“The model was Steve Nash and Reggie Miller,” Curry said on the latest “Hot Ones” episode.
Before he could continue, a tear came out of Curry’s left eye.
“You see this tear coming out my left eye? I get real emotional talking about these two legends that were such great influences on my game,” Curry joked as he finished his fiery bite.
When he was able to cool down and catch his breath, Curry continued.
“Reggie, because he was a master at creating space without the ball,” he said. “Find a way to get separation to go out and get a pass and quick release. I never could emulate his form because he does it like this when he shoots. You never teach that. But the movement without the ball. So I try to blend those two guys together.”
3. Stephen Curry, Warriors
Previous rank: 3
In a season that was full of ups and downs for the Warriors, Curry was the closest thing to a constant.
Before a few pesky injuries got in the way, Curry was putting together a body of work that rivaled his unanimous MVP season. And despite time missed, Curry was able to do enough to propel his team into the top six of the Western Conference, setting up an impressive playoff run given the team’s deficiencies.
In the playoffs, Curry quite frankly allowed the Warriors to overachieve, putting his stamp on their playoff run with a then-record 50 points in a Game 7 win over the Kings. The Warriors’ title defense ended in the second round, but Curry performed at a Finals MVP level.
He’s not showing any signs of slowing down.
With Klay Thompson’s contract expiring at the end of next season, Medina expects the Warriors to adopt a similar approach to negotiations regarding Klay Thompson’s contract like with Draymond Green’s.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “I expect the Warriors to handle talks with Thompson the same way they did with Draymond Green last season. They will let the season play out and see how Thompson performs. They then will sign him to another deal.”
“The dollar figure remains to be seen given the Warriors’ hope to trim costs and Thompson’s inconsistency. But both parties will ensure that Thompson plays with the Warriors for the remainder of his NBA career”.
The early word surrounding Bob Myers’ departure from Golden State featured as much discussion about Myers’ next position as whether he would truly depart the Warriors. And as long as Jerry West remains affiliated with the Clippers, Myers’ name will be connected to Los Angeles, stemming from their close relationship and shared days in Golden State. Myers’ name will likely be connected to any job that opens in the coming months, if that team has aspirations of competing for a championship. That search would be an incomplete process without contacting the architect of four Golden State title teams.
Bobby mentioned this in passing, but I think the quality of players signing minimum contracts was an interesting aspect of the offseason.
Consider that in the summer of 2022, two unrestricted free agents who had played at least 1,500 minutes the previous season signed for the minimum: Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder. This season, there have been seven. The Suns alone signed three such players (Eubanks, Gordon and Lee).
These kinds of veterans want to play for winning teams, many of whom no longer have access to the taxpayer midlevel and can now offer only the minimum. One executive from a taxpaying team I talked to at summer league mentioned that actually made negotiations easier because players weren’t holding out for a larger offer
Wade has played with such Hall of Famers as Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Ray Allen, Gary Payton and Chris Bosh. Even so, Wade has chosen to be presented into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 12 by Hall of Famer and former NBA star Allen Iverson.
“It was important to me that I touched the culture when I did this,” Wade said. “And Allen Iverson is somebody who gets forgotten for what he means to this game and what he means to a community and to a culture. And so, I want to bring that back to the front in the forefront and give him his flowers like he deserved and just tell him how important he was, man, to not only me, but to all the little boys that looked like me and look like him.
“He probably doesn’t get the chance to hear that all the time. We talk about [Michael] Jordan all the time. We talk about LeBron [James], we talk about Kobe [Bryant]. We don’t talk about A.I. He’s one of the [great] ones. So, I’m thankful that he said yeah, and I can’t wait for him to be the one to present me.”
Iguodala is uniquely qualified to be in an NBA front office. Not only has he spent nearly two decade in the league, while being viewed as one of the smartest players in the game, but he’s been the first vice president of the NBPA and the vice president of the NBPA executive committee. He’s an avid and eager tech and angel investor, and a minority owner of Bay FC, a soccer team launching in the NWSL next season.
Whether it’s on the basketball decision-making side, the player development side, or the business side, Iguodala is qualified to wear a suit and tie at Chase Center, and it’s easy to see him wanting to make an impact in that space. If he want to pursue a career in the front office, I have no doubt the Warriors would welcome him with open arms.