Chris Mullin: "Dead Man Walking"
RealGm reports that Assistant GM Pete D'Allesandro was recently fired and the reason given to the Contra Costa Times is telling: "A source told the Contra Costa Times that D'Alessandro was fired for 'insubordination' and that he put the interests of agents and Mullin ahead of the franchise."
Wait, so someone was fired for listening to his boss, Chris Mullin? With the Monta Ellis situation possibly blowing up into Ellis demanding a trade, the Warriors are a mess and making matters worse is the fact that Chris Mullin is, according to the San Francisco Chronicle a "dead man walking".
League sources said that team president Robert Rowell fired D'Alessandro - the right-hand man of vice president Chris Mullin - on Thursday and will replace him with assistant coach Larry Riley.
It's a sudden move that undoubtedly antagonizes Mullin, whose own job is in jeopardy after a series of high-profile disagreements with Rowell since the summer.
The Warriors' top two executives have clashed over the would-be extension for Baron Davis, the looming-extension for Stephen Jackson and the punishment for Monta Ellis over the last few months.
After the draft, I thought it was odd that Chris Mullin didn't seem in line with his head coach. Neither Brandan Wright nor Anthony Randolph really seem like guys that Don Nelson would really love. Apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed because Rowell just added someone with close ties to Nelson to the front office. Could it be long before Nellie himself is named GM?
I thought Mullin could be the next Ainge and it looks like he might not be given that one extra offseason to clean up his mess. The Warriors have movable contracts and loads of young talent. As we all know, suffering through a terrible year that feels like one step sideways, two steps back is tough but it's what made the 2008 title possible. If the Warriors stayed as they are, Al Harrington would be an expiring contract and they'd likely have another lottery pick to play with when making deals.
The question becomes: Do you trust Chris Mullin to be the guy to use those assets? Yes, Chris Mullin has created a mess but Danny Ainge seemed like he might be on the outs and used that last year to get his plan to come together. The major difference, however, is that Ainge had the support of his owners and had a coach that was listening to him and whose job was probably tied to Ainge's. It's not like anyone thought that if Ainge was fired, Doc would be handed the keys to the front office.
It's a tough situation in Golden State and as Celtics fans who've suffered through the reigns of Pitino, Wallace, and the early Ainge years know, it's probably going to get worse before it gets better.
