Rumor: Mully & Monty Out, Kiki & Van Gundy In?

Kiki and SVG are easily the better duo. Kiki has brought Denver from the ground up, and Van Gundy went to the 2nd and 3rd round of the playoffs in only 2 and a half seasons.

 

I don't see it. How could ownership determine in such a short tenure whether Mullin is right for the job?

How could ownership ever determine that, lol? Is Cohan just going to say "okay, we haven't been to the playoffs in Mullin's 2 years so he must not be a good GM" and replace him?

IMO if ownership is is really "entertaining offers on virtually every player" and ready to replace their GM that doesn't really give me any faith in the organization.

I'm not saying Mullin is "untouchable" or that any of the players are, I'm just saying it's way too early to start letting that kind of "rumor" circulate, if that's what happened.

But this is all talk, anyways. I'm not overly impressed with the source.

 

No matter how rediculous this may sound. I don't have doubts that this could actually be true. Remember two years ago with Eric Musselman? The team was disgusted that his team in his second year didn't make the playoffs. They said he underachieved, which to me at least, was very hilarious.

This is one reason why the Warriors will never be a big player. The Warriors management, as in the owners and the president just want to make moves. They know that the fan base wants to make the playoffs and they also know that another big part of the fan base will remain fans as long as there is the least bit of hope. Changing the head coach, general manager, and keeping young players in here will always bring hope and for the Warriors, will always bring in a good fan base.

I really don't have a problem of making changes if the team underachieves. I just don't have faith that the owners and president would have any idea of what the right moves would be though.

Obviously being in Mullin's shoes or maybe even St. Jean's(for the past) shoes isn't so much fun. Reading this, I bet it was Cohen encouraging St. Jean to spend money on players they said would push those teams into the playoffs such as Fortson, Caffey, Marshall, Jamison, etc. And wasn't it Cohen who was part of bringing Montgomery in?

Just more GSW management drama...haha...terrible.

 

That's insane. Everyone knows I fly by the seat of my pants and have a lot of problems with the team constructed but to get rid of Mully? Two years? Crazy.

If they get rid of Mullin, they better bring in a proven guy. Gotta think about it...

 

First of all, is hoopsworld.com legit? Where do they get their sources? I'm not sure if Kiki is the answer anyway considering who fell into their lap (Carmelo Anthony). The rest was building around that guy by using cap space to sign legit veterans and near-allstars. He did overpay for Kenyon Martin, but he did a nice job bringing in the underrated Andre Miller to the backcourt. Nene and Tsikitishvilli were decent picks before Melo considering their upside and the fact the 2002 draft really sucked for big man talent. But things didn't start turning around until they knew they were getting Melo and they had cap space to sign the right guys to build around him.

I think Kiki did a nice a job designing a running team around their home court advantage of having a high altitude so they could get opponents not used to the lack of oxygen over there, all tired out. They could basically outrun their opponents and having two pure point guards and four athletic frontcourt personnel that can play above the rim helps. They still have problems shooting, but they are a good defensive team and are learning how to get easy shots under George Karl (because many of those guys cannot create their own shot with the ball once defenses get set in). Having athletic forwards that can block shots, rebound, pass, and play tough defense is nice to have. Also, the move for getting injury prone Marcus Camby was arguably a good move considering Antonio McDyess was washed up.

So I guess since Kiki had about one or two more seasons longer than Mullin as GM, he's had more room to manuever. We could give Mullin more time to do what he plans to do, but he's not going to have the same salary cap flexibility to go after guys like an Andre Miller or a Kenyon Martin. The only move that Mullin has made that impressed me was the Baron Davis trade. His offseason signings really sucked and he simply jumps the gun on too many of them like the Dunleavy re-signing and the Foyle re-signing. If Foyle is your first free agent signing of your career and you pay him nearly 9-10 mil a year, that's pretty bad... (Maybe Foyle was signed for political reasons as in he gave 110% for this franchise that he started out with and that sent a message to the other players drafted by the Warriors)

So.. I guess since Mullin took office in 2004 whereas Kiki started in 01 or 02, he should really be getting at least until 2008 to see what bagaining chips he has and leverage he has developed. Ike and Biedrins could be monstrous, Foyle becomes salary cap relief for any team who doesn't want to execute his 2009-2010 team option, and Fisher is a solid vet presence with only a year or two left on his deal at 6/7 mil. Mullin is doing a good job keeping tradeable assets on hand, but it seems his decisions are solely for the long term over the short term. It's why he brought in Montgomery who is a good rookie head coach prospect and mentor for young talents and it's why he's not penny pinching and hoping to attract big free agents every season with freed up cap money. I mean which free agents in recent time were going to push us over the top? Jamal Crawford? Quentin Richardson? Eddy Curry? Sorry if they all happen to be Knicks players, but GM Isiah Thomas tries to play that short term fix game every single year and they just don't work. I like Mullin's style where he'll stay committed to the young guys until he realizes what he has and he'll build through the draft to find franchise talent or acquire one. Luckily, he was able to get one already in Baron Davis, but he's arguably franchise talent until he starts to settle down. He's only 25 or 26, but he can hurt this team as much as he helps it with his shot selection, the fact he holds onto the ball to much, and his overdribble. He's got to trust his teammates as much as they trust him. But nonetheless it was a good trade by Mullin for obvious reasons.

Rather than looking at the bad, we should look at the best moves of Mullins before/after Baron, re-signing Jrich, re-signing Troy Murphy, and picking Ike/Taft/Ellis/Biedrins. He also got Zarko who might be something and managed to dump Najera's deal. Now might be the right time to gamble on dealing our future draft picks to accomplish some short term gains as well as dumping a player somebody might value more. I hope Mullin is smart enough to keep Pietrus we because sure lack quickness and defense and a guy who can light it up off the bench.

Anyway, I think Mullin initially had the right idea of everything, except for comitting a lot of salary to guys like Derek Fisher/Adonal Foyle, and other 30 something role players. Getting rid of Mullin prematurely will just leave some other GM having to undo everything accomplished in the last two seasons rather than following through on the overall longterm plan. As far as SVG replacing Monty, it would bring legitimacy to the coaching staff considering Van Gundy along with rising star Dwayne Wade, Eddie Jones, Rafer Alston, Lamar Odom brought the Heat from the brinks of nowhere to make the playoffs. This was after Pat Riley said I ain't coaching no more (this was a few games before the season started), it's your mess now Stan. The heat were last place and they came from behind on a monstrous win streak without legit big men and made the playoffs. I don't know if Stan would be the answer considering we don't have any type of Dwayne Wade. If we think that is Baron, look at the shot selection of the two and how their egos affect the team/coaching staff. Dwayne wade is more humble and he's better at finishing around the basket and taking the shots he knows he can make. If Baron shot 47% for his career and not settled for stinking threes, shot at least 75% from the line, we'd be already in the playoffs right now. That's why I thought a guy like Steve Nash we'd be better served with at point since he's pass first point guard who can score within the flow very efficiently. But Phoenix got him in the offseason before we could.

But yeah, I tend to agree a franchise is only as good as their ownership. So if Cohan and Rowell f things up again, it will be all on them, not Mullin or Montgomery in true fans' eyes. I guess, Cohan will do what's necessary in his eyes to make a profitable business, but he doesn't know jack about basketball like the Maloofs or Mark Cuban or the guys he has hired like Mullin/Montgomery. Give me an owner that is knowledgeable/passionate about the game like we are and that will hire a competent GM that he can trust and won't have knee jerk reactions over.

The reason this team isn't winning is because we're not playing within our capabilities and we're not making it any easier for ourselves by not playing in an organized way where 5 guys are moving together as a team to receive the ball. I've said for the longest time we cannot create our own offense unless we execute consistently, precisely and we start to pass and get open by moving around screens and cutting back to those open pockets on the floor. We have weaknesses, but I think the strengths we do have aren't enough to cover it all up. We've got a slow frontline that is more along the lines of finesse type of play, we lack free throw shooting, we are not the best defensive starting 5 or the quickest or most talented group in creating shots. Only Baron Davis seems to be the most balanced player of the group in terms of power, athleticism, ability to create through double teams, basketball smarts, decision making, but that shot % and the way he gambles on steals constantly is just awful in the context of what this team is about. It's supposed to be about playing in a way that makes team defense and team offense easier for a group of players that by themselves, aren't so hot. Also, I love Jrich, but I wonder if he'll ever be an elite guy that can get to the line more times than he attempts threes and make those free throws consistently. He teases for a few games with 80 or 100% free throw shooting on 7 or 8 attempts per game and its back to shooting 60% with two or three free throw attempts. Also his mediocre ballhandling and lack of quickness off the dribble really makes it hard for him to do what Baron can do. I sometimes wonder if Jrich is really souped up Desmond Mason and not so much Vince Carter or young Michael Finley.

Anyway, I noticed the rumor wasn't listed on this site. I use this site to see what local newspapers are saying. http://www.hoopshype.com/rumors.htm

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Clif25:</div><div class="quote_post">No matter how rediculous this may sound. I don't have doubts that this could actually be true. Remember two years ago with Eric Musselman? The team was disgusted that his team in his second year didn't make the playoffs. They said he underachieved, which to me at least, was very hilarious.
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To me, it was one of the most disgusting moment ever since I rooted for Warriors. I do not know what Mullin and his co. smoked when they said Warriors underachieved in that year through TV and radio interviews. If they actually believed that they could do better with that same talent, our current Warriors are redefining the meaning of 'underachiving'. And, if they said that to create a reason to fire Muss, that would be such a low blow.

That has been said, I just don't see Cohan firing Mullin at the end of this season, and if that happens, it would be wrong.

First, Cohan showed awful a lot of support to Mullin, beyond any other GMs received. I seriously doubt that Cohan will fire Mullin after just two years (3 if you count his unofficial first year), when he lived with Saint for 4 years after showing bare minimum support.

Second, there isn't any good reason to fire Mullin. Yes, Mullin did make mistakes when he chose Dunleavy over Jamison and Foyle over Dampier. And, that's the main reason why our frontcourt is struggling. Also, resigning/overpaying Dunleavy prematurely looks like a huge mistake at this point. But, Mullin brought Davis for nothing, drafted Biedrins and Diogu, and although it wasn't his original intension, signing Richardson and Murphy turned out to be a good move. Whether our salary cap situation or how much we overpaid, Mullin did create the most talented team right now. Also, every blame goes to Monty at this point, and Mullin is still awfully popular among fans. Unless, there are some good reasons to fire Mullin, firing Mullin will be very unpopular move to Cohan, and many fans will turn their back. If Cohan wants to fire Mullin for overpaying and screwing up our salary for years, Cohan is also at blame for signing those contracts initially.

I can see Monty being fired if we miss PO this year. But, I seriously doubt that Mullin will be axed this year. He still deserves to control this team until the salary situation becomes unbearable...

 

Hey Kwan I just don't understand why Monty was brought in the first place only to fire him two years later. I think there's definitely an adjustment period with college coaches just like there is with nba rookies trying to establish themselves and figure things out. It just seems like a bad decision to give up on him so soon, otherwise why not just make Mario Elie the head coach from the get-go or go with somebody more experienced in the NBA? What about coaching potential and the fact Montgomery has made mediocre college players into a winning team every season, made some of them into 1rst round nba draft pick choices, and made more of his assistant coaches under his wing into head coaches of other college programs? But I guess such is the nature of the NBA when it comes to head coaches... I mean Flip Saunders was canned from the Twolves after a decade and he's probably one of the league's better head coaches.

Then we got the business side of things where fans/ticket holders don't like Monty because there's different results this year based on what we saw last year and he's part of the stigma that college head coaches to nba head coaches, just don't work in the league. We then complain about how we hate small ball, benching some rookies, and Don Nelson and Eric Musselman would have done the same lineups practically. Our biggest problem is not the coaching, but the growing pains phase of thise franchise and the fact we're not there yet teamwork wise and big man talent wise. We've got potential in the fact we run some of the best out of bounds plays when the players agree to run it. If that game can come so simple to this team, they will be a great executing team for when we're forced to slow things down or when we have to play without Baron Davis. What if Baron Davis gets hurt? The team needs to step up and play ball in a way where they can look for their shot moving off the ball rather than with it. There's no dominant ballhandlers on this club except for Baron and its why this team needs to become better without the ball and rely more on each other than dribble penetration getting things done. We also need to work on our shooting, rebounding, screen setting, floor spacing too, ughh...

I think we need to give more time just like we should have given to Coach Musselman. I guess it was different with Musselman because he didn't agree with a lot of the things the front office wanted from him, but firing him sent a bad message to the team by changing coaches yet again... frustrating... And at least Monty and Mullin appear to be on the same page in the learning and development process of this team. In the nba, that takes a lot more time than we think because teams learn through the course of a season rather than the offseason. I just wish we could win more so we stop this ridiculous scapegoating on one person who really has no control over results that take time and comittment (we can't just go and become a dominant team without good building blocks - allstar Shawn Marion and rising star Amare Stoudamire kick our asses when it comes to core players: Jrich/Murphy/Dun).

Let me put it this way to all of us fans: A teacher can't make a student who sucks at math an A student overnight. There's got to be some other environmental/personal conditions to make this happen such as the student wanting to learn, their ability to learn (potential), their effort on learning it, their level of encouragement, and needing time to get comfortable in it so they can demonstrate what they know. Right now, we've got players still working on a lot of things they need to do individually and also things they've got to do as a team. In the midst of a season, this is sometimes impossible to grasp with other things going on. In the offseason, you don't really build that team chemistry you would during halfway through a season of winning and losing in various ways. So I guess what I'm saying the Warriors were having to re-invent themselves, getting feedback, finding that new identity because they were learning that the fast paced style of ball last year wasn't going to get it done as well as they thought. We gotta play the defense and we can't stand around relying on Baron. They remember to do only one and not the other sometimes but when they do both and more they are awesome...

I guess no matter what we all think, there's no room for excuses, there's just what's been accomplished what has failed.... Will Cohan go along with his GM and see this as a new long term comittment or will he be wishy washy and give into the impatient and frustrated and the disappointment of a 12th consecutive missed year from playoffs. The clock started with Mullin taking office and him putting in the coaches Mike Montgomery and Mario Elie. They need to stick with it IMO and really see if it will work regardless of how this season unfolds. The Warriors management and ownership just can't flake like they've always done, especially after they've hired some good drafting GMs that made some pretty good choices in their rookie players compared to the days of Todd Fuller, Joe Smith type choices. They also can't change coaches left and right... it's just not the right way to develop these guys. So those are my thoughts. Think long term and try to forget what happened before Mullin because it's a new clock. Also, if Dunleavy was living up to the hype, I doubt we'd be worried right now. We made some big moves because of him...

 

Another thing I forgot to mention, we better hope we're not screwed when it comes to how far Cohan is willing to spend. Dunleavy isn't exactly playing up to his contract, Foyle isn't either. We probably want less money invested in backup point guard despite Fisher is a catch and shoot, shooting guard type talent. We probably need to have a player like Pietrus on staff because nobody is quick or good defensively on the ball like he is... Mullin could have chosen the wrong guys to sign long term...

It's like with last place Phoenix when they decided to dump Marbury, at least they had all-star Shawn Marion/Rooke of the Year Amare Stoudamire to fall back on. We still had no all-stars when we got rid of Jamison. Gilbert Arenas was an unrestricted free agent who we could not re-sign and he and Jamison became all-stars afterward in the East. In that trade we later got Baron Davis (Jamison for NVE for Dale Davis basically). But we haven't found that replacement for an Arenas or Jamison type of player that we had to let go for nothing. We need that one extra guy that can create his own shot, hit free throws, and score the ball every single game. So it's like we lost talent during that period because of bad salary cap management and that stupid 2nd round draft pick rule on Arenas.

Let's just hope Mullin's signings hasn't committed too much money in all the wrong places and maybe our 2nd draft picks this season will set things right.

 

while i believe that van gundy is a better coach and all...you have to ask yourself a question: does his system fit into warrior's playing style?

I would say no

Golden state is built for speed+atheleticism and emphasize more on offence
Van gundy is the opposite...(ok he likes atheletic players too but my point is...the tempo he plays is way too slow for the current roster to excel in)

give montgomery another season i would say (UNLESS golden state melts way down in 2nd half..then that's another story)

 

I don't think it's a wise decision to hire a coach with the intention of "building a strong, young core" and having the coach establish cohesiveness and a solid foundation, only to flirt with firing him 2 years later when you're not getting results quick enough.

However, I disagree with the notion the the Warriors are this pool of raw, un-tapped talent that will take years to edvelop. I mean, sure they're somewhat young, but it's not like Monty has a roster full of rookies that he'll need 3-4 years with to gel and "implement" his system. The two core pieces (before Baron Davis came along) were Troy and JRich, and what is this, their 5th year in the league? They should know their game by now, and they should be able to "adopt" a new coaching system, regardless of how complex, in less than 2 years. Look at what football players have to learn -- a phonebook sized playbook -- and they do it in one off-season. And Baron Davis is in his 6th-7th year in the league. He doesn't need to be developed -- his game is where it is -- he needs to be utilized.

I understand the concept of the "long-term picture." Success can't be produced overnight, especially when success means turing around one of the worst sports franchises in history.

But IMO this team isn't a 5 year project. They're not full of rookies who have never played together before and need to "learn" eachother's game. If Adonal Foyle can't catch a pass by now, you know he probably never will be able to. If this is Troy Murphy's 5th year in the league and he's still having problems trying to "remember" how the play goes, you know what you may want to dumb it down a little.

I'm not saying the Warriors should be a top-seed in the playoffs by now. I don't think Monty should be fired. I understand the W's are "making steps" in the right direction. But nonetheless, the majority of the player-base (despite being relatively young) are what they are -- instead of trying to develop the talent (not talking about Taft, Ellis, Diogu, Biedrins) and trying to "teach" them a new system and how to play basketball your way, you need to start using what you have and trying to win.

I'm not saying the Warriors core have excellent fundamentals. I'm saying some of them never will. JRich, IMO, will never shoot 80% from the free-throw line. Adonal Foyle will never be able to avoid the offensive foul on a high pick-n-roll. Baron Davis will never be a 3-point threat.

Sure you have a few rookies to develop.

But for some of these guys, it's too late to "re-learn" basketball. You've got what you've got here -- good and bad -- now it's getting more-or-less to that time when you need to see if what you have is good enough to win in the NBA.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't think it's a wise decision to hire a coach with the intention of "building a strong, young core" and having the coach establish cohesiveness and a solid foundation, only to flirt with firing him 2 years later when you're not getting results quick enough.

However, I disagree with the notion the the Warriors are this pool of raw, un-tapped talent that will take years to edvelop. I mean, sure they're somewhat young, but it's not like Monty has a roster full of rookies that he'll need 3-4 years with to gel and "implement" his system. The two core pieces (before Baron Davis came along) were Troy and JRich, and what is this, their 5th year in the league? They should know their game by now, and they should be able to "adopt" a new coaching system, regardless of how complex, in less than 2 years. Look at what football players have to learn -- a phonebook sized playbook -- and they do it in one off-season. And Baron Davis is in his 6th-7th year in the league. He doesn't need to be developed -- his game is where it is -- he needs to be utilized.

I understand the concept of the "long-term picture." Success can't be produced overnight, especially when success means turing around one of the worst sports franchises in history.

But IMO this team isn't a 5 year project. They're not full of rookies who have never played together before and need to "learn" eachother's game. If Adonal Foyle can't catch a pass by now, you know he probably never will be able to. If this is Troy Murphy's 5th year in the league and he's still having problems trying to "remember" how the play goes, you know what you may want to dumb it down a little.

I'm not saying the Warriors should be a top-seed in the playoffs by now. I don't think Monty should be fired. I understand the W's are "making steps" in the right direction. But nonetheless, the majority of the player-base (despite being relatively young) are what they are -- instead of trying to develop the talent (not talking about Taft, Ellis, Diogu, Biedrins) and trying to "teach" them a new system and how to play basketball your way, you need to start using what you have and trying to win.

I'm not saying the Warriors core have excellent fundamentals. I'm saying some of them never will. JRich, IMO, will never shoot 80% from the free-throw line. Adonal Foyle will never be able to avoid the offensive foul on a high pick-n-roll. Baron Davis will never be a 3-point threat.

Sure you have a few rookies to develop.

But for some of these guys, it's too late to "re-learn" basketball. You've got what you've got here -- good and bad -- now it's getting more-or-less to that time when you need to see if what you have is good enough to win in the NBA.</div>

That's a good post. I'd like to slightly disagree that the W's are "tapped" as far as their development goes (and I am addressing the few players you mentioned).

Baron Davis - he is only 26 and can learn to become a three-point threat, 80% FT shooter, etc.

J-Rich - same as Davis. Young and underachieving at the line and perhaps a few other skills such as passing and ballhandling.

Troy Murphy - again, this guy is 25 or something...far from his "peak" (in regards to what "peak" is for NBA players).

Adonal Foyle - Yeah, I agree, this guy will never be able to catch a pass...

You're right, this isn't a team that is full of rookies. IMO, they're a bunch of young guys with lots of supposed potential that either the media or the front office hyped up...and we all bought into it, as it did seem prudent at the time (end of last year, off-season, and pre-season). Unfortunately, they are a team full of young guys that don't know how to play team ball consistently. While your football analogy is good, I think the NBA has a big problem in that X's and O's aren't taken as seriously...thus, Monty is under scrutiny for not being able to instill the system. It's true, the players don't space the floor well, there is hardly any movement away from the ball, etc. When was the last time you saw a backdoor play on the weak side when Baron has the ball??? They just stand there and wait for him to drive or chuck a 3 ball up. It's like watching the guys at the local gym play...they just don't understand...or don't want to understand...I'm mystified.

Anyway, I agree that Monty shouldn't be fired...that the players need to realize they carry some of the burden (if not most of it) to execute plays and to make sure they don't go into 3-point bombing mode. A lot of the players you and I have mentioned that are in the "not un-tapped raw talent" pool, should be able to recognize these flaws in the team game. Maybe they do but don't feel like executing for the coach. I dunno...these NBA players these days are like babies who are waiting for their luke warm bottle of milk to be shoved up their mouths.

With that said, the players such as J-Rich, Baron, Murphy should be able to learn to shoot better free throws, player tougher D, move away from the ball over time. You'd hope and think they can do it THIS season, but it appears it's a tougher challenge than thought...

 

Cohen is sort of the invisible man in all this. I'm sure if the Warriors wallow,flounder backslide and implode,we will see all kinds of heads rolling...like "Freddie Kreuger Goes Bowling" (good movie,take a date)

I'd also note that the rumor is,even for rumor mill,pretty hazy and vague. Some big deal in the works...maybe,Mullin and Monty being temp labor if they produce nothing...well,if it comes to that.

Cohen let Mullin navigate and Monty steer the boat, In midocean you generally don't abandon ship and run want ads for replacements,you let the plan go full term. If they land in the wrong port-then you can someone.

Sure,Mullin is casting bait,but won't do a trade unless it makes sense,unless he feels we are coming out ahead. He WON"T be aiming mainly for a quick patch at the expense of building a real CONTENDER. He has to think,"How does this effect us in the 07/08 season?"
Foyle and Fish got signed as "best available" at the essential PG + C spots when we were a ragged collection of raw rookies,huge contracts,faded journeymen,and we had gone through severe frustration losing Arenas. In hindsight we obviously paid too much for too long. An anchor can be a good thing,but can also become something hard to drag around.

Mullin's handling of the Dunleavy contract tells me that he and Cohen have some understandings and are thinking long term and putting value on having a stable core of happy campers. We don't have slackers,loafers,whiners,chronic screw ups,guys bitching about their contracts or saying they'd rather play elsewhere. We got no coach chokers,no 3am DUI's,no waitress molesters,no strip club brawlers. We got a center who tries TOO hard ,a backup PG who wants to do TOO MUCH ,a sixth man/SF who's too careful and a SF/SG who's just too quick. It could be worse.

At the end of NEXT season,I could see Mully/Monty having to show results,in terms of a winning record,a respectable playoff appearance,and ongoing evolution of the talent pool. The reckoning is not yet.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting REREM:</div><div class="quote_post">Cohen is sort of the invisible man in all this. I'm sure if the Warriors wallow,flounder backslide and implode,we will see all kinds of heads rolling...like "Freddie Kreuger Goes Bowling" (good movie,take a date)

I'd also note that the rumor is,even for rumor mill,pretty hazy and vague. Some big deal in the works...maybe,Mullin and Monty being temp labor if they produce nothing...well,if it comes to that.

Cohen let Mullin navigate and Monty steer the boat, In midocean you generally don't abandon ship and run want ads for replacements,you let the plan go full term. If they land in the wrong port-then you can someone.

Sure,Mullin is casting bait,but won't do a trade unless it makes sense,unless he feels we are coming out ahead. He WON"T be aiming mainly for a quick patch at the expense of building a real CONTENDER. He has to think,"How does this effect us in the 07/08 season?"
Foyle and Fish got signed as "best available" at the essential PG + C spots when we were a ragged collection of raw rookies,huge contracts,faded journeymen,and we had gone through severe frustration losing Arenas. In hindsight we obviously paid too much for too long. An anchor can be a good thing,but can also become something hard to drag around.

Mullin's handling of the Dunleavy contract tells me that he and Cohen have some understandings and are thinking long term and putting value on having a stable core of happy campers. We don't have slackers,loafers,whiners,chronic screw ups,guys bitching about their contracts or saying they'd rather play elsewhere. We got no coach chokers,no 3am DUI's,no waitress molesters,no strip club brawlers. We got a center who tries TOO hard ,a backup PG who wants to do TOO MUCH ,a sixth man/SF who's too careful and a SF/SG who's just too quick. It could be worse.

At the end of NEXT season,I could see Mully/Monty having to show results,in terms of a winning record,a respectable playoff appearance,and ongoing evolution of the talent pool. The reckoning is not yet.</div>


You take the cake for smiles REREM -- Reading this post makes me feel like I'm in Vegas