No Regard Presidential Previews: Golden State Warriors (Harry S. Truman)

Oh the season. Oh the season! Election or NBA, both are upon us. We're getting into the spirit by bringing you our season previews (with a little help from the presidents). One per day for the next 30 days—which will bring us to the Day of Reckoning. So please join us on the campaign trail as we shake hands, kiss babies and sink jumpers.

"Being too good is apt to be uninteresting." - Harry S. Truman

There have been two great upsets in the past 100 years: incumbent Harry S. Truman defeating Thomas Dewey and the "We Believe" Golden State Warriors defeating the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs.

Truman's 36 percent approval rating at the time was much higher than the chances anyone was giving the Warriors. But both fighters reached for and fully committed to their progressive morals to pull out their inspirational wins. Truman risked alienating many of his more socially conservative supporters by advocating sweeping civics rights reform; coach Don Nelson bit his thumb at traditional positions and ran out whatever five guys his Scotch-soaked mind grapes deemed worthy. Both wins were historic in their underdog status. "Dirk Defeats Baron" and all that.

But following this truly reformative victory, the Warriors have thus far squandered their second term. Baron's gone, Mayor Stephen Jackson is back where he's needed, Ellis was exiled, Nelson fled to Hawaii. The restocking fee? Untested coach Mark Jackson, unfruitful David Lee, unshaven Andrew Bogut and un-ankled Steph Curry. Look, I'm skipping around a bit here, folding time to help the narrative. But really, nothing's been happening at the Oracle since 2007.

This year, though, there is optimism. The roster is good and practical. Steph and Bogut should be a forceful offensive inside-out combo and Bogut is probably the second best defensive center. (But they should both also get the words "Barring Injury" tattooed on their chests.) Second-year guard Klay Thompson is primed to have a modest breakout and score 18 points a game. Harrison Barnes probably has some dope business cards all printed up. Jarrett Jack will soak up all those juicy Steph Curry missed games with his whole grain back-up point guard baguette. And then there are also other NBA players on the team, but who has an endless amount of time to type all of their names? No one, that's who.

Harry Truman's daughter Margaret was a singer. After a particularly scathing review of one show, he penned a letter to the critic:

Mr. Hume: 

I've just read your lousy review of Margaret's concert. I've come to the conclusion that you are an "eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay."

It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful. When you write such poppy-cock as was in the back section of the paper you work for it shows conclusively that you're off the beam and at least four of your ulcers are at work. 

Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below! 

Pegler, a gutter snipe, is a gentleman alongside you. I hope you'll accept that statement as a worse insult than a reflection on your ancestry. 

H.S.T.

You know Mark Jackson would do the same for his guys.

Rushed Pull-Up Jumpers:

Pokemon who the team should adopt as its new mascot: Electabuzz

Headline we'll be most sick of reading: "Curry, Bogut Sidelined Again"

Headline we're most looking forward to: "Andris Biedrins Goes 10-10 From The Line"

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you enter the pearly gates?: "You just went right ahead and claimed the state's nickname for your own use? Strong move."

Who'd You Get?!: Don Nelson, Fleer (1991)

We at No Regard used to collect basketball cards. Convincing a parent to shuttle us and our friends to the local collector's shop was a consistently important victory. When we found out KMart was selling entire boxes for $20, we almost wore out our bike tires pedaling back and forth.

Now we've unearthed the cache, and the results are stunning. We've been reminded that players named Dino Radja and Wesley Person briefly and forcefully carved out steady roles for themselves in the league. We've been straight tickled by the goofy casual pics. And we've been touched and inspired by the relentless optimism of the copywriters. We hope you enjoy this odd time capsule, a Utopian angle from which to view the league, where everyone is the next somebody and context is pointless.

 Back of the card after the jump.

The Audacity of Z-Bo

The 2006-2007 Golden State Warriors were what I assume LSD is like. The experience of watching Don Nelson, Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson hijack the league for 12 days was mind-expanding in a way you normally only read about in Jack Kerouac books. And their "We Believe" mantra was fitting for a team trying to change the world during Obama's campaign. Nelson's lineup choices were as strong as Obama's email list, and Boom Dizzle's refusal to be anything less than great was downright presidential. Plus, there's a connection to be made somewhere between the flag lapel pin and the bullet fedora.

As much as that team stood for hope and change in a dedicated sports city that needed it, during an era that was starved for it, their breakup and subsequent waning also paralleled Barack's own struggle to unite and lead during his first term. Both promised a few too many revolutions to be able to follow through. Warriors fans must have felt like the ostracized LGBT community as they watched broken promises turn into missed playoffs.

But as Obama begins his second campaign, NBA fans have been gifted another team in which to place our optimism for a better world: The Memphis Grizzlies.

Whoa Nellie!

Sorry for the Post headline, but I have to say, I was not expecting this news! It may have seemed obvious based on the Warriors performance issues over the last two seasons and cryptic words from owner Joe Lacob, but I would have put a fair amount of money on Golden State keeping the Don around for the last season on his contract, giving him the chance to continue to develop Stephen Curry and work with David Lee. It seemed like the easiest thing to do.

But, alas, Lacob and fellow new owner Peter Guber, could not wait until 2011-2012 for a total "rebuilding". And as much as I love Nelson on a personal, drinking buddy level, this might end up being a really smart decision. Barring a remarkably good season, Nelson would have probably been out after this year. With all the new pieces in Golden State, it makes sense to give them a new coach from the get-go, rather than disrupting things after one season. Additionally, Keith Smart seems like a nice fit. The players like him, he's been very involved with leading the team, and if things don't work out, the stakes aren't all that high, economically or for the new owners' reputation. It's a safe choice, yet one with a high ceiling that could produce surprisingly good results.

That said, we'll miss Don. A lot. His tenure with the Warriors has included so many great moments and for at least a couple of us here, some of the most fun-to-watch basketball we've ever seen. All we can hope for is that, since he'll still make his $6 million for the upcoming year, he's fine with covering the tab when we invite him out for Scotch.