Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group provides an update on the Oakland stadium project that could affect the future of the Warriors. The stadium plans could link Golden State’s fate to that of the NFL’s Raiders and MLB’s Athletics, and Raiders owner Mark Davis is growing frustrated with the city’s slowness in moving them along. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is planning on opening up playing time for some rarely-used youngsters to see where they are developmentally, per Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. This is good news for Malcolm Thomas and Ian Clark. Both have rarely been used, and are working on multi-year contracts that aren’t guaranteed beyond this season.
- Thomas, who has only played in four games with Utah this season, tells Falk that he’s more than ready for the opportunity. “Very anxious,” the power forward said of awaiting his time on the court. “I’ve been working hard on just staying positive and waiting for my turn. It seems like it’s coming now. I just have to be ready when my name is called.”
- Clark hasn’t seen much more burn than Thomas, averaging 7.9 MPG in 12 appearances. “It’s difficult,” the shooting guard said. “Anybody who’s been in my position would say the same thing. You just find ways to deal with it. My way is to not worry about it and just keep working.”
- Falk later tweeted that he envisions the two players alternating active spots in the lineup from here on out. Tonight, Thomas was inactive while Clark received a DNP-Coach’s Decision.
- Former Nets forward Reggie Evans isn’t upset about getting traded away from a playoff contender to the 22-40 Kings, he tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Instead, he’s embracing his role as a veteran mentor for a young team. “At the end of the day, I’m still living out my dream,” Evans said. “We’ve got a good coaching staff that allows me to do my best to bring some leadership in here. I was in that position when I first got in the league where Rashard (Lewis), Gary Payton and Elden Campbell had to be that leader for me. Now it’s like they’ve passed that torch, and now I can be a leader on a young team. I’m the oldest by age and the oldest by years, and they kind of look for that leadership.”