Tag: Bay Area

Stephen Curry might be recruiting his own successor as the Bay Area’s biggest star

Steph Curry was reportedly part of the pitch to bring Aaron Judge to the Bay.

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Stephen Curry is one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. That leaves him as undoubtedly the San Francisco Bay Area’s biggest star. Between the Warriors, 49ers, Giants and Athletics, and every pro team in between, no active athlete in that area is more beloved than Curry.

But the reigning Finals MVP can’t carry that mantle forever. Curry is 34 years old, and he’ll be 35 before this season is over. Before you know it, someone younger and more exciting will come along to capture the Bay Area’s admiration.

Curry might be recruiting that person.

Arguably the biggest star in Major League Baseball, AL MVP Aaron Judge is a free agent and taking trips to visit prospective teams. One of those teams is the one he grew up rooting for, the San Francisco Giants.

Judge had a two-day visit with the Giants this week, and according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, Curry was a part of the team’s pitch. The Giants reportedly put one MVP in contact with the other, and it was truly a shot worth taking. I mean, if Curry could talk Kevin Durant into joining the team that beat him, then why not try?

Curry won’t say this (or believe it), but the Warriors might be on the way out as a perennial title contender. Even Steve Kerr admitted their championship core is in the “final stages.”

Judge isn’t exactly a spring chicken at 30 years old, but he’s coming off his best season and likely has a few more MVP-caliber years ahead of him. If he joins the Giants and elevates them back to contender status just as the Warriors are declining, he’ll capture the hearts of Bay Area sports fans at just the right time.

It’ll be one more thing those fans have to thank Curry for.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

AP Photo/Darryl Webb

If you stayed up late enough to catch the end of Lakers-Sun on Tuesday, you probably saw Patrick Beverley get ejected for his hard push on Deandre Ayton.

Devin Booker was asked about the push after the game and said Beverley needs to “stop pushing people in the back,” likely remembering when Beverley did something similar to Chris Paul a year ago.

This really should have been a non-story, because, well, everyone did what they were supposed to do. When Beverley shoved Ayton, he was coming to the defense of a younger teammate and setting some much-needed boundaries as to what the Lakers would and wouldn’t tolerate — even if it meant he had to get ejected.

And when Booker called out Beverley, he was also defending his teammates.

But fans don’t forget, so they re-surfaced the time Booker pushed LA’s Dennis Schroeder mid-air…and not in the chest. Somehow, Booker came out on the wrong end of something that didn’t involve him at all.

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks (+150) at Boston Celtics (-4.5, -185), O/U 218.5, 7:30 PM ET

The reason you watch this game is because it features two of my top three MVP favorites right now, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum. Doncic leads the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game, but he tied his season-low of 22 the last time Dallas played. That was on Sunday. With a little more rest coming into this one, I think Doncic bounces back and helps the Mavs cover on the road.

Shootaround

— Ja Morant blew a potential game-tying free throw after taunting Malik Monk

— How ‘Light the Beam’ became the Kings’ rallying cry

— HoopsHype compiled a list of active players who have already done enough to get their jerseys retired

— Steph Curry said he’s never seen anything like 2016 LeBron James and Kyrie Irving

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Redditor designs new Warriors uniform with Golden Gate Bridge themed colorway

While the NBA is on hiatus, the Golden State Warriors got a new uniform concept that resembles the Bay Area’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Since Nike was put in charge of the NBA’s uniform collection, the Golden State Warriors have rolled out a bevy of new looks. Multiple throwbacks, slate and yellow colorways have been worn in Golden State over the past few seasons.

When the franchise relocated across the Bay Area to San Francisco’s Chase Center, the Warriors got a fresh, updated look to their classic home and away jersey. After the minor change to their white and blue jerseys, the Warriors introduced a couple more new looks.

The white “San Francisco” jersey made an appearance along with black “The Town” and yellow “The Bay” jerseys. Along with the addition of the black and yellow kits, the Warriors brought back their beloved “The City” yellow throwback jerseys.

Although the Warriors have a closet full of different uniforms, there’s always room for a new idea. With no basketball on the calendar, Reddit user Thomas McLaughlin (u/Tmac6886) redesigned the “City Edition” uniforms for every team in the NBA.

When it came to Golden State, the Warriors redesign concept resembled the Bay Area’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Following the Warriors Golden Gate Bridge update, the Los Angeles Lakers got a Space Jam redesign, the Brooklyn Nets uniform were renovated to mirror the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Houston Rockets got a Travis Scott styled fit. View the full collection of redesigns here.

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Marquese Chriss joins Juan Toscano-Anderson for second ‘Walking in Unity’ protest

Juan Toscano-Anderson was joined by Marquese Chriss at the second “Walking in Unity” peaceful protest in Oakland.

Following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, protest demonstrations have continued across the globe. On Wednesday, Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson led a peaceful protest march through Oakland.

Several of Toscano-Anderson’s Golden State teammates joined the rally, including Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

On Saturday, Toscano-Anderson hosted a second edition of the “Walking in Unity march from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza to the Lake Merritt Amphitheater. Another Golden State Warriors participated in the event. Marquese Chriss was spotted alongside Toscano-Anderson at the second Oakland protest.

Via @warriors on Twitter:

Bay Area rapper P-Lo also joined Toscano-Anderson and Chriss at “Walking in Unity” on Saturday.

Toscano-Anderson capped off the event by speaking to the crowd in attendance at Lake Merritt.

In the wake of Floyd’s death, many in the NBA community have spoken out against police brutality. Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter have joined protests across the country.

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Juan Toscano-Anderson takes part in ‘Walking in Unity’ peaceful protest in Oakland

Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson will take part in a peaceful protest walk in Oakland.

Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, protest demonstrations have taken place across the nation. In the wake of Floyd’s death while in the custody of Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, many in the basketball community have spoken out against police brutality and racism in America.

In response to the recent killings, The Golden State Warriors have released a statement, while Stephen Curry, Eric Paschall and Steve Kerr have been outspoken on their personal social media accounts.

The Warriors, Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and several other Golden State members participated in the “Blackout Tuesday” social media movement.

On Wednesday, Juan Toscano-Anderson will take part in a protest in Oakland. The Bay Area native will join the “Walking in Unity” protest at Oakland’s Lake Merrit Amphitheater. On social media, the Golden State forward encouraged all to join peacefully.

Via @juanonjuan10 on Twitter:

Several other NBA players, including Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon and Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle have participated in protests across the country.

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Report: Warriors’ television ratings falling during 2019-20 season

During the 2019-20 season, the Golden State Warriors’ television numbers are falling at a massive rate.

The 2019-20 season has brought change upon the Golden State Warriors from top to bottom. While the Warriors embraced innovation with their new arena in San Francisco, the team didn’t want to modify anything when it came to the on-court product.

Over the past five seasons, the Golden State Warriors have been a premier team in the NBA, registering five consecutive Finals appearances. On top of winning, the Warriors rolled out one of the most dynamic starting lineups in basketball, featuring four All-Star players.

In the 2019-20 season, things are far from where they once were. The Warriors sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with a league-worst 12-43 record.

At the center of Golden State’s struggles has been injuries to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry has only played four games all season due to a hand injury while Thompson has missed the entire year as he recovers from a knee injury he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals.

In Golden State’s down season, the Warriors’ television ratings have suffered. According to the sports media and analysis outlet Awful Announcing, Golden State’s television broadcast flagship NBC Sports Bay Area is down 66 % when it comes to Warriors games.

Via Awful Announcing:

The Golden State Warriors, who have dominated the NBA’s local ratings for the last few years, saw their ratings decline by a staggering 66% on NBC Sports Bay Area. That’s the second-largest decline in the league (behind only the Denver Nuggets, down 72% on Altitude, which is beset by carriage issues), and has also knocked the Dubs out of the league’s top five overall.

Although things are bleak, the Golden State Warriors could receive a jolt in the final months of the season. Reports point to March as the target month for Curry’s return from his broken hand. A March returns to the floor would give the Warriors around 20 games with their former Most Valuable Player.

Although the Warriors are out of the playoff picture, the impact of Curry’s return turns Golden State into must-watch television. How the All-Star guard meshes with new teammates like Andrew Wiggins gives fans a peek into the future.

Report: Warriors signing Bay Area product Juan Toscano–Anderson to NBA contract

After dealing six players off their roster, the Golden State Warriors are signing local product, Juan Toscano-Anderson to his first NBA contract.

After a bevy of moves before the 2020 NBA trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors roster is left thin. The Warriors flurry of moves sent out six players, with all six being steady contributors throughout the season.

Willie Cauley-Stein’s move to Dallas started Golden State’s active week, with trades of Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III following. The Warriors capped off their trade deadline with a blockbuster deal sending D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans III and Omari Spellman to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors ended the trade deadline sending out six different players with most of the return being draft compensation. Andrew Wiggins was the only player to come back in a deal for Golden State, leaving the Warriors’ front office with some work to do to fill out the rotation.

Starting the Warriors roster replenishment, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported Juan Toscano-Anderson would be signed to one of the Golden State’s open roster spots.

Toscano-Anderson played with the Warriors G League affiliate in Santa Cruz this season, averaging 12.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 29 minutes per game.

Before playing in the G League, Toscano-Anderson went undrafted after playing four years at Marquette. The swingman went on to play professionally in Mexico.

Toscano-Anderson, born in Oakland, played high school basketball at Castro Valley for the Trojans.

The Bay Area product will have the remainder of the season with Golden State to show he belongs in the NBA for the long-haul.

D’Angelo Russell sports Packers jersey prior to 49ers NFC Championship

Before the 49ers play the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, D’Angelo Russell broke out his Aaron Rodgers Packers jersey at a press conference.

Against the Orlando Magic, everything was going in the Golden State Warriors direction to snap their season-high 10-game losing streak. Struggling rookie, Jordan Poole was impressive, Stephen Curry was along the sideline broadcasting the game and Klay Thompson got his college jersey retired earlier in the day — what more could the Warriors fanbase want?

Well, if you’re a fan of not just the Warriors, but all teams in the Bay Area, things might have soured when Golden State’s press conference started.

Although the Warriors sealed a victory, the team has struggled mightily in the 2019-20 season, just in time for their Bay Area neighbor, the San Francisco 49ers, to step up and take the baton.

The 49ers are one win away from punching their ticket to a Super Bowl appearance, but to get there, they will have to go through former Most Valuable Player, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

When the NFC Championship kicks-off, one member of the Golden State Warriors will be rooting against the Bay Area home team. During Golden State’s Orlando Magic victory press conference, D’Angelo Russell pulled out a jersey of his favorite NFL team, that may ruffle the feathers of some Warriors fans that pull for the 49ers as well.

Russell was sporting a green Rodgers No. 12 jersey on the eve of the 49ers-Packers NFC Championship tilt.

Russell, a noted Packers fan, has worked out with Rodgers in the past and the two sports stars are friends, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.

During the Packers NFC Divisional round battle against the Seattle Seahawks, Russell cheered on Green Bay from his Twitter.

When the All-Star played for the Brooklyn Nets, Russell received a signed No. 12 Packers jersey from Rodgers himself.

Russell’s new rivalry with Golden State Warriors fans, doubling as San Francisco 49ers supporters will get settled during the NFL’s Championship Sunday. The 49ers kickoff against the Green Bay Packers at 3:40 PM PST on Sunday in Santa Clara, California.

Tyler Lockett won’t practice Wednesday, expected to play in Week 12

The Seattle Seahawks expect Tyler Lockett to play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he will sit out Wednesday’s practice.

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The Seattle Seahawks are expecting veteran receiver Tyler Lockett to be active on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagle, despite suffering a lower leg contusion against the San Francisco 49ers that required him to stay an extra two days in a Bay Area hospital.

However, Lockett is not expected to practice on Wednesday.

“He went through walk-through, he’s moving around,” coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. “He won’t practice today. We’re thinking he will do some work tomorrow.”

Lockett suffered the injury late in Seattle’s Monday night thriller against the 49ers in Week 10, forcing him to miss the entire overtime period. He was sent to a hospital shortly after the game and stayed there while the rest of the team went home, eventually flying back to Seattle on a private jet sent by team owner Jody Allen.

Despite the scary injury, Lockett was able to use the team’s bye week to recover, and he’s in much better shape now.

“He’s feeling way better,” Carroll continued. “He’s going to catch some balls after practice with Russ (Wilson) and start getting ready to go.”

Carroll believes Lockett will play on Sunday when the 8-2 Seahawks head to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles at 10 a.m. PT.

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