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Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Will Ellison get last laugh?
Snubbed in his bid to buy the Warriors when the franchise was sold to Peter Guber and Joe Lacob in July for $450 million, Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison has now set his sights on buying the New Orleans Hornets.
Forbes reported Wednesday that Ellison, who is worth $27 billion, could buy the Hornets and move the team to San Jose. One reason why Golden State sold for a record NBA price is that the new owners could get from $100-$150 million from an owner bringing a second team to the Bay Area, a source told Forbes.
The Hornets, who were bought by the league for $310 million last month, have a lease at the New Orleans Arena that expires in 2014. The franchise is enduring big losses and low attendance and could be moved to a market with better demographics and more corporate sponsors.
If Ellison moved the team to San Jose, he could immediately share a building with the Sharks. San Jose would also offer plenty of sponsorship revenue and an increased TV market that would boost media revenue.
| Jan 05 at 05:14 PM
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Abdenour out as Warriors' athletic trainer
A day before the Warriors are expected to have all 15 players healthy and availaable for the first time this season, head athletic trainer Tom Abdenour announced Tuesday that he is leaving to take the same position at San Diego State.
Abdenour, 56, is in his 24th season with the Warriors and said he will stay with the team until it finds a replacement. He was hired before the 1987-88 season and was inducted into the National Athletic Trainer's Association Hall of Fame in 1990.
Recently, Abdenour has come under criticism from fans because of the Warriors' cyclical injury problems. When co-owner Joe Lacob and Peter Guber secured a purchase agreement to buy the Warriors in July, more readers e-mailed about firing Abdenour than polarizing coach Don Nelson.
Six players have missed at least five games because of injury this season, but that's nothing compared to the last two seasons.
The Warriors had players miss more games because of injury than any other team last season, and the 501 missed games marked the second-most of any team since the NBA began tracking the statistic in 1986-87. Toronto players missed 519 games in 2002-03.
On average, the Warriors were without 6.1 players a game last season and suited up nine or fewer healthy players for 60 percent of their games. Ten players missed 15 or more games.
The Warriors were riddled with so many injuries between the 2008-09 and 09-10 seasons, that they used 96 unique starting lineups in 164 games.
| Jan 04 at 12:59 PM
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Warriors to sign PG Acie Law
The Warriors plan to sign point guard Acie Law on Thursday, confirming a HoopsWorld Tweet.
The 2007 lottery pick has career averages of 3.5 points and 1.6 assists. The Warriors initially acquired Law from Atlanta in the Jamal Crawford trade last summer before shipping him to Charlotte in the Stephen Jackson deal.
Law was released Saturday by Memphis, where he averaged 8 1/2 minutes during 11 games.
To create a roster spot for Law, the Warriors are expected to release Jeff Adrien. The rookie power forward and wing Rodney Carney are the lone non-guaranteed contracts on the roster.
Adrien is more expendable, because big man Lou Amundson has returned from finger surgery and rookie post Ekpe Udoh is expected to return from wrist surgery within the next several games.
Carney has missed the past two games with what the Warriors have deemed a sore right foot. Carney is calling the injury plantar fasciitis.
The Warriors have needed a backup point guard all season after failed experiments with Charlie Bell and Reggie Williams. Rookie Jeremy Lin is still trying to prove he is ready to play meaningful minutes.
The move for Law was already in the works, but it became even more important after starting point guard Stephen Curry sprained his right ankle again Wednesday night. It marks the fourth time since October that Curry has seriously rolled the ankle, and he left the AT&T; Center in San Antonio wearing a protective walking boot.
| Dec 09 at 05:51 AM
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Radmanovic is talking 'bout practice
The Warriors have lost nine of their past 10 games, and forward Vladimir Radmanovic is sick of it. He told his teammates as much Monday and explained his feelings to the media Tuesday.
What was your message to your teammates after Monday's practice?: We're struggling right now, and we need to find ways to get back to a winning streak. After being in the league for 10 years and playing on teams that have won and teams that have lost, I have experienced what it takes to win. Bottom line: You have to come to practice and work on aspects of your game that are not clicking. That's something that we have to pay attention to, because the success we had at the beginning of the season was a result of what we did in training camp. We kind of took it for granted. ... Nobody likes to practice. We all wish we could just play in games, because that's where it's fun. No practice, no game. That's the message I was trying to say to the guys.
Did someone tell you to address the team?: I understand that there are a few guys who are playing a lot of minutes, and it's hard for them to come to practice and stay motivated. At the same time, those are the guys who are carrying this team, and we're all depended on their success to win games. Sometimes we go hard at them and they take it personally, but it's not personal. It's a healthy, competitive spirit that we're trying to have on our team. Without it, we're not going to have success.
Do you see practice efforts slipping?: I saw us not being motivated and walking through the motions and thinking we didn't need to practice. We all know who are our best guys and what they're capable of doing on the court, but, if we don't push them and make them work, opponents aren't going to take it easy on them.
How difficult has your wavering playing time been on you?: It's not easy. It's probably the hardest thing in basketball is a lack of consistency. We don't know when we're going to play or how long. At the same time, coach is learning. It's his first year, and he's trying to figure out things. He has coached in different places, but not in the NBA. He's trying to get his rotation of who is going to play and how long they're going to play. All we have to do is be patient and see what is going to happen.
Is that easier for a veteran to handle?: It's not easy for anybody, but, when you've been in the league for 10 years, you're not as stressed as someone who just got in and wants it right away. I've been up and down in my career. I'm not proud of that, but it's given me great experience and has made me stronger. Whenever I'm called to get into a game, I'm ready. That's all I can do right now.
| Dec 08 at 12:08 PM
Friday, December 03, 2010
Fans choose Warriors
NBA TV's Tuesday Fan Night game will feature the Warriors at Dallas, winning with 36-percent of the fan vote on NBA.com. The game will air at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Chris Webber and Kevin McHale on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 5 p.m.
It doesn't look like the Warriors have much of a chance of repeating on NBA TV. Their game Dec. 14 is against lowly Minnesota and will probably lose the fan vote to Orlando at Denver.
| Dec 03 at 11:21 AM
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Ekpe Udoh cleared for some contact drills
No. 6 overall pick Ekpe Udoh was cleared to increase his activity level, including participating in some contact drills during practice, the Warriors announced Tuesday.
Udoh has been making incremental strides since July surgery to repair torn tendons in his left wrist. Returning to portions of practice indicates that Udoh is ahead of his expected return date in January.
"It was a pretty tough injury to come back from," Udoh said before the Warriors' game against the Spurs. "When it's that time, I'll know and the coaching staff will know, too."
Udoh has been able to do weight training on his lower body since the surgery, and he said it's time "to try some stuff" in the weight room with his upper body. He has been able to do individual dribbling and shooting for about three weeks, and, about 3 1/2 hours before Tuesday's game, Udoh went one-on-one with assistant coach Calbert Cheaney.
"He felt really strong. He looked good. His moves are nice and quick, nice and fast, and nice and hard," Cheaney said. "Obviously, he's a great defender. I had a tough time getting shots against him, because he bothers shots so much."
Udoh has impressed during his rehab, sticking his nose into every practice huddle and being a sponge in video sessions. Still, coach Keith Smart said he will take it slow with the rookie, because being in shape is far different than being ready to bang with NBA big men.
"When you're running against yourself, you can beat yourself pretty much every single time," Smart said.
"I can run up and down for days, but now I've got to get into the jungle," Udoh said.
| Nov 30 at 07:32 PM
Monday, November 29, 2010
Details behind Warriors snapping losing skid
The Warriors earned Sunday off with a 104-94 victory at Minnesota the night before. I played zero minutes on the road trip, so I had to work. Here are some things that didn't make it into the print editions:
* The Warriors had 26 assists on 40 field goals. The ball moves so much freer and with much less panic when David Lee is on the floor, and Monta Ellis also needs to be credited for having back-to-back sparkling games as a facilitator.
"A couple of nights ago, we tried to shoot the ball by guys doing it by themselves," coach Keith Smart said. "They all want to win the game, but they were all trying to win in by themselves. Tonight, they allowed the ball to be moved, so guys could get the right open shot."
I think the off-court team chemistry thing is a little overblown, but it seems to be translating to the floor. These guys seem to genuinely like creating baskets for one another.
The scout next to me remarked a couple of times how impressed he was with Dorell Wright's shot selectivity. Even on a night in which he hit nine three-pointers to break the franchise mark, Wright passed up some looks to find teammates.
"Guys are on me about not looking for my shots," Wright said. "I'm the type of guy who wants to get everybody involved. I want to pass the ball, because I think that is contagious."
* Smart didn't think he was going to get much out of Wright, who had a black eye, sore knees and a bloody thumb to show for a physical matchup with Rudy Gay the night before.
"He was kind of banged up," Smart said. "Nevertheless, when I took him out in the fourth quarter, he was like, 'Me, coach?' I told him that I was going to get him back in."
Wright has four 20-point games this season, after compiling three such games in his first six seasons. Obviously, his name has started to be mentioned in the early-going for the league's Most Improved Player award.
"That would mean a lot. I think it mean that I've come a long way," Wright said.
* Smart gave out two game balls, and neither was to Lee, who returned from an eight-game absence and helped snap a five-game losing skid. Lee's impact was obvious before the game as the locker room buzz returned.
"He brings a lot of energy and another vocal leader," Wright said. "During a five-game losing streak, guys want to hear another voice, so it's nice to hear his voice out there."
His voice could also be heard on the court, where the team was as vocal on defense as it has been in two weeks.
"I don't even have anything smart to say half of the time, but I just try to stay vocal," Lee said. "Being vocal adds energy to our defense. I thought we were flying around, we were talking and we got a bunch of steals, so we could get out and get some easy baskets."
Lee isn't on pace to be a 20-point, 10-rebound guy this season, and he probably won't repeat his All-Star selection. The Warriors, however, are 7-2 with him and 1-7 without him.
"It was fun in New York to be a 20-and-10 guy and to be an All-Star. Who knows if I'll have a chance to do that again?" Lee said. "But right now, I know that if I play the way I'm playing and am a leader, this team can get t some wins. I told you that I wanted to be judged on wins and losses, and right now, that's going pretty well when I'm in there."
* Lee didn't use his injured left arm to push while blocking out and couldn't extend his elbow on midrange jumpers, but he was in condition to play for 43 minutes. That's pretty remarkable, considering Lee was cleared to start light conditioning only two days before his return.
That's why one game ball went to Mark Grabow, director of athletic development. Grabow stayed with Lee in Oakland and got the power forward ready for his return to the court.
The other game ball went to Dan Gadzuric, who had eight points, two rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 18 minutes. He filled in admirably for Andris Biedrins, who was in foul trouble.
"He didn't play in the first half, but he was ready to play," Smart said. "That's what I'm searching for, guys I can count on to come off the bench who are ready to give me 100 percent effort. You know he is going to give you effort and something positive is going to happen. He did what he is supposed to do. He backed up the center when he got into foul trouble, and he played like a big man."
| Nov 29 at 12:33 PM
Saturday, November 27, 2010
DLee returns to the floor, holds court first
Before playing for the first time since Nov. 10, David Lee on Saturday held a mini news conference for about 10 minutes. Here's a look at what the power forward had to say before the Warriors played at Minnesota:
How are you feeling?: It doesn't feel great right now, but it feels good enough that I can go contribute rather than watching it on TV. It's no fun watching us drop games, so I want to get in there and contribute anything I can, whether that means 35 minutes and 20 points and 10 rebounds or 15 minutes and a little contribution. I won't know how I feel until I get out there, but I want to sacrifice anything I can for this team.
How's your conditioning?: I'm about where I was in the preseason. I was doing full-court workouts. At times when I would normally be winded, I was gassed. That's one of the reasons I'm coming back, instead of waiting. The only way to get back into game shape is playing.
Are you going to play with an elbow brace?: I'll wear a normal arm sleeve. Nothing extravagant. If I get hit hard on it, it's going to hurt whether I have a sleeve on it or whether it's locked up in a vault. I've been told I can't do further damage to it, so it's just a matter of pain tolerance. That's something I'm good at.
How's the range of motion in your arm?: I didn't have any problem shooting the ball or going up and dunking. The one thing that's going to be tough is wrestling inside, so it's a good thing that I'm not playing against a tough rebounder. (Minnesota's Kevin Love leads the league in defensive and offensive boards) I'm playing against a couple of soft guys down low. (Darko Milicic leads the league in blocked shots) No, it's going to be tough, but anything I can give this team, even if it's just being a morale boost, is worth it. I suspect I'll be able to give a little more than that. It's better being in the lineup than sitting and watching us on TV. I can't take that anymore.
Can you check your competitiveness?: "Once they cleared me to play, I looked to see what the next game on the schedule was and said 'I'll be in on that.' Hopefully, I'm ready. I don't think I'm taking any dumb chances. Even if I am, I've got to get back and play. I did everything I could to get us to 6-2, and now we've slacked a little bit. We've got to get it back up there.
How frightening has this been?: Most things you have in basketball, twisting an ankle, hitting knee-to-knee or pulling a hamstring, are things you can bank on a certain amount of time you're going to miss and you know the treatments. But with infection, I learned that it's a very real thing to deal with. I was told a couple of different times that if we couldn't find the right antibiotic, we'd be talking about cutting out my triceps muscles, cutting out my forearm. Who knows if I'd be playing ball again? Who knows if it got into the joint or into the muscle, if I would have missed the whole season. It's a scary thing that can go from very minor to very serious in an hour or two. That happened a couple of times, and I'm thankful that I missed only 2 1/2 weeks. I mean, people miss four weeks for rolling an ankle.
What did you think of Andris Biedrins' 28-21 game on Friday?: I was really hyped for him. I sent him a text before the game and told him it was time to get his butt in gear and play some ball. He did an unbelievable job. That's the Andris that I used to have to play against, and you would just shake your head when you had to go out and play him. He's so active and so long. Whenever he is active like that around the basket, he's as good as anybody. I'm proud of him, and I'm going to make sure he stays at that level from now on.
What was the idea behind bringing the team cakes before this road trip?: I had a pretty helpless feeling, sitting at home and watching games. It was tough. I knew we were going to go through tough times this year, but why we have a chance to be good and why we're much improved is because we have the best chemistry in the league right now. I say that with very little doubt in my mind. It's easy to have great chemistry when you're 6-2. It's tough when you've lost three or four in a row and you're short a couple of people. Our chemistry hasn't taken a hit, but I wanted the guys to know I was still thinking about them, and I'd be back soon. I wanted to wish them good luck. I'm going to continue to be a leader on this team, whether we lose every game from here on out or whether we win every game from here on out. Winning is all that is important to me.
Did you bake the cakes?: No, I went to Cold Stone and had them done. I can't say I have that level of commitment. I couldn't have done that.
Do you feel like you have to be the savior for this team?: I'm no savior. I can make the game easier for the other guys by giving them another threat on the court. I can get Dorell some more open threes, get Monta and Steph some more driving lanes and get Andris another guy helping on the boards. (That's what is up, Biedrins chimes in) The biggest thing I'm trying to bring is a positive attitude. (Wright and Carney start chirping about getting more open looks) Everybody gets down from time to time. Our morale is a little down right now. We need a little pick-me-up. That's what I'm trying to do.
| Nov 27 at 05:08 PM
Friday, November 26, 2010
David Lee cleared to return
Warriors power forward David Lee was cleared to rejoin the team following a workout in Oakland on Friday morning and an examination with Dr. Frank Chen.
Lee, who has missed seven games with an infected left elbow, will fly to Minneapolis on Friday night and play in Saturday's game against the Timberwolves.
The Warriors have gone 1-6 without Lee, have been outrebounded by 47 and have had their scoring average and field-goal percentage drop. Lee said he might play only 15-20 minutes when he first returns.
| Nov 26 at 02:13 PM
Thursday, November 18, 2010
David Lee released from hospital
Warriors forward David Lee, who underwent a second procedure to help cleanse a left elbow infection on Monday night, was released from Stanford Hospital early Thursday.
According to Dr. Bill Maloney (Stanford), Dr. Tim McAdams (Stanford) and Dr. Frank Chen (Fremont Surgery Center), the 6-foot-9 forward has made progress, including a complete omission of redness and the near-complete removal of swelling around the elbow.
Lee's left arm has been splinted to restrict movement and he will be provided home IVs and antibiotics. Chen will monitor Lee's progress daily and re-examine him Tuesday.
| Nov 18 at 02:11 PM
San Francisco Chronicle beat writer Rusty Simmons reports the latest rumors, news and notes from the Warriors' world.
By Rusty Simmons, Read Bio
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