Probably the stupidest move any GM has made in the last few years. Get to the playoffs after 13 years then trade your 2nd best player, fan favorite and heart of the team?

Finally somone who can understands what a GM has to deal with. Mullin is a good GM, not the best, but he has done good with what he has had in front of him. This post came from the heart and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I like this current team’s potential. Its a whole lot better than the team that he took on and light years away from our teams in the mid-late 90’s. Seriously… how could you argue w/ that?

So far I think Mullin has done very well as GM. He made some mistakes early and I think those were “Rookie GM” mistakes. He gave his existing players big contract extensions that they may have not deserved (Foyle, Murphy, Dunleavy, Richardson). I think these were emotional decisions on his part. He liked his guys and wanted to keep them around. I was always a Derek Fisher fan so I liked signing him but I still thought he got a bit more than he was worth.

Mullin then corrected his mistakes and dumped those bad contracts for some players that other teams would have quickly passed over. He grabbed up Baron Davis for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis which is probably one of the most lopsided trades in Warriors history and was clearly the best move Mullin has made as GM. He also gets rid of Dunleavy’s and Murphy’s contracts and gets Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson. This is the move that puts the Warriors over the top and into the playoffs along with getting Don Nelson back to coach the team.

Dealing away Jason Richardson is probably the biggest mistake he has made so far and I think he knows it but I can understand why he did it. Richardson’s pay could be construed as being a bit more than what his play was worth but in my opinion he was worth it. At the time, everyone knew that Kevin Garnett wanted out of Minnesota and I think Mullin was trying to make room to fit him in. The Warriors had a developing star in Monta so Richardson becomes somewhat expendable in many people’s eyes. Mullin then trades Richardson away for a kid with potential in Wright. Minnesota asks for too much to get Kevin Garnett and ends up going to the Celtics. So the Warriors lose Richardson and don’t get Kevin Garnett. This is probably the worst case scenario that could have happened when Mullin made that trade. But the one bright side is Wright has potential but we never really get to see that because Nelson won’t play him. This probably the biggest mistake that Mullin has made. He should have had the a deal to trade for Garnett on the table that worked for both teams before shipping off Richardson. WIthout Richardson, the Warriors don’t make the playoffs. Had Richardson stayed, I think the Warriors would have made that 8th spot last season. (I’m a little biased here because I am was and will always be a big Jason Richardson fan. I loved watching him play for the Warriors and was very sad to see him get traded. He definitely was the heart and soul of the Warriors while he was here.)

Now we come to this current offseason. Baron Davis opts out of his contract and shocks the Warriors by passing up on $17.8 million. The Warriors didn’t make much effort to sign Baron to the long term contract that he wanted and why should they have. Baron played all 82 games but to say that he is suddenly an iron man is ridiculous. I honestly think that we saw Baron’s best year last year. His age and injuries will catch up to him and he won’t be the player that he was. He didn’t get a huge offer from the Clippers and even if the Warriors offered him the same contract, he wouldn’t have taken it. It became pretty clear to me that he wanted to go back home to L.A.. In the long run, it was a good decision to let him go.

Signing Turiaf is a no-brainer. The Warriors had been one of, if not the worst, rebounding and defensive teams in the league. Getting a guy like Turiaf gives the Warriors just what they need the most. I think we might have overpaid for him a little bit but we needed to make our quota of crazy French guys now that Pietrus is in Orlando saying hi to Mickey Mouse.

Maggette is probably the one signing that I have the biggest problem with and I think this is Mullin’s way of trying to replace Jason Richardson. If Maggette can bring the same attitude and passion to the court that Jason Richardson did, I am all for it. If he plays like he did for the Clippers, I don’t know. We did over pay for him but we had to in order to lure him away from teams with championship potential like the Spurs. There is little to no chance of the Warriors winning a title in the next few years so they would have to throw some serious cash his way to lure him in.

The last couple of moves, I like. At first, I didn’t like getting Marcus Williams. I thought giving up a conditional first round pick was a little much. I would have been happy if we just offered a second round pick but I’m just being a cheapskate. We’ll see if he is worth it. Maurice Evans should be a great addition. I have liked watching this guy in Detroit and L.A. and most recently with the Magic. He should be as good or better than Pietrus and comes at a lower price tag. Why the Magic chose to pick up Pietrus over Evans is a mystery to me. Evans seems to be more mature and consistent.

What does Mullin have left? Kelenna Azubuike can still be signed if they match the Clippers offer. I don’t think it’s going to happen by Friday. I think Mullin is will be looking at some of the sign and trade possibilities out there before trying to re-sign any of his young players. I will really miss seeing Kelenna playing for the Warriors but he is getting the payday that he deserves. As long as Andris and Monta aren’t signed yet, there is still going to be some maneuvering going on especially with all the trade rumors that I am sure we are all hearing. We’ll see what kind of team we have by the start of the season and again after the trade deadline. But so far, I think Mullin has done a very good job.

Considering that there is still a lot of work to be done and recent moves have yet to make their mark, I give Mullin a B+. He’ll get an A if the Warriors make the playoffs this season.

yours is tinted through rose colored glasses

simply mentioning the several repeated bad signings (Dun, Murph, Foyle) which put this franchise in a deep hole for several years is not a small matter to be as easily dismissed as learning from one of those mistakes

DFish was a bad signing – he was overpaid and we had to virtually give him away so as to unload another bad contract of Mullin’s creation

Baron did not choose to come here, he was traded here and was as much a problem here under Montgomery as he was before – up until Nelson got here Baron was an albatross who, like the above mentioned players was untradable the month prior to Nelson’s arrival.

The Indy trade was not genius, it was desperation on the part of two clubs and there’s plenty of evidence on both sides of that trade in the season and half since it was made.

You’re correct about Nelson – Mullin’s turning point WAS when he convinced Nelson to return, as it was Nelson who got the most out of Baron, Jax, Al, Ellis, Barnes & Andris. Nelson was also the one who helped Mullin mitigate the anchor which was Foyle’s contract and which still drags us down today. Credit goes to NELSON and rightly so. Mullin’s pre-Nelson moves are overwhelmingly harmful to the franchise while the progress that has been made is after Nelson arrived. Yes Mullin drafted AB & Ellis, but they were not utilized nor maximized under Montgomery (Mullin’s hire). The POB/Kosta draft could still go down as one of the worst 1-2 picks in NBA history,
- then Nelson was brought on board.

The JRich trade cannot be evaluated without appraising the cap ramifications and the potential of Wright. However, had Mullin not put us into the cap hell-hole he had prior to Nelson’s arrival, he might not have felt compelled to unload a starter on a playoff team for a player yet to make a contribution still. And that doesn’t even address the possible KG connection … Also in that draft are Marco and Lasme, making two pretty poor drafts when measured in productivity on the floor. Wright’s potential is the only redeeming quality from those picks. And Marco is Mullin’s boy – the special player he’d been watching for years (so he said, not me) and who was going to pay immediate dividends (Mullin’s claim)

I AGREE that Baron wanted out and that he’d have not been a good long-term investment, but you ignore that Mullin (a) was surprised – such that had he had a better understanding of his own team he might have attempted a trade earlier, or a S&T so as not to be left with nothing after Baron bolted (b) Mullin panicked – absolutely – with the Arenas offer which, had it been accepted would have left us without the ability to resign Monta and Andris. I believe his strategy was to re-sign Monta if Brand accepted, or resign Andris if Arenas accepted but that’s pure speculation on my part. The point is Mullin lacked the acumen to have an accurate read of his own team – potentially that will become fatal. Baron, Brand, Arenas, and Maggette all played the off-season “game” better than Mullin did. As much as I like the signing of Maggette, we paid more because of the position Mullin allowed us to get into.

You are RIGHT that this year’s team has more depth, and you correctly point out that many on this board overvalue our own role players (ala Barnes) and that’s a product of familiarity (we also undervalue guys like MP because we can’t forgive them for not making the big FTs vs Utah or stepping out of bounds). Like you I like the additions of Maggette and Turiaf (in fact had suggested both previously on this board). Both are going to meet important needs on this roster and I applaud those signings. But we had to overpay for both (perhaps not as much as some have claimed). That is a partial result of the state of the franchise, and that is Mullin’s responsibility. You wrote “Brand wanted to be in the east where he has a shot for a title – is this Mullin’s fault?” Yes, that is Mullin’s fault. He’s had years to build a roster that would be complete with Brand, hell if we had Baron here maybe Brand would have thought twice. Had he not made several (not just one or two) of the previous mistakes we may have grown out of the stage where we have to overpay for FA, trade for disgruntled stars, and hope we hit HRs in the draft. And maybe, a Brand player would actually want to come play here under the most fun style in the NBA …

We are facing – in your own estimation – two more seasons of sub .500 production. Is that the sign of a good GM? Do you think Portland is thinking that? Where and when did their GM start visa vie Mullin? Subtract Oden (who hasn’t played) and that roster is brimming.

We are also facing the end of Nelson II – and Mullin needs to make a good hire on the next coach. Are you confident of that?

I’ve been a fan since Nate Thurmond and Steve Johnson patrolled the paint, Jamal Wilkes cranked back his silky shot, & enjoyed Sleepy Floyd, World B., and all the rest. Not all of Mullin’s critics are bandwagoners or wet behind the ears. Some of us have even been around the game awhile in a professional capacity. Suffice to say that our definition of a decent GM differs from yours. While Mullin may not be as bad as some of GS other examples of managerial ineptitude, that doesn’t make him better than what he’s produced.

This off season isn’t over, Mullin can continue to improve our club and we all hope he can. That doesn’t mean he gets a pass on all his past mistakes & the ramifications we still live with. A true fan isn’t one who glosses over the bad and only focuses on the good – a truly passionate fan enjoys and understands the game, and the games within the game. That includes roster management. I guarantee you NY & Philly fans know that.

Does ANYONE here think Chris Mullin would actually be a GM anywhere, let alone for the Warriors, if he wasn’t a star NBA player?

I doubt he really truly earned his position through his hard work in the front office, and he has often seem overmatched and while striking 2nd round gold with Monta, he has REPEATEDLY made bad, even HORRIBLE picks in the lottery. I think Anthony Randolph might turn this around, but it’s about damn time.

Aside from Jerry West, is there any ex-star-player who has done well recently as a GM?

Buttafingas, the Blazers made the playoffs last in 2003, after 20+ years in a row. The subsequent 3 years they were awful, and had awful management that wasn’t going to get any better. In a way, being so bad helped the Blazers because it allowed a young, smart guy like Kevin Pritchard to come in and take over. Since KP took over for the 2006 draft and finally became the official GM in 2007, it has been a very quick turnaround.

The Portland way of rebuilding only works if you got good management, and good management drafts well and keeps the right players happy.

Now, I don’t think the Warriors were ever gonna win with Baron, so I don’t mind you losing him, but you could have gotten SOMETHING for him. I like the Warriors rebuilding, as the previous team was fun but wasn’t likely to do anything in the postseason. If that’s good enough after a long playoff drought, I understand, but you guys probably want more.

If you truly want to rebuild, signing Maggette is an extremely odd choice, since it’s a long, expensive contract for a player who is about 30 and relies on his athleticism to play, and you have plenty of veterans AND youth who play the same position.

I get that you love Chris Mullin the player, but has he done anything post-NBA career that warrants the honor of running a NBA team as a GM? If I was a hardcore Dubs fan, I’d rather get someone who earned the position through hard work and not star power.

The Baron thing really hurts, but it might be the best thing to happen to the Warriors in years because it set you up to be pretty bad, and then you can get a REAL superstar in the draft. Signing Maggette might throw a wrench in that plan, and not make you good enough still to make the playoffs.

Sideways moves don’t help when you’re trying to rebuild into a contender.

I am constantly confused by what Chris Mullin is doing. I had hopes he figured it out more when he traded away all of his bad signings (Dunleavy, Murphy, Fisher), but it doesn’t seem like much has changed.

I dunno man… if he wasn’t Chris Mullin the star of the Warriors, I doubt he’s good enough to be a GM anywhere.

Mortimer

I’ve said this before in a previous topic, but I’ll reiterate again: Mullin’s tenure has been quite a rollercoaster ride. For every good/stupid move or two he’s done, he’s followed it up with opposite ones. The good stuff he’s done have been acquiring Baron Davis for practically nothing, locking J-Rich to a long-term deal, finding Monta Ellis late in the draft, replacing Dunleavy and Murphy with Jackson and Harrington, and replacing Mike Montgomery with Don Nelson—in contrast, his dumb moves include favoring Foyle over Dampier, wasting money on Dunleavy and Derek Fisher, hiring Mike Montgomery in the first place, dumping a reliable scorer/leader (J-Rich) for an unproven rookie (Wright), and not being bold enough to nab significant stars such as Kevin Garnett.

In short, Mullin does stuff that has some people singing his praises one moment, and other people calling for his blood the next. Put it all together and you have someone who is neither great nor terrible, but overall serviceable.