Tag: The Athletic

Losing is new for Draymond Green, Steve Kerr and even Riley Curry

Losing is a new territory for the Golden State Warriors, even for the players children, like Riley Curry.

Over the past five seasons, the Golden State Warriors have spoiled basketball fans across their kingdom. Now, in 2019, starting the first 17 games with the league’s worst record, it’s a different, almost new feeling when watching the Warriors.

Older fans who followed Golden State’s struggles for decades leading to the arrival of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson might have some words of wisdom when it comes to dealing with a losing team.

However, the once prideful mentality of supporting a lovable loser ended when the team cracked off seven winning seasons with five trips to the finals and three of them finishing in championships. The new era of Golden State Warriors’ brand of basketball has become synonymous with victory.

2019 is new territory for most involved with Golden State, including the players, coaches, and even the families, who are used to the team being perennial winners.

In a recent interview with Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Green shared a story about running into one of the Curry children in the team’s family room after a loss. Curry’s oldest daughter Riley, is the latest searching for answers during the Warriors down season.

“The other day, I was getting them out of the family room after the (Celtics) game and Riley Curry was in there,” Green says of Curry’s oldest daughter. “She’s like: ‘Did we lose?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, Riley, we lost.’ She’s like: ‘Why do we keep losing?”

Although it’s just an innocent question from a seven-year-old, it’s a glimpse into the magnitude of change going on within Golden State.

Curry’s oldest daughter was born in 2012, since then, Golden State’s winning percentage in the regular season was .731, now fast forward to this year, and that percentage looks a whole lot different standing at .176— the worst of the Steve Kerr era.

Similar to Riley, winning in basketball is all Green knows. The Saginaw, Michigan product had a strong high school basketball career leading to run at Michigan State under Tom Izzo, filled with Final Four appearances and Big Ten championships. The same can be said for coach Kerr, another who’s been surrounded by winning over his career.

Kerr played in a Final Four himself at Arizona before winning five championships as a player, and three as a coach.

As much as 2019 has turned into an evaluation year for young players, it’s also a learning experience for Kerr and Green. The decorated duo’s response to an outlier season filled with blowout losses could have an impact on 2020 and beyond.

NFL executive weighs in on Chargers’ Philip Rivers’ issues

An NFL executive believes Chargers Philip Rivers’ poor play this season has been plagued by his offensive line.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has made headlines with his poor play this season. After performing at an MVP level in 2017 and 2018, he hasn’t been at the same tier. What’s going on?

You can make a list of reasons why Rivers has thrown the second-most interceptions (14) this season, but the one that will almost always be brought up is the guys blocking for him.

Like many, an NFL executive believes it’s the offensive line that’s causing him to perform like this.

“Rivers struggles when he doesn’t trust his offensive line. It’s pretty clear he hasn’t trusted his line lately,” the league executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando.

The past two games, Rivers has been tasked with playing with two backup tackles — Trey Pipkins and Trent Scott, along with second-year center Scott Quessenberry due to injuries to the team’s starters.

In the Week 10 matchup against the Raiders, Rivers was sacked 5 times and was hit a total of 10 times. In that game, the veteran quarterback looked uncomfortable in the pocket.

A week later, Rivers was only sacked twice in what was a solid performance by the offensive line. But he was playing like he had a swarm of defenders trying to get after him, rushing his throws and resorting to the first receiver he saw.

Rivers has always played behind an average offensive line throughout his career. But when it has been decimated in a single season due to injuries, it has seemed to affect his play. The league executive compared this season to 2016 when Rivers tossed 10 touchdown passes with nine interceptions during the five-game losing streak to end the season.

As we know it, Rivers is not a mobile quarterback. He is a pocket passer who thrives under pressure by using his unorthodox arm motion, yet quick release to hook up with his pass-catchers. But that hasn’t been the case this season, and he’s throwing the ball like he’s seeing ghosts, appearing to be reckless and rushed.

Rivers could have his safety blankets back in starting tackles Russell Okung and Sam Tevi back in the starting lineup this weekend. With them back, seeing if the veteran quarterback flourishes or folds will be one of the biggest headlines in what could possibly be the last five games of Rivers in the blue and gold as he’s set to become a free agent after the season.

“That one will be interesting. I don’t know how excited Rivers would be to stay for less money, if that is what it comes to. Would he play elsewhere and move his family,” an executive said.

[lawrence-related id=31010,31002,30980,30971]

WATCH: Report details how Astros electronically stole signs during 2017 championship season

In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.

Four former Houston Astros players are confirming long-standing suspicions that the team steals signs. In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, written by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.

The report does more than explain the tactics used by Houston to sign steal, it also asserts that sign-stealing — although deemed illegal by MLB — is rampant in the majors and is an issue that the league is not cracking down on.

In addition to three anonymous former Astros speaking to their experiences with Houston’s sign-stealing during its 2017 World Series season, pitcher Mike Fiers is identified in the article as a source. The group claims that the Astros positioned a video camera in the outfield at Minute Maid Park and used a video screen in the home dugout to decode signs that were being used by the opposing team’s catcher.

Conflicting memories of when in 2017 the Astros employed the sign-stealing tactics are included in The Athletic’s report, which says “Two sources said the Astros’ use of the system extended into the 2017 playoffs. Another source adamantly denied that, saying the system ended before the postseason.”

Houston has denied sign-stealing as recently as during the 2019 ALCS when the New York Yankees believed the team was using whistling noises to indicate a particular pitch was coming. The Astros also denied similar claims during the 2018 ALCS when reports said that the team was caught sign-stealing versus the Boston Red Sox.

The Astros declined to comment on The Athletic’s report and MLB’s statement in the article acknowledges teams and sign stealing in a general sense, pointing to changes in the MLB policy that were made before the 2019 season following league-wide complaints in 2017.

MLB is investigating the Astros culture, following the firing of assistant GM Brandon Taubman, and the deep dive could be expanded to find out which members of the organization were and are aware of the sign stealing.

New report details how Astros electronically stole signs during 2017 World Series Championship seaso

In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.

In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.