Here's a look at some items out of the Western Conference..
- Stephen Curry says that the Warriors' trade of Monta Ellis to the Bucks has significantly changed his approach to the game, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. Now more of a playmaker, Curry has embraced his adjusted role in Golden State. “The backcourt that we have, we mesh well together, especially with Jarrett [Jack] coming off the bench, so it’s been a different look, but we are getting used to each other and we are playing well," Curry explained. The club's acquisition in that trade, Andrew Bogut, figures to give them a major defensive boost upon his return.
- John Canzano of The Oregonian opines that the Blazers need to ease the burden placed on star big man LaMarcus Aldridge in order to help guard against his potential departure. Aldridge is under contract for $60MM through three more seasons and has yet to win a playoff series in Portland.
- For guard Kevin Murphy to return to the Jazz, General Manager Dennis Lindsey says that he hopes to see the rookie operate as a team player rather than a "pig scorer", write Brian T. Smith, Steve Luhm, and Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Murphy was demoted to the D-League earlier today and will be in Reno for a minimum of five games.
- One of the Blazers' biggest problems is that they have been unable to develop their recent draft picks into true contributors, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian. The new CBA places extra emphasis on teams being able to get strong production out of their reasonably-priced younger players, which is obviously essential for a smaller-market team.