#GSWJournal: Sights/Sounds/Links From Stanford University Where Golden State Warriors Have Shootaround

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, PALO ALTO, CA — The Golden State Warriors held their morning shootaround at Stanford University‘s practice facility, Arrillaga Gymnasium, adjacent Maples Pavilion, yesterday in Palo Alto, CA.

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The team stayed at a nearby hotel and the location was in earshot of the Lacob residences, as co-owner Joe Lacob and his son, assistant general manager, Kirk Lacob — who attended Stanford as an undergraduate — both attended the shootaround.

Some of the players drove themselves there, as I saw Shaun Livingston cruise down Campus Drive in his SUV.

Inside, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green shot at one basket where the Lacobs were observing, along with members of the Stanford coaching staff, such as head coach Johnny Dawkins, while big men Festus Ezeli and James McAdoo worked on some post-ups on the opposite end.

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Klay Thompson found himself an unoccupied hoop to shoot at, as a bunch of wing players including Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barnes, Brandon Rush, and the training camp invitees, duked it out with a shooting contest on the other end.

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Meanwhile, there was a compartmental bag with Andre Iguodala‘s “AI”-emblemed shoes as well as what appeared to be “K”-monogrammed shoes for Thompson.

Interim head coach Luke Walton kicked off media availability with a very short interview basically saying the team was happy to finally play against somebody other than themselves tonight. Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle then interviewed Walton one-on-one and filed this report:

How does he navigate that role now that he’s the top authority?
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“I’ll yell at them if I have to,” he said. “I’ve been honest with them. But I can’t create distance, because in a couple of weeks, I’ll go back to my same role. … If it was a permanent change, I’d have to change. But it isn’t.”
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“Some veterans, after a long season, might want to cruise if they know their head coach isn’t going to be around for a while,” Walton said. “But not these guys. They’re ready to go.”
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Next up was Draymond Green, but as we waited for him to get ready, we noticed Shaun Livingston dialing in from distance:

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Green confirmed to us that Marreese Speights — who was seen throwing a football sixty yards when the team attended the San Francisco 49ers game on Sunday does, in fact, have the best quarterback arm on the Warriors.

Next up was Ian Clark. Rusty Simmons filed this report:

“When I played with them in the summer league, that was a good time for me to show that I can be a shooter and can also be a hassle on defense,” Clark said. “Ultimately, we’ve got superstars on the team, so I just need to wait for my shots and make them.”
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Clark has gotten rave reviews for his shooting in training camp, and he also has impressed with his improving point-guard skills and ability to defend multiple positions.
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On the way out, Warriors videographer Laurence Scott caught up with Stanford alum Jarron Collins, one of Golden State’s assistance coaches. Collins said he learned back then that, unlike in Southern California, in NorCal, we don’t add a “the” to the front of freeway names such as “880” (not “The 880”).

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Lastly, Festus Ezeli walked by and, true to his kind nature, extend a handshake to each of the handful of reporters on the scene.

Hours later, the team would face and beat the Toronto Raptors in their first game of the season.

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(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via @poormanscommish)