Draft Rumors: Dunleavy to the Warriors
Mike Dunleavy is in the NBA draft for good. The next question is this: Is he into the Warriors?
Dunleavy's decision seems to be some sort of watershed moment in Golden State. Forget for a second whether Dunleavy is really worth all of this fuss. If the Warriors are really that interested, you know the answer to that.
For months the speculation persisted that Dunleavy wasn't really deciding whether he wanted to play in the NBA or stay in college. Instead, he was deciding whether he wanted to be a Warrior. So now that he's decided to stay in the draft, the San Francisco Chronicle's David Steele seems to think that everything is OK with the Warriors. Forget about the money, the risk of injury or a terrible senior season. The Warriors pushed Dunleavy to the NBA.
Who knows what GM Garry St. Jean or Antawn Jamison said to Dunleavy last Thursday. I wasn't there, but my guess is it went something like this.
St. Jean: "Mike, the odds are we can't keep screwing up forever. Clifford Rozier, Joe Smith, Todd Fuller, Adonal Foyle, Antawn (oops sorry Antawn) . . . "
Jamison: "That's all right Garry, you're outta here anyway. What position do you play, Mike?"
St. Jean: "I think if you look at our track record you'll rest easier. If you're any good, we'll trade you away to a contender. If you struggle, we'll throw the max at you."
Jamison: "Point guard? Center? Shooting guard?"
St. Jean: "If we hired your dad as coach . . .you would never, um, how do I put this, try to wrap your hands around his neck?"
Jamison: "I heard you can pass. You're going to throw me the ball, right?"
St. Jean: "You like Chris Mullin? How do you feel about flat tops?"
Jamison: "Just pass me the ball and stay away from the small power forward position and we're cool, all right?"
St. Jean: "So what do you say Mike?"
Dunleavy's staying in the draft, but Warriors fans may not want to pat themselves on the back just yet.
Several lottery general managers were breathing a quiet sigh of relief late Tuesday as news began to trickle in that two potential lottery picks, Dunleavy and Curtis Borchardt, intended to stay in the draft.
Dunleavy's decision seems to be some sort of watershed moment in Golden State. Forget for a second whether Dunleavy is really worth all of this fuss. If the Warriors are really that interested, you know the answer to that.
For months the speculation persisted that Dunleavy wasn't really deciding whether he wanted to play in the NBA or stay in college. Instead, he was deciding whether he wanted to be a Warrior. So now that he's decided to stay in the draft, the San Francisco Chronicle's David Steele seems to think that everything is OK with the Warriors. Forget about the money, the risk of injury or a terrible senior season. The Warriors pushed Dunleavy to the NBA.
Who knows what GM Garry St. Jean or Antawn Jamison said to Dunleavy last Thursday. I wasn't there, but my guess is it went something like this.
St. Jean: "Mike, the odds are we can't keep screwing up forever. Clifford Rozier, Joe Smith, Todd Fuller, Adonal Foyle, Antawn (oops sorry Antawn) . . . "
Jamison: "That's all right Garry, you're outta here anyway. What position do you play, Mike?"
St. Jean: "I think if you look at our track record you'll rest easier. If you're any good, we'll trade you away to a contender. If you struggle, we'll throw the max at you."
Jamison: "Point guard? Center? Shooting guard?"
St. Jean: "If we hired your dad as coach . . .you would never, um, how do I put this, try to wrap your hands around his neck?"
Jamison: "I heard you can pass. You're going to throw me the ball, right?"
St. Jean: "You like Chris Mullin? How do you feel about flat tops?"
Jamison: "Just pass me the ball and stay away from the small power forward position and we're cool, all right?"
St. Jean: "So what do you say Mike?"
Dunleavy's staying in the draft, but Warriors fans may not want to pat themselves on the back just yet.
Several lottery general managers were breathing a quiet sigh of relief late Tuesday as news began to trickle in that two potential lottery picks, Dunleavy and Curtis Borchardt, intended to stay in the draft.
