Teetering.....

Thanks to the geniuses at Fox Sports Bay Area, last night's loss against Atlanta was not on TV. Perhaps they knew something heading into the year, or perhaps they remember Joe Johnson going off on the Warriors for 44 last year.
Oh well, no matter, the Warriors are officially teetering on falling into the annual NBA draft lottery abyss. Side note: I actually considered changing the tag line of this blog in my post trade giddy-ness, but something (maybe 12 consecutive years of losing) got the better of me, I maintained sound judgement and left it at "NBA Draft Lottery, Here We Come."
Tim Kawakami took the time today to very clearly point out exactly how the Warriors are going to have to finish in order to possibly snag the final playoff spot in the tough western conference. 23-13 finish, with 20 road games remaining does not seem that attainable for a team that only has 4 road wins as we enter the 4Th month of the season.
Barring a miracle, it just ain't gonna happen folks.
But the bright side, is that Warrior fans can now start our annual tradition of looking to college basketball, and watching intently as the major draft prospects play important games. We get to speculate which underclassmen will enter the draft, and which will be smart enough to stay in school to avoid being drafted by the hapless franchise that is our Golden State Warriors. I'm not sure who to feel bad for at this point.
Lets make a list just for fun
1. Jason Richardson: Though Adonal Foyle has been on the squad longer, Jason is the heart and soul of the team. Before his injuries this year, he had improved his scoring average his first 5 years in the league. Every summer, he would address one or two weaknesses in his game, and come back better. I expect the same from him going into this summer, as he is the consummate professional. Yet he is a career loser. His squad in Golden State have never come close to sniffing the playoffs. He finally is rid off the two stiffs (DunMurphy) he had to play his entire career with, and has to watch helplessly from the bench as his team fades into their 13th year of NBA oblivion. He might be on the decline athletically as his knees may finally be letting him down. And lastly, there is no foreseeable hope in sight.
2. Baron Davis: Unlike Richardson, Davis has experience winning, has received the personal accolades, but his tenure in Oakland has yet to produce anything other than a few memorable alley oop highlights, and late season wins against teams coasting to the playoffs. His reputation around the league is still that of a coach killer, and team cancer. He is obviously one of the top true point guards off the dribble, but its debatable as to whether or not he makes his teammates better. BD fans will insist that his assist and steal numbers are those indicative of a top point guard, but the number in the wins column, just aren't there. He took it upon himself to be the leader and face of the team last year, but clashed with Mike Montgomery, and ended up just trying to play 1 on 5 to win games. Granted he is playing his ass off this year, he is having perhaps one of his best seasons, yet he has been surrounded by teammates who do not have his natural athletic ability, and haven't been able to provide consistent support to help the team win games. BD is 27 this year, and as the third pick in the 1999 draft, he is in the middle of what should be his prime. But as he pointed out post Cleveland debacle on Tuesday, the defensive effort and winning know-how is not there from the rest of his team, and he is starting to get sick of it.
3. The Fans: I don't know what the numbers reflect for this year, but the Warrior's have increased their attendance at Oracle arena each of the past 4 seasons. Frankly, its dumbfounding that a perennial losing franchise could continue to draw so many die hard basketball fans. Is it because fans are there to constantly see the other top draws of the Association come in and play ball? I don't know. It can't be because of the product on the court. Granted the Warriors have been pretty good this year on the home floor, but still, 4 years in a row? 12 years and counting of no playoff basketball. Around the country, Warriors fans are considered some of the best and most knowledgeable. Is this because we continue to support an inferior product, or are we just crazy, liberal, easily forgetful people? I wish I knew. I mean..... I'll definitely renew my season tickets next year. But then again, I'm not exactly the soundest money manager.

I predicted the other day that THIS road trip was going to be different. Hey, I was feeling optimistic at the time, silly me. 5-1 I predicted. Well, that is obviously wrong. Is 4-2 still possible. Sure it is. But at this point. The team needs to take the rest of these games one at a time. I can only hope that today's practice is a spirited one. Phily is not a good team. They should be beat. We can discuss the Bobcats, and 0-11 on the second half of road back to backs post tomorrow night's game. This team is a few more losses away from losing the season completely. However, I'm afraid its already gone.

By the way, did you see what Kevin Durant did last night?