Half of his roster either walked away or was traded away, leaving him with a team that barely resembles the one with which he ended last season. Yet Eric Musselman says, as often as he's asked and as often as he volunteers, that he's happy about the results of the chaotic Warriors offseason, and excited to coach what he has been given.
"Changes in the roster do not bother me at all," Musselman said earlier this week -- then clamped his left hand to the arm of the chair in his office, raised his right and added, "I'd put my hand on the Bible. That doesn't bother me one iota."
Musselman, remember, cut his coaching teeth in the CBA. Roster upheaval is a way of life there, and if that is now the case entering his second year with this NBA team, he figures he'll handle it. Besides, he pointed out, expectations for this team -- minus half the players (including its two leading scorers) that Musselman guided to a 17-game improvement over the previous season -- can't be worse than for the one he inherited a year ago.
"We didn't know what we were going to have in camp," he said. "We didn't have an open offense; we didn't have the passing game in training camp. We didn't have that until November. We got to be around the guys, we got to learn, look at film, see that when our plays break down, we're pretty good -- pass, cut, basket, layup. We started seeing that, and that's the intriguing thing about this thing coming together as well."
Musselman can begin piecing his new roster next week, when several players, new and holdover, begin trickling into Oakland in advance of training camp at the end of September. He welcomes it knowing that the skepticism that has dogged the franchise all summer won't end soon.
Musselman defended every move -- and as he did, denied the widespread belief that his influence in the organization was being undermined, already had been undermined by all the layers of management above him, from owner Chris Cohan to general-manager-in-training Chris Mullin.
General manager Garry St. Jean's office is down the hall in the Warriors' downtown Oakland headquarters, and "we talk every day," Musselman said. He and Mullin converse frequently as well, he said, and he was not kept in the dark about the intentions of the front office. The fallout from Gilbert Arenas' departure to Washington as a free agent, he said, was particularly troubling.
"It's tough when you lay it on the line and it doesn't happen," he said. "I felt like Chris (Cohan) did what he could, too, and I felt bad for him with the Gilbert thing, especially with what came out later from (Arenas). We did what we could do; unfortunately, we didn't have (financially) what we needed."
Via San Francisco Chronicle
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A Michigan jury has convicted Golden State Warriors guard Jason Richardson of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from an assault on his ex-girlfriend.
Roshonda Jacqmain testified Wednesday that Richardson, 22, pushed her so hard that she fell and struck her head against a wall, putting a large hole in it. The incident took place April 29 at Jacqmain's apartment, where Richardson had gone to pick up their 3-year-old daughter.
Richardson, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound Saginaw native who left Michigan State after his sophomore season to turn pro, testified that he was acting in self-defense, according to a Thursday report in The Saginaw News.
The trial began Wednesday. The jury deliberated 1½ hours before reaching its verdict, Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael Thomas said.
Richardson remained free on bond pending a sentencing hearing, which was not immediately scheduled, Thomas said. Richardson faces up to 93 days in jail and $500 in fines.
Via Associated Press
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According to published reports, the Golden State Warriors are on the verge of signing veteran free-agent swingman Calbert Cheaney to a one-year contract.
Cheaney, 6-foot-7, averaged 8.6 points per game for the Utah Jazz a year ago, including shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
The former Indiana University star was Utah's starting off guard for most of last season, but is expected to replace Bob Sura and serve as a backup for the Warriors' Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Via Oakland Tribune
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Warriors Aug 2003 Archive
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San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 25, 2003
Last year the Warriors opened the season with five players age 22 or younger.
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Contra Costa Times | Aug 25, 2003
He is the wild card.
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Aug 24, 2003
After bringing the Golden State Warriors from repulsive to respectable in his rookie season as an NBA head coach, Eric Musselman has watched the Oakland optimism get smashed like a sand castle on the beach this summer.
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Contra Costa Times Columnist Neil Hayes | Aug 24, 2003
IF CHRIS MULLIN HAS been involved in recent Warriors trades, as seems to be the case, he should be the one telling us about it.
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Dallas Morning News | Aug 24, 2003
From legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith, Antawn Jamison learned that unselfishness, organization and team chemistry win basketball games.
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Dave Del Grande - ANG Newspapers | Aug 23, 2003
Here's a big problem with sports today: There is much more information available than ever before, yet the size of your average fan's brain hasn't increased.
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ESPN | Aug 21, 2003
The Detroit Pistons traded forward Cliff Robinson and guard Pepe Sanchez to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday for guard Bob Sura.
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Contra Costa Times | Aug 20, 2003
On the day Antawn Jamison signed a six-year contract extension with the Warriors worth approximately $87 million -- the most lucrative contract in Bay Area sports history -- he said that he wanted to play his entire career with Golden State.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Aug 20, 2003
Bigger.
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Dallas Morning News | Aug 20, 2003
Danny Fortson might as well have been a Golden State Warrior season-ticket holder for all the playing time he saw last season.
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Contra Costa Times | Aug 19, 2003
Sometime this week, Warriors General Manager Garry St.
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Contra Costa Times Columnist Neil Hayes | Aug 19, 2003
THE ANTICIPATION builds for the press conference.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Aug 19, 2003
Don't blame Antawn Jamison if he hasn't slept.
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San Jose Mercury News Columnist Skip Bayless | Aug 18, 2003
He would make a far smarter general manager than Garry St.
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Dallas Morning News | Aug 18, 2003
On Friday, the Mavericks agreed to an eight-player trade with the Golden State Warriors that brought high-scoring Antawn Jamison to Dallas.
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Dallas Morning News | Aug 17, 2003
He was supposed to be bad news personified – a contract that went on forever coupled with bad shot selection and a worse attitude.
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Contra Costa Times | Aug 17, 2003
Less than a year ago, Warriors general manager Garry St.
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San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 16, 2003
Antawn Jamison's workout at Golden State's practice facility Friday was his last as a member of the Warriors.
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Star-Telegram Staff Writer writer Art Garcia | Aug 15, 2003
Antawn Jamison and Nick Van Exel are the kingpins in an eight-player trade between the Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors that was agreed on Friday night, the Star-Telegram learned.
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Rocky Mountain News | Aug 12, 2003
Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe expects Earl Boykins to come to Denver later this week to take a physical and sign his contract.
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Washington Post | Aug 9, 2003
Gilbert Arenas is a guy who's hungry to succeed, a guy who at times in his basketball career has been told he's not good enough.
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Washington Post | Aug 8, 2003
Gilbert Arenas, who until late last night was still a Golden State Warrior, officially became a Washington Wizard this morning.
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Washington Post | Aug 7, 2003
Gilbert Arenas, who signed a six-year, $64 million offer sheet with the Washington Wizards in July, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor weapons and vehicle charges Tuesday.
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Denver Post | Aug 7, 2003
The Nuggets and Golden State Warriors free-agent point guard Earl Boykins have agreed to a five-year contract worth at least $13 million, two sources close to the negotiations said Wednesday.
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San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 6, 2003
An attorney for soon-to-be-former Warriors point guard Gilbert Arenas appeared in San Mateo County Superior Court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor weapons and vehicle charges on the player's behalf.
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San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 6, 2003
Last season Chris Mills and Danny Fortson combined to play less than 2.
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Philadelphia Inquirer | Aug 4, 2003
Basketball Hall of Famer Tom Gola, a name synonymous with greatness for generations of Philadelphia sports fans, was in a coma last night and fighting for his life from injuries suffered in a fall July 25.
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Boulder Daily Camera | Aug 2, 2003
The Denver Nuggets came to terms with free agent point guard Earl Boykins, general manager Kiki Vandeweghe announced during Andre Miller's introductory press conference Friday.
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| Aug 1, 2003
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| Aug 1, 2003
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San Francisco Chronicle | Aug 1, 2003
The Warriors have already lost their starter.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Aug 1, 2003
A month has passed since the NBA allowed teams to start negotiating contracts with free agents.
