Once upon a time the Warriors couldn’t get out of their own way. They were a laughingstock. And the poster boy of their All-Tear-Your-Hair-Out team was Chris Washburn.
A 6-foot-11 sculpted amalgamation of jaw-dropping physical gifts, Washburn had it all. Except discipline. And desire. And maturity. His 41-game stay at North Carolina State was marred by his appropriation of a stereo that wasn’t his. It took some doing, but the Warriors ignored the flashing red lights and selected him with the third pick in the 1986 draft. Then they handed him a four-year, $3 million contract — all the money in the world 33 years ago.