We can't really spell it out any more clearly: Chris Mullin is a dead man walking in Oakland, California. Robert Rowell, the No. 2 to locally despised owner Chris Cohan, has already pushed Mullin aside on two major, major decisions (vetoing a fair Baron Davis extension and punishing Monta Ellis harshly). For a few weeks, reports had trickled out that Stephen Jackson (30 years old, one of the worst shooting percentages in the league) was working on a contract extension ... with Rowell.Now Don Nelson has gotten in on the bonzana, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. This is truly weird on a few levels. Nelson waited a month after the end of the 2007-08 season before telling the Warriors he'd make good on the last year of his contract. This all happened before the Davis maneuver, however; some guessed Nellie and Davis could no longer co-exist, but when Nelson announced he'd be back, Davis was still in Golden State's plans.
Further, Nelson's connection to the Warriors front office is Mullin -- Nelson and Cohan had hard feelings stemming from Nellie's first tenure in the '90s, and Mullin (a close friend of Nelson's) bridged the personal gap to make things work. It seems extraordinarily odd that Nelson would now circumvent Mullin's authority to get a new deal, especially considering Mullin's not going to be around much longer. (Of course, Nellie's behavior rarely fits into the constricting mold of normalcy.)
But this much is clear: never mind that "general manager" title on Mullin's door. Important basketball decision, which is to say every basketball decision not involving Patrick O'Bryant, C.J. Watson or Matt Barnes, goes through the owner's office. Polish up that resumé, Mullin.
