<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">By Tim Kawakami Mercury News Chris Mullin is still fishing for tall talent, long after I would've dumped bait, packed up the gear and headed for the dark halls of air-conditioned sanity. He knows things and makes phone calls I don't. But it's getting late in an NBA off-season that has featured the biggest prizes landing everywhere in the solar system except on the Warriors' roster. It's late. Warriors fans, who have waited 12 years already, are antsy. Mullin's still fishing. Which makes sense. Could Mullin possibly face the Warriors populace come October if he hasn't performed significant surgery to a roster that has proved it can win no more and no fewer than 34 games a season? It's August. So far: Derek Fisher traded, Patrick O'Bryant drafted. Nothing else. ``I think something else will come down the pike,'' Mullin said from his office Wednesday afternoon. ``We've got people that generate interest, no question about that.'' Those people being: Troy Murphy, Andris Biedrins and Mickael Pietrus, among others; any of those guys, Mullin implies, could trigger a secondary round of movement. Does that mean the Warriors are back in the chaotic hunt for Al Harrington, now that Harrington has reportedly fired agent Andy Miller and potentially scotched the pending trade from Atlanta to Indiana that Miller approved? Mullin isn't sure, because he thought he was inching close to acquiring Harrington a while ago, then was rebuffed. But Mullin knows he has a good relationship with Arn Tellem, Harrington's rumored new agent. And Mullin is still wondering why Atlanta bypassed his trade offer of Murphy a few weeks ago in favor of Indiana's salary-cap paperwork. ``I'll be on the phone later today for sure,'' Mullin said. ``But really, the factor becomes Atlanta. That's what everybody's missing. If they want to do a basketball deal, they can do a good deal where we can be as big a player as anybody.'' Mullin says he has talked with Murphy about the possibility of a trade, and that every player should understand the realities of the business -- especially for a team that for 12 years has been in the losing business. ``No, it's not a concern,'' Mullin said of Murphy's name hitting the rumor mill. ``He's been put out there by people respecting his game.'' So how disappointed were you when Harrington seemed to slip through the Warriors' fingers a few weeks ago? ``If I was,'' Mullin said, ``I'm not now.'' Despite his continued intrigue in the young slashing forward, it wasn't Harrington-or-bust a few weeks ago, and it's not now, Mullin insists. There are other options. He didn't mention names of high interest, though forwards Chris Wilcox, Carlos Boozer and Drew Gooden are three that come to my mind. All three, while talented, come with question marks; none is a guaranteed fix for the Warriors' woes. So the fishing continues. Though he has had talks about Jamaal Magloire in the past, Mullin said he wasn't considering a deal for Magloire before Milwaukee traded the veteran center to Portland. When I asked directly, Mullin also said he won't be trading for Allen Iverson, though Mullin conceded he had sketchy talks with the 76ers that led nowhere a few months ago. Iverson didn't make a ton of sense to me: If there's going to be an abrasive, massively talented, compensated and maddening guard on the Warriors' 2006-07 roster, it's going to be Baron Davis and only Baron Davis. No matter what else happens this off-season, Mullin said, the Warriors' fate remains tied to Davis and his fragile body. But Mullin also didn't sound stunned when I mentioned that a series of respected NBA figures have volunteered to me recently that Davis was a franchise blight. I disagreed with the chatter, slightly. But I listened. Davis hears it, too, Mullin said. ``I think he does realize'' how unpopular he has become in many corners, Mullin said of Davis. ``But I would say how quick that can change and how good it feels when you change it.'' Davis has something to prove this season, Mullin said. But so do the rest of his teammates. So does Coach Mike Montgomery. So does Mullin. Absolutely, Mullin, preferably with an impact trade. And Mullin predicts that he can make it happen fairly soon. Soon? When? ``Now,'' Mullin said. ``This afternoon. Tomorrow . . .'' That's a promise or a hope or an expectation. But for frenzied Warriors fans, it's something to keep you going. While you wait.</div> Hmm... well it's nice to have a promise or a hope or an expectation of something better. It's nice to hope that a team will believe Adonal Foyle's contract is reasonable, too. In fact, I hope to play in the NBA soon, in fact today, this afternoon, tomorrow... I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky. Will I ever sprout wings? Who knows. But that shouldn't stop me from dreaming. If Mullin believes he can trade Adonal Foyle for LeBron James, who are we to criticize his hopes and dreams? Isn't that what this country was founded on? As Michelangelo said, "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." So kudos to you for keeping your chin up, Mullin. Keep working those phones. Just promise me you won't trade Murphy, Biedrins and Ellis for Al Harrington.
I love how Kawakami is so hesitant to say anything bad about Mullin since he harped so long for Saint to be fired and have Mullin come in and rescue it. He was also totally anti-Jamison and pro-Dunleavy. I don't think there is a journalist who I find less credible, unless it is Kawakami's SJ Merc partner in crime, Skip Bayless.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting wtwalker77:</div><div class="quote_post">I love how Kawakami is so hesitant to say anything bad about Mullin since he harped so long for Saint to be fired and have Mullin come in and rescue it. He was also totally anti-Jamison and pro-Dunleavy. I don't think there is a journalist who I find less credible, unless it is Kawakami's SJ Merc partner in crime, Skip Bayless.</div> Former partner in crime... or shall we say "mentor" lol. Knowing how Kawakami loves the "spin," it's a sad testament to what a borning off-season GS has had, if this is the juciest thing he can cook up. He pretty much writes like a semi-educated Warriors fan, hoping for a trade, but not really sure what for, thinking that maybe a guy would be good, maybe not, hyped about a Harrington trade, not hyped about a Harrington trade, at least optimistic because Mullin fed him a crumb saying "something" is in the works, and optimistic because somehow he believes Mullin will fix this (which he may). It works though because the tone he uses relates directly to 90% of the average fans in the Bay Area. Most "casual" fans don't do the kind of homework that some like Kwan or Custodian do, and most casual fans are just hoping for something, for anything, to stir up the pot. Just like Kawakami.
Man the Warriors news is sooooooo slow. If more were going on in Warriorland we'd be jumping with topics. But there's just nothing to talk about that we haven't already covered or we don't have much to go on with guys like POB and those Utah jazz guys. Maybe guys like Kawakami or some of those dudes on ESPN or Realgm is what we need, because they'll really think differently. LOL. I don't mind bold statements or different POV's (we need those), but the way Kawakami plays hunches and jumps to conclusions without much substance to back himself up is ridiculous. I go on to other sites and there doesn't need to be the same Troy Murphy, Pietrus/Biedrins/ We love Ellis, We hate Dunleavy and get Al Harrington threads over and over. I think we've ran out of things to discuss/suggest/complain about because of the slow offseason. If it were '04 and '05 we'd have a bunch to talk about.
I totally agree, that's the one good thing about this board though, in a way, is that there aren't the same senseless posts over and over again (feel free to call me on this lol). We actually address things and stay in topic usually, so it's great to see the forum asleep but know that when the season starts it'll be going strong again. I think Kawakami hit it on the head in that regard: for a frenzied fan like me, it's hard to wait!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AlleyOop:</div><div class="quote_post">I totally agree, that's the one good thing about this board though, in a way, is that there aren't the same senseless posts over and over again (feel free to call me on this lol). We actually address things and stay in topic usually, so it's great to see the forum asleep but know that when the season starts it'll be going strong again. I think Kawakami hit it on the head in that regard: for a frenzied fan like me, it's hard to wait!</div> I'm probably guilty of the same thing. At least the whole tirade where I complain about the team in the same way, even if umprompted. I can also get off topic as in Dunleavy's hair. The reason he has let it grown long since his sophmore nba year is because he knows at some point that the Dunleavy family recessive hair gene probably won't skip a generation. He's got to live it up. Back to Kawakami. I think Janny Hu is a better writer when I'm the audience. All Kawakami ever does is speculate without much basis and isn't patient. So I guess he could appeal to a lot of fans who are the same way and then possibly might end up eating crow. It's like what Wtwalker brought up about this guy's track record. He's going to say something opinionated or controversial and just like a clock, it's going to be right twice a day.
Kawakami doesn't do his homework. He just spouts this and that. Some of the various scenarios he's tossed out show an ignorance of that little 'salary cap' thing. Peter Vescey west. Agree 100% he's not credible.
Yeah. Whenever I read Kawakami article, he really does remind me of semi intelligent fan post, instead of writing whole lot of nothing like the article above. Do some home work first and try to make your article somewhat intelligent. When he first wrote for SJ Mercury, he bashed Jamison, Saint and Muss to death, while worshipped Dunleavy, Mullin and Monty like saviours. Ouch, ouch and ouch...
