BOOOO – Not sure why, but booing the Warriors owner on Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement night got a TON of media attention. When I watched it live, I honestly didn’t think much of it. I thought it was a little excessive in that, the only things Lacob has done wrong is make too many promises to a fanbase that has been through a lot empty promises by management. If you don’t believe me, then read Simmons article on the most tortured fans in the NBA. Honestly if I was there, I would’ve booed him. Some were booing because of the Monta trade, but I’d boo because they didn’t amnesty Biendris, who we all knew wasn’t good based on his last two seasons, and ended up wasting the amnesty on Charlie Bell’s expiring contract. For all those saying it was disrespectful and ruined Mullin’s night, I’ll bet you anything Mulley was on the fans side at one point, but he’s too classy to boo. Especially when he was run out of Oakland by the previous owner as a thank you for building the We Believe team, and trying hard to keep Baron Davis. Joe Lacob made a round of media appearances in the Bay Area the day after the booing. He swung and missed on his explanations too. For some reason he still says they’re a playoff team this year, c’mon man, you can’t truly believe that, I didn’t before the season and definitely don’t now, we’re not stupid even if we do fill a stadium for a team that has a 30% winning percentage. He also contradicted himself by saying he might boo himself too, but probably not. He also pronounced the fan-favorite Monta Ellis’s name wrong twice in this interview. He said Mon(TUH), not Mon(TAY) like it’s really pronounced. Did he even know his best players name that they traded away? He doesn’t seem to understand the fans frustrations, and he’s not like Mark Cuban even though he seems to be trying to be. I know it’s going to take some time for the ownership group to figure it all out and distance themselves from the Cohan era, so hopefully this teaches him a valuable lesson. Maybe he should take a page out of Jed York’s playbook and stop making silly predictions and just lay low letting the team and the staff they put together do their thing until they start winning. Since Jed let the powers he put in charge do their thing, the 49ers sure have turned it around, maybe the same will happen for the Warriors.
Snitches – Warren Sapp tweeted out that Jeremy Shockey was the “snitch” for the whole Bounty gate thing in New Orleans. Shockey responded with an angry denial. It’ no secret Sapp was one of my least favorite Raiders and is in the Jamarcus category on the all-time hate list. If he’s as lazy as he was while wearing the Silver and Black as he is with his reporting I’m already siding with Shockey, and that was before I saw that Shockey said he’d take a polygraph to clear his name. Sapp is also one of my least favorite NFL announcers. I’d rather listen to Shaq’s NBA analysis, than Sapp’s NFL take. I truly hope he gets fired for making this type of claim without stating any kind of evidence. It’s sad how much of an attention whore he is.
As for Bounty Gate itself, I guess it was a fair penalty. Goodell plays the role of father figure to the NFL, and just like when you lied to your parents as a kid, the penalty gets twice as bad when you get caught. I’m not sure I agree with taking away a bunch of draft picks though. Seems like missing their coach for the year is enough in my book. I had an interesting conversation with some Raiders fans and if something happened to them similar to what happened to the Saints. Can you say DEATH PENALTY!?! I bet they’d either be contracted or lose every first round pick for the next decade that they didn’t already trade away, and unfortunately Al Davis wouldn’t be around to sue the pants off the league.
By
cali4dre
chappy81
dyslecix
mceezy
Doin Work 
March 22nd, 2012 at 11:33 am
To be honest, I think it’s insane that Warren Sapp is an analyst now, especially for NFL network. I’ve never seen a guy lose interest in playing any sport to the level that Warren lost it after winning the Super Bowl. He was essentially worthless, and every Raider fan has the right to be pissed about his failure to get in shape and maintain wieght during his tenure there. It was at that time he also began to make comments about how the NFL didn’t give a shit about you if you weren’t protecting the shield and selling it nonstop. Now he works for the NFL Network, a show featuring all of these guys who were assholes their whole career (with the exception of Warner of course) that the league has repolished and repackaged to appear nice only to have them calling out “snitches”? I don’t get it. I highly doubt Shockey was a snitch and from what I understand Payton has cleared his name. So as far as I’m concerned, Sapp can go fuck himself.
March 22nd, 2012 at 11:56 am
Well said my friend.
March 24th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
He’s just such a waste of space, and my what a large space to waste.
Meehan
March 22nd, 2012 at 12:55 pm
I thought of you immediately when I read that Simmons article. Pretty good piece, huh?
Who, outside of Oakland, knew the kind of decision-making that’s gone on inside that franchise? Goodness.
I’d like to tell you it’s gonna get better before it gets worse, but I don’t see it.
Send some flowers to Bogut’s hospital room for me. The guy hasn’t played a full NBA season since his rookie year.
Formidable front line between him and Lee, if he can stay on the floor.
March 22nd, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Yeah man, a few people sent me the link right after it came out haha. It was painful to read, but spot on.
The W’s are almost always surrounded by the dreaded “ifs”, and the “if” scenario that ends up happening is usually the worst case scenario. I’m okay with the Bogut trade, because with Monta we’re still a lottery team, at least now they have a traditional lineup that might be good if Bogut is healthy…
I hope it gets better, but at this point it’s really hard to believe it will anytime that soon.
March 22nd, 2012 at 2:09 pm
chappy
Warriors’ fans ingratiated co-owner Joe Lacob by booing his a#s ! A sign of things to come ?
On the flip side it was meant to be Mullin’s night and deservedly so ! Sapp as an NFL analyst will bring the same sort of insight and intelligence that Palin brought to McCain’s Presidential campaign in ’08 and we all know how that ended don’t we ?
Warriors owner Joe Lacob booed during Chris Mullin’s jersey ceremony; Rick Barry comes to rescue
The ceremony to retire Chris Mullin’s No. 17 jersey backfired on the Golden State Warriors Monday night, as the Oracle Arena crowd, obviously unhappy with the team’s recent moves, showered co-owner Joe Lacob with boos.
Last week, Golden State traded away Monta Ellis—one of the Warriors’ best and most popular players—and the improving Ekpe Udoh to the Milwaukee Bucks for oft-injured center Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. They subsequently traded Jackson to the San Antonio Spurs for Richard Jefferson.
Lacob, trying to speak to the fans about “embracing history,” was drowned out by the boos. Mullin then took the mic and did his best to quiet the crowd.
Mullin put his arm around Lacob and said, “I got it, I got it.”
Mullin told the crowd, “As the greatest fans in the NBA, as everyone stated, sometimes change is inevitable, and it’s gonna work out just fine—with your support and patience. And use that passion in the right direction. This thing is going in the right direction. I’ve got great confidence in Joe, (coach) Mark Jackson, and everything will work out just fine. Use that passion.”
Mullin’s plea didn’t work. The boos ensued as soon as he handed the mic back to Lacob.
Then Warriors legend Rick Barry stepped in.
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Click on link to read in full.
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March 22nd, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I think Monta was part of it, but man, there’s a ton of reasons to boo the Warriors front office. Sure, Lacob might not have had to do with much of it, but maybe now he’ll understand what years of sucking does to a fanbase and making the experience in the arena better is a distant second to the on-court product.
March 22nd, 2012 at 3:56 pm
I think the booing at the Warriors game was absurd. It was not a night to take out anger at the management, it was a night to honor a legend, Chris Mullin. Also, kudos to Rick Barry for stepping in.
March 22nd, 2012 at 4:25 pm
I hear ya, I thought it was a little excessive in length. Maybe 10-15 seconds of booing was enough, but being a life long Warriors fan I agree with them to an extent. Mullin knows they weren’t booing him, I’m a huge fan of his, but if anyone understands it’s him. He went through it as a player watching talented player after talented player leave or be traded away for poo. The fans are there to see the players not the owner. Lacob jumping on the mic was un-necessary imo.
I was at the Bucks-Warriors game when Monta played his first game as a Buck. Fans were cheering for him as loudly as they were for the Warriors.
Plus, how many times do all the fans get to boo an owner? Pretty much never happens, because they never take the mic during normal situations. This might have been the only chance in a lifetime…
March 23rd, 2012 at 8:01 am
We disagree on the “Bountygate” incident…but you probably knew that. I was very interested to read your thoughts on the “Mullingate” incident when I first learned of it. Man, that was sad. Guy deserved better. No one comes out looking good. Probably a ceremony best put off for another season…when they weren’t in the midst of tanking the present one.
March 23rd, 2012 at 8:41 am
Yeah that’s a good point, I wonder why they didn’t do the ceremony earlier in the year when fans may have still had hopes for the team, and may not have booed. I feel bad for Mulley, but the fans weren’t booing him…
March 23rd, 2012 at 9:53 am
chappy
Lacob made his fortune (billions of dollars ) working for and then becoming a senior partner with VC firm (venture capital), Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers . How the hell can he now sink to such a low when you have someone like Jerry West as a special consultant for the organization ? But then again there seems to be nepotism there as well , as he has a family member Kirk Lacob in a capacity of Director of Basketball Operations ?
Or has Larry Riley become of no use to the Warriors whatsoever ?
On the one hand you can seek advice from West or you can go with a family member (Kirk) ? That might be the actual cause for many of the Warriors’ problems at this juncture . Impending free agents may well want to leave when their time is up ?
tophatal ……
March 23rd, 2012 at 12:08 pm
I have to say, I highly questioned the Kirk Lacob hiring, that’s probably like saying I’m qualified for that position. Don’t get me started on Riley, I’ve wanted him gone for awhile, but for some reason he’s one of the only guys from the old regime that stayed on.
I guess we won’t know if they screwed up until next year when the team is healthy, so I’ll hold off on the fire Larry Riley post until later. I’d really like to have Jerry West be more of a force in the front office though…
March 27th, 2012 at 10:07 am
chappy There’s a reason at times you don’t have family involved in business . I know my brother having served in the military (engineer) like myself , he could probably fix almost any damn thing . But would I have do my taxes or anything financial . Hell no ! Joe Lacob probably needs to have his brother do something else like be a janitorial serviceman for the organization . Your thoughts ?
What part of suspension doesn’t Sean Payton understand ? It actually means he can’t consult with anyone as it pertains to direct business concerning the Saints. So why the ___$k is he talking to Parcells to gauge his interest in becoming the interim coach ? Especially when the owner Tom Benson has backed Pete Carmichael to assume the role .
Two consecutive losses for the Heat ? I hadn’t realize that LBJ would have this much trouble winning his first title with this so ” called star laden … team ! That second loss to the Pacers was terrible ! I mean it was Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert for Christ’s sake !
tophatal …….