Larry Riley isn't just Don Nelson's puppet. It's worse than that he's Nelson's AND Rowell's puppet, and just wait until those start pulling the strings in opposite directions, which is inevitable. Then, when the product goes south, Nelson will simply bail on the health/retirement card and head back to Hawaii with his wins record and a huge pile of money, leaving Rowell and Riley a steaming mess.

Mullin's good work here will land him a better job elsewhere sooner than later. Just with his trades for Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, his drafting of Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis (in the second round, no less) and coercing Nelson back to the bench, Cohan should have given him five more years and Rowell five minutes to start counting paper clips.

But that's Cohan for you: Absent and absent-minded, as usual.

The Warriors retired Mullin before they could retire his number, which should have been done years ago. That's not likely to happen anytime soon now, which could make for a very awkward situation at the point Mullin enters the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Proof for Mullin that there will be a better day: One former Warriors coach, George Karl, is in the NBA Western Conference finals. Another, Rick Adelman, is somehow keeping a battered Houston Rockets team alive against the Lakers.

Hey, it's a popular game one can play these days with former Oakland folks run out of town: How about Ken Macha? Dr. Disconnect had the Milwaukee Brewers in first place this week while the A's were languishing in last. Meanwhile, Ron Washington and his sidekick Art Howe have the Texas Rangers in first in Oakland's own division.

And remember Marco Scutaro, the guy the A's never felt comfortable giving a full-time position? He's not only leading off and playing shortstop every day for the first-place Toronto Blue Jays, he's third in the AL in runs scored and has hit as many home runs (five) as the A's leader, Jack Cust. It gets better (or worse): Scutaro leads all starting MLB shortstops in chances and assists, yet is the only one who hasn't made an error all year.

Oh yeah, Scutaro's also been completely healthy, no small thing if you're drawing comparisons with current A's infielders.

Too bad the A's and Giants aren't inclined to make major deals with each other, because Matt Holliday would the perfect fit for the Giants' lineup once Billy Beane decides he's ready to move him. Here's a thought: How about Holliday for territorial rights to San Jose?

The A's, it should be noted, are last in the AL in average attendance (only Pittsburgh is worse in MLB), and entering Friday night, hadn't drawn a crowd over 20,000 since April 24. About time for Lew Wolff to bash the city, the ballpark, the fans and the media again, wouldn't you say?

At least Oakland has Andre Ward to be proud of right now. Truly loyal to his hometown, here's our wish for a huge crowd and a dominant performance against Edison Miranda at Oracle Arena tonight. Such an outcome should mark Ward's launch pad to a major title shot. It's time.

Anaheim taking the Detroit Red Wings to the Game 7 limit before losing 4-3 in the final two minutes is more proof that the Sharks didn't gag, they simply lost to a better team. So enough with the soul-searching with fans, Doug Wilson. Just improve the defense, the power play and the goaltending.

Finally, from the Just Wondering Dept.: How come Cal was never in the picture with Salesian hoops star Desmond Simmons (committed to Washington), especially with another Salesian grad, Jahvid Best, as one of the shining stars on the Berkeley campus? If it was disinterest on Cal's part, it was a mistake.

Contact Carl Steward at csteward@bayareanewsgroup.com