Long time rival point guards Stephen Curry and Chris Paul looking forward to their new status as teammates on an opposing team to the Warriors this year, wrote ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
“That’s the beautiful thing about basketball, you can’t write these stories,” Curry said. “To move full circle, we have had many battles over the years. He’s in Year 18, I’m going to Year 15, it’s amazing that we have an opportunity to play together, and hopefully win at the highest level. He’s super competitive, and so am I.”
“I’m happy for Steph, Draymond [Green], Clay [Thompson], all different men, Wigs [Andrew Wiggins],†Paul said. “I’m excited to get together and see what it looks like. It’s just crazy how life goes. But when it comes to basketball, I’m probably the closest to my happiest. Obviously I’m happiest when I’m with my family, but basketball is my safe haven; it’s been like that for a long time.”
Paul, a 12-time All-Star, was traded from the Suns to the Wizards as part of the Bradley Beal trade early this summer. The Warriors then exchanged the 38-year-old as the center of its deal to be offloaded Jordan Poole and other young players.
There’s more in California:
- The new look Warriors must compete against a crowded Western Conference in their pursuit of another ring. Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area unpacks 10 key regular season matchups that he believes will serve as a critical test for Golden State.
- After finishing third in the West while returning to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, the Kings will be featured prominently on national TV this season. A source informed James Ham of ESPN 1320 (Link to Twitter) that Sacramento will play six regular season contests on TNT, five on ESPN and 11 on NBA TV. Added by Ham (via Twitter) that 16 of those 22 national bouts will be played in Sacramento.
- Kings All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis looking forward to the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, as he said Kyle Irving of The Sporting News. “It’s another chance to win something,” Sabonis said. “In international basketball, these cups in the middle of the season are big. They mean something. And then history happens and it’s important. “I feel that this year, if people are not already on board now, the moment that that first champion wins, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, I want that next year.’ It’s only going to get better and better.â€