Editor's note: Grant Liffmann (@grantliffmann) is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders, which airs on NBC Sports Bay Area 90 minutes before each home game and 60 minutes after every game. Each week, Grant will drop his Outsider Observation on the state of the Dubs.
The official start of the NBA year is here, as Chase Center welcomed the media to meet with Warriors coaches and staff for Warriors Media Day. Here are some observations from my Media Day experience:
- The biggest buzzkill of the day was hearing the news of Willie Cauley-Stein's foot injury, and watching the big man gingerly move around on crutches and in a boot.
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There was an obvious disappointment in Chase Center when players and coaches spoke about it, and there are legitimate concerns about the depth of the frontcourt for the Warriors starting out the season. There is optimism however that Cauley-Stein might be able to take the court sooner rather than later, and may miss only a minimum of regular-season action. One thing is clear though, the training staff will take their time rehabilitating his foot, and will not rush him back.
- The Warriors have a lot of humbled players on their roster that are looking to prove themselves in the league. The full transparency and honesty of many of the players during their press conferences were refreshing. New additions like Glen Robinson III and Omari Spellman spoke candidly about their journey to end up in Golden State, which was full of uncertainty, frustration and emotions. It is very clear that the Warriors signed a bunch of hungry players, ready to show the NBA that they are for real.
- Klay Thompson was moving around quite well on his rebuilt knee, and his excitement to be back was obvious. If you have not seen it yet, make sure to check out the impromptu conversation that Drew and I had with him. We all know of "China Klay", and "Headband Klay" etc, but after that unplanned hilarious chat, we might have to create a new alter-ego of "Media Day Klay."
- We are not insiders, that much is clear, but we do have some scoop to share: Steph Curry loves Chase Center popcorn. He told us as much.
Golden State Warriors
Curry was happily munching down Chase Center popcorn as he walked from set to set to fulfill all his Media Day responsibilities. Curry was more than willing to announce that the new arena's popcorn made it into his personal Top-10 rankings of NBA arena popcorn, but could not give a definitive answer on where it officially ranks. We will let you know as soon as we know.
- There were plenty of questions being asked to players about the new push for college athletes to be paid. One thing is very clear, the Warriors players are in full support of college athletes making money off their likeness through endorsements. In fact, rookie Jordan Poole went so far as to say he would have liked to make some dough after hitting his famous game-winning three-pointer playing for Michigan. He probably would have made money if he were able to then, but I'm pretty sure that Steph Curry would have benefited the most while in college.
- The NBA banned the "Ninja-style headband" after they burst on the scene last season.
The only Warrior that will be affected by this restriction will be two-way player Damion Lee, who rocked that headband all of last season. Lee stopped by our set to show off his new headwear, which looked similar to the makeup of the Ninja-style, but without the tangling tail in the back of the head. He said it will take some getting used to, but I'm confident he will be able to cope with this dramatic change in his life.
[RELATED: Kerr believes Steph will be in MVP race again]
- Omari Spellman says he lost 40 pounds over the last few months, and you could tell that he was in good shape and looking strong. Spellman says he plans on losing another 10 pounds by the start of the season. So next time I complain that it's too hard to drop a few pounds as a New Years' resolution, I'll just think about Omari's summer and get to the gym.