Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Stephen Curry won’t play for The Vaccine Team in Rio
Good morning. We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
AND WE WAIT: Monday was a travel day on the NBA Finals schedule. Tuesday will be a practice and media day. I wrote up five reasons I don't think the series is over yet. (Well, four reasons and a shrug. Here's Kevin Pelton's version of this piece.)
Ben Epstein, Mike Prada and Zito Madu talked about Game 2 on Limited Upside. Yaron Weitzman looks at the source of the bad Cavs offense in the first two games. Ryan Nanni and Dan Rubenstein try to figure out what the hell is happening.
THE VACCINE TEAM: Stephen Curry has withdrawn from consideration for Team USA heading into the Rio Olympics. He cited his ankle and knee injuries. Others might start citing Zika virus as a reason for staying home, according to reports. This reminds me of 2004 -- that year is most remembered for the bitter disappointment of bronze, but a big reason for the failure to win was how many players coach Larry Brown specifically sought out who wouldn’t go to Athens due to terrorism concerns. That’s why so many young players Brown didn’t trust at all ended up on the roster. I don’t think Coach K will have that problem, but there are some red flags.
As of now, it looks like Kevin Durant, Paul George (amazing), Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins might be the headliners. Curry and Chris Paul are out, and there’s a report Russell Westbrook is considering staying home. That might lead to Damian Lillard finally getting the call, if he’s still not too angry about 2014.
CULTURE BUILDING: Marc Spears follows up with the NBA about diversity issues in positions of power he reported on last week.
SECRETS OF A SUPERFAN: USA Today catches up with Jimmy Goldstein during the Finals.
CAN I ADMIT SOMETHING? Evan Turner is my hero.
Happy Tuesday. See you next time.
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