GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Tempered Expectations and Mully's Long-Term Plan

By Michael Siegel

Warriors fans, unlike those manic aficionados of USA women's gymnastics, are prepared for something less than gold. Chris Mullin knows this, Chris Cohan knows this and, alas, you and I know this.

Thus, when the Golden Braintrust decided in July to let our bearded, playmaking hero Baron Davis skip to Tinseltown, Warriors fans should not have been surprised. We are not in New York, Cohan is no Steinbrenner and this is not a win-at-any-cost regime.

Humble pie aside, B-Diddy's departure is no reason for the Dubs Faithful to waiver in our We Believe-ing. Unlike their East Bay compatriots, the Fremont A's and the Oakland Traitors, these Warriors are here for the long haul. (To all the true Raiders fans, I apologize, but you know as well as I do that Al Davis is a SoCal phone call away from breaking our hearts again.) The current roster of wunderlings, then, is Oakland's surest repository of championship dreams for the 2010s and beyond.

And general manager Mullin has certainly put some nice pieces in motion.

Fleet-footed Mississippian Monta Ellis is the rock on which the Warriors are built. After improving steadily over three NBA seasons, including averaging 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 2007-08, Monta was rewarded with a $66 million contract and franchise player status this off-season. Although we would be unrealistic to think that Monta will become a Stocktonesque ball-handler, this young man has amazing court awareness, is as fast as a Michael Phelps butterfly, and is unafraid of being The Man with the game on the line. Mullin did well to acknowledge Monta as the heart of this team.

During the '08-09 season, unfortunately, Monta will be late to the battle, due to an off-court injury that was negatively compounded by some late-to-the-game truth-telling. Once our man returns to the court, he will find himself surrounded by a talented, well-regarded, but as-of-yet unspectacular supporting cast.

During the '08-09 season, Monta will go to battle with a talented, well-regarded, but as-of-yet unspectacular supporting cast.

Andris Biedrins will again anchor the post, with the team hoping that his recently signed $54 million contract will presage double-digit points and rebounds for years to come. Andris is not a dominant player, but as lifetime Warriors fans know, he is the best center we have had since Nate Thurmond. (Of course Robert Parish was no slouch either, but he was never a big star until we gave him to the Celtics.) On good days, Biedrins can block shots like Manute Bol and grab rebounds like Larry Smith. On bad days, he still seems to get more points and rebounds than Erick Dampier ever did. We'll take him, no doubt.

Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson provide major firepower for this team, with the two likely to be the second and third scoring options after Monta. If Monta is the heart of this team, Stephen Jackson is the soul, and an increasingly bright, kind-hearted soul at that. This summer saw Jackson start the Jack 1 Foundation, providing community services in his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. The project marks the fulfillment of a renaissance for this formerly embattled swingman, and hopefully the good karma he is generating will extend to the Warriors clubhouse (and the Western Conference standings). Maggette, who was signed to a $50 million contract this off-season, is also known for being a solid teammate and citizen. Together, these two should average 40 points a game and prevent any of the youngsters from becoming too diva-esque.

And youngsters we have! Apart from Ellis and Biedrins, who at ages 23 and 22 are essentially old veterans on this team, the Dubs have a number of blue-chip prospects making their way up the ranks. At the top of this list is the youngest: Anthony Randolph. The Warriors took Randolph, a 19-year-old who played one season at LSU, with the 14th pick in this year's NBA draft. Randolph sizzled in the Summer League and has raised hopes that the Warriors have finally found a suitable power forward. Randolph is joined in the youngblood ranks by last year's rookies, power forward Brandan Wright and shooting guard Mario Bellinelli, as well as by 2008 second-round draft pick Richard Hendrix, a strong-bodied big man out of Alabama. If the Warriors can get some quality minutes out of the tall trio of Randolph, Hendrix and Wright, as well as a few well-timed threes from Italian shooting maven Bellinelli, the playoffs may be within reach again.

The '08-09 team is rounded out by some familiar names, including forward Al Harrington, stud swingman Kelenna Azubuike, former Laker forward Ronny Turiaf and returning benchwarmers C.J. Watson and Kosta Perovic. Mully signed Summer League standout guard Anthony Morrow and acquired Nets guard Marcus Williams to fill the final roster spots. Williams may turn out to be a diamond in the rough as this former UConn star had a great NCAA tournament in 2006 but has yet to have a chance to shine in the NBA. Don't be surprised if he ends up as the Warriors' starting point guard.

Overall, our man Mully deserves credit for navigating the treacherous waters of the NBA salary cap and Baron Davis' egomania in putting together the 2008-09 Golden State Warriors. Whereas Davis' new team, the L.A. Clippers, has maybe a two- or three-year window to contend for the eighth playoff spot in the West, the carefully constructed Warriors look to be postseason regulars for many years to come.

We won't win championships anytime soon, but maybe that is OK. At least we're a competitive Bay Area team!

Michael Siegel was born and raised in Oakland. He is waiting for local fans to purchase the Warriors, a la Green Bay and their beloved Packers. Until that day, he simply wakes up each day hoping that no one screws this up.