For the first time this week, Chris Mullin sounded a bit like Garry St. Jean.
In the ashes of the Golden State Warriors’ 12th straight losing season, Mullin sat in his luxury box overlooking the Arena court before Monday night’s home finale and gave much the same end-of-the-season address offered by St. Jean during the former general manager’s seven years in charge.
St. Jean began every season bursting with excitement, confident in this year’s plan to end the Warriors’ playoff drought — and he ended every season disappointed, taciturn and defensive after his grand scheme burst into flames. In the absence of memorable wins or players, St. Jean’s foolish optimism essentially became the Warriors’ hallmark.
Mullin replaced St. Jean in 2004, quietly self-assured in his ability to counteract the culture of losing and mismanagement that’s permeated the NBA’s most miserable franchise over the last dozen years. Mullin was highly respected when he was a Warriors star, but he had never been a top executive before owner Chris Cohan turned over the franchise to the crewcut New Yorker.
And after two years, the Warriors have two identical 34-48 records and the league’s longest playoff drought to show for Mullin’s management.
“The fans, Mr. Cohan, they deserve better, and they’re going to get better,” Mullin said. “I’ve got a terrible taste in my mouth. … I don’t feel we lack talent. How that talent plays together and ultimately wins together, it’s my job to fix, because this year did not go the way I wanted it to, and that’s on me. There’s no place else to look but right here.”
In truth, there are plenty of places to look, from Baron Davis’ injured ankle to coach Mike Montgomery’s much-questioned leadership to making simple free throws, something Golden State did just 71.8 percent of the time.
The Warriors began the season with unusual anticipation after a strong finish in 2005 — and then they opened 12-6, thrilling the ridiculously loyal Bay Area fans who have set Arena attendance records for four straight years.
The losing began shortly afterward, and it rarely stopped until Wednesday night’s 105-102 season-ending defeat at Utah. Golden State finished last in the Pacific Division, 10 games behind fourth-place Sacramento, and in 12th place overall in the Western Conference.
“I’ve already dealt with a whole year of expectations where everybody has put us in a position that we’re the greatest,” Montgomery said with sarcasm. “Thank you. That’s great.”
As the Warriors begin preparations for yet another lottery draft pick, Mullin is taking stock of the club’s assets and liabilities — and he actually likes what he sees.
They have six players under long-term contracts that push them up against the threshold of the NBA’s luxury tax: Davis, Jason Richardson, Derek Fisher, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Adonal Foyle. In Montgomery, they have a coach who’s still learning on the job and who doesn’t seem particularly respected by his players.
And they have fundamental questions about their roster’s basic compatibility, as well as the suitability of its centerpiece: Davis, the injury-prone star guard who showed his best and worst sides this season.
When Davis was healthy and happy, he was an inspirational presence seemingly capable of scoring or finding an open teammate — he finished second in the NBA with 8.9 assists per game — on every drive to the hoop.
At his worst, Davis is a lazy jump-shooter who encourages his teammates’ worst offensive habits — he made just 38.9 percent of his shots, worst among the Warriors’ regulars — while playing terrible defense. The Warriors launched an astonishing 1,832 3-pointers, but averaged just 98.5 points per game.
Golden State was struggling even before Davis sprained his ankle on Feb. 11, but the Warriors were never the same afterward. He played just six ineffective games after the injury, and Golden State plummeted.
“We wanted to get up the floor and create around Baron, and the fact that he wasn’t healthy for a large portion of the year obviously affected that,” said Montgomery, who will return next season.
While Davis sat, Richardson played through a knee injury to average a career-best 23.2 points per game. Mullin seems determined to build the team around Richardson and Davis, once declaring both players untouchable by trade — but he said anyone else could be on the move.
Mullin has stockpiled an array of talent, including promising rookies Monta Ellis and Ike Diogu. But what he does with that talent in his offseason moves will determine whether the Warriors finally end their dozen years of disaster.
“I can appreciate that frustration, but there is young talent that we have, and the ability to go out and make some maneuvers,” Mullin said. “It doesn’t have to be an overhaul of players. I think the right moves made can change a lot of those close (losses), and change things around pretty drastically. I think we’re in a good position to get something done.”
