Owner Chris Cohan had his price in mind – $450 million – and clearly wasn’t ready to walk away from the negotiating table until it was met.

Finally it was.

But by the group with Joseph Lacob, a minority owner for the Celtics, and Peter Guber of Mandalay Entertainment. Not by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison.

So Warriors get one of their wishes in that Cohan finally sold the team. But their desire to have a charismatic baller as the owner extinguished when Ellison’s people pushed away from the table.

Six months. That’s how long the Warriors announced rookie forward Ekpe Udoh will be out of action after successful surgery to repair a torn legament in his left wrist.

And that is six months per the Warriors’ schedule, which is usually the most-optimistic schedule.

His wrist will be immobilized for 10 weeks, which means he will be just getting the cast off around the time camp starts. After that, starts rehab, which clearly the doctor thinks will take at least three months. That puts Udoh out until January, if everything goes according to plan. If recent history is any indicator (which it probably shouldn’t be because no one knows how well he heals), don’t expect Udoh back before the All-Star break.

Practically the entire Bay Area waits to see what comes of the negotiations going on right now for the purchase of the Golden State Warriors. But the process is being held up. The so-called imminent sale keeps getting held off. Why?

Perhaps it is because no one has hit the number owner Chris Cohan has in his head: $450 million.

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UPDATE: Live chat will begin a half hour later, at 3:30 p.m. PDT. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Join our Warriors beat writer Marcus Thompson II for a live chat here on Wednesday, July 14 at 3 p.m. PDT. Marcus will cover the the latest news surrounding the team’s impending sale and its personnel moves.

Bring your questions for Marcus and we’ll see you then!

It’s not that I am rooting for Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison to win the bidding war for the Warriors. It’s more that I want it to be over, and he’s got wallet big enough to make the other wallets run and hide in the back pocket they came from.

But Ellison’s obvious refusal to flex his financial might, and a venture capitalist named Joseph Lacob, had me posted in a local Starbucks all day.

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Warriors rookie power forward Ekpe Udoh will have surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

It won’t be known officially how long he is out until after the surgery. But based on the type of surgery, 4 to 6 months is the ballpark, which has been reported. Rehab usually takes about three to four months after the surgery. But it all depends on how well the surgery went and how well the wrist heals.

The surgery will be performed in San Francisco by the same doctor who evaluated Udoh today. It was his second evaluation. He was also evaluated on Friday in Los Angeles. Udoh is expected to miss training camp.

The Warriors, as it turns out, don’t have to wait seven days. The Warriors already decided they weren’t going to match the four-year (Sorry, I keep making this mistake) three year, $12 million offer from the New Jersey Nets.
So general manager Larry Riley decided instead to trade Morrow to the Nets so the Warriors can get something for him. What did they get?

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The Warriors are close to signing a three-year contract with free agent small forward Dorell Wright, according to multiple sources.
The signing would likely spell the end of guard Anthony Morrow’s tenure with the Warriors.
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The World Cup is down to two teams vying for the prize, and so is the candidates list of candidates to buy the Warriors franchise.

According to sources with knowledge of the negotiation, the four finalists groups submitted purchase of sale agreements with their offer. Two of the finalists groups were outbid and knocked out of the process. Warriors owner Chris Cohan, who hired Galiatoto Sports Partners to sell the franchise, could choose the winning bidder from the remaining two groups by August.

What is not reported in my story in today’s paper (I confirmed waaaaay after deadline) is that the group headed by CEO founder Mark Mastrov is one of the finalists, according to a source, who also confirmed that Mastrov’s bid topped $350 million. The other finalist?

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Warriors guard Anthony Morrow has been offered a three-year, $12 million contract from the New Jersey Nets.
He has not signed the offer sheet yet. But he is expecting to sign it Monday. Once he signs it, it will be sent to the Warriors (via fax I presume). From the point they receive it, the Warriors have seven days to match.

I talked to general manager Larry Riley and, as expected, he wouldn’t give so much as a hint. He just said he expects somebody will give Morrow an offer sheet. But if Morrow signs the offer sheet Monday, assuming the day the Warriors receive it counts as Day 1, Riley will have until July 18 to make his decision. What should he do?

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