The day after the boos rained down, Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob expressed some regret and resolve.
“I was a little bit stunned that it went on as long as it did or as loud as it was,” Lacob said on KNBR, describing the cascade of boos he received during the jersey retirement ceremony for Chris Mullin at Oracle Arena.
The historic night was all the buzz, but not because Mullin finally got his No. 17 placed in the rafters. Instead, the day-after talk was all about Lacob becoming the dartboard for Warriors fans’ frustration.
“Last night was not easy,” he added. “No one wants to be booed by what felt like 20,000 people.”
Warriors fans were criticized by many for being classless. Many thought it unfair that Mullin’s night was overshadowed by the fans’ disapproval – be it for the trade of guard Monta Ellis or the decades-long futility of the franchise.
“I think fans always have a right to voice their opinion, but they were embarrassing tonight,” said popular sports talk radio host Tom Tolbert, a former teammate of Mullin’s who was part of the ceremony. “Because what they did is not convey a message to Lacob, they kind of embarrassed the whole evening, and it was a celebration of Chris.”
Mullin, however, said he didn’t feel his night was tainted.
“Not one bit,” he told Yahoo! Sports. “It seemed more directed toward other things.”
Lacob on Tuesday defended his trading of Ellis. He defended the strides the franchise has made and referenced the work being done. On multiple occasions, he implored the fans to be patient.
“I know it’s not easy, and I know not everyone is going to agree with us or me,” he said.
But Lacob stopped short of railing against the fans.
“I don’t blame them at all,” Lacob said on air. “I’d rather not be at the butt end of their booing, but it is what it is. I just want everybody to know we have worked very hard, we’re continuing to work very hard, to change this franchise for the better.”
Lacob said if he had it to do over again, he would have talked through initial boos instead of waiting for the crowd to be silent. He also acknowledged he shouldn’t have spoken after Mullin, the guest of honor.
Lacob, though, stood by his decision to speak.
“Honestly, we felt it was the right thing to do,” Lacob said. “People were clamoring (to honor) Chris Mullin around here. He was dismissed by the organization in an unfair way. “¦ We felt it was important to not be silent on the matter.”
Lacob continued his defense of the Ellis deal. He acknowledged Ellis’ popularity but said Golden State got the better end of the trade even though center Andrew Bogut has a fractured left ankle and is likely out for the season.
Lacob said he expects the fans will come around after Bogut produces and the Warriors start winning.
“I will say this – our fans are great fans and they are passionate,” Lacob said. “If they weren’t passionate and didn’t care, that would be a bigger problem for us.”
– Lacob also revealed the Warriors might end up with their first-round pick after all.
“We think we can get our pick back regardless,” Lacob said. “We’ve had discussions with Utah. “¦ It’s not a done deal.”
Golden State’s first-round choice in the 2012 draft is slated to go to Utah (via New Jersey) based on a trade from 2008. The pick is top-seven protected, which means the Warriors get to keep it if they land one of the top seven picks.
Based on their current record, the Warriors would most likely pick ninth. However, if they lose a large chunk of their remaining 23 games, they could wind up keeping their selection.
According to a team source, general manager Larry Riley has been working for months on getting back the pick. Nothing can happen until May, when the draft lottery takes place and the order is set.
At that point, if the Warriors land the No. 8 pick or lower, talks with Utah will probably heat up. The Warriors would not give up one of their core players to the Jazz for the pick, the source said.
