2015-16 NBA Thread (feat. the Wives)

Where's Chris Jackson?

 

Curry and Iguodala sitting tonight against Hawks. This will be the biggest test for the 41-0 home record.

 

Warriors led by 11 at the half and now they're fighting to hang on

 

Yet hold on for the win. 43 straight at home.

 

Saw this discussed on Twitter and made me think of the 1,875 conversations on here about it, ones we all remember since everyone wanted to end them by jumping out of a window.

Does the Warriors' success and style (the passing, the genius-level of offense and incredible defense) owe anything to the fact their Big 3 all played at least three years of college (and Draymond played 4)?

I'll hang up and listen. Come on, it's been awhile! Apologies in advance.

 

Seems like a coincidence more than a conscious decision on their part. Draymond played 4, but it's not like he's a grounded, in-control player at all times. Andrew Bogut, Iggy and Harrison Barnes all entered the draft as underclassmen. I think it's probably more important that Draymond and Curry seemingly have the "fuck you" gene, meaning, the drive to prove people wrong and to take criticisms personal, and using that to fuel improvements in their game. Beyond Curry's shooting ability, his handle has improved too, and his turnover rate has stayed fairly similar even as defenses have gotten more and more geared toward stopping him.

 

Kwame got a second NBA contract. As far as I am concerned, if you make it through your first NBA contract and were offered a second, you 'made it'.

 

Curry did an interview out here last week. He said when he was a rookie, Don Nelson told him he should try to have more assists than shot attempts.

I think ownership and coaching changes have as much to do with what's happening with these guys as much as anything else. But yes, Curry does have that Jordan/Kobe trait of always getting better.

 

OK, how much did Devil pay you to post this take?

FWIW, I've got a related but slightly-altered thought. What strikes me about Golden State's big 3's background is not so much their college careers as it is how they share obscure unheralded origins compared to other NBA stars. I believe we've all heard the story about how in high school Curry was the unrated nobody who got ZERO big school scholarship offers. But it's worth noting that Draymond Green was also a relatively-obscure 3 star prospect in high school, began his MSU career on the bench, and later ended up falling all the way to the second round of the draft because scouts thought he was just too damn chubby, short and unathletic to play the PF position in the NBA. And who knew anything about Thompson during his HS and Washington State years?

None of the 3 ever had that youth experience of being treated like the Can't Miss 5 Star anointed one the way so many other NBA stars did. Instead, to a far greater extent than most NBA studs, they were treated like normal high school players. Whether that's just coincidence, or whether it helps explain why they play so well together now, I don't know, but I do find that common connection noteworthy. Thoughts?

 

I think the "I'm motivated to be extra great because some doofus scouts thought I'd suck" factor is one of the most overblown in all of sportswriting.

 

I will wait for the next team to try and draft juniors and seniors to replicate the Warriors success. They are an outlier.

 

Curry's and Thompson's dads had a great deal to do with this. They were the rare NBA players who understood life. Dell Curry is married to his college sweetheart, and Mychal Thompson has been married for almost 30 years. Curry stopped playing AAU at age 12 because of all the bad influences on his game. Thompson played three sports for the first two years of high school and couldn't even get on his club's top team when he did commit to basketball full-time, but his dad never got too stressed about it. I've seen interviews of the four of them sitting together, it's really entertaining and you can tell those guys remembered all the crazy NBA stuff they saw and have steered their sons away from it.

As for Green, his mom is awesome (check her out on Twitter if you haven't) and she kept him in check growing up. A local columnist went to his house just this week after his big OKC blow-up, he and his mom were doing a LeanIn commercial that night. Green's quote: “I know so many people whose mom didn’t get on them and it’s done them a disservice. Before I knew how to handle it, I hated it. Couldn’t stand it. Now, I’m grateful she got on me.”

Draymond Green's fire benefits far more than it burns - Marcus Thompson II