Two hours before tipoff Wednesday night at Oakland Arena, they hugged at center court.
The hugs are no longer of the celebratory variety, as so many were that Jay Williams and Mike Dunleavy shared at Duke.
They now are of the social variety, two NBA rookies trying to make their way in a league that could care less about their college exploits.
For the first time in their embryonic careers, Williams and Dunleavy–the second and third picks, respectively, in last June’s draft–squared off. If the Bulls hadn’t drafted Williams, they likely would have taken Dunleavy.
Same goes for Golden State with Dunleavy.
Williams entered the Wednesday night’s game fourth among rookies in scoring at 11.3 points per game and leading all rookies with six assists.
Dunleavy, averaging 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds, is just happy he entered, which he did with 29 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The forward is averaging 15.4 minutes per game as opposed to 31 for Williams.
“Mike had a decent preseason,” Warriors coach Eric Musselman said before the game. “In the first couple of games, he had limited minutes and struggled with his shot. The last three games, he has improved and has gained a lot of confidence.
“Jay’s a phenomenal rookie. He gets in the lane. His quickness alone causes problems. When you talk about the Bulls, his name keeps coming up. We look at him as a guy who is a big part of how the game will be.”
Donyell Marshall knows what Dunleavy is going through. As the fourth overall pick by Minnesota in the 1994 NBA Draft, Marshall was supposed to be the savior. Eight months later, he was traded to Golden State, where he played for close to six seasons.
“I remember I averaged 21 points in the preseason for Minnesota and then didn’t play,” Marshall said. “I was like, `What did I do wrong?’ The first year can be frustrating.”
Marshall, still a fan favorite here, has evolved into a solid veteran, territory that Williams and Dunleavy want to enter eventually.
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Because of the late start of the Bulls-Warriors game, final results were not available until later editions.
