Dub Hub: Steph Curry lists the Top 5 players from his era

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Friday, June 14th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Steph Curry reveals his list for the top five players of his era during an episode of his new podcast, Heat Check.
• The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami reminisces on old conversations he had with the late Jerry West in his most recent article.
• The Clippers are reportedly looking to add former ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy to Ty Lue’s coaching staff, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Golden State Warriors’ superstar Stephen Curry debuted his new podcast, Heat Check, starring himself alongside his father, Dell Curry. The 10-episode series (available on Audible) highlights the Curry family’s journey to the NBA while also sharing some unique basketball insights between them.

During one of the episodes, the father and son pair discuss the top five players of their respective eras. While Dell’s top five of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O’Neal featured players during his career spanning from 1986 to 2002; Steph had his choice of current players to choose from starting in 2009. His list included himself, alongside fellow superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden. Curry also gave mentions to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, as well as his Warriors’ teammates.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, June 14th:

Warriors News:

Steph Curry’s top 5 players of his era includes himself, LeBron James and Kevin Durant

NBA free agency 2024: Priorities, player needs for 30 teams | ESPN

Cap space breakdown: The Warriors’ flexibility starting after July 1 is dependent on Paul’s $30 million non-guaranteed contract and free agent Thompson. If Paul is waived, Golden State is $37 million below the luxury tax and $57 million below the second apron.

CBA impact: Because Golden State is a second-apron team until June 30, it is not allowed to send out cash, aggregate contracts or take back more money in a trade. The restrictions are lifted starting July 1 if the Warriors go below the second apron.

What was Jerry West really like? On the phone with him, the NBA universe opened up | The Athletic

Why did he leave the Warriors? There certainly was some fidgeting with Lacob about West’s next contract. Jerry also wanted to be full-time back in Los Angeles, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer solved both of those problems by offering West a giant deal. Jerry told me he never wanted to depart the Warriors, but I think he also knew that Myers had the thing totally under control, and 2017 was as good a time as any to exit.

“Forget the amount of games that they’ve won,” West told me in August 2017, months after he’d left the Warriors. “Forget that. The thing that’s made it special are the players. And my gosh, some of the owners that I’ve gotten to know there; you couldn’t have a bunch of people like that by stroke of good fortune. To watch Bob grow as a general manager, watch the team; you don’t have a chance to see those things happen very often, particularly when you’re in the twilight of your life.”

Kerr explains similarities between Steph, Clark’s pro career starts | NBC Sports Bay Area

“I think it’s kind of a right of passage for young players, whether it’s the WNBA or the NBA. The other players are going to test you,” Kerr told MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle on Monday’s episode of “The 11th Hour.” “And actually, Caitlin reminds me a lot of Steph Curry. A lot of people may not remember this, but in Steph’s first couple of years, he was not a superstar. He was not who he is now. He had to get stronger, he had to understand people were coming after him. That’s what is happening with Caitlin right now.

“I think it’s all in the name of competition. She’s handling herself beautifully. She’s an amazing player, but like every college player who comes into the WNBA or the NBA, it takes time. They’ve got to get stronger, more used to the contact, the physicality, the athleticism. So she’ll be fine, and I think everything she’s going through right now is just all part of being a pro.”

Warriors’ assistant coach Anthony Vereen will serve as the team’s Summer League head coach

NBA News:

The backbreaking strategy that has driven Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to the brink | ESPN

“We don’t come in and write ‘Let’s take 40 3s’ on the board,” Tatum told ESPN after the game. “We really just play to our strength every single night.

“Not to throw other teams under the bus, but a lot of teams kind of struggle with it because they have one or two guys that you can help off on. And we never really have that.”

Boston has seven players who have made 20 or more 3-pointers this postseason, tied for the most by any team in a single postseason in NBA history.

Everyone can hit a 3, everyone can drive, everyone can defend. There’s no defensive help when a team is built like this, and 48 minutes of it stresses opposing defenses and pushes stars like Doncic to their breaking points.

The latest from the NBA coaching carousel | The Stein Line

League sources tell The Stein Line that the LA Clippers have strong interest in hiring Celtics special adviser Jeff Van Gundy as a high-profile addition to Tyronn Lue’s coaching staff for next season and a strong chance at succeeding in that pursuit after the NBA Finals are complete.

UConn’s Dan Hurley implies that the Lakers could’ve swayed him with a bigger offer: “To leave all that behind, there probably is a number”

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Jerry West knew the Splash Brothers backcourt would be great for a ‘long time’

In a huge blow to the basketball world, NBA legend Jerry West passed away on Wednesday at the age of 86 years old. While he was a Hall-of-Fame player and a champion, he will best be known for his achievements off the court as one of the best talent evaluators in NBA history. During his time as an advisor for the Golden State Warriors, he did an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area in 2014 where he predicted the greatness of the Warriors’ legendary Splash Brothers backcourt duo.

A tweet to end the week:

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.