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I actually love how Josh Hart was ready to hate on Noah Lyles if the latter got here up brief within the males’s 100m. Then, Hart “admitted defeat” after Lyles took dwelling the 🥇. It’s the Olympics, child!
Goldmembers?
It’s elimination time in Olympic basketball!
That complicated, round-robin, group-style Olympic basketball malarkey is over! No extra questioning about level differentials and lettered teams! We’re now all the way down to the single-elimination portion of the event bracket on the 2024 Paris Video games. In case you lose? You’re out. In case you win? You advance. You desire a medal, you say? Higher win at least a pair video games! Let’s break down what’s forward within the males’s bracket, which begins motion on Tuesday (all instances Jap). We’re additionally debuting our Olympic Stress Development meter, greatest often known as the OPP meter!
Bracket disclaimer: The winner of Germany/Greece performs the winner of France/Canada. The winner of Serbia/Australia performs the winner of Workforce USA/Brazil.
Germany (3-0, plus-47) vs. Greece (1-2, minus-8), 5 a.m.
Key for Germany: So long as they comprise Giannis Antetokounmpo, their expertise ought to carry them.
Key for Greece: If they will’t shut down Dennis Schröder, they don’t have any probability.
OPP Meter: ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ for Germany | 🥱 for Greece
Prediction: Germany ought to deal with Greece.
3-0 in Group Play.
Goodnight from Lille. Sweep desires. pic.twitter.com/LjzU5GXZKh
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 3, 2024
The enjoyment!!!@usabasketball secures the #1 seed. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/mQokUW0PgW
— Peacock (@peacock) August 3, 2024
Serbia (2-1, plus-26) vs. Australia (1-2, minus-4), 8:30 a.m.
Key for Serbia: Flip Bogdan Bogdanović into Nikola Jokić’s new Jamal Murray. Allow them to prepare dinner.
Key for Australia: Get Patty Mills going. He shot horribly of their two losses.
OPP Meter: 🏇🏇🏇🏇 for Serbia | 🐨🐨🐨🐨 for Australia.
Prediction: Jokić goes nuts as Serbia strikes on.
France (2-1, plus-2) vs. Canada (3-0, plus-20), 12 p.m.
Key for France: Use their inside dimension to dominate Canada’s tiny entrance line.
Key for Canada: Use their pace and excellence on the perimeter to push the tempo.
OPP Meter: 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖 for France | 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 for Canada
Prediction: One among these groups received’t get a medal. Canada wins, and France feels disgrace.
Workforce USA (3-0, plus-64) vs Brazil (1-2, minus-7), 3:30 p.m.
Key for USA: Simply keep the script and preserve dominating as they’ve thus far.
Key for Brazil: Invent time journey, go get prime Oscar Schmidt, head to the longer term, clone prime Oscar Schmidt, come again to 2024, give Workforce USA bus flat tires.
OPP Meter: 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇 for USA | 😴 for Brazil
Prediction: There isn’t any DeLorean obtainable, so Workforce USA wins in a blowout.
On the ladies’s aspect, this feels rather a lot much less dramatic and much more one-sided. The ladies’s worldwide competitors has not come near threatening Workforce USA. Their bracket begins taking part in on Wednesday with the winner of Serbia and Australia shifting on to face the winner of Workforce USA and Nigeria (whispers: So … Workforce USA, proper?). That matchup begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, so set your streaming gadgets accordingly.
Then, the winner of Spain and Belgium will play the winner of Germany and France. Thursday, we’ll break down what’s in retailer for the ladies’s final-four motion.
ROAD TO GOLD 🥇
Girls’s #Basketball Quarter-Finals are right here 🔥#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/fRJCaPeLRI
— FIBA (@FIBA) August 4, 2024
Lauri Markkanen Day
Every thing to know in regards to the subsequent commerce domino
Tomorrow, Aug. 6, is Lauri Markkanen day! You should be pondering meaning his birthday is Tuesday. Not even shut! His birthday is Could 22. Lauri Markkanen Day has every little thing to do together with his potential contract extension and whether or not he might be traded earlier than subsequent summer season upon signing. It has doubtlessly huge ramifications for the dwindling, present commerce market. Right here’s what it is advisable find out about tomorrow, Lauri and the Jazz. And, sure, you guessed it … I’ll be speaking to myself on this part.
What’s the significance of Aug. 6 for Lauri and the Jazz? Markkanen can be eligible for a four-year contract extension value roughly $200 million. That’s proper! $50 million per season for the Finnish-4. But when the 27-year-old indicators this extension any day after Tuesday, he received’t be commerce eligible by the February 6 commerce deadline this coming season. So, Utah must wait till subsequent summer season to commerce him.
Is that an excessive amount of cash for Markkanen? Perhaps! It’s rather a lot. We’re speaking roughly one-third of what the wage cap needs to be when the extension kicks in. If he performs like an All-NBA man, it’s not an enormous deal.
Would Markkanen routinely flip a workforce right into a contender? Not for many groups, however he may change the fortunes of a number of squads, who could be including a dynamic scorer in any deal.
Which groups may and needs to be enthusiastic about buying and selling for him? A number of the names thrown on the market are Golden State, Sacramento, Miami and San Antonio thus far. The Spurs (Victor Wembanyama) and Warmth (Bam Adebayo) supply probably the most fascinating matches subsequent to their star huge males. Miami’s future is just too unsure and doesn’t at the moment characteristic many commerce belongings. The Kings’ rumors made no sense and have gone away. The Warriors really feel like a desperation play, however they will supply good younger gamers and at the least three unprotected firsts. The Spurs can just about supply the identical as Golden State however have much more picks and swaps to make use of.
What do we predict the Jazz are hoping he’ll do? Signal on Tuesday and instantly get traded to Golden State or San Antonio. It’s greatest to get these belongings now and begin your personal tank.
What occurs if Lauri indicators however can’t be traded till subsequent summer season? We see the Jazz in the identical place because the final two seasons. In 2022-23, they refused to tank with Wemby on the horizon. Now, they’ve this loaded 2025 draft class forward of them, and so they is perhaps too good to count on a top-five decide. Danny Ainge traditionally struggles with the tanking choice.
Prediction: Markkanen will get the max extension, however it comes after he’s now not commerce eligible this coming season. The Jazz can revisit a commerce subsequent summer season.
All That Jazz!
Q&A with Tony Jones about Markkanen
Let’s herald our Jazz beat author and professional Tony Jones! No person is aware of the Jazz like Tony does. Let’s ask him three questions on Lauri, his potential commerce market and the Jazz’s upcoming plans.
What do we predict is the baseline commerce bundle to get into the Lauri commerce market?
Tony: I feel the baseline bundle begins at three tradeable unprotected first-round picks, a great younger participant, a number of unprotected first-round swaps and filler wage, if relevant. I don’t suppose the Jazz decide on this bundle. I feel that’s the bundle that will get them to choose up the telephone. Markkanen is extraordinarily invaluable to Utah, desires to be with the Jazz and is without doubt one of the most original gamers within the NBA. The Jazz merely will not be going to half with him simply, it doesn’t matter what their circumstance is.
Does it profit Lauri to get his extension after the deadline after which be traded subsequent summer season?
Tony: I truly suppose Markkanen signing a long-term deal makes him extra tradeable from a price standpoint. I feel groups can be much less hesitant to go all in on Markkanen if his contract has a number of years remaining. However I additionally suppose if the Jazz have the 12 months they need, and so they get the place they need within the 2025 NBA Draft, there can be rather a lot much less motive for them to commerce their star at the moment subsequent season.
If Lauri doesn’t get traded, are the Jazz just too good to have actual desires of Cooper Flagg in 2025?
Tony: That is the million-dollar query. Markkanen is sweet sufficient by himself to get the Jazz some wins this season. I do suppose Utah will prioritize its younger gamers, particularly Keyonte George and Walker Kessler. And I feel Will Hardy is nearly as good a younger coach as there may be within the league. The Jazz might wish to de-emphasize profitable this season, however they’ve, on the similar time, accomplished a great job of placing younger items on the roster.
Bounce Passes
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The Kobe and Gianna Bryant statue unveiled by the Lakers is fairly particular.
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