Few changes as training camp nears
Right in the middle of the league’s free-agency spending spree this summer, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stepped in front of the NBA TV cameras and offered a joking challenge to his friend and mentor, San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich.
“You look at what San Antonio did getting (LaMarcus) Aldridge,” Kerr said. “I mean, if they don’t win the whole thing next year, it’s clearly the coach’s fault. I mean, if Pop can’t win the whole thing with that roster, then he has no business coaching in this league.”
The Spurs made a lot of offseason noise, adding Aldridge and David West while retaining Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, and the Warriors stood pretty much pat. They’ll report to the team’s downtown Oakland facility Monday for physicals and media day with 12 of the 15 players from last season’s championship-winning roster.
“Once the season starts, nobody cares about all of the hype and all of the talk,” Kerr said Friday. “You just go out and play. We’re the defending champs. That’s a feather in our cap, and it should give us confidence, but all of the talk means nothing.”
Gone are David Lee, Justin Holiday and Ognjen Kuzmic. Arriving are Jason Thompson, Kevon Looney and a 15th roster spot that could go to any one of five training-camp invitees.
Lee was traded to Boston for Gerald Wallace and Chris Babb, and Wallace later was swapped to Philadelphia for Thompson. He’s expected to take over Lee’s role, splitting backup minutes at center with Festus Ezeli and at forward with Marreese Speights.
Kuzmic, a developmental center, signed to play in Greece, and the Warriors have a new project in Looney. The first-round pick from UCLA had hip surgery last month and is expected to be out for at least four to six months before returning to basketball activities.
Brandon Rush, who struggled coming back from injuries and with his three-point shot last season, will be given a chance to replace Holiday, a reserve shooting guard and small forward who went to Atlanta in free agency.
James Michael McAdoo has a partially guaranteed contract, and he’s considered a lock to make the team. That leaves six players competing for the final roster spot. Babb, Ian Clark, Jarell Eddie, Tony Mitchell and Juwan Staten are already in the fold, and Ben Gordon is expected to be signed by Tuesday.
After their shortened offseason, Kerr said the Warriors won’t have two-a-day practices during this camp. They’ll have five practices before heading to the 49ers’ game next Sunday and opening their exhibition schedule against Toronto on Oct. 5 in San Jose.
“Our guys still ended up with about three months off,” said Kerr. “To me, it’s more mental. Last year, guys were in here at the beginning of September. They had a five-month offseason, and they had lost. They were hungry, and they couldn’t wait to get on the floor.
“This year has been different. It’s been a really short offseason, not nearly as many guys coming in, which is fine with me — I don’t want them burning themselves out.
“The mentality changes a little bit. Part of it is a deeper level of confidence, but what you have to be wary of is feeling too happy, feeling like there’s nothing else to accomplish.”
General manager Bob Myers, who said he’ll continue to work on possible contract extensions with Harrison Barnes and Ezeli during camp, isn’t worried about his team’s fire waning.
“We have a competitive team,” Myers said. “If you hate to lose, you hate to lose — whether you’re coming off a championship or a firstround playoff loss. If that’s inside of you, that’s there. I think our players embody that. I think they’ll bring that to the 2015-16 season.”