Long time Bay Area sports writer Glenn Dickey recently fielded some questions from the Golden State of Mind team about the Warriors.
Glenn has been a fixture on the Bay Area sports scene for decades. Among his many accolades and experiences, he has authored 16 books and worked at the San Francisco Chronicle for over 40 years. Currently Glenn maintains a great Bay Area sports site at GlennDickey.com and writes Tuesday and Friday pieces for the San Francisco Examiner. He is also a regular guest on The Last Honest Sports Show. You can read more about Glenn on his site.
Here's our questions about the Warriors and Glenn's responses:
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Golden State of Mind: Glenn, you know Bay Area sports history like the Warriors know lottery balls. Maybe you can answer this question that has puzzled Warriors Nation for some time. When the Warriors moved from San Francisco to Oakland what possessed the team to go by "Golden State"? Why not Bay Area Warriors, Oakland Warriors, or even Golden State Warriors of Oakland? (Hahaha had to get in that joke about the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
Glenn Dickey: The year they adopted the "Golden State" name, they were also playing some "home" games in San Diego, which did not have an NBA team. The name stuck.
Golden State of Mind: Name your all-time Warriors starting 5 and coach.
Glenn Dickey: Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway. You'd have to move Nate to power forward, but he played there until Wilt was traded. Coach, Bill Sharman. The players didn't like him but he got results and in those days, coaches didn't get fired because players didn't like them. Imagine that.
Golden State of Mind: We, just like many of our readers are longtime suffering Warrior fans. What's wrong with us? Why do you think there are so many loyal Warrior fans despite their losing ways?
Glenn Dickey: You're crazy? Seriously, I admire Warriors fans for their loyalty, despite the lack of success since the Nelson years. One factor: In the NBA, even a team with a losing record overall usually does well at home.
Golden State of Mind: Will Jason Richardson make the leap next year to become a superstar? What does he need to do to get there?
Glenn Dickey: Richardson has improved each season he's played but to be a superstar, he needs to work on his shot. When he reaches a point where, with the game on the line and everybody knows he's going to take the shot, he makes it. That's not true yet.
Golden State of Mind: Have you heard anything through the grapevine about any Warrior trades going down this summer?
Glenn Dickey: Not a credible one. The Warriors problem re trades is that Richardson is the only player who has great value and I can't see them trading him. I keep reading reports that the Warriors would like to get Kevin Garrnett and of course they would, but they have nobody to interest the Timberwolves in making that trade.
Golden State of Mind: The current ownership and management of the Warriors have been under a lot of fire lately (mostly for not getting to the playoffs). How would you rate them and do you think there should be changes from the top?
Glenn Dickey: Chris Cohan has backed off from day-to-day involvement with the team, which is a good thing. Mark Cuban notwithstanding, owners should not be visible. I've been somewhat disappointed in Chris Mullin. I thought he would do better but even the Baron Davis trade, which looked so good at the time, has backfired. I still think Mullin will put together a good team because he's smart and a very hard worker. I like the way he's willing to take a chance with draft picks like Biedrins and Diogu, who I think will both be very good players in the near future.
Golden State of Mind: What's the difference between the Warriors as presently constituted versus current playoff teams? Do you think that our current roster will soon mature into playoff material or do you think we'll continue to miss the post-season with them?
Glenn Dickey: There are two things that stand out: 1) The Warriors can't shut down a team defensively because of their weakness in the middle; Foyle isn't big enough and Murphy plays too soft; and 2) They don't have a go-to guy in the critical situations. Imagine what Dwayne Wade could do for this team.
Golden State of Mind: Who do you like in the draft for the Warriors?
Glenn Dickey: They need a lights-out shooter but Adam Morrison, who would be perfect, will be long gone. Maybe J. J. Reddick will fall, with his latest DUI problem, but probably not.
Golden State of Mind: Let's say Chris Mullin gets fired and you replace him. What moves do you make this offseason to get this team to the playoffs next season?
Glenn Dickey: I'd move Murphy as fast as I could. He's a "Fantasy League" player with good statistics but zero impact on a game. I'd get a coach who knows the pro game; Montgomery was a great college coach but he's lost on this level. I'd urge that coach to get Diogu and Biedrins into the starting lineup.
Golden State of Mind: Which team will make the playoffs first, the Warriors or the Niners? Why?
Glenn Dickey: The Warriors are closer now but Nolan is shaping the 49ers in a way that will produce results in a couple of years and I don't see any signs yet that the Warriors are moving like that.
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All of us at Golden State of Mind want to extend a special thanks to Glenn for taking the time to answer our questions.
Who knew the Warriors played some "home" games in San Diego back in the day? The entire Golden State of Mind community is lucky to have Glenn contribute to our knowledge base. Make sure to check out Glenn Dickey.com regularly for an inside look at Bay Area sports.
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