Melvin Ely has been attempting to facilitate a sign-and-trade deal throughout the summer.

?We?re having conversations with his agent (Dan Fegan) right now,? Bickerstaff said. ?They?re still pursuing a sign-and-trade deal.?

Ely has reportedly drawn interest from the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns this summer, but both teams have retreated from their pursuit.

Don Nelson is making sweeping changes to the Golden State Warriors , yet the coach's grand scheme begins with simple free throws.

Nelson will demand better free-throw shooting from his players when he opens training camp Tuesday in his second stint with the moribund club. And he won't be afraid to bench stars Jason Richardson and Baron Davis if they can't provide it.

Mike Montgomery recently auditioned for a job as an NBA analyst for ESPN in Connecticut.

Many have speculated that it would be long before he resurfaced as the head coach of a college program.

Chris Mullin announced the signing of Dajuan Wagner on Friday afternoon.

Wagner was drafted by the Cavaliers and has dealt with a myriad of injuries.

For much of the summer, free-agent guard DerMarr Johnson has been working out with Nuggets players.

Portland and Golden State are believed to be interested in Johnson.

Warriors assistant coach Mario Elie will not be back on the bench for the upcoming season, according to a team source.

Elie, when reached by phone Thursday, declined to elaborate on his situation. The team, however, indicated that the coaching staff has not been finalized.

Elie has one year remaining on his three-year contract. If he were to get an offer from another team, he would need permission from the Warriors to release him from his contract. If another coaching opportunity does not come along, Elie's role with the team could change until his contract expires.

Warriors point guard Baron Davis, coming off one of the most frustrating seasons of his career, says he has a renewed vigor, a re-shifted focus.

``My focus and where I'm headed is where I need to be at this point,'' Davis said Thursday in a phone interview with The Mercury News. ``I don't think I have to prove anything to nobody accept myself. Last year I was out to prove to everybody I was back. This season, I don't care about that. I've just got a more selfish approach with the things I need to do.''

The reclamation process has started with his body. Davis has taken a hard-line approach to improving his health.

Davis, who missed 28 games because of injury last season, rested the entire summer to heal his sprained right ankle, which at one point he was told might require surgery. He embarked on a strict diet, which includes lots of sushi and no eating out late at night.

The Golden State Warriors have hired Stephen Silas as an assistant coach, it was announced today by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

Silas, 33, arrives in Oakland with five years of NBA coaching experience after spending two seasons on the bench with the Cleveland Cavaliers and three seasons with the New Orleans/Charlotte Hornets, having worked on the coaching staff of his father, Paul Silas, with both teams.  He spent the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers, where he was charged with individual skill work, player development, game preparation, pregame walkthroughs as well as managing and developing technology and NBA scouting systems for the coaching staff.

With Don Nelson back at the helm in the Bay Area, he plans on instilling a running style, utilizing the Warriors 'mystery men'.

''Mickael Pietrus is one of my mystery guys,'' Nelson said in an interview with The Mercury News.  ''He will play for me if he does what I want him to do, emphasizing the defensive end and not to worry about the offensive end. He's a great athlete and he can run. And I'm looking for runners.''

''There are other mystery guys; I don't know if they'll be able to make the next move I want them to make. I'm going to need (Troy) Murphy to play some center for us. If he can make some adjustments, he'll have his best year. And it will allow me to play Dunleavy at the ``4,'' because he basically struggles at small forward. He can function offensively better against the ``4s'' in the league.''

''And (Monta) Ellis is a mystery guy. I'm not sure as a high school player (two years ago) if he's ready to play big minutes. I'd like him to, and I'm going to give him the opportunity.''

Will Bynum signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Bynum played 15 games for the NBA's Golden State Warriors last season averaging 3.6 points and 1.3 assists per game.

Bynum originally signed with Boston in 2005, but was waived during the preseason.

He is the fourth player to join Maccabi this season following the signings of Simas Jasaitis, Lior Eliyahu and Rodney Buford.