"Jerry West readily admits that he hasn't had a major impact on the Warriors in his role as executive board member, but that might be about to change.

"The Logo," a 14-time All-Star as a player and twice the league's Executive of the Year as a general manager, has acted merely as a remote adviser for the Warriors thus far. He says that he'll be a regular in the Bay Area after this weekend's Northern Trust Open charity golf tournament in Southern California, and that the Warriors might be closer to becoming a playoff team than their 9-14 record indicates.

"I'm going to be up here a lot more. I think something can be done here, and it's kind of fun for me," said West, who watches every game on a 60-inch TV from his Bel Air home and talks regularly with general manager Larry Riley, assistant GM Bob Myers and co-owner Joe Lacob. "It's a challenge, but it can happen in a year's time if we can get lucky with a few things.""