Over the course of 12 seasons, beginning in 1994 and lasting until 2006, the Golden State Warriors lost a whole lot of games. They missed the playoffs each year over that span, and it was one of the worst stretches in the history of any franchise, perhaps rivaled only by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Over those two decades, a number of players shuffled in and out of Oakland, collecting paychecks and moving on, but some Warriors managed to last a handful of seasons, contributing to losses each year. Here are the players who best (or worst, if you prefer) defined the worst era in Warriors franchise history:
4. Adonal Foyle
Selected 8th overall in the 1997 NBA Draft, Foyle would be higher on this list if it weren’t for lovable personality. Despite collecting nearly $60 million in salary from the Warriors over 10 seasons, Foyle never averaged more than 5.9 points or 7 rebounds, while also posting sub-.500 marks from both the field and free-throw line.
Questioned from the instant he was selected by the Warriors out of Colgate, the Golden State center was the first and only NBA player from Saint Vincent and Grenadines, a small Caribbean island just off the coast of South America. He lasted 10 seasons with the team, which included a 6-year, $42 million contract extension after the 2003-2004 season.
3. DunMurphy, 2001-2007
Often unfairly criticized for their inability to lead the Warriors to the promised land, the Mike Dunleavy (5 seasons) and Troy Murphy (6 seasons) era was littered with disappointment. The two helped the Warriors record four consecutive seasons of at least 34 wins, after the franchsie had recorded no more than 21 in the five seasons previous. But each time, they failed to make the playoffs.
The two averaged perfectly decent numbers in their time with the Warriors, Murphy at 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds and Dunleavy adding 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. But when they were traded for Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson in early 2007, the Warriors instantly become a playoff team, stringing second-half wins together to crash the 2007 post-season party. Warriors fans know the rest.
2. Chris Mills 1999-2003
Probably remembered best for trying to put the ball in the wrong basket, Chris Mills spent five seasons with the Warriors, averaging 9.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. Acquired in the Warriors’ attempt to escape from Latrell Sprewell, Mills managed to play 50 games just once, totaling just 169 appearances.
A reliable defender and shooter early in his career, Mills time with the Warriors saw him as a shell of the player he once was. His career with the warriors will be marked by injuries and an off-court incident that led him to block the Portland Trail Blazers’ bus with his SUV. Rumor had it he was also armed during the altercation with Blazer Bonzi Wells, and proceeded to follow the bus partway to the airport.
1. Erick Dampier, 1997-2004
With arguably one of the worst tenures as a Warrior ever, Dampier is one of the most disliked players to wear a Golden State uniform. Dampier, the 10th overall selection in the 1996 NBA Draft, was what the Warriors got in return for trading Chris Mullin to the Indiana Pacers. In his first six seasons with the team, “Damp” averaged less than 9 points and 7 rebounds per game, shooting just .437 from the field.
But what really defines his career in Oakland, is what Dampier did in his final year with the team. After seasons of mediocre performance, Dampier was finally just a year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent for the first time. In the 2003-2004 season, Dampier averaged 12.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks on a then career-best .535 field-goal mark. He ended up posting a PER more than 5 points higher than his next best season, and signed a massive contract in the off-season with the Dallas Mavericks.
While the Warriors ended up paying significantly less money to Dampier than they did either Andris Biedrins or Adonal Foyle, it’s clear the effort level they received from him was rarely 100 percent.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
