All five Bulls starters scored in double figures, led by former Warrior Larry Hughes with 26 points, as Chicago claimed a 115-110 win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night - their first victory away from home in six tries.

“For us they’re all big, especially from the standpoint of all of our injuries we’re trying to deal with,” Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said. “The last two games, with the length of L.A. (Lakers) and the length of Portland, really gave us a lot of trouble and to come in here a little bit shorthanded and find a way to win, it’s a great compliment to the players.”

Derrick Rose took control in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 25 points in the final frame.

“We really needed this one. We thought we could come in here and compete against them and that’s what we did,” Rose said. “I had to shoot and that’s what I did, I stopped thinking about what I did and reacted to it.”

But while the star rookie carried the team, his teammates had to hang on without him.

Rose left the floor late in the fourth with an undisclosed injury after landing awkwardly under the basket with less than two minutes to play.

“It happened when Corey Maggette drove to the hole, and knocked Larry out of the way and kneed me in my hip,” Rose said. “Man, it was a sharp pain that was there for a long time, but I’m all right now. I’ve just got to ice it and massage it tomorrow.”

The Bulls were already shorthanded, as Luol Deng is out with a sore left groin and Kirk Hinrich is out three months with a torn thumb ligament.

Chicago improved to 1-5 on the road on its season-long, seven-game trip as the circus occupies its home at the United Center.

“We were a little shorthanded without Luol, Kirk and the list goes on, but Larry gave us a big boost and so did everybody,” Del Negro said. “Derrick obviously had a fantastic second half, really took control of the game, I talked about that with him at halftime and he really performed well. For us to bounce back the way we did, after the last couple of games, I’m really happy for our guys.”

The Warriors failed to increase their winning streak to three games despite a season-high 32 points from Stephen Jackson. Corey Maggette added 24 points and center Andris Biedrins had 23 and 10 rebounds.

“I think overall our team played really well, we played hard,” Maggette said. “We did a lot of good things to give us the opportunity to win the game. The young guy, Derrick Rose … made some big plays. We’ve just got to learn from this and we’ve got some big games ahead of us on the road.”

The Warriors made big news before the game when they traded disgruntled forward Al Harrington to the Knicks in exchange for veteran guard Jamal Crawford. Crawford will join the club when it heads to the East Coast for a five-game trip. In fact, Golden State is on the road for seven of its next eight games.

“The good thing about him is he’s a veteran, he’s been around for a while,” Warriors guard Stephen Jackson said. “He’s a great scorer and, in our system, it will be good for him. It will be good to see what he can do and it will be good for me to get back to my natural position because he can play the point and handle the ball.”

Hughes tied the game at 90-90 with 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bulls went up by four after a left handed running layup by Lindsay Hunter with 8:42 remaining. Hunter nailed a 3-pointer with 6:48 remaining to push the lead to 101-95.

The lead was up to eight points after Rose’s one-handed dunk two minutes later.

Jackson completed a three-point play to pull Golden State to within five at the 4:49 mark.

It was only a three-point game after Andris Biedrins’ tip-in, but Rose quieted the crowd moments later with a baseline jumper to regain a five-point edge, 109-104.

“I knew I could hit the shots,” Rose said. “They were giving it to me and my teammates wanted me to shoot the ball and that’s what I did.”

With just under 30 seconds remaining and the Bulls leading by three, Chicago guard Ben Gordon committed an offensive foul on Randolph. The 6-10 rookie had a chance to make it a one-point game, but he blew a wide-open dunk and that was the ballgame.

Drew Gooden collected 18 points and 16 boards for the Bulls while Gordon added 13 points.

“This was a game that could’ve took our confidence, could have been a big blow to our trip,” Gooden said. “We gained some confidence back and we’re ready for our next opponent. It’s tough but we’ve got to do it. We feel like, home or away, the game of basketball is still played the same.”

Next game: At Philadelphia, November 23

The Warriors have lost two straight to the Bulls but overall
have won eight of their last 10 meetings. … Friday’s game
marked the sixth time Golden State has scored 110 or more points
this season. … Although they shot 49 percent from the field,
the Warriors fell to 4-1 when shooting 45 percent or better. …
G-F Stephen Jackson scored a season-high 32 points. His 14
first-quarter and 18 first-half points are both season highs for
the Warriors. … Jackson has scored at least 20 in three
straight games and eight times this season. … C Andris
Biedrins has 11 double-doubles in 12 games after collecting 23
points and 10 rebounds. … G Anthony Randolph had 10 points,
nine assists and four blocks off the bench. The assists and
blocks are both career-highs.

After a losing two of three on their first road trip of the year (including an ugly loss to Memphis - ick), the Warriors came out flat in their 2nd home appearance of the season. Listless is more like it, actually.

Down 17 halfway through the 1st quarter, Nellie turned to Brandan Wright, and 18 points and 13 rebounds later, the Warriors may have finally found the complement to stud Center Andris Biedrins.

Wright was everywhere, blocking shots, clearing boards and injecting life into the Oracle crowd that had already started to boo the W’s poor start.

Add 22 points from Kelenna Azubuike, 29 from Captain Jack, and 12 & 11 from ‘Dre, and this balanced attack, without an injured Corey Maggette, may just be able to stem the tide while Monta recovers.

The Dubs are now 2 and 3 on the season and still have reason to feel they’ll be competitive in the Western Conference. If they can hang around .500 until Monta’s return, this could be the start of a very fun year.

Adam and I break it all down in our latest podcast, and you can check out some post-game audio from Nellie and Jack below.

Hope. That’s what Warriors fans have after last night’s performance.

exclusive postgame audio

Don Nelson (mp3)

Stephen Jackson (mp3)

Opening night wasn’t supposed to be this close.

After all, without Baron, Monta, a banged-up C.J., an unhappy Al and the youngest squad in the league, the Warriors would be lucky to hang with the 2nd best team in the Western Conference by most accounts.

But close enough isn’t enough to get a win, and without a real closer in crunch time, this game could be an indicator of things to come.

There is a lot of fight in this year’s team. That’s one thing we uncovered in the Dubs 108-103 loss to New Orleans at the Oracle. Now if only they can get their offense in gear, they could surprise some people.

The Warriors were paced by Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette, both of whom will have to have big starts to this season if the Warriors are to going to stem the tide before Monta returns. Jack played all 48 minutes, but tired out in the 4th and ended up with 26 points, knocking down five treys.

Corey scored 27 and showed why the Dubs will have an inside game this year, getting to the line 10 times (knocking down 9 of them).

Unfortunately, the turning point of this closely contested game was when Andris fouled out with three minutes to play. ‘Dre played well, scoring 14 and grabbing 12 boards. But once he was gone, the Hornets kept scoring and outrebounding the Dubs down the stretch. Add a few critical Warriors miscues on their final possessions to the mix, and GSW is now 0-1. Chris Paul had a quiet 21 & 11, but made his presence felt when it counted, scoring twice with under a minute to play.

A hard fought game, but one that a more seasoned Warriors squad would’ve likely put away. Whether that seasoning take place during this season remains to be seen.

exclusive player audio

Al Harrington
Corey Maggette
Kelenna Azubuike
Stephen Jackson

* Al Harrington wants out. According to a report by Tim Kawakami, Al doesn’t feel he’s being used properly by Nellie and is seeking a trade. In fact, he’s wanted out since the end of last year. It’s a shame because Al is one of the real good guys in the locker room.

But will the Warriors bite?

Well, if there’s a way to fill a need by trading Al, I’m certain Mullie would do it. But Kirk Henrich of the Bulls (whose name has been associated w/ Al during the summer) probably isn’t the answer. My guess is Nellie and Al will work things out and Harrington will be a key 6th man once Monta is back.

* Nellie will be back — and for a few more years! I make no bones about being a Nellie supporter. He’s the best thing that’s happened to this franchise, and that spans two decades.

The two year extension he signed today is worth about $12 million, with some of that money deferred.

Nelson has the second most coaching wins in NBA history and will now be assured to break Lenny Wilkens record sometime over the next two years — barring anything unforeseen.

We all want to see what Nellie himself wants - “an ass-kicking veteran team that would have a chance to win a title.” And we now may get to see that during the course of this contract.

* Who said Nellie hates rookies? DeMarcus Nelson will get the opening-night start at point guard. That’s big news since the Duke rookie was a undrafted free agent, who was not even likely to make the squad. But C.J. Watson’s injury opened the door and little Nelson walked right through it. It’s his time to shine before Mr. Ellis comes back.

* Speaking of C.J. Watson, he is on the opening night roster, in spite of having a torn elbow ligament. He received permission from the NBA to wear a brace and is available for action. Unfortunately, I have a distinct feeling he’ll be a shell of the scorer he is until the ligament fully heals. It’s a shame because he’s a real success story. Here’s hoping C.J. gets healthy in a real hurry.

* Last but not least, Monta filed a grievance with the league with regard to his contract status — and for good reason. The W’s suspended Ellis for 30 games, which will cost the young guard roughly $3 million in salary, but they also want to reserve the right to terminate his contract should Monta not fully recover.

That’s double jeopardy by most measures. Hopefully, a NBA arbitrator can solve this mess before we have another Chris Webber mess on our hands. Warriors President Robert Rowell seems to be the point man on this decision. And if there’s not more than meets the eye, he certainly deserves the flack he’s been receiving. Terminate him or suspend him, but there’s no need to do both.

Here’s a statement from Monta, via his agent:

“To My Community, Friends and Fans:

I want to thank you very much for your continued support and encouragement. While management and I do not agree on their actions, I want to be clear that my injury is based on my mistake in judgment. And I always accept responsibility for my actions.

The Bay area has become home to me and I love everything about this community. I see the kids wearing Number 8 in the arena and around the Bay area and it always brings a big smile to my face and a sense of pride and responsibility. I accept that role because there were people in my life that made a difference during my childhood and into my adult life.

It means a lot to me to be an NBA player, and something that I have worked hard my entire to life to achieve. I also take seriously the impact that some of my actions have on others, and particularly our youth. I am working very hard to get back on the court and help my teammates and coaches win many games and recreate the playoff atmosphere of 2007. We were as excited on the court as the fans in the stands, and I will continue to work hard to make you proud of the Warriors.

Thank you for becoming such a special part of my life.

Warmly, Monta”

Will the Dubs get off to a fast start this season? You tell us…

And look for our season-opening podcast with Adam to come this weekend!

It’s semantics at this point, given the state of Monta’s ankle, but the Warriors officially suspended Monta Ellis for 30 games for the “Moped Incident.”

We’ve heard different accounts about whether Monta will be the same player post-surgery as he was last year, when he averaged 20 points a game and was clearly the best player on the squad.

But what’s more interesting is the message sent by Warriors management, namely team president Robert Rowell. This was apparently his call, not Nellie’s or Mullie’s. In a press conference, Rowell indicated that both Warrior icons have just one year remaining on their respective contracts - and results are expected.

So don’t expect any slack to be cut even though the team will be without their two best players from a season ago (Hollywood Baron being the other).

Will the Dubs coalesce as a team without Monta? That remains to be seen. They have a great young frontcourt (when was the last time anyone has ever said that about the squad), and enough veterans (Jack, Maggette, even wise young Azubuike) to put up a fight in the three months they’ll be without Monta.

All this move does is once again illustrate how fragile the framework of a pro sports team really is. First it was DunMurphy, then Baron, Monta’s hurt and Nellie and Mullie have very little room for error.

It should make for fabulous drama, regardless of the outcome, this season.

And just for the record, Monta will lose about $3 million of the $11 million he was scheduled to make this season. That’s what you call a real life lesson.

The Warriors severed ties with backup center Kosta Perovic, at least for the upcoming season.

It’s a decision that comes as a surprise given his youth (23) and upside. The Warriors drafted Perovic #38 overall in the 2006 draft. He has shown promise in the paint and will get a chance to develop his game further in Spain, joining Pamesa Valencia.

The big man will be joining a league that has produced a lot of current and former NBA contributors, namely Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon and Andres Nocioni. Rudy Fernandez, soon to be of the Blazers, was a part of that league (and lit up the US team during the Olympics, as you may recall). Ricky Rubio will be the next stud to leave to head to the association once he’s eligible in 2009.

The 7-foot-2 Serbian averaged 1.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in seven games with the Warriors this season. In an arrangement with the Dubs, his salary of $1.6 million for each of the next two seasons is now off the books. They will likely get first dibs for Perovic’s services should he decide to rejoin the NBA down the line.

His departure is great news for the free agents the Warriors have brought in to compete during training camp. Anthony Morrow, DeMarcus Nelson, Dion Dowell and Rob Kurz now have a legitimate crack at a roster spot.

Word around the Oakland complex is the W’s are analyzing Monta’s story further, since the damage done to his leg and ankle aren’t indicative of a normal basketball injury. Head trainer Tom Abdenour rushed to visit Monta in Mississippi, so we’ll see what the W’s report in the days and weeks ahead.

Let’s hope Monta isn’t the the next Garrison Hearst, the former 49er running back who missed couple of seasons because of a serious ankle injury.

If Monta violated the terms of his new $66 million contract, what should be done?

Ellis is coming off a season that put him in elite company, joining Kevin Johnson, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and David Thompson as a 22 year old guard (or younger), who averaged 20 points per game and 50 percent shooting for the season.

Now the Warriors will have to rely on newly acquired Marcus Williams to run the point. Expect Stephen Jackson and Marco Belinelli to also have a major hand in running Nellie’s squad until Monta gets back.

Ellis was expected to take over the point guard spot vacated by Los Angeleno Baron Davis. More news on how this will effect Nellie’s game plan this year to come.

Baron Davis started his Warriors career with bang, leading the squad to a winning record in the aftermath of his trade from the New Orleans Hornets in 2005, while setting up big expectations for the future.

It appears now though B.D. will depart GSW with similar fanfare. Davis opted out of his contract Monday night, scheduled to pay him $17.8 million this upcoming season, for the greener pastures of unrestricted free agency.

The only question is whether this move will enable Davis to get the greenbacks he feels he so richly deserves.

In a sense, you could see this coming. Last summer, Baron had a much publicized encounter with former Lakers star/G.M./NBA Logo Jerry West.

West told Baron to stop sniping about a contract extension, play the string out and see where it all lands.

Davis did that, responding with 21.8 points, 7.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game, leading the Dubs to a 48 win season. In spite of having a record better than four Eastern Conference squads, the Warriors failed to make the playoffs in the uber-competitive Western Conference and ended up in the lottery for the 15th time in team history.

Warriors G.M. Chris Mullin has kept a hardline of late when it comes to signing long-term extensions, after the terrible deals issued to Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle and Mike Dunleavy.

So the hardball play by Warriors management was expected. Davis’ response, though, has everyone thrown off-guard.

Rumors abound about Davis heading to the Clippers to join Elton Brand, who also opted out of his contract, to set up a version of Celtics-west.

Speculation aside, Davis’ apparent departure will certainly stifle the Warriors’ chances of getting back into the playoff hunt next season.

After their incredible showing in the 2007 postseason, all signs posted towards a Warriors run for a conference title. But this news only rams home the point that windows of opportunity are fleeting and the Warriors chances for a title may still be years away.

Your Warriors bolstered Kevin Durant’s case for rookie of the year.

Box Score

Man I’m glad I didn’t end up grabbing tickets at the last minute for this one.

Fan appreciation night you say? We can all appreciate seeing the rise of Kevin Durant (Kid Delicious), but I certainly would appreciate it more if it hadn’t been at the Warriors’ expense. What a baffling loss to end a baffling month.

Due to the TV blackout I split my time between listening to the radio while making dinner and watching the box score updating on my laptop. I noticed what seemed like a fairly inspired comeback attempt in the fourth, and a whole lotta uncontested buckets from the Supersonics.

First quarter collapse, stifled by the zone, no D, no big runs from BD. That’s as much as I can really speak to. Kevin Durant obviously went off hard, finishing the game with career highs in scoring, 42, and rebounds, 13, that’s superb. Monta was the leading scorer for the Dubs with 24 (11-17!), Andris was a stud with 20 points and 17 boards, Marco Belinelli was a sharpshooter, nailing 5-6 threes, wish I could have seen that. 

After benching Baron for the entire second half against the Suns, Nellie went ahead and played him 39 minutes last night. Adam reports in his recap that it wasn’t a pretty sight:

But the veterans that were supposed to lead this team to playoff glory — Davis, Jackson, Harrington — looked defeated and disinterested. They shot a combined 12-40 from the field and managed 7 rebounds between them (6 from Davis). As bad as the stats look, the body language was even more offensive.

Baron’s numbers back up that visual. Our leader’s final outing of the season netted him 36% fg rate on 8-22 shooting. He hit 5-12 threes, that’s chucking.

I have no personal insight into the swamp of motivations that drive Don Nelson and Baron Davis. They are both larger-than-life figures with a history of bridge burning, chip-on-the-shoulder cultivating, and dogged stubbornness. As a dedicated follower of the team for equal personality, and play reasons I can only hope that this end will be a catalyst for reevaluation and rebuilding, rather than mistrust and disintegration.     

The postseason is upon us, let the speculation run wild and free.