A New Era, but First Some Goodbyes

by Fantasy Junkie on Jul 24, 2008 9:53 PM PDT

I figured before I can officially welcome the new Warriors (yes, it's a little late) and welcome back some returning Warriors, I have to say goodbye first (and yes, this has been even later). It's only right to do so, I guess.

A new Warriors era is starting and the longest tenured Warrior is (well hopefully will be) Andris Biedrins. So before we jump into this youth movement, I gotta pay my respects to the departed. Baron, Matt, and Mickael. 3 key components to my most memorable Warriors season. No, not last season, that magical '07 playoff run.

And Austin, Troy, and Chris don't count. We barely knew ya, especially you CWebb.

Baron Davis

It's a new era for the Warriors. The 13 year playoff drought ended and now the Baron Davis era is over. Though it was short lived, the 3.5 years that Baron was on this team were the best in recent memory. He was the catalyst for that magical run in the 2006-2007 season. I'll never forget the incredible run to end the season playing like a team possessed. Baron was the man. He brought instant credibility to the team that casual NBA fans didn't know existed. Because he's so widely recognized around the league, the Warriors had a new respect.

I cannot say enough about Baron and how much I enjoyed watching him play. He was the reason to watch the Warriors. The star, the guy teams focused their defense on, the player you could count on to hit big shots or make clutch plays. With him on the court, you always felt you had a chance no matter what. The thought of him teaming up with JRich in the backcourt made my mouth water. Two explosive offensive players? Oh my. Too bad it only really happened for that magical playoff run.

But the Boom Dizzle era is over as he opted out and signed on with his hometown Clips. Good luck in LaLa land. With Monta signing a 6 year, $66 million deal, we can now officially move on to a new era, the Monta Ellis era. For better or worse, Mullin and Nelson have pinned the future of the Warriors' franchise on the speedy 2-guard. Does that make me a little nervous? Hell yea. But I'm also excited to be able to see how this team grows over the next few years. Though I might be complaining about missing the playoffs for the next few years as well.

Goodbye BD.

Matt Barnes

Matt came along at the exact right time. Nellie loved his game in that '06-'07 season and so did all the fans. His passion, hustle, hard work, and "leave it all on the floor" attitude resonated with the Bay Area community. He was so Oakland. I remember walking into a jersey store looking for a new Warriors jersey. They had plenty of Pietrus, Jackson, Baron, Harrington, Monta, and Biedrins. You know who they were sold out of? Yup, Barnes. Most popular jersey at that store.

The tats along with the tough, football mentality fit so well with the team especially with the mid-season Jax and Harrington heist.He played out of his mind that season and brought the intangibles to the team that everyone talks about but are impossible to measure. He probably will never have another season like he did 2 years ago, but he'll always be remembered by Warrior fans as a major role player in that magical run. And those half court baseball outlet passes. And the tackles, I mean hard fouls. And the 1 on 5 3 pointers.

Goodbye Matt.

Mickael Pietrus

Check out Au Revoir, Mickael

Goodbye Mickael.

It's hard to say goodbye to 3 major pieces of the roster during the greatest season I've ever experienced. Barring a championship, that season and those players will be my favorite team.

But we move on to a new era, the Youth Movement, the Monta Ellis Era.

3 recs | Comment 39 comments

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YO IM PICKING A FIGHT. I WONT LIE

but if atma was posting this we’d have nothing but two sentences of cry/bitch/moan and “omg we’re such a loser franchise /wrist”. Thank you FJ for putting some professionalism into even our farewells, especially to players as beloved as Davis and Barnes.

We’ll miss them both. From the very first day Davis came off the bench and hoisted an ill-advised three, spreading confidence and field goal percentage accuracy into Dunleavy and Biedrins with his no look passes, and those awesome behind-the-back fake passes to himself, especially the one that led to a dunk over odom in the summer league… he remade the team, transforming them from losers a team with a reputation. ANd it doesnt matter if this rep wasn’t always the greatest or if Davis couldn’t maintain his energy throughout; we’re still thankful to him for making us tougher and for at least initating a change that, without him, may have taken 13 more years.

As for Barnes… that mohawk was so sick. The next week i shaved myself a mohawk too and pimped it pretty well i might add. Barnes did so much for us… when everyone was down he was bustin threes and scoring 30 +... when our players returned he did the dirty work, helped Stack Jack keep his cool… to be honest, I still don’t understand why we didn’t sign him. Yes, he fell of; but it’s not like we had to pay him 5 mil per… I really, really wish we could have kept this underrated glue guy…

But what’s done is done. Farewell both; godspeed and good luck.

by dso on Jul 24, 2008 10:15 PM PDT 0 recs

Loser franchise

Atma’s right, this is a loser franchise.

1) Prior to the ‘06-’07 playoff run, there weren’t too many casual fans who knew that the Warriors existed and where they even played.
2) How many winning seasons has this team had in the last 20 years? I can count them on one hand. That’s a lot of losing.
3) How many times has this franchise been to the playoffs in the last 20 years? Even less than #2. That’s a lot of time fans watch other teams fight for a championship.
4) Outside of the Bay Area, people compare the Warriors to such glorious franchises such as the Clippers and Hawks. We consider them loser franchises. If they’re in the same category as the Warriors, doesn’t that make this a loser franchise?

Lastly, Atma never said that we are loser fans. He just said that this is a loser franchise. Not a franchise for losers. Biiiiig difference.

If you take offense at the Atma telling you this is a loser franchise, tell me how this is NOT a loser franchise. Or better yet, tell me how this is a winning franchise.

by Fantasy Junkie on Jul 25, 2008 1:40 PM PDT up 1 recs

Atma's point about Baron leaving for the Clippers

was to use an inference that even the Clippers were a better run organization than us. Also, all blame for everything bad that happens to the warriors is laid on the trade for JRich, which to Atma (and i know you know atma thinks this way, friend that you maybe) signaled the organization’s choice to move away from being competitive and to instead be more fiscally operative. I, and may others, argue this is not the case. And it’s fine to have two different opinions in a debate; but when you’ve got the front page you should at least try and keep your personal player preferences apart from the organization’s.

If you want to frame this debate under the qualifications this franchise can claim to being a winning organization, then of course you’re gonna win. But this wasn’t my point, nor was it Atma’s.

Let’s keep this conversation limited to his postings over the summer, shall we? First, there’s that ridiculous shit he posted on the front page after Baron left, as well as maybe one or two more where he bitterly decries our loser franchise in one or two sentences. Then, by using the all-too-familiar college method of quoting a source to back your point, he posts an article claiming that “BARRING ANY OTHER MOVES, LOSS OF BARON DAVIS IS EPIC FAIL” (of course, differently worded). Well, shit, Free Agency hasn’t even started and this site is posting about how much of a failure this offseason has been.

But the thing that REALLY irks with me ATma is that he’s keeping a running total. When shit goes bad, he’s always going to refer back to this. Look at the way he posted a quote about trading Jamison for Van Exel for Davis for nothing. Good god. You know this better than I, since you know him and I just watch what he posts. But if the warriors don’t make the playoffs or don’t surpass 48 wins, then you know Atma will be waiting, laundry list of bitching in hand, ready to complain.

Tell your homie that girls don’t like whiny guys.

And i never used the term “loser fans” either.

by dso on Jul 25, 2008 2:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

all blame for everything bad that happens to the warriors is laid on the trade for JRich

It was a trade against Jason not for, and yes it started the downfall. Even Nelson said the team was better with Jason than without. You can’t be happy with the way things have gone from that season to now can you? Boom’s gone? no real star to direct us? out of position players? string beans ? Atma’s done a better job than Mullin for sure, this site is a winner !
“Tell your homie that girls don’t like whiny guys” Are you a girl? that uses “homie” ?? :>)

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol stalkin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jul 25, 2008 2:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

I don’t really know if I trust what Nelson says here. Without Richardson, they won more games than they’d won since Webber was here. Would they have done as well with Richardson taking minutes from Monta? Hard to say. It’s conceivable that things would have been better, but it’s hard to think that SG/SF depth was really the problem.

by jae on Jul 26, 2008 8:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

I think...

...you’d be hard pressed to find many people who’d say we failed last year because we had “no real star to lead us.” Baron was clearly our star, and the performances we got from supplemental players like Jackson and Ellis were exemplary in almost all respects. Our missing the playoffs was the result of three major factors; an unprecedented parity in the west, our players being worn down late in the year, and the lack of consistent bench play (which relates to the second point). To that end, you could argue that Barnes’ underperformance really hurt, but I suspect the players we had could’ve been a cohesive unit if Nelson had managed them with more regularity. I’m not heaping all the blame on him, but the bench was definately his biggest coaching weakness last year.

by Zack Vank on Jul 27, 2008 6:27 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yo DSO

I really don’t mind your incomprehensible logic and continual random baseless shots at me one bit. So go ahead and keep posting to your heart’s content since you seem to be obsessed with what I think. Be my guest. I have extremely limited time to pour into this hobby right now and you can be sure I’m not going to waste it trying to have a discussion with someone as histrionic as you.

BUT quit swearing or go somewhere else. This is a family show.

by Atma Brother ONE on Jul 25, 2008 7:22 PM PDT up 0 recs

i dont need to cuss to carry my point across.

but keep dodging. if you ever find the time to explain why you whine so much, i’m more than happy to hear you out.

by dso on Jul 25, 2008 8:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

"Whining"

I’ll agree with one point and that is that this site (not just the administrators) tend to overreact early. I’m angered by everybody’s insistence that Marco is a bust for example but that’s another topic. And yes the free agency period is still too young to be judging our team’s performance on or off the court.

But as fans we have only a few responsibilities and hilariously one of them is to whine (or “critique), a prime example being any big city fan (New York, LA, Boston). Now I’m standing behind Atma on this one because I share the same view and opinion of the Warriors front office.

Saying “if you don’t like his views then don’t read them” is rather cliche but it stands true right now. You might have your qualms about Atma’s opinion and his writing style, you’re entitled to that. But I personally find it needless and polarizing to have to point it out.

by gunwing54 on Jul 26, 2008 2:23 AM PDT up 0 recs

Barring a championship, that season and those players will be my favorite team.

Even if we win we’ll never be as cool, that team had charisma! Too bad it was shot down in it’s prime

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol stalkin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jul 24, 2008 10:16 PM PDT 0 recs

Baron going for 17 in the third quarter

against a shellshocked Mavericks, game one… so awesome.

Pietrus taking the no-look and slamming it down super hard.

Barnes and his superfly mohawk throwing it down on dirk.

too awesome.

by dso on Jul 24, 2008 10:19 PM PDT up 0 recs

Baron going for 17 in the third quarter

Jason flattening Devin Harris and Barnes makin a three off the block!!

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol stalkin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jul 24, 2008 11:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

great season

absolutely unforgettable

by AJC3317 on Jul 24, 2008 10:24 PM PDT 0 recs

4/18/07 still the only time a sports event reduced me to tears

http://mymindgrapes.wordpress.com

by 408 on Jul 25, 2008 8:53 AM PDT up 0 recs

I still watch those playoff games

just the other day, i watched game 3 vs. Dallas. I’m all for some new highlights, but those games were such masterpieces.

VDubs=Victorious Warriors

by VDubs831 on Jul 24, 2008 10:40 PM PDT 0 recs

amen brother

amen…

by Foulacy on Jul 24, 2008 11:15 PM PDT 0 recs

mixed feelings

Definetly excited about the new youth era, but I will miss the “We Believe” Warriors. For us Warriors fans who had struggled for so many years, it was so neccesary that we got to the playoffs. I’ll miss BD, his big shots and swagger. I’ll miss Matt Barnes with his hustle and unneccesary flagrant fouls. I’ll miss Mickael with his power swats, stepping out of bounds, and crazy interviews. It was great while it lasted guys, now let’s embrace the new chapter!

by bayareaballa on Jul 25, 2008 6:38 AM PDT 0 recs

also

Patrick O’bryant, i’ll miss… nothing. I wish we could have got a better pick at #9!

by bayareaballa on Jul 25, 2008 6:39 AM PDT 0 recs

I hope

we don’t boo B.dizzle during bub vs clips games. I don’t think we will because we are GoldenState fans, Best loyal fan base in the the NBA!

brb, going to ORACLE

by warrior510 on Jul 25, 2008 10:06 AM PDT 0 recs

i get chills just thinking about those games

by 3Kings650 on Jul 25, 2008 10:07 AM PDT 0 recs

The 06-07 Playoff team...

If only they had one full season together! if only….

by Mr. Monday Night on Jul 25, 2008 10:46 AM PDT 0 recs

Never Forget

Unbelievable, Unforgettable, and Unstoppable Baby! [The W Column]

We Believe… is dead. More on that later.

FJ- Good words potna.

by Atma Brother ONE on Jul 25, 2008 10:51 AM PDT 0 recs

I'd say...

...that’s up to whoever’s asking. Unless you mean from a marketing standpoint. ;)

by Zack Vank on Jul 27, 2008 6:30 PM PDT up 0 recs

It was fun...

But it is done. Just makes me bitter that that 06-07 team got split up the way it did. I’ve been watching the Dubs since 1985 and will say that team is my #2 favorite Dub Squad in the past 23 years. We said good bye to Sleepy, Mullin, Mitch Richmond, Timmy, Manute Bol, Sarunas, Mr. T, Billy O, Spree, Webber, Jamison, Gilbert and JRich. Now its time for BD, Barnes and Pietrus to go.

Will Monta, Belinelli, Andris, B Wright and Randolph run the show with some veteran help, or will 4 outta 5 of the “Young Guns” be gone in 2 or 3 years from now? Who knows. Ain’t it gonna be fun to see! I can’t wait for the season to start!

by gabezgsw on Jul 25, 2008 10:58 AM PDT 0 recs

Hate to be the Grammar Police

But for a Mod and the fact that its at the top of the page, there is no apostrophe on Goodbyes FJ since its neither a contraction nor possession. :-)

Ok back to your regularly scheduled discussion.

by Dubbadown on Jul 25, 2008 11:02 AM PDT 0 recs

LOL

Thanks. For some reason that just looks weird, but it’s correct.

by Fantasy Junkie on Jul 25, 2008 12:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

No problem

Glad I could help! Unnecessary use of apostrophe’s is one of my pet peeves.

(Yes, that is a joke)

by Dubbadown on Jul 25, 2008 4:41 PM PDT up 0 recs

thanks

Really well written, especially the Matt Barnes section, good luck in Pheonix.

by Aware1 on Jul 25, 2008 4:43 PM PDT 0 recs

All brought to you by...

NellieBall! Think about it…

by streetballer on Jul 25, 2008 4:56 PM PDT 0 recs

Goodbye Greg Odenz

The son we never knew.

I am Greg Oden, i am goingz to be trade to The Warrior. hoooray.

Warriors for life. Raiders till death. And The A's when i get free tickets.

by STIX on Jul 25, 2008 10:58 PM PDT 0 recs

rofl?

by dso on Jul 27, 2008 12:14 AM PDT up 0 recs

thank you.....

thank you….. ill be here all week.

I am Greg Oden, i am goingz to be trade to The Warrior. hoooray.

Warriors for life. Raiders till death. And The A's when i get free tickets.

by STIX on Jul 27, 2008 12:27 AM PDT up 0 recs

Baron Davis Farewell Mix

Buike is Hella buff. Does He take steroids?

by 61ixty on Jul 26, 2008 10:57 AM PDT 0 recs

Matt Barnes believed in the system more than the system believed in the system. He exemplified the persona of the out of control, fast paced Warriors game more than the game even existed. That three in game 1 after J-Rich’s block of Harris was such an ill timed three, too early in the shotclock to any casual observer, yet in his eyes it was possible to see that he already set his mind on taking that shot, before the playoffs even began probably. The same scenario happened during his game 4 game clinching shot. Not that it was a bad shot, it’s just that it took a lot of balls to step up to that shot, but there was no hesitation in his step.

That’s why it crushed me when he lost the chip on the shoulder that all Warriors seem to have, and that fire that burns from deep longing of something you haven’t quite reached your entire life (for him it was a place on a team). I think once he became captain, he lost his fire. I know that his mother died but I would think that that would make him hungrier, to play on in her memory. It was a mistake to name him captain I’d say (but it’s fine, because it was counteracted by the success of naming Jackson a captain).

Sorry, it’s just that I just realized I am really going to miss Barnes. Although he has been gone since the beginning of December, I had always hoped he would turn it around. And he still might, but it won’t be the same because he won’t be doing it here.

That being said it was a good move not to resign him, I think he was done here sadly.

by belilaugh on Jul 27, 2008 11:19 PM PDT 1 recs

I have the same feelings man.

Matt Barnes was perfect for that team in 2006-2007, he even had the “Believe” tattoo on his neck to represent his struggle; it resulted in him joining Golden State and taking part as a key player in a historic upset, with “We Believe” as the motto.

The guy was seriously going to quit basketball to try out for several football teams. If Nellie had never noticed him and added him as the last guy on Golden State’s roster, then we would probably see Barnes trying to succeed in the NFL right now. Instead, Matt surprises all of us Ws fans by being a great role player for the team, and a couple months later he surprises the WORLD by making himself relevant against the Mavericks. Many non-Warriors fans saw him in the playoffs and were asking themselves, “Who is this random mohawk’d guy making all those great plays on the court??”.

And back then as a Sixer, Maurice Cheeks would criticize him in practice for practicing long range shots. He told Matt Barnes that his game belongs in the paint. And then as a Warrior, he hits about 7 three’s in his game against the 76ers, grinning at Mo Cheeks after hitting his last three. He only made like 19 in his entire career before Golden State, and then in the 06-07 season he made over 100+, including many clutch shots in the postseason.

I miss that team, they truly gave me that ‘underdog’ feeling. And it sucks, because the Warriors team that we saw in the playoffs, only played 21 games together in the regular season. Those 21 games happened to be the last games of the season, where Baron just got off of knee surgery and the team had the toughest remaining schedule in the league; they ended up going 16-5. Great team that was, man. If only Mickael made his FT’s in the last minute of Game 2 of that second round… we would have gone to Oakland with the series tied up 1-1.

One of the best moments was the final two minutes of our last game of the season, against Portland. The whole time that game clock was getting closer to zero, I kept thinking to myself “wow, we’re actually going to the PLAYOFFS. Damn, we’re actually going to the PLAYOFFS. Holy crap, we’re actually going to the PLAYOFFS!”. The camera showed Jason on the court so relaxed, chewing his gum, knowing that he’s only a couple seconds away from finally reaching a playoff berth; I was hella happy for him man. And then when the buzzer rang, the team huddled up and cheered together on the court, I looked at that whole squad at that moment, trying to preview what those players would probably eventually do in the postseason.

I know this sounds really corny, but sports does that to you sometimes. Time to move on and get ready to witness a progression of a whole new era.

by Five Ten Entertainment on Jul 28, 2008 5:10 AM PDT up 1 recs

If only Mickael made his FT’s in the last minute of Game 2 of that second round… we would have gone to Oakland with the series tied up 1-1.

Yeah, People try to say Utah blew us out but the series was really close. If we’d kept that group together and added a big post up guy we’d have had a good chance to go further last year. Instead Mulson dumped the heart and spoiled the soul and the chemistry was gone. The letdown was not Matt’s fault, he dint blow it up, he was just a victim of the poor decision making like us.

Till I get free
I live my life in the Walmart
Cholesterol chasin me

by Skeptic con Urquell on Jul 28, 2008 9:51 AM PDT 1 recs

Rebounding

The Warriors were outrebounded by 19.6 boards a game during that series, yet they still made the games close. If they had gotten a low post presence like you mentioned, they would have gone far. Damn, I even think that Foyle could have made an impact if Nellie were to play him against Utah’s bigs. And yeah, people think we got owned by the Jazz, but the series is closer than what the final tally indicated. It’s just that the team made little mistakes that prevented them from converting their efforts into wins. I really think we would have gone to the Western Conference Finals if we played Houston in the 2nd round, though. With all the scoring and guards that we had, we would have ran Yao out of the building. T-Mac was like the only other player on that team to really worry about, they had no depth and Dikembe was their backup center. Luther Head would have made shots but the Warriors would have made more.

Going to the Western Conference Finals would have changed a lot of people’s view on the Warriors. When we lost to the Jazz, it lead to people making assumptions that Golden State is a team that can only win if they play against Dallas. I know that the team was good enough to scrape a bunch of more teams than just Dallas, it’s just that they never had a chance to keep the whole crew together and have another go at the playoffs with each other. So now, there’s no way for that 06-07 team to prove that they weren’t a fluke; sure, they won 48 games, but it would have been better if they got back to the playoffs and win a series against a team non named the Mavericks.

by Five Ten Entertainment on Jul 28, 2008 11:46 AM PDT up 1 recs