You would have to think that, after months of increasing isolation in that frigid Warriors front office the NBA's bitter Siberia Mullin feels like he has been set free.

You would have to believe that Mullin can comfortably look at himself in the mirror; he landed Baron Davis, drafted Monta Ellis and Anthony Randolph, resurrected Don Nelson and helped deliver the "We Believe" playoff run.

And, alone among Warriors decision-makers, Mullin didn't plot against his superiors or renegotiate his contract or maneuver for unearned public-relations plaudits.

The man had his ups and downs and bad contract decisions, no doubt. But Mullin was by far the Warriors' most credible and creative executive in decades.

The Warriors have had only two winning seasons in the 15-year span of Chris Cohan's crumbling ownership, both achieved under Mullin's stewardship.

That's why he had to go, of course. Mullin was too popular with the players, agents, fans and media; when Mullin erred, it was in leniency, as he tried to show to Ellis after his scooter accident. But team president Robert Rowell overruled him.

Or as Mullin dealt with Davis' moods and tantrums, trying to squeeze as much performance as possible. But Rowell fumed as Davis brushed him off and was given days and practices off.

That is not how the Rowell Warriors will operate now that Mullin is gone. Leniency? Compromise? Not if Rowell can help it.

Unquestionably, it will not take Mullin long to get another executive job, if he wants one.

If you listen closely, you might be able to hear the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks dialing his phone number right now, if they get permission from the Warriors .

I don't think too many teams were eagerly waiting for Riley to come free, but, oh well.

Rowell and Riley are scheduled to hold a news conference today. Mullin, a member of the 1992 Dream Team, is expected to attend Chuck Daly's funeral in Florida this week.

Just a little bit of an NBA dichotomy there, I think.

The long-awaited switcheroo was made official Monday Rowell announced the team will let Mullin's contract as the executive vice president expire June 30.

And Rowell anointed Riley, formerly a longtime Nelson assistant and more recently the assistant general manager, as the new general manager.

Interestingly, the last man to hold that title was Rod Higgins, Mullin's best friend, who left for the same job in Charlotte in May 2007 without a serious Warriors counteroffer. That was the first major sign that the Mullin team was not fully supported by Rowell.

By all indications, the Warriors have abolished the "executive vice president," which is mostly housekeeping but also yet another way for Rowell to consolidate his power.

By all indications, Riley will have to clear his decisions on the draft and trades with Nelson, who will reign from Maui during the off-season.

Now Riley, with his unremarkable track record, has the G.M. job. Even veteran NBA executives have asked me repeatedly this season: Who is Riley again?

But let's leave Riley alone for a while. He is a decent man who has gone wholly unnoticed for almost all his NBA career and surely has been picked by Rowell to make sure Rowell remains pre-eminent.

Riley got this job because he is Nelson's pal (by way of Del Harris' recommendation, so don't rule out Harris coming on staff) and he's a guy Rowell can control.

This isn't really a regime change from Mullin to Riley, it's the political endgame run by Rowell and Nelson to clear out Mullin, the one guy left who could challenge them.

Of course, every bit of history tells us that we can expect a political clash between Rowell and Nelson within a year. It's who they are. It's who the Warriors are.

But they'll deal with that when they get there.

And the franchise, and mostly the supremely loyal fans, will suffer ever more for it. As they have for most of 15 years, except for a few times when Mullin was able to temporarily thaw NBA Siberia.

Read Tim Kawakami's Talking Points blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami . Contact him at tkawakami@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5442.