Pump Up Music: Barenaked Ladies -- "One Week"
The Big Picture: It's never been a secret that I grew up in San Francisco. Thus, I was well aware of the exploits of Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Chris Gatling, Troy Murphy, et al. I was at Candlestick Park for a Giants game when they showed the NBA Draft Lottery on the jumbotron and the crowd exploded upon seeing the Golden State Warriors get the third pick overall, which, at the time, was surely going to be either Jamal Mashburn, Isaiah Rider, or Anfernee Hardaway -- no way they'd get Webber. My best friend in middle school was obsessed with Felton Spencer. I was at AT&T Park for a Giants game shortly after Baron Davis was traded to the Warriors and witnessed the standing ovation he received when he was shown on the big screen. And I watched a bunch of their games down the stretch and every one of their playoff games during the We Believe run of 2006-07. All that's to say that the Warriors occupy a good amount of real estate in my heart because I grew up around them, but I'm not a fan. They had their chance and missed it. Blame Felton Spencer.
Right now, they're an awful, awful, awful team. But in an entertaining way, unlike, say, the Nets, who are competently miserable and aren't all that painful anyway, because they'll be pretty good soon. If you were going to build a team with one lottery pick, one mid-tier free agent acquisition, one low end free agent, and a bunch of castoffs and never-weres, this is how to do it.
Key to Victory: At every position except center, where Ronny Turiaf is better than Theo Ratliff, the Bobcats will be better than the Warriors. Step. On. Their. Throats. Don't lay off for a second. For all the fun potential the Warriors have, they lose games because they're as undisciplined and unstructured a team as you'll find in the NBA. If Stephen Curry wants to try to freelance, tell Stephen Jackson to put him in his place. If Anthony Morrow wants to sit on the wing and wait for someone to kick it to him, have Gerald Wallace get in his shirt and force him to drive. The Bobcats must remember they're better and blow them out of the water accordingly.
Detail That May Interest .08% of You: The number of Warriors out indefinitely or set to miss the rest of the season is enough to set a rotation.