Stephen A believes Steph not having Warriors co-star is ‘his fault’

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Stephen A believes Steph not having Warriors co-star is ‘his fault’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Former NBA veteran-turned-basketball-analyst Kendrick Perkins brought up an interesting topic about superstar Steph Curry and the Warriors on Saturday’s edition of ESPN’s “NBA Countdown.”

“When I’m looking at the Warriors, I’m looking at Steph. He’s the only superstar in the league that doesn’t have a certified No. 2 [scoring option],” Perkins proclaimed to the panel of analysts. “Why is that? You look around the league, [LeBron James] has one [Anthony Davis], Kevin Durant has one [Devin Booker], [Nikola Jokić] [has Jamal Murray].”

Perkins is right. Golden State doesn’t have a second marquee star at Curry’s hip.

Curry used to have Klay Thompson, and the pair won four NBA championships over a decade together. But the current Dallas Mavericks wing declined — largely because of age and injuries — and evidently left the Bay. Durant joined Thompson and Curry for three seasons in the Bay, but he left, too.

The 2024-25 Warriors have a mix of role players besides Curry, though none are needle-movers and have timelines that don’t necessarily align with the 36-year-old sharpshooter. This is where Perkins’ ESPN colleague, Stephen A. Smith, chimed in, and interestingly blamed Curry for Golden State’s missing star power.

“That’s partially [Curry’s] fault,” Smith said. “He’s cooperative. Let’s call it what it is. He’s the one that was quoted saying, ‘Look, I wouldn’t be hasty. We don’t have to make a move.’ I’m not punishing him, I’m just answering the [‘certified number two’] question directly. I have nothing in this game.

“At the end of the day, that’s what [Curry’s] doing. You’re not being a headache. You’re not being cantankerous.”

Oddly enough, Smith might be right.

Curry is one of the world’s rare undramatic superstars. The 11-time NBA All-Star doesn’t cause a raucous when the Warriors are losing, nor does he skip team flights or request trades when things don’t go his way.

But Curry’s professionalism might cost him and his…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/stephen-believes-steph-not-having-150352728.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-01-25 15:03:00

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