FanHouse Robert Rowell

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The bad news for the Warriors is that Stephen Jackson didn't back off the trade demand he made a month ago. The good news is that he didn't repeat it, either.

It was a month ago when Jackson told a gathering in New York that "I don't think I'll be a Warrior next year," and that "I'm looking to leave."

For that, the NBA fined Jackson $25,000, something, by the way, he's none too pleased about. But the real issue is how it affects his standing on the Warriors and what it means to have the team's biggest personality and perhaps its best player disgruntled. Because he is.

Stephen Jackson made some statements over the weekend that apparently got the Warriors' attention. On Monday, they issued a statement in response to Jackson's statements.

Jackson made it clear on Friday he doesn't want to be a Warrior anymore. But less than 10 months ago, as he was personally negotiating a contract extension with team president Robert Rowell, Jackson talked of wanting to be a "Warrior for life."

Jackson wound up securing a three-year, $27 million extension last November. The Warriors' statement from general Larry Riley follows:

Chris Mullin, whose last day as vice president of basketball operations for the Warriors was on June 30, is going to work again. Someone out there is likely to hire him, either as a VP, a general manager, a director of player personnel or some such position where his basketball expertise will come into play.

But don't be surprised if it doesn't happen for a little while. These days Mullin has the look of a man who is truly relishing his time away from the game and the stresses that come with a front office job.

"Things are going very good," Mullin said after a morning of pickup basketball in the East Bay. "Very good. Things are going a lot better than they were going three months ago, that's for sure."

LAS VEGAS -- There's no doubt it's out there: The Warriors are for sale. It's been written about in the Contra Costa Times and San Jose Mercury News.

Only one problem. On Friday afternoon, the one guy who would likely know about it and be in on it, said it ain't happening.

"The Warriors are not for sale," team president Robert Rowell said.

That was all Rowell offered on the record, but he did say it about three or four different times and ways. Rowell wouldn't address the report that owner Chris Cohan met with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, but Rowell did offer that Cohan and executives have meetings all the time.

Cohan has owned the Warriors since 1995, when he purchased a majority share of ownership. The Warriors have been to the playoffs only one time during Cohan's tenure.

The Warriors finally got around Tuesday to doing something they probably should have done back in October.

They announced that executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin wouldn't be returning for 2009-10, and that Larry Riley would be the Warriors' new general manager.

The reality of the situation is that most in the Bay Area and around the league -- Mullin included – knew he was a goner back during the preseason. That's when team president Robert Rowell (pictured, right) made it clear to the media that he and Mullin had had a fundamental disagreement over how to handle Monta Ellis' moped accident.

As the story goes, Baron Davis worked out a three-year, $39 million extension with Golden State general manager Chris Mullin in June 2008. The deal would have prevented Davis from opting out of his $18 million salary for 2008-09, bringing a four-year total salary to $57 million for the All-Star point guard, a nearly perfect fit in Don Nelson's wailing offense.

But team president Robert Rowell vetoed the deal at the last minute, which caused Davis to opt out. The Warriors, shocked, threw money at Elton Brand (nope) and then Gilbert Arenas. The offer to Gil, a player coming off an injury that had claimed 18 months of service? Five years for $103 million. Arenas and Davis are friends. Soon after Golden State made the offer to Gil, the friends spoke. Monte Poole of the San Jose Mercury News has the post-dated dispatch.

Coming into the season, Stephen Jackson had an ideal contract from his employer's perspective: not only was it affordable (he's making just $7.1 million), it also conveniently expired just in time for the summer of 2010. Jackson made some noise this summer about wanting an extension, but at the end of the day he had no leverage.

Why should the Warriors jeopardize their future cap space by giving a 30-year-old (former) head case an extension? General manager Chris Mullin knew it'd be a mistake ... which is why Jackson went behind Mullin's back to negotiate with team president Robert Rowell.

Today, the Warriors announced that Jackson received his extension, and as Janny Hu of the San Francisco Chronicle points out, the team's press release notably features quotes from Rowell without a single mention of Mullin. (Heck, for all we know, Mullin may have learned about the extension from that very press release.) The team didn't officially reveal the terms of the extension, but it's believed to be for three years and $28 million, keeping him under contract through 2013 while granting him the highest annual raise allowed under NBA rules. He'll be 35 years old in the final year of his contract.

The Golden State Warriors disrespect of their fan base continues. Earlier this summer Warriors President Robert Rowell allowed the team's star Baron Davis to leave for the Clippers. Obviously Warriors fans are not happy with the move, but being the loyal fans that they are, will likely continue to support their beloved Warriors.

So how do you think the Rowell decided to thank fans for their support after the loss of Baron? By raising ticket prices, of course.