The post USA Olympic Gold: Where It Started! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>Nobody would have guessed back in high school Steph Curry would thrill the world by making four incredible 3-pointers in the final 2:43 of the Gold Medal game to close out the victory in dramatic fashion. Curry finished with 24 points and went 17-of-27 from 3-point range in Team USA’s final two victories.
The
performance by Curry sealed his legacy as the best range shooter of all-time and as one of the game’s all-time greats. Nobody would have predicted a performance and career like the one Curry has had even from an all-time great high school player, but certainly not from the Golden State Warriors superstar.Nobody.
Before the Gold Medal game, we talked about what could be done to help the developmental process of USA Basketball as it relates to choosing Olympians and branding future stars and now that USA has won gold, we take a look at where each of the 13 players started from. All 13 players (Kawhi Leonard was selected but unable play) were certainly not elite high school players or All-Americans and each has a unique path to professional and Olympic success.
Below is a break down of Team USA's roster by our first and lasting impressions of them during their time in high school. Behind each impression is an important lesson that we still apply and use when evaluating up-and-coming players today. We will apply these lessons in the years to come as well.
Bam Adebayo, High Point Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) 2016
Always worked so hard every time we evaluated him and had a terrific senior campaign to finish No. 7 in the HOOP SCOOP’s final rankings for 2016. He is a great example of knowing your role and maximizing it to carve out a terrific career.
Devin Booker, Moss Point (Miss.) 2014
The son of a CBA player who was highly regarded in college (Missouri’s Melvin Booker), Devin got great insight from his father on how not to rely on athleticism and to be a complete player using both his mind and physical attributes. Booker had a McDonald’s All-American talent level, but what struck us was how under control and poised he was as a high school prospect. This from our Mississippi correspondent Lavel Johnson: “He had the look of a high major prospect after seeing him the first game of his tenth grade year. I had alot of people mad around here because I said he I felt he had a higher ceiling than Malik Newman."
Stephen Curry, Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, N.C.) 2006
We saw Curry at the 2005 NBPA Top 100 Camp and he was there as a "legacy pick” as the son of a former NBA player. He wasn’t an elite prospect and even his father’s alma mater (Virginia Tech where Dell Curry played) didn’t have a scholarship to give him coming out of high school. Would the Hokies have loved him as a preferred walk-on? Sure. But Davidson turned out to be a great fit, he got physically stronger and better and most importantly, he went where he got the opportunity to play right away. In this era of NIL, playing right away is even a bigger factor for incoming freshmen. Back that it was perhaps not as important, but Curry used the scholarship snub it as motivation and kept honing his craft to become an all-time great. Curry’s story goes to show that development never stops and proves the point how the stars of USA Basketball’s youth programs won’t necessarily be the stars on the big Olympic stage.
Anthony Davis, Perspectives Charter (Chicago) 2011
Similar to Steph Curry, Davis was an ultimate late bloomer, but his blossom occurred while he was still in high school and not after he accepted a scholarship offer. For Davis, a growth spurt of 7-8 inches over a two-year period fueled his rise at a small charter school in the Chicago Public League. Prior to spring 2010, few outside of Chicago knew who Davis was, but by the first session of Nike EYBL at Boo Williams Sports Complex in Virginia for Meanstreets, Davis' name was quickly spreading across the country. He went from national obscurity in March 2010 to "he's a Top 5 national prospect" at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run-n-Slam All-Star Classic in Indiana in early May and ended as the best long term prospect in the class. He is now part of the NBA’s Top 75 all-time player list.
Kevin Durant, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 2006
One of the NBA’s all-time greatest scorers is a terrific example of hindsight. A great example of making bold statements after the fact. It was easy to say Portland royally screwed up by drafting Greg Oden before KD as the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. In reality, in real time and without the benefit of hindsight, Oden was a terrific prospect. It was a close call to keep the big man as the No. 1 player in the national class of 2006, but the HOOP SCOOP’s Clark Francis pointed out then at the end of the 2006 cycle that Durant had a chance to be an all-time great because of his work ethic and desire to be great. We questioned that logic just a bit at that time; we knew Durant was going to be a fine player, but Francis ended up being right. Durant has the necessary size and athleticism, but it was his work ethic that put him over the top. You can’t always measure or define work ethic is what he take from Durant’s remarkable career.
Anthony Edwards, Holy Spirit Prep (Atlanta, Ga.) 2019
Ant Man has always been a great soundbite and a great prospect. It was evident right away within the first half of his first game at the 2018 Pangos All-American Camp that he was the best prospect there and had a chance to be a terrific NBA player. He eventually re-classed to the 2019 class and went on to be the first pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Will he be the leader of the 2028 US Olympic team?
Joel Embiid, The Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.) 2013
The big man was discovered at the 2011 Basketball Without Borders (BWB) event in South Africa and was guided to attend Montverde Academy in Florida for the 2011-12 high school season. He didn’t play much meaningful minutes for the No. 9 team in the FAB 50 that lost in overtime to Findlay Prep in the Chipotle Nationals (then NHSI) title game. Embiid made the decision to leave Montverde and he blossomed into a second team All-American Elite team choice as a senior. Had Embiid been part of the American high school and grassroots system earlier, he might of earned even more honors and been ranked higher than No. 6 by ESPN and No. 13 by 247Sports.com. Who know what happens if he never attends the BWB event or leaves MVA to get more guaranteed playing time at The Rock School. Since Embiid developed into a NBA MVP, his story speaks to the global expansion of the game and how making a sound decision on what high school to attend is paramount.
Tyrese Haliburton, Oshkosh North (Oshkosh, Wis.) 2018
We first saw this combo guard at the 2015 Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp. He was a good prospect, but not considered one of the better performers at the event. The camp for rising ninth and tenth-graders was dominated by names such as Tyler Herro, Talen Horton-Tucker, Patrick McCaffery and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. At the end of the day, Haliburton wasn’t chosen for either one of the camp’s All-Star Games. What is an oversight? Perhaps, but the lessons here is one camp setting is never the end-all to a final evaluation, players don’t have to be discouraged by how scouts feel in a camp setting if they are getting better and what players take from a camp. Haliburton later thanked camp director Dinos Trigonis for the motivation in not selecting him, as he used that motivation to keep betting better and now is a two-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist.
Jrue Holiday, Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) 2008
He came from an athletic family, and looked like a future big timer right away in his high school career. What he did was get better every season and developed into the Gatorade National Player of the Year and a top three national recruit. What Holiday possessed was probably the best body control of any guard we have evaluated in the last 30 years. He fits his role perfectly on winning teams and may be a shoo-in for the NBA Hall of Fame one day.
LeBron James, St. Vincent-St Mary (Akron, Ohio) 2003
James has become exactly what we thought in real time; an all-time great. It was evident right from the beginning as he was a great youth player on the national AAU level and our national freshman of the year. James’ public image has take some slight dings in his time with the Lakers, but he’s been a terrific ambassador and a great role model for over 20 years.
Kawhi Leonard, ML King (Riverside, Calif.) 2009
He was a part-time starter as a sophomore at Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley, Calif.), but by halfway through his senior year it was clear he was the best player in California and a top 15 national prospect. It was too late to make him a McDonald’s All-American and too late from some of the big-time schools that wanted to get in on him late, as he stayed loyal to the San Diego State staff. Not making an early judgement on a prospect is the lesson here. Players do get better.
Jayson Tatum, Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 2016
HOOP SCOOP ranked him No. 4 in the national class and he was third in the Mr. Basketball USA voting behind honoree Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson. He was a steady prospect and we thought he would have been the wiser choice for the Lakers at No. 2 in the 2017 NBA Draft. Los Angeles went for the hometown star from UCLA and Celtics fans couldn’t be happier.
Derrick White, Legend (Parker, Col.) 2012
He was lightly recruited out of high school and was an honorable mention all-state choice. We don’t recall him off hand at any major grassroots events or being in consideration for any of our honors based teams. Not only was he not in consideration for any All-American honors, but he wasn’t even in the rather large pool of players considered. There are tons of players that aspire to play at the next level, but only one NAIA school (Johnson & Wales University in Denver) took a serious look at White and even then it was a non-scholarship institution. White got a break when its head coach, Jeff Culver, took a job at Colorado–Colorado Springs, a D2 program, and offered him a stipend to attend. The non-scholarship player got a shot and what Culver did know was White was likely to keep growing and fill out and that’s exactly what happened. White keep growing even as his high school career was finishing, and he became an immediate freshman D2 starter. He eventually became UCCS’s all-time leading scorer and transferred to Colorado for his final season of eligibility. White is another clear example of why accurately projecting where a player will end up down the line is so vital to the recruiting process and needing only one coach to believe in you and give you a shot is reality. White got that one shot and had that one coach and took full advantage.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores
The post USA Olympic Gold: Where It Started! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Team USA: The Big Miss appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>As Team USA goes for its fifth straight men's basketball Olympic Gold Medal on August 10 (3:30 pm ET, NBC) against host France, we wanted to put into perspective what the Olympics has meant to American basketball development over the years.
To give it some perspective, Team USA was 143-6 all-time entering Olympic competition at this year's games, including the 5-3 "disaster" of 2004 when America took the Bronze medal. Overall, there is no big problem. Everyone always says the world has caught up to the U.S.A., but in reality, they still have a plenty ways to go.
Serbia led 76-63 with 10 minutes remaining in this year's semifinal contest vs. the USA with arguably the best player in the world on its team (Nikola Joki?) and still fell, 95-91. When Team USA had to get it done, it defended and played team ball. It wasn't all that surprising it made that comeback. It's how it got to this point that raises questions and/or doubts about the quality and usefulness of the American Olympic process.
There is no denying that the decision to use NBA players starting with the 1992 Olympics in Spain and coaching clinics around the world featuring some of the brightest minds over the last half century is the reason the world is so much better at the game we love. The Dream Team gave the world the motivation and our coaches gave the world the know how to get better at the game. Without that 1992 Dream Team, there perhaps is no Joki? today, or maybe a player of his caliber wouldn't have developed for another 50 years or so.
Many folks feel the development across the world has come at the expense of development here in the United States, but at the highest level, that development is curtailed.
There are two things that made the Dream Team work in 1992. tThe timing of its announcement and Team USA's 82-76 loss to the Soviet Union in the 1988 semifinals. If the late John Thompson and his group of college players (alongside David Robinson, who hadn't yet played pro ball but was the No. 1 pick of the 1987 NBA Draft) had won Gold in Seoul, South Korea, who knows if we are even having this discussion now. USA and the rest of the world was ready to see what would happen with NBA players and there was no better group than the guys on that 1992 Dream Team to make it a success. Perhaps it wouldn't have worked as well in 1988 or in 1996. Timing is very important and people forget the go-to players on this year's US Olympic team, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, are significantly older than anyone on the 1992 Dream Team, which had the make and feel of a veteran national team.
Lost in the Dream Team's greatness is the lack of a tryout process. And there hasn't been one since.
Yes, USA Basketball has done a fine job at the youth level and are dominant in the 19U-16U age groups. But those players who dominate the younger levels are not necessarily the ones who dominate at the senior levels. Development happens at various stages for aspiring players and what the Olympic team is missing is a tryout process.
Having a tryout process would eliminate some of the issues that come with clashing NBA egos on a team and would help with chemistry. Now, NBA stars probably don't want to be part of the tryout process, as they don't want to give up the leverages they have worked at for years to attain as the world's best, but the positives would outweigh any backlash.
The positives of a tryout process are many. It would create an atmosphere of fairness, it would help foster a team culture (instead of a group of star players), and most importantly, would be great evaluation for NBA personnel, not to mention college and grassroots scouts for the younger players. It would also create what recent Olympic teams are missing: the ability for role players to increase their worldwide profile and young players to enjoy a marketing platform that would help the world know more about the up-and-coming and future pro stars. With the current state of college basketball and the NBA's reliance on players to enter the league who have been out of high school for less than a year, there are limited ?opportunities to market players to the point where they have built brand value and a faithful following prior to the draft. This would help in that area tremendously and be a win for everyone involved in the process.
The tryout should include non-NBA players and elite high school players, if the selection committee deems them worthy. Only a few might be worthy every four years, but after watching Cooper Flagg (last season's Mr. Basketball USA and now a Duke freshman) doing what he did against Team USA at a scrimmage, it would be meaningful to have that type of atmosphere in a formal tryout setting. Even for the players who didn't make the team, it would be a tremendous evaluation and marketing opportunity.
As NBA agent and marketing veteran Nate Jones points out, the Olympics are one of the few events left in terms of media platforms, where the masses still watch the game at one time. For an up-and-coming star to be siting on the bench or contributing in a way that is not the norm for a max contract NBA player, it would not only be a great opportunity, it would enhance the team and set a great example of what a team should be on on the world stage.
For anyone who attended an Olympic tryout prior to the formation of the Dream Team, it was more than an excellent evaluation tool. For Frank Burlison, a McDonald's All-American voters since the game's inception in 1977, the 1984 Olympic tryouts was one of the best settings and best basketball he ever evaluated. This coming from a person who has attended endless summer games since the 1970s to NBA Finals games featuring Michael Jordan. Even players who were cut from that '84 Olympic tryout, such as future NBA Hall of Famers John Stockton and Charles Barkley, got tremendous milage out of the experience.
Now, the 1984 team led by Jordan was one of the best teams of all-time that didn't feature NBA players. As the late Bobby Knight told the world before they could understand or were ready to hear from a coaching perspective, Jordan was that special of a talent and the team around him, which included Patrick Ewing and specialists such as sharp-shooter Steve Alford, was strong. It was evident when Thompson was putting his team together for 1988, it wasn't going to be as strong as the team in 1984. The tryout roster was not near the talent level of four years prior. Some felt Thompson was playing favorites when his incoming high school recruit Alonzo Mourning (the 1988 Mr. Basketball USA pick) was one of the last Olympic cuts. In reality, however, his talent level warranted a serious look despite just graduating from high school.
That brings us to our next two points. One, the talent level across the high school and grassroots landscape is not close to equal year over year. This is hardly ever never pointed out or analyzed by national scouts. Two, it wasn't the end of the world that Team USA lost an Olympic game. There is no secret the high school classes that made up the 1984 team were clearly stronger than the high school classes that created the talent poll for the 1988 team. The Class of 1985 is considered weak overall and it took a major hit when forward Ben Wilson of Siemon (Chicago, Ill.), was murdered just as his senior season was about to tip off in the fall of 1984. Perhaps as a graduated college senior, he could have helped Thompson and Team USA win gold.
We'll never know.
After the 1988 team lost in the semifinals in a competitive game to Arvydas Sabonis and the Soviet Union, the 1992 Dream Team's performance felt like a series of exhibition games. Still to this day, the Dream Team proved the point. Also, for a U.S. Olympic team, there is no shame in losing if the players are giving it their all like the 1988 team did. The novelty of the NBA players in FIBA events wore off fast. By the 1994 World Championships, in fact, they were more criticized than praised. The young team had talents such as Shawn Kemp and Derrick Coleman that were framed by the media as malcontents more often than great champions.
Heading into 1992, Team USA was 85-2, including the infamous 1972 Gold Medal loss to the Soviet Union. Since then, Team USA has only lost in the medal round once with a young team in 2004 that was void of great chemistry and leadership. Those issues were resolved by the 2008 Redeem Team led by the late Kobe Bryant, but perhaps those issues wouldn't have been there had the circumstances of making the team been different and accepted over the years.
The 2004 losses certainly wouldn't be looked at the same if the team wasn't handpicked by influential individuals and had a more open tryout process. For now, the process only favors NBA elites instead of being used as the ultimate developmental setting for our country's players.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores
The post Team USA: The Big Miss appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry IMPRESSIVE USA Basketball Workout Routine & Shooting Drills appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry IMPRESSIVE USA Basketball Workout Routine & Shooting Drills appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post USA Basketball Day 3: LeBron, Anthony Edwards, Steph & Team USA IMPRESSED By Cooper Flagg appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post USA Basketball Day 3: LeBron, Anthony Edwards, Steph & Team USA IMPRESSED By Cooper Flagg appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry vs Cooper Flagg & Top HS Players. appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry vs Cooper Flagg & Top HS Players. appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Faces Off vs Cooper Flagg & Top HS Players. appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Faces Off vs Cooper Flagg & Top HS Players. appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Cooper Flagg SHOCKS Steph Curry!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Cooper Flagg SHOCKS Steph Curry!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 2029 JJ Crawford is a certified Bucket!! Son of former NBA player Jamal Crawford. appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 2029 JJ Crawford is a certified Bucket!! Son of former NBA player Jamal Crawford. appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry, James Harden, Paul George, John Wall & Trae Young GO OFF at Rico Hines Runs! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry, James Harden, Paul George, John Wall & Trae Young GO OFF at Rico Hines Runs! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry, Trae Young & Cade Cunningham Go AT IT! at Rico Hines Private Runs!! MPJ & More! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry, Trae Young & Cade Cunningham Go AT IT! at Rico Hines Private Runs!! MPJ & More! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post It's in the Game: Playoffs, Steph vs Magic, Winning Time, & More appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post It's in the Game: Playoffs, Steph vs Magic, Winning Time, & More appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post The Retro Room: NBA Players as Classic Hip Hop Albums appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post The Retro Room: NBA Players as Classic Hip Hop Albums appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post The Noble & Roosh Show: Michael Smith appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>- The current issues with a full season after a truncated offseason
- Is Steph Curry the greatest showman in team sports?
- Why the NBA is so much better at marketing their players
- What quarterbacks will or won't make it from the upcoming draft class
- What the Texans should do with Deshaun Watson
... and much more!
Noble & Roosh is brought to you by www.ebooksnet.com and Dash Radio
Follow us on Twitter:
@ZakNoble
@RooshWilliams
@BallisLife
@Dash_Radio
*PRODUCED BY @GFTD_MEDiA*
**EXCLUSIVE OFFER TO NOBLE & ROOSH LISTENERS**
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GNR at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod
The post The Noble & Roosh Show: Michael Smith appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post It's in the Game: Steph, Lonzo's Future, Jamal Murray appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>https://twitter.com/randyjcruz (@randyjcruz)
https://twitter.com/iamdennyblanco (@iamdennyblanco)
The post It's in the Game: Steph, Lonzo's Future, Jamal Murray appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 11 Most Underrated High School Players to Become NBA STARS!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 11 Most Underrated High School Players to Become NBA STARS!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 2020 NBA Draft: Biggest Surprises appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>We're thinking that, when we look back at this draft class a few years down the line, the most productive players might not be the ones who heard their names called early. Like what often happens in these drafts, we see a few guys taken in the late first round, and even into the second round, who could stick in the league for a long time.
In this piece, Ron and Dev give their three biggest surprises of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Ronnie's Surprises
Jalen Smith to Phoenix at No. 10
Seems to be at big reach at this spot for the Suns. Many are not sure his talent level was top 10 worthy, and it doesn’t seem to fit in with the Suns’ current personnel. He skill set is more of a five than a four, and Jalen Smith (Maryland) hasn’t shown that he’s a true stretch four at this time. Plus, if he is more of a traditional pivot, this team already has DeAndre Ayton on its roster. Smith is a talented player, but doesn’t seem to be the wisest choice at this spot.?
Zeke Nnaji to Dener at No. 22
The Nuggets have a nice roster and what would seem to be a bright future with it, but unless they are looking far down the line with Zeke Nnaji (Arizona). He brings some athleticism that The Joker (Nikola Jokic) lacks, but isn’t very polished. If he can develop into a rim protector deserving a quality minutes, then Devour could be on to something, but if the franchise truly coveted this big man it would seem it could have picked him up lower in the draft.?
Teams That Didn’t See Value in Traditional Bigs
With a generational player like Steph Curry and with a healthy Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to complete the trio, it not hard to see why teams want to emulate what Golden State has done for the past decade. It got results, but there are only a few players with the talent level of Curry and Durant around. Most teams have proven it can’t win in that fashion, so it makes no to devalue quality big men. Even Obadiah Toppin is not a traditional big, but he still is a much better talent than the spot he got drafted at (No. 8). Players such as Vernon Carey Jr. (Duke) and Udoka Azubuike (Kansas) seemed to be afterthoughts to many GMs and draft analysts. Why? They can move and are big and physical and can make a difference on the right teams. There is still room in the game for a traditional back to the basket big man. That’s why we think Detroit gained great value at No. 16 with Isaiah Stewart (Washington). He’s physical, you have to account for him, has great character and you know what he’ll give you, which is 10 points, eight rebounds, quality fouls and a team-first approach. Many analysts pegged him to be much lower in the draft because he doesn’t fit the mold of a “modern” power forward, but we thought that was an excellent pick. Again, not many teams will be able to build their team as Golden State did in the 2010s.
Devin's Surprises
Immanuel Quickley jumps into first round
Many mock drafts, including ours, had the former Kentucky guard projected as a solid second round selection, but, as often happens in every NBA Draft, Immanuel Quickley made a huge impression on the New York as the Knicks took him with the 25th overall pick after swinging draft day trade to acquire more selections. The Knicks are looking to be in the thick of a rebuild and most franchises that go through that process put a big emphasis at the guard position and Quickley, when you watch his film and look at his numbers, fits the bill of an NBA-caliber guard. The rangy 6-foot-3 playmaker brings with him a ton of confidence, savvy, ball skills and shot making ability. Quickley averaged better than 16 points per game for the Wildcats during his sophomore season while shooting an impressive 42.8 percent from three-point range.
Nico Mannion's Draft Night Fall
A lot of draft pundits considered Nico Mannion a sure-fire one-and-done lottery pick when he reclassified up a class and announced his commitment to Arizona, but draft night told a different story that might've stung the talented point guard in that moment, but could pay off for him in the long-term based on where he's heading. Golden State selected Mannion with the 48th overall pick in what could be one of the better fits for any player in the 2020 draft when it comes to style of play. Mannion's high basketball IQ, vision, court awareness and all-around feel for the game will be crucial to him getting some rookie playing time with the Warriors. The question marks with Mannion that gave some teams a cause for pause were his three-point shooting consistency and defensive capabilities when it comes to guarding the point guard position at the NBA level. There's no better place to address those two things than with a Golden State franchise looking to get back into the NBA Finals conversation.
Golden State Goes Big at No. 2 Despite Thompson Injury
Some of the biggest news on draft day had nothing to do with the draft itself, but instead an injury to one of the NBA's brightest stars. Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson suffered an achilles injury during a workout and will miss the entire 2020-21 NBA season. With that news breaking shortly before the first pick was announced, my head started churning out scenarios of what Golden State could do with its second pick to make up for the loss of the sharpshooting Thompson. My mind immediately jumped to either a trade to get an established NBA shooter or go the upside route and select LaMelo Ball at No. 2. The Warriors did neither of those things (and maybe that's why I'm not in an NBA front office) and made the safe pick of taking Memphis big man James Wiseman. While Golden State definitely needed to add an impact big man to its roster, and Wiseman fits in great with their style and roster, the basketball junkie in me really wanted to see a Stephen Curry/LaMelo Ball backcourt.
The post 2020 NBA Draft: Biggest Surprises appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 2020 NBA Draft Winners appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>We’re fairly certain some of the late first round picks will develop into quality players over some of the higher picks towards the back end of the lottery. It happens in nearly every draft and we think the sleepers will what this particular draft will be remembered for a few years down the line.
In this piece Ronnie and Dev make their three picks for which franchises came out in the winner's column on draft night.
Ronnie's Winners
Sacramento Kings - Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa St.) was an excellent pick at No. 12 because he’s a point guard with size and was likely the best available player from pick No. 9 until the kings nabbed him. He can push De'Aaron Fox or play alongside of him. The Kings also got Robert Woodard II (Mississippi St.) at No. 40 and he’s a top-tier athlete and can handle the rigors of guarding wing players. At No. 43, the Kings picked up Jahmius Ramsey (Texas Tech), one of the better our shooters in the draft. If Ramsey can develop into a reliable catch-and-shoot backup, then the Kings just picked up three excellent pieces for their future.
Golden State Warriors - In terms of the actual draft, the Warriors might be the biggest winners because they got the player most physically ready to contribute in this draft. Sure, the Warriors lost when it was revealed Klay Thompson will be lost for the 2020-21 season with a torn Achilles, but that just makes the selection of James Wiseman (Memphis) that much more important. Stephen Curry will be 33 this season and Thompson will be 31 and they simply won’t be able to win in the manner in which they did forever. Every dynasty has to adjust to stay relevant and Wiseman has a good chance to be the most impactful player in this draft. Even if Wiseman reaches 75-80 percent of his max ceiling, he’ll still be better than nearly everyone in this draft. After being unable to trade this pick for a top-tier veteran, the Warriors made the right move.
New York Knicks - Knicks’ fans are desperate for any good news or a winning piece, and they likely had their prayers answered in Obadiah Toppin (Dayton). Toppin may not the upside of Wiseman, but he was the best player in college basketball last year and the safest bet to be a contributor right away of any player drafted. It was surprising to see him drop this far, unless you overvalue upside and some teams did in bypassing Toppin. He’ll have plenty of opportunity in New York and if any player in this draft can help the Knicks steer the ship in the right direction, he was the player. Could he be the next Amar’e Stoudemire? That’s a stretch but his ceiling is higher than what many teams valued it at.
Devin's Winners
Denver Nuggets - Fresh off of an appearance in the NBA Bubble Western Conference Finals, Denver added two young pieces to an already well-balanced roster. The Nuggets selected Zeke Nnaji out of Arizona with the 22nd overall pick. Nnaji, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, is an athletic, long and physical 6-foot-11 forward who showed flashes of inside-out scoring ability and defensive versatility in his one season in Tucson. Nnaji, if he turns out to be as good as Denver expects, could soften the blow of losing Jerami Grant to Detroit in Free Agency. Denver made a clever trade to acquire a second first round pick which they used to select 6-foot-5 guard RJ Hampton with the 24th pick. Most know Hampton as a highly-regarded high school player who opted to go to New Zealand for a season instead of playing collegiately. That move may have hurt Hampton's draft stock, but the talented playmaker has great size and feel for the position and Denver will pair him with Jamal Murray who will show him the NBA ropes.
Charlotte Hornets - The Hornets landed the most talented and highest-upside player in the draft in 6-foot-7 point guard LaMelo Ball. Ball was definitely the most polarizing and talked about player in this Hornets' draft class - and rightfully so - as he could potentially be a franchise-changing pick if his talent and skill-set translates well to the NBA level. Aside from Ball, which was a no-brainer selection, the Hornets made two solid second round picks taking Vernon Carey Jr. out of Duke and Grant Riller out of Charleston. Carey was a highly-touted high school prospect whose five-star resume and production at the college level kind of went under-the-radar. The 6-foot-10, 270-pound center averaged 17.8 points and nearly nine rebounds per game, providing a thin Charlotte front-court with some depth and long-term upside if Carey can become a consistent face-up perimeter shooter. Most people were probably wondering, "who?", when Riller's name was announced, but the four-year college player was a big time scorer at Charleston and a guy who can stroke the three-ball similar to Brooklyn's Joe Harris. If Riller can shoot it at a high 30 percent or low 40 percent clip at the NBA level, that pick will be of tremendous value.
Washington Wizards - Most scouts, mock-drafters, NBA personnel didn't think that Deni Avdija, the top international prospect in the draft, would slip past the sixth pick because of his size, all-around guard skill-set and experience playing at a high level overseas, but luckily for the Wizards, the 6-foot-8 19 year-old fell into their lap. Avdija, as mentioned above, has great ball skills, a high passing IQ and the ability to finish around the basket with either hand. The biggest question for Avdija at this point in his development is how well his shot translates to the NBA three-point line. Washington's other pick of the night was a second rounder in which they snagged Cassius Winston out of Michigan State after a draft day trade with Oklahoma City. The former Spartan was one of the most reliable true point guards in college basketball last season, but his lack of explosiveness scared teams off enough for him to be a late second round selection. Winston brings with him a breadth of experience in one of the best college conferences and is a proven leader in big game situations. With John Wall potentially wanting out of D.C., Winston could be a guy who could provide valuable minutes at the point guard spot.
The post 2020 NBA Draft Winners appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post How Steph Curry Works On His Shot & Game! Exclusive Look On How The Best Shooter EVER Trains! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>If You Love Our Content, You’ll Love Our Brand, Shop With us:
- Shop: http://bit.ly/2jxxecU
Follow Us On Social!
- INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2jZYaAj
- Twitter: http://bit.ly/2jWBBdE
- Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kTRHW5
The post How Steph Curry Works On His Shot & Game! Exclusive Look On How The Best Shooter EVER Trains! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry COOKING The Best High School Players In Scrimmages At His OWN Camp!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>If You Love Our Content, You’ll Love Our Brand, Shop With us:
- Shop: http://bit.ly/2jxxecU
Follow Us On Social!
- INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2jZYaAj
- Twitter: http://bit.ly/2jWBBdE
- Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kTRHW5
The post Steph Curry COOKING The Best High School Players In Scrimmages At His OWN Camp!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post LeBron James & Dwyane Wade vs Kevin Durant & Steph Curry In The GREATEST Pick Up Game Of ALL TIME! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>If You Love Our Content, You’ll Love Our Brand, Shop With us:
Shop: http://bit.ly/2jxxecU
Follow Us On Social!
INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2jZYaAj
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2jWBBdE
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kTRHW5
The post LeBron James & Dwyane Wade vs Kevin Durant & Steph Curry In The GREATEST Pick Up Game Of ALL TIME! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry DESTROYS Regular Hoopers! What a 2x NBA MVP Looks Like vs Non-NBA Competition! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>If You Love Our Content, You’ll Love Our Brand, Shop With us:
Shop: http://bit.ly/2jxxecU
Follow Us On Social!
INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2jZYaAj
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2jWBBdE
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kTRHW5
The post Steph Curry DESTROYS Regular Hoopers! What a 2x NBA MVP Looks Like vs Non-NBA Competition! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 1v1 King of the Court at Steph Curry Camp | 7 Footers Show Off Crazy Guard Skills! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>If You Love Our Content, You’ll Love Our Brand, Shop With us:
Shop: http://bit.ly/2jxxecU
Follow Us On Social!
INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2jZYaAj
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2jWBBdE
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kTRHW5
The post 1v1 King of the Court at Steph Curry Camp | 7 Footers Show Off Crazy Guard Skills! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Brought the BOUNCE vs Top High Schoolers at SC30 Camp! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>If You Love Our Content, You’ll Love Our Brand, Shop With us:
Shop: http://bit.ly/2jxxecU
Follow Us On Social!
INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2jZYaAj
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2jWBBdE
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kTRHW5
The post Steph Curry Brought the BOUNCE vs Top High Schoolers at SC30 Camp! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Raptors, Warriors Now a SERIES "In The Paint" Podcast GOES IN On Finals! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>In episode No. 26 of our In The Paint Show," hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland go in hard on the 2019 NBA Finals, which will head to a game six with the Toronto Raptors one win away from its first NBA championship. Toronto led game five, 103-97, with just over three minutes remaining and let the game, and the championship, slip away. Did Toronto head coach Nick Nurse call a timeout at the wrong time? Did the team simply choke in the final minutes, or was it great Warriors shooting? Was Toronto shooting too many 3-pointers? The fellas GO IN on the hot topics surrounding the NBA Finals.
The other big news, of course, surrounding the Warriors-Raptors series was the potential achilles injury suffered by Golden State's Kevin Durant at the beginning of the second period of game five. Durant had missed nine games and a month's time with an injured "calf", but the two-time NBA Finals MVP is now obviously done for this series, and potentially the 2019-20 season.
Social media was quick to play the blame game with Durant's unfortunate injury, but is there fault to be place here, and if so, with whom? The Warriors' front office? The Warriors' team doctors who cleared him? Or was it just something that happens in pro sports?
The fellas also dish on a quick preview of the NBPA Top 100 Camp taking place this week at the University of Virginia that Ron is attending. Who are the talents that Ron looks forward to evaluating that were not at Pangos Camp?
To learn more about our hosts, Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland, and to get more information about what "In The Paint" is all about, check out our intro below!
Subscribe to our new Podcast on iTunes here
The post Raptors, Warriors Now a SERIES "In The Paint" Podcast GOES IN On Finals! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post In The Paint: NBA Legend Chris Mullin Talks 3-on-3 Hoops, Who He Would Run With! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>On Episode 22 of the In The Paint Show, hosts Devin Ugland and Ronnie Flores discuss the partnership forged between Red Bull and USA Basketball to bring 3-on-3 hoops to the 2020 Olympic stage in Tokyo. The guys welcome on NBA Hall of Fame guard and 3-on-3 ambassador Chris Mullin who breaks down his role in advancing 3-on-3 basketball worldwide.
Mullin also discusses how playing 3-on-3 helped mold his game as at the high school, college and NBA levels and drops some names on who he'd pick to run with in a 3-on-3 game and which current NBA players he would pick in a game of 3's. Ron and Dev close the show with some insight into the 2019 Ballislife All-American Game.
For any inquiries regarding guest appearances or show topic ideas, please email Devin Ugland at [email protected].
The post In The Paint: NBA Legend Chris Mullin Talks 3-on-3 Hoops, Who He Would Run With! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Has a Message! "It Doesn't Matter WHAT They Say!" appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>If You Love Our Content, You’ll Love Our Brand, Shop With us:
Shop: http://bit.ly/2jxxecU
Follow Us On Social!
INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2jZYaAj
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2jWBBdE
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kTRHW5
Check Out Our Other Channels:
Main Channel: http://bit.ly/2jZTNWd
BIL 2.0: http://bit.ly/2kiyjlY
EastCoast Highlights: http://bit.ly/2ktrhNf
WestCoast Highlights: http://bit.ly/2kiwPYD
MidWest Highlights: http://bit.ly/2jWClPY
The South Highlights: http://bit.ly/2jWVQrp
The post Steph Curry Has a Message! "It Doesn't Matter WHAT They Say!" appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry's Trainer Explains Why The James Harden Behind-The-Back Move Isn't A Travel appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>Do you think this move by Harden is a travel? pic.twitter.com/g1yZ7ooUEk
— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) October 10, 2018
For his ninth three of the night against "The Lonely Master" and his Shanghai Sharks, James Harden pulled off a viral-worthy, behind-the-back move that had the internet arguing if it was a travel and Golden State Warriors fans saying, "Steph did it first!"
Back in 2016, Steph Curry pulled it off during a practice and Mike Prada of SB Nation discussed the origin and purpose of the move with Steph's trainer, Brandon Payne. During their 20-minute conversation, Payne explained why it's not a travel if executed correctly.
How is it not a travel? Isn’t he picking up both pivot feet?
[Laughs]. So I only watched him once or twice last night, though it’s something I’ve seen a thousand times before.
If it was a right-to-left crossover, he’d sidestep off his left foot into the shot. If you watch closely when he’s crossing the ball over, as the ball hits the ground, his left foot is hitting the ground into his side step. That’s a dribble into the side step, so he leaves off one foot and lands on two. That’s like any other sidestep or any other Eurostep.
This is just off one leg and landing on two into his shot. He’s not going to travel because when he sidesteps, he’s sidestepping off a dribble.
When did you first think he could try this move?
We’re always looking for new ways to transfer the basketball from the floor into the shooting motion, and we’re always looking for ways to protect the basketball. That was something that was born out of moves he makes going to the basket, and we just expanded and build onto it on the perimeter as well.
It’s something that can be used when a man is guarding him really, really tightly, where he can switch from the left side of his body to the right side of his body in tight situation and still get a very good, clean shot off.
Steph at work ???? pic.twitter.com/UbGQ1oEqKF
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) September 27, 2016
So the genesis is more as he’s driving and changing direction, and not necessarily him stepping back for a three?
Sure. It certainly can be used in that way. But honestly, we’ve worked on this for a really long time. It’s taken him a little while to get really comfortable with it, and right now during training camp and during practices, it’s time for him to really test these things out and see how comfortable he is with it. Then, we have to make the decision whether or not he’s feeling comfortable enough to use it in a game.
But it’s just a part of the things we do in terms of ball-handling. It’s part of our shooting series. It’s part of our driving series. Again, it’s just a way to transfer the ball from one side of the body to the other side, get him off the floor, get him into his shot position as quickly as possible in terms of ball security. He makes it look easier than it really is.
Back to the behind-the-back move. How do you drill the footwork to make it work?
It’s something that we’ve done over the years, honestly. We do a lot of overloading his body. We overload the moves with a little bit of light resistance at different points on his body, and that helps his body learn new footwork and new spacing techniques a little bit quicker. Anytime you add resistance to anything, it really aids in muscle memory. So over the years, we’ve added resistance in different ways for different moves.
His body — once it’s in there, it’s locked in. He never forgets. He has impeccable footwork. He’s incredibly, incredibly efficient with the ball and with his feet. In the past, it was more “Hey, we’re going to teach this.” Now, it’s more about drilling him because it’s all recall for him. When your footwork is as good as his, you can get a little more creative and a little more aggressive with how you’re moving the basketball from side to side and getting from the floor to the shoot.
So a lot of that is just the result of a lot of hard work over all the offseason. Now, he’s able to get a little more aggressive and a little more creative.
You can read the full interview with Payne at SB Nation.
And here's the NBA explaining why it's NOT a travel.
This is a legal play. Although James puts the ball behind his back, he only takes two steps after the gather of the ball and therefore it is NOT a travel. https://t.co/i1hU3b4zuQ
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) October 10, 2018
If you say so.
Here are a few clips of other people doing the move before Harden.
He did it first pic.twitter.com/AvWpjfcQ3G
— Michigan Playmakers (@PlaymakerHoops) October 10, 2018
Hmmm 6 YEARS AGO @RP3natural taught me a move....6 YEARS LATER Harden breaks the internet with this same move ????????????????. pic.twitter.com/YpNFJQKsKS
— Ty Perfect (@MrPerfect_Ty) October 10, 2018
The post Steph Curry's Trainer Explains Why The James Harden Behind-The-Back Move Isn't A Travel appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Camp: Day In The Life!! Steph Teaches The Next Generation! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Camp: Day In The Life!! Steph Teaches The Next Generation! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Hits CRAZY 3, Celebrates TOO EARLY & Pays The Price! ?? Warriors Crazy Exhibition Game! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Hits CRAZY 3, Celebrates TOO EARLY & Pays The Price! ?? Warriors Crazy Exhibition Game! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 1 v 1 King of The Court STEPH CURRY CAMP Pt 2!! Cole Anthony & Kent Bazemore SNAP!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 1 v 1 King of The Court STEPH CURRY CAMP Pt 2!! Cole Anthony & Kent Bazemore SNAP!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 54-Year-Old Dell Curry Put On A Show After Being Challenged By Steph At His Basketball Camp appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>Is Dell Curry on your list of all-time Charlotte basketball greats? ? #Hornets30
VOTE NOW: https://t.co/4rZ7I0Mb1s pic.twitter.com/tZsQaDqX1A
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) August 7, 2018
On Tuesday afternoon, the Charlotte Hornets posted this tweet asking the basketball world if Dell Curry is on our list of all-time Charlotte basketball greats. If you watched basketball in the 90s and remember when the 1994 Sixth Man Of The year was knocking down threes off assists from fellow Hornets greats Mugsy Bogues, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, then you didn't hesitate with a "HELL YES!"
On Tuesday evening, the 54-year-old Curry showed attendees at his son's SC30 Camp -- full of the nation's top high school basketball players that weren't even alive when Dell was in the league -- he can still knock down threes like it was 1993 and he was battling Mark Price for a NBA Three-Point Contest championship.
Without a warm-up or any stretching, Dell accepted his son's challenge to complete the racks, started off cold and then heated up, knocking down 13 of his last 19 shots for a score of 16.
After getting challenged by his son Steph, the players and the crowd Dell gave us a show! He scored 16. Credit to the DJ for taking the music back a few years lol - #SC30Select pic.twitter.com/t3LWT17deg
— www.ebooksnet.com (@Ballislife) August 8, 2018
The score of 16 was five and four more than his scores in the 1992 and 1994 NBA Three-Point contests and five less than Steph's score on this night. But, from the reaction of the hyped players, crowd and screaming Steph, Dell was the winner.
The following video is the full IG Live stream of Steph filming and cheering for his Dad as well as Steph celebrating 15-year-old female baller Aziz Fudd beating the boys in a 3-point contest.
DELL VS STEPH
DELL VS MARK PRICE
The post 54-Year-Old Dell Curry Put On A Show After Being Challenged By Steph At His Basketball Camp appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Chat: Best Dunks, Making 77 Shots In A Row & Old YouTube Videos appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>On Tuesday morning, Steph Curry released the first episode of his new video series, 5 Minutes From Home, on his YouTube channel. That same morning, I got to spend a few more minutes chatting with Steph about the series, a few of my favorite Steph videos and challenges.
Back in 2015, I told Steph I was going to challenge his wife, Ayesha, to a cook-off. As the years went by and I started seeing her face on cooking shows, book covers and the last pan that I bought at Target, I realized the chances of me beating her at a Chicken Parmesan (Steph's favorite dish that she makes and her least favorite to make because it's "too simple") challenge was as good as one guy trying to beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
"She's perfected everything she's put on a plate." Said Curry, when I asked if she's pulled a JR Smith or George Hill on any dish.
THE REMATCH WITH THE 10-YEAR-OLD
The other thing we talked about back in 2015 was him losing to then 10-year-old Jaden Newman in a shootout after beating Big Shot Bob Horry, NBA 3-Point Champion Tim Legler, and his Dad, Dell Curry.
"We need a rematch. We have to make it happen." Curry said while praising Newman, who knocked down 17 threes on her way to 70 points earlier this year. "She was good at 10 and she's much tougher now because of her confidence."
He then brought up a Ballislife video we posted this past weekend of Newman causally knocking down a shot from Curry range.
DUNK LEGENDS: VINCE CARTER, DELL & STEPH CURRY
Like Newman, Steph also had the opportunity to compete against an NBA All-Star at the age of 10.
Back around 2000, Steph and brother Seth used to go to the Toronto Raptors practices with their Dad. During those practices and pre-game shootarounds, they would often play in pick-up games or go 1-on-1 with the pro players, including Vince Carter during the height of Vinsanity.
After reminiscing about how fun it was to watch young Vince Carter, I asked if he was afraid of Charles Oakley back then.
"I wouldn't say I was afraid but he made his presence felt when he came into the room." Said Curry about the man who fought Charles Barkley three times and even fought the real-life X-Man, Xavier McDaniel.
Curry also talked about Oakley having dinner with the Warriors after they swept the Cavs in the Finals and how Oak and Draymond Green joyfully spent the whole night talking trash to each other.
Our conversation about the greatest dunker of all-time led me to ask Steph if he's ever caught an alley-oop or dunked on anyone...at any level.
"I caught an alley-oop in college. It shocked everybody." Curry said.
I couldn't find any video evidence of this shocking event but I did find an NBA lockout video of Steph unofficially becoming the only person to ever miss three dunks on a single alley-oop attempt (Robert Horry missed two in a similar fashion during his rookie year).
As for "dunking on" someone.
"It depends what you consider dunking on," Curry replied. "I had two that some would call a dunk by. But I'm claiming both of them."
One of those two dunks ended with him doing a Vince Carter-like chin-up with a confused Gerald Wallace underneath. The other was a breakaway dunk that had Kyle Lowry thinking he was going to pull a LeBron from behind. Curry dunked it and then celebrated with a Shawn Kemp-like yell.
I brought up a dunk his Dad did back in 1996 that was very similar. Dell was wide-open for a simple one-hand dunk and Don Reid came from behind and tried to get the chase-down block. When Dell realized he just "dunked on" someone, he turned around and started mean-mugging. Like father, like son!
HOW DO YOU MAKE 77 SHOTS IN A ROW?!
Dell and Steph might not be the most impressive skywalkers but they are two of the best shooters of all-time. With Dell as a Dad, it's no surprise Steph became a great shooter (arguably the greatest) but I was always surprised at how differently they shot the ball.
"I used to have a catapult shot," Curry said. "I would launch it from my waist but changed it in high school so I wouldn't get blocked."
Listening to him casually explain how he changed a few things in his shot to become a "good shooter" is like listening to Warren Buffet explain how he made $84 billion by making a few little investments here and there.
I brought up a scene from the HBO NBA Finals show with Warriors assistant coach Bruce "Q" Fraser (the guy you see throwing the ball to Curry before games) raving about how Curry doesn't miss shots in practice. Curry confirmed the story and said he would shoot 100 threes in practice (20 from 5 different spots) and once made 94 out of 100, including 77 straight!
My response was, "What the F*** is going through your head when you are shooting lights out like that?"
"I'm not thinking about anything," Curry replied. "I'm at my best when I'm not thinking and muscle memory takes over."
I don't have footage of Curry making 94-of-100 so this video of him ONLY making 93 will have to do.
THE DAVIDSON SHOW REUNION
I asked my two YouTube experts/daughters (age 10 and 13) what they wanted to see on Curry's YouTube channel. The 13-year-old said, "Klay Thompson." I asked again and she again replied, "Klay Thompson!" She then talked about how cute Riley Curry is and said: "Riley challenge or reaction videos would be cool."
Steph said Riley -- who became a viral sensation during the 2015 NBA playoffs and has more YouTube views than Klay Thompson -- has a database of hilarious videos she's made on his IPad but he doesn't want her getting too much online exposure. As a parent, I think that's a very good idea.
My 10-year-old enjoyed the videos Steph and Ayesha used to make on Music.ly and DubSmash.
She also wants more singing and guests like Rudy Mancusco.
Last name Curry
First name Steph
Helping me out
Turning me into the best
(now I can't get that damn song out of my head!)
Lucky for her, Mancuso is the special guest on the first episode of Five Minutes From Home and Curry hinted there might even be a surprise on iTunes coming.
As for my request, I said I wanted a "Davidson Show" reunion.
"That's brilliant," Curry responded. "I might have to give you a shout out or a producer credit."
You have probably seen the "I Love Commons" video with a clean-shaven Steph rapping and trying not to make "awkward eye contact" with a girl in the school cafeteria. That's just one of the many amusing skits made by Steph and his college friends that he still keeps in touch with. Some of his favorite skits were spoofs on Room Raiders, MTV Cribs and a video about two guys with the same name.
As I impatiently wait for the reunion special (with my producer credit?!), here are a few more amusing videos with Steph and his family.
OOP FROM WIFEY
RILEY IS WATCHING YOU
STEPH DISSES JAMES HARDEN...SORT OF
The post Steph Curry Chat: Best Dunks, Making 77 Shots In A Row & Old YouTube Videos appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Klay Thompson & Steph Curry's Mom on Steph Yelling "This Is My FKN House" During Perfect Quarter appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>After Game 2 against the Houston Rockets, we posted a video of Steph Curry knocking down 69-of-75 threes, including 38 straight, during practice. A few people replied to us, saying, "Practice? We talking about practice? Let's see him make some shots in a game."
In Game 3, Curry broke out of his shooting slump, scoring a game-high 35 points, including 18 in the third quarter on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting. After one of his shots, he screamed at the crowd, "This is my fucking house!"
The amusing clip of him uncharacteristically celebrating with profanity made it's rounds on the internet and amused his teammates.
"That was funny. I hope Riley didn't see it." Said a laughing Klay Thompson after the game. "It got Oracle pretty fired up and that’s a rare occurrence. I’ve never really seen Steph use that language but that’s what the playoffs bring out of you. Don’t do that at home kids. That’s just once in a while.”
Well, Riley was in attendance and doing her own screaming during the dominant quarter by her Dad, who said he "blacked out" when he screamed about his house.
The devout Christian also said his Mom wasn't too happy about his "dirty mouth."
"She already sent me two home videos, showing me the clip and playing it back," Curry told ESPN. "She was telling me how I need to wash my mouth out, saying to wash it out with soap. It's a message I've heard before. She's right. I gotta do better. I can't talk like that. ”
Some of his teammates disagree.
"Fuck yeah!" Said Kevin Durant, when asked if the team likes Cussing Curry.
THE RETURN OF RILEY
Look at Riley! She's getting older, bigger and looking more like Steph by the day.
It's also hard to believe it's been three years since she became a viral sensation in the 2015 Playoffs -- after Game 1 against the Rockets to be exact.
WHO'S HOUSE?
Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin were also in the house on Sunday. So we can't mention RUN TMC being in the house without bringing up some RUN TMC highlights and the RUN DMC classic "Run's House."
The post Klay Thompson & Steph Curry's Mom on Steph Yelling "This Is My FKN House" During Perfect Quarter appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Makes 69-of-75 Threes In Practice, Talks About Shooting Slump appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>How is this guy the greatest shooter of all-time? He missed six wide-open threes during practice! Not in a game but in practice, where the average NBA "scrub" can be seen knocking down 10 or more threes in a row.
I'm obviously being sarcastic and just felt like making "the greatest shooter of all-time" knocking down 69-of-75 threes in practice not look so damn impressive. The most impressive thing about Curry rarely missing threes for three minutes is him knocking down 38 in a row, which is six more in row than he made in this video of him and Kevin Durant doing the "30-by-35" workout.
The shooting exhibition looks night and day compared to how he's been shooting against the Rockets. In Game 2, he only made 1-of-8 threes and is now 2-of-13 for the series. You can defend him by saying he's not 100% healthy but he did make 44% of his threes against the Pelicans.
“I think Steph’s healthy." Coach Steve Kerr said after practice. "He’s moving fine. But this is more rhythm than anything.”
“I only need one” Curry said. “That’s all I need...I don’t really need any. I have confidence in myself. Teammates have confidence in me to do what I need to do. I never worry about it. I know how hard I work at it. It’s not a false sense of confidence. I know how hard I work at what I do.”
Teammate Kevin Durant was also asked about Steph's shooting slump. He responded by saying he's not one bit worried about it and agreed that Steph is the "best shooter to ever play."
Back to the original shooting video, it ends with a cameo of coach Steve Kerr talking to his former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen, who has been in the news recently for changing his mind about the "Who is the GOAT?" debate for the 38th time.
GILBERT: THE BEST "SHOOTER" IN PRACTICE?
My favorite "he hit how many" story belongs to former Warrior Wilt Chamberlain. My second belongs to former Warrior Gilbert Arenas, who once won a $20,000 bet by making 73-of-100 COLLEGE threes...using just one hand...while Deshawn Stevenson was trying to distract him by pretending to shoot the ball next to him.
Gilbert also has my favorite 'shooting contest" in practice story. Here's Caron Butler's crazy version of it.
Source: Mercury News
The post Steph Curry Makes 69-of-75 Threes In Practice, Talks About Shooting Slump appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Best Reaction To Klay Thompson's Shots In GM2: Steph Curry or That Courtside Fan? appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>With the Warriors up by three midway through the third against the Spurs in GM2, a confident Steph Curry turned his back to the action and put his arms up in celebration before a three by Klay Thompson swished through the net. I thought that would end up as the game's best bench reaction.
Then in the fourth quarter, Klay went off and scored 16 of his 31 points. His second field goal of the quarter gave us this reaction by Curry.
The final three of those 16 points came with 3:07 on the clock and gave us the best reaction (IMO) and photo of the night -- thank you Ezra Shaw!
Photo of the Night: We Love Klay Thompson! pic.twitter.com/C2JnP6boaK
— David Astramskas (@redapples) April 17, 2018
If you go to the 18 second mark of the following video, you can see footage of the above moment. Unfortunately, you will be disappointed if you were hoping for a high-quality close-up...in slow motion. You will get to see some amusing bench reactions by Jordan Bell, Nick Young and JaVale McGee.
[twit id="986110401111732225"]
If you were disappointed, here's another pic that should make you as happy as Klay looks in it. The guy in the white is how most Spurs fans look right now, knowing they are down 0-2 and Kawhi isn't going to be playing in this series...or any future series with the Spurs.
https://twitter.com/warriorsworld/status/986121178384248833
The post Best Reaction To Klay Thompson's Shots In GM2: Steph Curry or That Courtside Fan? appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Steph Curry Returns Then Leaves Game With A MCL Injury After JaVale McGee Fell Into Him appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>On Friday morning, Steph Curry was throwing down dunks while wearing a Kelenna Azubuike jersey. Awesome!
Hours later, he was returning from a six-game absence due to a right ankle injury. Great news!
In three quarters, Curry put up an easy 29 points in 25 minutes. Hell yeah!
Then in the third quarter, teammate JaVale McGee fell and banged Curry's left knee, causing a MCL sprain. Fuuuuuuck!
"Kind of a strange, cruel twist of fate," Steve Kerr said. "He rehabs his ankle for the last couple weeks, he gets that strong and then the knee goes. So we'll see what happens and we'll keep our fingers crossed...He's in good spirits. I did talk to him. He's disappointed."
The Warriors still won the game despite the absence of Curry in the 4th and All-Stars Kevin Durant (4th game), Klay Thompson (5th game) and Draymond Green (1st game) but the Hawks have only won twice this month and one of those wins came against the Suns. Birthday boy Quinn Cook stepped up with 13/8/6 off the bench and Nick Young scored a season-high 24 points in 26 minutes. Young also had some amusing words for Curry after the game.
"I told him, I didn't come here for you to get hurt. So you need to get right. I need to throw some champagne around a little bit."
So, how worried should Warriors fans be with the playoffs just three weeks away? Well, Curry missed two weeks when he suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in 2016 and Durant missed six weeks when he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain last season.
"Shit ain't perfect when you're living life," Durant told
"You just want to get some information, but it's all good, man. Steph is going to work his tail off to get back no matter what it is, and we're all going to support him and we're going to be there for him. We're going to hold this shit down."POSTGAME COMMENTS
KD'S INJURY LAST SEASON
The post Steph Curry Returns Then Leaves Game With A MCL Injury After JaVale McGee Fell Into Him appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post College Hoops' "STEPH CURRY": Trae Young THROWBACK Footage! Nation's LEADER in PPG & APG! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post College Hoops' "STEPH CURRY": Trae Young THROWBACK Footage! Nation's LEADER in PPG & APG! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post 18 Minutes of China Klay & The Warriors Dancing At Steph Curry's 30th Birthday Party appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>It's the return of China Klay!
You remember the awesome-dancing-non-360-dunking Klay Thompson that went viral during last summer. Well, the guy who made a commercial with him talking into his shoes while sitting in a bath tub made an appearance at Steph Curry's surprise 30th birthday party and was going so hard on stage, he almost added an ankle injury to his thumb injury that has him listed as probable for Wednesday's game against the Lakers.
Honorable mention for best dancer goes to Coach Mike Brown, who was celebrating harder than he probably did when he won NBA Coach of the Year back in 2009 (I bet you forgot the 2 x Champion won the award and coached the All-Star game that season?)
Shout out to Coseezy for capturing all the fun and providing some hilarious commentary. And happy birthday to Steph, who wisely didn't dance as hard as Klay since he has tweaked his ankle four times this season.
The post 18 Minutes of China Klay & The Warriors Dancing At Steph Curry's 30th Birthday Party appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post The NBA Didn't Want You To See Kyrie Irving Leaving Steph Curry Hanging appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>After an impressive duel that saw Steph Curry put up a ridiculous 49 points (16-24 FG, 8-13 3PT) in a win against Kyrie Irving (37 points: 13-18 FG, 5-6 3PT) and the Celtics, the two point GODS met at half court, shared a smile, a hug and almost a final hand shake.
The amusing "Kyrie left him hanging" moment was celebrated on social media but not on the NBA's social media. Here's the NBA's tweet of the encounter.
[twit id="957464383680004096"]
Here's how the rest of the internet saw it. Or should I say the rest of the internet with a sense of humor since so many people on social media are more sensitive than an All-Star who doesn't want to be drafted on Live TV.
The post The NBA Didn't Want You To See Kyrie Irving Leaving Steph Curry Hanging appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post NBA Players React To Donald Trump Uninviting Steph Curry To The White House appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>
Before the the WojBomb that was the Carmelo Anthony trade, Donald Trump ruined our Saturday mornings by dropping a tweet that said Steph Curry is no longer invited to the White House since Curry said he didn't want to go. This set off the internet and a few NBA players, in particular LeBron James, who replied with a "U bum" tweet that was liked by over 1.2 million people within a day.
The post NBA Players React To Donald Trump Uninviting Steph Curry To The White House appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>