Filed under: Warriors, Fantasy Basketball, FanHouse Exclusive
SAN FRANCISCO -- There's really no getting around that dateline.
The new owners of the team from Oakland did almost all of their media relations work this week in the fancier city by the Bay, an unmistakable sign that they won't be adhering to any borders or boundaries in this endeavor that has officially begun. Venture capitalist Joe Lacob and entertainment entrepreneur Peter Guber made that clear even before their record purchase of $450 million was final, somehow managing to force coach Don Nelson out before the team was theirs and approving deals like the one for David Lee before the NBA's Board of Governor's had even approved their own inclusion into this elite club.
They have no time for such institutional obstacles, especially if they distract from what is a singular and sophisticated, yet simplistic, focus on the goal at hand: revive a franchise that is among the league's most dreadful with savvy use of their self-described "deep pockets," thereby rewarding a fan base that has been inexplicably loyal despite enjoying one playoff appearance in 15 years under former owner Chris Cohan.
Yet ironically enough, they are distracted on this Tuesday afternoon inside a $10,000-a-night St. Regis suite. No one can blame them, as two straight days of making the media rounds would leave most folks punchy.
Interview Highlights
Sam Amick's far-reaching conversation with new Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber touched upon many topics, including ...
o. What being an owner means to them.
o. How they plan to turn the franchise around in the future -- and what went wrong in the past.
o. The fan experience, and whether Guber's Hollywood background will be felt in Oakland.
o. The "tricky" process of removing one coach and inserting another before owning the team -- and the "slap on the wrist" that followed.
o. The urge to make an immediate splash and the importance of patience on the trade front.
o. The transformation of Monta Ellis, and whether that makes him more likely to stay.
o. Stephen Curry, and whether he is, in fact, untouchable.
They put the phones away and meet at the table that likely cost more than an average family's monthly mortgage. They sit on opposite sides -- call it anti-symbolism -- and explain for nearly 40 minutes why their partnership is worthy of all the promise it has sparked.
They discuss what it means to be an owner, especially the outspoken and involved sort that has the NBA convinced that they -- Lacob, specifically -- will be the next coming of Mark Cuban. They opine about the entertainment experience and how Guber can use his background to enhance it. They reveal the story behind Don Nelson's ousting, one that resulted in a "slap on the wrist" of sorts from the NBA. They shed light on the inner-workings of their new club, from whether Monta Ellis is still on the trading block to whether Stephen Curry is untouchable to the status of their relationship with incumbent general manager Larry Riley.
They're official now, this self-described "Abbott and Costello" duo that wants to make the most of this underutilized market. Yet when it comes to adding another championship banner to the 1974-75 version that hangs in the rafters at Oracle Arena, they're not joking around.
(Disclaimer: My rambling questions have been edited, if only because Lacob and Guber's ramblings are of far more interest. And even some of their ramblings were pared down because, well, this pair can ramble.)
Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/19/golden-state-warriors-joe-lacob-and-peter-guber/
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