It is a surprise to me to see Anthony Randolph on the Warriors’ summer league squad. Nonetheless, the Warriors’ three power forwards will be on the same team starting July 9. Brandan Wright, Reggie Williams and rookie Ekpe Udoh are all on the roster. Guards Stephen Curry, who has Team USA camp in late July, and Anthony Morrow, who is a restricted free agent, are not on the roster.

As far as who they play, the Warriors will face off against John Wall (Washington) and Greg Monroe (Detroit). Here is the full roster and schedule:

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A group led by David Bonderman, a founding partner of the private equity firm TPG Capital, was at the team’s downtown facility yesterday as part of a tour. (I saw Bobby Rowell guiding the tour and learned who it was he was hosting, but had to confirm with a another non-related source before I went live, per company policy.) That is the fourth potential ownership group Bay Area News Group has been able to identify. The examination of the Warriors, by the bidders, is now complete said one source close to the negotiations. The source said the feedback from the potential ownership groups was all positive and there is no question the Warriors will be sold for a record price, eclipsing the mark of $401 (the price Robert Sarver paid for the Suns).

Purchase of sale agreements have been submitted to each of the four finalist groups. The soft deadline for them to return is the end of the month, though after the holiday is acceptable to Cohan according to one of the sources. After he receives those bids, Cohan will decide which he accepts or if he wants to continue negotiations. If he chooses one, that group will place a deposit on their bid and the task of hashing out the particulars will being in earnest.

So, as a review, the four finalist groups are: Read the rest of this entry »

The Warriors have extended qualifying offers to both guards Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson. Morrow’s qualifying offer is a one-year deal worth $1.029 million. Watson’s is for one year, $1.25 million.

Being tendered qualifying offers mean both guards will be restricted free agents come Wednesday at 9:01 p.m. In order to have the right to match any offer sheet they would sign (despite the salary cap), the Warriors first needed to extend a minimum contract (plus bonus) to the Warriors. Not extending the qualifying offer is the equivalent to the Warriors’ waiving their rights to the player.

That is what happened with power forward Anthony Tolliver and center Chris Hunter. The Warriors did not tender them qualifying offers, giving up their right to match. Tolliver and Hunter will both be unrestricted free agents.

So what does that mean for Morrow and Watson?

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I just talked with a couple of people in the know from the Warriors about why they went with Baylor PF Ekpe Udoh over Georgetown center Greg Monroe. I tried to ask all of the questions I’ve seen, and get the answers that weren’t prepared for the press conference.

For the record, I don’t agree or disagree with any of these answers. My opinion is once DeMarcus Cousins went No. 5, this draft was over. It didn’t really matter, because the Warriors needs are greater than what this draft could provide. It was either a trade, or just grab whoever and move on. That’s what the Warriors did, though many don’t believe they grabbed the best.

Anyway, here are the explanations I received to the questions surrounding their pick:

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Turns out the Warriors weren’t throwing smoke screens. The Warriors did indeed take Baylor PF Ekpe Udoh and not Georgetown center Greg Monroe.

Fans clearly wanted Monroe and responded at the Warriors’ draft party at Oracle Arena by booing the pick, and I’m told there were chants to trade the pick. The Warriors are clearly happy with Udoh over Monroe, who didn’t impress the Warriors in his workout. Golden State already has three centers on the roster. But they also have two power forwards, which has fans befuddled.

ONE FAN’S RESPONSE: “Another Brandon Wright! Same M.O. We need a beast.”

I’ve been told that the Warriors were not impressed with Monroe’s athleticism, and lack thereof, and he was raw and not ready to play. The Warriors don’t want another young player to have to develop, which is part of the reason they said they got Gadzuric, because he was a veteran who can give them some minutes if they needed them.

Udoh, at 23, is short on upside but is ready to play. One guy told me he was just as good of a defender of big men as Monroe. Stephen Curry said “he is an athletic big man who plays above the rim and will fit with the Warriors.”

Either way, welcome Ekpe Udoh.

It probably doesn’t matter to the Warriors because No. 6 is too high for a sleeper, but there are some guys in this draft who haven’t gotten much attention but would be good on the Warriors. Some of these guys are good bets to wind up as stars, and we’ll all look back and wonder why they weren’t taken higher.

To be sure, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Warriors could get one of these guys. Trading down might become a more attractive option on draft day. Golden State may be looking into already and just keeping it under wraps. They don’t want more young guys, but they could get a another first-round pick and keep No. 6 if they wanted to cash in some of their depth. At least Indiana and Miami are looking to trade out of the draft.

If there Warriors did go that route, here are some guys I think will be good and a good fit for the Warriors (Ekpe Udoh from Baylor had been my sleeper, but he doesn’t qualify anymore):

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The Milwaukee Bucks just agreed to send center Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell to the Warriors for Corey Maggette. The Warriors get rid of one of their biggest contracts (3 years, $31 million), which aids in their bid to add a difference maker this offseason.

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The Journal Times reported trade talks between Milwaukee and the Warriors, with the Golden State sending Corey Maggette to the Bucks in exchange for center Dan Gadzuric and guard Charlie Bell. Sources have confirmed for me  that the talks exist and the Warriors are interested.

So why isn’t this deal done? Doesn’t it seem like a no-brainer?

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The Warriors would love nothing more than to trade up in the draft and lock up one of these elite talents. Problem is, nobody wants to trade down to No. 6 in a five-player draft. And if they do, they want the No. 6 and the Warriors’ right arm (namely Stephen Curry or Anthony Randolph), which is too much to give up for a prospect.

So, the Warriors can’t move up to get the guy in this draft who I think is the best fit: Evan Turner, who is the versatile and skilled small forward (or shooting guard) who has the size and playmaking ability they need to round out their perimeter. Nor will they be able to get the beast they need inside in Derrick Favors, who is a rebounding machine and would instantly become the biggest physical presence on the Warriors frontline. Nor can they get the guy they want in Wesley Johnson, who would give them a legit SF (not a SG playing out of position) who significantly raises the athleticism on the wing.

So, they wait, and hope. For Cousins, who just might have the biggest immediate impact in the draft.

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Manute Bol died this morning at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Va. He was 47.

He was hospitalized on May 12 with acute kidney failure and a skin disease known as Stevens-Johnsons Syndrome. Bol’s friend, Tom Pritchard, announced Bol’s passing in a facebook message this morning. Pritchard is the executive director of Sudan Sunrise, an organization fighting revive war-ravaged Sudan, Bol’s native country.

Bol, the tallest player in NBA history at 7-foot-7, played two seasons for the Warriors (1988-89, 89-90) before returning in 1994-95, when he played just five games. In his first season with the Warriors, he averaged 4.3 blocks and knocked down 20 3-pointers with a famous over-the-shoulder set shot. Bol led the league in blocks that year, as he did his rookie season (1985-86) and ranks 14th in NBA history with 2,086 blocks.

The last several years, Bol has been an ambassador for good, especially in Africa. He exhausted his NBA earnings and risked his life effecting change in Sudan through peace efforts and educating children. Even while hospitalized, he was raising $18,000 to put a roof on a school under construction in Sudan.

He spent his entire basketball fortune and survived attacks on his life to save and improve lives in and around Sudan. He lost hundreds of family members in an ongoing war but saved or educated at least that many with peacemaking efforts.

David Aldridge wrote about Bol’s condition Monday on NBA.com. He wrote Bol had operations remove his gall bladder and a gallstone last week and his condition was stable.