Steph Curry opens up about Kevin Durant's exit, state of Warriors after big changes
It’s been a busy few weeks in the NBA, as big names have been on the move ever since free agency began earlier this month.
The Golden State Warriors have been right in the middle of all that action, as they lost Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and then parted ways with such mainstays as Andre Iguodala (via trade) and Shaun Livingston (waived).
On Thursday, we were able to find out what Steph Curry thought about the state of the Warriors as he talked to the media after a practice round at the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Tahoe.
Curry opened up about Durant’s exit with this classy answer that you’d expect from such a strong leader:
He said, via The Mercury News:
“I mean, the three years that we had were special. With K.D., we had three straight Finals appearances. We won two of them, and we accomplished a lot as a group. Everybody talks about the amount of talent that we had on our team, but that doesn’t guarantee that you can figure it out on the court, that you can put all the pieces together to be successful. I’m really proud of what we accomplished.
“The beauty of free agency is everybody has a decision, everybody has a choice. You want to find your happiness wherever that is. The beauty of the NBA is everybody has that decision at some point, especially guys that deserve it, like KD and other top free agents. I like to look at what we accomplished and focus on that and be extremely proud of this run that we had. Now we are going to have to recreate it in terms of what it means going forward.”
Curry talked about D’Angelo Russell, who’s now a member of the Warriors:
“The noise he made last year was amazing, what they did in Brooklyn and him taking the next step as a certified all-star. I haven’t had much personal interaction with him, on or off the court other than playing against each other. Back when he was drafted, there were some comparisons of our game, how smooth he played, he can shoot, he can pass. Having a guy versatile like that only helps your team.
“The chemistry will develop quickly. We’ll be really purposeful about that and try to set the tone how we’ll play this year. It’s about encouraging each other and having confidence that we’ll bring the best out of each other. Then when Klay gets back as well, we’ll add him to the backcourt mix. It’s going to be fun.”
On the loss of Iguodala and Livingston:
“I’m the oldest on the team now, so I’m going to have to step my game up. It’s a tough business. That’s part of it. We knew at some point or another, whether it was this year or next year or the year after, there were going to be some hard decisions, some hard changes.
“You talk about Andre and Shaun, two guys that do things the right way, having the ultimate level of professionalism and leadership, and just have a presence when they walk in the room, that makes them who they are, three-time champs, both of them. They have a lot left in the tank. So it’s going to be fun, going to be hard to watch them on other teams. But look at all that we accomplished and those are things we’ll remember for a lifetime.
“It will develop as we get together as a group. A lot of changes. It’s a tough way to end the Finals with K.D. and Klay getting injured, and obviously free agency. For us, our core, myself, Klay (Thompson), Draymond (Green), adding D’Angelo and a lot of hungry, young guys trying to prove themselves in the league, it’ll look different in terms of the lineups and things like that. But the expectations of how we play, that championship-caliber basketball, that for us will always be the motivation and the challenge.
“I’m excited, to be honest with you. Five straight years in the Finals and we’ve accomplished a lot, and three championships. There’s a lot to be proud of. But everybody wants a new challenge in terms of how do you get back to that level.”
It will be interesting to see how the Warriors bounce back next season, but you know Curry is going have fun trying to lead them through their new challenges.