Dub Hub: Kevin Durant shows ‘love’ for the Warriors ahead of Bay Area return

Warriors News:

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is ready for his Chase Center debut | Andscape

On Lacob and Golden State potentially retiring his jersey, Durant said: “He should. Look at the résumé. That would warrant me to get a jersey retirement, right? Do I want to be honored by a franchise I put work in for? Of course, I would love that. I had some great moments there. I built some solid relationships there. Yeah, man. Hell yeah, that would be sweet. I love that organization, man. I love my time there, seriously. Me leaving, people shouldn’t doubt that, because I left there.

“I’ve played there without the fans and I played against them in an arena where they were [the visiting team]. But definitely, Bay Area fans are one of a kind. So, I know they’re going to show love, but I’m not expecting nothing extra, to be honest.”

Golden State Warriors to be without Draymond Green in opener | ESPN

Kerr wouldn’t specify who will start in place of Green on Tuesday, though he experimented with several different starting groups through the team’s five preseason games. Chris Paul, when on the active roster, was a fixture in the starting lineup during the preseason.

Though Kerr is optimistic the Warriors have enough talent to stay afloat during Green’s absence, the coach acknowledges it will hold the team back to a degree.

“I have a clear vision of our team this year and it will not be on display tomorrow night because we are not where we need to be,” Kerr said. “We’re going to be way better in a month or two, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get off to a good start ... play well over the next couple of weeks as we’re fitting Draymond back in.”

ESPN hires Andre Iguodala, Austin Rivers, more as studio analysts: What to expect from them on-air | The Athletic

As a longtime NBA rightsholder and a media entity that leans heavily into basketball, ESPN is perennially in search of on-air talent — and especially those who have recently left the court. David Roberts, the head of event and studio production at ESPN and the lead executive for the network’s NBA and WNBA production, said he was impressed by Iguodala’s candor on his podcast as well as his storied history as a player and voice in the league. Iguodala won’t just appear on NBA-centric shows: Roberts said viewers will see him on “First Take” as well as “Get Up.”

How Steve Kerr is changing Warriors practices to rectify “failed” season | The Mercury News

Kerr decided to change the structure and tenor of practices, handing over some organizational responsibilities to assistant Kenny Atkinson while he was away coaching Team USA in the FIBA Tournament. His coaching staff has nearly doubled in size since this ride began in 2014, which sometimes means untangling a chaotic stream of voices and ideas.

“There’s more attention to detail, in all facets,” Warriors longtime assistant coach Bruce Fraser said. “Our practices are similar in their form and format, but some of the portions of it are more detailed with fundamentals, read-based IQ and with some of our attention to detail on defense without fouling and rebounding.”

Warriors release their opening night roster ahead of Tuesday’s home opener

NBA News:

Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo agree to 3-year, $186 million max contract extension: Sources | The Athletic

How this impacts the Bucks’ cap situation

Looking at the rest of the Bucks’ salary cap sheet, it is worth nothing that Lillard has a player option for $63.2 million in the 2026-27 season (his age-36 season), so this contract extension for Antetokounmpo could potentially sync up the Bucks’ superstar duo for the next four seasons. And if Antetokounmpo decides to opt out of the final year of that contract before 2027-28 season, he could hit free agency at 32 years old. — Nehm

Ranking every defense heading into 2023-24 season: Raptors, Lakers among biggest risers; Bucks, Grizzlies fall

With offenses on the rise, it is exceedingly difficult to build a great NBA defense. All of the top four teams from last season had elite shot blockers, but there are many ways to build a top-10 defense. The Bulls got there with great point-of-attack defenders. The Thunder used one of the more innovative defensive schemes in the league. The Heat used a healthy dose of zone and had two elite players in Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. The list goes on and on.

A look at the Nike City-Edition jerseys for every NBA team this upcoming season

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Report: ‘Significant gap’ between Warriors and Thompson in extension talks

Does this mean Thompson and the Warriors are through? Not necessarily. Waiting until the offseason to make a deal is riskier, but it makes sense for both parties. Thompson is reportedly fitter than last fall, when he didn’t play basketball all summer, and could greatly increase his value with a big year. The Warriors can also make a clearer financial decision next summer, when they’ll know exactly how much they can offer Thompson without going over the apron, without either side having to speculate.

How Moses Moody can nail himself to the rotation by punishing the “nail”

With Thompson drawing two defenders around the ball screen and Looney’s roll drawing in the low man, Moody “shakes” (lifts) from the corner toward the wing and makes himself available for the open look. The lift makes the closeout distance longer, making sure that the low man can’t recover on time to effectively contest the shot.

In a vacuum, those are the minute decisions that will help win games. Over the long run, being able to drill those shots will what helps him not only be part of the rotation — it’ll help him stick around much longer this time.

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