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Like the rest of the basketball world, Warriors veteran Draymond Green was puzzled by Team USA coach Steve Kerr's decision to bench Jayson Tatum in the Olympic squad's victory over Serbia last Sunday in Paris.
And while Kerr, also Green's coach with Golden State, already said he felt like an "idiot" for the choice, his outspoken forward offered an opinion on the latest episode of "The Draymond Green Show."
“Not playing [Tatum] was wrong,” Green said (h/t SI.com's Kristen Wong). “We all know it was wrong. He should’ve played. He didn’t … What I don’t like about it is, now to me it feels like a covering my tracks, proving a point type of thing to where, oh now Joel [Embiid] is out of the lineup. And then [Saturday], Jrue [Holiday] didn’t play… From the outside looking in, it comes off as, ‘We made a mistake as a coaching staff.’ ”
Tatum and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton were the only Team USA players to not log any minutes in the 110-84 win over Serbia, and the Boston Celtics star denied rumors he was ill after the game. Kerr later confirmed Tatum wasn't benched due to any sickness, stating the NBA champion sat because Kerr "went with the combinations that made sense."
"Every game's going to be different based on matchups," Kerr told ESPN's Brian Windhorst after the game. "[Tatum is] a total pro, he's First-Team All-NBA three years in a row. I felt like an idiot not playing him, but you know, 40-minute game, you can't play more than 10 [players]. ...
"[Tatum will] make his mark. Our guys know the key to this whole thing is to put all the NBA stuff in the rearview mirror and just win six games. Jayson is the ultimate pro and champion and he handled it well, and he's going to be ready for the next game."
Tatum started Team USA's following game against South Sudan. But as Green noted, Embiid didn't see the floor that game, which ultimately didn't matter in the 103-86 blowout win. Then, on Saturday, both Tatum and Embiid were in the starting lineup in Team USA's win over Puerto Rico, while Holiday missed the game with a reported ankle injury.
While Kerr certainly has his work cut out for him in working out rotations with his star-studded roster, Green offered some blunt advice to his coach and the rest of Team USA's staff despite their undefeated record throughout the games so far.
“I’m sure it’s part 'We can rest the ankle a little bit,' but it’s part 'We got to not play somebody,' and quite frankly, I don’t like it," Green said. "Come out with a rotation and stick with it. These teams aren’t good enough to where we’re trying to match their lineup. They got to match our lineup … We got the best players in the world. We’ll be fine.”
Kerr, Tatum and Team USA next face Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Paris Games on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. PT.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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