If you’re watching hoops on TNT this evening, you saw Charles Barkley call out the Golden State Warriors for their treatment of General Manager Chris Mullin. Mullin and team President Robert Rowell are engaged in a power struggle that many believe will end with Mullin being shown the door at season’s end. Rowell has taken it upon himself to negotiate contracts and fired Mullin’s right-hand man Pete D’Allesandro recently. D’Allesandro served as Mullin’s assistant GM. Rowell replaced D’Allesandro with Don Nelson confidante and former Warriors assistant coach Larry Riley.
Rowell also hit Monta Ellis with a 30-game suspension for violating the terms of his contact by injuring himself in off-season moped accident. Rowell’s hard-handed response was a much tougher punishment than Mullin reportedly wanted to levy.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News’ coverage of the Warriors drama has been stellar. Kawakami writes that it was Rowell’s decision to veto a “three-year, $39M” contract extension with Baron Davis that ultimately ended up “screwing up two franchises.”
Kawakami counts down the top 15 reasons why the “events of last summer messed up” the Warriors and Clippers.
Here is reason #3:
3. Warriors got messed up because their summer negotiations with Baron exposed–and exacerbated–the growing rift between Chris Mullin and Robert Rowell.
You know the story: Mullin had a three-year, $39M extension tentative agreement with Baron (if BD didn’t opt-out, so it was basically a $57M, four-year deal) in late-June, but was vetoed by Rowell, who only wanted it to be 2 years and $26M, with the third year un-guaranteed.
I think Mullin considered the veto a slap in the face and a grand misread of the situation. Rowell thought he had Baron beaten. BD opted-out, then got the Clipper deal.
I still agree with Rowell on the numbers, but his hardball tactics with the Warriors’ best player in 15 years was a chilling event–and Rowell’s wild attempts to immediately toss $105M at Gilbert Arenas (who already had agreed to return to Washington) was strange.
Rowell came out of this not trusting Mullin’s long-term “salary-protection” commitment. Mullin came out of it realizing that Rowell was determined to control every personnel move and that the Warriors probably would fall off this season and that he’d get blamed.
Mullin and Rowell started to realize that they probably would not be together much longer, and Rowell was the boss, so everybody started the realize that Mullin’s contract would not be extended.
Worse than losing Baron, this event caused the two executives to lose faith in each other.
The other 14 reasons are an entertaining read. Check them out here.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Great article. Loved the reasons section. Things are really messed up there in GS. The Clippers seem to be on the right track so far. After the Warriors’ Cinderella run in the 2007 playoffs, they were never able to keep that momentum going. GS needs to figure something out in the front office so that Nelson and the team can do their job.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:55 am
I don’t think B. Diddy and Dunleavy can co-exist in LA.
I think the Warriors made a big mistake by letting Baron go.
It wasn’t as if there decision was a financial one. As Kawakami pointed out, they gave Baron’s contract to Maggette. Big mistake.
November 14th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I’ve never been a fan of Baron’s game, but he’s clearly at his best playing for Nellie in Golden State. I don’t think they would be anything more than a 7 or 8 seed even with Baron, but they certainly needed him just to remain in the hunt.
As for the Clippers, it was over when they failed to get Brand.
Both franchises are going backwards. As Barkley would say, what’s going on in Golden State is absolutely turrble. Just turrble.
November 16th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Baron Davis is incredibly talented. I don’t think Golden State’s style of play can produce a championship, but they were fun to watch.
Davis and coach Don Nelson were meant for one another. It’s a shame that politics had to get in the way of a great partnership.