What's not new at Golden State? The team's scant prospects of success. The Warriors haven't reached the playoffs since 1993-94, and they won't reach them in 1997-98 either.

Charged with turning things around is coach P.J. Carlesimo, who on June 5 was introduced as Rick Adelman's successor. (Carlesimo came from Portland, where he had filled an opening created when Adelman was ousted in 1994.) Upon his arrival, Carlesimo spoke of "dramatic" moves in the offing. A little over a month later, Garry St. Jean, a former Golden State assistant who was the coach at Sacramento until March, came aboard as general manager. When he took over, St. Jean said, "I know everybody is itching to see a change."

On Aug. 12, Carlesimo and St. Jean provided some relief with a weighty announcement: All-Star forward Chris Mullin, a Warrior since he came out of St. John's in 1985, had been traded to Indiana for center Erick Dampier and forward Duane Ferrell. As of late September, Golden State was hoping to make more changes, including thinning out the herd at point guard. (B.J. Armstrong was the likely one to go.)

With Mullin's departure, 6'5" guard Latrell Sprewell, entering his sixth year with the team, is the club's eldest statesman. Sprewell's scoring average last season, the fifth best in the league, was a career high, as were his 1,444 field goal attempts, eighth most in the NBA. Though Carlesimo plans to make the offense a bit less Sprewell-centric, more ambitious moves might have to wait. "Over the years, we hope to play the way we choose to play," he says. "But sometimes you have to play based on what you have."

Carlesimo isn't exactly sure what he has yet, but he knows whatever it is will run. His top assistant, Paul Westhead, will see to that. Westhead—who coached the Lakers (to the '79-80 NBA title), the Bulls and the Nuggets—is known for the fast-paced offense he installed at Loyola Marymount in the late '80s.

Given Westhead's running style, it is appropriate that the Warriors' new logo features a dark-blue knight named Bolt. The team also has a practically new arena. The inside of 30-year-old Oakland Coliseum Arena was gutted in a $102 million renovation that expands seating capacity from 15,039 to 19,200.

Golden State is also moving into new offices and practice facilities at the Oakland Convention Center. From their new digs, coaches will be able to monitor the players' workouts—or lack thereof. Third-year forward Joe Smith, who could stand to beef up his 6'10", 225-pound frame, laid off weights last season after the Warriors moved their workout facility to a health club during the arena renovation. "Coming home from a road trip and then having to go to a health club was just inconvenient," says Smith. As productive as he was last season, some question Smith's commitment to improving his play. Even he has said, "Sometimes I get so frustrated with myself, I want to take myself out of the game." When his contract expires after this season, Smith may well take his game to another team.

Mullin's small-forward spot will be filled by another young player who has struggled at times. In the fourth year of a nine-year, $42 million contract, 24-year-old Donyell Marshall is under pressure to justify his salary. There are hopeful signs: When he started 14 games during a stretch in March and April, he averaged 12.4 points per game, 5.1 above his overall '96-97 average.

Having ended the season with the less-than-dominating Felton Spencer at center, Golden State selected 6'10" Adonal Foyle from Colgate with its first-round draft pick. But, befitting the hapless Warriors, Foyle fractured his right foot in a summer-league game a month after the draft. He had surgery in July and is expected to participate in training camp, but having been out for three months will hurt Foyle, who was born in the Grenadines and has played basketball for only six years.

No one said making dramatic changes at Golden State was going to be easy. "P.J. and St. Jean are excited about being with the Warriors, and they are going to put in the time to make us better," says point guard Bimbo Coles. "I've got a good feeling. I think if we can change the whole attitude, we can win a lot of games."

Win a lot of games? For the Warriors, that would be a dramatic change.

—Dana Gelin