The Warriors currently sit ninth in the Western Conference, and after their recent trade they have the possibility of catapulting into the last playoff spot. It will be difficult for them to grab the eighth seed because of how stacked the West is, but the addition of Harrington and Jackson bring Golden State two players with playoff experience.San Francisco Chronicle
Al Harrington can't wait to beat Chris Mullin in a game of H-O-R-S-E.
He says Golden State was his top choice all summer long.
And he thinks the Warriors play more than up-tempo under coach Don Nelson.
"They play fast-forward," he said. "I'm about to go out there and work out and hope I can keep up."
Harrington and swingman Stephen Jackson landed in Oakland on Thursday, and the centerpieces of the Warriors' eight-player trade with Indiana -- which also netted Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell in exchange for Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod -- had plenty running through their minds before watching their new teammates practice.
At the top of the list was jump-starting their seasons in Nelson's fast-paced system, which both stressed couldn't be more different than former coach Rick Carlisle's deliberate offense.
"It's night-and-day," Jackson said. "Nellie has a lot of confidence in his point guards and guys that are out there to get the team in its offense and get shots. Rick wants to control a lot of the offense, control the game. That's one thing we didn't see eye-to-eye on."
Jackson and Harrington were both unhappy with their roles in Carlisle's slow-it-down system, but their transition in Golden State figures to be smoother with some deep ties to the organization already in place.
Harrington was feeling out the league as an 18-year-old rookie in Indiana while Mullin was winding down his illustrious career in 1998. It wasn't long before Harrington had a mentor and a workout buddy - even if he couldn't beat Mullin in a shooting game.
Now, Harrington and point guards Baron Davis spend their offseasons training together in Las Vegas, where Jackson dropped in this summer. Jackson also played for Warriors assistant coach Keith Smart in the CBA.
It's his kinship with Mullin, however, that might be most important. Jackson faces ongoing legal issues from the 2004 Pacers-Pistons brawl and October's gun-firing incident outside a strip club in Indiana, and said he feels a natural connection to Mullin, who overcame alcoholism as a player.
"I think Mully understands a guy like me," he said. "He understands I'm very emotional about the game."
Jackson becomes the only Warrior with an NBA championship to his name. He was a member of the San Antonio's title team in 2003 and averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists during the playoffs.
In Jackson and Harrington, the Warriors gain athleticism without giving up long-range shooting, and they might have even upgraded their defense. Harrington has never been known for locking players down, but said that he and Jackson were "more athletic" than former forwards Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, "and coach can demand more from us."
None of the new Warriors could practice Thursday night because the four players sent to the Pacers had yet to pass their physicals. They are expected to have their first workout with the team today.
Nelson figures to start Harrington at power forward and use Jackson at shooting guard, especially in the absence of Jason Richardson, but Nelson is always shifting his lineups on the fly.
The newcomers said they will adjust to whatever Nelson needs, and the same applies to Jackson and his legal issues.
He has court dates scheduled for Jan. 26 and Feb. 12, the latter of which falls on a game day. The Warriors travel to Denver to finish up a back-to-back set on Feb. 12. Though Jackson said he could miss a practice or game, he vowed not to let it affect his play.
"The ups and downs happen. My whole focus the whole time, regardless of what I go through, is basketball," Jackson said. "It keeps me focused on the bigger things, which is life, my family."
Added Harrington: "He deals with it at home. He doesn't bring it into practice with him. Those two or three hours, he's very professional."
E-mail Janny Hu at jhu@sfchronicle.com.
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