It was an awkward scene Monday night.
Oracle Arena echoed with boos as Golden State Warriors fans continuously jeered team owner Joe Lacob, taking the spotlight away from the halftime jersey-retirement ceremony for Hall of Fame player Chris Mullin.
Lacob, Mullin and Golden State legend Rick Barry each tried to diffuse the situation, but to little avail.
The fans were angry and they made sure everybody knew it.
Was it in poor taste? Sure.
The event was supposed to honor Mullin for a strong career wearing No. 17 in the blue and yellow, but the team”s supporters stole the show with blatant negativity.
Was it disrespectful? Maybe.
Fans probably shouldn”t drop continual boo-birds on owners (who are actually forking over the dough to sustain the beloved franchise). Then again, Golden State executives were also insulting that night, making people pay good money to watch the Warriors” embarrassing roster.
Was it understandable? Absolutely.
The source of the ire seemed to be the team”s recent trade deadline activity.
The Warriors sent away their best offensive player, Monta Ellis, and best defensive player, Ekpe Udoh, and ended up with Andrew Bogut and Richard Jefferson.
Bogut is a very good NBA center, averaging 32.7 minutes, 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks – when on the court. And that caveat no doubt irks Warriors fans.
It”s nice for team officials to project a strong future with Bogut at the No. 5 spot, but the dream can only become reality if he stays healthy.
Unfortunately, the oft-injured big man likely won”t play this season, and as a result, the Warriors and their fans have no choice but to hope for next year.
That brings us back to Monday”s anger. It”s hard for fans to look toward a bright future when the present is so dark.
Because of Bogut”s injury, the deadline deals basically resulted in the 2011-12 Warriors losing two starters in exchange for an aging scorer.
The moves gutted the roster, forcing role players and rookies into starting positions and depriving Golden State of the depth necessary to compete against NBA teams on a nightly basis.
To put it bluntly, there”s a good chance that the Warriors, as currently configured, could only win a handful of their remaining 22 games.
Everybody in the Bay Area knows this season is over – especially the people who heckled Lacob about an hour before the Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the next couple of weeks, Golden State will officially miss the playoffs for the 17th time in 18 years (all the trade-haters should remember that span included seven seasons with Ellis on the squad; he had his chances).
The Warriors are rebuilding again and their fans are asked to be patient and trusting, which are pretty audacious requests from team management and retired guys like Barry and Mullin.
Golden State has been perpetually reconstructing itself for nearly 40 years; the team hasn”t been a championship contender since 1975.
Granted, the new owners haven”t been at the reins for long, but they have to realize the fanbase is hungry for success.
Bay Area sports fans are smart, so they will likely give the organization some time.
Still, Lacob and the rest of the ownership group better hope Bogut and injury-plagued point guard Stephen Curry can stay on the floor, otherwise shipping Ellis away could go down as just another poor roster move by the Warriors.
But hey, no matter how it plays out, at least the boos will probably subside. The fans will either start cheering management for finally putting together a winner, or maybe this time, they”ll stop showing up to the arena to watch a loser.
Editor”s note: Follow Jeremy Walsh on Twitter, @JeremyDWalsh
