The Golden State Warriors expect to do great things this year, which means extra criticism could come at every turn. When this happens at the expense of a teammate, Stephen Curry is ready to defend him.
The two-time MVP responded to an Oct. 19 article written by ESPN.com’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss, who highlighted possible chemistry issues regarding Draymond Green.
“Honestly, none of that stuff (the negativity) has crept in,” Curry said Sunday, per Sam Amick of USA Today. “We have to respond. Obviously the article about Draymond, we all thought it was ridiculous and kind of looking through a keyhole at somebody’s life that you don’t really know about.”
While Strauss noted Green’s positive contributions, pointing out that some consider him to be the team’s most important player, he also explained how his antics on and off the court can be a problem for the team.
“Throughout the season, Green, in the guise of motivation, would berate his co-workers during games and practices; on multiple occasions he had to be separated from teammates,” Strauss wrote.
He quoted former teammate Marreese Speights, who said the forward “hurt the whole chemistry of the year.” Speights has since denied the quotes.
“He’s what will ultimately prevent them from having long-term success,” an unnamed NBA team executive stated, per Strauss.
For an All-NBA performer who had 13 triple-doubles last season, that doesn’t appear to be high praise. However, Curry doesn’t want to let any outside criticism affect his team, per Amick:
We see every single day what goes on, what a guy like Draymond brings to the table for us, how he makes us better, how KD (Durant) does that for us, what Klay (Thompson) does for us, all the way down the list. And we appreciate everybody’s role. We appreciate what our common goal is. When we get back in the locker room, and practice, and when we’re by ourselves, the mood is pretty solid, something that I’m pretty confident will allow us to have maturity when it comes to the noise around us and how we handle it and not letting that affect how we play on the court and how we see each other and let that get in the way. I’m going to do my part in trying to lead that charge, and make sure it’s all about basketball.
With the addition of Kevin Durant to a team that won an NBA-record 73 games a year ago, the Warriors will be a dangerous team in 2016-17. If the chemistry is as strong as Curry believes, they will be tough to stop.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
