Mike Dunleavy Jr. returns to Oakland after making his season debut on Friday.
When the Warriors host the Pacers on Monday, there will be two big questions to be answered.
1. How the Warriors respond after Saturday's loss to the Lakers, one of the most lopsided home losses since the team moved to Oakland nearly 40 years ago?
2. Will Warriors fans continue to boo Mike Dunleavy Jr.?
It's easy to assume the Warriors will play much better against the Pacers than they did the Lakers. In their previous game against Indiana, the Warriors lost 108-94 but were still in the middle of the Stephen-Jackson-wants-out-and-is-playing-like-it saga. The Pacers were also in the middle of a five-game winning streak. Since that last meeting, the Warriors have shed the Jackson baggage and were playing well before the Lakers debacle. The Pacers, meanwhile, have lost five of six, including a 113-92 loss to Dallas on Friday.
Other than Roy Hibbert, who has disappeared in recent games after a strong start to the season, the Pacers don't have the same type of height and depth that the Lakers used to dominate the Warriors. Look -- and hope -- for a bounce back game.
As for Dunleavy, it's hard to say. The January 2007 trade was so long ago that, with the Jackson trade to Charlotte, the Warriors no longer have a single player remaining from the deal that sent Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, among others, to Indiana.
But for some reason the hard feelings for Dunleavy run deep. He was booed as a Warrior and was booed in each of his two previous games in Oakland as a Pacer. (See: Other ex-Warriors who draw reactions)
Maybe it's because Dunleavy never lived up to impossible expectations as the third overall pick in the 2002 draft. He was a solid, yet unspectacular player at Duke who didn't deserve to go third overall. But in a weak draft class, the versatile son of a former NBA player seemed like a safe bet.
However, in 356 games with the Warriors, he averaged 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists. His best season was 2004-05 when he averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. Not exactly numbers you expect from the third pick.
During his time with the Warriors, he often seemed to be pouting or whining about something. True to his nature, he was never outwardly excited or aggressive. There seemed to be a constant discussion about how to fix his jump shot that always seemed to be just a little off and, as unfair as it is to say, he just looked like he didn't care.
It was also the tail end of the long playoff drought, before the We Believe run, when there appeared to be no hope in sight. Dunleavy, not even a starter any more when he was traded, was the poster child for the Warriors' ineptitude.
Then, instead of walking away quietly and starting over in Indiana, he made it worse by saying: "It's no coincidence so many guys who come from Golden State go elsewhere and succeed. The proof is in the pudding. I take responsibility for certain things. You look at guys who went elsewhere after leaving Golden State, they found a way. Whatever that means or says, you could read it through."
As if to rub it in, he flourished with the Pacers. In his first full season, Dunleavy averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists. In his first game against the Warriors, he had 11 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. In his first game back in Oakland, he had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. In four games against the Warriors, he's averaged 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Dunleavy missed the Pacers' first 13 games this year recovering from bone spurs in his right knee before making his season debut on Friday. Like he did as a Warrior, Dunleavy did a little (very little at times) of everything: 13 points, two rebounds, a steal, an assist and a block in 15 minutes.
So it will be interesting to see if the hard feelings are still there. If the fans still boo him or have they moved on to more immediate targets.
MONDAY'S GAME
Who: Pacers (6-8) at Warriors (5-10)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Oracle Arena
TV: CSNBA
Radio: KNBR 680
Ticket offers: The Warriors are offering two different ticket deals for the game. The Black Friday deal gets ticket buyers a discounted ticket and a t-shirt while the Buy Two, Get One Tree deal offers discounted tickets in the lower level as well as a free Christmas tree. Go to warriors.com for details.
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