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Sunday was a big day for Patrick McCaw as the Warriors officially decided to let him go to the Cavaliers.
Sunday was also a big day for Alfonzo McKinnie because by choosing to part ways with McCaw, the Warriors essentially guaranteed that McKinnie would finish the year with Golden State.
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“The players and coaches wanted to keep (McKinnie) and us, in the front office, agreed with that decision,” Warriors GM Bob Myers told reporters on a conference call on Monday morning.
Remember, the 26-year old is on a non-guaranteed contract -- which becomes fully guaranteed if the Warriors do not waive him by Jan. 7.
“It ain’t official until it’s official,” McKinnie told Mark Medina of the Bay Area News Group.
[RELATED: Patrick McCaw reveals why he wanted to leave Warriors, join Cavs]
Golden State Warriors
That's the right approach by McKinnie because you truly never know what could happen between now and the deadline.
It's been a wild couple of months for the Chicago native, who snagged an Opening Night roster spot just days before the regular season began. He then stole many headlines as he averaged 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds over a 13-game stretch from Oct. 22 to Nov. 15, while shooting over 48 percent from 3-point territory.
On the morning of Oct. 29, he helped his mom close on a house in Chicago. And hours later, he racked up 19 points and 10 rebounds against his hometown Bulls.
All the while, he knew his status with Golden State wasn't yet permanent, and he knew that McCaw could choose to re-sign with the Warriors at any time.
“I was trying not to think about the whole situation. It can turn into somewhat of a distraction,” McKinnie told BANG. “It’s a situation I’m in being on a non-guaranteed. I tried to think about the basketball part of it and thinking about me. Just trying to keep learning every day.”
Unfortunately for McKinnie, he missed nine games with a sore foot. And in the 13 games since returning, he's shooting below 22 percent from deep. He's still having an impact on the defensive end and is a terrific rebounder on both sides of the ball. He has a very healthy perspective.
“I already figured out what you got to do and stick to the basketball thing. Only worry about the things you can control," McKinnie explained. "I worry about the basketball aspect of it. Let management do what they do. Hopefully it’s all in my favor.
"I always had been somebody that don’t stress over stuff I have no control over. I have no control over what management does or what decisions they make. I can only control and how hard I play.”
Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller