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

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.?

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.

Call it hope or the teasing delay of inevitability, but there is reason to believe the Warriors could pull this off. There are a few factors that, at the very least, keep you watching. For some, it may be cause to sleep in their “We Believe” shirts.

• Houston, which visits Denver on Sunday, still have something to play for. They are tied with San Antonio for the No. 3 seed, the loser getting the No. 5 seed. Whoever gets the No. 3, would get Phoenix and have homecourt advantage. The No. 5 seed will Utah, owner of the West’s best home record. Plus, homecourt advantage isn’t a lock. Houston needs to beat Denver to stay ahead of Utah for homecourt advantage in the first round.

• Denver will be concluding a back-to-back. Houston has been in Denver chilling, waiting for the Nuggets and getting used to the altitude. Denver is 5-12 in the second game of back-to-backs. Just two were in Denver, and the Nuggets split them.

• Should Houston win at Denver, the Warriors would need to then win at Phoenix. The Suns would be pretty much locked in to the No. 6. The Lakers have already won the Pacific. The are too far ahead for No. 7 Dallas to catch. The Suns could use some rest. This would be a good time rest up their old heads: Steve Nash, Shaq, and Grant Hill. Raja Bell has been nagged by injuries and Amare’s knees are always a subject of concern. I wouldn’t expect Phoenix to start Brian Skinner and Gordan Giracek, but I would be surprised if they fought to the death. If the Warriors are on their A game, it would be reasonable for Phoenix to wilt.

What all this means? Nothing on the court. But it could add to your stress levels.

There was a certain buzz in the Warriors locker room. You can tell it’s that time of year when the TV people come out.
“Now they want to talk to us,” Harrington said through a laugh.

* Surprisingly, the Tennessee-Stanford women’s game was on, not another NBA telecast. And some of the players were watching, too. Monta got a kick out of the way one of the Cardinal shot free throws.
“That’s how I’mma start shooting my free throws,” he said, mimmicking the two-hand toss.
Al said he thought Tennessee would win the national title, but “Wiggins is cold-blooded, though.”

*Mickael Pietrus is playing. He had his game shorts on. When asked if he was going to make it, he pointed to the jersey hanging in his locker room. He didn’t sound too sure about how he would feel out there, having missed nine games.

*Nelson’s pre-game was dominated by the topic of Monta Ellis’ defense. Here’s the rundown of that Q&A.

What can you do about Monta’s defense?
“Do more drills, defensive drills. We’ll do some more slides tomorrow. I don’t think in a practice situation you’re going to make people better at what they do. They can concentrate harder, they can get a little better. But you’re going to have to give Monta help throughout his NBA career. That’s what coaching’s all about.”

He gets screened a lot. Will his getting stronger help?
“Well, he’s small and he’s skinny. … The other guys in his stature haven’t improved all that much in guarading the screen and roll. It kind of is an area that is effective against small guards, the screen and roll.”

Can you switch then instead of having Monta fight through the screen?
“Well, he’s not a very good defender in the box. With Baron, you can get away with it. Jack certainly is a pretty good defender in the box. There’s more of a size factor the closer you get to the basket.”

Doesn’t Phoenix switch with Steve Nash?
“Nash is not a good defender. He has a same problem.”

Does he want to be a good defender?
He wants to be a great player. That’s part of it. Players always see offense first and defense second. I think he really wants to be a great player.

Does Monta leak out too much?
“That’s not a defensive problem. He’s quick enough to do that anyway and still guard his guy. The problem that we have is that our guard are penetrators. That’s the way our offense is geared, and often times when they penetrate, somebody makes a mistake and doesn’t come back on the defensive rotations. So we’re vulnerable some from people running against us. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just an individual thing. They’ve got to know when they’re back and know who’s position it is. But, I don’t know, Monta is a small two guard at this point, and there are problems defensively with small two guards in this league.”

I’m thinking the Denver Nuggets have two losses left in them, so the Warriors need to go 4-1 to make the playoffs. That looks feasible based on the schedule.
Of the Warriors five remaining games, four are at home (Sacramento, Denver, Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle).
There was a time that you could guarantee four victories left for the Ws. The league’s elite couldn’t win at Oracle. The Kings, Nuggets, league’s scrubs didn’t stand a chance.
At this point last season, the Kings, Clippers and Sonics — three of the remaining visitors — would’ve have stood a chance at the Oracle. Now, it’s hard to say. After home losses to Minnesota, Chicago and Atlanta, and near losses to visiting New Jersey, New York and Indiana, how confident are you the Warriors will get it done? Or will they slip up and suffer one last potentially fatal missed opportunity?

So, the No. 7 seed is out. Dallas will make the playoffs, and rightfully so. They’ve earned it with Sunday’s huge road win, something the Warriors could not pull off.
It’s not official, but the Warriors trail Mavs by two games with five to play. If the Warriors went 4-1, Dallas would have to go 1-4 for the Warriors to have a better record. The Mavericks close vs. Seattle and Utah, then at Portland and Seattle before closing vs. New Orleans.
So that leaves the Warriors vying with Denver for the eighth and final playoff spot. And though Golden State isn’t getting it done on its own, as it did late last season, the Nuggets are proving to be even more un-clutch.
Losing to Sac at home and at Seattle shows that Denver doesn’t have it. Their defense is atrocious. At least the Warriors force turnovers here and there. The Nuggets don’t even do that.
The Warriors last remaining tasks: win at home. They host the Kings, Nuggets, Clippers and Sonics. Win these games and the worst they can do is go 4-1 over these last five. That should be enough, because it would force the Nuggets to go 4-1 to finish tied with the Warriors. Denver has three more road games (At Clippers, Warriors and Jazz) before closing at home against Houston and Memphis.
The way they’ve played the last two games, it doesn’t look good for Denver fans.