The Warriors signed their top picks in the 2011 NBA Draft to contracts Tuesday, announcing that they had agreed to terms with Klay Thompson and Jeremy Tyler.
Terms were not announced.
Following the signings, Thompson and Tyler participated in their first practice for the Warriors.
The Warriors had been holding off on signing Thompson and Tyler in order to sign DeAndre Jordan to an offer sheet. By not signing the two rookies, the Warriors were able to maximize a deal for Jordan.
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Nevertheless, the Clippers matched the Warriors offer.
Clearly, the Warriors are hoping Thompson can help sooner rather than later. At Mondays media day, owner Joe Lacob predicted that Thompson might very well win the NBAs Rookie of the Year award. When Thompson was told of Lacobs statements later, he acknowledged that was his individual goal.
At present, second-round pick Charles Jenkins appears to be the first guard off the bench, but most likely at the point guard position. Thompson will likely get an opportunity for minutes early on, backing up Monta Ellis at off guard and Dorell Wright at small forward.
As for Tyler, it remains to be seen where he fits in. New coach Mark Jackson indicated months back that Tyler would have an opportunity to get some minutes in the frontcourt, but that might be a stretch at this point.
Andris Biedrins, newly-signed Kwame Brown, David Lee, Ekpe Udoh and Lou Amundson are already on the roster and its tough to see where Tyler will now carve out playing time.
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Its possible that Tyler could spend part of the season playing for the Dakota Wizards, the Warriors D-League affiliate.
The team also signed four free agents -- forwardcenter Julian Khazzouh, guards Tommy Mitchell and Tim Pickett, as well as free agent forward Tommy Smith.
Thompson, 21, was the 11th overall pick after three standout seasons at Washington State. The two-time all-conference pick appeared in 98 games during his three-year career, averaging 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.4 minutes per contest. Last season, the 6-foot-7 guard averaged 21.6 points per game, which led the Pac-10 and ranked 11th in the nation.
Tyler, 20, was selected with the 39th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by Charlotte then acquired by the Warriors for cash considerations. He played the 2010-11 season with the Tokyo Apache of the Basketball Japan League, averaging 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in 33 games. In 2009-10 he appeared in 10 games with Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli League after leaving high school following his junior year to play professionally overseas.