Forwards Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes are unlikely to return to the Warriors next season.  Also likely gone is their 2006 lottery pick Patrick O'Bryant.

Pietrus tried desperately to get out of Golden State last summer, and Barnes was unable to duplicate his 06-07 success.

The Warriors would like to keep Kelenna Azubuike, but if the standout reserve returns, it will be under a new contract. As expected, Azubuike said that he will opt out of the final year of his minimum-wage deal and test the market.

Warriors vice-president Chris Mullin revealed that his highest priority is to keep all the team's young players this offseason, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"We've obviously improved, we've gotten younger, we've gotten better," Mullin said before Wednesday night's game. "Now, how we move forward? There's going to be a lot of discussions about that."

"We'll keep them, and other decisions will be made," said Mullin of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins. "We'll keep them."

When informed of Mullin's comments, both players expressed their desire to remain in Golden State as well.

Don Nelson said he will take a couple of months off to decide whether to return to the Warriors for a third season, the Associated Press is reporting.  Nelson said he'd let the team know one way or another by July 1.

"I'm getting up to the point where it's not an easy job," the 67-year-old Nelson said, adding that he doesn't see himself coaching past next season no matter what he chooses to do.

Don Nelson claims that there is no rift between him and Baron Davis despite his benching of the guard for the entire second half of the team's loss to Phoenix on Monday night, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"It was real simple," Nelson said Tuesday. "He was having a bad game. He was terrible. He was the worst player on the floor, and I told him to take the second half off. He was 2-for-13; we were down 14 points."

The loss eliminated the Warriors from playoff contention.

"There's no problem between Baron and (me)," Nelson said. "He's probably upset because he played terrible."

"I hate losing," Davis wrote on his personal blog. "I play this game to win, and it's even harder when I feel like I wasn't able to help my team do that."

Don Nelson is in the same boat as point guard Baron Davis and is unsure about his future with the Warriors, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"I mean, we've had a great year. It's just more of how much longer I want to do it more than anything. I want some time to think about it. That's why I'm not making my mind up (now)," Nelson said.

Golden State exercised the $5.1 million option on his contract for next year last month.

The Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets backed into the playoffs on Monday night when the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors lost. Read about Atlanta and Denver?s clinching and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for April 14th?s games!

- CLE 91, PHI 90

Devin Brown hit a pair of controversial free throws with one second left on the clock to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a one-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. LeBron James had 27 points and 5 assists, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas contributed 22 points and 7 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who made 48% of their shots but turned the ball over seventeen times. Andre Miller led with 26 points and 6 assists, and Louis Williams scored 21 points off the bench for the Sixers, who went 1-for-8 from behind the three-point line and have fallen to a game behind the Raptors for the East?s sixth seed.

Game FIC Scores
Andre Miller, PHI ? 15.8
Anderson Varejao, CLE ? 14.3
LeBron James, CLE ? 13.8
Louis Williams, PHI ? 13.8

- WSH 117, IND 110

The Washington Wizards played spoiler last night ending the playoff chances of the Indiana Pacers with a big home victory. Roger Mason posted 31 points and 6 rebounds, and Antawn Jamison tallied 12 points and 8 boards for the Wizards, who outrebounded Indiana by twenty-seven and made thirteen three-pointers. Danny Granger led with 36 points and 9 rebounds, and Mike Dunleavy added 26 points and 6 assists in the loss for the Pacers, who couldn?t keep Washington off the glass without Jeff Foster (knee) and have now missed the playoff in consecutive years.

Game FIC Scores
Danny Granger, IND ? 24.0
Roger Mason, WSH ? 21.3
Mike Dunleavy, IND ? 18.3
Darius Songaila, WSH ? 10.3

- TOR 91, MIA 75

The Toronto Raptors used a very strong second half to knock off the Miami Heat on Monday night. Rasho Nesterovic posted 20 points and 7 rebounds, and Anthony Parker added 13 points and 7 boards for the Raptors, who outrebounded Miami by four and scored 23 points off turnovers. Daequan Cook led with 22 points and 6 rebounds, and Chris Quinn contributed 14 points and 6 assists for the Heat, who made 37% of their field goals and attempted just six foul shots. Toronto will finish their season against Chicago on Wednesday.

Game FIC Scores
Rasho Nesterovic, TOR ? 16.8
Jose Calderon, TOR ? 16.5
Daequan Cook, MIA ? 14.8
Chris Bosh, TOR ? 15.3

- BOS 99, NY 93

The Boston Celtics used an eight-point fourth quarter edge to earn their 65th win of the season against the New York Knicks. Rajon Rondo posted 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists while Sam Cassell added 22 points and 5 boards off the bench for the Celtics, who played without any of the ?Big Three? but still handed Isiah Thomas a loss in what could have been his final game at Madison Square Garden as New York?s head coach. Zach Randolph notched 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Nate Robinson added 26 points off the bench for the Knicks, who outrebounded Boston by three but shot just 40% from the floor. New York closes out the season against the Pacers in Indiana on Wednesday.

Game FIC Scores
Rajon Rondo, BOS ? 21.9
David Lee, NYK ? 17.8
Glen Davis, BOS ? 13.6
Nate Robinson, NYK ? 11.5

- CHI 151, MIL 135

The Chicago Bulls won a surprisingly high-scoring affair against the Milwaukee Bucks last night. Luol Deng had 32 points and 5 assists, and Chris Duhon added 22 points and 15 dimes off the bench for the Bulls, who shot 67% from the field and outrebounded Milwaukee by nine. Ramon Sessions starred for the Bucks with 20 points, 24 assists, and 8 rebounds while Andrew Bogut tallied 25 points and 8 boards of his own in the loss. Milwaukee hit 57% of their shots but couldn?t stop the scorching Bulls from scoring at will at the Bradley Center.

Game FIC Scores
Ramon Sessions, MIL ? 37.9
Chris Duhon, CHI ? 31.8
Andrew Bogut, MIL ? 21.8
Luol Deng, CHI ? 19.6

- UTA 105, HOU 96

The Utah Jazz used a decisive second quarter run to beat the Houston Rockets on Monday night at the EnergySolutions Arena. Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Deron Williams tallied 17 points and 9 assists for the Jazz, who shot 48% and outrebounded Houston by twelve. Tracy McGrady scored 22 points, and Luis Scola contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who struggled from the field (40%) and got little from the bench (just 23 points). Houston is no longer in the race for the West?s top seed after the loss.

Game FIC Scores
Luis Scola, HOU ? 17.5
Carlos Boozer, UTA ? 14.8
Bobby Jackson, HOU ? 13.9
Deron Williams, UTA ? 12.4

- PHX 122, GSW 116

The Phoenix Suns used an eleven-point edge in the fourth quarter to come-from-behind and end the Golden State Warriors? playoff chances. Shaquille O?Neal posted 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Steve Nash tallied 13 points and 14 assists for the Suns, who hit 52% of their shots and outrebounded Golden State by nine in the victory. Stephen Jackson led with 23 points, and Monta Ellis contributed 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Warriors, who scored 21 points off turnovers and allowed the Nuggets to back into the playoffs with the loss. Baron Davis did not play a single minute in the second half after struggling in the first and second quarters.

Game FIC Scores
Steve Nash, PHX ? 20.3
Amare Stoudemire, PHX ? 19.6
Andris Biedrins, GSW ? 19.0
Monta Ellis, GSW ? 16.3

- SAS 101, SAC 98

The San Antonio Spurs won a hard-fought battle with the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. Tony Parker had 32 points and 11 assists, and Tim Duncan posted 19 points and 5 rebounds for the Spurs, who shot 51% from the floor and got very little (9 points) from their bench. John Salmons tallied 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Francisco Garcia contributed 15 points and 6 boards in the loss for the Kings, who were just 2-for-10 from behind the three-point line and missed a pair of long-range bombs that would have sent the game to overtime in the final seconds.

Game FIC Scores
Tony Parker, SAS ? 25.4
John Salmons, SAC ? 22.3
Tim Duncan, SAS ? 15.8
Francisco Garcia, SAC ? 14.0

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Baron Davis has the right to opt out of his contract at the end of the season, but he appears to be keeping all of his options open, according to the Contra Costa Times.

"Yeah, I want to win a championship here," Baron said before the team's game against Phoenix on Monday night. "We went to the playoffs; we're in the playoff hunt right now, so my whole thing is to bring a championship to the Bay Area. That would be something great. Al Attles (the coach of Golden State's 1974-75 NBA title-winning team) is my man, so I've got some big shoes to fill."

Golden State lost to the Suns, eliminating them from the playoff hunt, and Coach Don Nelson benched Davis in the second half after a poor performance in the first two quarters.

The Suns recovered from what nearly was an embarrassing stumble on the home court and eliminated the Warriors from playoff contention on Monday night, as reported by the Associated Press.

Fighting off a cold, Amare Stoudemire scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to lead Phoenix to a 122-116 victory.

The Warriors? loss clinched the final playoff spot in the West for the Nuggets.

Mickael Pietrus no longer wants to be traded from the Golden State Warriors, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Mere months after repeatedly requesting a trade, Pietrus is entertaining the idea of remaining with the only NBA team he has ever played for past this season.

"I know everybody in the organization, I know every player, so for me, if they want me, I'll stay," Pietrus said. "I think when you look at the team, I'm one of the fan favorites, and one of the team's franchise players, I hope, and then I would like to remain here if they are going to sacrifice for me."

"Yeah, I'm definitely open to that. Always have been," vice president Chris Mullin said. "I have great respect for him as a player and as a person."

The Denver Nuggets were able to defeat the hot Houston Rockets 111-94 behind the strong play of guard J.R. Smith and now sit just one game away from earning their fifth consecutive playoff berth, the Associated Press is reporting.

The win moved Denver a half-game ahead of Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot, and with a game against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies coming up on Wednesday at home, the Nuggets' chances look good.