That's all very clever, but it doesn't solve the Warriors' many on-court deficiencies, which is why they probably won't improve on their 30-52 record of a year ago. Golden State not only has too many point guards (B.J. Armstrong, Bimbo Coles and Brian Shaw, acquired Oct. 27 in a trade with the Magic), but also too many big men who are unimpressive (Felton Spencer and Todd Fuller) or untested (Erick Dampier and first-round draft pick Adonal Foyle). Further muddling the already chaotic lineup is the fate of forward Joe Smith, the top pick in the 1995 draft, who led the Warriors in rebounding (8.5 boards a game) and was second in scoring (18.7 points) last year. Smith will become a free agent after the season, and while he hasn't ruled out re-signing with the Warriors, he has made it clear that he prefers to play for a winner and for a team in the East. Golden State falls far short on both counts. "I'm just keeping my options open," says Smith. "I think the franchise is committed to turning things around and becoming more competitive, and if we can do that, it would definitely be a factor in my decision. But not the only factor."

The 6'10" Smith won't be the only party weighing his options. The Warriors have to determine whether they want to bestow on him the kind of gargantuan contract that other prominent members of the 1995 draft class, including Minnesota's Kevin Garnett (six years, $125 million) and Portland's Rasheed Wallace (six years, $80 million), received to re-sign with their teams. Although Smith's numbers were fairly impressive last season, Golden State's management believed his work habits left a lot to be desired. One of the primary tasks for new coach P.J. Carlesimo will be to evaluate Smith. If Carlesimo concludes he is something less than a franchise player, don't be surprised if Smith is unloaded before the trading deadline in February. "We're not shopping Joe, but we would always listen to a deal that's a no-brainer," says Carlesimo. "Do we want Joe? Absolutely we want Joe. But I think that as this season evolves, we're going to have a lot better idea as to how critical Joe is to us."

To cover themselves in case Smith goes elsewhere, the Warriors upgraded their front line by drafting Foyle from Colgate and trading veteran small forward Chris Mullin to Indiana for second-year center Dampier and forward Duane Ferrell. Dampier, at 6'11" and 265 pounds, and Foyle (6'10", 250) should improve Golden State's rebounding and woeful interior defense, but both are limited offensively, which means the bulk of the Warriors' point production will again come from Smith and off-guard Latrell Sprewell. The basketball world will have to survive without Sprewell's wit and wisdom, however. Apparently taking the No More Mr. Nice Guy theme a bit too seriously, Sprewell has announced that he will not give any interviews this season.

It's not a good sign for the Warriors that the moves they made off the court are more notable than the ones they made with their roster. They have a renovated building—The New Arena in Oakland was expanded from 15,025 seats to 19,200—a new practice facility, new uniforms and a new logo. They also have the upbeat tandem of Carlesimo and St. Jean, along with top assistant Paul Westhead, the fast-break guru brought in to energize the Warriors' attack. Still, at season's end the Warriors will probably go back to their old theme song, with slightly different lyrics: "We're the Warriors, kumbaya. We dealt our star, kumbaya. We missed the playoffs again, kumbaya...."

—Phil Taylor