After attending Warriors Media Day yesterday, about a year and two months after going to the same event in the same place, it’s clear things are different. New employees for starters, all over the place. The friendly guy manning the check-in table just started working in the Warriors PR department a week ago.
The media crush was much less intense than it was 14 months ago, partly Jeremy Lin, Dan Gadzuric and Vlad-Rad aren’t around anymore (okay, maybe just Lin), and also because they weren’t introducing a new head coach this time around. Keith Smart’s official hiring was announced at the last Warriors media day, and it was hard to detect much excitement from anyone besides the new coach himself at the time. Nothing against Smart, but he was already partially coaching the team for master delegator Don Nelson the season before, so it was kind of like the old regime was still around.
The players are saying all the right things about Mark Jackson, but it almost seems like they mean it. Crazy, I know.
Andris Biedrins was his normal heavily-tanned self, but he looked as different as any of the Warriors present. He looks stronger (as does Stephen Curry), and seemed much more at ease and happy about the new coaching staff — even though he’s fighting to resurrect his career after two lost seasons.
