Liotta: Warriors once again rendered irrelevant

The Warriors are without Baron Davis, right, who opted out of his contract with Golden State last year. (AP file photo)

I never liked Baron Davis in a Warriors uniform. I thought he was a spoiled millionaire who’d bring down his teammates if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. If he didn’t like the play called, he’d freelance. If he didn’t feel like playing hard, he wouldn’t.

No, I didn’t shed a tear when he opted out of his contract and headed to the NBA vaudeville act known as the Los Angeles Clippers. Served him and the Clips right. It figures he’d be hanging out with celebrities like Kate Hudson and barely break a sweat in a Clippers uniform.

Boy, I’d love to have him back.

By now, the uniform switch by Davis a few months back ranks up there with moves like the Giants signing Barry Zito as a free agent. In fact, both the Warriors’ and Clippers’ records looked a bit like Zito’s earlier this week.

Talk about your two-steps-forward, two-steps-back franchise — the Warriors have once again rendered themselves irrelevant. Wow, their promise was fleeting.

It’s so bad watching the Warriors these days — no, Monta Ellis is not going to save this team — that their present and their future look no better than they did during the Dunleavy-Murphy days, when experts regarded their roster as an anchor into a never-ending oblivion.

Random thoughts

If Mike Singletary’s future is a game-by-game decision, the Niners are in bigger trouble than we think.
Over the last three weeks, they’ve re-created themselves into a scratching, clawing bunch that plays smart enough to give itself a chance to win. Even against the Dolphins last week. So what if they let one get away?
What more could you ask for from your head coach?

To me, it feels as if the National Football League is on the cusp of an unforgettable year.
Tom Brady goes down, and it’s a free-for-all, with stories of unexpected success like the Titans, Steelers, Panthers and Ravens. Stories of resurgence like the Dolphins and Falcons. And stories of surprise like the Vikings.
Stories of resilience like the Patriots. Stories of comebacks like the Colts, Eagles and Texans. A melodrama in the Cowboys, a wobbly defending champion in the Giants, not to mention an enigma like the Cardinals.
Come playoff time there’s going to be more story lines than anyone could hope for. 

Baseball’s offseason has been rather predictable, with the Yankees and Mets — both opening new stadiums next season — throwing around the big money. Sadly, the Giants still feel as if they are outsiders looking in on the challenge of reaching the postseason.

And in golf, it’s a testament to the politically correct boredom to which Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have pledged themselves that their rivalry has not escalated to something special.
The dislike these two guys have for one other is genuine, and this duel could explode into something memorable if allowed out of the box. It’s a shame the game of golf has its knickers wrapped so tight.