The Warriors‘ biggest offseason priority was to bring in a high-level, established scorer next to Stephen Curry, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. That’s why Golden State targeted both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen, though the team came away with neither. While the general sentiment is that the Warriors did well for itself to bring in players like Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson, Slater ponders whether the team is failing Curry.
Slater acknowledges that striking out on Markkanen may not have been management’s fault. According to Slater, Markkanen’s availability felt more like a mirage and him extending with Utah always seemed like the intended outcome.
Curry hasn’t shown any signs of unease or unrest with the roster, Slater adds. The two-time MVP is extension-eligible, and there has been no indication that either side feels less than optimistic about getting a deal done, though it won’t happen in the near future as Curry unwinds after the Paris Olympics.
While Curry could choose to sign a one-year extension by the October 21 deadline for the sake of security, it’s possible he’ll prefer to play out the season to see if the young players develop and if the new veterans fit in well. It would also be helpful to see if Draymond Green stays out of the league’s spotlight this season and if Andrew Wiggins bounces back, Slater writes. If Curry doesn’t sign an extension by Oct. 21, he’ll be eligible again next summer.
The Warriors themselves believe they improved this season, with internal team models providing a positive outlook for their veteran additions. One rival’s metric model projects the club to finish fourth in the West, Slater notes. Still, Curry’s decision on an extension before the deadline of Oct. 21 may provide a hint of his confidence level in the roster.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Paris Olympics are another major reason the Lakers should continue to be aggressive in looking for roster upgrades, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports. LeBron James and Anthony Davis played major roles in the gold medal run, with James earning Olympics MVP honors. In Buha’s view, Davis has established himself as a top-10 NBA player and James remains firmly in that conversation too, so the tandem remains more than capable of contending for championships. Two-way wings are still a need for the team, Buha writes, but they could look to get creative in optimizing their stars with the talent on board, perhaps by playing Davis alongside another big more often or using their young shooters like Dalton Knecht and Max Christie.
- In a similar piece, Michael Pina of The Ringer opines that the Lakers needed to bring in more veteran talent around James this offseason. The only players currently on Los Angeles’s standard roster who weren’t on last year’s team are Knecht and Bronny James. For my money though, I’ll be curious to see how they deploy their young talent this season. While the team didn’t make major veteran moves, Knecht was widely regarded as one of the biggest draft steals and players like Christie, Maxwell Lewis or Jalen Hood-Schifino could play themselves into the rotation or show enough promise to be used to trade for vets.
- The new Clippers arena, Intuit Dome, had its grand opening on Thursday, Law Murray of The Athletic relays. The arena’s features, like the halo board, have gone viral through the last year and it marks the first time since 1998 that the Clippers won’t shares Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena with their rival Lakers. The 2024/25 regular season home opener for L.A. is against Phoenix on Oct. 23.
Curry wants and needs a 5th ring. That will put him up there with Kobe. Maybe he can be in top 10 conversation winning number 5?
I think he knows one more is crucial and wants his legacy to be even greater than it would be if he retired today.
Call me when Kobe wins a second MVP, or 73 wins or an unanimous MVP. Steph has long surpassed Kobe be fr
Curry needs 6 rings to tie MJ and 7 to pass him. Curry needs 2-3 more rings and can still get them, if he plays into his 40s and GSW keeps this young core together around him. Back to this year:
Wiggins – roughly $85M
GP2 – $9M
Looney – $8M
=$102M
Those 3 packaged together can bring in a highly-paid star scorer at the deadline, or add Podz or Moody and picks/$ to the group to bring in an all-star/elite player. It doesn’t have to be Lauri or PG13, the “good” part about the NBA now (that benefits GSW here) is that every single season a random superstar demands a trade, in addition to being able to pick from the best players off non-contenders, long story short is GSW will be first in line to shop at the deadline this year and has the chips to bring in a quality player.
eFG% .100 higher, TS% .76 higher, Win Shares/48 .28 higher, .7 higher PER. I know stats aren’t everything, but Curry’s advantages are significant in some key areas. Granted, that includes Kobe’s full career, including his post-Achilles rupture performance and retiring two years older than Curry is now. Then again, he also came into the league earlier and had a longer period of time in his physical peak relative to elite on-court performance.
Even if you think Kobe had the better career thanks to his longevity of elite performance, Curry is the better peak player IMO. And he ain’t done yet, obviously.
@Shae “Curry is the better peak player IMO”
What specifically points to this being true? Two MVP awards?
Kobe had seven seasons where he was voted both All-NBA 1st team AND All-Defensive 1st team. Again, that was SEVEN seasons where he was considered the best all around guard in the game. He finished two of those seven seasons with a Finals MVP award to boot.
Steph is a phenomenal elite superstar that deserves to have his name mentioned with ALL of the greats. No sarcasm there at all, the guy has been an absolute joy to watch but his fans tend to put the emphasis on “fan” in fanatical. they don’t need to make outlandish claims about his greatness and try putting down other greats as if its just Steph then everyone else. The NBA didn’t start the year that Curry was drafted lol.
Call us when Curry gets voted to a single All-Defensive team compared to Kobe’s 9 1st teams/3 2nd teams.
How about Kobe getting voted to almost three times as many ALL-NBA 1st teams as Steph. (Kobe 11 1st teams/ Curry FOUR 1st teams)
Kobe finished his career with…
more games played
more points scored
more rebounds
more assists
more steals
more blocks
more rings
more finals mvp’s
more playoffs games played
more playoffs points scored
more playoffs assist
more playoffs rebounds
more playoffs steals
You Cult of Curry members can be so funny at times. Steph has one more regular season MVP and alot more made threes. Bravo! (Golf Clap)
…you do realize having way more games played explains a lot of those advantages, right? Nothing particularly unexpected nor exciting about that. It comes down to how much one would value those advantages, which will shrink as Curry puts more miles on his tires.
And defense only takes one so far when their offense would be significantly worse. Which is exactly why Curry’s weighted metrics STILL beat Kobe’s even with that factored in. Being more well-rounded doesn’t necessarily make one a better player.
I couldn’t care less about the award stuff. Prone to bias and context always needs to be factored in (and almost never is). They’re almost always weak arguments.
@Shae, Kobe played longer while being elite on both ends while Steph has spent a large portion of his career possessions on defense being hidden on the opposing team’s worst/smallest scorer. That isn’t an opinion its just a fact.
Award stuff is a weak argument when your homeboy Brabo was literally using an AWARD to make his claim for Steph being the better player? That is hilarious.
@Shea (not Shae) my apologies, that was unintentional. I noticed this after being able to edit your name.
Why are you associating me with Brabo lol. I’m making my own claim that has nothing to do with anyone else.
Fair point. I will say this though, you want to compare Steph with Kobe but then say this “you do realize having way more games played explains a lot of those advantages, right?”
When you start making comparisons you can’t then just start moving goalposts to fit certain arguments lol, It either all counts or none of it does.
These debates tend to get to be ridiculous (not directed at you here) where one player gets elevated above others that are are/were every bit as good as the first guy, if not more.
This is mostly a case for Shaq being ahead of Kobe, and probably Steph also. Steph may not be Top 10, but I don’t see any case for Kobe, who suddenly became much better after dying, being Top 10.
1) All analytics say that, offensively, no player in the last 24 years, including LeBron and Jokic, has a greater positive effect on other players’ offensive output than Steph. The term “gravity” was coined to describe the effect. Kobe might demand a double-team, but his presence doesn’t add to an offense as much as Steph’s.
2) Steph by far the better leader, and single-handedly created a winning franchise. He selflessly recruited KD and gave up his own #1 status to KD. Steph lifts up his teammates. By contrast, Kobe was disliked, and repelled other stars from joining Lakers, see, esp, Lamarcus Aldridge, all of which contributed to the Lakers being awful for several years. It’s blasphemous to say today, but Kobe was long considered one of the biggest a******s in the NBA.
3) Before his death, on EVERY all-time, Kobe was below both Shaq and Olajuwon. Posthumously, Kobe jumped about 4 spots.
4) Shaq was, by far, the dominant player on the first three Lakers Championship teams. He won multiple MVP’s, Finals MVP, etc. Kobe was known as “Robin”.
5) Kobe is an individual player, and can’t carry a team on his own. Without Shaq leaving for Heat, and having only Kobe, the Lakers sucked (losing record) until they acquired Gasol, Bynum, Lamar, etc. Shaq immediately won at Miami without Kobe. Unlike Steph or LeBron, Kobe needs an All-Star cast.
I would rank Shaq ahead of Kobe but Shaq really has nothing to do with comparing Curry to Kobe.
I fully admit that Steph’s offensive greatness gives him a slight edge to Kobe’s offensive game but basketball is a two way sport. That edge that Curry gets on one end he gives right back on the other when comparing these two players. I take up this same issue when someone wants to make the argument that Luka is the best player in the game. Sure, he maybe the best “offensive” player but you still need to stop the team on the other end and we just saw Jaylen Brown exploit Luka’s defense repeatedly in the Finals.
Some thoughts on your list above…
1. I agree, Steph’s gravity is a real thing, but Kobe was just as good on offense as Steph was, he just did his scoring in a different way. Need a big shot? Kobe’s resume is well known there.
2. I agree that Steph has been the better leader too,Kobe definitely needed time to grow in that regard but thats just one aspect of the overall picture.
3. LoL, Where the people creating those lists just like all of us knuckleheads or were they special or something lol?
4. Agree again but I could also say that KD was the most dominant player on the Dubs 16/17 & 17/18 squads especially in the Finals.
5. if we’re choosing carrying a team on their own then I’m definitely going Kobe over Steph. Without Shaq/KD those two won rings with Gasol & Artest for Kobe and Klay & Dray for Steph. If I’m choosing which one had the better #2 & 3 guys its Steph Curry by far. Go ahead and compare Gasol to Klay’s career then do the same with Green & Artest. Steph’s help is much more talented.
– You’re undervaluing Steph’s unselfishness. He convinced Durant to come with an understanding that he’s give up more than $20M to fit under the cap and willingly gave up his MVP stature (he’d won for the past 2 years) to make KD comfortable. Steph birthed and then sustained that superteam for 3 years. Few, if any, superstars in any pro sport bring more value from their character. Above all else, that will make Steph the most celebrated player of the past 25 years after LeBron.
– Kobe had the opposite effect on the Lakers throughout his career, and, respectfully, his leadership did not, as you suggest, “evolve” in a positive way. Kobe drove Shaq from the Lakers, ending that dynasty. And later in his career, Kobe made the Lakers unattractive to free agents that could have prevented their descent, i.e., Aldridge, Howard, etc
In Kobe’s last 6 seasons, the Lakers won only ONE playoff series. Kobe closed his career winning 27, 21 and 17 games.
– Kobe had pretty much stopped playing defense by 2007-08. He kept had the reputation, but age and injury caught up with him.
– I can’t find the evidence for Kobe single-handedly carrying a team like Steph has to multiple Chips. Steph was the only superstar on his 1st and 4th Chips — the team’s only All-Star in 2015, when he completed the job of transforming the Dubs from the bottom of the NBA heap to the Chip. In 2022, Andrew Wiggins was the #2 guy on the team. Kobe played behind Shaq and, from 2008-10, on loaded teams with 4 players that had been All-Stars, like Gasol, Artest Bynum, Odom. After, the
– You might argue that Durant was better than Steph on his 3 years on the Warriors, but Steph had already won 2 MVP’s when Durant arrived. They were close in ability, whereas Kobe was a distant #2 to Shaq on those 3 Lakers Championship teams.
That’s why Shaq was always ranked ahead ok Kobe up until Kobe’s death.
Maybe I am underestimating Steph’s leadership a bit and I do admit that I would give him the edge over Kobe in that area. That being said, I do think that you’re underestimating Kobe’s growth as a leader after his breakup with Shaq.
The optics from that divorce from Kobe’s point of view were horrible. Ok, at some point he wanted to step out and be his own man, so to speak, from a basketball standpoint and there’s nothing wrong with that, at least not to me. The real “issue” is how he went about doing that and he didn’t handle that one well. Which is a shame because seeing what Shaq & Kobe could have down together if they really bought in long term would have been fascinating watch from a basketball fan perspective, even if painful viewing as a Celtics fan lol.
To reply back on some of your thoughts above…
I honestly don’t view KD’s time in GS as any better than Steph’s during that same stretch, what I was honestly trying to say and doing a terrible job articulating is, I view KD’s high level play while playing next to Curry was just as elite as Shaq’s dominance with Kobe. Those two pairings at their peak play were just as good as any other teammate duos in history, they’re runs at the top just didn’t last as long some like Jordan/Pippen, Bird/McHale or Magic/Kareem. Egos. (shrugs)
I’m not trying to rebuke alot of your thoughts on Kobe’s play throughout his career especially after that split with Shaq but from my point of view, I saw that growth from him overtime and its even more evident now years later. You made an interesting remark earlier about “Kobe suddenly became much better after dying” that I’ve thought about since then. Its not that I would say he suddenly got much better after dying, its just that now we have more perspective of his overall game since his career ended which happens with every player. I hated Magic & Kareem back in the day when they were playing but once that era ended I’ve realised even more how great those two were back then. It was the same with Kobe and will be the same with players like Lebron or Steph. I’m kind of predicting KD will have a similar arc as Kobe did where more people will appreciate how great he’s been after he’s done playing. Too many people get caught up in the Hot Take angle, in the moment, to truly appreciate greatness.
To continue on that thought about Kobe’s growth as a leader, once Shaq left he was basically starting from scratch in my eyes. He looked like an ass on how he handled the split and everyone rightfully thought that but he brought that franchise back from the bottom to a Finals participant within 3 seasons after Shaq to B2B Finals championships over the next two years. That never happens without growth as THE leader on the Lakers during that stretch. maybe we all weren’t seeing that in real time on a daily basis like I’ve seen with the Jays in recent years and you with the Dubs big three over the past 14-15years but now, years later, more info has come out and our perspectives tend to change, at least mine has in regards to Kobe.
Netflix’s Redeem Team documentary gave us some evidence of that growth from Kobe as a leader during the leadup to the 2008 Olympics. (that was a worthy watch for anyone that hasn’t seen it.) This was his Dream Team, so to speak, coming in with a roster that had Wade,Lebron,Carmelo,CP3, Dwight Howard & Jason Kidd plus an assortment of other AS caliber players from that era. This team was meant to “redeem” Team USA’s basketball standing on the world stage after two bronze performances at the 04 OLY/06 FWC games and they did just that. Kobe set the tone right from the jump of G1 by plowing through his real life Lakers teammate Pau Gasol. (Here’s a clip of what I’m talking about) link to youtube.com
Again, this was his Dream team and in that moment he definitely took that role on head on as THE guy on that roster for that time. That same calendar year he led to LA to a Finals loss without Shaq but then won the next two after that with arguably one of the lesser title worthy supporting casts in nba history, imho. The stories about his leadership flaws from that era were severely exaggerated and he definitely came a long way from that angle since his Shaq breakup.
Lol, won two titles without shaq but anyways….remember when Durant got those two finals mvps? Kobe is head and shoulders above Steph, far superior all round player, hence the accolades on the defensive end.
@erik…if nothing else the Steph/warrior fans and Bron/laker fans are good for a laugh. All logic, commonsense, stats and facts go out the window. Better than Kobe lol.
I admit I’ve definitely sounded the same when it came to arguing Tom Brady as the GOAT QB over Montana & Manning or making my case for Jordan over Lebron. But then at one point you realize that you’re just bashing one or more really great players in the argument for your favorite team’s player or an all-time great player that you enjoyed watching play, when in reality you’d be happy as hell to be rooting for that “other” guy on your local team if your GOAT pick wasn’t playing for them.
I argued Kobe’s case in comparison to Curry above but they’re all-time greats that 95% of other fanbases would be grateful to have.
Its actually Ok to think that the “other” guy might conceivably be just as good as your guy because, usually, they actually are. Nobody is going to lose their fancard for admitting that lol.
I’m not sure who Tom Brady is, jokes. You don’t see me, the Boston fan. Calling Bill or Larry the GOAT or Tatum the best current player in the nba atm. I do truly find these guys takes amusing though. A little scary how easy people can be mislead and follow a false narrative but, mostly amusing and hilarious.
fact is there is no GOAT in any sport since stats differ so much and rules between decades. Saying Brady is a GOAT is not true too since he was gifted 2 super bowls.
Magic Johnson never made an All-Defensive Team but he is regularly ranked as top 5-10 players of all time.
Your argument that Curry hasn’t been voted to a single All-Defensive Team goes out the window. It hasn’t affected Magic Johnson’s status has one of the all time greats.
Magic Johnson was 6-9 and could get double digit rebounds any time he felt like it, heck he even started a game at center in the Finals where he eventually played all FIVE positions in that championship deciding game where he finished with 42pts/15reb/8ast/3stl/1blk.
Magic’s length and versatility make him a great defender in his own right while your Chef is always going to be just 6-2 and an average to slightly above average defender.
I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings lol.
Why should it hurt my feelings? You kept going on and on about Curry not making an All Defensive Team. I pointed out Magic Johnson never made an All Defensive Team. If Johnson was such a great defender, why didn’t ever he make an All Defensive Team.
Stop shifting your goal post because it doesn’t suit your agenda.
Bravo Ron,. Honestly now, how long did you spend looking for an all time great player that didn’t make an All-D team? Great, you found one to make a point, just not a good one.
Magic was a “giant” as a point guard and could play literally every position on the court. He had a 7′-4″ wingspan and was a phenomenal defender against literally everyone.
Why didn’t Magic get voted to an All -Defensive Team? Probably because Kareem & Michael Cooper were considered the premier defenders on that LA roster that actually get voted on.
At that time and pretty much still to this day, you rarely find three players from one team make All-D unless they’re have an all-time caliber defense. IIRC the Bucks have done it once during the Giannis years.
Putting Steph in the same breath as Magic in regards to defense is just ludicrous, One guy can cover all five positions while the other is ALWAYS going to be the smallest/worst defender on the court. NBA offenses seek out that guy on defense regularly during the season and considerably more in the playoffs. Steph’s saving grace is that he’s capable of getting it all back on the other end but that still doesn’t change the fact that he’s a bad defender. He’s freaking 6-2.
Now give yourself that gold star, Captain Ron, you found another great player that didn’t get voted to a single All-Defensive team. I bet that that is a crowning moment for you and your new gold star will look great on the bow of the S.S. Who Gives A Crap.
Golden State could always just bring back Poole Boy so Steph’s defense will look better than it really is. ;)
It seems like I hit a nerve. Keep making excuses on why Johnson never made an All Defensive Team. Johnson was overrated on defense, that’s why he never made on All Defensive Teams. That’s a fact.
My point still stands. Your whining isn’t going to change anything.
Curry improved his defense over the years. He’s an above average defender at best. He’s able to get steals, help defender.
“It seems like I hit a nerve.”
Not really. If we’re going to talk about hitting nerves then lets enter your original contribution to this topic… “And you’re a useless troll who doesn’t have anything to contribute. Keep trolling, loser.”
You Curry fans clearly have the lowest self esteem when someone isn’t outright kissing your little man’s tush. You couldn’t even include an actual basketball thought there, you just went straight to crying. Talk about hitting nerves LoL.
“Johnson was overrated on defense, that’s why he never made on All Defensive Teams.”
Unlike the current crapshow where the league now has to pander to every star player, back in the 80’s when they voted on All-NBA or All-Defense teams, voters chose two guards, two forwards and a center for each team. No exceptions. Magic Johnson was never considered one of the top 4 defensive minded guards in any given season during his career where he got voted to one of the two spots on 1st team or the two on the 2nd.
Magic wasn’t considered a better defender at the guard position over names like Michael Cooper, Mo Cheeks, Sydney Moncrief, Paul Pressey, Joe Dumars, Alvin Roberston & Michael Jordan, all mainstays on the All-D team guard positions during Magic’s career. (although Magic still managed to get votes for DPOY, go ahead and explain that one Einstein.)
So to sum things up here, No Magic was NOT a better defender than those guards but the guy was practically on Bill Russell’s level defensively compared to your boy Stuart Little’s running around and chasing those bigger players on D.
But who am I kidding here? trying to explain logic to a Curry fan is pointless, you moRons bow down to him like he’s your god, which is honestly pretty sad. This convo has obviously runs it course. Bye Felicia!
“And you’re a useless troll who doesn’t have anything to contribute. Keep trolling, loser.”
My comment wasn’t even directed towards you. It was directed towards Nrg82. Guilty conscience much? Lol.
Again, going back to your OP where your “greatness” criteria consisted of making All Defesive Teams, I pointed out Magic Johnson never made them yet he’s considered a top 5-10. Even when he was voted for DPOY, he still couldn’t make it.
You having a meltdown on every post pertaining to Curry shows who the real moRon is. Curry’s reputation as a great player is already established . He’s one of the all time greats. The opinion of butthurt nobodies like you isn’t going to change anything.
“Again, going back to your OP where your “greatness” criteria consisted of making All Defesive Teams, I pointed out Magic Johnson never made them yet he’s considered a top 5-10. Even when he was voted for DPOY, he still couldn’t make it.”
Magic had ZERO to do with comparing Steph to Kobe yet you entered his name into that debate, who’s moving goal posts now?
My pointing out how many defensive team nods Kobe had over Steph was to show how that one player was considerably better on defense than the other was.
You jumping in to point out how some other player compares, who was not even part of this conversation in the first place, goes way beyond moving goal posts into just throwing crap at the wall hoping it would stick. Congrats, you managed to make it stick. That goal post got moved out of the arena and into an entirely different era.
Since you’re going to point out my comments about Steph Curry in other threads, at least try to include the ones where I’ve done nothing but praise the guy too. You fools have this fascination where anytime someone, in your eyes, sullies Steph’s honor, you then need to immediately gang up on that poster which can be both hilarious and pathetic at the same time.
Well, Its been great conversating with you, Captain Ron, on this deep basketball knowledge level and to show my appreciation for all of the great insights that you provided, I have this parting gift for you. Where you’re lacking an avatar for your HR account, this one seemed to be perfect for you. Enjoy!
link to imgflip.com
I’m done for real this time. Have fun watching your hero struggle to drag his team through the play-in round this season.
Making snide remarks/sarcasm isn’t going to change anything.
I’ve said what I wanted to and it seems like majority of the people agree with me.
You carry on having a meltdown whenever the name Curry is mentioned.
You won’t get the last word.
“I’ve said what I wanted to and it seems like majority of the people agree with me.”
Who exactly? On a site where its widely thought that there are Dubs fans who use multiple different accounts like angry little trolls, maybe that’s one thing that you shouldn’t be bragging about.
For all we know you could be here defending Curry’s maidenhood from 4 different Hoops Rumors accounts lol. And THAT makes any Curry defender here with multiple Thumbs Up on a post look pretty shady.
You telling me I won’t get the last word just shows who’s really melting down, homie. I appreciate you Flagging me.
This is my only account. I meant Curry’s reputation as a great player. Your minority opinion doesn’t really matter.
You’re delusional and paranoid.
I thought you weren’t going to post anymore. But you’re still here projecting. And having a meltdown as usual.
Not delusional or paranoid. Maybe it was just coincidence that your overly cocky remark that I won’t get the last word in just happen to be followed up immediately by a notification that my next reply needed to pass through modification first was just purely happenstance. ;)
Steph Curry IS a great player and I never tried to say otherwise.
My argument above was entirely about Kobe being the better all around player and the accolades handed down from the NBA was proof of that. You then made this about Magic, who had zero relevance to that specific topic and we both let it derail from there and for that I apologize. Peace.
Captain Ron , as Warriors faithful, I think we should try to accommodate visitors from other teams who may disagree or, even, be a bit obnoxious sometimes. Prior to the personal disagreement, your discussion with erictheredd was very thoughtful, and I was enjoying it.
Block ‘nrg82’, he’s here only to antagonize, but erictheredd makes this board better for all Dubs fans.
aristotle, I appreciate the kind words but I definitely put my foot in my mouth above, covered that thing with Frank’s and ate it whole. I’ll own up to that.
Drama aside, I think we sometimes forget that we’re talking about (at least in this case above) two of the top players in the world who the consensus would rank somewhere in the top 10-15-20 players in the world. They’re being mentioned in the same breathe with all of the other greats for a reason.
Kobe’s game speaks for itself, as does Steph’s (as does Shaq’s to continue the convo with you from above.) They’re not always going to look the same or follow the same path to greatness and honestly that’s ok to admit as fans.
Everyone gets too caught up in protecting “their” guy which just muddies the water when trying to talk about this stuff online. I’m neither a GS Warriors or LA Lakers fan so I’m not bringing any bias to the table here, technically both players have Finals wins over the team that I root for most lol. I should be hating both equally but I appreciate basketball greatness which makes that difficult to do sometimes.
If I were starting a team and had to choose just one from these two, I’m going with the more complete player in Kobe because I value that slightly more than all of Curry’s strengths that he brings to the table. That doesn’t make Steph any less of a player, its just an opinion.
If the Warriors play out this year with this sort of middling roster, so be it. Curry is grateful for what ownership has done the last 15 years in regards to the team payroll.
But I think the writer is correct in that Steph wants to see that if after resetting the tax stuff, management can bring in the necessary studs to make another run.
One more ring is extremely important to Steph Curry.
Curry is 36 years old and most likely will never play more than 68-70 regular season games ever again in his career. A major infusion of talent was needed to put them back in the championship discussion. I don’t think he’s “thankful” for the Wiggins extension or the Wiseman pick. How bad defensively is Curry, Podz and Hield sharing the floor? There is no track record of sustained development of young players in Golden State. So much needs to go right for this team to make the playoffs.
The better question is… If Klay puts up 25 in one of his return visits back to Oracle, will he get booed? He should never be, and genuinely I hope not. But the delusion and entitlement of the Warrior fans here make it seem like a possibility.
Oh please no way Thompson would be booed. KD came back to a standing ovation and cheers all night long. Podz is not a bad defender he was out defending Thompson last year. One of the reasons they let Thompson go his defense is not very good anymore. Curry is still in top shape and out performed LeBron in the Olympics. Entitlement is Celtics fans.
Curry had two good games. They were the most important games, but he did not play well before the last two games at all. Also LeBron won Olympic tournament MVP. This is the delusional stuff I’m referencing.
Do you know why Lebron won? They voted on the MVP before the medal games were played. Serbia and France games were not voted in on. Sport writers said if they waited until all games were played they would have voted Curry. No Curry no gold medal.
I think LeBron was the best player for the gold medal team throughout the entire tournament, that’s why he won MVP.
We agree, the way the medal game finals played out for team USA, without Curry’s performance there is no gold medal. If you’d like to make up an Olympic medal game MVP and award it to him, you absolutely can.
But the actual award, here in reality, is for the whole tournament, which LeBron deservedly won with his consistent performance.
MVP means most valuable doesn’t mean most consistent player. Curry open the floor so Lebron could score. That is why Lebron been trying so hard the last few years to get Curry to go to LA.
Curry was the 5th most valuable player on team USA according to PER. Jokic was 1st and LeBron was a distant 2nd.
So now PER is the only one that matters. SMH
Per what I saw curry and LeBron stepped up biggest time and saved the gold. My eyes never deceive me.
Jokic didnt play for team usa…
An even better question is why would Klay go back to Oracle? They gave up on College Football Bowl game. Would they even let him in?
He literally played 74 games last season lol
There are only rats left at Oracle…Thompson is beloved
Every fanbase has its share of vocal minority losers. I’m sure the vast majority of fans will give Klay a royal welcome.
Wiggins needs to take the opportunity of the #2 scorer and be aggressive at the basket. When he is aggressive he scores and a difference on the floor. He is all about motivation. He needs to prove to the Warriors they need him more than trade him.
Wiggins is who he is. Also since Kerr has said more than once that he does not like playing Wiggins and Kuminga on the floor together, it is more realistic to expect Kuminga to make a jump to being the #2 scorer and for Wiggins to take an even lesser role.
Strongly agreed. A lot of pundits are also ignoring how this team is also adding Draymond for a full year, who’s overall quality of play improved massively last year, when he was out there. If Draymond+Steph each play 65+ games, GSW is top 6 easily.
Wiggins is the wild card, he was awful and a total nonfactor last year, but when Wiggins was good in 2021-22, we won the title. He has not been as good as that since then, for “off court” reasons we aren’t allowed to talk about or criticize him over. Look, just retire if your personal life is this important, Wiggs has made almost $200M in his career. Selfish move to hurt GSW via reasons he won’t even talk about and clearly are effecting his quality of play. Hopefully Wiggins can return to 21-22 form, but his head has clearly not been in the game from the second he signed his October 2022 extension, and its crushed GSW’s title hopes.
Slater ponders, but he doesn’t do much thinking. The Warriors biggest issue last season wasn’t scoring. The starting 5 struggled with turnovers and defense. Giving up 120+ points a night doesn’t get you very far in the playoffs.
they also did a poor job of closing out games lost many that should have been a easy win. they will need Wiggins to score close to 20 a night or Kuminga. Podz needs to shoot the 3 ball. Nobody knows how the team will do next year with so many new guys with important roles.
I’m sure Podz will be fine. I can see why the Warriors don’t want to trade him. He seems like a foundational piece. He has great floor awareness. He’ll get more confident in talking while out on the floor. He will make big leaps this coming season.
G74, what the pundits and others forget is that for much of the first third or so of the season the 2nd group outplayed the first group. It often seemed that Curry klay wigs Dray and loon would play okay but not great. but when Paul tjd jk podz and Moody were on the floor, they were often much better than first group. At least that’s how I remember it. Paul struggled as a starter later in the season but with the 2nd group he was very good AND I believe the gradual improvement of the 4 I listed had everything to do with Paul. Was he a good fit with first unit? Not really, but he was instrumental in the youngsters development. My point is Paul’s loss, for my money, will be felt more than klays loss. Look, it just felt that way for much of the season. I watched every game and I’m sad to say but numerous times I was frustrated/disgusted with klay. His body language ticked me off. Those 4 youngsters e eventually played very well with 1st group, and that had a lot to do with Paul’s role in development. Paul will be missed BUT I’m believing that jk tjd BP and mm are now prepared better. I’m excited about them.. And I’ll miss Paul more than Klay. Can’t believe I said that.
Nobody in all of sports are as delusional as Warrior and Laker fans, just look at some of the comments. Steph better than kobe. Steph can catch MJ. 60 wins this season. Let’s talk about player development while Steph is on the roster. The Pacific division won’t be featuring deep this season and I don’t care who that upsets. You’ll see.
in 2021 we were called delusional as well. Everyone said they’re too old. past their prime. Nrg was probably leading that charge.
Yeah well, this is the 2024/25 season where the Warriors will be lucky to make the playoffs.
As was said in 2021
Do you often put words in other people’s mouths? Bet? Warriors won’t make the playoffs, what’s your price? It’s over man and you’re blowing Steph’s twilight years. Total rebuild on the way.
I said you PROBABLY said it. So you put words in my mouth looks like.
@ claude…deflecting much? Speaking of mouths. You won’t put your money where your mouth is? Confidence clearly not high.
dude everything you accuse me of is what you do. Deflect. I’ll bite.52 wins. 6 seed. please save my post.
Way too early to say warriors make the playoffs or not. Not the same team from last year with so many changes. 4 young players you expect to be better than last year.
Only if you care about being wrong from time to time, in front of people you don’t even know. I said what I said, and I’ll stand by it. There won’t be excuses either way. Warriors are going nowhere this season.
Do you struggle with reading comprehension? lol
going to be fun when warriors make the playoffs and hear your 101 excuses.
I wonder if HoopsRumors has statistics on the number of comments associated with different subjects. I’d make a guess that Lakers and Warriors bring out the most.
Right or wrong we’re passionate. Right up there with Cowboys Raiders Philadelphia Boston New York.
It’s funny as soon as we start losing then I’m sure we’ll quiet down a little. Especially after Curry retires. A lot of the wind will be out of our sails.
But it’s also funny over on the baseball site there’s so many negative Red Sox fans, that when the team starts winning or gets 10 games above .500 as happened in july, comments slow way down. There’s less to complain about LOL.
I can’t even listen to Boston sports radio it makes me want to throw up. Every GM needs to be fired and every manager is horrible. It gets old after a while.
At least the annoying Warriors fans are optimistic and think everything is going to turn out great.
Are you saying we’re irrationally optimistic?