Like many other longtime Warrior fans I've been mouthing off for years about how it's so depressing that the Warriors are such a cheap, poorly run organization that isn't the least bit committed to winning or putting out the best possible product on the court. I often say the Warriors don't make sense, they just make cents for Cohan and company. The Warriors play in a big market and are the only one of the major 3 sports to not have to share the wealth with another franchise (i.e. 49ers and Raiders, A's and Giants) in the Bay Area. Throw in the Bay Area's infatuation with hoops and you have a product, no matter how terrible or cheaply assembled, will be big box office hit sure to fatten any tax evading billionaire's wallet.

At a preseason game earlier this season Hash and I were chilling at the Roaracle about an hour before tip off and he broke down Cohanomics to me by pointing out the steady increase of frosty, foamy beverage costs the past 3 years. I myself stick to that overpriced sweet and tangy lemonade, but I have to say I really feel for my man. Likewise I really feel for the best fans on the planet who continually shell out the green and have such unmatched support and love for their hoops team that it requires a decibel meter on ESPN telecasts at the Roaracle for an organization that hasn't exactly returned the favor the past decade plus.

But maybe I'm just another one of those Warrior fans still traumatized from those 12 years of mismanagement. Maybe I'm wrong and the Warriors really are trying to shell out the funds to put a winner on the court this season that will improve on last year's unBELIEVABLE run. Maybe I'm just another whining fan/ consumer. You know I have been wrong once in my life before!

So let's take a look at the payrolls and cap room from all the 30 teams in the NBA:

1. Dallas Mavericks Payroll: $95,604,543 Cap Room: $-39,974,543
2. New York Knicks Payroll: $95,394,773 Cap Room: $-39,764,773
3. Denver Nuggets Payroll: $83,816,899 Cap Room: $-28,186,899
4. Miami Heat Payroll: $75,015,603 Cap Room: $-19,385,603
5. Boston Celtics Payroll: $74,233,753 Cap Room: $-18,603,753
6. Philadelphia 76ers Payroll: $73,411,391 Cap Room: $-17,781,391
7. Portland Trail Blazers Payroll: $71,471,949 Cap Room: $-15,841,949
8. LA Lakers Payroll: $70,959,905 Cap Room: $-15,329,905
9. Phoenix Suns Payroll: $70,843,875 Cap Room: $-15,213,875
10. Washington Wizards Payroll: $67,757,751 Cap Room: $-12,127,751
11. Cleveland Cavaliers Payroll: $67,723,135 Cap Room: $-12,093,135
12. San Antonio Spurs Payroll: $67,493,962 Cap Room: $-11,863,962
13. New Jersey Nets Payroll: $67,469,420 Cap Room: $-11,839,420
14. (Tie-14) Houston Rockets Payroll: $67,178,388 Cap Room: $-11,548,388
15. (Tie-14) Indiana Pacers Payroll: $67,178,388 Cap Room: $-11,548,388
16. Toronto Raptors Payroll: $67,052,973 Cap Room: $-11,422,973
17. Detroit Pistons Payroll: $67,037,076 Cap Room: $-12,371,285
18. LA Clippers Payroll: $64,527,831 Cap Room: $-8,897,831
19. Minnesota Timberwolves Payroll: $64,413,259 Cap Room: $-8,783,259
20. Chicago Bulls Payroll: $64,153,975 Cap Room: $-8,523,975
21. Sacramento Kings Payroll: $63,693,604 Cap Room: $-8,063,604
22. Seattle SuperSonics Payroll: $63,521,101 Cap Room: $-7,891,101
23. Milwaukee Bucks Payroll: $63,648,469 Cap Room: $-8,018,469
24. New Orleans Hornets Payroll: $60,844,890 Cap Room: $-5,214,890
25. Utah Jazz Payroll: $60,065,044 Cap Room: $-4,435,044

26. Warriors Payroll: $58,586,885

    Cap Room: $-2,956,885

27. Orlando Magic Payroll: $56,541,463 Cap Room: $-911,463
28. Memphis Grizzlies Payroll: $55,630,000 Cap Room: $0
29. Atlanta Hawks Payroll: $54,631,874 Cap Room: $1,098,126
30. Charlotte Bobcats Payroll: $52,875,736 Cap Room: $2,754,264

* As of November 25, 2007 via ESPN's NBA Trade Machine. Please post any concerns or issues that should be noted about these figures in the comments.

Would you believe the Warriors have the 5th cheapest payroll in the league this season?

A few thoughts to jump-start what figures to be an enormously interesting discussion after the jump- and yes, that's a lot of jumping!

Continue reading this post »

We're about an 1/8 of the way into the Warriors season and it seemed like a good time to check out how they're doing numbers-wise with the help of some old skool friends of mine. Let's just say these good folks learned how to count on the streets. Yup the mean streets of Sesame. This is some serious street knowledge right here. Before we look at the numbers after the first 10 games of the season for the Warriors a few caveats:

The Excuses

• Stephen Jackson, the Warriors 2nd best player, missed the first 7 games of the season and the Warriors struggled mightily without him going 1-6.
• Matt Barnes has missed 3 games and is understandably distracted.
• Mickael Pietrus missed 3 games to tend to some personal matters.
• Al Harrington missed a game to tend to some personal matters.
• Big offseason free acquisitions (okay, maybe that's taking it way too far) Troy Hudson and Austin Croshere have missed a combined 13 games.
• Two of the Warriors first 10 games were against the Jazz who are their kryptonite.
• DJ Mbenga's only been with the Dubs for 2 games.

The Positives

• The Warriors opened up their current East Coast swing with 2 wins.
• They're 2-1 with Stephen Jackson back.
• They handled business like they were supposed to against the Clipped in Oaktown, the Craptors in Toronto, and the Bricks in New York.

The Realities

• Jazz : Warriors as Warriors : Mavs
• The Dubs actually lost a game to the Mavs at the Roaracle Arena. That hasn't happened in over 2 years.
• Minus key role players Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, and Sideshow Bob the Cavs beat the Warriors in Oakland.
• Even though they were without Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston the Clips beat the Warriors in LA.
• Despite playing on the second night of a back to back thousands of miles away from home the Detroit Pistons came into Oakland without starters Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess and abused the Warriors.
• Boom Dizzle has yet to miss a game (he's almost guaranteed for at least 20 a season) and this team is still batting .300 which is great in baseball, but terrible in hoops.
• The Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Nuggets, Rockets, and Jazz are all virtual locks for the Western Conference playoff bracket barring something tragic. That leaves only 2 spots and most likely 1st round exits for the Hornet (9-4), Lakers (7-4), and Warriors to fight over (although the Clips could surprise us all and are off to a solid 6-4 start). The Warriors have a long way to go before they catch those 2 teams.

Some fun and not so much fun with numbers after the jump!

Continue reading this post »

Hopefully we won't see anymore of this

When Chris Mullin took over Warriors' personnel decisions in 2004, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew was that he was a great player for the Warriors and had many strong ties to the Bay Area. But none of that meant he was going to be a great or even good GM. I was skeptical and he made a few blunders in the beginning, but now it's looking more and more like he's going to be one of the better GM's in the league (with a little help of course).

He's made a lot of changes to this team and now he can really call it his own. With Adonal Foyle and Jason Richardson unloaded this offseason and Mike Dunleavy Jr and Troy Murphy traded during the season, Garry St. Jean's influence on the team is officially over. Chris Mullin has now replaced all of the players who were on the team before he got there with his players. The Warriors' longest tenured player currently on the roster is Mullin's first draft pick, Andris Biedrins who has been on the team all of 3 years.

Say goodbye to Garry St. Jean regime and say hello to CME, the Chris Mullin Era. More thoughts after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

And if we love them, why do we only love them if they're fine?

Since the whole cheerleading incident went down several weeks ago with a divided Warriors nation caring and not-caring about cheerleaders, it made me wonder why do cheerleaders even matter to sports?  We take cheerleaders performing at sporting events as a natural phenomenon as white on rice (though the white on rice hegemony is being destabilized with the emergence of the ‘healthier’ brown rice).  Then I thought, why are there no cheerleaders in baseball?  It wasn’t until a few years ago that the Boston Celtics dance team arrived on the scene.  Why was that?  Based on the varied responses on this blog alone, dancers provide (or are supposed to provide) top-notch dancing, sexual desires of men and maybe even some support for the team.  If we juxtapose these three demands (and anymore that I might have left out), you can begin to ask yourself 1) why are cheerleaders always women? and 2) why does cheerleading necessitate being eye candy for men?  A few folks that commented on GSoM recently accused cheerleaders of looking like prostitutes.  Are the Warrior girls necessarily to blame for their outfits?  Who provides the costumes and why?  We have had some intriguing dialogues here on GSoM about the significance of race to sports, but we rarely interrogate how sports is active in producing ideas, not just reflecting, ideas about gender--specifically of femininity.  More specifically, why is it that cheerleaders end up looking the way they do?  And is it necessarily fair that we blame them for those particular representations?

The general stereotype goes that cheerleaders are expected to be attractive.  Heck, my standards of "attractiveness" are often more a priority in how I judge cheerleaders than dance skills.  Sometimes I could careless about dancing skill, but that’s probably because I’m not a great judge of great dancing (I’ll leave that to my girl, Laurie Ann Gibson).  But my discussion is not whether it’s an either/or or both, but rather why cheerleaders exist in the first place and if they do, why are they represented the way they are.  I commented on the contradictory expectations of women in sports to be both (hetero)sexual but also somewhat "virginal" at the same time.  Cheerleaders are expected to arouse our senses. Yet, if the coverage of the Carolina Panther cheerleaders a while back was any indication, it was more of a crime that two women were making out in the bathroom of the restaurant than their actual crime of disorderly, intoxicated conduct at a restaurant.  If we trace the origins of cheerleading in sports, these contradictions get even messier.

As it turns out, cheerleading in American culture started as a male thing.  In Go! Fight! Win! Cheerleading in American Culture, Mary Ellen Hanson archival work suggests that it actually was an elite male activity in the late 19th century.  Once an informal practice gradually became "feminized" in the 1920s.  With the development of professional sports in addition to the conditions of spectatorship being taken out of the hands of fans and into the control of culture industries, gender roles and expectations became reinforced.  Hanson basically makes the argument that the voyeuristic gaze is also masculine as the women are expected to look and act a specific way.

Apparently, the sexualization of cheerleaders has become quite a controversy that even Russell Crowe has something to say about it.  Crowe, who owns a professional rugby team in Australia, dismissed the current squad of cheerleaders for their scantily clad wardrobes in favor of a male and female marching band.  As the story goes, fans of the team, his wife included, were disturbed by what the cheerleading wardrobes might suggest to young girls about how women should look like.  But further, that what they represented was no longer what he thought cheerleading was about.

Interestingly, the problem with the cheerleaders and whether they are necessary is actual a larger discussion of the behavior of male rugby fans at games and the disrespectful attitudes they have experienced from some fans.  

But does this example with Russell Crowe suggest that the dancer’s outfits are partially dependent on the audience, largely male?  If, as in the case of rugby, sports fans are beer guzzling making testosterone overflowing men watching social practices that define what we perceive to be the conduct of "hyper-manly men," then don’t women, in essence, have to embody the opposite to be considered "feminine?"  In the diary, "Old and New,"Bojangles responds to some stereotypical representations of cheerleaders:

So, despite these cheerleaders going on TV telling us that they’re school teachers or having their bios posted describing their status as full-time students, why do some of us (myself included) continue to think of cheerleading and cheerleaders as irrelevant?  If they are as irrelevant as several people here claim them to be (during the whole Warrior girl debacle of a few weeks past), then why are cheerleaders ubiquitous in basketball, football, college sports, and even high school sports?  Why do we continually devalue cheerleading but find it everywhere?  Why do we continually see cheerleaders as, what Bojangles describes, "a fake-breasted, bleached blonde, player-chasing ditz" stereotype?

Though I don’t have any answers, I am curious to see what people think about these contradictions.  There’s no homogenous answer, as the Warrior girl issue was any indication of the varied positions we have on the subject.  But, why do we make of these cheerleading dilemmas?

Stern's is seeing dollar signs when he is in Yi's presence. No joke.

Before and even after the NBA Draft, the mystery around the hottest international prospect Yi Jianlian generated some interesting, though not surprising, responses from his critics.  Some, not all, of the criticism of Yi--whether it was his actual age, his lack of adequate professional competition, and where he should play based on specific demographics--are just more manifestations of American Orientalism.  That is, American perceptions of itself as "dominating" politically, economically, culturally etc. is achieved by distancing itself from its perceptions of a weaker, backward Asia.  In other words, America identifies itself by making up some crazy ideas of Asia with no real quantifiable evidence then claims itself to be everything but that.  Its probably true that Yi’s competition in Asia is not up to par with the NBA and SOME of the international arena.  But hypothetically speaking, if Yi is really 19 and most kids drafted are as young as 17, 18, 19 (like rail thin Brandan Wright) -- many who have only played high school or a year of college with competition that is physically undeveloped -- are we to say that Yi has a lower ceiling?  Is Yi -- who’s age ranges from 19-22 -- playing in China’s professional league less likely to succeed against kids in America or Europe his own age if not younger who have also played against some strong, but much equally mediocre competition (at least in relation to the NBA or even NBDL)?  Are those people who rely on the "low competition" argument suggesting that the Chinese league that Yi played against has totally stunted his development forever?   Are we to assume that the Chinese professional basketball leagues are WORSE than high school competition or almost ALL college teams?  How would you be able to qualify AND quantify this judgment?

This illogical logic comes up again in the debates of whether or not Yi should play for Milwaukee.  In several (not many) instances on this blog, people have criticized Yi for "whining."  In one instance, as Atma showed me, a blogger called him a "Chinaman" (what is this the 19th century?) and that he should just go back home.  A few others have echoed this same sentiment: Yi should just suck it up and deal with it AND he should feel privileged to play in America and if he refuses, he should, again, just go home.  What strikes me is how people conflate Yi playing in the NBA, a business move, as the American legend of the "immigrant narrative." It’s as if people think Yi is immigrating here, attempting to establish citizenship, and to live here permanently and we American citizens (and not the NBA) are granting him this wonderful opportunity and he should be thankful.  That is the general "immigrant narrative" as we know it in America.  My question is, why should we be thankful for the corporations that are making money off of Yi? One has to consider the structural limitations to Yi's actual choice-making. EDIT: Is Yi Really calling the shots or do the corporations (i.e. the NBA) that are trying to make money of him the ones really trying to dictate where he is going. My belief is the latter.



Shane Battier shoe deal in China comes off the deals that Yao has already established.

This particular logic of Yi as just another ‘immigrant’ reduces the complexities of Yi’s situation.  For one, Yi is not immigrating here nor is he trying to gain citizenship (at least not that I know of yet).  Second, to argue that Yi is "whiny", should just "deal with it" or "go back to China" forgets the HUGE international, global capitalism at work in making Yi a star and making the NBA and many multinational corporations TONS of money.  A Google keyword search of "nba china market" brings up dozens of articles dating as far back as 2002 describing the NBA’s primary interest tapping into the market in Asia and the millions of dollars it has poured specifically into China and other Asian corporations to expand the NBA empire.  Don’t believe me?  Click here, here, and here.  

I’m not here to make a moral or ethical judgment on whether Yi should or should not report to Milwaukee, which the Asian/Asian American population is less than 2% of the city’s population.  But what moral or ethical judgment I am making is that rather than viewing Yi through the parochial anti-immigrant, nativist lens, we all need to consider the huge financial opportunities and profits the NBA and the rest of the globalized world wants to get in that is embodied in Yi and other Chinese players in the NBA.   In these articles and even at the draft, the NBA is deliberately trying to use people like Yao and Yi in the NBA to help sell their product (NBA merchandise) overseas in places like China.  Check it:

Granted, Yao was not the top selling jersey, its more evident here how Yao’s presence in the NBA has led to the increased consumption of anything NBA in China.  This translating into more dollars for Stern:



Here is more on the billion dollar investments in overseas Chinese players in the NBA.  From an article titled, "NBA uses Yao to court China":



But its not just the NBA who’s driving this, it’s a concerted effort between multiple corporations:



If these articles and the other dozens are any evidence, Yi’s ability to pick and choose where he goes is constrained, in a large part, by market logics.  Whether it’s Yi preference to be in a large Asian American community is actually his choice, doing whatever it takes to make sure their (the NBA, China, and other corporations) investment, that being Yi, is in the proper place to succeed is a top priority. If multiple corporations have their hand in how Yi's career goes, shouldn't they care about the well being of their product? Isn't it common logic that companies try to keep their employees happy through random incentives? Is Yi's case any different? 

To assume that Yi is coming here purely on his own will and to treat him as an ordinary immigrant is EXTREMELY short sighted.  The emergence of skilled Chinese basketball players should not be considered a complete anomaly considering how involved the NBA has been in developing interest in the game internationally in their own efforts to make more money.  In some ways, you could say the NBA’s economic plan backfired when some international competition began to outplay even the best of the best in basketball --this dating as far back as 2000, the last time Team USA won the gold having to go through several nailbiters against Lithuania and France.  Instead of opting a nativist stance by policing the national basketball borders and blaming international players for coming here or forcing them to play by America’s rules, those criticizing the deluge of international players should really be pointing their fingers at the NBA for starting the global interest in basketball by penetrating their economies to consume mass quantities of NBA products.  


Stern even brings over cheerleading. I wonder if he will also export choreographers in his next campaign?

The particular situation of Yi is more complicated than American Orientalist assumptions of Yi as another "Chinaman" who needs to play by American rules.  What this particular situation has shown us is that the NBA is in fact shaking hands with corporations and nation-states around the world in an increasingly integrated global economy--playing by the rules of global economics, which Yi is smack-dab in the middle of.   The NBA is as much invested in Yi’s success as his camp is and from my predictions, the NBA is as much implicated in the perfect "product placement" of Yi as much as Yi's camp is. Granted, money could be made anywhere. But why the big deal when Oden and Durant went to smaller markets? People were up in arms saying that it made sense for them to be in "big markets" to tap into all the marketing and merchandising. Or what about rumors of Lebron going to New York, where again, they can tap into a huger market? If we come to think that location is completely irrelevant in Yi's case, why do we keep bringing it up with future stars such as the aforementioned? To assume Yi has nothing to do with marketing and is ONLY about "appeasing" the Asian community in the U.S. is just plain stupid and eurocentric biased  Before we jump to anymore conclusions or judgments about Yi, I urge you to follow the money first.

The Yi Movement:

• 2007 NBA Draft: We want Yi Jian Lian!
• The Yi Movement Continues...
• Yi's Got Yao Ming and the Ladies Running!
• Yi Dropping Double Doubles
• Spanish Fly vs Yi Fly
• China vs USA- It's Yi Time!
• RECAP: Team USA 119, China 73
• Yi is FIBA's Interview of the (Long)Week
• Yi's a Sure Thing + Coast II Coast Bust
• Yi at FIBA and 2k7 Draft
• Yi in 2k7
• Yi's Sweeter than Mango Mochi Ice Cream
• Nellie Loves Chinese Ballas
• Yi Chat with Chad Ford
• Scouts LOVE Yi
• Is The Yi Movement Over?
• Rumor: Warriors are Yi "Approved"
• Rumor: Warriors and Bulls Want Yi
• Dwight Howard Endorses The Movement
• Yi's "a sight to behold"
• Rumor: Yi Could Pull a Fran Vazquez
• The Yi Movement Gets Junkdafied
• Rumor: Jason Richardson for 5th Pick (Yi Jianlian), Theo Ratliff, and Sebastian Telfair
• Rumor: Jason Richardson + #18 pick to Grizzlies, Celtics or Bobcats
• Project O'Bust vs Yi Jianlian
• Yi in Town
• Rumor: Jason Richardson + #18 Pick for Bucks' #6 Pick (Yi Jianlian)
• Chris Mullin Talks about The Yi Movement
• Yi Jianlian Takes Over ESPN.com
• Yi Blogs like an American!
• Rumor: Warriors Trying Hard for Yi Jianlian
• Rumor: Andris Biedrins + #18 Pick for Bucks' #6 (Yi Jianlian)
• Rumor: Warriors Willing to Move Monta Ellis for Bobcats' #8 Pick if Yi's Available
• In the 2007 NBA Draft the Warriors will select...
• With the 6th pick in the 2k7 Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks take...
• Draft Day Reflection

The Warriors weren't the least bit shy about making blockbuster moves during this past Thursday's NBA Draft. With the 18th pick in the first round they drafted Marco Belinelli which wasn't exactly expected. Here's my initial reaction that I gave ESPN's True Hoop after the pick:

Will Belinelli make the Nellbelly come out in his rookie season?

In the second round the Warriors selected Jermareo Davidson with the 36th pick and Stephane Lasme with the 46th pick.

Lasme will protect this house!

But the biggest draft day shocker for the Warriors was of course the trade with the Charlotte Bobcats. In exchange for Jason Richardson and Jermareo Davison (haha, was this trade dependant on the Bobcats' getting this 2nd round pick?) the Warriors got UNC power forward Brandan Wright.

The day for the Warriors can be summed as the following: No one expected the unexpected. (By the way wasn't that 8Ball, MJD, Puffy, and Mase track classic?) Here's 23 thoughts about the day:

1. Poker face Mully and Nellie
First of all I have to give Chris Mullin and Don Nelson major props for that poker face. NO ONE predicted that they'd add a trio of Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, and Stephane Lasme to the NBA's most entertaining team. They simply shocked the NBA world with their moves on Thursday.

2. Next year?
My biggest worry with the trade the Warriors made on draft day is that they actually took a step back for next year. I'm assuming that Brandan Wright's rail-thin body isn't ready to go up against the Carlos Boozers, Tim Duncans, and Amare Stoudemires of the world yet and the Warriors lost their starting 2-guard who is just one season removed from dropping 23 points and grabbing nearly 6 rebounds a night. Behind Al Harrington, Jason was their most reliable 3-point shooter and the 3-ball is what powered this team in shocking the Mavs and going on that ridiculous finish to the 2006-2007 regular season. It's a head scratcher why the Warriors would take a step back for next season when Nellie's here on a year-to-year plan. Shoot, I'm on a year-to-year plan as well. It's all about next year.

3. Alley-Oooops for Breaking up BoomRich
You've seen countless crazy, high-flying, death-defying dunks from Jason Richardson over the years and they're not misleading. One of the most underrated aspects of JR's game is he's a very crafty finisher around the bucket- layups, tip-in dunks, alley-oops, reverse-layups, you name it. It's a valuable skill which Jason has mastered.

Who's going to finish those stylish alley-oops from Baron Davis in traffic? Who's going to come out of nowhere backdoor (a very high hoops IQ move) and get the easy deuce? These two guys had chemistry and style. The BoomRich backcourt was the identity of this team for the past 2.5 years. Every time another team was about to face the Warriors they knew they were about to go up against one the league's best backcourts with two uberathletic, high-flying, entertaining, big, and strong guards with so much heart and energy. BoomRich was just looking for an excuse to embarrass you.

By loyal GSoM community member FiveTenEnt

Unfortunately, the BoomRich backcourt is over. It was well worth the price of admission and I hope they're reunited again someday.

4. "Saving" $50 million
I keep hearing and reading Warrior fans saying they're happy to be "saving" $50 million. I've said it almost as many times as I've said you can't play Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy on the court at the same time because of their atrocious defensive and low percentage offensive output, but I'll say it one last time: You don't clear cap space by getting rid of guys like JRich. You use your cap space to get guys like JRich.

By the way, I was just peering into my wallet. It's still empty and I'm still a broke mofo. Where's the 50 million big ones? It cracks me up how the NBA and NFL have bamboozled its fans into caring about obnoxiously-rich guys saving money. Are you really happy that 1 for 13 Chris Cohan doesn't have to pay Jason Richardson? Didn't think so.

* Disclaimer: See thought #17.

5. Cap space isn't for contenders
Cap space is for losers (ahem, Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks). In this modern day era no team aside from the LA Lakers with Shaq (although I'm admittedly a little hazy on their cap status back in 1996 and they have that LA factor and Laker cred on their side) has ever leveraged cap space to bring on a free agent that led them to a championship. Hopefully the Warriors reverse the trend, but championships are won through drafting well, ripping off other teams in trades, and in house development. Again, you can argue that the Warriors might have done that by trading for Brandan Wright and drafting Nelibelli and Lasme, but cap space itself isn't a win. It's what you do with it and that often means overpaying players to entice them to leave cozy situations (see Wallace, Ben).

6. "A dime a dozen"
I keep hearing and seeing people knock Jason Richardson by saying that 2-guards in this league are a dime a dozen. That's entirely true and he's not an elite swingman in this league, but it's a big mistake to think that swingmen of JR's stature are a dime a dozen. Find me a dozen 2-guards currently in the league with JR's skillset or better. Even the ones you list will have their own flaws just like Jason- Richard Hamilton can't dribble, Many Ginobili is a flopper and is injured 40% of the time, Michael Redd doesn't do anything but score, etc. 2-guards are easily irreplaceable, but those of JR's status aren't.

7. "No handles"
A lot of Richardson's critics in Warriors Nation like to point to his poor handles. This is no doubt a legit stance, but you're kidding yourself if you think his current replacement at the offguard spot Monta Ellis has any better handles. Jason could at least hide his below average handles with his outside shooting and post up game (which he seemed to have lost this season for some reason). Monta simply cannot go not left right now and when teams shade him to that side and nullify his quickness with a Tony Parker or Devin Harris, he winds up getting benched. Neither Richardson or Ellis have the best handles, but Monta's lead to many more careless turnovers.

8. D-League demoter Nellie
Don't think for a second that Brandan Wright's life is going to be easy next year as a rookie playing for Coach Don Nelson. Nellie is notoriously tough on rookies and even tougher on first year big men (see Webber, Chris and O'Bryant, Patrick). Wright is a fabulous prospect, but do you really think Nellie has all that much patience right now to spend developing a power forward?

9. Damaged goods?
One aspect of this trade that few people are talking about is the injury plagued season that JR is coming off. If JR can't rebound to where he was in the 2005-2006 season from his knee problems, the Warriors just ripped off the Bobcats like they did the Pacers (minus the jokes of course). Hopefully though Jason will be fine. I want to see him do well in the Leastern Conference.

10. Resigning Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis
If the sole goal by getting rid of JR's big money contract from the books to resign Biedrins and Ellis the Warriors made a big mistake. These guys have blatant flaws in their game that I doubt they'll ever overcome. I know I'm going to get called out for this, but hey- I thought the same thing about Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, and Mike Dunleavy before Mullin inked to them those expensive contracts because he projected them to be worth the big dollars. At the time I wouldn't have handed out any of those deals including Richardson's. Neither Biedrins or Ellis will ever be superstars in this league. They'll be good players, but nothing great or untouchable.

11. BETcats' mistake
The ESPN crew really ripped the Bobcats for making this trade and I'd have to agree with them. JR is a fine player and when healthy one of the league's most underrated stars. However, he's not a franchise player by any stretch which is what the Bobcats were looking to obtain in this trade. But let me be clear- all 2 of those Bobcats fans out there should be happy that JR's on their team because they got someone who's easy to root for, but this was a very curious move at best and pretty expensive.

12. No complaints
One of the things I appreciated the most about Jason Richardson was that he never complained. Unlike some of his past teammates, he never complained about how inept his coaches and supporting cast often were. You need guys like that on your squad. Let's hope Belinelli, Wright, and Lasme have that in them.

13. 5 years down the line
Provided Brandan Wright isn't a flat out bust, the Warriors set themselves up for a sparkling bright future 5 years from now. If Wright and Biedrins can both eat right and put on some weight, they could be a nice 4/5 tandem in the league for a decade. That's a big deal in a league that prizes good big men.

But again I don't care about 5 years from now. I care about now. The Warriors were "rebuilding" for 12 straight years. Nellie doesn't have much more time here and honestly I don't have much more time blogging this team.

14. Looting a loaded draft
The fact remains that the Warriors were able to net a lottery pick and a sleeper late first rounder in a very loaded NBA Draft.

Ready locked and loaded.

That's both commendable and very impressive, not to mention extremely creative. Who knows how these 2 players will pan out in the end, but it does speak volumes about their talent level to be picked in those spots in this particular draft with Nellie's input.

Brandan Wright: "Yo Kenny- tell Chuck it's all about the Bay Area!"

15. Breaking up the fam
My main man Fantasy Junkie said this best in the opening for his piece Draft Day Reflection, but I'll add to it. JRich was fam. JRich was a true Warrior. JRich was Bay. No doubt. 1 Dub. 1 Luv.

Nuthin but luv.

For those of you who couldn't care the least bit about moving Jason or think we're just being silly for feeling for the man in this "business decision" (dont forget there would be no business if it weren't for loyal fans like us), then you probably haven't been with us since NBA Draft day 2001. You probably weren't there when the Warriors took this hyperathletic kid who was a winner in the NCAA tourney, but extremely raw. You probably weren't there when JR won back to back slam dunk titles putting the Warriors on the map on those All Star weekends. You probably weren't there for those two Rookie-Sophomore games where he made us incredibly proud. You probably weren't here for JR's stunning 5 straight years when he improved his overall game and scoring average, while guys like Mike Dunleavy and Erick Dampier were lazily and idly sitting by collecting undeserved paychecks. Hell, you probably weren't there for those cold and dark nights in the Arena in Oakland earlier this decade when the Warriors were getting blown out by 20 or 30, but this kid was still playing his heart out. You probably weren't there when his teammates and even his coaches quit, but he still kept giving the fans something to root for and a reason to watch. You probably weren't even there for this:

UNSTOPPABLE BABY.
[closlug]

There's not much I can say to you guys.

Jason Richardson: Remember the name.
[GoldenState23Fan5]

16. Chris Mullin's full of it
When asked if Monty was going to get canned after the disaster that was the 2005-2006 Warrior season Mullin said NO. When asked if Jason Richardson was going to be traded numerous times this season Mullin said NO.

This is fantastic. Mullin has become a master of setting up smoke screens and manipulating the media to leave everyone confused. Again, excellent poker face. You gotta love a front office man who's ready to take a gamble and shock the world. I was worried that he was going to be another complacent GM a la Gary St. Jean when he didn't pull the trigger for a much-needed shakeup in that terrible 2005-2006 campaign, but things have completely turned around for the better with regard to his style of front office moves.

17. There could be $10 million reasons why the trade was great
If Mullin actually uses the exception to bring in a stud, then please excuse my thought #4 from above. But if he lets it go to waste like he did with the league's largest in season trade exception two season's ago (which he let expire) with some silly move, then oh my. That's unstoppable baby like Marc Jackson.

18. It's coming...?
I honestly don't think Mullin and Nellie are done dealing yet. If these moves were simply a precursor to a net a bigger fish- like some masala fried fish for our man KG- then count me in as a huge proponent of the Warriors' moves on draft day. The Warriors traded away their heart and soul this past Thursday and there's nobody better to fill that void than Kevin Garnett. Anything within reason that brings KG to the Bay I'm in favor of. Again, every move for the Warriors this offseason should be towards winning NOW.

19. The youth movement?
Was Danny Ainge masquerading as Chris Mullin last night? Old people win in this league, not young people (unless you're an uber-all-world-talent like Lebron James or Dwyane Wade which I can guarantee you these 3 new Warriors are not). Why would a young team want to get even younger?

I'll bore you once more- I'm not ready to sit through another youth movement or rebuilding process. I want to win now. You don't play to build up a roster that you project will be good years down the line. Borrowing a line from then New York Jets coach Herman Edwards- "You play to win the game."

I'm with Herm.

Look, Fantasy Junkie, DJ Fuzzylogic, Hash, and I are first time season ticket holders for next year. (Yes, we finally raised enough dough from this crazy hobby we call GSoM- more on this later of course.) We didn't buy season tickets to watch a team play for the future. We bought these tickets from the blood, sweat, and tears we pour into this community to watch the Warriors win- NOW. We've seen over a decade of suck and made a decade's worth of jokes about the "good times". The rebuilding has gotten old, but winning never gets old.

20. Friends in high places
I don't think this isn't the last deal between the Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors that we'll see over the course of the next few years. The ties and bonds between ex-Warrior GM and new Bobcats GM Rod Higgins has with the Warriors are strong. Yo Higgy- we're happy to take that undersized center Emeka Okafor off your hands for the current longest tenured Warrior and "all time great" Adonal Foyle. I kid, I kid.

21. Improving dollars and sense
A lot of NBA players work hard just to get more zeroes on their next contract, but the interesting thing about Jason's tenure with the Dubs is that he actually worked hard to get better and win every night out. After he got paid he didn't lose the fire like Erick Dampier, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, or Adonal Foyle and stop improving his game. Haha, okay well I guess Damp and Dun never had that fire in the first place.

Don't discount this big Jason Richardson accomplishment in the midst of the losing culture that pervaded this organization for over a decade under the incompetent Chris Cohan. It's a big deal.

22. Backloading the money
A lot of NBA hoops analysts bring up the remaining 50 mill on Jason Richardson's contract. The money on Richardson's contract is backloaded (which is actually fairly common), meaning that the Bobcats are paying the brunt of the 70 million dollar contract Mullin inked JR to back in 2004, not the Warriors. I have to give props to Mullin here- he managed to hook his favs JR, Murph, and Dun to big money deals, but didn't actually have to pay that much of it.

23. Bad Karma
I was listening to Rod Brooks on KNBR 680 who was strongly in favor of the trade, but made the point that JRich was absolutely beloved here. He was beloved by the fans, his teammates (I don't think it's a good time to poll them for their thoughts on this trade right now), and the organization. Jason loved playing here as well. JRich was with us during all the bad times- and believe me there were some awful times for Warriors Nation between 2001-2006. We Believe and finally see the light and then BOOM- he's gone. Sorry, but I don't think the trade with the BETcats won the Warriors any points with the hoops gods.

Sport that #23 with pride.

The now throwback Jason Richardson #23 Warriors jersey: Blue | Orange | The City | Tagline | Youth | Girls Tee -- and yes, I hate the fact that the JR jersey sale profits are all going to the Warriors.

Give us 23 thoughts about draft day 2007 for the Warriors in the comments section.

Also see:

• JRich or Die Flying
• Draft Day Reflection
• Live Blog of the 2007 NBA Draft
• Warriors 2007 Draft Central [Warriors.com]

Photos: Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty, Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images

Well the Warriors did what many of us thought was unthinkable today by trading fan favorite Jason Richardson without netting a big name like Kevin Garnett or even Jermaine O'Neal. There's tons to talk about this move, but here's a few of my random unorganized thoughts a few hours after the Warriors traded the face of the franchise away:

• Who cares about slashing payroll? Show me one game that cap space has ever won.
• Any guesses as to how Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, and Mickael Pietrus feel about this trade? I'm guessing not too happy.
• This team had great chemistry last season. The chemistry was so great that it was able to overcome the gaping holes on this roster. This is a very risky move that could disrupt that great locker room and oncourt chemistry.
• Whatever happened to winning NOW? Why give up a stud like JR who helps you out immediately for more young talent? I thought Nellie didn't want to wait around while a team grows up.
• I could care the least bit about trading JR to make room for a Monta Ellis extension. Don't get me wrong I love watching Monta, but don't forget- Jason is the one who showed up in the playoffs when it mattered the most, not Monta. I know I'm in the minority, but I don't see Monta ever being as good as JRich. Neither are superstars or will ever be, but JR's heart, skillset, and chemistry are all a given.
• Could the Warriors be any more out of touch with their fan base? I think it's time for the Warriors to hire some new marketing personnel. Today was a disaster for the Warriors' personal relations. No Yi and no more JRich. Painful. The Warriors just traded away one of our own- one of our fam.
• Anyone else think the Warriors wouldn't have made this move to save money if Adonal Foyle wasn't inked to that absolutely foolish deal?
• After the trade was official I was joking with Fantasy Junkie that we should try to return our season tickets for next year. Or maybe I was only half joking...
• I'm proud to sport my now throwback #23 Jason Richardson Warriors' jerseys. Any day. Any time.
• Jason- If you're reading this man, THANK YOU. Nuthin' but luv. TRUE WARRIOR... TRUE WARRIOR... TRUE WARRIOR...

There's plenty more to say of course, but I'll leave you with one of my all time favorite clips on YouTube:

[HustleNHeart]

Also see:

• JRich or Die Flying
• Draft Day Reflection
• 23 Post Draft Day 2007 Warrior Thoughts
• 2k6-2k7 REPORT CARD: Jason Richardson
• MT Talks to JRich
• JRich Still Shocked, Angry

The results are in and GSoMers believe the most untouchable Warrior in trade discussions should be Baron Davis by a wide margin. Thanks to all 1,232 of you who voted.

1. Baron Davis (47%): No Baron, no playoffs. It's that simple.
2. Andris Biedrins (26%): Hopefully this value is just inflated by the position Biedrins plays. He's not the second best player on this roster by any stretch. Remember, the Warriors actually made that crazy playoff run to end the regular season with him on the bench and Al Harrington starting at the 5 spot.
3. Monta Ellis (12%): His contract to production ratio is outstanding, however he was a complete no-show in the playoffs.
4. Jason Richardson (10%): A year ago he easily would've taken the #1 slot.
5. Stephen Jackson (2%): He might not be as untouchable as the rest, but given his history and conflicts with the refs he actually might be more untradeable than Adonal Foyle.
6. Al Harrington (0%): He's probably just an average to below average starter in this league, but an excellent force off the bench and fit for Nellieball. TMNHarrington's versatile enough to play the 3, 4, 5 and spots for Nellie.

Mullin, Rowell, and Cohan- you can thank us for this free market research by not messing up this year's draft like last year. Don't worry Nellie's there to help you out.

Are you surprised by these results?

Look out for the world famous GSoM draft poll later today...

Post Pacers' heist, the 2007 Golden State Warriors were an extremely fun team to watch. I don't think you'll find any Warrior fan or even NBA fan that thinks differently. However, there seems to be plenty of difference in opinion amongst GSoMers (the most intelligent Warrior junkies on this planet) about who's the most untradeable Warrior. Some aren't willing to part with Boom Dizzle and that crazy beard. Some aren't willing to part with JRich or Die Flying. Some aren't willing to part with the youth in Andris "Good Ivan Drago" Biedrins and Monta Ellis to the Rim! Some aren't willing to let Action Jackson leave the Yay. Some don't want to see TMNHarrington go. But let's see what the consensus is here at the golden spot- vote or die on another great GSoM front page poll.

Which of these Warriors should be the most untouchable in trade discussions?

• Baron Davis
• Jason Richardson
• Stephen Jackson
• Al Harrington
• Andris Biedrins
• Monta Ellis

A Yay Area classic!

Track of the Day: Mac Mall- "Get Right"

The polemical and controversial, yet always astute, Spike Lee takes aim at the racial politics of professional sports.  More precisely, the famed director helped launch the journalism program at his alma mater, Morehouse, to address what him and several others describe as "a modern day journalistic apartheid," that is current sports journalism.

Lee's comments suggest that race (and in my opinion, gender, too) continues to be the undeniable specter of sports.  The facts seem pretty strong.

Yet, Lee's push for more representation of black journalists goes beyond inclusion; he urges for a more nuanced representation of black athletes.  Drawing on the recent NFL draft and the Brady Quinn vs. JaMarcus Russel debates (which sounds a lot like the Bird vs. Magic debates of the 80s, see Todd Boyd's Am I Black Enough for You: Popular Culture from the Hood and Beyond for some insightful analysis on this comparison and its racist inheritances and legacies), Lee discusses how 19th century biological ideas of race continue to inform how we think about not just black and white athletes but about black and white people in general: black people are physically gifted, BUT the white people are intelligent.  Some say that that sucks for white people because they're never taken seriously as athletes.  Hmmm, given the choices of being considered smart or dumb, I think being considered "athletically gifted" is a curse in disguise.  Even Etan Thomas from the Washington Warriors...er.. Wizards chimes in with some thoughtful considerations of social segregation and its impact on writing and black representation.

Although Lee's argument is a recycling of arguments made through the last few decades, its resonance still holds water in current debates of the race politics of sports journalism and to a larger extent, sports.  His argument easily goes beyond the "pulling the race card' in my opinion, because it's a question of accountability as much as it is about unequal access to journalistic opportunities.  As we've seen recently seen from sports fans and bloggers bloggin on the Warriors playoff run, peoples' knee jerk reaction to upset and aggressive black masculinity is to fall back to racist cookie cutter representations of the black brute in clear opposition to a clean cut static white image of wealth and properness (is that a word?).  

I'm not making excuses for Stephen Jackson's meltdowns in several of the games.  Nor am I condoning JRich and Baron Davis' antics responding to the refereeing.  Heck, I'll probably be the one and only fan of the Warriors to say they're a "dumb" team considering the amount of unforced errors they committed against Utah (which probably comes with inexperience in high pressure situations).  But how often do we continue to hear the common stereotype that black players lack the "IQ" compared to their cerebral White counterparts (the Dunleavy debates are a good example)?  I'm not saying white athletes don't have to contend with stereotypes too, which many athletes have said have come to their disadvantage in sports, too.  I don't doubt it.  

The debate should shift away from "oppression olympics" discourse.  It should also shift from trying to find a "truth" to whether there is a difference between white and black players, because that debate just reeks of some eugenicist, phrenology thinking that goes black to the logics of slavery and finding a way to justify Africans as the perfect slave.  Some might say that "cultural sensitivity" training that many corporations seems to deploy to avoid any lawsuits might help the situations.  Not likely, because it still doesn't get at the real problems of race.  Like Lee says, the focus should center on the uneven representations of black and white athletes, but also the uneven amount of black and white sports journalists.  This points to a larger problem of racial and social segregation (institutionally and sometimes self-imposed) that continues to haunt the U.S. today.