I'm Back!

By Adonal Foyle, with Chris Navalta

It's great to be back and here talking to you all again. As you know, a lot has transpired over the past week-and-a-half. The free agent period officially began July 1 and the phones were ringing off the hook. I'll let you in on that later. But first, I feel I should fill you all in on the events that went on prior to my new contract...

One thing we all decided to do (myself, my agent Lon Babby and everyone else in my camp) was that in case I needed to go and meet with teams, I needed to start working out. So, I cut my vacation to Jamaica short and checked myself into a small spot in New York City where I put myself in a hard and strict workout regiment at the Reebok Sports Club in Manhattan. I was in there seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m!

I met with Lon and we worked up a core list of teams that I might be interested in: Boston, Orlando, Milwaukee, Utah and Golden State. When it came down to it, these were the teams that I considered. Next, I had to determine which would be the best situation for me. And would I be able to fit in with whichever team I play for? I spoke to all the general managers and coaches about their teams. I met with Boston Celitcs G.M. Danny Ainge as well as Head Coach Doc Rivers. And in Milwaukee, I spoke with Sen. Herb Kohl.

I must say that they were some very intriguing conversations, but it basically came down to what would be the best ideal situation for me: What other players was each team trying to bring in? How well would I fit in? I was very intrigued by what Sen. Kohl had to say. If nothing else, it was a delight just to talk to him. We shared our thoughts on everything from basketball to campaign finance reform.

One thing that stayed consistent when it came to the Warriors, was that they kept emphasizing how much they wanted to bring me back. It was very significant for me to have a long conversation with their general manager, Rod Higgins. Knowing guys like Rod and even having shared the floor for one season with President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin, I feel very comfortable around those guys. Then, when I spoke to the new Warriors coach, Mike Montgomery, he basically echoed what every other coach said: He wanted to opportunity to coach me and see what kind of potential I had. He knows that I haven't been used right over they years.

At the same time a lot of my friends were telling me that now would be a good time to make a change (as in change of team, scenery, etc). It was hard to disagree with them but I also remembered that the Warriors are trying to do the same thing. They want to make some changes within the organization. And right now, from what the Warriors have been showing me, they are not just all talk. Their actions are speaking volumes to me. Certain things haven't gone right over several years. And I know that Rod and Mully would like to change that – by sheer will if needed.

When it came to the Warriors, I created a list of pros and cons of why I should re-sign. And I won't lie to you, the cons outweighed the pros. But still, I just thought that this was the right place for me to be. Here's a small sample of what my list looked like:
Cons:
Do I feel comfortable with this Warriors team?
Do I feel confident that things will change?
Is the team good enough to compete?
Pros:
Mully looking to make majors changes
Great fans.
My home is here.
Sunny weather.
Many of my friends are here.
Politically conscious people in Berkeley.
I would like to be part of bringing the championship title to the Bay Area!

So it was good to write out all these things during my pondering, but it still didn't really help much. Yes, the pros and cons list works in a lot of situations. But you still don't have a lot of information.

Everyone comes to you and delivers their best sales pitch and displays the absolute best face of the organization. Yet, you still need more than what they give you. It was still very hard. So, I realized that at the end of the day, no true list can give you the right sense of the organization. There has to be an actual feel for it. And there has to be a feel for the people as well. I felt in awe of some of the people that I met, especially how they were able to cut my game up and evaluate me. (That was kind of eerie).

I'm not going to be fake and say that financial compensation wasn't a consideration. It certainly was. And I'll be the first to put that out there. But if I really wanted maximum money, I could have gone to some other team, so the money wasn't the main issue. As soon as teams were free to talk to free agents, my phone probably rang every ten minutes for the first four days. And that's not an exaggeration.

Lon did a great job, fielding the offers, but anything that has to do with me, I want to be involved in every way, shape and form. My job was to meet with the teams, talk to them and ask any questions I had. I met with Lon in his office in Washington D.C., and from there, we would either meet with people in person or have a conference call.

What happens now is simple – work, work and more work. Believe it or not, I just got past the easy part. What's hard is keeping your body in shape and getting your mind ready for an 82-game season. The older you get, the better you have to take care of your body. That is something Karl Malone has taught me. I want to play in this league for a long, long time. And watching Karl over the years, I see where that has taken him.

I officially re-sign with the Warriors on Wednesday (7/14), in L.A.

I want to thank Lon and everyone else in my camp. And I want to especially thank the fans because you were a major reason for me wanting to stay here. Thank you for your support during my injury and thank you for being such loyal fans. I am forever in your debt and I will work hard to give you my best basketball every night.

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