For the past two weeks, Davidson guard Stephen Curry has been the talk of the college basketball nation. This includes me. I am part of the college basketball nation, somehow. And when I say "Stephen Curry has been the talk...," what I mean is I spend pretty much my entire day thinking or talking about Dell's boy. I'm obsessive like that. If it's not Stephen Curry, it's the series finale of The Wire. Before that it was No Country For Old Men, which I saw twice in the first week of its release. (Note: I will gladly discuss this movie ad nauseum with any reader who emails me). Up next, presumably (or perhaps just hopefully) will either be Johnny Cueto or Edinson Volquez.
But today--right now--Stephen Curry is the current flavor of the month. Which makes me the least original mammal (underwater or otherwise) currently inhabiting North America.
But so what?
This is a guy I can root for. He's an underdog in every respect: too small, too skinny, too slow, etc. And yet he's undeniably great on the college level with a really good shot of being a better than decent NBA participant.
(Question before moving forward: Does anybody else watch Davidson the way I do? When I watch their games I only follow Curry. I watch him run around screen after screen, with hopes that he'll find enough daylight to release a long-range bomb. This makes me feel a little dumb when one of Curry's teammates slips a screen for an easy layup. This is akin, I suppose, to a parent watching her kid on special teams or something. Did you see that kickoff return, Jimmy? No, I was watching my idiot child get blocked into the Earth.)
Okay, as for Curry becoming a better than decent NBA participant...
Here's the thing: He's got a shot, but it's no certainty. If Vegas offered odds on Curry having three consecutive seasons in the NBA averaging over 10 ppg I'd probably bet on Curry, because I'm irrational. But I wouldn't feel great about it. No matter how you slice it, Curry is 6'3, 180 lbs and marginally athletic. At best.
But (and there's always a but)...
I believe Curry has similarities with two really good players who rely on intelligence and craftiness: Sam Cassell and Steve Nash.
Now, before you get your panties in a bunch, here me out. I am not saying Stephen Curry will ever be in the same conversation as Nash or Cassell. In fact his best projection might be someone like Grizzlies SG Juan Carlos Navarro, another slightly built assassin who is in the bottom tier athletically of NBA guards.
But anyway, Cassell and Nash. (And yes, I realize these two are PGs and Stephen Curry may only play some point at the next level)
The Nash comparison didn't come until I watched the Kansas-Davidson game. The Cassell comparison is one I've had since the Southern Conference tournament, which I watched because I'm a loser. To me, Cassell's quick, high release in the face of an opponent becomes more and more amazing every time I watch him play--the guy probably can't jump over the phone book. What's even more remarkable about Cassell's jumper is how closing defenders never mess with his concentration. Guys come from all angles and the result is seemingly always the same: two points.
Aside from the height of the release, I would have described Curry the same way, especially the part about closing defenders. How many times in the tourney did you see guys fly at Curry from all angles, only to come away shaking their head? A million, right? I'm telling you, it's impossible to rattle this guy.
Okay, the Nash thing...
Although Curry doesn't have (at least not that I've seen) Nash's vision or uncanny ability to use either hand to snap a pinpoint pass at any time, he does have (some of) Nash's subtle moves down cold. Curry's moves are so old school they're new school. And there's no wasted movement with him...no Stevie Francis look-at-me-I-can-cross-this-dude-over dribbling nonsense. Curry's half spins and pump fakes and hesitation dribbles might not be original, but they look different than everybody else's. The same can be said for Steve Nash. I would best describe the both of them as awkwardly effective.
As for other comparisons, I really can't think of any good ones. Just because Rip Hamilton runs around screens doesn't mean he has a similar game to Curry's. And Juan Dixon, please. Sure, they share similar frames, but their games aren't the same at all. I'm not sure Dixon has ever dribbled the ball nine consecutive times in his life, while Curry is asked to handle the ball quite a bit.
That's all for now, boys and girls. I have to leave to play basketball in a seedy neighborhood (I'm competing in a 3-point competition. Really!) I'm not sure I have anything to add, but I do have thoughts on who saw their stock rise/drop in the tourney. (Sneak peak: I have bad news for DJ Augustin fans)
Listen to the Nintendo podcast, dammit!
Also, I'll do some George Grande-related in-game blogging tonight during the Reds game.
-Brad Spieser (Brad@TwinKilling.com)
4/2/08
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