Would Stephen Curry complement Brandon Roy?

First things first, Jerryd did look very good last night. I'm not his biggest fan but he looked great driving the hole last night. I do have reservations about his demeanor overall and think in the long-term he may play a little too much like Ben Gordon and want to be the star, when we already have one in Roy. A lot will be determined on if he can improve his passing, moving, and shooting skills, and his attitude in doing so...BUT HE IS A STRONG LONG TERM POSSIBILITY I ADMIT...

But let's talk about someone else too, have you guys been watching Stephen Curry at all this season? While tweener guards are normally not my fave, the reason is that they are normally gunners w/o conscience who have a hard time playing off the ball and can't contribute if not hot (think Mccants, Felton, etc) and what makes them good is how often they're hot. However, with Curry I can't help notice how well he moves without the ball, goes after determined rebounds, and hits teammates if they're open. The guy knows how to pass the ball quickly around the arc, score backdoor, and everything else...

Curry's athleticism is someitimes knocked (as was Roy's) and he's heralded as being crafty to score many of his points and his quick release. But he's been relied upon to be everything for his team and thus probably had to scale back in some areas of his game (as role players who become stars sometimes do, their defense, intensity, and focus can suffer). I could definetely see him being more dangerous as a complimentary player because of his high BBALL IQ, and his athleticism at point is much stronger than the gap between him and many SG's. He seems like the type of guy who could be a great compliment to a Roy type of guy...who knows though...

He could definitely fulfill Blake's current role of bringing (walking though) the ball up the court, handing it to Roy, and stretching the defense.

He seems like a very KPish pick to me. Smart, high character, depended on by his team, plays the right way.

I just feel like in the long-term a Roy/Fernandez/Curry three headed monster could be an incredibly dangerous backcourt with how much they could stretch the D and pass the ball around playing off of our bigs while Batum D's up the other teams star.

but then again Bayless may be the perfect fit, but he also might want to be the man. However, how do you guys think Curry would fit next to Roy (taking a break from the Bayless talk).

 

I see no need, nor attraction.

Bake it!

 

Stephen Curry? Do we really need to get younger at the point guard position?

And unlike Bayless who is a physical freak and a ballhawk, I don't see Curry faring very well on the defensive end of the court, he's going to get posted up and abused in the NBA

 

he won't get posted up by many PG's, he's not that small. And Brandon Roy BTW was too unathletic to guard SG's coming out of college. His upside was BBIQ and vet craftiness, same as Curry.

With Curry (over Blake or Bayless) we'd play as a much smarter and more versatile team IMO.

Brandon would be on paradise as far as an iso guy. Aldridge for the pick n pop, Oden for the pick n roll or post up. Martell, Rudy, and Curry running off screens and spreading the defense, he could be a legit mvp candidate averaging 8 assists a game and 20 points on 55% shooting.

 

It is clear that you can not recognize sarcasm or hyperbole
(this is not a sarcastic comment)

Brandon was knocked for being a "smart" player was my point, and he still is. Curry is not nearly as thick, however he is very crafty (like Roy), and combining that and his shot will make him succeed at the next level IMO.

 

Yeah buddy . . . and who was the LAST guy to go 20/8 while shooting 55% FG?


Wilt Chamberlain was the only guy I could find. '66-67 he was 24 pts/8 assist/.595 FG%

 

Yes.

I actually think that Stephen Curry is a smaller version of Brandon Roy. Not so much by their play (Curry is probably a more pure shooter and Roy is better driving the lane) but by their composure and confidence on the court. They both seem to play at a slower setting than everyone else. It's crazy. I remember watching Roy in the NCAA tournament and felt he just had an aura of leadership and confidence. I don't watch a ton of college basketball, but Curry gave me that same vibe last spring.

If for all his limitations Curry slips out of the lottery, I do think that he'll make someone regret it.

 

who was the last all-star guard to have two post monsters to feed as good as Oden and Lamarcus will be in a year?

 

I agree with this statement most:

http://www.nbadraft.net/stockwatch002.htm

and a bench unit of Sergio, Outlaw, and Rudy to give them hell (they'll both be improved next season too) would be an incredible backcourt...

Roy(32)/Sergio(16)
Curry(20)/Fernandez(28)
Batum(24)/Webster(24)
Aldridge(32)/Outlaw(16)
Oden/Pryzbilla (whatever's working)

with Freeland, Koponen, and some role playing vets to fill us out (definitely a steady point)

 

OK, I'll concede that i should've added the word considered, let's not get in too big of an argument about it. I do think that Bayless may give us another dangerous weapon, I just like Curry a lot and everyone's sipping the bayless koo-laid so I thought I'd give us another topic. However, I do have concerns about how he and Roy complement one another on the court (Roy's passing/his shooting/his moving) and his attitude off the court...I'll be patient though

 

No. I used to like him, but every time I watch him he just looks like a volume shooter. He would have to greatly change his game under Nate or get yanked. He wouldn't be good on D... and Bayless is better and has a higher ceiling in my eyes.

Trust me, he isn't going to be the type of player you think.

 

Kobe in 03-04. Actually better than LaMarcus and Oden.

 

IMO, you logic does not work here.

Yes, Bayless is a "tweener" guard, but he is NOT a "gunner" like the guys you name (Gordon, Mccants, Felton, etc).

Bayless has an incredible knack for driving to the bucket, and drawing fouls. That is going to be consistent whether his outside shot is falling or not.

I think it would be silly to replace a "tweener" guard that consistently drives to the hole, drawing fouls (and plays hard defense)... for a "tweener" guard that is more like the "gunners" you describe above.

 

Curry is pretty similar to Bayless except that he is better at shooting from the outside than driving, and the opposite is true with Bayless. They both have similar PG skills and are combo guards, but Bayless is better on the defensive end and has a much better NBA body.

I think the fact that Bayless is relentless in taking it to the rim makes him a better fit on thsi team who doesn't need another jump shooter. Curry would really play a similar role to Bayless w/ Roy, and the same things would be brought up about him not being a PG.

Plus, Bayless is younger than he is I believe, and dominated at a much higher competition in the Pac-10 as a freshman getting 20ppg and 4apg. Ceiling is all about opinion though, but Curry has struggled this year when he played good competition and became a volume shooter from the outside when I watched. I was extremely high on Curry at the beginning of the year, but not really after he played good teams this year. I think Bayless is better now and in the future, and a better fit for our team.

But Curry has a very good mental approach to the game, and is very composed and has a quiet confidence like Roy. But sometimes I think that its better to have personalities like Roy and Bayless offset each other in teh backcourt... that they both really help each other. Bayless seems to really fire up Roy, and Roy seems like he really, really likes Bayless. I got that feeling over the summer when he said he was daydreaming about how well him and Bayless would play together, and then got confirmation after the article the other day.

 

I think that's a key statement. Bayless is fiery and a ball of energy where Roy is calm cool and collected, teams need a mix of both of those kinds of personalities, and right now the Blazers are heavy on the calm, cool types and very low on the fiery amped up types -- plus I give a lot of weight to Roy's comments about Bayless, he seems to really enjoy playing with him. Not to say that Brandon should now be calling the shots on personnel decisions, but if your superstar player is comfortable and excited about playing with somebody then I think you have to consider that.

Don't get me wrong I don't hate Stephen Curry, my main objection to him (aside from the fact that he's probably going to be a top 10 or top 5 player and therefore nearly unattainable) is that I think he'd duplicate a lot of what other guys already bring to the table and doesn't possess many of the characteristics that I would think KP and Nate are looking for out of the point guard position, namely defense.

Lastly, I'll be honest. I'm tired of the youth movement with this team, we've got rookies and young guys for days and adding yet another rookie "point guard" (if that's what you want to call him) is not the direction I'd like to see this team go; this team needs less rookies and young guys filling key roles, not more.

 

Malone is 03/04 was not good. And Payton had no idea how to play off the ball, Curry Fernandez and Webster would likely all be better shooters than any Kobe had on that team.

 

I guess that I just don't think driving the hole would be that big of a deal (considering Brandon is top 5 in the NBA at it) if we had: 1) schemes to get guys moving to the hole w/o the ball 2) passers able to hit cutters (as a PG should) and 3) a game plan willing to feed the post

I agree that Bayless is likely more "skilled" than Curry and will average more points, but I just see Curry and he seems very KP-like in his approach to the game, big game calmness, and lack of intimidation. Unlike Reddick or others he seems to have such a better attitude and be very willing to spread the ball around, and he knows how to do the little things so well as far as getting open and making intuitive cuts, I think that kind of stuff is a big deal and makes up for a lot of athletic gaps. Curry does at least everything Blake does (which we know semi-works) and much more as he's got the size and athleticism, higher court IQ, just as good of passing ability, just as good of a shot, a floater to actually be a threat on the move (rather than desperation passes under the hoop), and a much better ability to run the break and move off the ball (Blake's two worst pitfalls).

Bottom line is that yes I believe Bayless can score points and get hot, but I'm not convinced of his shot or ability to get open (other than stand five feet beyond the arc and break a guy down), and because of that I feel like either he's scoring or he's not helping. With Curry I think he would make his teammates better (with floor spacing and backdoor cuts to throw off the defense) much better than Bayless, AND I see his personality as a better fit LONG TERM.

Bayless as a rookie is saying the right things and trying to be patient, but I think long-term he's going to be much more OJ Mayo (with better pronunciation in interviews) and want a big contract and a lot of shots than be willing to play off of Roy, Aldridge, and Oden. I could see him leaving Portland for a chance to be "the man".

But that is all hypothetical and no one knows at this point what he's willing to do. It's just that if he's this cocky as a rookie (shoving guys in practice and everything) what's he gonna be like as a third year guy who knows he can score but isn't getting his shots?

With Curry I feel like we'd be upgrading our current model (much better Blake!), with Bayless I kind of feel like we'd be swapping our problems out for new ones (him and roy taking turns driving while ignoring the other three guys on the court every play).

 

to be honest, a piece of me still wonders if we could snooker a very cheap Sarver into an offseason deal that somehow nets us Nash (expiring that they know will leave) while giving up Blake and Bayless, then go after Curry with other assets and basically give him a year to tone his body...but I'm not counting on it.

 

Your player obsessions are quite annoying.

I doubt Portland wants Nash or Curry.