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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Meltdown Madness?

By Michael Siegel

Some of you may remember the days (back in the 1980s) when the New Orleans Saints were the "Aints." The team couldn't buy a win and the New Orleans fans took to wearing paper bags over their heads. These diehards could not quit watching their team, but they were so disgusted with franchise management they refused to show their faces at home games. It may be time for Golden State Warriors fans to dream up a similar initiative.

Barely two seasons removed from "We Believe" glory and a first-round playoff upset of the 67-win Dallas Mavericks, our Oaktown ballers are in big trouble. We have lost key players and squandered opportunities, and the inmates are running the asylum. The bright side? Somehow, some way, the team still has an amazing base of talented players.

The 2009 Offseason: Hope and Betrayal

The aftertaste of the 2008 offseason still lingers. Baron Davis, our inspirational playmaker, is still gone. Monta Ellis, our wayward, ultra-talented combo guard, is still recovering from a moped accident and subsequent disrespect from Golden State management. Robert Rowell, the chief administrator of this mismanaged franchise, is still calling the shots. (Rowell's key decision of 2008 — to gift Stephen Jackson with a huge contract extension — is now the major albatross dangling from the team's neck.) In case you haven't heard, a mere year after he got his demanded payout, Captain Jack is now demanding a trade to a contending franchise. More on this disheartening development below.

Despite the desperate circumstances driving Warriors fans to indulge any and all of our preferred coping activities, there was a glimmer of hope this summer. That glimmer, as it happened, emerged on the day of the NBA draft on June 26.

Hope goes by the name of Stephen Curry

Curry is a scion with NBA pedigree (his father is former Seattle sharpshooter Dell Curry) and played some amazing basketball at Davidson University. In particular, on the largest stage in NCAA basketball — the Final Four — Stephen Curry demonstrated clutch shooting, wise decision-making and a strong ability to lead his teammates.

To the surprise of everyone, the Warriors picked up perhaps the best player in the NBA draft. If things weren't so screwed up, fans would still be floating on a cloud right now.

Instead, a mere month after Curry came aboard, Jackson — our team captain, our remaining leader from the 2006 We Believers, our supposed anchor in this never-ending storm — went public with his dissatisfaction. Because Jackson is owed approximately $40 million over the next few years, because he has a prior record as a disruptive presence (think brawl in Indiana, circa 2004), and because the man is already 31 years old, the Warriors have almost no chance of finding a trade partner. Jackson doesn't seem to care about that, unfortunately. He is looking out for himself, regardless of the clubhouse consequences.

So we enter the 2009-10 season with baggage. Coach Don Nelson has to figure out a way to bring some positive energy back to the situation. Two years after "We Believe," Faith has packed its bags and is walking to the Greyhound station.

2009-10 Predictions: Run, Gun and Pray

The brightest spot for the Warriors is this team's core of talented, athletic scorers. At the top of this list are Anthony Randolph, last year's No. 1 draft-pick, and this year's top rookie, Curry. Randolph is a rangy 7-footer who can block shots, run the fast break, throw down dunks and get to the free-throw line. Curry can hit threes and run the point. Between the two, the Warriors may have the top two players out of the last two NBA drafts.

Randolph and Curry are supplemented by Ellis at guard, Kelenna Azuibuike on the wing, Ronny Turiaf and Andris Biedrins in the paint and a host of other, though less promising, players. Captain Jackson is the X-factor — if he can be motivated to return to the team as a floor leader, defensive stopper and late-game go-to guy, the Warriors will no doubt improve on last year's 29-win effort. This team can score 100-plus points every night, easy. With even an ounce of defense — and Turiaf, Biedrins, Randolph and Jackson can all provide shutdown efforts — the Warriors could win as many as 35 or 40 games this year.

If Jackson becomes a disruptive presence, however, and begins to clash with Nelson or the upstairs management, the Warriors could be looking at 15-20 wins. Fans would then be left with a familiar preoccupation: dreaming of what prospect we can draft next year.

A Call to Arms

Warriors fans are long-suffering. Since Chris Cohan bought the team some 15 years ago, the Golden State franchise has found itself quite unsuccessful, with one playoff visit and 14 trips down lottery lane. 2006 showed us what a little competence could do, but since then the ownership and team management have returned to their depressing ways.

As fans, we seem to have few options right now. (Unless, dear reader, your name is Larry Ellison — then we have some real options. As in, BUY THIS TEAM AND SAVE US, PLEASE!) Short of divine intervention, we need to enjoy the talented players we have now (they may be leaving any minute, mind you) and hope that things do not get any worse. Heck, maybe Captain Jack will get this team on the right track, maybe Curry and Randolph will take the fast track to superstardom, and maybe we will be in playoff contention. And if not, we can always harness our Bay Area creativity to figure out the next, cooler version way to express our discontent with team leadership. Mexican luchador libre masks, anyone?