Golden State assistant general manager Larry Riley doesn't believe that the team will overhaul its roster in the very near future.

"I would think all of our guys have the potential to build something," said Riley.

"Now, will everybody be here in two years? Obviously not. But for right now, we're in a position where we just want to look at everybody we got and see how things mature. ... And I'll say knowing that if they were healthy, we wouldn't be where Boston is right now in the standings. But we've got to figure out what this team has got and what they can actually do."

With Chris Mullin now quietly finishing out the final year of his contract, it will be Larry Riley and Don Nelson deciding the Warriors' future with Robert Rowell.

League sources believe Golden State is prepared to move forward with Riley handling GM duties, so long as Nelson doesn't cross over from being head coach.

With speculation that Baron Davis wants to return to Golden State escalating, Corey Maggette was asked if he would like to go back to the Clippers.

"Who me? No. I love it here, man," Maggette said. "It's been a big change for me. Fans here are absolutely great. That's the biggest thing coming from Los Angeles. They have a mixture of Lakers and Clippers fans. Here, it's the Bay Area team. They love their Warriors. That's what's great about them."

Clippers guard Baron Davis has denied claims by former teammate Stephen Jackson that he wants to return to the Warriors.

"No, I don't want out," Davis said on Monday. "I don't know what Stephen Jackson got from my conversation. That never came out of my mouth.

"I'm here. I'm here doing the same thing I did at Golden State. The first year I got to Golden State it was rough. It was a tough season. We were figuring each other out, figuring out the system. That transition year is always a tough year."

Jackson told the Contra Costa Times a slightly different version of the story.

"That's all we talked about. . . . He wants to come back. And if he wants to come back, I want him back," Jackson said of Baron's reported desire to return.

Warriors' coach Don Nelson believes that the Lakers will dethrone the defending-champion Celtics this season.

"The other team that I saw that was really good was Orlando. I know what Boston is doing and what they did, but they still have two players missing from their last team that are really important to them," Nelson said.

"They either have to get those guys back or replace them with someone because I just think that the Lakers, after a year of going to the (NBA) Finals, are just ready. They know what it takes, and they are so well-coached and disciplined."

Golden State's Stephen Jackson recently spent time with former teammate Baron Davis, who revealed to him that he wouldn't mind returning to the Warriors less than six months after leaving via free agency.

"That's all we talked about," Jackson said. "I went to his house, spent some time with his mom and his grandmother. He wants to come back. And if he wants to come back, I want him back."

Things haven't gone well for Davis in Los Angeles, where he signed this offseason.

"I think that would be great for us," Jackson said. "Coach loves him. Him and (guard) Monta (Ellis) have good chemistry. If they could work that out, that would be great for the organization."

Stephen Jackson attempted to clarify remarks he made earlier this week.

Jackson remains indebted to the Warriors for giving him a three-year $28 million extension this fall and being named a team captain last season.

As for the comments to his teammates, he said, "I was frustrated. I am frustrated. But I don't want to be one of those guys who just gets his money and then wants out when things go bad. Too many people have done too much for me here to be like that. This is the absolute ideal situation for me."

Don Nelson told Jackson before a home game against Orlando that he was the Warriors' worst player.

"Coach and I don't agree on everything, but I appreciate what he's done, making me a captain and everything," Jackson said. "The responsibility I've been given here is what I've always wanted."

Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson has clarified recent remarks made to teammates that suggested his love affair with Oakland and the Warriors was over.

Jackson admitted that he and coach Don Nelson had words a couple of weeks ago when Nelson told him his poor play was hurting the team.

He also admitted telling teammates that he wouldn't be opposed to a trade should things continue to spiral.

However, he took issue with the interpretation that he was demanding a trade. He remains indebted to the Warriors for giving him a three-year $28 million extension this fall and being named a team captain last season, the first such honor in his nine-year career.

"I was frustrated. I am frustrated. But I don't want to be one of those guys who just gets his money and then wants out when things go bad. Too many people have done too much for me here to be like that. This is the absolute ideal situation for me," Jackson said.

The Golden State Warriors are not expecting guard Monta Ellis to return until late January, head coach Don Nelson has told the San Francisco Chronicle.

"I don't think he'll be ready to play in a game for a month still. And that could be even when he starts to practice," Nelson said before backing off slightly. "I don't know. I'm really not sure. You really need to talk to the trainers about that."

According to a Golden State spokesman, Ellis is now doing slides and one-footed jumps as he continues his rehab under Mark Grabow, the team's director of athletic development.

Stephen Jackson scored eight straight points during the decisive fourth-quarter stretch to finish with 28, and the Warriors sent the Celtics to back-to-back losses for the first time this season by rallying past Boston 99-89 on Friday night, as reported by the Associated Press.