Stephen Curry has been totally exposed

[Metallikid]

You are doing some serious mental gymnastics, dude.

Kerr’s not “trying to secure losses;” he simply said that he’s not going to compromise their plan for Steph’s long term health by playing him more minutes than previously planned.

Sticking to a predetermined plan for minutes rather than ditching it to possibly secure an extra regular season win or two here and there is literally the very definition of “load management,” and the exact same thing the Raptors did with Kawhi and the Spurs did with Duncan, Manu, Parker, etc.

For you to self righteously denounce the Warriors and Kerr for that statement while defending Leonard is hypocrisy at its absolute finest.

...and btw, Steph is playing more mpg than Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis, and he’s started more games than the aforementioned Kawhi.

Dude, he's in perfect health. If it's a close game he should be playing. Stop trying to justify an anti-competitive culture.

Kawhi has a degenerative condition. That's the only reason load management was ever acceptable for him.

Dude, get out of here.

He has started every single game this year. He is 32nd in minutes per game, and 10th in total minutes played...in his 12th season with 5 consecutive Finals runs on his odometer as well. He's had a multitude of lower body injuries throughout his career. His coach not over-extending him in early in the season is just common sense, not "anti-competitive."

Just more mental gymnastics.

[rtiff68]

Dude, he's in perfect health. If it's a close game he should be playing. Stop trying to justify an anti-competitive culture.

Kawhi has a degenerative condition. That's the only reason load management was ever acceptable for him.

Dude, get out of here.

He has started every single game this year. He is 32nd in minutes per game, and 10th in total minutes played...in his 12th season with 5 consecutive Finals runs on his odometer as well. He's had a multitude of lower body injuries throughout his career. His coach not over-extending him in early in the season is just common sense, not "anti-competitive."

Just more mental gymnastics.

Yes, that's exactly what you're doing.

[Metallikid]

Dude, he's in perfect health. If it's a close game he should be playing. Stop trying to justify an anti-competitive culture.

Exactly. No one's suggesting that Kerr go full Thibodeau, just that he use his best offensive weapon for a few minutes more in games where it might make a difference.

Go tell your fellow Warrior fans who think this is acceptable or helps develop a winning culture.

[warriorschamps]

By the way Steph ORPM is up to an absurd 9.36. The next highest is Dame & Lebron at...6.94 & 6.58 each. Steph also lead in wins at 6.36 if anybody is wondering. Other than Lebron nobody else is higher than 4.17.

[TheDeadDodo]

Dude, he's in perfect health. If it's a close game he should be playing. Stop trying to justify an anti-competitive culture.

Exactly. No one's suggesting that Kerr go full Thibodeau, just that he use his best offensive weapon for a few minutes more in games where it might make a difference.

Go tell your fellow Warrior fans who think this is acceptable or helps develop a winning culture.

I tried that over on Reddit. I was told to "trust the process" (yes, really).

[TOStateofMind]

This thread just ages worse and worse as the season goes on

[clyde21]

anyone suggesting Steph play more minutes does not have the Warriors best interest in heart

begone

[Warriors Analyst]

It feels like Curry has a historically bad supporting cast. C’mon stat geeks, gimme some numbers to back that up.

Offensively yes. Defensively its one of the best supporting casts in the league and they play much better on that end without him on the floor.

Overall many superstars have had to deal with worse casts and led them to comfortable playoff position at least

One of the best defensive supporting casts is huge stretch. Draymond is typically excellent in D and Wiggins has been good. JTA is solid, but because he’s on a two way deal, he’s only recently started playing. Oubre is an active but unpredictable defender who makes spectacular plays with his athleticism but also botches lots of rotations. Looney is great on D, but he’s hurt and only plays 15-20 mins a game max. Bazemore is a solid defender, Curry is a much better defender than people think, and Wanamaker is a solid defender, but it’s not like this team is loaded with good defenders.

[TheDeadDodo]

anyone suggesting Steph play more minutes does not have the Warriors best interest in heart

begone

Nonsense. An extra 4 minutes here and there is just fine.

[dhsilv2]

Offensively they are average to below average..19th in ortg, 13th in efg, 17th tov%. Its just hard to be a strong offense with wiggins as the #2. Its not like the warriors are top 5 defense good ( ie dominant) although top 10 is not too bad.

Defensively, they are near the bottom in rebounding and fts allowed

The reason why they are good defensively is that they are very mobile around the perimeter especially with looney as center.

I'd agree. I also think the coaches have worked magic to make Wiggins a plus on that end. To be honest, I'm perplexed why we don't see more of Looney, he's been one of the bright spots over the years for them. I really thought he was rounding himself into a quality starter.

Looney doesnt give much offensively at least not starter level (9 ppg per 36, 11ppg for career), has just average athleticism, and is a bit undersized as a big. Hes also not a legit defensive anchor (average rim protector, good not great rebounder, post defense not as stout as youd want) but is a solid overall defender. He does defend the way one would want a modern center to but I do wish he was a better shot blocker and rebounder. As a rotational big he is fine in that role but as a starter he leaves much to be desired.

I think you're asking a bit much for a starting center on a team with the amount of money given to Curry, Klay and Wiggins. I do have to kinda agree on this current team, you might need more offense just due to how poor the offense is currently.

[dhsilv2]

anyone suggesting Steph play more minutes does not have the Warriors best interest in heart

begone

If 1-2 more minutes a game gets them into the playoffs vs being out, I'd generally think that's something worth doing unless they want to play the lottery again (and I'm not sure that's not their best move). More than that...that'd just break Curry down for no good reason.

[Bornstellar]

Curry is still a nightmare to play against if you're an opposing defense. He doesn't look he's lost a step at all to me. His team without Klay is complete ass. What a weird thread

[Poohdini1]

B2B MVP playing like..a B2B MVP. Can't believe this thread was created after 1 week of the season.

[Metallikid]

Exactly. No one's suggesting that Kerr go full Thibodeau, just that he use his best offensive weapon for a few minutes more in games where it might make a difference.

Go tell your fellow Warrior fans who think this is acceptable or helps develop a winning culture.

I tried that over on Reddit. I was told to "trust the process" (yes, really).

Exactly. At least they're open and honest about it.

[xdrta+]

The "more minutes" argument is even sillier than the "exposed." He's averaging 34 mpg, and that includes sitting out six complete fourth quarters because of blowouts -- and three more 4th quarters with 3 minutes or less for the same reason. Why the heck should he be playing more minutes? Makes no sense, just like the rest of this thread.

[NeoWarriors]

Steph definitely proved me wrong. I was in the camp thinking he would get shown up this year, but I will admit he proved me wrong.

I was in that camp too and will admit that I was wrong. Still averaging the same 3 point efficiency playing with guys like Wiggins and Green who can’t hit a open shot to save their life. He might actually surpass his 2016 season shooting wise from 3.

Sent from my Golden State Warriors Protoast Elite toaster using RealGM mobile app

[dhsilv2]

The "more minutes" argument is even sillier than the "exposed." He's averaging 34 mpg, and that includes sitting out six complete fourth quarters because of blowouts -- and three more 4th quarters with 3 minutes or less for the same reason. Why the heck should he be playing more minutes? Makes no sense, just like the rest of this thread.

I actually retract saying 1-2 more minutes might make sense looking at it. The case is simple, they've lost 3 games in the last ~week and in all games Curry was + when on the court and they lost it with him off it. But I didn't see he played 38, 37, and 35 minutes in those games. Yeah, maybe another minute vs the spurs but that's about it.

[dhsilv2]

I was in that camp too and will admit that I was wrong. Still averaging the same 3 point efficiency playing with guys like Wiggins and Green who can’t hit a open shot to save their life. He might actually surpass his 2016 season shooting wise from 3.

So to both Vladimir and Joerezz, can you explain why you were wrong? I mean this is a guy who's been lighting the league up going back to like 2013. The biggest concerns seemed health and age. Were those the issues? I mean this guy has completely changed the league and is a clear top tier all time offensive player. So why did you doubt him? Just his size?

First off, let me preface my response by saying I have a personal bias against Steph Curry. I've always admitted to that, and I don't know why it is, but I always root against him. Not his fault, but just my own personal bias.

I would say, my concerns were definitely more health than size, although I do think his size hurts him come playoff time, where more of the game revolves around ability to get off difficult shots, which can be tougher for him than other, bigger players. I always figured that Steph was more of a ceiling-raiser than floor-raiser, and that he would get "exposed" when paired with a bad supporting cast.

I do think Steph was a top 3 player in the league basically from 2015-2019, but I also thought that maybe his peak period, or even prime, had passed.

Does being "old" mean you're exposed? Cause man MJ got exposed on the wizards...

[MindState]

I just wonder how many other stars could average these numbers if they got double and triple teamed every play the second they cross half court. Entire opposing teams game plan is to stop one 6'3 guard while literally ignoring other players on the court, and they still cant stop him.

[dhsilv2]

I just wonder how many other stars could average these numbers if they got double and triple teamed every play the second they cross half court. Entire opposing teams game plan is to stop one 6'3 guard while literally ignoring other players on the court, and they still cant stop him.

Honestly, there aren't 10 players ever who could do this.

The constant playoff issues people bring up from Curry also drive me nuts. Saying curry is constantly banged up in the playoffs is not an "excuse". It's been reality in a number of series. It is also the biggest knock on Curry in terms of his place in the all time lists. He's been durable by most standards but as all time greats go, his durability in the playoffs is a MAJOR knock against him.The point is, he can do this against tougher defenses, against more physical play, etc. He also can be banged up when pushed around too.