Destroying A Franchise 101: The Golden State Warriors

Lesson No. 1: Leggo my ego (Latin for: Hire egomaniacs)

The Warriors are a prime example of how you handle egos when you want your franchise to implode:

Don Nelson: There is no bigger ego in basketball than Don Neslon. His teams tend to play a very exciting brand of basketball that draws ticket sales. However, ticket sales are not what Nelson is about. Two words define Nelson's coaching: "Small ball." He would be the first to say that he invented it and the last to say that it doesn't work.

Robert Rowell: All great egomaniacs have an equally egotistical sidekick. In this case, Don Nelson has Robert Rowell. Sure, Rowell may outrank Nelson within the organization, but it is clear who is running the show. Nelson may say all the right things in front of the camera..."I wanted Baron to stay," "Chris Mullin and I are friends," "I enjoy coaching a young team,"...but behind the scenes, he uses Rowell's veto power to shoot down all attempts at changing the direction of the franchise.

Lesson No. 2: Money doesn't grow on trees, it grows in aging veterans' bank accounts

The next key to tanking a franchise is giving away all possible wiggle room in the salary cap to veteran players who will be "yes men" for your egomaniacs:

Corey Maggette: A crafty veteran that does one thing: get to the free throw line. The logical problem is that getting to the free throw line is worthless when you are down double digits in every game. This problem has no relevance in the Nelson system though, because small ball is the best possible strategy.

You don't need defense at the four when your four can occasionally trick the officials into calling fouls on the other team. When that doesn't work, shooting 18% from three point territory is a great backup. For players like Maggette, a contract should be a minimum of five years, and should definitely hit the $10 million mark at some point.

Stephen Jackson: It's key that you find a feisty veteran to be the cornerstone. He needs to be the heart and soul of the team. Players like Jackson can be hard to contain sometimes but if you find yourself a master ego like Nelson, brainwashing should be in his bag of tricks. Once you have firmly stabilized your control over the main player, the others should easily follow. Because a player like Jackson upholds all the egomaniacs power over the players, his contract should be extended well before it is ever going to expire.

Lesson No. 3: The future is a myth

Never listen to anyone that claims they are "building for the future," because stagnation is the key:

Chris Mullin: Occasionally people like Mullin, with their intelligence and aspirations, end up in high positions in franchises. The key to dealing with them is to kill them in the spotlight. Give them a while in the public eye to see if they will fail on their own.

Mullin made some bad choices, but he found two gems in Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins and drafted some promising talent in Brandan Wright, Anthony Randolph and Marco Belinelli. Once people like Mullin show they have some talent, you must strike. Make sure that any players involved in any of his recent dealings are shunned. Severely decrease all of their playing time and tell their agents to seek trades.

Lesson No. 4: Rinse and repeat

Once success has been attained at any level, you need to restart the process.