Tuesday, September 23 (11:23 a.m.) Warriors Trade Places With Southwest Airlines Nearly all NBA players seem to share a few common characteristics. They are all usually very athletic, a lot taller than most people and they can almost assuredly put the ball in the basket with much greater efficiency than the people who pay to watch them play. Not exactly earth-shattering news, we know that. But now a few Warriors might be able to stand out a little bit because they spent Monday working at the airport, an activity that's definitely not shared with many of their NBA brethren. As part of 'Trading Places,' presented by Southwest Airlines, several Warriors players and coaches took over for Southwest Airlines employees for the day at Oakland International Airport, directing planes to the appropriate gates, handling luggage, scanning boarding passes and making pre-boarding and in-cabin announcements. Among those taking part in the festivities were Warriors Captain Stephen Jackson, point guard C.J. Watson, rookie Richard Hendrix and Assistant Coaches Sidney Moncrief and Russell Turner. Together, the Warriors players and coaches ensured passengers aboard the NBA-themed jet dubbed the 'Slam Dunk One' a comfortable and safe flight. Check out the photo gallery below for some amazing images of the event. And for more on the Warriors Trading Places with Southwest Airlines, be sure to read this story from today's Oakland Tribune. Again, the Warriors send a huge thank you to Southwest Airlines for allowing the players and coaches to break away from the rigors of training camp preparation and enjoy a fun-filled and unique day at the airport.

Friday, September 19 (10:45 a.m.) Things Are Picking Up At Warriors HQ As we move toward the latter parts of September, the action is starting to pick up around the Warriors' practice facility in Downtown Oakland. Several of the players have been coming in to Warriors headquarters recently to take part in voluntary workouts and competitive pick-up games. View the photo gallery below to check out some of the action from today. Among those getting in the extra gym time have been DeMarcus Nelson, Dion Dowell and Rob Kurz. After playing on the Warriors Summer League team in July, all three signed with the team last week, and each has been a staple at the facility ever since. The Warriors will only be able to carry 15 players on the roster come Opening Night, and they currently have 17 players under contract after waiving Kosta Perovic last week. With that in mind, Nelson, Dowell and Kurz have been going all out in their unofficial scrimmages in hopes of securing one of the final roster spots. These workouts have been closed to the media, but word has it that Marcus Williams has been one of the team's brightest stars in these unofficial pick-up games. Three other players said to be turning in impressive performances thus far are rookie forward Anthony Randoph and second-year guards Marco Belinelli and C.J. Watson. All of these young players are hungry and ready for the start of training camp. After playing in Summer League and working out on their own for the past few months, it's time to show the coaching staff and their fellow teammates how much they have improved this offseason. They will all get the chance to do so when Warriors 2008 Training Camp officially kicks off with Media Day next Friday, September 26. Media Day will give Warriors players and coaches the chance to meet with, you guessed it, members of the Bay Area and national media. Players and coaches will also have their photos taken for future publications, and also record promotional pieces that will air on national TV, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, KNBR and more media outlets throughout the 2008-09 season. Be on the lookout for plenty of coverage from warriors.com in the coming days, as we will soon be launching Training Camp Central. This year we will provide more coverage than ever, complete with videos, audio interviews, feature stories, constant blog updates and full coverage of the team's pre-season trip to China. And of course we'll have plenty of behind-the-scenes access from Media Day, so stay tuned. Andris Biedrins ranks third in scoring and is the top rebounder in the EuroBasket 2009 Qualifying Tournament. (photo: FIBA Europe/Ansis Starks/ AFI) As everyone in the organization prepares for Training Camp, a few players have their focus elsewhere, and rightfully so. Both Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf are still playing for their national teams in the EuroBasket 2009 Qualifying Tournament. Biedrins has been one of the tournament's top performers, ranking third in scoring (23.0 ppg) and leading in rebounding (13.2 rpg). Entering his fifth year with the Warriors, Biedrins had 16 points and eight rebounds as Latvia improved to 4-1 with a 72-67 win over Estonia on Wednesday in the qualifying round. Turiaf has also opened eyes with his play, averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game for France (3-2). The Warriors' newest member of the frontcourt has also showed a bit of an outside touch, knocking down four of his seven three-point attempts. Turiaf had 11 points and nine rebounds on Wednesday in an 87-83 qualifying-round win over Ukraine. Qualifying round play will continue on Saturday with Turiaf's French team taking on Turkey and Biedrins and his Latvian teammates facing Portugal. For the latest on EuroBasket, click here. Quick Hits Corey Maggette had his high school jersey retired at a ceremony last week during the school's homecoming weekend. A 1998 graduate of Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., Maggette, No. 50, became just the second athlete in school history to have his jersey retired. Speaking of Maggette, you can bid on a special Corey Maggette Fan Pack, as well as a Game-Worn Al Harrington Shootaround Outfit and an Honorary Warrior Girl Experience, in the Warriors Pre-Season Auction. Bid now, as the auction will close on October 10. Do you play fantasy basketball? If so, make sure you check out the NBA.com fantasy team preview of the Warriors by clicking here. There are still a few Stephen Jackson bobbleheads available, and you can take one home if you purchase a Warriors 2008-09 Mini-Plan. Single-game tickets are also now available, so act now and purchase tickets for some of the most sought-after games of the season before they sell out. The Warrior Girls are preparing for their photo shoot for the ever-popular Warrior Girls Swimsuit Calendar. Warriors.com will have plenty of behind-the-scenes coverage of the event, so stay tuned over the coming days.

Wednesday, August 27 (10:15 a.m.) Jack's Trip Back Home Stephen Jackson officially launched his Jack 1 Foundation last week. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY (Photo By Elton Hayes / Courtesy of Golden State Warriors) As previewed in a recent Warriors PR blog entry, Stephen Jackson returned to his hometown of Port Arthur, TX, last week to launch his charitable foundation. The Jack 1 Foundation is committed to providing community initiatives that focus on youth development and empowerment regardless of socio-economic status. The charitable organization will aim to enhance the quality of life for underprivileged youth by providing opportunities through tutoring, various sports activities, and creating a viable force in the community. The foundation launched with a series of events, starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, August 20, that marked the grand re-opening of the Stephen Jackson Academy of Art, Science and Technology. The following evening, Jackson hosted the Jack 1 Foundation Tip-Off Dinner at Suga's Deep South Restaurant in Beaumont, TX. A silent auction of autographed items and other sports memorabilia was held at the dinner, and all proceeds benefitted the Jack 1 Foundation. The launch of the foundation was completed in the following days with a two-day basketball clinic for kids 8-18 at the Nederland Recreation Center. UPDATE - 10/5/08: Marcus Thompson II of the Contra Costa Times was among those attending the launch of the Jack 1 Foundation, and afterward he wrote an in-depth feature story on the often misunderstood Warriors swingman. To read the story, click here. For more on the festivities of last week, view the photo gallery below: RELATED INFO Warrior, ex-Lincoln standout Stephen Jackson gives back to Port Arthur -- Beaumont Enterprise

Summer League Blog Throughout the month of July, the warriors.com Blog Squad staff will be contributing our entries to the 2008 Summer League Blog. Click the link below for full coverage of the team's participation in this year's summer leagues in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, including game recaps, behind-the-scenes stories, interviews, and more. 2008 WARRIORS SUMMER LEAGUE BLOG

Draft Blog Throughout the month of June, the warriors.com Blog Squad staff will be contributing our entries to the 2008 Draft Blog. For full coverage of the team's preparation for the draft, including interviews, behind-the-scenes analysis and more, click on the link below. 2008 WARRIORS DRAFT BLOG

Friday, May 9 (12:45 p.m.) Time To Play The Lottery Mitch Richmond will represent the Warriors at the NBA Draft Lottery on May 20. (Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty) Yes, the Warriors have been out of action on the court for close to a month now, but that’s not to say that nothing has been going on around the team. As all facets of the organization look for ways to improve upon a highly successful 2007-08 campaign, a hot topic circulating throughout the team’s front office has been the upcoming 2008 NBA Draft Lottery, which will take place on Tuesday, May 20, at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Seacaucus, N.J. The Lottery will dictate which selection the Warriors will have in next month’s NBA Draft and as usual, we will do our best to provide you with the most complete coverage of the team throughout the Lottery process. From answering frequently asked questions about the Lottery to a complete history of pre-Lottery positioning, the special Draft Lottery section on warriors.com will provide you with the latest news on the team before, during and immediately after the Lottery. Warriors Director of Player Personnel Mitch Richmond will represent the team at the Lottery, and Golden State fans from the Bay Area and beyond will be rooting for him to bring the team some luck. Because the Warriors finished the 2007-08 season at 48-34, the best record among this year’s Lottery teams and the second best record in the history of the NBA for a non-playoff team, they are slated in the 14th position and have just a 0.5 percent chance of securing the first selection in the 2008 NBA Draft. For a more detailed look at the Lottery Probablities for this year and years’ past, click here. Although the chances are against the Warriors moving up in the Lottery, two teams in Lottery history have landed a top-three pick after entering the Lottery with the lowest possible probability. In 1993, Orlando, with a 1.5 percent shot at winning the lottery, landed the No. 1 selection and eventually drafted Chris Webber before trading him to the Warriors moments later. And in 1999, the Charlotte Hornets, who held the 13th and final pre-Lottery position, moved up to No. 3. Charlotte wound up selecting Baron Davis in the subsequent NBA Draft, and eventually traded him to the Warriors several years later. Is having a connection to the only two lowest-probability teams to move up via the Lottery a sign that the Warriors will steal one of the top three selections in this year’s Draft? Obviously, that’s wishful thinking, but if that were to happen, it would no doubt go down as one of the most memorable Lotteries in NBA history. Speaking of memorable Lottery moments, Warriors Legend Alvin Attles recalls being quite disturbed, to put it mildly, when the inaugural NBA Draft Lottery revealed that the Warriors would pick seventh, the worst Lottery pick possible, in the 1985 Draft. In that year, all eyes were on Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, but all ended well for Golden State, as the Warriors went on to draft a left-handed sharp-shooter from St. John’s by the name of Chris Mullin. More recently, the Lottery has helped shape the current team’s roster. Although Golden State didn’t have any chance with the ping pong balls last year, the team landed a Lottery Pick when it acquired Brandan Wright from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Jason Richardson on Draft Night 2007. Wright was one of six former Lottery picks the end the 2007-08 season with Golden State, joining Andris Biedrins (No. 11 pick, 2004 Draft), Austin Croshere (No. 12, 1997, selected by Indiana), Baron Davis (No. 3, 1999, selected by Charlotte Hornets), Patrick O’Bryant (No. 9, 2006) and Mickael Pietrus (No. 11, 2003). Whether or not the Warriors can land another gem from their Draft position remains to be seen, but regardless of whether they pick first, second, third or 14th, one can guarantee that Warriors fans around the world will be tuning in to the NBA Draft Lottery.

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