In today’s Dub Hub:
- Steph Curry doesn’t want Team USA to underestimate South Sudan, emphasizes the team must have “appropriate fear” ahead of Wednesday’s matchup
- Lauri Markkanen reportedly doesn’t want to be traded, according to Jazz insider Tony Jones.
- Photo of Victor Wembanyama towering over a Team Japan defender goes viral during France’s 94-90 overtime victory.
Team USA Basketball is set to face South Sudan on Wednesday for their second game of the 2024 Paris Olympics. This showdown marks a rematch of their recent exhibition game, where South Sudan nearly pulled off the stunning upset but came up just short by a score of 101-100.
Team USA’s narrow one-point victory has leaders on the team, such as Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, stressing the importance of maintaining an “appropriate fear” of their opponent in order to prevent another close call in Wednesday’s matchup.
Via ESPN:
“We have appropriate fear,” said Steph Curry, who has played for Kerr for a decade with the Golden State Warriors and is quite familiar with the concept. “We know we can’t just sleepwalk through any game and feel like you’re going to win.”
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Wednesday, July 31:
Warriors News:
Steve Kerr pushes ‘appropriate fear’ with U.S. Olympic team | ESPN
“We have appropriate fear,” said Steph Curry, who has played for Kerr for a decade with the Golden State Warriors and is quite familiar with the concept. “We know we can’t just sleepwalk through any game and feel like you’re going to win.”
The U.S. is a heavy favorite against the Bright Stars; ESPN BET has set the line at 29.5 points. But the Americans were favored by more than 40 points on July 20. It took a basket by LeBron James with eight seconds left and surviving multiple good looks the South Sudanese got just before the buzzer for the U.S. to secure a 101-100 victory.
“They came within one shot of beating us,” Kerr said. “I’m really glad that we played them so we can feel their speed and their 3-point shooting ability and feel how good they are.”
Jazz insider Tony Jones shoots down potential Lauri Markkanen trade: “Lauri doesn’t want to be traded“
Steve Kerr and Team USA’s next Olympic task: It’s time to get Stephen Curry going | The Athletic
Then again, as Kerr explained, Curry’s well-earned status as the greatest shooter who ever lived means he still makes a massive difference even when that legendary shot isn’t falling.
“A slow start for Steph (against Serbia),” Kerr said. “But you see the impact he makes. He comes flying off a double (team), and LeBron (James) throws it into Jrue Holiday for a layup because they’re terrified of Steph. So the beauty of Steph is that whether he makes shots or not, he impacts the game because he scares the other team. Just the threat of Steph impacts the game.”
Steph thriving in unofficial role as heart of Team USA | NBC Sports Bay Area
Curry in Paris is gleefully posing for photos with fellow Olympians and ordinary fans. He’s impishly trying to arrange a ping-pong battle between Edwards and members of the America’s table tennis queens. Curry is grinning and giggling while sitting at a podium with Durant – and contagious enough for KD to join in the chuckling.
And, of course, Curry is the guy hopping off the bench to wiggle and gesticulate and point – all with a smile – as a cheerleader for his teammates. If he senses any pressure being bottled, he’s doing his part to release it.
Fun facts about new Warriors’ player De’Anthony Melton
NBA News:
Behind the Scenes of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Go-for-Broke Summer | The Ringer
The Sixers’ confidence in their plans varied month to month, sometimes week to week. They drew hope from the Clippers’ shaky start last fall, with 10 losses in 18 games. They got fretful when the Clippers went 26-5 over the next two months.
“You could argue they looked like the best team, easily, to win the title,” Morey said of that stretch. “So we felt like the odds [of George leaving] were low.”
Around that time, Brand came to Morey and needled him about one of Morey’s pet catchphrases. “He was sort of joking with me,” Morey said. “He was like, ‘You talk all the time about optionality, Daryl! How are we feeling about that right now?’ And I was like …”—here, Morey paused and chuckled—“… ‘Yeah.’ It was a little nerve-racking, yeah, for sure.”
Why the Chicago Bulls knew they had to pivot | ESPN
If the seven-year relationship between LaVine and the Bulls could be described as a marriage, it’s one where both sides are in agreement that a separation is needed. Both parties have remained professional for now, but the only question is when, not if, the partnership will end and whether it can do so before things get messy.
“He’s never won, he’s done it his way the whole way and never won,” a team source told ESPN. “If he’s interested in winning, he’ll do what’s asked of him. And if he’s motivated to not be here, one way is to come, be compliant and be who he is.”
Photo of Victor Wembanyama towering over a Team Japan defender goes viral
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Report: Warriors trade target Lauri Markkannen hopes to stay with Jazz
If Markkanen does sign an extension in Utah, effectively taking him off the trade market, then the Warriors will be back at square one in their search for a scorer to replace Klay Thompson. Chicago Bulls wing Zach LaVine remains available and could be a buy-low fallback option for the Dubs, but that would require taking on a massive contract for a player with a long injury history. Outside of that, the current options are few and far between.
