How about Calbert Cheaney.

He is the only Warrior with an expiring contract this year and will become a free agent at season's end.

If Cheaney wants to play a 14th NBA season, which he has yet to decide, then bringing him back merits consideration. At least it should, according to his teammates and coaches.

Rookie Monta Ellis said players can't help but listen when Cheaney speaks. Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy call him a veteran's vet. Even coach Mike Montgomery, who understandably has chosen getting his youngsters experience over using the dependable Cheaney, describes him as a class act.

"If people would watch him and see how he handles himself in practice, how he's there on time, how he prepares himself mentally, he understands his role," Montgomery said. "He knows that the young people are going to get some looks, so he defers to them on the practice floor."

Montgomery then adds in an almost apologetic manner: "In a lot of ways, you feel like, Geez, if you play him, you know what you're going to get with Cal."
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All three have contracts that will substantially surpass Cheaney's price tag next season, if there is a next season. The swingman plans to take a long vacation with his wife and two kids in the summer before deciding whether to commit to another season.

"It's not about the money for me because I've got plenty of it. It's all about passion, just wanting to play," he said. "Sometimes, I'm sitting there or laying in bed and I'm done: This is going to be my last year. Then again, I'll say I'll play one more. We'll see what happens."

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OAKLAND -- One thing that got overlooked in the Warriors' just-completed road trip was the production of swingman Calbert Cheaney.

Cheaney, in his 13th NBA season, appeared in two games during the five-game swing. He totaled 33 minutes at Charlotte and at Orlando, twice giving the Warriors the boost they needed off the bench.

Cheaney scored all eight of his points during a five-plus minute stretch of the second quarter in Wednesday's game at Charlotte when the Warriors outscored the Bobcats 17-10. He capped the run with a follow dunk to put the Warriors up 11. He finished with four rebounds in 13 minutes in a game the Warriors lost 104-101.

Then against the Magic on Saturday, Cheaney woke up the sleepwalking Warriors in the second half. He played the entire fourth quarter, his 21-footer capping a surge that cut the Warriors' 19-point deficit to four. He finished with eight points in 20 minutes in the Warriors' 103-92 loss.

Cheaney has primarily been a presence in the locker room and a mentor for guard Jason Richardson and rookie guard Monta Ellis. But he has shown he can produce when called upon, however rare that is. Cheaney's time may decrease even more as the season wanes and the emphasis turns to next season. He will be a free agent at season's end and his return is uncertain. But he's not ready to give up on this season.

"We've just got to keep plugging away, man," Cheaney said. "Whether we put the young players in, whether we put the experienced players in, I don't think it makes much of a difference. I think we're good all the way around. I think it's just a matter of us believing that we are."

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