An Open Letter to Robert Rowell

(I wanted to share this with you.  I wrote it yesterday and emailed it to Bay Area beat writers and friends)

Esteemed Robert,

If the Elgin Baylor rumor is true—he was cloned (the manager, not the player) and the body double landed in Oakland—why are just hearing about it now?

It seems more than rumor, and witnesses to last night's Warriors loss (artfully overcoming certain victory) can attest to the suspiciously Baylor-esque happenings.  The "nowhere to hide" scenario starred the recently signed/extended $10 million per year guys, Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson, Jamal Crawford and Andris Biedrins, coupled with the $12 million coach. 

Demonstrating an uncanny lack of basic basketball fundamentals, each contributed to the inability to close out a sure win.  Sound familiar to Clippers fans? 

And Warriors lost to whom?  The worst team in the East.  The team with the worst record last season. At home in Oakland.  Need we go on?  OK, we can...

It was so classic, so deja vu all over again, we almost forgot the preceding 0-5 road trip, all blowouts, including woeful defeats at the hands of the growth-stunted NY Knicks and 1-10 Washington Wizards.

This much is clear:  As pre-season basketball prognosticators unanimously predicted, Warrior management has cobbled together a certain 08/09 lottery team

What was glaringly missing last night, Elgin, was your $13 million guy, Baron Davis.  You remember him, the go-to guy, the guy who finished games, controlled tempos, the off the charts basketball IQ.  Oh right, I forgot, you nixed that deal in typical Elgin logic: if we don't get the upper hand on his ego, just show him the door.

Never mind he was the glue that held the team together; the only true star talent; the player who could make Nellie-ball seem as if success was just around the corner.  Sure, his shot selection leaves a lot to be desired.  But hey, Crawford, Maggette and Jackson more than make up for that. 

The Davis deal?  Why commit? Elgin theory says: its OK if his absence means an almost certainty to miss the playoffs.  How else do we get better draft choices?  And the fair market pricing (or better) that the deal represented, well, $13 is more than $10, so why not save a few sheckles in a down economy?

Actually, allowing your best player to leave without compensation was a moment the Clippers would be proud of  (and what irony that Davis went from the frying pan into the fire).  But the classic Baylor-esque strategy was the signings and extensions of Jackson, Maggette, and Nellie.  Check and mate. 

Not only are the Warriors uniquely not dumping to compete for the 2010 free agent class, but the Warriors are locked into an uncompetitive roster for years to come with no money to spend.  Attaining long run mediocrity is not easy, a road not frequently taken.

Couple that with a extending the contract of a coach who entertains, but neither nurtures young talent nor teaches fundamentals and voila!, you have reincarnated the 70s Cavs. Or the Clips (pick a decade...). 
 
To break the mold would have been to push egos aside and go with the Jerry West concept of  opting for better talent, moving up the food chain, not down: re-up with Mullin and Baron.  But that would mean bucking one of the principal tenets of Baylor-ology:  lock into longer term purgatory.

But, all in all, it is somewhat comforting to be able to count on some things for continuity and longevity.  And, after all, look at the positive side: season ticket holders can now hope for the opportunity to obtain better seats every year until, well, Elgin leaves town...

Signed,

Your Loyal Fans