Category: Golden State Warriors Blog

The Golden State Warriors are jumping across the bay, with plans for a privately financed, $500 million waterfront arena that would allow the team to play its home games in San Francisco for the first time in more than four decades.

The NBA franchise would leave Oakland for a 17,000- to 19,000-seat arena that would be built on Piers 30-32 near the foot of the Bay Bridge, a short walk from downtown, and open in time for the 2017-18 season.

“It is going to happen – let there be no doubt,” Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said Monday.

The arena would also host conventions and entertainment events such as concerts, Lacob said. Plans for the site also include 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.

Although the actual design has yet to be worked up, team President and CEO Rick Welts said that “this will be an architecturally significant building, resting on an iconic site.”

— Reported by Phillip Matier of the San Francisco Chronicle

The Golden State Warriors are close to making a deal to move to San Francisco, a source told ESPN the Magazine’s Ric Bucher on Sunday.

The team wants to make the move and is committed to making it happen, the source said.

San Francisco mayor Ed Lee sent a letter on May 11 saying the city would work with Warriors executives to bring the team to San Francisco in time for the 2017-18 season.

“We are not prepared to make any announcements at this time,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a statement released Sunday.

— Reported by Ric Bucher of ESPN

Pending no rehab setbacks with point guard Stephen Curry, power forward David Lee and center Andrew Bogut, who each had surgery last week, the Warriors will go into next season with four solid starters.

Soon-to-be sophomore shooting guard Klay Thompson will join the trio, but the team still has a big decision to complete the starting lineup. At small forward, the Warriors have Richard Jefferson and Dorell Wright under contract, are expected to put a qualifying offer on Brandon Rush and have voiced interest in re-signing Dominic McGuire.

“I think he’s there now; I think we have a starter,” general manager Bob Myers said. “The question is who is going to embrace that role and own it? He has to fit with the other players on the floor.”

Since Curry, Lee and Thompson are proven scorers and Bogut is a capable offensive player, Myers said the right small forward would have to be able to be effective without the ball in his hands. Myers and coach Mark Jackson said they’d like to find a small forward who defends and rebounds and can knock down the occasional three-pointer.

— Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle

The Golden State Warriors have promoted Bob Myers to General Manager, the team announced today.  Larry Riley, who has spent the last four years in the Warriors’ front office – including the last 12 months as General Manager/Executive VP of Basketball Operations – will remain with the organization as the team’s Director of Scouting.

Myers, 37, joined the Warriors on April 14, 2011 as Assistant General Manager/Vice President of Basketball Operations following a highly-successful 14-year stint as a representative to numerous NBA players.  During the last year with Golden State, Myers has worked closely under the tutelage of Riley on all Basketball Operations matters, including contract negotiations, talent evaluation, roster management, scouting and CBA compliance.  In his new role, Myers will report to Co-Executive Chairman & CEO Joe Lacob and will oversee the entire Basketball Operations Department on a day-to-day basis.

“We’re extremely pleased to announce Bob’s promotion as we conclude the 2011-12 season,” said Lacob.  “We are confident that he is the right person to guide our Basketball Operations Department into the long-term future and, similarly, through a very important time for this franchise as we begin to prepare for next season.  As we acknowledged a year ago, we think his potential as a young executive in this business is outstanding and that intuition was certainly confirmed during his first year with the organization.  Bob is a well-respected, intelligent and dedicated executive who has developed many solid relationships in the game of basketball and understands what it takes to be successful in this business.  He’s the ideal person for this job.”

A Bay Area native who attended Monte Vista High School in Danville, Myers graduated from UCLA in 1998 with a degree in Business/Economics and later earned his Law Degree from Loyola Law School.  As a member of the UCLA basketball team, Myers and the Bruins captured the 1995 NCAA Championship during his sophomore season and advanced to the 1997 Elite Eight two years later.

Prior to joining the Warriors last spring, Myers spent five years at Los Angeles-based Wasserman Media Group (WMG), one of the largest global and sports entertainment companies in the world.  He represented a client list of nearly 20 NBA players before his departure from WMG.  Myers began his career in 1997 as an intern at Tellem and Associates in Los Angeles – working under long-time sports agent Arn Tellem – and eventually served as Vice President of SFX Sports.  He negotiated over $575 million in contracts during his 14 years in the business.

“I’m grateful for this tremendous opportunity and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” said Myers.  “The last year has been a learning experience for me as I’ve had the chance to familiarize myself with all facets of the organization while working with Joe, Peter, Larry, Coach Jackson, Rick Welts, Jerry West and many other talented individuals.  In conjunction with all of those people, we hope to build a team that our great fans can be proud of for a long period of time.  I’m convinced that many of the pieces are in place for this organization to be extremely successful, including our ownership group.  If you have committed ownership, you have a chance in this league.  I’m excited to have that chance and the opportunity to be a part of something special.”

Riley, 68, joined the Warriors prior to the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach and has spent the last six years with the organization, including four in the front office.  Overall, he owns more than 23 years of experience in the NBA as a front office executive, coach or scout. Prior to his arrival in the Bay Area, he spent six seasons with the Dallas Mavericks (2000-01 – 2005-06), six years with the Vancouver Grizzlies (1994-95 – 1999-2000) and six years with the Milwaukee Bucks (1988-89 – 1993-94).

“Larry has been the consummate professional dating back to my initial conversations with the team almost two years ago,” said Lacob. “I’ve relied on him immensely since the early stages of our our ownership and he has done a very good job of putting this team in position to be successful in the future.  His overall body of work, including in the last year with the drafting of Klay Thompson and the acquisitions of Brandon Rush and Andrew Bogut, has been extremely solid.  Larry has laid a strong foundation and he will certainly have an imprint on our future success.  I’m happy that he has elected to remain a part of the organization as our Director of Scouting and he’ll continue to be an asset for all of us.”

“I appreciate the fact that Joe and Bob have asked me to oversee the college scouting department and I embrace this opportunity,” said Riley. “Scouting has always been in my DNA and this will allow me to contribute to the organization in a meaningful and productive manner.  Additionally, I think Bob is ready and prepared to accept this responsibility and I anticipate that he will do an outstanding job in his new position.  I know he will benefit from having an aggressive ownership group that is completely committed to reaching new heights.”

Golden State Warriors Guard Stephen Curry, who has missed the last 24 games and 37 contests overall this season due to a right ankle sprain, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the ankle next Wednesday, April 25 in Van Nuys, California. The surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel, will be exploratory in nature. Dr. Kenneth Hunt from the Warriors’ Medical Team will also be involved in the surgery process.

Center Andrew Bogut, who has missed 23 games due to a fractured left ankle since joining the Warriors following his March 13 acquisition from the Milwaukee Bucks, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the ankle next Friday, April 27 in Van Nuys. The surgery, which will also be performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel, will be a routine clean-up procedure aimed to remove loose particles in the ankle. Either Dr. Tim McAdams or Dr. Bill Maloney from the Warriors’ Medical Team will be involved in the surgery process. Bogut’s fractured left ankle continues to heal properly since sustaining the injury on January 25 when he was a member of the Bucks.

A timetable for the return to basketball-related activities for Curry and Bogut will be determined following surgery, but both players are expected to be ready for the start of training camp in October. Additionally, due to the recovery time involved, Bogut will not participate in the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics.

After trying so hard to get back in the court, Warriors point guard Stephen Curry sounded as if he’d embraced the truth his season is over.

“You can ask our trainers and all that,” Curry said, “(about) me fighting them every day about how fast I need to get back to a certain level and how fast I need to be getting back on the court. And them keeping me patient. … Once we came to the conclusion we only had a week left and I wasn’t going to be able to play, I guess the decision was pretty much made for me.”

Curry is going to miss 40 games this season of that ankle. He sprained the ankle five times (at Sacramento on Dec. 20, vs. Chicago on Dec. 26, atPhoenixon February 22, and vs.Dallason March 19) this season. Last season, he missed a total of eight games thanks to four ankle sprains.

Like most Warriors fans, Curry’s sights are now set for next year. He now that he’s done for the year, everything will slow down. He said in about a month his ankle should be healed.

— Reported by Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times Blog

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Mikki Moore to a contract, the team announced today.

Moore, a 12-year NBA veteran, is being called-up from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, where he has appeared in 33 games this season and averaged 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.06 blocks in 28.1 minutes per contest.  He is shooting 55.4% (134-242 FG) from the field and has posted six double-doubles.  This marks the 53rd GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 NBA season.

The 7’0” center last played in the NBA with the Warriors during the 2009-10 campaign, when he appeared in 23 games (20 starts) and averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17.7 minutes before undergoing season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs in his right heel on December 18, 2009.  For his career, Moore has appeared in 557 NBA games with nine teams (Detroit, Boston, Atlanta, New Jersey, Utah, L.A. Clippers, Seattle, Sacramento and Golden State) over 12 seasons, averaging 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

Mikki (pronounced MY-key) will wear #31 and is scheduled to be in uniform for the team’s home game tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.

[Golden State Warriors forward David] Lee has been logging heavy minutes with a gash above his eye, bruises up and down both arms and a painful hip and back. Seeing that Lee’s hip had caused his lateral movement to become nonexistent, team doctors requested an MRI exam after Thursday’s loss to Dallas. The exam Friday revealed a strained groin and a stress reaction, and the doctors told Lee that continuing to play would risk substantial injury.

Once Riley got that news Friday morning, he walked down the stairs at the team’s downtown Oakland practice facility and saw Jefferson on the trainer’s table. Jefferson’s knee had doubled in size, and he was sent in for an MRI exam.

— Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle