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A year ago, I wrote that Eric Musselman, the Warriors' rookie coach, deserved coach-of-the-year consideration. His 38-44 team had sniffed the playoffs while turning into a nightly blast to watch.
Those Warriors, driven by first-gear Gilbert Arenas and sixth-gear Earl Boykins,
finished a close second to Dallas in points scored -- 103.0 to 102.4. But I
also reamed Musselman's team for allowing a league-worst 103.6 a game.
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Point(s) taken. This year's team is 15th of 29 teams in points allowed -- 94 a game. In their past six games -- all wins -- these Warriors have allowed only 83.7 a game while holding opponents to 39 percent shooting.
With 11 games left, the Warriors have already topped their Las Vegas over-under
line for victories -- 29 1/2. They're 31-40.
To accomplish that, Musselman has overcome a trade he had nothing to do with
-- basically his most consistent scorer, Antawn Jamison, for bad-kneed coach-killer
Nick Van Exel. Musselman has overcome the loss of Arenas, who claimed after
signing a $65 million deal with Washington that he would have stayed for far
less short-term if responsibility-ducking owner Chris Cohan had been around
to inspire some eye-to-eye trust. Musselman has overcome management's failure
to re-sign Boykins, who was responsible for five or six wins.
Musselman has overcome not having an injured Troy Murphy, who averaged 11.7
points and 10.2 rebounds last season. Musselman has overcome losing oft-injured
point guard Speedy Claxton just as he was taking over as a penetrator and spark-plug
defender. Musselman has overcome having to play a third pick in the draft, Mike
Dunleavy, who was getting out-hustled and outplayed on both ends of the floor
by free agent Brian Cardinal.
So why did President Robert Rowell fuel media speculation that Musselman will
be fired by saying the other night on Fox Sports Net that this team has underachieved?
Yes, Rowell acknowledged the injuries. But when an executive publicly indicates
a team hasn't lived up to expectations, he's greasing the skids for a young
coach to be sent sliding out the back door down Interstate 880.
It's once again time for an owner who has long led the NBA in underachievement
to deflect attention by firing a coach. No "Muss," no fuss? Nope,
I'll make one.
Musselman obviously deserves at least one more season. This isn't to say he's
the next Phil Jackson or that he's without flaws. He has several that could
ultimately do him in, starting with a cocky, condescending side that can rub
players, staffers and media members the wrong way.
But so much more is wrong with the Warriors than the coach. Until Cohan sells
the team or hires a real general manager, this franchise will lurch along through
nine-game losing streaks followed by six-game teases. Several sources say Cohan
has the final say on trades and draft picks made in cahoots with General Manager
Garry St. Jean and his understudy, Chris Mullin.
Fire Cohan.
In spite of the owner, Musselman's team is 23-13 at home. Without a shot-creating,
take-over scorer at the end of games, the Warriors have lost 12 times by three
points or fewer. No Boykins. Very little Van Exel, who was basically useless
when he tried to play between two more knee surgeries.
Stars win in the NBA, and Musselman doesn't have one. He has several nice pieces,
but no centerpiece.
Yet this team supposedly "underachieved" after Mullin helped engineer
a trade sold as creating cap space "in two or three years"? Please.
Cohan has taught Mullin well: He's making himself as slippery a target as the
owner. Several NBA sources say Mullin deserves the largest share of blame for
the Van Exel deal, but he leaves that to designated blame-taker St. Jean.
The most rampant rumor is that Mullin will officially take over after this season
and replace Musselman with Rod Higgins. Mullin and Higgins are former Warriors
teammates and close friends. But Higgins has never been more than an assistant
coach and is best known around the league for being one of Michael Jordan's
running buddies.
Musselman deserves another year just for having to read he'll be replaced by
Rod Higgins.
His team has beaten San Antonio twice, Minnesota home and away, the Lakers and
Sacramento in succession at home and the Grizzlies in Memphis. At the Oakland
Coliseum Arena, they've beaten Detroit, Houston, Cleveland and Denver.
And most important, this six-game winning streak has proven this team didn't
quit on Musselman.
He has irritated several players and perhaps alienated one or two. But what
NBA coach doesn't? Center Erick Dampier, finally motivated by the aroma of free-agent
millions, called him "Musselhead" last season. Yet Musselman has gotten
Dampier more offensive touches early in games, which set the stage for some
of the most G.M.-teasing numbers of Dampier's underachieving career -- 12.4
points and 11.8 rebounds a game.
"Musselhead" deserves a cut of Dampier's open-market deal.
Obviously Musselman should have played rookie defensive demon Mickael Pietrus
significant minutes much earlier. But he doesn't like to play rookies because
he has no management backing or job security. Musselman's only hope was to ride
veterans into the last playoff spot.
But Musselman has shown flexibility, resiliency, even a little humility. Maybe
he won't even prove to be the next Fred Auerbach. For keeping the Warriors respectable
despite injuries and management mistakes, he deserves one more shot he probably
won't get.