Team president out as power shift continues for Warriors

This is not really a surprise, but the timing caught people off guard.

Golden State team president Robert Rowell has left the organization, according to CSN Bay Area.

Rowel, coach Don Nelson and GM Larry Riley formed the power structure under old owner Chris Cohen that has been blown up by new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.

Not necessarily well known outside the Bay Area, Rowell was a lightning rod for criticism in it. Lacob acknowledged that was not all his fault in the press release announcing the change.

“We believe that previous ownership really put him in a publicly challenging position over the past few years and I have a great deal of respect for how he has conducted himself as a professional.”

Rowell did a good job on the business side of the Warriors, but his overarching reach into the basketball side of the house was an issue.

This is just another part of the new owners changing just about everything with the franchise — Nelson is gone, now Rowell is gone, while Riley is around Jerry West and Bob Meyers have big says in personnel decisions.

The new owners may not be making all the right decisions, but they are doing well to distance themselves from a disliked old ownership.