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-Steph Curry is an all time great. Kerr has helped him unlock a higher self (system/coach credit), but he was trending towards this anyway. One thing about greats--they are self-motivated and fuel the system, not the other way around. Curry could have gone anywhere else and turned into, if not this exactly, still a Top 5 player...
-Klay Thompson is the real deal defensively. He's an All-NBA level talent who could be the face of a franchise. He is essentially a Pippen-type. The system has benefitted him as well as Curry, but he was trending towards this. Klay could go anywhere and be something very close to what he is now. Probably averaging 26-27 per...
-The system has maximized and absolutely benefitted Draymond Green. I don't know that he'd ever have been more than a role player---albeit, a very good one, possible 6th man---without Kerr's influence. Green always had talent--kudos to Steve Kerr for bringing 3-4 levels out of that guy. As it is, Green could anchor a team, but as an anchor, not to title contention. he'd probably be an 18-10-6 guy, maybe a Chris Webber-lite. Without Kerr, a bench role player; with Kerr, a Top 10 player; should he ever leave Kerr in his prime, probably max out as a Top 10-12 player. More system than player!
-Not a believer in Harrison Barnes. He's a system player. His peak is probably level with Philly Iguodala. He couldn't go anywhere and be a number one. However, I believe he could go be a decent two-guy, but he's probably better suited as a third wheel...
-The system has benefitted Andrew Bogut. At his peak he was a 16-10 guy, but he was brittle and we all know he wasn't a big difference maker. Insert the Warriors, who have utilized him the best given his injury history, and have probably extended his career. System!
-In his prime (07-10), Andre Igoudala was consistently healthy, roughly an 18-5-5 guy. He was always a Top 10 defender. He's not a legitimate face of a franchise, though, and certainly didn't possess the ability to carry a team into a consistent winner. Kerr has made the most of him and extended his career, because he doesn't have to be a number one or two anymore. Make no mistake, being a role player has extended Iggy's career. He is still extremely valuable and can play; he's 32, but I believe he could average 15 if he had to. His peak years are gone, though, and the Warriors are using his lesser state better than probably anybody. Almost anywhere else, he'd be asked to be a number one or number two, and while serviceable in those roles, his game isn't truly built for that. To me, this means he's a beneficiary of the system. We already know his limitations if he had to be "the guy", or even if when he was a number 2...
-Speights is the biggest system player of them all. Kudos to Kerr and his staff! This dude was and is a role player to the letter; Kerr has brought his best self out....The jury is out on Ezeli. I feel like he could be a starter, but honestly, what makes him better than a peak Andrew Bogut? I'm not even sure he could be a peak Bogut, but the Warriors use him perfectly...
-Has there ever been a player more geared to Kerr's system than Livingston? Seriously, he excels there perfectly. We know he can't play a full season at 25+ minutes a night, we know he can't play a full season as a starter. I have trouble believing he could play a full season as the 6th man. The system has extended his career and made much better than he'd otherwise be...
But listen, most championship teams are stacked, because the best organizations surround their top talent with specialized role players. Wasn't Steve Kerr himself a system player? I think its important to understand that with Mark Jackson, the Warriors probably could have been what the LA Clippers are; the Clippers probably would have been better. So Kerr untapped and brought a different system and reassembled a team that yes, existed prior to him, but wasn't used as effectively.The system deserves much credit for the Dubs success...
That said, Curry and Klay aren't system players, and if Kerr had to take over the Dubs without Klay or Steph on the roster, he isn't a rookie coaching champion. Great players have helped his system, and Draymond Green has turned into one of the best players in the league. The Warriors have 3 of the Top 12 or so players in the game...
Lastly, MVP doesn't necessarily mean "best in the world", but Curry is the best player in the world right now. He has benefitted from the system as well. It's easy to compare him to Lebron now, and say he's better than Lebron now, and he is, but in no way are their careers comparable as of yet. Lebron is still averaging 25-per, could still average 28+ if he wanted to, and he is no longer "peak" Lebron. Can Curry go to the Lakers right now, as currently constructed, with some no-name coach, and make them a title contender next year? I doubt it, and I'm not one of these "Curry is just a shooter" guys. But one of Lebron's enduring legacies, long after he leaves, is that he made his name by making otherwise garbage teams title contenders. So Curry is the best player in the game right now, no doubt in my mind. But we've seen Curry at his peak this year. If both are playing the best game of their lives (and hopefully we see it in a few weeks), I think Lebron still clearly would be the best player on the floor...
GS has a lot of players undervalued monetarily. Curry being the prime example. The Warriors as a whole however are still #4 in salary. And it's funny and not surprising that a vast majority of top teams spend the most money.
I wonder how much of a benefit it is to be around NBA players your entire life. Curry grew up playing 1 on 1 games against Vince Carter, and while I'm sure Carter was going easy on him, it's not the same thing as your 5-11 dad going easy on you.
You can tell by the arc on a lot of his shots that he's been accustomed to playing taller players since grade school. Some of those high-off-the-backboard layups seem lucky, but he converts them far too often for it be pure luck. You would think someone as frail as he is would be bothered by bigger, stronger and more athletic defenders, but that rarely ever seems to be the case. Bigger, stronger and more athletic is all he's ever known.
He's like a basketball version of Lionel Messi. How can a 5'7, 160 lb guy be the most dominant player in the most competitive sport on the globe? It is frustrating to watch because you see a guy who has the physique of an M.I.T. sophomore shredding teams apart night after night.
In the last two years as the Warriors head coach Mark Jackson won a combined 98 games.
In his first two years as Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr has won a combined 140 GAMES! (an average of 70 wins per season)
Roster turnover has been virtually non-existent between Jackson's and Kerr's tenures. Yes the core 4, (Curry, Thompson, Barnes and Green) have improved but leave no question about it, it's Kerr and the system that has turned a good team into a great one.
I wonder how much of a benefit it is to be around NBA players your entire life. Curry grew up playing 1 on 1 games against Vince Carter, and while I'm sure Carter was going easy on him, it's not the same thing as your 5-11 dad going easy on you.
You can tell by the arc on a lot of his shots that he's been accustomed to playing taller players since grade school. Some of those high-off-the-backboard layups seem lucky, but he converts them far too often for it be pure luck. You would think someone as frail as he is would be bothered by bigger, stronger and more athletic defenders, but that rarely ever seems to be the case. Bigger, stronger and more athletic is all he's ever known.
He's like a basketball version of Lionel Messi. How can a 5'7, 160 lb guy be the most dominant player in the most competitive sport on the globe? It is frustrating to watch because you see a guy who has the physique of an M.I.T. sophomore shredding teams apart night after night.
Maybe there was a post here, or maybe it was something I read, but we're now seeing the sons and daughters of pro athletes almost now in almost all sports.
You have great genes, around pros all of your life, and have the money to play club ball and get training from the best. So you have all of these opportunities and networks that the average inner city kid would never have.
I just wonder if sports will get more saturated with guys like these, or if there is a breaking point.
......really? 73 season win came from talented roster playing a great system.
It's going to take a year or two more of this level of play, but as of now most don't fully appreciate what all Kerr and Curry bring. Curry will probably always have people that don't fully recognize.
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