Prospecticon Says: Stephen Curry

by David A. Arnott on May 6, 2009 12:07 PM EDT

I'm not sure you'll find a more divisive player in the draft than Stephen Curry. Let's say he's available when the Bobcats pick. In the Cats' offense, pairing him with DJ Augustin might be a matchup nightmare, since both are accomplished shooters and penetrators. The thing is, he'll be around because no GM in his right mind would take Curry to be the everyday SG since there's no way he'll be able to guard Delonte West, let alone Rip, Joe Johnson, Roy, or Kobe.

Pairing Curry with Augustin would be a gamble that either the obvious expected defensive deficiencies won't be that bad, or that the offensive gain will be so great as to be revolutionary. Nobody does it, so maybe there'd be something to it. Paul-Pargo was a change of pace. Eric Gordon is right around 6-3, but he gets Baron, at the same height and a lot more bulk, to play alongside him.

The closest approximation we're likely to get, size-wise, for two guards as small as the sub-six-foot Augustin and a guy as slight as Curry, is Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon. Except that Rose and Gordon are both about 6-2 and the Bulls ended up committing to a four-guard lineup for most of their playoff series with the Celtics, something the Bobcats should be loathe to do with such talents as Emeka, Boris,and Gerald around.

The ray of light, should the Cats grab Curry, is that Emeka is a good enough post defender and Crash is a good enough help defender that the tiny guys won't get abused by larger guards in mid range and closer. However, there's almost nothing they can do about shooting over them.

There's no denying Curry's superior shooting stroke, and I think his ballhandling is getting short shrift. His absolute ceiling (in a "wildest dreams" way) is Steve Nash, the floor is Travis Diener, and the middle is Eddie House.

rufusonfireblog@gmail.com

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I don't love this for the Cats

I really, really like Curry. But he’s going to have to play the “combo guard” role on whatever team he plays for. His best bet would be to play with someone like Brandon Roy, a SG who doesn’t need a pure point and both guards can play off each other/distribute. I can’t see an Augustin and Curry backcourt being terribly successful. They would just get ripped to peices on D. I like him, but not unless he’s playing with a player who can guard the 6’6" SG on a nightly basis so he can cover the PG.

by Aisander D on May 6, 2009 12:22 PM EDT reply actions

Curry

No, No, please no, we dont need the second coming of JJ

by Civardi on May 6, 2009 3:17 PM EDT reply actions

I think he's worse off than JJ Redick...

Redick has a better stroke and is at least 6’4"

by Aisander D on May 6, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Knowing Brown

Were going with either Ellington, Henderson, or (throw in random player who Larry falls in love i.e. Augustin) so Mullins, Clark, or Johnson wouldnt surprise me either

by Civardi on May 6, 2009 3:19 PM EDT reply actions

Curry could be very good on the right team,

but the Bobcats are exactly the wrong team for him. I like Curry so I hope he lands in a situation where he can develop and thrive and where he won’t have the impossible expectations that would follow him to Charlotte. Of the teams drafting mid-1st round, Toronto, Phoenix and Utah seem like much better fits than Charlotte. Portland would be a great fit if the Blazers hadn’t just picked Jerryd Bayless last year.

I don’t see any way that Curry compares to Steve Nash. I guess they’re both good shooters and not great defenders, but Curry is not going to be the kind of playmaker that Nash is. Only Rubio has that kind of potential in this draft. I’d set Curry’s ceiling as Ben Gordon. Maybe I’m too much of a fan, but I think Eddie House is closer to the floor for Curry than the middle of his potential.

Besides GH, Tyreke Evans and Chase Budinger seem like the most likely draft targets to me, and I hope they are up soon on the Prospecticon. DeJuan Blair could be an outside the box selection, too.

by ClipCat on May 6, 2009 5:00 PM EDT reply actions

Felton

Am i the only Bobcat’s fan who still thinks Felton is by far the team’s best point guard?

I watched most of the televised games this season, and the Bobcat’s were playing their best when Raymond Felton was on the floor, not Augustin. Augustin just doesn’t seem like an improvement over Felton at all — he’s a lateral move at best in my opinion. If we trade one of the point gaurds i’d much rather get rid of Augustin.

by dudemanhey on May 16, 2009 11:38 AM EDT reply actions