Lacob's missteps along way helped fuel boos

Warriors owner Joe Lacob took the microphone at the end of the Chris Mullin retirement ceremony on Monday and was greeted by a cascade of boos.Those boos reined down heavy and they reined down hard and they lasted for a while. It was unexpected and surprising and probably wasnt the best time for the fans to show their displeasure.But it happened and there have to be reasons why.In the immediate aftermath of the booing, conventional wisdom was that many fans were angry that the Warriors traded Monta Ellis, a fan favorite, to the Milwaukee Bucks the week before.But the reality is that no one move could have sparked that kind of anger from the Warriors fan base.The reality is that while Lacob continues to express confidence and optimism about the future of the Warriors, fans have yet to see any tangible results.Its apparent, theyre already tired of Lacobs promises, and to a lesser degree, coach Mark Jacksons playoff prediction and positive talk.Essentially, Lacob has been running the Warriors for 20 months, and you could make the case thats hes made some mistakes and missteps along the way.It looks like the fans have taken note of many of them. Heres a quick look back at some of the things Lacob has done or said to perhaps alienate some of his fan base.--On the day of Lacobs first official press conference as owner, he criticized former Warriors general manager Chris Mullin, saying he thought Mullin had made a mistake as GM by signing too many players to long-term contracts.Many saw that comment as a cheap shot at Mullin that didnt need to be taken.--Also on that day, it became apparent that Lacobs desire was to move the Warriors from Oakland to San Francisco, an idea that has been reinforced many times since that day in November 2010.The Warriors have drawn consistently well at Oracle Arena, and the idea of moving the team across the Bay perhaps should have been handled with more nuance.--On that first day, Lacob also confirmed that his son, Kirk, just 22 at the time, would be given the title of director of basketball operations. Its safe to say that some Warriors fans didnt think it was the time or place to make such a hire and it may have shown where Lacobs priorities were.--When asked that day if he believed he could turn the Warriors around in a hurry, Lacob responded: There is no doubt.Lacob then went onto to chide those who suggested it might take longer than he thought. Said Lacob: This is what people dont understand. In the NBA, theres only 12 players on a roster. If youre smart, probably a little lucky, too, but if youre smart, you should be able to, given the right opportunity, recognizing the right opportunity, then executing on it. You should be able to turn a team around faster than people would otherwise think.--After taking over the team, Lacob was asked about previous ownership, and more specifically, what happened with the Stephen Jackson extension.Lacob said that former team president Robert Rowell was not the impetus behind that deal, despite evidence to the contrary. General manager at the time Chris Mullin was not involved in Jacksons extension.By exonerating Rowell, it sent a message that Lacob might not be completely different than previous ownership.--On media day this season, Lacob predicted that Klay Thompson would win the Rookie of the Year award. For much of the season, Thompson wasnt anywhere near the top of the rookie class in minutes played or scoring.--Lacob and the teams front office used the amnesty provision on Charlie Bell, who was in the last year of his contract and was set to earn just 4.1 million.The Warriors could have considered amnesty-ing ineffectual center Andris Biedrins or even saving the amnesty for another year. But they used it on Bell, and then they didnt come through with the signing of center DeAndre Jordan.The bottom line is Bell had an expiring contract, which many consider an asset in the NBAand Lacob and the Warriors continue to maintain they dont regret the use of the amnesty.--In the days, weeks and months leading up to the 2011 NBA trade deadline, Lacob talked about making a bold move and taking a risk. But the deadline came and went with only one very minor move being madeacquiring Troy Murphy.Making matters worse, there was a trade frenzy on deadline day in 2011, and the Warriors inactivity made them seem a little bit lost.--After the trade deadline, Lacob said that the Warriors had an opportunity to acquire Gerald Wallace from the Bobcats (at that time), but that he didnt believe Wallace would have helped.Whether Wallace would have helped or not will never be known. But it didnt reflect well on Lacob that he said the Warriors couldnt use a player who once was an NBA All-Star.--While looking for a head coach to replace Keith Smart, Lacob said matter-of-factly he was looking for a coach with some experience. Lacob ended up hiring Mark Jackson, who had never coached on any level.Whats more, Lacob continues to maintain that Jackson and this years staff is an improvement over Keith Smart and last years staffdespite there being no such tangible proof to that effect.And before trading Monta Ellis, the Warriors were winning at roughly the exact same clip as a year ago.--At an analytics conference in Boston more than a year ago, Lacob was reported to have said something like season-ticket holders arent real fans. There is some dispute as to what exactly Lacob said at that conference, but the comment got out there and got out there in a hurry. Needless to say, Warriors fans werent pleased.--During last seasons home opener, Lacob took the microphone, pointed to the Warriors championship banner and said: We need another one.The line drew cheers, but as time went on that move came to signify Lacobs tendency to overpromise and under-deliver.--Lacobs also been inconsistent when he talks about how long hes been in control of the team. On the one hand, Lacob often says that his ownership group hasnt been in charge that long and that the ball really didnt get rolling for them until after the regular season started in 2010.But at the same time, Lacob has said he had a hand in the David Lee and Jeremy Lin signings and both of them occurred in July 2010. Lacob also was the person responsible for firing Don Nelson and hiring Keith Smart, and that all happened before training camp began.