Golden State Warriors Blog – Page 52 – NBA Blog

Iguodala and Warriors send Sixers to first loss

The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a great start. Even with their first loss of the season, basketball has been fun in Philly so far this season. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The 76ers team that people expected to see this season finally surfaced Monday night.

The Sixers struggled from the field and were flat-out overmatched against the Golden State Warriors, who cruised to a 110-90 victory in front of 11,089 at the Wells Fargo Center.

But perhaps the biggest blow for the Sixers (3-1) was the inability to stop Andre Iguodala.

The former Sixer made a career-high seven three-pointers on 11 attempts en route to 32 points. Twenty-seven of his points came before intermission. The 6-foot-6 swingman, who played only 20 seconds of the fourth quarter, also finished with three assists, three rebounds, three steals, and a blocked shot.

Iguodala had scored just 26 points altogether, with three three-pointers, in the Warriors’ first three games.

Warriors exercise contract options on Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli

The Golden State Warriors announced today that the team has exercised the fourth-year contract option on guard Klay Thompson and the third-year contract options on forward Harrison Barnes and center Festus Ezeli, which are all for the 2014-15 NBA season.

Thompson, 23, has appeared in all 148 games (111 starts) over two seasons with the Warriors, averaging 14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.7 minutes per game. Starting all 82 games in 2012-13, Thompson finished third in the NBA with 211 three-pointers and combined with Stephen Curry (272) to hit 483 threes, the most by a pair of teammates in NBA history. In 12 postseason contests, the 6’7” guard averaged 15.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 41.3 minutes. After only two seasons with the club, Thompson ranks 10th in team history with 322 three-point field goals and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.406).

Barnes, 21, appeared in 81 games (all starts) as a rookie in 2012-13, posting averages of 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.8 minutes and garnering First Team All-Rookie honors. In 12 playoff contests (all starts), the 6’8” forward upped his averages to 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 38.4 minutes, becoming the first rookie to averaged at least 16 points and six rebounds in the postseason (min. 10 games) since David Robinson did so for San Antonio in 1990. Including the postseason, no rookie earned more starting nods than Barnes’ 93 starts last season.

Ezeli, 24, appeared in 78 games (41 starts) in his rookie campaign in 2012-13, averaging 2.4 points and 4.0 rebounds to go with 0.95 blocks, which ranked fourth among rookies last season. His 41 starting assignments were the most by a Warriors rookie center since Joe Barry Carroll started 80 games in 1980-81. In 12 postseason appearances, the 6’11” center averaged 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.2 minutes. Ezeli is currently recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee and is expected to miss a minimum of 6-9 months from the date of the procedure (June 12).

Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft picks’ contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option. The Warriors selected Thompson with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and selected Barnes (7th overall) and Ezeli (30th) in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft.

Golden State Warriors waive Joe Alexander, Seth Curry, Dewayne Dedmon

The Golden State Warriors have waived forward Joe Alexander, guard Seth Curry and center Dewayne Dedmon, the team announced today.

Alexander, 26, was signed as a free agent on September 27 and did not appear in a preseason game due to a tibial stress reaction in his left leg.

Curry, 23, was signed as a free agent on August 22. He appeared in six preseason contests and averaged 2.2 points and 1.0 assist in 7.2 minutes.

Dedmon, 24, was signed as a free agent on September 23 and appeared in five preseason games, averaging 3.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.00 blocks in 10.3 minutes.

The Warriors roster currently stands at 14 players.

Andrew Bogut knocked out of game with lower back spasms

[Golden State Warriors center] Andrew Bogut got the ball on the left low block, with Pau Gasol on his back. He took a couple dribbles towards the middle then spun back to his left, dropping in the left hand hook. This was at the 9:26 mark of the first quarter.

Running back down court, Bogut began to grimace and hold his lower back. Moments later, he was taken out of the game. He limped straight to the locker room. Not exactly a sight Warriors fans wanted to see.

Bogut was done for the night, knocked out of the second and final preseason game with lower back spasms. No word on the severity of the spasms, but safe to say the 12 hours of flying back to the United States will be uncomfortable.

Reported by Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times (Blog)

Warriors, Andrew Bogut discuss contract extension

The Warriors and Andrew Bogut have opened negotiations on a contract extension designed to keep him off the free-agent market in July, he told NBA.com, with Bogut willing to make major concessions to stay but also looking for payback from management for pursuing Dwight Howard last offseason.

Bogut said team officials started conversations with agent David Bauman last week, before the Warriors left Oakland for exhibition games in Beijing and Shanghai against the Lakers. Bogut expects talks to heat up once Golden State returns to the United States following the Friday night contest (7:30 a.m. ET, NBA TV). The issue will come to some resolution by early in the regular season: either he will have a new deal soon or he will become a free agent because neither side wants the discussions dragging long into 2013-14.

Bogut said the initial numbers from the Warriors, “weren’t insulting. But they weren’t what I’m looking for. Nothing concrete has been actually formally written up. We’ve just been going back and forth, but nothing too crazy.”

Not insulting is encouraging — the sides are starting in the same vicinity.

Reported by Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com

Warriors arrive in China to start huge week

After a stop-over in Anchorage, the Warriors arrived in Beijing at about 4:45 a.m. Saturday, and they were greeted by a swarm of fans. The team will play exhibition games against the Lakers that will be broadcast in the Bay Area at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and Friday, but this trip could be about bigger things than two preseason games in the middle of training camp.

Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes were treated like rock stars when they visited China this summer, and the entire team is about to witness the potential of the market. Many in the franchise believe that the Warriors are the natural gateway between the NBA and a growing fan base in China, and this trip will be the first step toward that goal.

Reported by the San Francisco Chronicle (Blog)

Warriors set for trip to China

Truth is, this China trip is going to be a monster. About 12 hours on a plane, into a time zone 15 hours ahead. When they get there, they’ll have appearances and community events, in addition to practice and two games against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We’re not kidding anybody,” Warriors forward David Lee said. “This is not going to be the easiest trip for us.”

With that said, why is Lee excited? Why was there a spirited buzz after Warriors practice, their last on American soil for at least the next 10 days? The answer is in the opportunity this China trip presents.

The middle-of-training-camp trip to Asia affords the Warriors a chance to bond as a team. With potentially seven new players on the roster, Golden State is a month into its latest chemistry project. The hope is to recreate the magic of last season.

Reported by Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group

Warriors waive guard Cameron Jones

The Golden State Warriors have waived guard Cameron Jones, the team announced today.

Jones, 24, has appeared in all three of Golden State’s 2013 preseason games, averaging 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per contest.

The Warriors now have 17 players under contract.

David Lee ready to raise his game for Warriors

To his credit, Lee came to camp prepared to take it up a notch. The biggest need for improvement is defense, though he said a more reliable midrange jumper was also a priority.

Being in the best condition of his life, Lee said, will help on that end of the court and make him even more potent on offense. He should be more explosive, exploit the transition game more and have the energy he needs on the defensive end.

“As a former player I will say this,” [Warriors head coach Mark] Jackson said, “You can become very smart at when to cut corners or when to take a breather when you’re running out of gas. Those moments won’t happen as often with him because he’s in better condition.”

Perhaps the biggest hope is that the slimmed down Lee and the Warriors’ added depth will allow him to be fresher toward the end of the season.

Reported by Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group

Warriors will wear white short-sleeve alternate uniforms each Saturday home game

The Golden State Warriors will wear white short-sleeve alternate uniforms for every Saturday home game during the 2013-14 season, beginning Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at Oracle Arena when the team takes on the Sacramento Kings.

The Warriors were the first team in NBA history to wear a modern short-sleeve NBA uniform when they debuted yellow alternates on February 22, 2013 against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors wore the yellow uniforms during the 2012-13 season for two additional home games including March 8 vs. the Houston Rockets and March 15 vs. the Chicago Bulls.

The Warriors will wear the white modern short sleeve NBA uniform for every Saturday home game.