Golden State Warriors likely to move back to San Francisco - NBA Update
Golden State Warriors are close to heading back to the city which they abandoned back in 1971, San Francisco.
According to San Jose Mercury News, the franchise is planning to occupy the new AT&T Park by 2017.
“Warriors have finalized plans to move to San Francisco. Announcement could come as early as Tues. Pier 31/32 arena w/ private”. The new paper reported.
Although an official promulgation is still awaited the chances of the shift were strengthened after the letter sent by San Francisco mayor Ed Lee to the Warrior front office. In his letter, he assured that the
club will get all the support from the city to bring the team in time for the 2017-18 seasons.
The letter that was signed by all of the 11 city supervisors, business and labour leaders, assuring that San Francisco will support the construction of the arena in every possible way.
Franchise owner Joe Lacob who also met the mayor earlier this month refrained from making any conclusive statements.
"We are not prepared to make any announcements at this time."
If the proposal gets a go ahead, it will be a long procedure requiring millions of dollars and tons of paper work before the two parties can formally reach an agreement. The new premises at Piers 30 and 32 which
Warriors are looking to acquire, will be one of the most modern and spacious arenas in United States and will be designed to host more than just basketball games.
It is difficult to project an estimated amount at this time but given the magnitude of project it will be exceptionally large. Moreover the majority of it will be privately funded, and the other half will be
coming out in the form of public investments, bonds.
Ever since the reigns of Warriors came into the hands of Lacob and co-owner Peter Gruber the team has seen visible changes. From uniforms to the coach staff and new players, the Warriors have undergone phenomenal
transitions.
Although it’s still a work in process as the Warriors concluded the regular season with a 23-43 record, resting amongst the bottom half of the league. But with players like Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut and Klay
Thompson the future looks bright.
Warriors' current building, the Oracle Arena, was constructed in 1966 and is amongst the oldest arenas in States. It has a seating capacity of 20,000. Compared to the other state of the art arenas it has fallen
short to come up to the modern day requirements.
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