Buy your tickets!!! It’s Lottery Night!

The Warriors have taken a new direction by first not renewing the contract for Chris Mullin and by naming Larry Riley as the new General Manager. Though this is old news, it’s good to let this information sink in and develop a better understanding on where the Warriors want to go. Mullin has been in the office for five years and I believe he did a decent job with the talent and money he had. He resurrected Don Nelson’s coaching career, resurrected Baron Davis’s career, gave a home to the trouble but talented Stephen Jackson, and got the Warriors back in the playoff hunt and talk. You can’t tell me that after that one amazing playoff run, where Baron dunked on the Jazz, you weren’t hyped about next season. Everyone that watches basketball was, even if they weren’t a Warriors fan. But obviously, winning and winning enough, is the only definition on how much life Mullin brought back to the Bay Area.

The Warriors front office refuse to look at this as a firing, but rather they will not renew his contract. They have failed to look at what Mullin has done for the ball club, and only look at his failures, from draft picks gone awry or locking up the wrong people. Though, either way, I am not a fan of Mullin’s or a supporter of not renewing his contract, it is clear that the job itself hinders on how lucky you are.

Though I liked Mullin and his style, I am sure that this new GM will instill his own stlye that is quite opposite of Mullin. I rather be in a transition of knowing where and what direction to go, rather than a direction that is up in the air.

The first real task for the new GM, is not settling in his new niche, but who is he going to pick in the draft. Tonight is the lottery night and there are plenty of athletes out there that are good for pickin’ if we land a decent spot. The Warriors have the seventh best chance to get the top pick. Though my fingers are crossed, I have also watched teams that put all their eggs in one basket and fail. Portland, Oklahoma and Boston come to mind.

Remember when Greg Oden and Kevin Durant were the top two guys that you knew were going 1 and 2, but in which order and what teams? Boston had the best chance to get the top draft pick, only to have their opportunity be stolen by Portland. And then there is Portland that landed with Oden, and landed his injuries. Lucky for them, they have a great group of young guys, led by Brandon Roy, so his absence has not affected them too too much. But Durant when number 2 and the guy has not only lived up to the standards but surpassed them. I know for a fact he is only going to get better. And Boston, who had the worst record, did something that most would have not foreseen, because their goal was for the number 1 pick. They traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. And the rest, well let’s just say, Banner number 18 is hanging in the Garden.

So for the Warriors, I’d say this is a good lesson on putting all your eggs in one basket. Don’t rely on the number pick, because not all guys that are number 1 are really number one. With that said, if we do get the Number 1 pick, we should fill a need and not just the best the player out there as well. I’ll be watching the draft closely.