to keep Monta and may get bargain prices for Biedrins and Davis because of the market.
*Put Nellie in his place by not giving in to his demands, which means another dramatic hold-out is unlikely (better believe Nellie would do it again if he knew he would get what he wanted)
*Did not panic at trade deadline and use their $10M exception to take a bad contract. They now have it to use through the draft, which is probably the best time to use it all along.
*Wisely decided not to keep the Patrick O’Bryant experiment going
*Got good value at No. 18 in the draft in Belinelli

LOWLIGHTS:
*The Chris Webber fiasco
*Putting together a suspect bench for Nellie
*Failed to nab Kevin Garnett!

I differ a bit from my colleague, Geoff Lepper, who gave Mullin a C+. I think his poor bench construction wasn’t that big of a deal. Instead, I think he understood that this year was a giveaway, that even if they made the playoffs, they wouldn’t do anything. It looked to me as if he made a strategic decision not to invest too much in the bench and keep the salary cap problems under control.
I do agree with Geoff in that the C-Webb signing was a complete joke.
GRADE FOR MANAGEMENT: A-

What grade would you give Mullin & Co.?

Emptying out the notebook at the sooner-than-expected conclusion to the Warriors’ season:

** Just as Don Nelson is unrepentant regarding l’affaire Baron, Chris Mullin is equally OK with the waste of time, money, energy and resources that was Chris Webber’s Warriors comeback. Before they signed him, I said on KNBR that “the guy can’t run,” and I saw no evidence to dispute that theory while he was with the Warriors.

The recognition of the need to add another rotation player to a rapidly tiring team was good; settling for a guy that clearly gummed up the works in his season debut – which just happened to be the Chicago loss on Feb. 7, a game where the visiting Bulls were missing their top three players – was not.

Nevertheless, Mullin gave an immediate “no” when asked if he thought the Webber fixation cost his team any games.

“I think we may have won that Boston game (because of Webber), actually,” Mullin said. “I thought he did a good job in that game (on Feb. 20). I thought he played well. Baron made that incredible shot, but I thought defensively, (Webber) helped us that night.”

** Mullin was in pretty good form, humor-wise, during his season-ending chat with print reporters on Wednesday. Among the highlights was his response to a reporter noting that Baron might want “17, 17, 17 and 17,” referring to a three-year extension on top of his $17.8 million salary for the upcoming season.

“That’s a good number,” Mullin said. “I like the number 17, especially if it wasn’t just my (uniform) number. If that was the going salary (when Mullin played), that’d be pretty sweet.”

As for who will represent the Warriors at the draft lottery on May 20, Mullin knows one thing – if past history with the event counts for anything, he won’t be the one in the chair in Secaucus, N.J.

“From that standpoint, I shouldn’t do it, because the first year they had it, it was the worst (outcome), the booby prize,” Mullin said, referring to the initial lottery of 1985, when the Warriors were denied a shot at No. 1 pick Patrick Ewing despite a league-worst 22-60 record and ended up with a certain lefty out of St. John’s. “They could have got (No.) 1 through 7, and they got 7. So I’m a bad candidate.”

** Nelson said last week that he made the determination as early as training camp that he’d have to ride the Baron/Jack/Monta triumvirate into the ground in order to compete for a playoff spot. What about guys like Austin Croshere and Troy Hudson, the veterans brought in to firm up the Nos. 9 and 10 spots on the roster? Couldn’t they have been some sort of stopgap measure?

“Do you have any idea who you’re talking about?” Nelson said. “Were you hoping that those guys rise up? They’re at the end of their careers, they were never great players anyway, and now you’re going to ask them to rise up and all of a sudden be something special? At best, they’re a good veteran.”

** The trade-Al-Harrington door swings both ways. While the team mulls over its future with Al – and decides whether his $9.2 million price tag might be better spent on other roster priorities – he will ponder if he wants to endure another season of Nelson’s pointed needling or wants to demand a change of address instead.

That’s not to say Harrington is undeserving of blame, but he certainly bore a disproportionate share of Nellie’s insults. And though Al is too much of a pro to ever admit it, it was clear from watching him that he’s frustrated at being the team’s designated whipping boy.

** Stephen Jackson gets the last word. Asked about the urgency to win during what Nelson says will be his last year (assuming he comes back), Jackson couldn’t help for laughing: “I love Nellie. I hear something different from y’all every week with Coach.”

– Geoff

The Warriors not making the playoffs isn’t all bad. They would’ve lost to the Lakers in the first round anyway (I wouldn’t have been surprised if Kobe’s boys disposed
of the Baron’s boys in five), and the sting of losing to the hated Lakers assuredly would have been much sharper than not making the playoffs. Warrior fans should still be numb to the embarrassment of being a lottery team, but can you imagine the irritation of hearing Lakers fans gloat over a postseason series win?
To be sure, there are other bonuses to this season:

• The Warriors will be adding a lottery pick to a 49-win team. How often does that happen? Worst-case scenario, they draft at No. 14, where they can nab UCLA PF Kevin Love or Kansas PF Darrell Arthur. Better-case scenario, they use the pick and a current player (Harrington? Pietrus? Jackson?) for a proven producer, ideally a power forward who can defend and rebound and score inside - routinely. Best-case scenario, they win the lottery and draft Michael Beasley

• Month came into his own, which means the gamble of trading J-Rich worked. The Warriors have an above average two guard, a budding young forward and a $10 million trade exception.

• Andres Biedrins stock dropped, at the very worst did not rise. The Warriors gambled by not locking him up this past offseason, but Biedrins - though really good - did not seem to do enough to blow his salary way up. He’ll get paid, but the Warriors may get him for a good price.

• Baron still has a reason to be hungry. The popular opinion is that Baron was motivated by his desire for a contract extension. He will likely get it. But being an All-Star snub, missing the postseason and watching fellow point guards get lionized throughout the playoffs should bring him back next season with a chip on his shoulder. He plays better with something to prove.