Category: Golden State Warriors Blog

The Golden State Warriors announced today a variety of fan friendly digital upgrades to Oracle Arena, the Warriors ground for all home games, to significantly improve the game day experience for fans for the 2012-13 season.

“There has been more invested in Oracle Arena this summer than any other summer since the building was renovated in 1997,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “Our job is to provide the best game day environment on a season-long basis and we know these enhancements, focused on improvements for fans and ways to make Oracle Arena and our team more digitally advanced, will improve the overall experience for our fans.”

During the offseason, the following additions and upgrades to Oracle Arena were created to provide fans with the best game day possible:

·         StadiumVision – An advanced digital display platform developed by Cisco throughout the arena providing fans and partners with a best in class display system for scores, updates and latest sponsorship information.

·         HD Scoreboard – A new, high-definition (HD) center-hung scoreboard enabling fans to clearly see the in-game action from the scoreboard, replays, updates and half-time and time-out performances. As part of the scoreboard assembly, eight JBL loudspeakers have been added inside the lower ring to provide the best sound possible for fans.

·         LED Press Table Signage System – A state-of-the-art LED signage system directly in front of the press table providing fans the latest partner announcements and offers.

·         Bypass Lane – Fans don’t have to miss a single minute of action on the court this year with the new Bypass Lane application at Oracle Arena. Bypass (available only in designated areas) allows fans to order and pay for food and beverage from the comfort of their seat on their mobile phone, available soon for iPhone and Android with the 2.0 version of the Warriors Mobile App. Orders are then delivered directly to their seats!

·         Mobile Ticket Upgrades – Fans interested in upgrading their seat location on game day can now do so while already in the arena. The Warriors have partnered with Pogoseat to offer seat upgrades (subject to availability) to those inside the arena interested in upgrading their seat location via the Warriors Mobile App.

·         iPad Kiosks – iPad kiosks will be located throughout the arena where fans can get information on upcoming game tickets and sign up for the latest Warriors offerings.

·         Paper-less Ticketing – The Warriors are offering a select fan base paper-less ticketing for the 2012-13 season, via a paperless season ticket card, and look to move the entire arena to paper-less ticketing for the 2013-14 season.

The Golden State Warriors announced today that the team has exercised the third-year contract option on guard Klay Thompson, which is for the 2013-14 NBA season.

Thompson, 22, appeared in all 66 games last season, averaging 12.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.4 minutes per contest, earning First Team All-Rookie honors.  In 29 starts, he averaged 18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.10 steals in 33.9 minutes.  For the season, he led all rookies in three-point percentage (.414, 17th in NBA) and three-point field goals made (111), while ranking second among rookies in free throw percentage (.868) and fourth in scoring (12.5 points).

Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option.  Thompson was selected by the Warriors with the eleventh overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft.

As the NBA regular season rapidly approaches, teams continue to trim their rosters, to get down to the 15-player maximum.

The Golden State Warriors today waived guards Carlon Brown and Tarence Kinsey, as well as forwards Lance Goulbourne and Rick Jackson.

The Warriors now have 15 players under contract.

NBA preseason ends Friday, OCtober 26. The regular season begins Tuesday, October 30.

The Warriors got relatively good news from both of their injured ankles on Saturday. Don’t expect either point guard Stephen Curry or center Andrew Bogut to take the court before the season opener. But each got good reports from their surgeon.

Curry, who re-injured his right ankle on Friday night in Portland, was checked out by Dr. Richard Ferkel at Saturday’s practice. According to general manager Bob Myers, Ferkel — who performed Curry’s arthroscopic surgery in April — wasn’t concerned about Curry’s latest ankle issue.

Coach Mark Jackson said he wasn’t concerned, either. Still, he said he’s going to hold out Curry for the final two preseason games.

“There’s no point in playing him now,” Jackson said. “There is nothing to gain by running him out there. I’m not concerned, but we’re going to be smart about it.”

— Reported by Marcus Thompson via the Contra Costa Times (Blog)

Warriors center Andew Bogut will have his troublesome left ankle examined Monday in Los Angeles.

The Warriors play at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, giving Bogut an opportunity to visit Richard Ferkel, the doctor who performed arthroscopic surgery on the ankle in April.

Bogut, who fractured the ankle in January while with Milwaukee, has yet to practice or play a preseason game. Before Wednesday’s exhibition game at Sacramento, Warriors coach Mark Jackson said Bogut is “still a ways away.”

— Reported by Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group

The Golden State Warriors have waived guard Stefhon Hannah, the team announced today.

Hannah, 27, was signed as a free agent on October 1. He has not appeared in any of the team’s three preseason games thus far.

The Warriors now have 19 players under contract.

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard Stefhon Hannah, the team announced today. We assume it’s just a training camp signing.

Hannah, 27, appeared in 29 games (27 starts) last season with the Warriors’ NBA D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards, where he helped the Wizards to a postseason berth with averages of 18.4 points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.14 steals (second in the league) in 32.0 minutes en route to earning 2011-12 NBA Development Defensive Player of the Year honors. The 6’1” guard played the previous season in the D-League with the Iowa Energy and has played professionally in Poland, Cyprus and Lithuania since graduating from the University of Missouri in 2008.

The Warriors now have 20 players under contract.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has received full medical clearance to resume all basketball-related activities, including five-on-five scrimmages, following an examination on his surgically repaired right ankle by Dr. Richard Ferkel earlier today in Van Nuys, California, the team announced.

Curry, who missed 40 games overall last season due to a right ankle injury, originally underwent surgery on the ankle on April 25, 2012.  The exploratory procedure, performed by Dr. Ferkel, revealed a stable ankle with no structural damage and consisted of cleaning out loose debris and scar tissue.

Since the surgery, Curry has maintained a consistent rehabilitation program, which led him to begin participating in limited basketball-related activities in July.  Since then, under the guidance of Dr. Ferkel and the Warriors athletic training staff, Curry has consistently ramped up his level of on-court activity until receiving full clearance today.

The Golden State Warriors have hired Ellen Warner as Vice President of Development, it was announced today.  In this role, she will serve as the development manager for the team’s proposed privately financed sports and entertainment complex on Piers 30-32 and Seawall Lot 330 in San Francisco and will oversee planning, design and construction of the project.

“We are thrilled to add Ellen to the Warriors organization in this critical role,” said Joe Lacob, the team’s Co-Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  “Her skills and experience make her a perfect choice to lead our project.”

A San Francisco resident, Warner has more than three decades of experience successfully managing large and complex real estate projects, with budgets totaling $1 billion, including public buildings, hospitals, medical campuses, and office buildings.

“Joining the Warriors organization at this pivotal time is incredibly exciting,” said Warner.  “I look forward to helping the organization bring a new world-class sports and entertainment complex to San Francisco.”

Prior to joining the Warriors, Warner was a partner at David S. Taylor Interests, Inc. in Sacramento, where she was directly responsible for the development of several of Sacramento’s most prominent buildings.  Her portfolio includes Sacramento City Hall, which was named “Best Public Project” in 2005 by the Sacramento Business Journal, and US Bank Tower at 621 Capitol Mall, which the SBJ named “Best Office Project” in 2009.

Warner is a licensed architect and a licensed general contractor, with LEED accreditation.  Her experience in the real estate development industry also includes nine years as the Assistant Manager of Facilities Design and Construction at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where she and her staff of architects, engineers and construction inspectors managed a $500 million capital improvement program for the hospital campus.  Warner also previously served as the Regional Project Director for National Medical Enterprises, an international health care company. She began her career in various architecture offices, including the San Francisco firm Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz.

In 2007, the SBJ honored Warner with their “Women Who Mean Business” award, which recognizes Sacramento-area women for their exemplary career achievements and entrepreneurial accomplishments.  From 2008-2012, Warner served on the Board of Directors for WEAVE, a non-profit agency in Sacramento with a mission to end domestic violence.  Warner attended Cornell University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut fully expects to be in the lineup for the season opener Oct. 31 at Phoenix after undergoing surgery this spring on his troublesome ankle.

How much he plays during the exhibition schedule, he’s still not sure. Bogut believes he will be nearly full strength by the start of training camp Oct. 3, but might still be limited during the preseason as a precaution.

“I definitely want to be ready for training camp. I think it will be close,” Bogut said Sunday before heading to a Monday morning workout in Australia.

“The immediate goal with all of this is to make sure I’m ready for the first game. Whether that means playing only half the preseason games, it’s just about being smart with my ankle. There’s no point in trying to get ready for Oct. 1 when an extra week could significantly help. It’s just a matter of monitoring it very smartly and not doing anything stupid.”

— Reported by the Associated Press