Mullin's master plan: Get Yao Ming (Mercury News)

These nice guys won't win

By Skip Bayless

Mercury News Staff Columnist


Finally, Warriors architect Chris Mullin made a good move by canceling a bad one.

Make that Nick Van Exit.

If nothing else, Mullin saved his rookie head coach, 57-year-old Mike Montgomery, from going crazier than Chief Inspector Dreyfus did over Clouseau. By January, Montgomery would have developed an uncontrollable right-eye twitch when asked about Van Exel. By the All-Star break, Montgomery would have been giggling madly and plotting ways to rid the world of this uncoachable team-wrecker.

And by season's end, ex-Stanford coach Montgomery would have wound up in a padded cell, yelling: ``Let me out of here! Don't you know I have a game to coach against Arizona at Maples tonight?''

Now, at least, Monty can coach what Mullin is turning into the NBA equivalent of Stanford -- the Golden State Cardinal, a team far higher on coachable character than talent. That trend continued Tuesday when Mullin traded Van Exel to Portland for backup center Dale Davis, a 35-year-old gentleman banger, and Dan Dickau, whom Montgomery would loved to have coached at Stanford.

But unfortunately, this is the NBA's Western Conference, which keeps getting deeper while the Warriors fail to get better. Next season, the Warriors will have less chance of making the suddenly wide-open playoffs than they did two years ago.

The good news: Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss made the dumbest move in NBA history by getting sick and tired of Shaquille O'Neal's attitude and ordering him traded. This was far more about Buss running Shaq out of town than Kobe Bryant calling the shots. Believe Bryant when he indicates he would have re-signed with the Lakers -- who could pay him about $30 million more than any other team -- even if Shaq hadn't been traded.

But now Kobe will start looking far more like Tracy McGrady did in Orlando -- a gunner on a loser. No longer are the Western Conference playoffs mostly about whether or not Shaq feels like playing. Kobe's Lakers will have to scratch and claw just to make the eight-team playoffs.

The bad news: The Warriors will have to scratch and claw to keep from being the worst in the West.

Utah will add Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur to a team that nearly made the playoffs without injured Matt Harpring, who should be healthy. Denver, the NBA's most improved team last year, added Kenyon Martin. Houston added Tracy McGrady to Yao Ming. San Antonio will be even stronger after adding Brent Barry.

Phoenix added Steve Nash and has made an offer for restricted free agent Quentin Richardson. Memphis added Brian Cardinal, who as a Warrior often outplayed Mike Dunleavy last season. Portland is still more talented than the Warriors, and the Blazers just acquired the Warriors' most talented player when his knees weren't barking and he wasn't pouting. Yes, Van Exel will fit like another electrical storm cloud over Portland.

Dallas still has Dirk Nowitzki. With Shaq in Miami, Sacramento has its best chance to reach the NBA finals. Ditto Minnesota.

Even worse news: New Orleans moves to the West with Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn and Jamaal Magloire. That makes 12 teams with a better playoff shot than the Warriors, who will battle the Clippers and Seattle for the bottom.

Next year will be a very long year, and maybe that's the plan. Add another high draft choice while creating cap room in two years. Davis' contract expires after next season, so Mullin's Antawn Jamison-for-Van Exel deal continues to achieve at least part of its initial goal.

Said a Warriors insider: ``Mully's goal has been to clear enough cap space in two years to make a run at Yao Ming. That was a big reason he wanted to get out from under Jamison's contract.''

Great. Stink for two more years, then hope Houston is stupid enough not to do everything in its power to keep Yao, who by then could be the NBA's most dominant player. Sounds like a plan.

And in the interim, waste five years and $41.6 million of cap room on Adonal Foyle, who's no more than a backup center, and six years and $37 million of cap room on Derek Fisher, who's no more than a role player on a playoff team.

Foyle is a bright, nice guy who'll play his heart out for you, but he isn't quick or fierce enough to be a playoff-caliber starting center. Fisher is a respected leader, clutch shooter and crafty defender who could be extremely effective in small, all-out doses for the Lakers. But he isn't a gifted enough passer or athlete to be a starting point guard, and he'll start to age quickly at 30.

So far, not one Mullin move has made you go, ``Wow.'' But here were two more that made you go, ``Huh?'' You win in this league with stars, and the Warriors still don't have one.

Van Exel was a near-star when he was healthy and happy. But the rookie head coach could no more have handled him than he could have imagined landing an NBA job at 57. You also wonder if Montgomery will develop a twitching eye coaching Jason Richardson, a wildly inconsistent shooter who still struggles to use his left hand and find wide-open teammates. Montgomery will consider Dunleavy a coach's dream until he realizes what a liability he can be playing NBA defense.

But Mullin made a nice move dumping Van Pout. Next season, the Golden State Cardinal will lose with character.

 

Oh, I must've missed xiki's thread.

Very sorry, take it away...