Why you should boycott the Golden State Warriors

I already gave up on them and I am encouraging you too. Not forever, like I did, but just until they get new ownership. Here is one of the many reasons to give up on them.

When they broke that up opening night with me in the stands, it was over. Mitch Richmond, the guy that they dealt was my favorite player, even though Mullin and Timmy were awesome as well. While this is not a treatise on me, or on Billy Owens, who I like, since he was an Orangeman, they broke the bond, between fan and team. All good things come to an end, but so should the pain and heartbreak of having to watch and inferior product and knowing that others have what you want.

Here is the current owner of the Warriors, Chris Cohan.

You need to step your suit game up if you are that rich...I'm just sayin...

Wiki ells you the story of why Warriors fans have had too much…

Christopher J. Cohan is the current owner of the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. He acquired a 25-percent interest in the team in 1991; in 1995, he became sole owner; he sold 20 percent of the team to four Silicon Valley investors in 2005.

Here is how he got the team….

Chris Cohan sued his business partners to gain sole ownership of the Golden State Warriors in 1994. The Warriors were a popular, 50-win team at the time, and soon turned into a nationally ridiculed loser. Not only that, there was a long list of parties dragged into civil courtrooms by “Cohan the Contrarian” which included his stockbroker, life insurance agent, and primary attorney. Hard to believe, but all were longtime friends. One was the best man at Cohan’s wedding and another a groomsman. Cohan was sued, too, for failing to pay his bills by his landlord — the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority,[1]

Cohan’s tenure as owner of the Warriors has been highlighted with the longest playoff drought of any team in NBA history. From 1994 to 2007, the Warriors did not make the playoffs under Cohan. Under Cohan, the team has had nine head coaches and did not have a winning season until the 2006-2007 season, after Cohan rehired Don Nelson as head coach. The 2006-2007 season was highlighted by one of the most memorable upsets in NBA Playoff history when the eighth-seeded Warriors knocked off the heavily favored top-seed Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round. The Warriors went on to lose to the Utah Jazz in the second round of the playoffs. Cohan was the guiding force behind a completely refurbished arena in 1997 (now the 19,596-seat ORACLE Arena) and the building of a modern practice facilities in downtown Oakland for the Warriors in 1998. Cohan has been intensely criticized for his unsuccessful ownership.^[1]

Here is the plea of a lifelong Warrior fan and friend of the Blog…

“I am a die hard Warriors fan who grew up with the Run TMC squad and has loved the team ever since. Like most or all of you, I suffered through the PJ Carlesimo era, the Dave Cowens era, and the Erik Musselman era; the decision to draft Joe Smith over Kevin Garnett in ’95, the decision to draft Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant in ’96, and the decision to draft Mike Dunleavy over Amare Stoudemire in ’02; the Latrell Sprewell incident, the Stephen Jackson extension, and every other tragic and horrible mistake that this franchise has committed over the past 15 years. In that time, the team’s combined win percentage has been 37%. In 15 years, the Warriors have made the playoffs exactly ONCE, in a league where MORE THAN HALF THE TEAMS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS EACH YEAR.

1994–95	Western	Pacific	6th	26	56	.317	33	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
1995–96	Western	Pacific	6th	36	46	.439	28	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
1996–97	Western	Pacific	7th	30	52	.366	27	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
1997–98	Western	Pacific	6th	19	63	.232	42	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
1998–99	Western	Pacific	6th	21	29	.420	14	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
1999–00	Western	Pacific	6th	19	63	.232	48	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2000–01	Western	Pacific	7th	17	65	.207	39	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2001–02	Western	Pacific	7th	21	61	.256	40	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2002–03	Western	Pacific	6th	38	44	.463	21	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2003–04	Western	Pacific	5th	37	45	.451	19	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2004–05	Western	Pacific	5th	34	48	.415	28	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2005–06	Western	Pacific	5th	34	48	.415	20	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2006–07	Western	Pacific	3rd¤	42	40	.512	19	Won Western Conference First Round vs. Dallas Mavericks, 4–2 Lost Western Conference Semifinals vs. Utah Jazz, 4–1[33]	—
2007–08	Western	Pacific	3rd	48	34	.585	9	Did not reach the Playoffs	—
2008–09	Western	Pacific	3rd	29	53	.354	36	Did not reach the Playoffs	—

Enough is enough.

Through 15 years of staggering incompetence and futility, there have been exactly two constants in the Warriors’ organization: owner Chris Cohan and his sidekick and team president, Robert Rowell. Tim Kawakami at the Mercury News recently reported that Cohan is in financial trouble, and that if his problems get worse, he may be forced to sell the team. Larry Ellison, the billionaire owner of Oracle, has stated on numerous occasions that he would like to buy the team and keep it here in the Bay.

I say that we put the squeeze on Chris Cohan, make him feel the pain we have felt during his tragic reign of incompetence and neglect, and stick it to him in the one place where he will actually feel it: his pocketbook.

Starting this year, I am boycotting the Warriors. I will still watch the team on TV and follow it in the papers because I am a die hard fan and I love the team and the game of basketball, but I will not spend one red cent that could possibly flow to Chris Cohan and his organization. If enough of you join me, this can become a real movement, and one that can actually result in positive change.

In the short term, a boycott may create more pain. The Warriors may be forced to unload some of the few players we still love on this dysfunctional squad. We may lose Monta, Andris, Anthony Randolph, and even Steph Curry. But in the long run, all of that talent will be destroyed for our purposes anyway, whether the players remain here or not. If history has taught us anything, it is that Chris Cohan and his cronies will find a way to ruin anything good, to turn every plus into a minus.

The only way to save our beloved franchise is to force Chris Cohan to sell it.

Boycott the Warriors until Chris Cohan sells the team, and spread the word to every Warriors fan you know to do the same.”

My buddy has some fire to his points. Yahoo concludes VOTE SELL…there are people out there with deep pockets and the timing is right. Don’t spoil the items in the refrigerator for the next ownership group/coach. It will be the best move you have ever made.

The bid of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has been out there, but details of another intriguing offer to buy the Warriors have emerged, several sources told Yahoo! Sports. There is a well-moneyed and politically connected Bay Area group that has approached Cohan about purchasing the team and building a privately funded arena in downtown San Francisco. What’s more, the group has already had third parties call several well-respected NBA front-office executives about running the team.

As for Ellison, sources say he knows what the Warriors are worth in his mind and he isn’t inclined to raise the offer Cohan has already rejected. The Warriors and NBA deny the team is for sale, but as one official with knowledge of the bids says, while Cohan “can go hot and cold,” the San Jose Mercury News’ reports over the summer were accurate. It’s just a matter of time until he sells.

So, boycott the Warriors and follow someone who needs your help. The Clips are just owned by a racist, but he was willing to give Baron a bunch of money to play…

just in the interim until the Warriors are sold.

crossposted at Too Old for Maxim…

CheapASSness by Dumars prevents Avery Johnson from being coach… Pistons hiring John Kuester from the Cavs…

Hello Chauncey! He isn't here anymore...that's okay... I have the Answer! He is leaving too? Well if I can control Rasheed's temper I am good to go! He left? F@#K! Who is left?!?!?!

Avery Johnson will not be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons, who are instead closing in on hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester, according to ESPN.com

Johnson, an ESPN NBA analyst, confirmed in a SportsCenter interview Tuesday afternoon that he and the Pistons have broken off contract talks after more than two days of negotiations.

“At our present stage, we just feel it’s important that we continue to make decisions that are best for our team,” Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said.

Sources close to the process told ESPN.com that the job would instead go to Kuester in a deal likely to be completed later Tuesday or Wednesday.

They had met several times and it seemed like they were on the path for an agreement.  Doug Collins stepped down and Flip had already signed with the Wizards (although it is tough to come home again…)  ESPN.com explains the reason for the empasse

The Pistons’ pursuit of Johnson ended, sources said, because Detroit — having paid both Flip Saunders and recently fired Michael Curry last season and still owing an estimated $5 million to Curry over the next two seasons — was only prepared to extend a two-year offer to Johnson with a team option for a third season.

So Joe Dumars did it because he is cheap…that is a sad commentary on the state of the economy…

It’s believed that Johnson wanted no less than the security of a four-year contract, given where the retooling Pistons stand in the Eastern Conference hierarchy after a 39-43 season and the fact that Detroit is looking for its sixth coach in Dumars’ 10 seasons running the front office. When that gap couldn’t be bridged, sources said, no formal offer was made to Johnson.

“I looked at it, I was interested in it, but I was only interested in it if we could agree on a vision for the team going forward,” Johnson said in the SportsCenter interview.

Dumars told the Detroit News: “Where we are right now as a team is kind of like where we were at the start of the Rick Carlisle era. And a $4 [million] to $5 million [per year] coach is not what we need right now. We didn’t have one of those until we were close to contending for a championship when we got Larry [Brown].”

Memo to Joe D… You are right in that you are no where near a championship team right now.  When are the owners going to hold your feet to the fire for this?

You drafted the guy NOT on the cover...

Doug Collins pulling out is not a surprise.  I think that he enjoys being courted and gets some weird vibe from rejecting others.  This might be the fourth job he has turned down, after kicking the tires and looking around and taking it out for a test drive…

TNT analyst Doug Collins withdrew from consideration last week after sources told ESPN.com that he was formally offered the Detroit job. Boston Celtics associate head coach Tom Thibodeau is the only other known candidate, but sources say Dumars was always planning to move quickly to Kuester if no deal with Johnson could be reached.

It’s believed that Kuester’s offensive expertise and his history with the Pistons after working in Detroit as an assistant under Brown appeal greatly to Dumars. That’s despite that fact that Kuester — who was expected to travel to Detroit to meet face-to-face with Dumars later Tuesday — has never been a head coach in the NBA.

I cant believe that the finances and mistakes by Joe Dumars are going to cost the Pistons plenty by not getting a good coach like the Little General.  But, lets meet John Kuester

John Dewitt Kuester Jr.^[1] (pronounced: QUE-ster^[2]) (born February 6, 1955, in Richmond, Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6’2″ (188 cm) 180 lb (82 kg) guard and played collegiately with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels from 1973–77.^[3][4] He played in the NBA from 1977 to 1980. He is reportedly the new head coach of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.

Here is his coaching bio

After his playing days, Kuester began a basketball coaching career, volunteering as an assistant at the University of Richmond in 1980 to 1981.^[4] From 1981 to 1983 he was an assistant to Rick Pitino at Boston University, before succeeding him in 1983 as the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I .^[2][3][4]

From 1985 to 1990 he was the head coach at George Washington University. His 1988-1989 Colonials team compiled a 1-27 record, one of the worst ever in NCAA history.^[4][6]

He continued his career on the sidelines in the NBA, joining the Boston Celtics in 1990 and serving as an assistant from 1995 to 1997,^[4] and from 1997 to 2003 an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers under head coach Larry Brown. In 2003-04, Kuester followed Brown to the Detroit Pistons where he also served as an assistant. In 2004-05 Kuester was an assistant with the New Jersey Nets,^[3] and returned to the 76ers once more in 2005-06. In July 2006, Kuester was named as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic.^[7]

On August 12, 2007, it was reported from league sources that Kuester would be named to Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown‘s staff, replacing the departing Kenny Natt.^[8]

His record as a head coach doesn’t inspire feelings of championships.  Admittedly, he was the youngest coach in Division One, but all the shows is that he was over matched.

School	Season	Record
		Overall	Conference
Boston University	1983-1984	20-9	0-0
Boston University	1984-1985	15-13	0-0
George Washington	1985-1986	12-16	7-11
George Washington	1986-1987	10-19	6-12
George Washington	1987-1988	10-17	0-0
George Washington	1988-1989	1-27	1-17
George Washington	1989-1990	14-17	10-6

You started to turn them around, but the 1-27 was probably too much to overcome.  He has NBA bench experience, but…all we can do is wait and see if Dumars dumpster diving is going to work out…