Santa Cruz Warriors news: 'SeaDubs' open regular season tonight, Kevon Looney's D-League debut remains uncertain

As described in Amanda's article about media day the other day, the Santa Cruz Warriors will enter the 2015-16 season with a lot of new faces to defend their D-League championship.

And with Milos Miliavljevic being waived on Monday, that number of returners is just four of the 10 remaining players from training camp on the roster as the Warriors face the Bakersfield Jam at 7 p.m. (you can watch this game and all of the Santa Cruz Warriors' games on YouTube).

But it's the new additions that could end up making a difference.

Highlighting the final roster are the Golden State Warriors' three affiliate players, Xavier Henry, Chris Udofia and Juwan Staten who all spent time in Oakland during NBA training camp this year. And as initially reported by Chris Reichert, the Warriors are used those remaining two roster spots on Daniel Orton and Elliot Williams — a pair of veterans who should only add to the experience of this team as it aims to win back-to-back titles.

Santa Cruz Warriors cut roster to 10 tonight. Likely 2 of those move to inactive to make way for Daniel Orton & Elliot Williams to join club

— Chris Reichert (@Chris_Reichert) November 11, 2015

Kevon Looney's Santa Cruz debut still undetermined

Then, of course, there's the anticipated assignment of 2015 Golden State Warriors draft pick Kevon Looney, who has been out due to rehabbing from surgery on his knee. Looney is expected to either complete his rehab process or at least play some games in Santa Cruz this season, once he gets healthy as Santa Cruz coach Casey Hill toward Golden State of Mind's Amanda Edwards on media day.

"This year I think Kevon Looney will spend some time with us," Hill told Golden State of Mind during last Friday's media day. "Once he’s down hopefully we have built a very comfortable place for him to come and understand what we are running here and play carefree. This is something I think he completely understands which is why we are doing this here."

However, Hill isn't rushing to look ahead to Looney's arrival with a team of players already in camp to coach in the present — it's difficult to project a timetable or how he'll be used in Santa Cruz at this point.

"The first thing on the agenda is to make sure he is healthy and doesn’t rush into anything," Hill said. "So once we get closer to him putting a uniform the conversation will start about what he’s gonna be and what his role is going to be."

But between Looney making his professional debut in the D-League at some point and Golden State's three affiliate players getting the opportunity to work on their games, Santa Cruz will be worth paying attention to this season for all Warriors fans — maybe moreso than any other time the franchise moved to Northern California, depending on how good you believe Looney can become.

Full 2015-16 Santa Cruz Warriors roster

Today's NBA schedule

Elsewhere in the NBA, there are two nationally televised games on NBA TV: the Cleveland Cavaliers will face the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden and the Brooklyn Nets will take on the Sacramento Kings as a tune-up for the Warriors at Oracle tomorrow night.

I must say that I hope the Nets-Kings game goes quadruple overtime just for the heck of it.

The full schedule for today (all times PST):

4 p.m.: Utah Jazz at Orlando Magic

4 p.m.: Timberwolves at Pacers

4:30 p.m.: Atlanta at Boston

4:30 p.m.: Pelicans at Raptors

4:30 p.m.: Cavaliers at Knicks (NBA TV)

5 p.m.: Hornets at Bulls

5 p.m.: 76ers at Thunder

5 p.m.: Blazers at Grizzlies

5:30 p.m.: Lakers at Mavericks

6 p.m.: Rockets at Nuggets

7 p.m. Nets at Kings (NBA TV)

Consider this your Friday evening open thread for Santa Cruz Warriors basketball or the NBA games on the schedule.