Attention Warriors: Here's what a Franchise with Class Looks Like

Shapecity · Nov 1, 2009

(10-31) 18:46 PDT -- Tim Hardaway was both touched and thrilled by the sight of Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond at Miami's home opener Wednesday, the night Hardaway's No. 10 jersey was retired. "When I saw them come in, my night was complete," said Hardaway.

It must have been nice for Mullin, too, watching a franchise pay proper respect to the past. The Warriors haven't retired Mullin's No. 17, and now that Mullin has been chased out of town amid the front-office turmoil, Don Nelson is calling Anthony Morrow "the best shooter I've ever coached."

Unbelievable.

Mullin wasn't simply a five-time All-Star who scored at least 25 points a game for five straight years, averaged 29.4 during the Warriors' 1989 playoff run, earned a first-team All-NBA selection in 1992 and was selected to the greatest basketball team ever assembled, the '92 Olympic Dream Team. He was a shooter of mythical proportions, a man revered by every gym rat, playground legend and NBA superstar he ever played against. He was clutch, he had style, there was magic in his hands, he did it for 20 years (including college), and ...

Anthony Morrow? Great kid, phenomenal shooting touch, but he doesn't belong in this argument in any way.

Then again, perhaps Nelson just forgot about Mullin. That seems to be the mood around the organization. Hardaway's credentials don't approach Mullin's, but they honored him in Miami for his massive heart, his stirring playoff performances against the Knicks in the late '90s, and perhaps the most dynamic crossover dribble ever seen in the NBA.

Though certain Golden State trades remain etched in the memory (Baron Davis on the upside, Robert Parish on the down), you might not recall the one involving Hardaway. The Warriors traded him to the Heat in February 1996, along with Chris Gatling, for Bimbo Coles and Kevin Willis. A memory best swept under the rug, and left there.

3-dot NBA

While the slight Stephen Curry makes an immediate impact in Oakland, two other undersized rookie point guards have made similar impressions: Denver's 5-foot-11 Ty Lawson and Minnesota's 6-foot Jonny Flynn. Lawson has become an instant factor off the Nuggets' bench, Chauncey Billups telling reporters, "He has something you can't really coach, and that's speed. I mean, we have a little bit, but he's a freak in that way." Flynn, starting for Minnesota and playing with extreme confidence, is "a giant inside that small body," said teammate Al Jefferson. "He won't be denied."

... Another interesting rookie: Sacramento's Omri Casspi, who Wednesday night became the first Israeli to play in the NBA. A hustling, tough-minded forward with years of experience in big games overseas, the 21-year-old came off the bench for a 7-for-9 shooting night in 19 minutes as the Kings lost their opener to Oklahoma City ... Note to Curry and dozens of other guys in the league: Either wear the mouthpiece for real, keeping it inside at all times, or don't wear it at all

... Chris Bosh seems rejuvenated in Toronto, a city filled with exotic international flavor and matching that mood on the floor: Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Rasho Nesterovic, Hedo Turkoglu and Marco Belinelli (who just had his contract extended through next season). They were a delight to watch as they beat Cleveland in their home opener.

Even with three point guards on the roster - Andre Miller, Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless - the Trail Blazers thought enough of Patty Mills to make him the 15th man, but the man who spent two seasons at St. Mary's isn't suiting up. The team has enough trouble deciding between Miller and Blake as the starter, and Mills needs a trade in the worst way

... Blake brought down the Blazers during last season's playoffs and Miller, quite rightly, told reporters, "I didn't come here to sit on the bench." The problem is that Miller and Brandon Roy each like to dominate the ball, creating a spacing issue

... Rasheed Wallace has no interest in being a star, doesn't complain about playing time, plays aggressive defense and loves to nail the big shot. What a perfect fit for the Celtics. With 18 seconds to go, down by a point, they choose between Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo - and Cleveland stands back hoping LeBron James can go one-on-five

... The league has extended its contract-extension deadline until Monday for Rondo and others in his bracket. The Celtics need to sign him, not play out a season of uncertainty that could lead to him into the restricted-free-agent market

... NBA people love to rip Major League Baseball with its payroll disparity and lack of a salary cap, but there isn't a league in the world with less big-picture suspense. People already are writing down Boston-Orlando and Lakers-San Antonio for the conference finals, with the Cavaliers a possibility if they can add an offensive threat ... You wonder which happens first in Cleveland: the firing of inept coach Mike Brown or the physical breakdown of Shaquille O'Neal

..."The body wasn't made to play 82 games," Allen said in the Celtics' camp, and he's so right. The regular season is all about superstars trying to stay fresh for playoff time, and it's guaranteed a few big names will go down. So once again, we offer the solution (never to be adopted, but one the players would love): 58-game schedule. The 30 teams play each other twice, and that's it - one at home, the other away. Huge breaks in the travel schedule; no such thing as back-to-back nights. More meaning to the regular season, and an early start on the playoffs. Works in every way but the owners' pockets. We tend to dream a lot.
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Source: SF Chronicle

CohanHater · Nov 2, 2009

Let's hire Mullin as our GM...

philsmith75 · Nov 10, 2009

Hardaway gets his number retired by Miami and not GS? Ugh.

Rowell's number is going up soon though, so we got that to look forward to.

Custodianrules2 · Nov 11, 2009

Rowell probably thought Hardaway's number going up into the rafters would piss off the gays. I don't even know if anyone remembers Timbug's comments after John Amaechi came out of the closet. It probably has nothing to do with the Warriors' choosing to retire Hardaway's number. The Warriors just suck because of Cohan and Rowell. You can't win if the guys at the top won't let you. I hope the sports columnists and sports caster write these guys out of town. I hate these guys. No more!

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Attention Warriors: Here's what a Franchise with Class Looks Like

Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

CohanHater JBB JustBBall Member

philsmith75 JBB JustBBall Member

Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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Attention Warriors: Here's what a Franchise with Class Looks Like

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Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

CohanHater JBB JustBBall Member

philsmith75 JBB JustBBall Member

Custodianrules2 Cohan + Rowell = Suck

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