Previous Blogs/Columns Past Archives Bob Fitzgerald is entering his tenth season as television play-by-play announcer for the Warriors.

The NBA Finals are done, the NBA draft is June 28th and October training camp is not that far away. For a special draft edition of Fitz Files, I had the opportunity to sit down with a very candid Chris Mullin and get his thoughts about the upcoming draft, last season and his off-season thoughts about the Warriors squad he is assembling.

Bob Fitzgerald: Let’s start with the number 9 pick. Dirk Nowitzki was the 9th pick, Shawn Marion was the 9th pick, Amare Stoudemire was the 9th pick and last year Ike Diogu was the 9th pick. In past years, there was, obviously, quality at the 9th spot. Is that still the case this year?

The key is finding a player you like. And early on we were able to identify several of those players. And it’s always nice to begin the draft process by adding to an already good talent base. Number 9, 10, 6, whatever. I think you could grab the same type of player at all of those spots this year.

Ideally, we don’t want to be in the lottery anymore. This is my third draft and I’m getting pretty comfortable with the entire process. Even with a few days to go, I have an idea of which players I am comfortable in selecting.

The Warriors have had some really productive drafts in recent years. From the Richardson, Murphy and Arenas draft, to the value picks of Mickael Pietrus (11th), Andris Biedrins (11th), Ike Diogu (9th) and Monta Ellis (40th). Explain the evaluation process a little bit. Do you use a lot of input from scouts, do you or (General Manager) Rod Higgins have to see a player in person and where do the individual workouts fit in?

It’s a little bit of a mix. You can’t be everywhere physically. We have used some of the same scouts over the years and have added to our scouting staff in recent seasons. We take trips everywhere around the globe. Rod and I scout. We have gone overseas on several occasions. I have had the opportunity to personally see all of the players that I have drafted the last two years. I try to get out on the scouting road as much as I can, but I also have full trust in the people within the organization. I put our scouts in place and rely on them to do their jobs. And, they do a very good job. I can’t be everywhere, you just can’t. I really enjoy scouting young players. Having gone through the process on the player side, I think people always emphasize what a player can’t do. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism from my career, but I look at the upside of players ---- their physical talent, the opportunity for growth and the situation you are putting them into.

When you have a clear idea of what your current players can do, how you want your team to play and what you are looking for, the process becomes a bit easier. You start looking at over 100 players and then just narrow it down to the players that are a fit.

Give me a thought on last season. The Warriors lost the most games in the NBA by three points or less (14). Baron Davis missed 28 games, Mickael Pietrus missed 32 and several other players missed a stretch of time. Could you make an argument that this team could have been a playoff team, but was hampered by the fact it didn’t get full seasons out of some of its best players? Would complete health have made a difference in all of the close losses and allowed the team to accomplish its playoff goal?

Part of that is valid, but the real validity is that we didn’t get it done. Now, I want to set this franchise up for the long term, but I want to win now. With the players we have and their ages, they are ready. My goal is not just to sneak into the 8th spot; I want to be a playoff team for years. We have been down the development road long enough. My goal is to have quality players at the starting spots and then players behind them developing and pushing them. That just makes the team better as a whole. Now, you can like the 9th pick and we do, but we just have to get better. I’m frustrated at the season we had last year. I was upset on the last day of the year and I still feel that same disappointment today, two months later. I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t think anyone associated with the franchise does. Now, not emotionally, but realistically, if there are changes that we could make this summer to make us better, I’ll make them. But not just change for change sake. If that type of move is necessary, it will get done.

In a perfect world, what type of attributes does this team need to have added so it can be a perennial playoff team?

A big part of the ingredients we need to show improvement is the players on our roster working to get better, maturing physically and gaining more experience. And that’s going to continue to happen. I think the league is about matchups and the way the style of play is going favors areas that we are fairly set. We have a great backcourt. We have athletic slashers. But we have to adjust to the way the game is being played. We have big players that can space the court. But that means that our guards have to penetrate, drive the lane and play inside the three-point line. That allows you to draw fouls, get into the bonus and live at the foul line. That helps your field goal percentage and gives you a way to score so you are not just living on outside shooting. And it dictates tempo. On the flip side, at some point in the game, you need stops. You need to be able to guard certain players. And those positions, the 3, 4 and 5 are areas we need to get better. Whether it is by acquisition or experience. I’ve seen players that weren’t the most athletic learn how to play defense, learn how to position themselves, get some officiating respect and have that side of the court become important to them.

Also, with Mike, Troy and Jason, it’s time for those guys to make their imprint, not only here, but also around the league. They are getting to the point where they have patented moves that they should start getting calls. Murph on the short post, he can drive hard left and get fouled a few times a game. With the way the game is being called today, up and down our line-up, we have players that should be able to take advantage of the tighter hand check calls and get to the line a lot. Sure, we’d like to have a low post scorer. But I think it doesn’t have to be a 7-footer. Jason has gotten much better on the block. Baron has a low post game. And I think Murph really has a chance to be a tough cover. I don’t really feel like we maximized individually or collectively last season and that just has to change.

You mentioned frustration. Have you been able to convey to the players your frustration and what your expectations are for summer workouts?

I know these guys and they have the same feelings. I see them everyday at practice and we communicate regularly during the off-season. My message is to use it as a motivating factor. Each day that you wake up there is something to do. You keep it in your mind and use it to motivate that summer improvement. Hey, our players were frustrated, our coaches were frustrated. No one walked away last year saying we lacked talent. But pro sports are about close losses, injuries, all the factors we talked about. That is reality. I feel we are right there. This team should be there. I spoke with Baron and Jason recently and they have said watching the playoffs just motivated them even more, because they just couldn’t believe we weren’t a part of it. I don’t think I need to verbalize what has to happen this summer. We have some big-time players and they have something to prove. Any good player I have ever been around uses something in the summer to motivate themselves. We are all in the same frame of mind for the summer. And I’ve seen it with everyone that has been at the facility and the way they have worked so far.

Do you have to be careful when evaluating a transaction that you don’t just make a move motivated by that disappointment from a year ago, where emotion plays too big a role?

Before I make a decision, I take the emotion out of it. I want to be logical, aggressive and sensible. Any decision that I have made in my life where I was too emotional has not worked out well. I think its like when you lose a game. It bothers you, but you have to address why you lost, evaluate and then make decisions. There is an urgency to keep revving up the throttle, but I am motivated by the fact that we are so close. And if I didn’t feel that way, I would say it. The draft is coming up in a week, then free agency and the off-season. But it is a good feeling to have the talent we already possess. Yes, we are in the lottery, but we do not have a lottery type, depleted roster. This pick is just going to add to our talent base. The off-season is critical from a management standpoint, with a lot of decisions. But I’m looking forward to it. Last year motivates me to work even harder.