WarriorsWorld TV welcomes R&B artist London to the show as the Oakland native breaks down his love for the Warriors and more.

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By:  Sherwood Strauss

WarriorsWorld.net was invited to an event on Thursday which had Stephen Curry demoing Ubisoft’s new Wii video game Red Steel 2.  We caught up with Curry during the event for an interview, check it out.

WW.net: Are you a big gamer, in general? I know Tim Duncan has got a little bit of a rep for that…

SC: I’m a pretty big gamer, I play a lot of sports games, I’m also like that Call of Duty, So a lot games I play, and it’s just kind of my road activity. We have some pretty competitive guys on the team.

WW.net: So, who’s the best gamer?

SC: Probably Ronny Turiaf, he’s probably the best.

WW.net: Does he do crazy victory dances?

SC: Yea, he’s just real animated, he talks a lot of trash too, so, it’s hard to keep him down because he plays a lot.

WW.net: Seems like one of those guys who would play Madden standing up.

SC: (Laughs at my lame joke) I don’t have the same room with him, but I’m pretty sure he would.

WW.net: Speaking of hobbies, I’m interested, that you’re a golf addict.  It seems that you write a lot about it in the GQ Magazine blog, and I’m wondering: Do you think that helps you, do you think that helps your basketball game at all? Is there some crossover there?

SC: It just gives me an outlet, after, during the course of the season, you kinda get swamped with basketball and all that stuff. There’s a lot of pressure involved with that so, it’s just something that I go out and have fun, and kind of a mental release, a little break, I have a lot of fun with it too, over the Summer it gets real competitive, with me and my dad, and guys I played with so, it also becomes like my second sport, competetive wise so…

WW.net: That makes sense, maybe this is a little off topic, but will you be rooting for Tiger first week of April for the Masters?

SC: I will be. Off the course, issues he’s dealing with, but on the course, he’s still one of the best, and I think, he won’t miss a beat. Once the Master’s comes around, once he gets in front of the fans, they react how they’re going to react, and he deals with it, he’ll be fine. So I’ll definitely be watching,

WW.net: And, sort of related to that, Tiger has a name that a lot of people don’t know of, his first name’s Eldrick. Your first name is Wardell if I’m not mistaken. Why don’t you go by it?

SC: My parents just never called me—I went by Stephen from what I can remember. I’m actually a Jr., my Dad is named Wardell too, so he took off the “War” part of it and just went by Dell so it’s just our family name, and I go by Stephen so that’s turned into “Steven,” “Steph,” all sorts of names, all my close friends call me Wardell, not many people know that (laughs), they kind of joke around, call me “Wardell.”

WW.net: So I’ve been reading the GQ blog, and I think that interest—well not many athletes are writers or have a blog like that. And I think a theme in there is the transition from being a kid to having a profession—how it’s bittersweet. Would you agree with that?

SC: No doubt. It was something I always wanted to do. But especially coming from college it was so much fun, all the memories I had being at Davidson, knowing that the class I came in with my freshman year is still on campus, and still has school. That kind of makes it a little more bittersweet than it probably would be normally so, when I went back to Charlotte for the first time to play, that kind of put it all into perspective, of how much I miss being at home and miss being a college student, but I’m definitely happy with that situation and I wouldn’t change it if I had the opportunity to.

WW.net: I thought it was interesting how you were pointing out that your family was in the fan section, you greeted them like fans and how that was different, how it was surreal.

SC: There was 150 people that I personally knew that came to the game. That was just weird. Because that was the best way to say ‘hi’ to everyone. It kind of took the emotion out of it—like going down a conveyor belt kind of thing: ‘Ya, how you doin, thanks for coming.’ It was kind of weird, but family came back to the house and stuff…

WW.net: I just thought it was a cool observation and I’m wondering: Would you ever write a book about playing in the NBA?

SC: I have a lot of things from my Dad’s career, that I watched when I was growing up, and how I see it as a player myself. So there are some differences that I noticed and definitely would think about. I have a lot of ideas especially in the GQ blog. Some day I can go back and look on my rookie season.

Part 2 of the interview drops next week.

*Follow Sherwood Strauss on Twitter

ESPN Season Preview Chat with J.A. Adande and Warriorsworld’s Rasheed

Emcee T of PUSHIN’ THE BAY TV sat down with Golden State Warriors rising star, Anthony Randolph… here is Part 1 of 2, of the interview Emcee T calls, “THE LAST HOPE.”

Special Thanks to SHAUN TAI Films (Producer), shaun@shauntaifilms.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , PUSHIN’ THE BAY.

Emcee T (twitter: @emceet) of PUSHIN’ THE BAY TV sat down with Golden State Warriors rising star, Anthony Randolph… here is Part 2 of 2, of this legendary, soon-to-be classic interview Emcee T calls, “THE LAST HOPE.”

Anthony Randolph’s BEST interview to date; hands down!

Special Thanks to SHAUN TAI Films (Producer), shaun at shauntaifilms dot com, PUSHIN’ THE BAY, info at pushinthebay dot com, and Rasheed Malek (Writer/Editor), Rasheed at warriorsworld dot net.

Anthony Erwin Randolph, Jr. (born July 15, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Germany to two parents who served in the military there, Randolph’s family eventually relocated to the United States, where he grew up in Pasadena, California. The family later moved to Dallas, Texas, where Randolph soon became a standout at Woodrow Wilson High School, eventually being recruited by the Louisiana State Tigers. After one year, Randolph left college and entered the 2008 NBA Draft, where he was chosen as the fourteenth pick overall by Golden State.

Randolph, listed at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) and 210 pounds (95 kg), is considered to possess excellent speed, athleticism, and ball handling skills for a player of his size. Though Randolph’s career is only in its early stages, he has been compared favorably to fellow NBA players Kevin Garnett, Lamar Odom, and Tayshaun Prince because of his on-court abilities and potential.

The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was first established in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the franchise won the championship in the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the league that would eventually become the National Basketball Association. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when their name was changed to the current Golden State Warriors. The team has played all of their home games in the Oracle Arena since 1966, with the exception of a one-year hiatus. Along with their inaugural championship win in the 19461947 season, the Warriors have won two others in the team’s history, including another in Philadelphia after the 1955 – 1956 season, and one as Golden State after the 1974 – 1975 season, which is tied for 5th in the NBA in number of championships.

Emcee T of PUSHIN’ THE BAY TV sat down with Golden State Warriors rising star, Anthony Randolph… here is Part 1 of 2, of the interview Emcee T calls, “THE LAST HOPE.”

Special Thanks to SHAUN TAI Films (Producer), shaun@shauntaifilms.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , PUSHIN’ THE BAY, info@pushinthebay.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and Rasheed Malek (Writer/Editor), Rasheed@warriorsworld.net.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

<p><strong>&nbsp;Warriorsworld.net hooked up with Eric Pincus, Senior Writer at Hoopsworld.com to get his thoughts on a few Warriors related topics. </strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Warriors Season Outlook</strong></p><p>The Warriors are a hard team to peg.&nbsp; My outlook on them is that I can see them winning 25 games or 45 games and that&rsquo;s a pretty big spread right there.&nbsp; I like a lot of the pieces on the team to go along with such an interesting coach who can maximize untraditional rosters. They made some trades and had some fluctuations on their rosters but they have Jackson, Turiaf, Maggette, Biedrins and Ellis who missed a large portion of the season last year due to his accident.&nbsp;</p><p> They&rsquo;re still a little too guard heavy and could use a real post player because a lot of times if you rely on the jump shot that can become a problem and if you&rsquo;re a team that likes to drive and kick then teams can zone up to put a stop to it. &nbsp;<br />There&rsquo;s so much talent on their roster that if they get it to work they could be the team to take the 8th spot out West.&nbsp; I don&rsquo;t think anyone knows what to expect from them which can be exciting and it can also be disappointing if it doesn&rsquo;t go the right way.</p><p><strong>On the Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire situation</strong></p><p>It was real in discussions; behind the scenes I had a contact with one of the principals involved and it was right there on the cusp but Stephen Curry did change that.&nbsp; If you&rsquo;re building a team and you find a guy who you believe can potentially be the cornerstone of your franchise then sometimes you have to change your plans and go with it.&nbsp; I don&rsquo;t know if Curry is that guy or not but he was a special player in college and it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see how he and Ellis play together because neither are true point guards or have great defensive ability.&nbsp; They&rsquo;ll have trouble against the more potent guards in the league whether it is point guards or shooting guards.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t think Amare was the guy to trade for right now for the Warriors because he is coming off an eye surgery and he wanted an extension to make the deal happen similar to the Kevin Garnett deal in which the extension goes into place at the trade.&nbsp; He&rsquo;s had multiple knee surgeries and eye surgeries which makes it a risk that I don&rsquo;t think the Warriors need to take especially with all the talent the Warriors have right now.&nbsp; They&rsquo;re in position to make more moves maybe not over the summer but definitely once the season starts and they have so much talent they should see what they have instead of mixing it up on a questionable deal.</p><p><strong>On Trade Rumors &amp; Boozer to the Warriors </strong></p><p>Things are pretty quiet so I haven&rsquo;t heard much out of Golden State right now.&nbsp; There are still a few more restricted players that are holding up player movement.&nbsp; Guys like David Lee, Ramon Sessions, Nate Robinson and Raymond Felton are all situations that have to be settled so teams waiting to see what happens with them can move forward. </p><p>The Jazz are taking their time because they can start the season with the same team as last year and be a better team because they&rsquo;ll be healthy.&nbsp; I think Boozer is certainly a possibility in Golden State although he&rsquo;s not an ideal fit into their helter skelter running style but he&rsquo;s a good half-court player who would make sense for them if they are going to be playing more of a half-court game this season.&nbsp; If they are planning on incorporating more half-court stuff then Boozer would be the choice but I don&rsquo;t think the Warriors have the point guard needed to run the pick and roll unless they believe Curry can become that.</p><p><strong>On Anthony Randolph</strong></p><p>He&rsquo;s the big wildcard; he clearly has talent and was so good in summer league.&nbsp; Randolph and Don Nelson didn&rsquo;t always see eye to eye last year but coaches have their ways of bringing along a young player which sometimes means squashing a young player to get more out of him. &nbsp;</p><p>Playing with complimentary bigs like Biedrins and Turiaf allows him to be the guy to score while they do the dirty work, clean up the glass and play off him.&nbsp; He&rsquo;s part of the reason why I have such a wide range of wins for the team because is Randolph the guy who can give you 18 points/9 rebounds consistently or is he going to give you 25 points for 10 games then give you 8 points for the next 10 games. &nbsp;</p><p>Can he translate his summer league success into the regular season because if he can then the Warriors will be closer to&nbsp; 45 wins and challenging for a playoff spot than 25 wins and in the lottery.&nbsp; He drastically changes the team if he can consistently put up the same effort and numbers from summer league in regular season NBA games. &nbsp;</p><p><strong>Dealing with teams</strong> </p><p>I write articles and have to deal with PR departments who throw their weight around because that&rsquo;s what they have to do; in essence their job is spin control as they have to present the news and facts about their team in a way which represents their message.&nbsp; You have to find a way to work within the system and you can criticize in a way which is responsible and well thought through instead of just slamming the teams. &nbsp;</p><p>I&rsquo;ve been involved in message boards for years to stay in touch with the fans are interested in and sometimes the fan&rsquo;s perspective is extremely valuable and is discounted by many teams and media who don&rsquo;t recognize it.&nbsp; Warriorsworld.net is a great website and the forum is one of the best ones out there. &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Eric Pincus is a Senior Writer at<a href=”http://www.hoopsworld.com/” target=”_blank”> Hoopsworld.com</a>  and follow him on Twitter at, <a href=”http://twitter.com/ericpincus” target=”_blank”>Twitter.com/EricPincus</a>  </p><p>&nbsp;</p>

What are your thoughts on the Warriors organization?

Well I’m not familiar with all the people and everything going on, the ramifications and if you’re not there on an intimate basis it’s pretty hard to make an observation from the outside. There’s a lot of disarray and things going on there for many, many years but I want nothing else but to see the organization be successful.

Mainly because I love the fans and they’ve been so incredibly loyal over the years so to see them suffer for years without having seen a playoff game then get a great taste of it with the big victory against Dallas and all of a sudden its back to the old ways again of not making the playoffs, I feel really bad for the fans.

Do you know Chris Cohan personally?

Yes, I’ve met Chris Cohan on a number of occasions.

Would you consider Chris Cohan a friend?

No, I really don’t know him all that well other than meeting him on a number of different occasions but never socialized with him. I did make him aware years ago that I would like to get involved and coach the team but he and Robert Rowell obviously weren’t interested. They chose to go in a different way which is fine because it’s their choice and they don’t owe me anything.

Did they grant you an interview?

I’ve never had an interview so no, I was never granted an interview.

Is it frustrating to see other organizations bring in former players and have them actively involved while the Warriors don’t really do that?

Yeah, they let people get involved such as Al Attles and Nate Thurmond, they’re the only ones who’ve had the opportunity to be involved on a consistent basis. Of course they allowed Chris Mullin who was a fabulous player to come back and he brought in some of his former teammates. Clifford Ray was there but that wasn’t because the Warriors brought him back but I think Dave Cowens brought him in to coach the big men.

They’ve done some things but nothing along the lines of other organizations’ which keep past players actively involved. I’m grateful for the fact that they’ve brought me in over the years to do a few promotions now and then but nothing of any significance. I attempted to get involved when Gary St. Jean was there and sent him a letter detailing my desire to get involved as well as my availability however it didn’t go anywhere.

Do you feel your lack of involvement with the organization is due to personal reasons?

No, I don’t take things personally. Everyone in life has the choice to do the things they want to do and it’s about relationships which is why the people involved in the organization chose to go in the direction they did.

I can’t answer for those people as to why they don’t want me involved all I can do is make myself available and hope there is an interest there which in this case there wasn’t so I have to move on.

They don’t owe me anything, I’m always going to be eternally grateful to the Warriors organization for giving me the opportunity to play basketball for them and being part for some of the greatest moments in my life.

Do you still have a passion and desire to get involved within the organization?

I’ve moved on and am involved with so many other things. Certainly if I could help them in some way where it wouldn’t require me to move out there and be out there on a full-time basis, I’d be open to that. I love where I live right now; I have a son in high school and certainly don’t want to uproot him. I still think there are things I could do to help without having to live back in the Bay Area.

What do you think about the way the Chris Mullin era ended in Golden State?

I don’t know the inner workings and the relationships between Chris and management; unless you’re privy to that it’s all total speculation. Chris had a great run there and he can’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself because you have to move on. It’s unfortunate the way things ended but that’s life you have to learn from it and move on.

How would you like playing for Nellie?

I’d probably love that he plays such a wide open game and likes to get up and down the floor scoring a lot of points but not so much if he made me his whipping boy and screamed or hollered at me. I love wide open basketball although I think at times there a little too wide open and have to play defense, the irony of it is that the better defense you play the more you have to get and run; have to play defense to win.

Do you think a team can play an up-tempo, wide open system without a true point guard?

Sure, of course you can. The ideal team for me would be one which had a 1, 2 and 3 who can all take the ball out on the break, initiate the offense, handle and pass the ball. You don’t necessarily need a great point guard who dominates the ball instead if you have multiple guys who can handle it makes you much more dangerous; now don’t get me wrong, Id love to have a great point guard on my team. Ideally id want a 2 and 3 who can handle, pass and shoot the ball instead of being just a shooter or just a finisher; I want players with multiple skills.

When I played I was a point forward in that I can take it on the break, pass the ball, create opportunities for others and if you got a 1, 2 and 3 who can do that you’re virtually impossible. No team has three great defenders at those positions so if you have guys who can score, pass and shoot, you can’t defend that.

Speaking of point-forwards, have you seen Anthony Randolph play?

No, I’m not that familiar with Anthony Randolph so I don’t really know his game all that well. It wouldn’t take me long to figure out what he can or can’t do on the court all I need is to see him play one game to figure it out.

That’s why I’m always astonished by the amount of scouting because if you can’t go watch a player one time and figure out if he’s worth watching again then why are you a scout? How long does it take to figure out a guy is player? It shouldn’t take more than one game to figure out if he can play or not and the reason to see him again would be to see his heart, character and things of that nature.

What are your thoughts on Stephen Curry?

I think he’ll enjoy playing in that system being that he’s a guy who can out points on the board. The biggest adjustment for a player coming into the league is the travel, number of games and physical demands of a season. It’s kind of like running a marathon in that you’re going to hit a wall and have to fight through it because during your rookie season you’ll hit the wall and have to work to get over it.

Would you consider him a natural shooter or more of a streaky shooter?

I saw him play but since I wasn’t scouting him I didn’t really watch him that closely. He has great shooting form and some guys are scorers while others are shooters; Curry probably falls into both categories because he can do both so well.

Anthony Morrow best shooter in the NBA?

I’d have to take a look because I haven’t watch him but it wouldn’t take me long to see if he’s a great shooter or not. As great of a shooter everyone says Ray Allen is, there are some minor things that can be tweaked on his shot that can make him a better shooter. There are little subtle things that if you do them properly it enhances your ability to shoot more accurately and expand your range.

If you were working with a player, how would you make him a better shooter?

First, I have to watch him and analyze his form to figure what he’s doing incorrectly along with what he could do to improve himself.

I came in when Eric Musselman was head coach to work with Gilbert Arenas because he had some major flaws in his shot. Amazing thing about it was that there wasn’t anyone from the staff taking notes or filming it and trying to be there to repeat it thus leaving it all to Gilbert to remember. He had some flaws before I worked with him which we worked on and improved his shooting ability immensely. It’s a matter of constant repetition and if I’m not there on a daily basis there has to be someone there who can reinforce the things we worked on. It’s very difficult to know yourself if whether or not you’re doing it correctly every time that’s why it’s important to have the constant reinforcement

Do you see Gilbert still utilizing the techniques you guys worked on?

Yeah, he’s doing some pretty good things out there. He’s improved a lot and it shows on the court. It’s easy for great athletes to make changes in their games because there not major changes just subtle things that have to be done over and over to break the habit they had.

How closely do you follow the Warriors?

I always take look at what they’re doing along with the rest of the NBA. I don’t follow it as closely as I did when I was doing broadcasting work like with KNBR or Sirius; I watch it but not as intently. I saw the Warriors struggle and disappointed in them letting Baron Davis go but the Warriors have a history of letting great players go, me included.

You’re with the group of people who feels the Warriors should’ve kept Baron?

I’ve always liked Baron but I don’t know what his relationship was like with Nellie and management; so I don’t know what the circumstances were. I personally like Baron and if utilized in the proper fashion he would be even more valuable and effective. There are certain things I would do with him than has been done with him in the past which would be advantageous because he’s very talented. Baron takes a lot of bad shots which you work with him on and explain to him why or why not he should do certain things out on the court. I met Baron on a cruise before he got into the league and players will listen if you explain to them in a logical manner that what you’re trying to help them on is going to make not only them better but the team as well.

Thoughts on Monta Ellis?

I think Monta Ellis is an outstanding talent and it was unfortunate to see him go down with an injury. It’ll be interesting to see how much of an impact the injury will have on his future. I was impressed with how well he played for being such a young player as well as with how he handled things; he has lots of talent and should continue working on his game. He’s just got to continually working on his game and not be satisfied because if the injuries don’t take a toll on him, he’s going to be a fantastic player for years to come.

Can he be a point guard?

Not really, he’s a 2 who can handle it very well but the problem is that being a 2 he has to go up against bigger players nightly. He’s a guy that can handle and pass but needs to work on those areas to become a more effective player.

Thoughts on Stephen Jackson?

Stephen has to learn to control his emotions better and just play the game. He can’t let the emotions have an affect on his game. Like the case with most of the players on the Warriors, Jackson has to be better with his shot selection. Stephen is his own worst enemy almost in a Ron Artest mold because if he controls his emotions and just plays he’ll become a better player.

Trading for Amar’e?

My major concern with Amar’e would be his knees considering he’s had a major operation recently. Amar’e would flourish in the wide open style but you have to worry about personality issues, salary cap issues and I heard he had problems because he felt he was getting enough publicity. These guys are paid millions of dollars and the game would be better off if they stopped worrying about how much or how little publicity they received.

If the Warriors want to be a playoff team they have to improve defensively. At least Biedrins kind of works on that area and gets on the board although he’s limited to what he can do offensively. They have so many offensive players that do they really need Amar’e because he’s not a great low post scorer. Amar’e is more of an open court scorer, slasher and finisher playing with a great point guard in Steve Nash. It’s not a matter of always getting players with a lot of talent, it’s about getting talent that forms a cohesive unit, has good team chemistry and wins.

For those who may not know you, give us a brief introduction about yourself.

My name is Sekou Smith I cover the Atlanta Hawks and the NBA for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Been here since 2005, before that worked for the Indy Star, left there a month after the infamous Pistons-Pacers brawl. Watching this franchise evolve from the crapper to the playoff team for the last 2 years, I cover it, blog it, tweet it and everything else.

Why did you decide to enter Sports Journalism?

At Jackson state university, my second year I had a professor who guided me into taking some journalism classes, he was a columnist for the local newspaper in Jackson. He introduced me to an editor and sports editor, sportswriter there and they kind of recruited me and groomed me from there. Spent the last 3 years at school working at the newspaper covering high school sports, Sec sports and pretty much everything else. II kind of got on the job training through school and after I graduated, I started working full time and been doing it ever since, it’s been 17 years since I got started in the business.

What do you think about the rise of digital media and the decline of the newspaper?

It’s really a long time coming, when I got into the business as a student I was reading newspaper websites and message boards. I know writers who from an early age wanted to be sportswriters their whole lives; I kind of came into it from the flipside from a fans perspective and dived into it as a young adult. I embraced the digital side of it long before it became en vogue, I used to have heated debates with long time writers about how we need to think outside the box and how websites and media were going to change the business.

It’s the wave of the future, its just about changing, have to be prepared for change and embrace it. I think the demise of newspapers has been overstated. I think all of us writers, bloggers, etc… Are a lot of those things in one now and part of a bigger mechanism which is journalism and that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The way we do things has changed, is changing, and will change in the future and we have to be ready for it.

There are blogs that are more informative, insightful and important than many papers and that’s just a fact. That’s why a lot of people turn to them for information. The key for a guy like me or Marcus Thompson is that we have to function as a beat writer and supplement that with blogs, twitter, chats, etc… When I got on Facebook, I remember people initially telling me to not be on Facebook or other social media sites at work. Now a few years later, a part of the job is to be on Facebook and twitter. Constantly updating the people on Facebook, twitter, etc… About what’s going on, your pieces of work and what not.

The newspaper industry itself is trying to see where it fits into this digital market and us as individuals are doing the same by marketing ourselves making sure what our doing s relevant and people are looking at it on a newspaper, online, blackberry or whatever. You have to make sure what you’re doing is reaching the masses and you have to spread your own word to get it out there.

What’s your take on the sensitivity of organizations in regards to what gets written and talked about them in the media?

I heard about the Raymond Ridder situation, hated to see him involved in anything because that’s my guy and he’s been great to me over the years. Organizations’ get sensitive about getting trashed, I’ve written my share of critical pieces on the Hawks during my time here and I try to maintain that the criticism is based in reality and not anything without proof or ability to back it up. I think the Hawks are in a different situation because they’re in a sports town which is really hard on its team. The Atlanta Falcons have never had back to back winning seasons, that was staggering to hear when I first got here and the Hawks went a solid decade out of the playoffs, which Warriors fans can relate to. The Hawks have understood that you can shut up the criticisms and complaints by winning and they’ve don’t that the last couple of seasons. The criticism has shifted from you can’t make the playoffs to you’ve made the playoffs now what? And that’s criticism any organization would welcome.

What’s your take on the Warriors from the outside looking in?

I look at them and to me they’re at where the Hawks were two years in ago in that I see all the right pieces and the right mix of talented youth with the veterans you need to get the process moving along. Randolph is the x-factor, if you can find a way to tap into all the talent he has to bring the best out of him; he’s the guy that can make them a different team.

From the outside looking in, it just looks like there’s so much going on out there. The sole focus is not on winning basketball games because there is so much stuff off the court and in the front office that it does have an impact on the players. In other organizations, the Coach and GM are usually able to shield the team from the extra drama. Talking to Crawford, he didn’t sound hurt over leaving Golden State. He didn’t say anything bad about the Warriors but like Harrington when he left he was excited moving forward and only sad part was leaving the Bay Area as well as playing in front of the great fans in Golden State. When you haven’t been successful you have to wonder if there’s something fundamentally wrong with the organization. It’s tough when you get in that charged up political environment where the agenda is not simply winning games. The agenda should be to put a team together that can compete and win games, you can have all the bells and whistles, marketing and extras but if you’re not winning its all a moot point.

The Warriors have had no success in terms of playoff appearances other than a couple of years during Chris Cohan’s tenure as owner. They made the playoffs in 2007 but it seems from that point on they’ve regressed rather than progressed.

My best friend is a principal out in West Oakland; he’s been out there for close to 9 years and loves the Warriors. He’s of the belief that the Warriors are one of those franchises that loves to afflict heartache on people. The fall of the team after the playoff run was catastrophic and I don’t imagine any team who has such a phenomenal run and experiences such highs has dreams of blowing the team apart, taking steps backward but sometimes you can outsmart yourself and that’s what happened with the Warriors. You can’t lose the core group of that playoff team and expect to pick up where you left off, its not logical. That’s one reason why I like what the Hawks did this summer because they didn’t decide to part ways with guys from their playoff team and break the continuity. Generally, you don’t build a team overnight, you can go out and purchase one like Boston did and I’m not knocking them its just that you have to do whatever it takes to be successful. The chances of you building a successful team by changing the parts year after year are impossible that’s why you have to do your homework on your own team and make sure you don’t do something that takes away from your product rather than strengthen it. Sometimes you have to let a team grow from season to season as best you can and that’s where success will come from in terms of consistency.

There’s a lack of structure in the Warriors Front Office, no clear cut leader and it seems individuals are trying to make their own moves.

I loved the pieces they had on the team that went to the playoffs you can’t pay for the kind of magic they generated that year. They had some older guys in Baron, Stephen, and Al who were seasoned vets and they had young talented guys in Monta, Jason and Andris which created a mix of guys who fit together and dialed it up to another level in the playoffs. To get into the playoffs the way they did and to accomplish what they did in the playoffs should’ve bought them the opportunity to continue to grow together along with adding on rather than subtracting. I don’t know who was making the decisions and pulling the strings out there but I know that you better have the proper people in place otherwise its not going to end up well.

What did you think about the Jamal Crawford trade? How does it impact both teams?

I love the move- it came out of nowhere out here, we knew the Hawks were busy checking into different things but the Crawford deal was a bit unexpected. Obviously the Warriors wanted to move Crawford and the Hawks had two guys in Speedy Claxton and Acie Law who weren’t in the rotation last year and weren’t likely to be in the rotation this season either. To get a player who scores 20 points a night and can play off the bench or as a starter at multiple positions is a no-brainer for the Hawks. If you would’ve told anyone out here that they could get a player like Crawford for Speedy Claxton they would have laughed at you because of injuries along with other reasons Speedy’s time with the Hawks was a bust. So to get Crawford for Speedy and Law who hasn’t lived up to expectations is a good move for the Hawks. Why it works so well for the Hawks is that they get a motivated Jamal Crawford coming in here simply looking to win and willing to do whatever it takes to do so because he’s tired of playing for losing teams. The only thing more motivating for a guy other than playing for a contract is a guy who is trying to win and that’s when you usually see the best from a player.

Crawford’s going to be coming off the bench in Atlanta?

I think they’ll be bringing him off the bench but he’ll be on the court at the end of games with Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson in a 3 guard set. Having those 3 on the court at the end of games allows the Hawks to have their 3 best ball handlers and scores on the court playing together. Makes sense to play them together especially at the end of games.

Talk about Acie Law, what type of player is he and what can we expect to see from him in Golden State?

Acie had a bit of a tragic run with the Hawks in that every time he got solid minutes he was successful but would wind up getting hurt. He’s had a wrist injury; ankle injury and last year suffered from back and hamstring injuries which limited his time on the court.

His game is more suited for the style the Warriors play- up-tempo, pick and roll, get to the rim type of situation. I worry about his confidence after his time with the Hawks and that he’s not in such a big funk from his time with the Hawks that it affects his psyche and confidence. Mike Woodson is tough on young players and demanded a lot of Acie right away. There was no Mike Bibby on the team to soften the blow, Acie was put in a situation where he had no wiggle room and was thrown in there from the beginning.

It’s going be tough sledding in Golden State because he didn’t go to a situation where there are a lot of open minutes at the guard position. He may or may not be in the plans and basically has to earn his keeps because he’s got the stains of his first two years on his resume where people are doubting him and labeling him a bust.

Seeing Law play in the Las Vegas Summer League, I saw a guy with bad body language, not in great shape and he didn’t really stand out.

He’s such a talented dude and excellent guy I hate to see him struggle. I wrote a story about him his rookie season about how he had the weight of his entire family on his shoulders as they all relocated to Atlanta from Dallas to be his support group. It’s hard to get over the initial shock of being a high draft pick and having things not work out they way you want them to; its going to be a test of his character to see if he’ll find a way to get minutes in Golden State and turn his career around. It’s going to be challenging because he’s not going to get the consistent minutes to prove himself so he has to find other ways to show Nellie and everyone else that he’s deserving of consistent minutes.

You know Stephen Jackson from your time covering the Indiana Pacers, if he’s on your team you love him, if you’re playing against him you love to hate him. Is Stack Jack one of the most misunderstood individuals in the NBA?

I’m different than some people in that I don’t count tattoos and pass judgment on guys instead I go off how they interact and treat me. Jack has always been fabulous and shown respect whenever we’ve spoken, what more can you ask for. As far as teammates go, you couldn’t have a more fearless cat on your team, even in the brawl in Detroit he went into the stands to back up a teammate it wasn’t as if he started the fight or went looking for problems.

Former NBA player Steve Smith is a good friend & neighbor of mine and I asked him about Jack a while back. Steve loved him, loved the way he played and how he wanted to win above all else. When older NBA players gush and talk about players who come behind them I listen to their opinions over people who tend to complain and find faults in players. I can care less about some of the antics that others focus on because I get on the referees just as much as Jack because they some of them are crappy. The Warriors are lucky to have Jack on their team and if they didn’t want him there’s a long list of teams that would.

There was a lot of noise out here when Jack got his extension, do you think it was a good move to give Jack a 3 year extension?

I think Brian Cardinal got a $39 Million dollar contract and I’m not knocking another man’s money ever but if you want to be mad at contracts in the NBA I wouldn’t red flag Jack’s for concern because Jack actually produces. There are plenty of other guy’s pulling down more than they ought to be f you’re looking at production so Jack shouldn’t even be on the list when discussing bad contract’s in the NBA.

Covering the Pacers, were you in Detroit the night of the infamous Pistons-Pacers Brawl?

Yeah, I was there sitting behind the Pacers bench with Mark Montieth another beat writer for the Pacers. It was a unique situation because I believe it was the first matchup between the teams since the Eastern Conference Finals the season prior. The Pacers were giving it to the Pistons on their home floor and we saw Artest give Ben Wallace a nasty hard foul which we knew would result in Ben coming back down court and returning the favor. It was normal hard basketball which resulted in pure craziness and as Artest lay on the table I could see the cup come flying in then hit Artest.

The entire situation could have been prevented if the referees had grabbed Artest, got both Artest and Wallace off the court immediately or a handful of different things which could have avoided the mess that ensued. It was a frantic night for everyone including us in the media as we’re in the midst of it and trying to cover it at the same time.

Being from Michigan, it was a good thing that it happened in Oakland County and not somewhere in the heart of Detroit because it would’ve been a whole different story. If Artest and Jackson went into the crowd there it would have been a different reaction than just beer and punches being thrown. It’s not something I’m particularly proud about being there in person but I guess I’m one of the 20,000+ thousand people who happened to be there that night.

Must’ve been a surreal night?

Mark Montieth kept elbowing me after the Artest hard foul because we knew something was going to happen, we thought Artest and Wallace would just scrap for a few but that’s not how it went down. It was jaw-dropping; I stayed in Detroit for a couple days after to cover the fallout from Detroit while Mark went back to Indianapolis to cover it from the Pacers angle.

There were so many people on their cell phones that all the circuits were down so when I got to my rental car at 3am in the morning I had so many calls and texts about the situation. My mom called me about 6 times asking if I get involved in the fight but I told her I didn’t get anywhere near the punches. The day after at breakfast we still couldn’t believe what had happened the night prior, calling it surreal is the best description.

Being that you were right behind the Pacers bench when everything was going down, did you happen to see the fans run on the court and engage the Pacers players physically?

Yeah, that was going on right in front of us. Anthony Johnson, who was inactive, was in a suit, he caught a guy with a right hook. People who were behind us were trying to hop the ledge to get closer to the floor and the action.

My biggest thing about that night was that you can buy a ticket to come watch, yell and heckle but when you cross the line and enter the action where the players are working, you are asking for whatever you get. There’s a clear separation between the floor and stands, the fans and players both have to respect it otherwise whatever happens is what you deserve. I’m hoping to never see anything like that in my career again.

Did you get a chance to go into the locker room afterwards?

ESPN was broadcasting the game so only Jim Gray was the only reporter allowed to go into the Pacers locker room while the rest of us had to wait outside for the players to come talk to us. We got to talk to some of the coaches and players as they were walking to the bus; they were all shook up and said the same thing about how they couldn’t believe what had just happened.

I hadn’t seen that footage in quite a while and when Artest signed with the Lakers they played a clip of the brawl and it seems so long ago because I don’t pay attention to it or go to YouTube to relive the good ol’ days.

Due to the circumstances, they enacted some impromptu media rules that night which we didn’t appreciate and tried to work around. It was without a doubt the longest day of work I’ve ever had for sure.

Artest is forever going to be known for his role in the brawl; it’s the first thing that is brought up when people talk about him.

Unfortunately for him it’s a stain he won’t live down along with other stuff which is part of his profile. It’s something he won’t live down because even 20-30 years from now it’s going to be part of his profile as a NBA player.

Artest to the LA Lakers, good move?

It’s a good move for the Lakers because I don’t think anyone would argue that Trevor Ariza is better than Artest, he’s younger but Artest is an upgrade for the Lakers.

The key for the Lakers is to keep Lamar Odom because when he played well the Lakers were untouchable. If they don’t keep Odom it changes a lot of things out West. There’s a lot to be said for the chemistry of a championship team and it shouldn’t be messed with too much as you can lose it real quickly.

Odom allows the Lakers to be versatile in the way they play, would you consider Odom to be one of the underrated players in the League?

He’s one of my favorite players in the league because it’s hard to find guys his size possessing his skill set. People are always complaining about him not being consistent and doing it every night to which I say if every player played up to 100% of his skill and capability we’d have a league full of superstars, it’s not feasible. Guys are who they are and you have to appreciate players with whatever flaws they have to their game.

What other teams do you think had a good off-season?

The Spurs had a good off-season; they picked up Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. With Jefferson, it makes them re-charged for another run at the title with a healthy Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

The Cavaliers with the Shaquille O’Neal pick up because anytime you get Shaq it cranks up your ability to compete at a higher level. It didn’t work out for him in Phoenix but that’s one stop in his career where it didn’t work out with winning a championship.

Orlando is the one I want to watch to see if Vince Carter meshes with the team as well as Hedo Turkoglu did. Vince Carter is a better player than Turkoglu but whether he fits as good as Turkoglu did in Orlando will be interesting to see.

To me I don’t see much else, I don’t see a team which was buried in the conference and not has vaulted up into the upper echelon of either conference. There are 3 or 4 teams in each conference and then the rest are battling it out to fill up the bottom spots of the bracket.

What are your thoughts on Stephen Curry?

I loved watching him in College I thought he was fabulous. It’ll be interesting to see where he plays in Golden State and how his game translates in terms of him playing on the ball or off the ball. He’s got an interesting dilemma in Golden State where they have Monta who one of the most explosive offensive talents in the league. If Curry is ready to play the point and can put him beside Monta you have a serious backcourt that can score from anywhere. There’s nothing about his game I don’t like, I love his range, and he’s got once in a lifetime range. He’s got the best bloodlines for a shooter you would want in having Dell Curry as his father and his mom is crazy fine.

As great of a shooter Curry is, he’s probably the second best shooter on the Warriors, Anthony Morrow is automatic.

It’s funny; when he was at Georgia Tech I couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. Georgia Tech has had a bunch of guys who didn’t make have the impact at Georgia Tech that they’ve made in the NBA, guys like Morrow, Will Bynum, Mario West. I saw Morrow had 47 the other night and summer league which goes to show that when you have that kind of explosive scoring ability you’ll always have a job in the NBA.

A lot of rumors of Amare Stoudemire being on the move possibly to Golden State, do you make that move if you’re the Warriors?

Yeah, that rumor has also spawned a lot of Amare for Josh Smith rumors down here in Atlanta but there nothing more than rumors at this point.

As far as Golden State, getting a guy like Amare puts you into the elite competition because you get a superstar big man as your anchor. If I’m the Warriors I make the deal because I don’t know if Brandan Wright and Andris Biedrins are established guys in terms of being anchors on a playoff team. Usually I’m against trading two starters for one guy but the Warriors situation is different because they weren’t a playoff team last season. If you feel like Biedrins is a top young Center in the NBA and Brandan Wright can become a player then you have to think long and hard because it would make sense to keep and develop them.

I’m a firm believer in the NBA that if you have young talented players who are helping you win at a high level you don’t just punt that for a quick hitch. When you’re talking about making a seismic deal like that where you’re trading away a few very good assets you better get someone who can change the culture the team, you tell me if Amare does that for Golden State.

Amare probably gets them to the playoffs but nothing more because he doesn’t improve them defensively which means you won’t get far in the playoffs.

To me it’s a judgment call, Boston is an interesting case study because a few years before they got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen they were treading waters like the Warriors and Hawks in the past. Before getting Garnett and Allen everyone wanted to fire Doc Rivers and run Danny Ainge out of town yet a year after everyone was praising them and calling them geniuses. I don’t think Amare would have the impact in Golden State that Garnett had in Boston, so it’s a calculated risk and you have to live with the consequences if it doesn’t work out.

About Sekou Smith

Sekou Smith is a proud native of Grand Rapids, Mich., also the hometown of the late Gerald R. Ford, Yesterdog and “Pretty Boy” Floyd/“Money” Mayweather, among many others. A lifelong and unabashed supporter of Michigan’s football and men’s basketball programs, he is also a rowdy booster of the Smyrna Spartans football program. The AJC’s Hawks and NBA beat writer since 2005, Smith has covered the league since 2001. He’s had his “dream job” since 1994, spanning the globe to cover everything from high school sports, recruiting, college football, basketball and baseball to the U.S. Olympic cycling trials and the Indy 500. A husband and father, Smith resides in Smyrna.

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From his freshman year to now, how has Stephen improved?

Steph became more of a leader as moved from year to year. Steph is a tireless worker, so he improved every part of his game. He developed more range, he was better with the ball, his decision making improved. I could go on and on. Steph is always working, therefore he is always improving.

How do you feel the adversity both individually and collectively as a team Davidson faced this past season affected Stephen and how did it make him a better player?

As I said, a lot more was expected of Steph this year with the departure of three tremendous seniors from our Elite 8 Team. Teams targeted Steph. Teams did everything they could to shut him down. Steph was tremendous at playing within himself and trusting his teammates to do their jobs. When this happened, we were very successful. Steph really makes the players around him better.

What kind of teammate is Stephen? Can you speak on his leadership abilities?

Steph was a leader vocally and by example. From the time he stepped on campus, Steph has always been an incredible teammate. Even with all that talent, he never showed it. If you saw our team, you would never know Steph was the future NBA lottery pick. His teammates loved to play with him and his coaches loved being around him.

How would you characterize his time @ Davidson?

Incredible. He elevated a very successful program to new heights. Davidson became a household name. He also established a new level of expectations that players here have embraced. Our players have tasted success on the national stage and are working as we speak to keep that going.

Is there one signature moment or game you’ll always remember during Stephen’s time at Davidson?

Don’t know that I have just one. But, if I had to decide on one, probably the lay-up and the 3 he made against Georgetown to send us into the Sweet 16. I really have no idea how he made either of those shots. If there was a big shot, that needed to be made, I would always put my money on him.

What would you consider Stephen’s strengths on the court? What are some areas he needs work on and needs to refine?

Steph has a lot of strengths. I think some of his biggest assets are his ability to move without the ball and his overall basketball IQ. Steph is an amazing talent on top of all that. I think he would do a better job at discussing his weaknesses then I can. But I would say his biggest overall weakness is his driver off the tee. It tends to abandon him when the pressure is on.

What is the most underrated part of Stephen’s game?

I think his ability to make others better. People see him as a guy with a green light. He can score. Well he earned that. He shot over 40% for his career. But, he sees the floor so well and combined with his basketball IQ, that is a potent weapon. He gets guys the ball in the right spot at the right time.

Also, he is stronger and bigger than people think.

What do you think will be his greatest challenge in the NBA? What will be the hardest adjustment to make?

I think the constant grind, the amount of games, back to back against the best players in the world. It will test him both physically and mentally. But, I know he will be able to handle it.

How do you think the transition to point guard will be for Stephen?

He will be fine. He made the transition this year to the point and he handled it as well as can be expected. He proved to people that he can be a very successful point guard in the league. Steph is a very smart player. As I said before, he will be able to run a team, but he will also be able to score from the point guard spot. I really think he has all the tools to be one heck of a point guard for a long time in the NBA.

Do you envision a perfect fit in Golden State in Nellie’s up and down system?

Steph has always played in this type of system. When Steph is attacking he is very difficult to stop. If you give Steph the slightest opening, he will exploit it. He will be really good in any system, but he will be most comfortable in an up tempo one.

Being in the Carolina area, I’m sure your familiar with Anthony Morrow, who would you consider the better shooter between the two, Anthony Morrow or Stephen Curry?

Wow, I remember watching Anthony play at Charlotte Latin. He was and is one heck of a player. But, I gotta go with my guy on this one.

Most surprising Warriors’ player this past season? Most disappointing player?

Most surprising:   Anthony Randolph & Anthony Morrow.

Most disappointing:  Monta Ellis.

What would you consider some the of highlight moments of the season on the court?

It's tough coming up with highlight moments this far removed from the season. The only thing that really continues to stick out is 29-53, and how many highlights can you have with a season like that?

So as far as an individual game or performance, what's the point in getting into those? Like, yeah, the Warriors knocked off the Jazz late in the season in Utah, and they were undermanned. Great. But when you put it in the context of 29 wins, it's tough to attach significance to that. I certainly wouldn't call that win or the one over the Hornets late in the season "growth” games. We'll see if they meant anything next season.

Big picture … Randolph was the single-biggest positive that I saw in 2008-09. Morrow is next. There's something about Morrow, put it that way. But since Randolph clearly has an opportunity to be more of an impact player than Morrow, Randolph is the best thing to come out of last season.

Other than that, yes, some of the Warriors' role players who got more of an opportunity than they should have did well at times.

A lot of people choose to credit injuries as a reason why the Warriors record was as bad as it was this past season, even with a full healthy roster; this team is nowhere near a playoff team, correct?

I would say if you take this roster and give it a season's worth of good health; it still is not a .500 team. High 30s, maybe. That's why I find it somewhat puzzling that the Warriors' front office keeps enthusiastically selling that 2008-09 was a one-year dip and that they expect to contend, and make, the playoffs in 2009-10.

I'm not saying the Warriors aren't going to do that–contend for playoffs– but realistically they're a few moves away at this point. But management is talking like its still dealing with the 48-win team from 2007-08. We're not.

Warriors gave out a lot of fresh money, i.e. Ellis, Biedrins, Turiaf, Maggette, Jackson, of those contracts which do you think were the best and which were mind boggling?

To me, the absolute worst move of the past year without even a second thought at the time it was done and right now was giving Stephen Jackson an extension. Not only was it an awful move from a strategic point of view, it also served as a window into everything that was wrong with the team's front office.

Chris Mullin, executive vice president of basketball operations at the time, not only didn't know the organization was going to give Jackson an extension, he would have never agreed to do so in the first place.  Fact: Mullin found out the Warriors and Jackson were talking extension from Jackson, himself.

At the start of last season, Jackson had two years remaining on his deal at very reasonable money. He had championship experience and would have been extremely attractive to some title contenders last February. Still would be if he had one year left on his deal. That would have been an asset and opportunity in any league.

But the Warriors are now sitting with Jackson for four more years. It's not necessarily that it’s a bad thing; it's that the other way was so, so much better.  Jackson had a very nice year last year, but he showed his limitations as a serious offensive option with his shooting percentage and turnover rate.

And don't give me the: "Well, we still got him at a really good number.” First of all, that remains to be seen, and second of all, it's a distraction from the bad decision in the first place.

Obviously, they overpaid for Corey Maggette. That's been inspected and dissected to death and the result is always the same: Too many years, too much money.

As far as the good, Ronny Turiaf sure seems like a nice piece right now at his contract, and I'll also acknowledge that the Warriors did a nice job with the contracts of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins.

What's most impressive with both of those deals from the Warriors' perspective is that neither of them ascend in salary. They both basically stay at $11 million (for Ellis) and $9 million (for Biedrins) for the remainder of the deals.

If you had to trade one of the two, Monta or Biedrins in a deal for a superstar, which one would you look to move?

Well, first off, I wouldn't be averse to moving either of them, depending. … I think what you're getting at is which one would you keep if you could. The answer to that is Ellis, no doubt.

Ellis is far more of an impact player than Biedrins, and Ellis still has a greater piece of unknown potential in front of him than Biedrins does. Biedrins is going to be a good center for a long time in the NBA, but at the end of the day, he's still going to probably be a low double-double guy. And again, repeat, nothing at all to scoff at.

But Ellis' ceiling is much higher, and he has a far greater chance of influencing games more so than Biedrins. But again, there's no reason for the telephone lines to be closed for either of them.

Who is the hardest working Warrior? The biggest gym rat? Who should be more dedicated?

The hard worker is easy and it's no contest: Anthony Morrow. He plays and plays and plays and embraces competition. He's the one guy who will play anyone, anytime anywhere after practice in any game you can come up with.

Come to think of it, though, you rarely see Morrow engaged in shooting contests after practice. Everyone knows better than to get into one of those with him. But you see him playing one-on-one constantly. Guy loves the game, and it comes through loud and clear.

I don't want to get into dedicated. How about something to prove? To me, the Warriors have to make a decision on Brandan Wright. And Wright's got a responsibility, too.

Guy was traded for Jason Richardson and needs to step up. He needs to show he can stay healthy, of course. At the same time, Don Nelson's got to give this kid a consistent opportunity. For goodness sakes the Warriors won 29 games last season, and even though Nelson will maintain he played Wright plenty, we all know differently.

Nelson looks for reasons not to play Wright rather than for reasons to play him. If that's the reality of the situation and it's not going to change, let's move on.

What do Randolph, Morrow and Wright have to work on in the offseason? How big of an offseason is it for Wright?

Randolph needs to work on everything, but to me he needs to work on his shooting most of all. Why? Because if Randolph can get a consistent 18-footer, he's going to be a real problem. Problem being good, in his case.

People disagree with me here but I think the Warriors did a little bit of disservice to him by discouraging him to shoot those shots much of the season. I know the other side of the argument; he didn't deserve that much freedom, blah, blah, blah. But if Randolph can face up from 18-feet and make some shots from out there, it puts him on another level. I just wouldn't have discouraged him in the way Nelson did.

Wright needs to get stronger and tougher, which pretty much everyone has been saying since he was drafted. He's also got to prove he can be durable enough to complete an NBA season without getting banged-up.

Morrow probably needs to work on his pick-and-roll game. Nelson seems to be interested in putting him those situations.

Do you sense any frustration from the players towards Nellie and the organization in general? Who are Nellie's whipping boys, a la Al Harrington during his tenure with the Warriors?

In terms of players being frustrated with the organization, not really. They don't know what's really going on, and for the most part, it's not really their care or priority.

As far as frustration with Nellie, certainly some players have it more than others.

But I don't sense anything more than the usual frustrations a team sometimes feels with the coach. As far as the guys Nelson's tough on, the one thing I've noticed about Nelson is he doesn't pick on the biggest kid in the room.

In other words, he wasn't going to pick on Baron Davis and he isn't going to pick on Stephen Jackson. Similarly, he's very careful when it comes to Corey Maggette. Nelson is hardest on young players who haven't yet gained any clout in the league. To me, Nelson has been most harsh on Randolph, Belinelli and Wright. But he's an equal opportunity hammerer, too, and I've seen him drill C.J. Watson and Kelenna Azubuike.

What is your opinion on Warriors Management; Chris Cohan, Robert Rowell and Larry Riley. Is business ahead of winning on the priority list? Is Riley his own man and decision maker or does Nelson pull the strings?

I would not say that business is ahead of winning in the organization. But I would say that facts are facts and the Warriors have been much more successful with their business than with their on-court product in the past 15 years. Bottom line is that management knows how to sell tickets; it hasn't proven it can win.

As for Riley being his own man, I'm certainly willing to give him that opportunity. It's not that I think Riley can't be his own man; it's just that I think after working with Nelson for as long as Riley has, they just share a basketball foundation of sorts that will likely mostly always go hand-in-hand. In other words, because they share a lot of the same philosophy, etc., it's only natural that they're not going to disagree over something or someone. They tend to look at personnel in the same way. So, the idea of Riley having to "stand up to Nelson,” and pick a guy Nelson hates … I don't see it every really happening because they're not likely to disagree so vehemently on anything.

I think the question of whether or not Riley can be his own man misses the point. What's more important is that Nelson and Riley are unlikely to disagree in the first place.

What happens first … a Warriors championship or Cohan sells the team?

I'm going to answer it this way … I don't see the Warriors winning a championship anytime soon, whether Cohan is owner or not. Seriously, when you get done watching the NBA playoffs like we all have, isn't it a touch sobering how far away a team like the Warriors are? Look at the talent on those final four to six to eight teams. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Yao Ming, etc.

I mean, the Warriors don't have a player in any of those guys' league, and really, they're not going to have a player in those guys' league unless Randolph becomes that player. And even that is a hell of a projection for that young kid.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I think there is a greater chasm between making the playoffs and actually winning an NBA title than there is between going from a non-playoff team to playoff team.

Matt Steinmetz is named GM, how do you turn this team around? What moves would you make this offseason?

I don't take the GM job unless a few of my demands are met.

How are the Warriors perceived around the NBA? Back to irrelevance?

No doubt there is a collective: What's going out there? A few weeks ago when I was in L.A. for the Finals, I got that question lots of times. Bottom line is that Chris Mullin is pretty respected around the NBA, and his ouster just doesn't smell right. Throw in the fact that Nelson, Mullin's supposed friend, was on the periphery of that situation and apparently didn't work on Mullin's behalf, and it just doesn't make for positive public relations.

Thoughts on the latest Warriors' PR fiasco?

I'll leave that one alone since I was on periphery.

Warriors have the 7th pick in the draft, which player would you look at with that pick?

Stephen Curry. Here's why, and it's pretty simple. I keep hearing that Curry might be the best passer in the draft. And we know he's one of the best—if not the best– shooter in the draft.

I will say this, however. I think the Warriors are in a brutal position draft wise. It seems pretty apparent that there are going to be hits and misses all over the board. There are too many unknowns. There are going to be a lot of teams up high in the draft who swing and miss and there are going to be teams in the 20s that hit home runs.

If the Warriors do use the pick, I have no doubt their selection will be a smart player, with good ball handling and decision-making skills, and a high basketball IQ to go along with it.

The Warriors are a very bad team when it comes to passing, decision-making and basketball IQ. It's where the Warriors really paid the price for losing Baron Davis. Now, you have Jackson making the bulk of the decisions, and really, how far will that take you?

This team isn't going to get significantly better until and unless it gets smarter and shares the ball more. And the only way they're getting smarter is to add smarter players.

Words to Warriorsworld.net?

To my friends there I say keep it up, great site. To Mac, I say … quit hatin.

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