Observations from Warriors' preseason opener

OAKLANDOf course its unfair to try to draw sweepingconclusions from one game, particularly when its an exhibition game. But letstry anyway.The Warriors opened up the preseason with a 107-96 victoryover the Sacramento Kings at Oracle, and here are a few observations:RECAP: Warriors top Kings in preseason opener
--Ekpe Udoh looks like a bona-fide NBA player. Not that hedidnt last season, but Udoh didnt exactly thrive under coach Keith Smart ayear ago. Udoh didnt rebound enough and was tentative with his face-upjumper.On Saturday night against the Kings, Udoh unveiled a littlebit of a post-up game, scoring two times in a row with his back to the basketin the first halfonce with the left and once with the right.
Of all the Warriors players, Udoh could be the playercapable of making the most strides from Year 1 to Year 2. Udoh finished with 10points and four rebounds in 26 minutes.--Klay Thompson didnt shoot the ball well on Saturday, butthats less important than the fact he seems like hell be able to squeezeshots off. Thompson isnt overly athletic, but hes got some spring in his stepwhen going to the basket.Fair or not, Thompson, a rookie, is going to be veryimportant to the team. The reason? Hes going to play. Hes going to have tobecause depth in the Warriors backcourt is a weakness.The other thing Thompson tried to do was go to the bucketonce he realized his shot wasnt falling. After starting out 1-for-6 from thefield, he finished 4-for-10.--Mark Jacksons sideline demeanor was calm for the mostpart. He spent about half his time sitting down and half his time standing up.Hes not a big yeller or screamer but does give plenty of instruction duringthe game.--For those expecting some kind of dramatic change out ofcenter Andris Biedrins, hey, its not going to come all at once. Biedrinscertainly wasnt bad, but he wasnt a huge presence, either. If theres onething noticeable about Biedrins its that he does seem to be expending a lot ofenergy, which means he helped get the Warriors a few extrapossessions.Biedrins finished with two points and five rebounds in 16minutes.--Hes not a Warrior, but Jimmer Fredette is worth keepingan eye on. Hes not much of a defender (what rookie is?), but he can shoot theball and has a knack for being able to get shots off.What he lacks in athletic ability, he makes up for in rangeand know-how. Question going forward for Fredette is whether hell ever be ableto hold his own against point guards or two guards on the defensiveend.Offensively, hes got no issues. He ended with 21 points on7-of-11 from the field.