What was supposed to be a celebration for Warriors legend Chris Mullin turned into a brutal night for owner Joe Lacob.The man responsible for deciding to retire Mullins No. 17 jersey was booed long and hard while he tried to address the Oracle Arena crowd during the halftime festivities.It got so bad that Mullin, himself, walked to center court to implore the fans to direct their passion in a positive way. And it got even worse. Eventually another former Warriors great, Rick Barry, emerged with the microphone and chided the fans that what they were doing was undeserved.Its hard to pinpoint exactly why the fans booed Lacob mercilessly. Perhaps it was for trading fan favorite Monta Ellis last week to the Milwaukee Bucks.Maybe it was because he promised the fan base that the Warriors would be a playoff team in 2011-12, but theyre 18-25 and going in the opposite direction from the postseason.Perhaps it had something do with previous ownership of Chris Cohan and the years of frustration of only one playoff appearance in 17soon to be 18seasons.Or maybe it was because the Warriors played an awful first half. Most likely, it was a combination of all those things. But whatever the cause, it made for an awkward end to a celebration of one of the greatest Warriors of all time.Knowing him, knowing his commitment, his passionthe day is going to come where hes truly appreciated around here, Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. Ive been around a lot of owners and a lot of teams and hes all about winning.Maybe so, but apparently Warriors fans dont believe that. Not right now.The scene was reminiscent of the 2000 NBA All-Star Game held in Oakland, when Cohan stepped out to center court with his young son to address the crowd and he was greeted with a chorus of boos.Said Jackson: The (fan) reaction will not deter him from doing what was promised and what hes committed to.
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