Preseason offers hopefuls their chance
Cameron Jones returned to his hotel room Tuesday afternoon in downtown Oakland to find his iPhone flooded with Twitter notifications. His followers wanted to know: Was that Jones on the wrong end of Stephen Curry’s behind-theback jumper?
A seven-second video, which showed the two-time NBA MVP wrapping the ball around his waist and swishing a 16footer over Jones’ outstretched arm, had gone viral. In his first day of Warriors practice, the training-camp invitee tweeted that he was “getting Steph’ed all over social media.”
“Bad press is good press, though,” Jones said later. “That’s the way I see it.”
One of six players competing for Golden State’s final roster spot, Jones is in a race to stay relevant. While the preseason is a chance for players on guaranteed contracts to find a rhythm and ease into the grind of an 82-game schedule, Golden State’s seven exhibitions have much higher stakes for those who have no assurance of sticking around.
The Warriors, who have 14 members on fully guaranteed deals, will spend the next threeplus weeks trimming their 20-man roster to 15. Jones, JaVale McGee, Elliot Williams, Phil Pressey, Elgin Cook and Scott Wood enter Saturday’s preseason opener against Toronto in Vancouver, British Columbia, aware that any play is an opportunity to prove they belong.
To make sure his core players are fresh for games that count, head coach Steve Kerr will empty his bench early and often in the preseason. No one is expected to log more than 20 minutes Saturday. With Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson watching from the sideline for stretches, little-known players could receive extended runs.
“It’s really hard,” Kerr, who competed for an NBA roster spot multiple times in his 15year playing career, said of having no guaranteed contract in the preseason. “I know the feeling. You can’t worry about it. You just have to come in, work hard and make your mark.”
McGee is the front-runner. At 7-foot, 270 pounds with a 7-8 wingspan, the eight-year NBA journeyman is the team’s only viable rim protector. The 15th roster spot is his as long as McGee, who was limited to 62 games over the past three seasons by leg injuries, stays healthy and fits Golden State’s culture.
The second most realistic option, Williams, is still recovering from right knee surgery and won’t play Saturday. If McGee and Williams don’t last, Pressey probably has the best chance of filling the Warriors’ vacancy. His pass-first mentality is well suited for a Warriors team that added a four-time NBA scoring champion to the league’s most dynamic offense.
“I know I’m capable of playing in the NBA,” said Pressey, who is with his fifth team in four seasons. “I just have to find a team, find a coach, find a GM that likes me and will allow me to play. I’m not going to second guess any part of my game.”
Jones, Cook and Wood are essentially extra bodies until cuts arrive. Still, the preseason is no less important for them: Impress in a game or two, and perhaps they sign with another NBA team. These exhibitions could also land them bigger contracts overseas or secure them a place on Golden State’s NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
Five years after going undrafted out of Northern Arizona, Jones is familiar with the routine. He was with Miami for preseason in 2011, and the following season had a brief preseason stint with the Warriors.
“It’s pretty tough,” said Jones, who averaged 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 25.5 minutes per game last season for teams in Greece and Israel. “But, hey, I still get to live my dream of playing basketball and getting paid for it.”
Asked after practice to name players who impressed him this week, Kerr listed Jones. The only problem? Kerr called him Cameron Brown instead of Cameron Jones.