Dub Hub: Joe Lacob unveils reasoning behind the Chris Paul trade

Warriors News:

Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob shares his thoughts on the Chris Paul trade | The TK Show

Steve Kerr’s approach to FIBA World Cup is clear with Hart-Ingram lineup change. Will it work? | The Athletic

“I really liked the lineup shift for BI,” Kerr said. “The game was much smoother. He had five assists. There was more space, he had the ball more. I know he enjoyed it. … I can’t speak highly enough of BI, just his character and the way he handled that because he’s not used to coming off the bench and he was playing fine. It wasn’t, you know, he wasn’t really struggling. He just wasn’t featured in that lineup.

“We gave it a couple of weeks because we were winning and we were generally getting off to good starts until the last two games. And this is what I was talking about (Wednesday). It’s tricky in FIBA, but you gotta figure out your team quickly. And we just, I think over the last month we’ve just decided BI with that next group makes a little more sense.”

Fifteen former Warriors stars worthy of Ring-of-Honor-type recognition | NBC Sports Bay Area

Andrew Bogut

Bogut was the third pillar, after Curry and Thompson, installed for Golden State’s foundation to greatness. Acquired in trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, the 7-footer brought an defensive mentality to a franchise fixated on offense. He was a 2015 NBA champ and on the 73-9 team in 2016. Kevon Looney and Green still apply tips learned from Bogut.

Predicting NBA’s Top 100 Players for 2023-24 Season | Bleacher Report

6. Stephen Curry

That’s not supposed to be the case for a 35-year-old, but how can anyone deny it after he averaged 29.4 points per game on great efficiency in the regular season and upped his scoring average to 30.5 points in the playoffs?

Though he did have a few empty possessions in big moments of Games 1 and 4 against the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, it’s perhaps harsh that on this list he’s below a player who didn’t make the playoffs and another who had a dismal postseason.

Of the top six players, Curry played the fewest number of regular-season games last year, and he’s six years older than Joel Embiid, the second-oldest of the group. Of the six, he’s easily the most likely to decline this season, and that surely was a reason he finished outside the top five.

If Curry maintains his 2022-23 play this season, even this ranking—including a second-place finish among guards—could prove to be too low when the year comes to a close.

—Akeley

Klay Thompson dukes it outs with legendary Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao... in chess

NBA News:

Team USA survives tough test from Montenegro at FIBA World Cup | ESPN

The victory, along with Lithuania’s win Friday, puts Team USA in the World Cup quarterfinals next week. But it underscored the challenge forthcoming, first Sunday against a giant Lithuania team and then potentially onward as the level of competition increases.

Montenegro, loaded with size and playing with confidence, led at halftime and refused to let the Americans get comfortable until the very end. It was a four-point game with three minutes to play before Reaves drilled a clutch 3-pointer that finally gave the U.S. some separation.

Austin Reaves at the FIBA World Cup looks like the star the Lakers have long pursued | The Athletic

The Lakers have pursued other star guards, including Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry and Kyrie Irving. Even into this summer, there were some in the organization, including James, who still had an interest in pursuing Irving, though the front office ultimately prioritized continuity. Trae Young has long been on Los Angeles’ radar, depending on how his situation unfolds in Atlanta.

Former Timberwolves player Patrick Beverley believes Anthony Edwards will leave Minnesota

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

How much would a fifth ring change Steph Curry’s legacy?

It would certainly put him in a rarefied air, if you just look at the numbers. A fifth championship would not only tie Curry with Magic, but with Kobe and Tim Duncan, as well. Perhaps more pertinent to the era he plays in, it would give him more rings than LeBron James. It would also put Curry in a spot where only 13 players in NBA history have more rings than he does ... and only two of those — Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar — were superstars playing in a league with a few dozen teams.

To my eye, the real legacy-builder in another ring (which, by the way, would give Draymond Green and Klay Thompson a quintet, too) isn’t so much in the ring count, but in the variety of ways in which he did it. Curry led an upstart team to a championship over more traditional powerhouses. He seamlessly worked in a co-superstar in Durant to win two more. He helped the Warriors rebound post-Durant and reach the top of the mountain again. A fifth ring would symbolize working in an old rival, adjusting to an ever-evolving league, and somehow besting the new generation of stars while in his mid-30s.

Three guards from Stephen Curry’s Warriors past

Monta Ellis

The one who’d find a way to get the ball in the basket; even if it meant dribbling for 23.9 seconds, whirling through three defenders, only to finally put so much English on the ball, it French-kissed its way into the rim, nestling under the net, and us hearing the simultaneous roar of the crowd as it drowned out the ensuing whistle.

— Andy Liu

A tweet to end the week:

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