Update (2/7/10 8:48am): Make sure to check out Larry Riley Explains/Defends His Decision [Inside the Warriors] as well as Riley's video interview on CSN Bay Area in the Warriors Game Day Links.
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What Chris Cohan is doing.
via cache.boston.com
Jump for the 411.
GSoM friend Marcus Thompson has the details over at Inside the Warriors in Warriors Inexplicably Give Up $5.2M Expiring Contract:
The Warriors made room for forward Anthony Tolliver on the roster by waiving point guard Speedy Claxton, who is injured and hasn't played all season. Yes, they did. Giving up Claxton's $5.2 million expiring contract, a valuable bartering tool, 12 days before the trade deadline for an NBA Development League call-up is just bad.
Bad.
Bad.
I don't get the logic behind it. The contracts of Claxton and Raja Bell ($5.25) gave the Warriors $10 million worth of expiring contracts to use on the trade market. Throw in Devean George ($1.6), and the Warriors had $12 million to trade with.
You know I thought the moniker "Golden State D-Leaguers" was a joke, but I guess not:
The Warriors have now given up $6.5 million in expiring contracts to keep NBA Development League call-ups. Don't forget, they gave up Mikki Moore's $1.3 million expiring contact to keep Hunter.
I'm sorry, but this franchise is just hopeless. This move reeks of the worst owner in all of sports Chris Cohan's continued incompetence. Given Larry Riley's past eloquence and reasonable logic, I have a hard time believing this was his move. Again this just wreaks of Cohan. It's a pure financial, cost-cutting move. It has nothing to do with basketball. It's cheap and...
Dumb.
Dumb.
and...
DUMB.
Who seriously cuts a potentially valuable $5.2 million dollar expiring contract 12 days before the annual NBA Trading Deadline?
Chris Cohan's Warriors.
That's who.
Also see Tim Kawakami's take Warriors throw away Claxton's $5.2M expiring contract