On their Warriors.com website the Warriors have someone (Steinmetz?)
posting daily reports about each practice, and they're interesting.
Here are the ones they've posted so far, most recent at top.
http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/06...ilyJournal.html

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October 7, 2006


Matt Barnes is one of three training camp invitees hoping to earn a
roster spot with the Warriors. (warriors.com photo)
While most students enjoy a Saturday away from the classroom, these
Warrior pupils were happy to be in class this morning. Coming off what
Coach Nelson called the team's best practice Friday night; the team
seemed to be in high spirits and eager to learn. Professor Nelson spent
much of the morning installing a couple of different zone defense and
offensive sets. And although impressed with the young Warriors ability
to learn and retain his coaching principals, Nelson said after practice
that this will probably be the last new concept he will give the team
before its preseason opener on Thursday vs. Efes Pilsen at The Arena in
Oakland.

Several Warriors wish Thursday was already here. Don't get me wrong,
this team enjoys learning from a future Hall-of-Famer but they want to
see the fruits of their labor and that first game will give them an
opportunity to see just how far they come. Thursday will be important
to the team, as a whole, but it will be especially significant to Matt
Barnes, Anthony Roberson and Dijon Thompson.

Those are the three Warriors Training Camp invitees. Warrior fans might
not be too familiar with them but all three have NBA experience. Barnes
owns career averages of 3.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 137
regular-season games over a three seasons with the Clippers, Kings,
Knicks and 76ers. Barnes has really impressed coaches with his
rebounding ability but its also been his shooting that has raised some
eyebrows in camp. A prototypical Nellie player, the 6-7 forward can
pass, rebound and shoot. He isn't the only one who can put out the
gym lights, Anthony Roberson can as well.
Roberson, appeared in 16 games with Memphis last season as a rookie
averaging 2.2 points in 5.5 minutes per contest. He's a 6-2 guard
who's no stranger to putting the ball in the hoop. As a sophomore at
Florida, he led the Gators to the SEC Tournament finals. In the
semifinals, versus Vanderbilt, he put in 35 points which was the best
performance by a Gator since 1982. Additionally, he set a UF record
with 99 three-point field goals in 2003-04 and shot 267-for-665 (.402)
from beyond the arc in his three years in Gainesville.

Finally, Thompson appeared in 10 games as a rookie with the Phoenix
Suns, averaging 2.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.3 minutes. Like
Roberson, he can also shoot the rock. The 6-7 guard/forward finished
his collegiate career as the 19th all-time leading scorer in UCLA
history with 1,458 points. In addition, he finished fifth on the
UCLA's all-time list for three-point field goals made with 133.

It won't be easy for these guys to make the regular-season squad,
with 15 players currently under contract, but they've done their part
to make it difficult for the Warriors front office staff to let them
leave. I'd imagine that Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris
Mullin and General Manager Rod Higgins are going to take a long hard
look at these guys before deciding what to do. Fans will have the
opportunity to get a glimpse of them as well. Hopefully we'll see you
all out at the Arena on Thursday Night at 7:30 when the Warriors
tip-off their 2006-07 campaign versus Efes Pilesen of Turkey.


October 6, 2006

View Day 4 Practice Photos

Morning Practice Update -- 4:00 p.m.

The Warriors have been very receptive to Coach Nelson during training
camp practice. (warriors.com photo)
It was another morning "teaching session" as most of the practice was
spent working on either team defensive rotations or going through the
offensive plays that have already been installed. On the defensive end,
the players were versed on almost every rotation imaginable and seemed
to pick up their assignments fairly quickly. Head Coach Don Nelson has
commented previously that he's very impressed at how quickly these
players have picked up his system and his schemes, and that includes on
the defensive end. Offensively, the players appear to be getting more
comfortable with the plays (and play calls) that Nellie has installed.
Each time they run through a play, it seems that if they extend it just
one more pass a new option appears.

A welcome sight on the court was the return of Monta Ellis who has sat
out every practice up until now due to a strained right thigh. If you
didn't already know that he had been sitting out, you would not have
known by watching Monta during this practice. At one point while the
team was going through their offensive sets, he curled around a screen
on the block, caught a pass from the top of the key and without a
dribble elevated quickly for a one-handed dunk -- as he did many times
during the 2005-06 season. It will depend on how Monta's injury feels
when he returns to the gym this evening whether or not he'll practice
in the second session.
Monta Ellis participated in his first practice of the season on Friday
morning. (warriors.com photo)

Zarko Cabarkapa was also back on the court after sitting out
Wednesday's sessions with a sprained right ankle that he suffered in
Tuesday evening's session.

Of course the session ended with more free throw shooting. Although
Mike Dunleavy was unable to duplicate his 100-for-100 performace from
last night, the 96 he made today is nothing to be ashamed of.

Warriors.com will be spending its Friday Night here at the facility to
take in the second session, so be sure to check back for exclusive
updates and highlights.







Evening Practice Update -- 9:00 p.m.

The evening practice session was, quite simply, a good one. Nellie said
as much afterwards, noting that tonight was "the first time that
everyone made all their shots." And while literally all the shots were
not falling, a majority of them were.

One player who was making more than a majority of his shots was Mickael
Pietrus. Just like anyone who ever played "Double Dribble" on the
original Nintendo had their magic shooting spot, M.P. has apparently
found his magic spot too...and it's in the corner. From both sides of
the floor, Pietrus knocked down nearly every three-pointer he took from
the corner tonight, so much so that it was a shock when one DID NOT go
in.

Monta Ellis took part in his first evening session of this training
camp and looked strong, evoking praise from Nelson. Particularly, the
veteran coach was impressed with what he called Monta's "blazing
speed."

The only thing drawing more praise from Nelson than Monta's effort this
evening was the effort he witnessed today from the Oakland A's.
Following the morning practice, Nelson and assistant coach Larry Riley
hopped on BART and traveled a few stops South to watch the A's defeat
the Minnesota Twins and finish off a sweep of their first round playoff
series. "The game was great, the crowd was great, the train ride over
was great," Nellie said about his afternoon away from the basketball
court.

The team returns on Saturday morning for another session, hoping to
build on what just may have been their best practice yet. Warriors.com
will be here all weekend to keep you updated.

View Day 4 Practice Photos

October 5, 2006

View Day 3 Practice Photos

The Warriors have been picking up Coach Nelson's system quickly thus
far. (warriors.com photo)
Under the tutelage of new Head Coach Don Nelson, the initial three days
of training camp for the Warriors have resembled school. A lot of
teaching. A lot of learning. A lot of listening. Thursday's two
practice sessions, in fact, reminded me of specific type of school ----
traffic school. Coach Nelson sent his team through various offensive
and defensive schemes on Thursday and the word he uttered most
frequently was "STOP." The Warriors, in the midst of running a fast
break, had a player make a wrong cut and boom, there was the most
commonly-used phrase of the day.......

"STOP. What are you suppose to do in that situation?"

The Warriors, in the midst of learning a defensive rotation, had a
player forget to double team.

"STOP. What are you suppose to do in that situation?"

The Warriors, in the midst of running a 2-on-1 fast break, had a player
fail to run the wing correctly.

"STOP. What are you suppose to do in that situation?"

Yes, Don Nelson is doing a lot of teaching in training camp and he's
even playing cross-walk guard and repeating his new favorite word.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Thus far in training camp, he has been, by far, the
most vocal coach on the floor. A lot of head coaches will simply
oversee practice and defer to their assistants to run the show, but not
Coach Nelson. He has his pulse - and his say - on virtually every
possession. In fact, during team scrimmages, he will group the offense
together, pop in the middle of the huddle and provide his strategy.
Short. Simple. Concise. And, more often then not, the results are
positive.

Despite, however, his penchant for the four letter word (STOP) in
practice, the new coach mentioned on several occasions on Thursday how
happy he was with his squad and their ability to pick up things very,
very quickly.

"I applauded them today," said Nellie after the morning practice. "They
have done really well. They are a very bright team. I don't think I've
had a team pick up some of the nuances of my system as quickly as they
have in three days. Very impressive."


Also very impressive during the early stages of training camp - and
especially on Thursday - has been an old staple and a new face, Troy
Murphy and newcomer Dajuan Wagner. Murphy, who is very happy with his
new position at center, drilled almost every open shot he had on
Thursday night. And, under Nellie's system, he is going to have a ton
of open opportunities. He may, in fact, accumulate numbers at the
center position that could draw him All-Star consideration. Yao Ming
will, almost assuredly, be the Western Conference starter by popular
vote. However, if the former Notre Dame star is able to take advantage
of Nellie's system - like many players have during their careers - he
might get some consideration. Last season, he averaged 14.0 points and
10.0 rebounds. If he should increase those averages to, say, 17.0 and
11.0, AND the Warriors win their share of games, he might get a nod or
two from some of the other coaches around the West as a center.

Coach Nelson has already referred to Dajuan Wagner as a 'steal.'
(warriors.com photo)
Wagner, on the other hand, is not concerned about All-Star games or
switching positions, he's just happy to be around. And, he's taking
advantage of the opportunity. Coach Nelson referred to him as a "steal"
after Thursday's practice and credited Chris Mullin and Rod Higgins
with finding a player of his caliber. The 6'2" guard has demonstrated
an ability to shoot the basketball and get to the basket in camp, two
traits that will serve him well in Coach Nelson's system. Remember, the
kid was the sixth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by Cleveland and
averaged over 13 points per game his rookie season before injury and
illness slowed his progress.

One of the most impressive performances in training camp thus far took
place late on Thursday, when Mike Dunleavy stepped to the free throw
line. Dunleavy, as with all 18 players on the roster, must shoot 100
free throws at the end of every practice. Each player is required to
pair up with a teammate and chart the other's progress in increments of
10 (10 x 10). Last season, Mike D. shot a respectable 78% from the
charity stripe. On this night, however, he nailed a perfect 100%. Yes,
he actually made 100 out of 100 free throws, enough to put a smile on
the face of Hal Wissel, who was hired by Coach Nelson to help address
the team's free throw problems. As an indication of some of the success
enjoyed in camp to date, many players have shot the ball well from the
line, including Troy Murphy (98% tonight), Dajuan Wagner (93% tonight),
Adonal Foyle (90% tonight) and Andris Biedrins (85% tonight). Wissel
indicates that most players will shoot about 10% better in practice
then in a game situation. So, we'll expect to see Mike D. shoot 90%
from the line this season.
Mike Dunleavy went 100-for-100 at the charity stripe to close out
practice on Wednesday. (warriors.com)

Jim Harrick, who has been appointed as the new head coach of the
Bakersfield Jam - the Warriors' NBDL affiliate, attended Thursday's
morning practice. Harrick was eager to watch a Coach Nelson-led
practice and to witness some of the young talent on Golden State's
roster.

And, finally, one of the most talented offensive players in franchise
history was provided a lesson on Wednesday (yes, it was a day ago, but
we had to share this with you). Mitch Richmond, who scored 20,497
points as an NBA player, challenged Warriors' guard Andre Owens to a
three-point shooting contest after the morning workout. About 20
minutes later, Richmond remained on the floor as the jubilant Owens
trotted to the locker room with a big smile on his face, his fist in
the air and a little more cash in his wallet. During one stretch, Owens
nailed about nine consecutive threes, displaying a shooting touch that
could prove beneficial in his effort to impress coach Nelson. It has
already impressed Mitch Richmond.

View Day 3 Practice Photos

October 4, 2006

View Day 2 Practice Photos

Morning Practice Update -- 4:30 p.m.

Patrick O'Bryant took part in his first practice on Wednesday.
(warriors.com photo)
With round one under their belts, all 18 Warriors returned for another
marathon day with Coach Nelson Wednesday morning. The team began the
proceedings with a meeting in the Practice Facility locker room and
emerged 25 minutes later ready to go and prepared for two things ----
learning and running. Nellie begins every practice in the locker room
with special instructions, which are delivered from behind his
presidential-style podium (a new addition this season).

First round pick Patrick O'Bryant saw his first on-court action since
fracturing his foot in late August. O'Bryant participated in the
circuit of drills, which included high and low pick-and-rolls, drive
and kicks and post defense. Athletic Trainer Tom Abdenour indicated
that he would be limited to non-contact drills for the immediate future
and progress from this point. O'Bryant showed some nice offensive
moves, which would be an added bonus for the Warriors since many
thought his initial impact would be felt on the defensive end of the
court.
Mickael Pietrus continued to impress the coaching staff on the second
day of training camp practice. (warriors.com photo)

Speaking of defense, one player whom the Warriors are going to rely on
defensively this season is Mickael Pietrus. Early on Nellie indicated
that several Warriors, including Pietrus, were going to have to change
their roles if they expected to see quality minutes this year. After
the morning session, it appeared at though Pietrus got the message. He
had Nellie singing nothing but praises to the local media. Coach told
local reporters that other than Baron Davis, no Warrior has impressed
him more this training camp. He went on to say that if he keeps this
up, he's going to see a lot of minutes this season. Coming off an
up-and-down 2005-06 campaign, Pietrus returned the compliment, saying
that he's feeling re-energized and is really enjoying playing for the
new Boss. We'll see how energized he feels after a couple more of
these Nellie two-a-days!

Well, that about wraps the morning session here at the Warriors
Practice Facility. Warriors.com will be back this evening with,
hopefully, a look back at the Warriors first team scrimmage.



Evening Practice Update -- 9:30 p.m.

While the team spent most the morning working on individual
fundamentals, Coach Nelson used the majority of the evening session
working as a team, specifically on the offensive end of the floor. One
of Nellie's many coaching strengths has been his ability to create
mismatches to exploit other teams' weaknesses. He gave us a glimpse of
what we might except to see this upcoming season. During several sets,
forward Mike Dunleavy was initiating much of the offense as he fed the
ball to guard Baron Davis, who was working on the block. This allowed
Davis to post-up a smaller, weaker defender close to the basket and
utilize his offensive creativity.

It isn't just Nellie's out-of-the-box thinking that has allowed him
to become the second winningest coach in NBA history; it has been his
pursuit of excellence on every single play. On several occasions
tonight, the players were not in the right position on the floor and
they were required to run through the same set again and again and
again until they ran it to perfection.
Last week, Nellie told us that his offense would be simple...five plays
with three variations to each. He wasn't kidding. One of the most
meticulous coach's in the NBA, Nellie had the team spend over an hour
perfecting several different half-court sets as he critiqued every cut,
screen and pass. "A shot created is a shot that MUST be taken," he
continually yelled tonight. Nellie preaches a team game, but if you
create a shot, he expects you to take it. Tonight, when these young
Warriors lay down to rest, I can assure you one thing will be dancing
through their heads...Nellie's half court sets!

Coach Nelson has ended each practice with team free throws and some
motivational ribbing. (warriors.com)
To close out the evening, Coach Nelson used one of the oldest forms of
motivation as he had the night before. He walked up and down the
baseline, looking into the faces of each of his tired players and,
methodically, picked different guys out and asked them to step to the
foul line. The task was simple: make the free throws and you returned
to the baseline; miss the free throw and the entire team runs. Needless
to say, not many missed, which is a refreshing sign for many Warrior
fans. He did, however, continue to rib and motivate Baron Davis, who
missed his initial free throw and subsequently watched three other
point guards - Keith McLeod, Andre Owens and Dajuan Wager - make
their shots from the charity stripe. Nellie's comment to BD ? "I
guess you're my fourth string point guard now; I'll probably only
use you when the rest of them foul out!" That elicited a chuckle from
everyone.

If tonight is any indication, fans can expect to see one thing this
season with Nellie...the unexpected. It's only Day Two, but I think his
second stint in Oakland is going be as much fun as the first. Its time
for warriors.com and the squad to rest up, Day Three of Warriors
training camp is just a sunrise away.
View Day 2 Practice Photos


October 3, 2006

View Day 1 Practice Photos

Morning Practice Update -- 4:30 p.m.

Don Nelson stressed defense and the fast break during his first
practice. (warriors.com photo)
While several players said that Media Day on Monday was like the first
day back at school, the first day of training camp practice on Tuesday
was more like back to work.

The team got together at 11:00 a.m. for the first of two scheduled
practice sessions with Nellie assembling the squad in the Practice
Facility locker room for a meeting.

When the Warriors finally hit the floor for the first time as a team in
2006-07, they immediately went to work.........on DEFENSE. The first
half of practice was committed entirely to the defensive end, with the
coaching staff making the players familiar with their expectations on
D. The team was put through a number of drills that allowed the players
to work on their defensive rotations, something Nelson has said will be
vital to the team's success on the defensive end.

practice for these Warriors under Nelson, that meant working on the
fastbreak. For about 45 minutes, the Warriors ran fastbreak drill after
fastbreak drill. Starting with two players at a time and expanding to
three-, four- and five-player drills, the practice court appeared to be
one continuous fastbreak drill. Something that became apparent right
away was that there will be no standing and looking for a guard to
bring the ball up court after a defensive rebound -- if a big rebounds,
he pushes...if a small rebounds, he pushes. On several occassions, big
men such as Zarko Cabarkapa, Troy Murphy and even Andris Biedrins were
grabbing rebounds and "leading" fastbreaks.

J-Rich and Monta may have had to sit out practice due to injury, but
that didn't stop them from staying involved. (warriors.com photo)
Nellie has said that for his system to work, he will ask players to do
things they are not used to doing and this was a prime example. Nellie
would stop the action on occassion to instill some knowledge about how
to CORRECTLY run the fastbreak and, when needed, to make those who were
not doing it correctly try it again until they got it right.

Along with giving the players a sample of the up-tempo style that
Nelson is going to demand, the drills also served as a near hour-long
conditioning session -- with most players appearing to be in good
physical shape and able to endure the running and gunning at this early
stage of camp. It will be interesting to see how they bounce back in
the evening session that is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. and will
probably include some 5-on-5 scrimmages.

Fittingly, the day ended with all the players working on free throw
shooting for an extended period before addressing the assembled media.

Other notes from today's early session:
--It was announced that the team had waived Devin Brown prior to the
morning practice.
--Monta Ellis did not participate due to a strained right thigh (he is
listed as day-to-day), joining Jason Richardson, Chris Taft & Patrick
O'Bryant on the sidelines watching and observing while they could not
participate.

Tonight's practice session should be interesting. Per NBA rules, when a
team has double-day practice sessions during training camp, one
practice must be a non-contact session and the other can be full
contact. What that essentially means is that one full session must be
dedicated to drills & teaching, while the other "full contact" session
can be used for scrimmaging.

While the local media is not allowed to cover the evening sessions,
warriors.com will be on hand to provide a full report. Check back soon
for details.


Evening Practice Update -- 8:30 p.m.

previously mentioned scrimmages at this evening's practice did not
happen.

Spirited competition and hard work could definitely be found at the
Warriors Practice Facility on Tuesday night. (warriors.com photo)
That doesn't mean, however, that there was not a lot of 5-on-5 full
court runs and that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot of contact going
on. It simply means that a scrimmage, in the truest sense, did not
happen tonight. Here's a look at what did happen as viewed from
warriors.com perch high atop the Practice Facility courts:

--Most of the first half of the evening session was focused on
transition defense. While the main focus was on the defensive
execution, the players were also being harped on about using the
lessons learned in fastbreak drills at the morning sessions while on
the offensive side of the ball. The spirt was good, as the importance
of verbal communication in transition defense was stressed and
executed.

--There were 5-on-5 sessions, in which Nellie would design a play for
the offensive team and, if they scored, they would stay on that end and
run another play. If they didn't score, the ball was live and going the
other way until that play was finished. Then Nellie would huddle up
with the other squad and get them into a play. This went back and forth
for a quite some time, with good execution leading to open shots and
bad execution leading to a "tweet" from the ever-present whistle around
Nellie's neck and a call to "DO IT AGAIN."

Ike Diogu and the rest of the Warriors big men will be asked to push
the ball in transition this season. (warriors.com photo)
--Another cornerstone of Nellie's philosphy came out in this 5-on-5
action, and that is seeing players at various positions and on various
spots on the floor. At one point, the "blue" team consisted of Baron
Davis, Dajuan Wagner, Mickael Pietrus, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy.
Almost everytime they ran a play, each player would be in a different
spot than the previous time and asked to carry-out a different
assignment. The ability for every player on this team to know not only
their position on the floor but also the assignments of every other
position is going to be key for the team's success.

--Highlights of the evening practice session included the impressive
play of Dajuan Wagner, who showed that he can not only knock down the
open shot either in transition or in the set offense, but also an
uncanny ability to get into the paint off the dribble and create in
tight spaces. On several occassions he showed a stutter-step move while
coming down the sidelines with the ball that allowed him to blow by his
defender and get to the hole.

--Another highlight was the spirted effort from Mickael Pietrus. On one
sequence in the 5-on-5, he attempted to draw a charge in the lane when
one of his teammates had been beat (there were no refs, so after he was
bowled over, play continued) only to pop-up off the floor and beat
EVERYONE on the court to the other end and finish a long pass from
Baron Davis with a lay-up. The effort drew a round of applause from all
the coaches and players who were on the sidelines watching at the time.

Baron Davis was all business on the first day of practice.
(warriors.com)
--Finally, more free throws and conditioning. With all the players on
the baseline, each player was called out by Nellie to attempt either a
foul shot or three-pointer. For each miss, the whole group had to
sprint the length of the floor four times. While we won't call out
those who missed, warriors.com can tell you that when Nellie handed
Baron the ball almost everyone in the gym got a laugh as coach told the
potential runners to "Get Ready." Davis stopped laughing long enough to
draw nothing but net on his attempt.

Theme for the day was -- run, run, run, run, run some more....and then
shoot free throws. The offensive drills involved getting up and down
the court. The defensive drills involved getting up and down the court.
The conditioning, more of the same. Nellie has made no secret that this
team is going to run, and it has started on Day 1.

View Day 1 Practice Photos

October 2, 2006

View Media Day Photo Gallery

Davis showed up to camp in impressive shape. (Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty)
The Warriors hosted their annual Media Day on Monday at the team's
downtown Oakland practice facility. And, if the first day of school
revealed anything, it's that guard Baron Davis spent a good portion of
his summer vacation in the gym or on a track in Los Angeles or Las
Vegas, his two primary off-season residences. Davis, who was sidelined
the last 19 games of last season due to a sprained right ankle,
appeared to be in outstanding shape and graded very well in team
physicals that were administered later in the day. Mark Grabow, the
Warriors' Director of Athletic Development, indicated that BD had put
in a lot of time the last couple of months in preparation for the
season (after allowing his ankle to heal during the first part of the
off-season). It appears that Davis is ready and eager for the start of
training camp, which begins tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. One Northern
California writer, who has covered Davis dating back to his UCLA days,
indicated that he thought Davis looked in better shape then at any
point in his college or NBA career.

Prior to Media Day, Head Coach Don Nelson addressed the team for the
initial time as a group. The 45-minute meeting set the tone for the
season and focused on several elements, including team rules, what the
coaching staff expected of the players, his vision for the team and
other related subjects. Nelson had spoken to many of the players
individually prior to Media Day and utilized the latter stages of the
afternoon for one-on-one meetings in his office with two players whom
he had yet to address - Davis and Monta Ellis.

During the team meeting, Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA
history, also informed the players of who would serve as the team's
captains this season. Jason Richardson, Baron Davis and Mike Dunleavy
were hand-picked by the coach to fill the role as tri-captains during
the 2006-07 season.

Andris Biedrins tried his hand at photography at one point during Media
Day. (warriors.com photo)
Media Day, which is held each season on the day prior to the start of
training camp, was attended by roughly 80 members of the media and
other invited guests, including a few Season Ticket Holders who were
fortunate enough to win an opportunity to attend the "Ultimate Media
Day Experience." Each of the 19 players on the Warriors' preseason
roster were in uniform and escorted through a "media circuit" which
included photos, TV promotions, radio reads, entertainment skits and
interviews. During one specific photo shoot, Davis and Richardson
sported Golden State's Hardwood Classic jerseys, which the team will
wear on occasion (8-10 times) this season following a one-year absence
(Gold jerseys). And, of course, there were the standard humorous
aspects to Media Day as well, including center Andris Biedrins playing
professional photographer as he zoomed in on teammate Zarko Cabarkapa
and forward Chris Taft revealing his, ah, questionable singing skills
during one specific interview. The only missing element from Media Day
was Lucky, Coach Nelson's beloved dog who has become a fixture around
the team's practice facility. Lucky, it seems, had other obligations
and was not available for comment or photos.

View Media Day Photo Gallery

Earlier in the day, the Warriors announced that they had signed three
free agents (training camp invitees), Matt Barnes, Dijon Thompson and
Anthony Roberson. The trio of players were members of various NBA teams
last season in Philadelphia (Barnes), Phoenix (Thompson) and Memphis
(Roberson).

September 29, 2006
Nelson returns to the Warriors after serving as the team's head coach
from 1988-1995. (Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty)

It's almost time. It's almost basketball season.

Warriors Training Camp will officially begin on Monday, October 2 when
the team holds its annual Media Day. On that day, players and coaches
will spend hours being interviewed by the media, posing for a variety
of photos, shooting promotional spots for radio and television and much
more. It will also serve as the last day before the team begins
two-a-day workouts to start preparing for the upcoming season.

The Warriors will hold this year's camp at their practice facility in
Downtown Oakland, a place where many of the players have already been
working out and scrimmaging over the past few weeks. In fact, several
players have been in and out of the practice facility all offseason,
working on their game, getting stronger and becoming familiar with new
head coach Don Nelson.

It was at these scrimmages where the newest Warrior, Dajuan Wagner,
turned quite a few heads with his impressive play. After missing all of
last season while suffering from colitis, the 6'2 guard worked his way
back into playing shape and began to get back out onto the court. His
hard work and outstanding play earned him a contract with the Warriors
and a chance to play for a coach who will surely know how to utilize
his talents. Wagner is one of several new faces who will try to keep
impressing Nelson and the rest of the coaching staff as training camp
progresses.

As a precursor to Media Day, Don Nelson recently met with members of
the local media. During his Q&A session, he discussed training camp and
his thoughts on the upcoming season. You can listen to the two-part
interview by clicking on the links below:

PART 1 http://www.nba.com/media/warriors/n...iew1_092806.MP3
PART 2 http://www.nba.com/media/warriors/n...wTwo_092806.MP3

Each day during camp, we will keep you posted on all the
behind-the-scenes action, from observations about practice to photos to
overall team updates. Check back often to stay in tune as the team gets
ready for the 2006-07 season.