Warriors vice president Chris Mullin didn't sidestep the question, not that he could, really, with the franchise's $100 million investment in forwards Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy anchored to the bench of late.

How disappointing is it that his big-money players aren't producing?

"It's disappointing," Mullin said during a rare interview Thursday. "Mike and Murph, we need more out of them, there's no question about it. I don't think they would deny that. I don't think anyone would."

What Mullin denied is that he'll be forced to make a move before the Feb. 22 trade deadline, even if that's the most likely he acknowledged the stickiness of having a roster with players whose productivity isn't matching their paychecks.

Mullin's pricey frontline of Dunleavy, Murphy and Adonal Foyle has been replaced by the bargain lineup of Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes and Andris Biedrins, and while the latter three have played crucial roles in keeping the Warriors around .500, Mullin has almost no way of keeping them -- or making other improvements -- as long as he's saddled with the contracts of the first three.

Barnes is making the league minimum for a fourth-year player and Pietrus is in the final year of his rookie deal. Both figure to command at least a portion of some team's mid-level exception this summer, when Biedrins will be due for an extension. Monta Ellis also has only one year left on his deal.

That doesn't bode well for a team barely avoiding the luxury tax this season, still struggling to find a creator outside of Baron Davis and still in need of upgrades at the forward spots.

Nelson blasted Dunleavy and Murphy on Friday after the two combined for 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists in 50 minutes against the heat.

"Where are our veterans? What the hell are they doing?" Nelson said. "We shouldn't be relying on Matt Barnes to have a good game to win, but that's where we're at." Murphy is averaging 8.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game, while Dunleavy (11.3, 4.6, 26.8) and Foyle (2.5, 2.2, 9.5) haven't fared much better. On the flipside, there's Pietrus (13.7, 5.0, 31.1), Barnes (11.2, 4.7, 26.1) and Biedrins (10.4, 9.6, 28.9).

With the former starters under-producing, does Mullin still believe he has the right pieces for Nelson's up-tempo game?

"I think we've had some decent success playing this style," Mullin said. "Some have adapted to it easier than others. But we'll see how it goes from here on out.

"Some of the guys that haven't played well, do I see them fitting in? Yeah, if they can do it. It hasn't happened, so we'll see what happens."

Though multiple league sources said the Warriors have had discussions with other teams about Dunleavy and Murphy, nothing appears imminent. Murphy's agent, Dan Fegan, spoke to Mullin about his client's role earlier this season, but Mullin said Fegan has not asked for a trade yet.

Still, the forward isn't happy that Nelson's preference for smaller lineups, combined with his own ineffectiveness after nose and foot injuries, has compacted his playing time.

"I know I can do more. Whether or not I get that shot is not up to me," Murphy said. "All I can do is continue to work and be ready. That's pretty much it."

Mullin said Murphy's broken nose has been costlier than the forward wants to admit, and that Dunleavy has played well in stretches, if not consistently. He also believes 6-8 forward Ike Diogu can be a factor inside.

Mullin declined to answer any questions about trades, though judging by the number of times his cell phone rang during a 20-minute interview, it's safe to say he's scouring the market.

"If this doesn't go right, there ain't no question. It's on me," Mullin said of his own job security. "I'd be more than glad to handle that. Full throttle, full boat. All day, all night."

2006-07 salaries, stats 
 Stats were going into Friday night's game 

 Name                   Salary      PPG  RPG  APG   
 Baron Davis       $15,070,000     20.9  4.6  8.4   
 Jason Richardson  $10,000,000     12.7  4.0  2.6   
 Troy Murphy        $8,285,714      8.8  6.0  2.5   
 Adonal Foyle       $8,125,000      2.4  2.3  0.2   
 Mike Dunleavy      $7,438,016     11.5  4.6  3.0   
 Mickael Pietrus    $2,535,260     14.2  5.2  0.9   
 Zarko Cabarkapa    $2,157,096     INJURED   
 Ike Diogu          $2,137,200      7.1  3.7  0.3   
 Patrick O'Bryant   $2,061,720      1.7  1.2  0.6   
 Andris Biedrins    $1,986,960     10.5  9.7  1.2   
 Keith McLeod       $1,350,000      5.3  0.8  1.7   
 Matt Barnes          $771,331     11.1  4.5  2.1   
 Monta Ellis          $664,209     17.3  2.7  4.1   
 Kelenna Azubuike     $265,973     10.2  4.2  1.2