Despite the fact the the NBA will officially lock out their players as of 12:01 a.m. ET , the Golden State Warriors still made a few transactions before they were no longer allowed to have contact with them. Most notably was the news that forward Louis Amundson exercised his $2.4 million player option for the 2011-2012 season, officially remaining a Warrior. Amundson may be a Warrior on paper, but if there is no 2011-12 season, he will become a free agent in 2012-13 and won't get paid a cent of his contract. Talk about a rock and a hard place. Make the jump for more on Amundson and the rest of the W's juicy, pre-lockout news.
Majority owner Joe Lacob indicated earlier this week that he did not think Amundson would be returning to the team, as that they were moving forward under that assumption. Lou averaged 4.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 46 games last season for Golden State, and never really got into the swing of the season due to a fractured finger early in the year and back spasms later in the season.
The team also announced the release of forward Jeff Adrien. Adrien had two stints on the squad last season, appearing in 23 games while averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.5 minutes. He was waived on December 9, 2010, and went to the D-League where he averaged 18.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.03 steals and 1.44 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game. He was re-signed by the Warriors as a D-League call-up on February 25, 2011.
San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami wrote a piece Thursday morning about Denver Nuggets center Nene Hilario declining his option with the Nugs, and the possibility of the Warriors acquiring him. It's going to take a lot of dough and possibly some talent in a trade, but it would be a smart move for the W's who are desperate for a gritty, powerful big man to pair with David Lee down low.
For more on the Warriors, head over to Golden State of Mind to get in on the action.