It’s been just about 1000 days since the sale of the Golden State Warriors from Chris Cohan to a group led by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber on November 12, 2010. Not quite three years later, so much about the franchise has changed.
New faces are everywhere, in the front office and on the court. For the first time in nearly two decades there’s a sense among fans that those new faces can be trusted to lead this franchise in a positive direction. From the start, they’ve been aggressive in their approach to change the culture of a franchise that for so long languished in mediocrity.
From the additions of Jerry West and Bob Myers in the front office, to the hiring of Mark Jackson as a first-time head coach, the Warriors have made a number of bold moves.
There hasn’t always been resounding support of these moves, perhaps best highlighted by the night of Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement in March of 2012, when boos rained down on Joe Lacob shortly after the Monta Ellis-for-Andrew Bogut trade.
Who could blame the Warriors’ fan base, which had been so often disappointed by their team, for not believing? Even after his public humiliation, Lacob still understood their frustration, having been a long-time supporter himself. But each time the doubt has resurfaced the team has made it difficult for fans not to believe in what the Warriors are doing, both on and off the court.
Now, with their plan for a new arena on the San Francisco waterfront facing opposition, there continues to be questions regarding whether the team can get the job done before the start of the 2017-2018 NBA season.
In an exclusive interview with LetsGoWarriors, team spokesman for the arena project, P.J. Johnston sat down with us to give us his take on the arena situation, which has made its way into the news a lot recently. Johnston is used to working in the spotlight, having served as former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown’s press secretary.
His experience working both for and with city government makes him a great fit to represent the arena project. Being a San Francisco native and lifelong Warrior fan doesn’t hurt, either.
He said he believes in what owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are doing with this team, and has enjoyed working closely with both them and Raymond Ridder, the Warriors’ Vice President of Communications. That includes the arena, designed by Snøhetta and San Francisco-based AECOM.
Already, the early design returns on the project are spectacular, featuring beautiful waterfront views, a circular ramp around the arena, and even a giant window allowing fans to look both in and out. Johnston said that as far as the arena goes, money remains no object for this Warriors team, even as projections of the total cost rise to $1 billion:
“These guys have put their money where their mouth is and I think they have shown, that within reason and business rationality, they are willing to spend what it takes to get the job done. We’re very much on solid footing as far as money goes.”
After spending $450 million on the franchise, and outbidding Larry Ellison for the team in 2010, Lacob and Guber are picking up where the Oracle billionaire left off once again. San Francisco piers 30 and 32, where the Warriors proposed arena will eventually be built, were initially promised to be part of a larger America’s Cup project.
Ellison walked away due to the incredible cost and time-consuming regulatory process surrounding the dilapidated piers, in addition to concerns about the lack of retail, and therefore revenue.
The estimated repair cost for the structures alone, which have slowly been falling into the bay for years, is estimated at $100-120 million, as was recently reported by Warriors’ Team President Rick Welts. But Johnston insists that the group is committed to the site, and plans to move forward with the project.
For now, the Warriors’ plans are stalled in the State legislature. While the team is confident that the legislation will be passed, they recognize that there can always be delays when dealing with something so uncertain. Joe Lacob admitted as much in his recent e-mail correspondence with the Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami.
Opponents of the current bill, including Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and former San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos, say that the project is moving too fast and it bypasses the authority of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC).
Johnston, however, is quick to point out that similar legislation has already passed for previous projects involving piers 30 and 32, all of which eventually fell through. He says that the legislation would simply be “updating the legislature’s guiding principles for the location to reflect the current project.”
Put most simply, the delays that have been so heavily discussed in the recent weeks aren’t, in fact, delays at all. Where the Warriors really face the potential for setbacks is in the process that lies ahead, but they knew that coming in. For now, Johnston and Lacob both insist the project is right on schedule, and that 2017 is still the target opening.
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