This was only a small tidbit of the piece by Matt Steinmetz [FanHouse] on the non-renewal of Chris Mullin and promotion of Larry Riley to GM, but I think it's the most important.
So many great questions.
Jump for the 411.
In fact, the seeds of discontent were sewn two years ago, when the Warriors were very much a player for Kevin Garnett, who was being shopped by the Minnesota Timberwolves at the time
According to multiple sources, the Warriors were close to a deal for Garnett, but it would have required them to take on additional salary that would have put them over the luxury tax.
Warriors management said "No" to the deal, and Garnett ended up in Boston.
Are you kidding me? For years Rowell has publicly peddled the company line that the organization was willing to pay the luxury tax for a player that was worth it and a shot at a championship. He's even duped some Warriors fanatics and the media into believing it.
As my esteemed colleague JAE has eloquently pointed out calling Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohan is cheap is a misnomer. I agree that Cohan's main problem has not been being cheap (he's spent plenty of money over the years) although it has been a problem- witness the numerous expired trade exceptions, and THIS. Unless you're part of the evil green empire headquartered in Boston, THIS has to drive you nuts.
Let's rewind (also see Unbelievable, Unforgettable, and Unstoppable Baby! from The W Column vault). It's the summer of 2006 and Chris Mullin and Rod Higgins, both unqualified for their front office jobs and given them as publicity stunts, are stuck. The Golden State Warriors have missed the playoffs for 12 straight years, 2 under their watch as lead front office executives. They're locked into some terrible contracts that they inked and the head coach of the Warriors is among the league's worst. Out of nowhere Mullin convinces his old pal and coaching legend Don Nelson to leave the good life in Maui and come out of retirement.
Nellie throws some public tantrums about the Murphleavy components of the roster and has them shipped out. Baron Davis and Jason Richardson miss plenty of games, but all of the sudden they're ready to go at full strength as the end of the season is approaching. Nellie digs into his back of tricks and does the unthinkable with a small team- he goes even smaller with quite possibly the fastest, most athletic, and wildest starting 5 this league has ever seen with Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, and Al Harrington. The Warriors go on an unBELIEVEable run to end the regular season.
Shoot to some degree we're all just happy they made the playoffs after that embarrassing 12 year drought. Then Nellie, Boom Dizzle, J-Rich, Jack, Barnes, MP2, Biedrins, and Al SHOCK THE WORLD. In the second round the lost in a very close 5 games, but it was abundantly clear that the missing piece was an athletic big man who could run.
Kevin Garnett fit the bill perfectly. Everyone knew that. With KG the greatest show on hardwood would be a legit contender and at the very least a thrilling box office smash and the talk of the league.
I don't care which players were on the table. If it took the Warriors shipping out their overrated young core of Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, and Brandan Wright to Bring KG to the Bay, it had to be done. Assuming Steinmetz' sources are on point, if Warriors (mis)management nullified a deal for KG because of extra salary and in an attempt to avoid the luxury tax, then they're straight up losers. That's a loser move.
The hardest part about rooting for the Dubs isn't their uncanny ability to perpetually miss the playoffs in a league where over half of the teams qualify for the postseason or the rival of WE SUCK this season. It's rooting for a team that's owned and managed by two men who have proven nothing short of incompetent and who aren't even playing the game to win. Have some pride in your product Cohan and Rowell.
A LINK Back:
- KG Loves India?! We Love KG!!: The GSoM Crew would've happily taken KG out to one of the finest Indian restaurants the Bay has to offer (Kabab & Curry's, Pakwan, Shalimar, Udupi Palace, and Saravana Bhavan) if he was on the Dubs! It's on us man.
- The Bloggers' Bidding War for Kevin Garnett: Bring KG to the Bay!: KG for Al Harrington, Adonal Foyle, and Patrick O'Bryant? Naw we would have been giving up too much. Just kidding, but we would have been dealing with Kevin McHale you know.
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Help Kevin Garnett Find the Warriors: It's funny how little credit we all gave Celtics' alumni and current assistant GM McHale.
- Rumor: Kevin Garnett Interested in the Warriors: The interest was mutual my friend.
- Rumor: Kevin Garnett Wants to Play with Baron Davis and for the Warriors: I have to admit if KG and BD were on the Warriors on '07, Robert Rowell would have probably let them go for nothing. So no loss right? It saved us from plenty of misery.
- Jim Gray Says Warriors in the KG Talks: At least the Warriors were in the talks? (Warriors fans have incredibly low standards.)
- Rumor: KG almost a Warrior on Draft Night: A very, very painful read and link indeed. Wildly entertaining though.
- WHAT IF... Kevin Garnett joined Golden State?: Seriously, WHAT IF?
- Rumor: At least 4 teams had better offers for KG: Credit T-Wolves headman McHale though. Not only is he employed as the Minny GM, but he does some "consulting" for his alma matter Celtics on the side.
- Rumor: Warriors Offered Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis + #18 Pick for KG: Seems to trump the Al Jefferson package the Timberwolves got at the end of the day in my book. If you're part of Warriors Nation you have to do that deal. A below average starting forward who's a great guy and intregral piece of the We Believe run, but pouted his way out of here, an extremely limited, undersized big man who can't guard a single 4 or 5 mano y mano, Where Skipping Half a Season to Ride a Moped Happens, and what ended up being the pick for Marco "no shot selection, defense, or hoops IQ" Belinelli? You got it!
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Q&A: Henry Abbott of ESPN TrueHoop:
"Much more importantly ... did the Warriors even want Brandan Wright? Agents and various NBA insiders refuse to believe that's so. There are a million theories -- he was supposed to go to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett, Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian, anywhere for anyone -- but no one talking to me seems to think this is really the guy the Warriors wanted."
Well we know Nellie didn't/ doesn't want him. -
Q&A: Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress on Brandan Wright: On the J-Rich for Brandan Wright trade:
Skill-wise, there really aren't that many question marks about Wright. He has all-star potential for sure. The question about him is mentally, whether he has the heart and especially the drive to reach his potential. Not quite as bad, but similar to the question marks people had about Patrick O'Bryant. About whether or not this was a good deal for the Warriors...I personally don't. There's a lot to be said for financial flexibility, and the luxury tax, and all that jazz, but from a talent standpoint, the Warriors took a huge step backwards, which makes very little sense to me considering last year's success, and Baron Davis' age, etc.
- Q&A: Jeff Clark from CelticsBlog.com | Q&A: Jim from Green Bandwagon: Most Celtics/ Boston fans come across as entitled whiners, but Jeff and Jim are beyond classy. The Celts' recent success couldn't have happened to two nicer guys. Two of the best in the blogging business have formed like Voltron to bring you CelticsBlog on SBNation.
- Offseason Q&A: Tim Kawakami (San Jose Mercury) Part 3 of 4: The beauty of KG on the Dubs revisited.
- 1 Ring + 19 Straight + More Rings Coming- What Could Have Been in The Town: I bet the majority of the 342 people who voted that they "can stomach the current losing and think this young core is championship caliber" have a different take on the situation now