Stepping up

Wow! That’s all I can say about our rook. Skinny Steph Curry put up some “grown man” numbers, as Marc Jackson likes to say. Put together some good offense from Anthony Tolliver and Anthony Morrow, the Warriors got a much-needed win, snapping a 9 game losing streak. Tolliver finished with 29 points while Morrow finished with 26 points and 10 boards. Curry finished with 36 points, 13 assists and 10 boards. He almost didn’t complete his triple-double, grabbing his tenth rebound on the very last miss of the game. Curry is the first Warrior since Chris Webber to notch a triple double in 1993 while being the first NBA rookie since Kevin Johnson to have at “least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists since Kevin Johnson did it for Phoenix on April 16, 1988.”- Yahoo Sports The Warriors were even up by 38 points at one point. This is without (all) star, Monta Ellis, who was sidelined after spraining his left knee against Dallas on Monday. Though MRI results showed the sprain was mild, both the player and Warriors thought it would be best for Monta to sit out, having him go on an early vacation break, as the All-Star festivities begin this weekend. Monta joins a long list of Warriors that have been injured this season, while Corey Maggette, sat out his second game with a dislocated ring finger.

I’m happy that the Warriors got a W, to help build some positive momentum going into All-Star Weekend. I am also happy that Curry showed just how good he is, even if Monta is out. However, he has to prove that he is just as good, by coming out to play the next game, otherwise many people will say that he is just a fluke and/or it was against the Clippers, both valid points. Especially, when there is wind that the Warriors may swap players with the Celtics that include Monta. I have began hearing some rumors say that the Warriors feel like Steph Curry is going to be the face of the franchise, a  new step in a new direction. And by playing with Monta, it will stunt his growth as a player and a leader.

It’s hard to say what the Warrior’s management is thinking these days. They’ve made mistake after mistake, trading franchise players for nobodies, while not acquiring decent players to make their star happy and stay and build a franchise here. If they traded Monta, where do we go? I honestly don’t think that Steph Curry is ready to carry a franchise, like a LeBron or D-Wade or Kobe, nor will he be the guy that can grow into one. I think he needs a running mate, to form a dynamic backcourt. I don’t think that playing with Monta has stunted his growth, but actually help him grow.  Look how well he plays when Monta is playing and last night was a good example of how well he can play without Monta. How great would it be to have 3 scorers on a team, all dangerous, guys you can’t just double off of, etc? Imagine playing with a great player like Monta. Think of how many attractions he gets and how many defenses are schemed to slow him down. If I were one of the other 4 guys on the court, I’m licking my chops, cause of all the attention Monta gets, I’m going to have a wide open 3, a lane to drive down or pad my stats! Now if I were one of the other decent player, suddenly, Monta doesn’t have to do so much. He wouldn’t have to shoulder the load and would be easier for him to score and put up even bigger numbers. So the front office wants to break up a partnership that has been going well. Can’t fault the backcourt for the losses. We are missing some key figures in the line-up but the backcourt is solid. Even after defiant stance he couldn’t play with Curry by Ellis, he has since backed off and stated that he is playing his best basketball this season, some in part because of Curry.