Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors head trainer Chelsea Lane to leave Oakland for Atlanta

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Photo credit: knbr.com

By: Ana Kieu

According to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, Golden State Warriors’ head trainer Chelsea Lane is leaving Oakland for Atlanta. Her new position is the Executive Director of Athletic Performance and Sports Medicine for the Atlanta Hawks.

Lane has worked with the Warriors for three seasons, and was reportedly very popular among the players for her holistic approach as well as honesty. Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala were two of her biggest supporters. She was the only woman in the NBA to head a team’s training staff.

The Warriors reportedly attempted to keep Lane, but she was interested in a bigger position with the Hawks.

“She’s been amazing, especially for me,” Curry said earlier this year. “Just thinking about all that I’ve been through this year with the ankle and the knee and all that type of stuff, she’s just kept me sane.”

Before joining the Warriors, Lane–a Australian native–worked with the New Zealand national track and field program.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: DeMarcus didn’t have much patience with his former head coaches and the media when in Sacramento

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streamingaddict.net file photo: Former Sacramento King DeMarcus Cousins had his moments of disagreements with the writers, media, and officials. What will he be like with Golden State.

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

With the Warriors brass looking at the LeBron James move to Los Angeles, did the Warriors feel obligated to make a counter move? Not necessarily. The Warriors two seasons ago are a team that ended up winning 73 games and built on their success and ended up going after Kevin Durant. It’s how every season they would go into the free agency period and find guys who are going to make an immediate impact on this team.

The Warriors are never going to stop they’re going to look into free agency this season and they did it they found that not one NBA team looked at DeMarcus Cousins. The reporting was that Cousins, who didn’t get any calls, basically said the two teams he was interested in were the Warriors and the Celtics. They were the two teams who had the best chances of making the championship finals. Cousins agent literally called up the Warriors and inquired about coming to Golden State and here he is.

DeMarcus’ past with officials and head coaches:
Cousins didn’t have much patience for officials and was continuously at the top of the charts for technical fouls after getting called for fouls when he played with the Sacramento Kings. Cousins had a hard time trying to control his emotions on the court. I also attended one of the Warriors-Pelicans games and Cousins had previous run ins with some of his former coaches when at the Kings and instead of the Kings trading Cousins that head coach would end up being fired.

Physically, he has the tools and the skill set to take the center position and he’s got that talent that very few in the NBA centers have and in the history of the league. He can also get out to the three-point line and hit a three. Cousins is a fantastic skills player. He just can’t keep his head in the game long enough to maximize his impact.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Warriors down the Kings 71-54 Tuesday in game two of the California Classic

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
GSW Over Sac
Damian Jones shoots over Harry Giles III on Tuesday night Photo: @Warriors

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Warriors beat the Kings 71-54 Tuesday night in a game where Sacramento lacked the energy they showed in their victory on Monday night.

Here is a look at the Warriors’ stats:

GSW over Sac 2
Warriors number one draft pick Jacob Evans made his pro debut in the game Photo: @Warriors

The Kings had some individual stats that they will like to remember.

Point guard Frank Mason represented the Kings in the postgame press conference.

SAC 7-2
The Kings found Warriors crowded under the bucket on every shot Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Here is Summer League head coach Larry Lewis’ postgame analysis.

UP NEXT

  • No games on July 4th
  • Thursday 12 Noon: Warriors vs. Lakers
  • Thursday 2:00 PM: Heat vs. Kings

Warriors’ signing of DeMarcus Cousins will be beneficial

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Photo credit: @boogiecousins

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

After news broke that four-time NBA All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins had signed with the world champion Golden State Warriors agreed to the one-year veteran’s minimum of $5.3 million on Monday, it’s like the Warriors delivered a massive gut-punch to the rest of the NBA.

Golden State already have four All-Stars in back-to-back Finals: MVP Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson; so adding a player like Cousins was the rich getting richer.

Sure there are some risks involved when you do bring Cousins into your locker room, such as his reputation of being a malcontent, unhappy, a bully and destructive, mainly from his time in Sacramento when things didn’t go right and the losses started to mount up.

The Kings missed the playoffs every year after selecting Cousins with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft after one season at Kentucky.

Also, the torn Achilles tendon that Cousins is currently rehabbing. Cousins himself said that he is targeting being ready for full basketball activities by training camp. Most people are expecting Cousins to be on the court by end of December or early January.

Before the injury, Cousins was having a monster season for New Orleans, averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game in 48 games for the Pelicans.

For most teams, that timetable for a star player’s return is almost catastrophic, but not for Golden State. The Warriors, who lost fan-favorite in center JaVale McGee to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, can plug in four-year man Kevon Looney, who agreed to return to Golden State on a one-year minimum deal on Tuesday to fill the void in the middle. Looney’s ability to defend guards along with bigs was key for Golden State in the playoffs.

ESPN was the first to report the news on Looney’s contract. The Warriors are also hoping that third-year center Damian Jones makes the leap and contribute on a nightly basis. The 7’0″, 245-pound Jones showed some flashes last season in limited action.

Once healthy, Cousins will play with the ultimate chip on his shoulder after not receiving an offer from any team during the early stages of free agency as most teams had major concerns regarding Cousins’ injury. Cousins’ former team, the Pelicans, didn’t offer him a contract, and according to those in the know around the Pelicans, didn’t want Cousins to return.

So if you’re Cousins, the opportunity to play on the Warriors with the benefits of competing for a championship and having fun while rehabbing is just too much to pass up right? Also if Cousins plays well for Golden State, especially come playoff time when he would be greatly useful for scoring easy baskets inside, then a team will be willing to pony-up a hefty contract for “Boogie.”

For Golden State, Cousins potentially solves the one position that has been a glaring weakness during a four-year run that has produced three titles (first coming in 2015), and back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.

With the strong bond and the accountability that the Warriors’ locker room prides itself on, Cousins should be a model citizen.

Welcome back, Kevon Looney

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Photo credit: @NBCSWarriors

By: Ana Kieu

League sources told ESPN on Tuesday that free agent forward Kevon Looney has reached an agreement to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors on a one-year, minimum deal.

This move obviously won’t make national headlines, but this is a great move for the Warriors. Looney started in Game 1 before being replaced by JaVale McGee, who is now a Los Angeles Laker, in Game 2. Looney played 39 minutes in those four games, but just three minutes in the last two after Andre Iguodala returned to the court.

Looney stands at 6’9″ and has a wingspan of 7’4″. He a competent small-ball center who can guard at all five positions. Also, his length allows him to defend and switch guards when necessary. In addition, his ability to defend the rim is pretty good.

Looney grew up in Milwaukee, where he played high school basketball at Alexander Hamilton High School. He went on to play college basketball at UCLA from 2014-15. He was originally selected 30th overall by Golden State in the 2015 NBA Draft. He spent the 2016-17 season with Golden State’s G League team in Santa Cruz, Calif.

Warriors shake up lineup; DeMarcus Cousins agrees to 1-year, $5.3 million deal

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Photo credit: @NBAonTNT

By: Ana Kieu

The Los Angeles Lakers might’ve took the basketball world by storm in the past few days, but the Golden State Warriors showed the Southern California team that they were going to make some shocking moves of their own.

League sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that center DeMarcus Cousins, also known as “Boogie,” has agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Warriors. The 27-year-old last played for the New Orleans Pelicans from 2017-18.

Cousins began his NBA career in 2010 when the Sacramento Kings selected him with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft. The four-time NBA All-Star played for the Kings from 2010-17.

Cousins played just one season at the University of Kentucky from 2009-10, where the Wildcats men’s basketball team made it to the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, before he forwent the remaining three years of college eligibility to enter the 2010 NBA Draft.

The Warriors now have a fifth star in Cousins. Although Warriors star Steph Curry has lightheartedly joked about Cousins as the “3rd Splash Brother” on Twitter, it’s too early to tell if Cousins will make a significant splash in Oakland. After all, Cousins is still going through his continuous recovery following a season-ending surgery for a torn left Achilles sustained on January 28th.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr to become one of the NBA’s highest paid coaches

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Photo credit: @gswdubnation_

By: Ana Kieu

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is reportedly finalizing a lucrative contract extension.

Kerr is entering the final season of the five-year, $25 million deal that he originally signed in May 2014. He led the Warriors to the NBA Finals every season during his tenure thus far. He delivered three out of four NBA championships.

When Kerr was initially hired, he told NBA.com that going to the Warriors “just felt like the right move on many levels.” That was the correct feeling as Kerr has been at the center of what many would describe as a new dynasty in the Bay Area.

Over the past four years, the Warriors have averaged 66 wins per season, seen two Kia MVP seasons from Stephen Curry, utilized a successful system that landed Kevin Durant in 2016, produced several individual NBA All-Star appearances and three NBA championship trophies.

Kerr currently has a 265-63 regular season record and a 63-20 postseason record, the best marks among NBA coaches since he joined the Warriors.

2018 NBA Draft: Bay Area Edition

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Photo credit: youtube.com

By: Ana Kieu

The 2018 NBA Draft was held on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. As usual, the draft changes the lives of many college and maybe even high school basketball players each year. That’s almost certain unless if the young prospect turns out to be a draft bust, which is something that nobody wants, but is an inevitable situation in life.

Anywho, the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings were on the board, so let’s see who these two Bay Area teams selected using their respective picks.

First Round
Kings
The Kings had the second overall pick and they used it on Marvin Bagley III, a power forward who grew up in Tempe, Az., and played college basketball at Duke for just one season from 2017-18. In 2018, he was a Consensus First-Team All-American, First-Team All-ACC, and ACC Player of the Year. He also won the Pete Newell Big Man Award. In 2017, he was named to the First-Team All-USA TODAY.

Side Note: Bagley III was selected behind his former high school teammate, Deandre Ayton (center; power forward), in the draft.

Warriors
The Warriors selected Jacob Evans (shooting guard) with the 28th overall pick. He played college basketball at the University of Cincinnati from 2015 to 2018. He finished his college career with 1,233 career points. He was also named to the First-Team All-AAC.

Side Note: Evans declared for the 2018 NBA Draft, but didn’t hire an agent to help him out.

Second Round
Kings
It was a Blue Devil kind of night of the Kings, who selected Gary Trent Jr. (shooting guard) with the 37th overall pick. Like Bagley, Trent Jr. played college basketball at Duke for just one season from 2017-18. In 2017, he was selected as a McDonald’s All-American and played in the Jordan Brand Classic. In 2015, he was the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship MVP.

Side Note: Gary Trent Jr. is the son of retired pro basketball player Gary Trent, who played in the NBA from 1995-2004, Greece’s Panellinios B.C. from 2004-05 and 2006-07, and Italy’s UniCusano Roma in 2005.

Notes
Warriors’ JaVale McGee will be at Levi’s Bay Area store on Friday from 12-1 pm on behalf of his Juglife Water Foundation and ahead of the Water For Life Charity Softball Game.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: Rizzo leads Cubs to first place in 5-run 11th inning; D-Backs trying to make a comeback with 9 unanswered runs; plus more runs

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Photo credit: nydailynews.com

On the That’s Amaury’s Podcast:

#1 The Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo launched the Cubs into a five-run 11th inning that put the Cubs in first place.

#2 The Arizona Diamondbacks, who struggled to hold onto first place, scored nine unanswered runs after a hit by pitch.

#3 The Seattle Mariners’ Nelson Cruz hit two home runs and Wade LeBlanc went five solid innings in the M’s win over the Los Angles Angels 5-3 Monday night.

#4 The Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts is back from the DL and pitcher Steven Wright, who continued his scoreless pitching streak at 22 2/3, as the Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2-0.

#5 Finally, in basketball, the Golden State Warriors are hosting the World Championship parade in downtown Oakland.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the MLB Hispanic Heritage Museum, the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Warriors finish off Cavs 108-85 for back-to-back championships

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Golden State Warriors were on the big stage following their defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. This year, Golden State knocked out Cleveland again with a 108-85 rout Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The start of the game was familiar territory as the Warriors went into the game with a 3-0 advantage, but the result was unfamiliar as they found themselves with another title–their first ever back-to-back titles. It was Golden State’s sixth straight win of these 2018 playoffs.

For fans of the opposing team, perhaps more disappointing than the loss for the Cavs, is whether star LeBron James will stay or leave.

Still sporting a red eye from Game 1, James left the court with 4:03 left after playing a game-high 41 minutes and scoring 23 points. He left to praise from all, including his opponents and the crowds chants of “MVP” grew louder.

Speaking of MVP, Kevin Durant matched his team, receiving the NBA Finals accolade for the second straight year. Durant finished a +30 and earned his first career playoff triple double, with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds along with a game-high 10 assists.

Teammate Stephen Curry, who held the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after the game, scored a 2018 playoff-high 37 points in 39 minutes.

In the first, after both teams scored, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run, seven points from Curry, which Cleveland then countered with an 8-0 run. Golden State had three fouls during the latter run, including a technical. The Warriors’ Klay Thompson left the court after his second foul.  

The Cavs’ last possession of the first was marked by four offensive rebounds, three missed shots and two blocks by Golden State.

Curry overcame his 11 point performance in Game 3 with 12 points in the first.

It took awhile for Golden State to get going in the second. Cleveland took advantage, gaining the lead for the first time, 39-38, with 7:12 left. At that point, the Warriors only had four points to the Cavaliers’ 14. The lead then continued to change basket by basket for a total of five times and then a sixth after free throws interrupted the pattern.

Golden State then held the lead the rest of the game after the 47-43 score with 4:36 left (Andre Iguodala hit a three). Curry had eight points with the help of two three’s and Cleveland missed three free throws.  

By the end of the second, both teams had scored 27 points apiece, canceling out any advantage for the Cavaliers.

In the third, Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson inadvertently helped with the Warriors’ then game-high 17 point lead, 67-52, when he put in a bucket for them. The points were credited to JaVale McGee.

When James made a free throw, the third score after (49-47), that would be the closest the Cavaliers ever got anymore.

Both teams’ field goal and three point shooting went down in the third but Golden State’s first bucket of the third, a Thompson jumper, would mark a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. Cleveland only scored 13 points in the quarter and the Warriors lead reached 21 points at the end.

Golden State’s lead’s largest margin would end at 28 points and occurred with 6:19 left, courtesy of Curry (102-74).

Game Notes: The last time the NBA Finals saw a sweep was in 2007, when James and the Cavs were the victims again. The Warriors finished a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line. Durant also had a a game-high-tying three blocks. Golden State will celebrate with their fans in person Tuesday at 11 am PDT.