Golden State Warriors Blog – Page 25 – NBA Blog

Warriors sign Matt Barnes

The Golden State Warriors have signed forward Matt Barnes. An excellent addition for the team with the best record in the NBA.

Barnes, 36, appeared in 54 games (13 starts) with the Sacramento Kings this season, tallying 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.3 minutes per game. Barnes owns career averages of 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 23.7 minutes in 909 career games (354 starts) over 14 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The 6’7” forward will make his second stint with the Warriors after spending the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns with Golden State, where he helped the Warriors upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs and posted averages of 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds while hitting 42.2 percent (19-of-45) from three-point range in 11 games (three starts) that postseason. Barnes has appeared in the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons and owns career marks of 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.00 steals in 25.1 minutes over 83 postseason games (48 starts).

Barnes will wear uniform #22.

The Warriors roster now stands at 15 players.

Warriors sign then quickly waive Jose Calderon

The Golden State Warriors have waived guard José Calderón, the team announced today. Calderón was signed by the Warriors earlier today.

Calderón, 35, appeared in 24 games (11 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers this season, tallying 3.3 points, 2.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game. In 12 NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, Calderón owns career averages of 9.7 points, 6.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 28.3 minutes over 772 games (557 starts) while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from three-point range and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.

A native of Villanueva de la Serena, Spain, Calderón played professionally in his home country for six seasons prior to his NBA career and has represented Spain in four Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), capturing silver medals in 2008 and 2012 and a bronze medal in 2016.

The Warriors roster now stands at 14 players.

Kevin Durant injury update

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who left last night’s game in Washington with 10:27 remaining in the first quarter due to a left knee injury, underwent an MRI last night at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the DC area.

Following reviews of the MRI by the Warriors’ medical staff, it has been determined that Durant suffered a Grade 2 Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) sprain and a tibial bone bruise. He will be out of action indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in four (4) weeks. There is no timetable for his return, but it has not been ruled out that he could play again before the end of the regular season.

Kevin Durant injury: hyperextended left knee

Hoping for the best here. Kevin Durant hurt his knee last night. More will be known Wednesday. Here’s CSN Bay Area reporting:

Kevin Durant played one minute in Washington on Tuesday before limping away for the rest of the night. Though it is not yet known how long he will be out, his absence changes everything for the Warriors.

From general scoring ability to playing rotations to floor spacing to rim protection to, maybe most of all, the swagger with which they take the floor, the Warriors will have to make massive adjustments to maintain the best record in the NBA.

As a largely veteran team they are capable, at least in the short term, of doing so.

Durant left with a hyperextended left knee and underwent an MRI test late Tuesday night in Washington. Diagnosis and prognosis are expected Wednesday.

Warriors clinch spot in 2017 NBA Playoffs

The Golden State Warriors have already clinched a berth in the 2017 NBA Playoffs by virtue of Saturday’s 112-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Oracle Arena, becoming the first team to secure a playoff spot this season. Golden State, which owns an NBA-best 49-9 (.845) mark on the season, has earned a playoff appearance in the month of February for the second consecutive season. The 2017 NBA Playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 15.

The Warriors, who are slated to make their fifth-straight playoff appearance for the first time since qualifying for the postseason in each of the first six years of the league’s existence (1946-47 to 1951-52), won the 2015 NBA Championship and earned two Western Conference Championships since their return to the playoffs in 2013. Golden State owns a 40-24 (.625) postseason record in that span.

Steve Kerr fined by NBA

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner after his ejection, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 109-106 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 4 at Golden 1 Center.

Warriors sign Briante Weber to 10-day contract

The Golden State Warriors have signed guard Brianté Weber to a 10-day contract, the team announced today.

Weber, 24, has appeared in 31 games (all starts) with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League this season, averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists (fourth in the D-League) and 3.26 steals (first) in 36.8 minutes. The Virginia Commonwealth University product was recently named the NBA D-League Player of the Month for games played in January, averaging 21.5 points and 8.3 assists in 11 games last month and finishing one steal shy of tallying the first quadruple-double in D-League history with 18 points, a career-high-tying 12 assists, 11 rebounds and an NBA D-League season-high nine steals on Jan. 31 vs. Oklahoma City.

The 6’2”, 165-pound guard, who was not selected in the 2015 NBA Draft, has appeared in seven career NBA games (four starts), averaging 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.29 steals in 24.1 minutes over six games with the Grizzlies and one game with the Heat last season. Weber also appeared in two postseason games with the Heat, logging six minutes of action during Miami’s First Round matchup with Charlotte in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

Weber will wear #2. The Warriors roster now stands at 15 players.

Warriors waive Anderson Varejao

The Golden State Warriors have waived center Anderson Varejao, the team announced today.

Varejao, 34, appeared in 14 games (one start) with the Warriors this season, posting averages of 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per contest. The Santa Teresa, Brazil, native was originally acquired by the Warriors on Feb. 22, 2016, and re-signed on July 17, 2016, appearing in 36 games (one start) with Golden State over two seasons after spending the first 11-plus seasons of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Warriors roster now stands at 14 players.

Kevin Durant fitting in perfectly with Warriors

Sometimes, as they do in Kevin Durant’s case, numbers tell the story.

Twenty games into his inaugural Warriors season, Durant not only leads his team with 27.3 points per game but leads his team — and the entire NBA — in scoring efficiently.

Durant ranked seventh in the league in points per game and eighth in field-goal percentage (56.2) entering Sunday’s games. That made him the only player in the top 10 in scoring to also rank among the top 20 in field-goal percentage.

Widen the scope and Durant’s efficiency becomes even more striking. The only other players in the top 10 in scoring to also rank among the top 30 in field-goal percentage were New Orleans’ Anthony Davis (No. 1 in scoring and No. 21 in field-goal percentage through Saturday) and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry (No. 8 in scoring, No. 29 in field-goal percentage).

— San Francisco Chronicle

Quick Take: Things are as expected in Golden State. The offense is beautiful and amazing. The defense is still improving. And overall, Durant has been the best of a very talented bunch.

Steve Kerr says Draymond Green leg-flail goes back many years

Long before he received a flagrant-1 foul in the Warriors’ double-overtime loss to Houston on Thursday night, Draymond Green was flailing his leg to draw fouls.

“Draymond’s been doing this since college,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Friday. “I never saw him play in high school, but maybe he’s been doing this since high school.”

After Green’s leg extensions became a major story line in the 2016 playoffs, referees are wary of the tactic. Midway through the second overtime Thursday, after Green kicked James Harden in the face coming down on a putback attempt, the Golden State forward was assessed a flagrant-1.

— San Francisco Chronicle

Quick Take: Green needs to break the habit. I can’t think of any other player in the league that high-kicks like Draymond does. And the kick often doesn’t even look natural. He has to work to stop it. It’s that simple.