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On Rickey, and the Warriors

The A's announced today that Rickey Henderson's No. 24 will be retired on Saturday, August 1 -- Rickey Henderson Day at the Coliseum -- and one can only wonder why it took so long.

Henderson is unquestionably one of the greatest ballplayers in history, he's a local product, he brought fans to the ballpark, and the memories he leaves are indelible. Then again, the A's are rather stingy with their retired numbers; only Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley and Reggie Jackson have earned that distinction over the years.

Next up, and do it soon: Dave Stewart and Vida Blue. They absolutely belong in the pantheon.

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Multiple sources have the Warriors seriously up for sale (a story first reported by the Mercury News), and one can only imagine the chain of events: Chris Cohan out of the picture, finally, along with the exit of his right-hand man, Robert Rowell. There's no way a new owner would fancy the twilight-years Don Nelson as coach, so you'd say farewell to Nelson and his confidant/general manager, Larry Riley. A complete overhaul, in other words. That would sound awfully good to those thousands of fans who have become frustrated by the team's fractured and often-inept leadership. But following this story is a bit like following the team: You suspect there are better days ahead, but an unreasonable amount of patience is required.

Cohan reportedly wants out for a number of reasons, notably the escalating financial crisis in the NBA. The league recently issued a memo projecting significant reductions in both the salary cap and luxury tax, which is extremely bad news for (a) teams burdened by long-term contracts and (b) teams lining up for the 2010 free-agent bonanza featuring (most likely) LeBron James, Chris Bosh and DeWayne Wade, among many others.

The Warriors aren't remotely involved in the second category. They've reached the point where no superstar free agent would be interested in coming here. But long-term deals have crippled the Warriors, a situation that will only get worse if that memo accurately reflects the future. Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins are in the midst of five-year deals (decisions that seemed promising at the time), and some astonishingly wrong-headed thinking locked Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette into contracts that run through 2012-13.

Simply put, the Warriors' entire focus won't be about acquiring free agents or building for the future, but rather getting out from under their mistakes. The Amare Stoudemire deal may be dead (he's made it clear he doesn't want to join the Warriors), but as the league faces a bleak financial future, the Warriors would consider unloading Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli for Stoudemire, even if Stoudemire refused to sign an extension (and thus became a one-year rental), just to save money. Would that trade actually happen? I doubt it. But it reflects how the Warriors have to approach their upcoming business.

Cohan won't sell the team in a hurry; that's a guarantee. He may not know a thing about basketball, but he knows it's unwise to appear desperate and ready to settle for any price. The process will be long and ridiculously drawn-out, some sources saying it might not be wrapped up for two years. It's going to wind up being one of those A's-to-San Jose melodramas, a perfectly fine idea that just sits on the table, tantalizing an anxious public, forever.

So don't get too excited, Warrior fans, about Cohan's departure or the team building smartly for the future. Focus on Ellis, Stephen Curry and Anthony Randolph, the team's cornerstone players. In fact, do what you always do: wait, with tremendous patience and good cheer. What a thing.