--The Warriors sent Mitch Richmond to the NBA draft lottery looking for good luck. It was an interesting selection, since Richmond became a Warrior in the first place after the team suffered some bad luck in 1988. The Warriors entered the '88 lottery in the third draft position, but fell to No. 5 after an unfortunate bounce of the ping-pong balls. So, instead of getting the big man they coveted, they "settled" for the Kansas State standout, who went on to have -- arguably -- a Hall of Fame career, mostly with the Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Alas, Richmond brought the Warriors no lottery luck this year and the club will draft 14th in June.
--The Warriors have been in the lottery in 17 of its 24 years of existence. They have held their ground seven times (including their last five visits), fallen back seven times and moved up on three occasions. The years the Warriors were not in the lottery were following playoff appearances in 1987, '89, '91, '92, '94 and 2007, and because they traded the pick away in 2000. --Warriors television play-by-play man Bob Fitzgerald has been selected by NBC to be the voice of men's and women's water polo at the Beijing Olympics this summer. While many "minor" sports will be announced off a satellite feed in New York, Fitzgerald has been told he will do his work live in China.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "When you look at the team, I'm one of the fan favorites." -- Mickael Pietrus, a free agent this off-season who's doing his best to keep the doors open for a return to Golden State.
