--Monta Ellis' surgery to repair a torn deltoid ligament near his left ankle was labeled successful. His ankle is expected to be immobilized for six weeks, after which he will begin a six-week rehabilitation regimen. That could put him back on the court for some light basketball-related activities on or around Dec. 1, with a possible return date close to Jan. 1 if all goes well.
Ellis, 22, also suffered a Grade 3 high ankle sprain and a syndesmosis disruption of his left ankle in the Aug. 21 incident, which he reported to Warriors management was nothing more than landing on an opponent's ankle during a basketball workout. The Warriors had their athletic trainer, Tom Abdenour, swing by Jackson, Miss., to check on Ellis on his way to South Africa for an appearance with the "Basketball Without Borders" group. The Oakland Tribune reported part of Abdenour's assignment was to confirm the incident took place on a basketball court, rather than on, say, a motorcycle, which would be in violation of his new six-year contract.
--Without Ellis, the Warriors will travel to China to highlight a six-game preseason schedule. They will face the Bucks twice across the Pacific -- Oct. 15 in Guangzhou and Oct. 17 at the Olympic Basketball Arena in Beijing.
--Three Warriors -- Andris Biedrins (Latvia), Ronny Turiaf (France) and Kosta Perovic (Serbia) -- began September competing for their native countries in the qualifying for EuroBasket 2009. A fourth, Marco Belinelli (Italy), was unable to play for his country as he was attending the NBA's Rookie Transition Program, which he could not make last summer because of a prior commitment. 2008 draft picks Anthony Randolph and Richard Hendrix, as well as Development League call-up C.J. Watson, joined Belinelli in New York.
--Warriors fans were surprised to hear the NBA approved "Thunder" as the new nickname of the Oklahoma City franchise. Much of the Warriors' design features thunder, and the team mascot is called "Thunder."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "On the positive side, we're dealing with a young kid who should recover nicely." -- Warriors coach Don Nelson, looking for a silver lining in Monta Ellis' ankle surgery.
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