Golden State giddy with Davis pointing way to playoffsBy Chad Ford ESPN Insider Archive LAIE, Hawaii -- Chris Mullin won't blame you if your face contorts into a Jim Mora-style smirk of incredulity when hearing the words Warriors and playoffs in the same sentence. But walking into Golden State Warriors' training camp here in Laie, that's the word on everyone's lips: Playoffs. The emerging swagger and pride are palpable. Andrew D Bernstein/Getty Images Is Baron Davis ready to take the Warriors to new heights? After watching the Phoenix Suns become the surprise darlings of the NBA last season by running past opponents, everyone here at the first couple of weeks of training camp is wondering whether the baton could be passed to Golden State this season. Last season, the addition of savvy veteran point guard Steve Nash transformed the Suns from a lottery team into one of the most exciting teams in NBA history. Along the way, the Suns won more games than any other team in the league, Nash took home the MVP trophy and Mike D'Antoni, in his first full season with the Suns, was named coach of the year. The similarities between the two teams are more than casual. Mullin, who traded in his sneakers for a gig as the team's vice president of basketball operations in April 2004, is advocating a run-and-gun approach not seen in Golden State since the glory days of Run-TMC, the thrilling trio of point guard Tim Hardaway, swingman Mullin and shooting guard Mitch Richmond. Like Hardaway and Nash, point guard Baron Davis -- acquired at the trading deadline in February -- is pushing the ball at a breakneck pace. Backcourt mate Jason Richardson is flying through the air, backing up his two dunk contest titles by jamming home half-court alley-oops from Davis. During the Warriors' preseason opener in Honolulu, a crowd of Laker-loving Hawaiians oohed and aahed at the Warriors' highlight-reel plays, changing allegiances before the first quarter was half over. Given their offensive firepower and the up-tempo style Davis likes to play, there's a great chance that the Warriors will lead the league in scoring this year. With that excitement comes hope -- something that hasn't been felt among the Warriors' faithful for a while. It's been more than a decade since Golden State made the playoffs. Mullin was still firing jump shots back then. Latrell Sprewell hadn't learned the choke hold. Chris Webber was supposed to be the savior of the franchise. Since then, nothing but disappointment: Failed trades, untimely injuries and roster, coaching and front-office upheaval. Mullin knows the history -- more intimately than he would like to. That's why, last fall, shortly after being named executive vice president of the team, he decided that enough was enough. Mullin told his staff that the team needed to find a superstar, a player who could lift the spirits of a cursed franchise and vanquish the culture of losing that had gripped his old team. "Losing is just sad," Mullin said. "It was gnawing at everyone. Something had to change." Mullin's first task was to convince their two young, up-and-coming stars, Richardson and Troy Murphy, to stick with the team. To do it, he promised change. "Chris told me when I signed my contract extension [in October 2004] that he was going to turn this thing around," Richardson said. "That was all I needed to hear. It didn't take him long to back up what he said. When Baron arrived, everything changed." Mullin's February trade of Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis for Baron Davis will go down as one of the most lopsided deals of the decade if Davis and the Warriors continue to play as well as they did the last two months of last season. Davis, who struggled with injury and attitude problems for most of the season in New Orleans, came to Golden State and immediately energized the team, helping the Warriors close out the season on a 14-4 run. For all of the credentials that Davis brought to the Warriors -- the superstar talent, leadership at the point, and playoff experience -- it was Davis' swashbuckling style that turned around one of the league's sorriest franchises in the last decade. "He came in with a chip on his shoulder," Richardson remembers. "He had something to prove. He was vocal about it. And as soon as we rolled out the ball, he backed it up. It was contagious." "I'd been on enough teams [as a player] to know that what a young team needs is a little attitude," Mullin said. "When you're trying to rip out that culture of losing, adding some swagger to the mix can change things in a hurry. I knew how good he was as a player, but he wound up being even better as a leader on this team." Davis averaged 22.5 ppg and 9.4 apg once he took over the starting duties for the Warriors. By all accounts here at Warriors training camp, he should be even better this season. Last fall, Davis showed up to camp out of shape and upset that the Hornets hadn't traded him over the summer. He missed 32 games with a variety of ailments, including a strained lower back, a bruised right ankle, shoulder and knee tendonitis and a sore Achilles tendon. This year, Davis looks ready to lead the Warriors to the promised land -- which in Golden State's case, is its first playoff berth in a decade. Davis came into camp at a chiseled 215 pounds, down 20 pounds from last season. He looks hungry, rested and focused. "It's a clean slate for me," Davis said. "I'm on a team I want to be on. I'm healthy. The back feels great. My knees are rested. This team has a lot of young, fresh talent. They're unselfish. They want to play with each other. We're motivated. You have to have a little swagger, a little chip on your shoulder. We have the talent and the ingredients and now we're ready to prove everyone wrong and make the playoffs." The Warriors know that the expectations are quickly spiraling out of control for a team that hasn't sniffed the postseason in a decade. Fans have been buying season tickets in droves. The team sold 3,500 new season tickets this summer and fall, outpacing every other team in the league. Warriors jerseys are flying off the racks. Formerly anonymous players are getting stopped in the streets of San Francisco. The fans' hunger and last season's taste of success add up to great expectations. "I'd rather have high expectations than what we've been through the last decade," Mullin says with a grin. "No one starts the season thinking they're going to lose. But it's not a bad thing beginning the season with some expectations for ourselves that we can win." Still, the Warriors know they have their work cut out for them. The team, despite the strong run at the end of the season, finished 11 games behind Memphis for the eighth and final playoff seed in the West. The Lakers and Timberwolves, among other teams, also have their eyes on a return to the playoffs. Warriors coach Mike Montgomery is in only his second season as a head coach in the NBA. His team has six players on the roster with three or fewer years of experience in the league, including three rookies. Several of the top players on the roster, including two starters -- Davis and Adonal Foyle -- have a history of injury problems. Are we expecting too much too fast? "People can say what they want," Mullin said. "Last season is ancient history. But so are the last 10 seasons. We've got the talent to be a playoff team this year, but we've got to back it up on the court." Richardson, who has been with the Warriors since the beginning, believes they're up to the challenge. "I've never felt like this before in my career," Richardson said. "I sense it. It's big. The fans are behind us. The organization is behind us. I just can't wait for the season to begin. We have a lot to prove. And now we have the talent to back it up." Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider. Send him an e-mail here.
Talent blossoming for Golden StateBy Chad Ford ESPN Insider Archive LAIE, Hawaii -- Five observations from Warriors camp: 1. Tuning up and D'ing up: This Warriors team has a lot more going for it than Baron Davis and some swagger. Davis, for the first time since joining the team, is getting a chance to synch with teammates Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and head coach Mike Montgomery in practice. "Last season we didn't really have a lot of time to practice together once Baron joined the team," Montgomery said. "This camp is really our first attempt to put all of the pieces together. I know what we have here now and it's going to be easier to put them into spots that allow them to succeed." Last season began disastrously, with Montgomery's slowing down the team to emphasize defense. The Warriors started the season 3-12, averaging just 84 points per game while giving up an average of 96 ppg. "I was asking guys to do a lot of things they couldn't do," Montgomery said. "Now I know what we have and can help our team play to our strengths." Once Davis entered the starting lineup, Montgomery had the team's offensive woes solved. The Warriors averaged 110 ppg over the last 18 games of the season, putting them on par with the Phoenix Suns as one of the most potent offenses in the league. "We can score with anyone in the league," Davis said matter-of-factly. That shouldn't change this year with Davis, Richardson, Dunleavy and Troy Murphy all capable of scoring 20-plus points on any night. Now the emphasis is back on the defensive end. During that same 18-game, end-of-season stretch, the Warriors gave up 105 ppg. Overall the Warriors were a mediocre 17th of 30 teams in John Hollinger's Defensive Efficiency Ratings. Can Montgomery find a way to get the Warriors to defend better without slowing down the offense? Montgomery has spent a majority of training camp trying to come up with schemes that hide the defensive weaknesses of players such as Dunleavy and Murphy. "We know that we're going to have defend better if we're going to be a playoff team," Montgomery said. "We have a lot of talented offensive players who know how to score. The question is whether we have the heart to defend." 2. J-Rich's game gets richer: Jason Richardson is coming off his best season as a pro and appears to have worked hard all summer to improve his on-again/off-again 3-point shot. Last season, Richardson's 3-point shooting improved dramatically once Davis joined the team. Richardson shot 37 percent from 3-land in the last two months of the season and, from the looks of things in training camp, he could improve on that mark this season. "I try to work on all areas of my game in the summer," Richardson said, "but I definitely wanted to work on my jump shot. With Baron on board, it takes a lot of pressure off you. I don't get all of the double teams anymore and he has the ability to drive and kick to me on the wing." That's the good news. The bad news is that the Warriors are still trying to figure out how to motivate Richardson to put the ball on the floor and get to the line. Once Davis arrived, Richardson averaged just 3.5 free throws a game. 3. Dunleavy in limbo Mike Dunleavy showed up at camp as bulked up as we've seen him. "Late last season coach played me some at the four," Dunleavy said. "When the team goes small I wanted to be able to handle the banging down low." Dunleavy is entering the fourth year of his contract and is eligible for an extension this fall. Mullin told ESPN.com that the team is trying to sign Dunleavy to an extension and was encouraged by the progress the two sides have made. He sounded confident that they'll be able to get something done before the season begins. With Tayshaun Prince getting close to making a five-year, $45-million dollar deal with the Pistons, look for both sides to use that as a measuring stick. Mullin said that Dunleavy's progress this season could be the major difference on the team. "We need Mike to defend and rebound," Mullin said. "Everyone knows how talented and versatile he can be on the offensive end. If we can get a big year from him, I'll feel really good about the team." 4. International Warriors: Though Mullin says it isn't intentional, the Warriors have taken on a definite international flavor on his watch. Three international players -- Mickael Pietrus, Zarko Cabarkapa and, potentially, 19-year-old Andris Biedrins -- figure to have a big impact off the bench for the team this season. Of the three, Pietrus appears the most ready to have a breakout season. Pietrus is an amazing athlete and was the Warriors' best perimeter defender for most of last season. But his inconsistency on the offensive end can be maddening. One night he has zero points in 23 minutes against the Nuggets. The next week he's dropping 25 points in 26 minutes on the Lakers. However, during the final 14 games last season, Pietrus scored 17 or more points seven times. "It's all about consistency for Mickael," Mullin said. "When he plays well, he usually gets it going at the defensive end. That fuels his offensive game. If he stays focused on that, he could have a breakout year for us." Obviously Pietrus feels that way too. He created a few waves on the first day of camp by insisting that although he doesn't want to start, he thinks he should be finishing the game for the Warriors. That's become something of a running joke all camp. Davis has teased the incumbent, Richardson, incessantly that Pietrus is coming after his job. "I'm not going to let anybody come and take my spot," Richardson said. "He's going to come in and challenge me? Yeah, you challenge. But nobody's going to take my spot." Richardson has nothing to worry about, and Pietrus could get his way. When the Warriors go small, with Dunleavy seeing time at the four, Pietrus is the logical pick at the three. Carbarkapa should see regular minutes backing up Murphy off the bench and Biedrins, despite his inexperience, has looked great in camp. That shouldn't come as a surprise to hard-core Warriors fans who watched Biedrins post decent numbers, especially on the boards, during the last month of his rookie season. He spent all summer working out with the Warriors' staff and it shows. Not only is his body stronger, but it's clear he has a better handle on what he's doing on the floor. Watching his unorthodox game is going to begin to draw the inevitable comparisons to Andrei Kirilenko. "If I was trying to prepare for him, I'm not sure what I'd do," Mullin said. "His game is very difficult to define. But he's got a great nose for the ball, he can really fly up and down the court and he's just really difficult to stop. He's got a bright future." 5. Young, gifted and not ready: The Warriors had, by most accounts, a stellar 2005 draft. First-round pick Ike Diogu has drawn comparisons to a young Elton Brand ("I hope that's right," Mullin says with a laugh) and the Warriors' two second-round picks, Chris Taft and Monta Ellis, were both projected as locks for the first round just a few weeks before the draft. So far, however, it's been slow going for all three. Diogu looked a little lost the first week of camp, blowing defensive assignments and struggling to get his shot off in the paint. His predraft critics wondered if his relative lack of size (he's 6-foot-7 without shoes) and penchant for playing below the rim would hurt him in the pros. So far, the answer is yes. The fact that he broke his left hand during the first week of camp hasn't helped matters. Still Mullin sees a bright future. "Ike has a bigger adjustment than a lot of guys are going to have," Mullin said. "His game is about spacing and angles. Guys are going to take that away from him in this league and he's going to have to adjust. But whenever you have someone that strong, who can rebound and score in the paint, it's just a matter of time. He fit a need for us and I think in time he'll be an important piece on our team." Ellis, who made the jump straight from high school to the pros, has impressed with his quickness and ability to score. Leave him alone to break down a defender and get to the basket and he looks great. His jump shot has also been falling fairly consistently in scrimmages. He is pretty fearless for someone so young. But put the ball in his hands and ask him to run the point (his likely position in the pros) and it's a different story. Expect him to spend much of this season perfecting his craft in the NBDL. Taft sat out of action for the first week because of a strained back. However, he's dropped much of the weight that hampered his sophomore season at Pitt and Mullin, who attended the same high school as Taft years ago, believes he will have a bright future in the league. "He's big, long and athletic and he's a better player than people have been giving him credit for," Mullin said. "We had Taft in to workout against Diogu early in the draft process and the two were really close [in terms of talent]. I think this is the perfect situation for him." Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider. Send him an e-mail here.
This stuff pretty much echoes what everyone here has been saying for months. Potential potential potential. The Warriors better stop listening to the praise and start kickin some a** on the court. I am troubled that Pietrus is already tired and the season hasn't started yet. He is an energy player. If his tank is empty we won't get much from him, especially defensively. We thrive with his energy coming off the bench as our sixth man. This is a potential big problem. Other Euro's in past years have burnt themselves out during the Euro championships and have had lackluster NBA seasons.
I am just glad that Chad Ford, who has been my nemesis for the last few years as he continually ripped on everything the W's did, is finally giving us some good press. On another note, SI is coming out with their NBA preview soon, but online they already have it up they have us as the 12 best team...in the WEST!!!! What a joke that magazine has become.
