With Baron Davis having bolted for Los Angeles, Monta Ellis out at least 26 games and both Don Nelson and Chris Mullin existing in lame-duck status, expectations for the Warriors in 2008-09 are far lower than when the club won 48 games and just missed out on the playoffs last season.
Lower for most people, that is. But not for team president Robert Rowell. From where he sits, jobs are at risk for those who will be deemed responsible if the Warriors don't meet his expectations this year.
"We have a lot of work to do in this organization. We've got a lot of work to do with this team to get it to where it needs to get," Rowell assured during the preseason. "We're going to evaluate everything."
Among the people being evaluated are Nelson and Mullin, the two men considered to be most responsible for Golden State ending a 12-year playoff drought in 2006-07. Neither has a contract for 2009-10, which is no surprise for Nelson, who at age 67 already has pondered retirement.
But there's never been any indication Mullin is ready to hang up his tie.
That said, Rowell has made it clear he's not interested in negotiating contract extensions for either Nelson or Mullin at this point.
"We're going to make the appropriate personnel decisions at the appropriate times," he insisted. "Everyone's under contract right now. There's no rush to have to do anything other than what we're doing and trying to win basketball games."
Alas, that's the bottom line. And if wins are going to determine the futures of the two highest-profile Warriors, they just might be in trouble.
After all, the obvious observation heading into this season is the Warriors have little chance of making the playoffs. It was going to be hard enough competing in the rugged Western Conference without Davis, but when Ellis blew out his ankle in a moped accident over the summer, costing him at least one-third of the season, it made just having a .500 season a somewhat unrealistic goal.
Rowell, however, takes a different view. After all, he and owner Chris Cohan signed off on about $180 million in free-agent spending during the off-season. The last thing he wants to hear is: Wait 'til next year.
"This organization has a lot to prove," he claimed. "We have a lot of work to do now, and we need to focus on the work."
COACHING STAFF: Head Coach -- Don Nelson, 29th year overall (1,232-920), third year in second stint with Warriors (90-72). Assistants -- Larry Riley, Keith Smart, Sidney Moncrief, Stephen Silas, Russ Turner.
LAST SEASON, REMEMBERED: 48-34 (third in Pacific Division), missed playoffs.
THIS SEASON, PREDICTED: 39-43 (fourth in Pacific Division), won't make playoffs.
POSSIBLE CHANGES, PREDICTED: Nelson will retire at midseason, handing over the reigns to Smart; Dan Dickau will start more games at point guard than Monta Ellis.
