Kawakami: Steph Curry exit interview: “You can’t help but be excited about taking that next step next year”

[Allen]

Talking Points
with Tim Kawakami
Steph Curry exit interview: �You can�t help but be excited about taking
that next step next year�
Posted by Tim Kawakami on May 17th, 2013 at 4:39 pm
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2013/05/17/steph-curry-exit-interview-you-cant-help-but-be-excited-about-taking-that-next-step-next-year/#more-18427


How committed is Stephen Curry to the Warriors? After the official
session with reporters today, I asked Curry if he had an opt-out in the
four-year deal he signed last October and is due to kick in next season.

Curry happily answered he didn�t, and quickly added: ��But we can do an
extension after three (years).�

That�s a guy looking forward to a LONG stay in the Bay Area. You almost
never hear young stars talk about their future with their current
franchises with that kind of certain serenity, by the way.

Here�s a lot of what he said during the official wrap-up session�

��STEPHEN CURRY partial gaggle transcript/

-Q: What�s the feeling now?

-CURRY: It�s a weird feeling. You get into your routine for seven
months, eight months, whatever it was� obviously in the playoff run,
everything�s heightened a little bit. And you fight �til the end.

I actually drove up the ramp today thinking we had practice. So a tough
feeling, but we�ll have time to think about how great of a season we had
and just the starting point for next year.

-Q: What will you work on this off-season, the first one in a while
you�re not having to deal with ankle surgery and rehab?

-CURRY: I�ll work on getting stronger, continue to work on my body. The
more minutes you play and the more grind and physical play you endure
through the course of a season, you have to re-charge and get your body
right for the next season.

Be in that weight room and conditioning and that kind of deal.

Hopefully that will allow me to play stronger on the court and I can get
to the free-throw line a little more. That�s the biggest adjustment I
want to try to make next year.

I shoot the ball so well that sometimes you fall in love with it and
think it�ll get you out of certain situations. But I�m learning
throughout this playoff series that you can�t rely on that and that
being able to get to the foul line or get easy points in the paint and
that kind of deal will stop the bleeding on certain runs that teams have
and put yourself and your team in good positions to not have lulls
offensively.

So that�s a big deal for me�

You have to have 1 through 5 guys that can attack the paint, not settle.

Obviously we�re going to shoot jump shots, don�t get me wrong. I mean,
that�s a strength of ours. I think that�ll stay the same.

But certain points of a game, as we get smarter as a team and go through
different situations, being able to add that skill�I think it is a
skill�add that to your repertoire, being able to be effective in the
paint and get easy buckets, that�ll make us even better as a team.

-Q: You were driving last night, it seemed.

-CURRY: Yeah, still shot zero free throws. So we have to do something
better to try sell those calls, get to the free-throw line.

You saw how Tony Parker had a tough game shooting the ball, he shot 6
free throws and got a rhythm and was able to knock down two big 3s down
the stretch. So you learn from those kind of players and figure out how
to make your game better.

-Q: Are you expecting to be a marked man next year?

-CURRY: What does that mean? (Laughs.) I�m sure defenses will study this
season and all the film coaches will be preparing for next year how to
guard us as a team and me individually.

So I�ll be doing the same thing to try to elevate my game to another
level, so that any kind of adjustment they make and any defender they
throw on me I�ll find a way to be effective. You have to assume that
from Game 1 next year that there�l be a lot of attention thrown at you.

-Q: Everybody talks about the great chemistry of this team. When the
front office looks to add or subtract guys, how important a role should
chemistry be in those decisions?

-CURRY: I think we showed this year that it�s a big factor from the top
down, from coach Jackson through all his staff and through our players�

The vibe in our locker room is real energetic and fun and real
personable, I think from Day 1. That gets you through a lot of tough
times, where in hard times it might be common nature for guys to do
their own thing and split up and become silent. But we kind of forged
together in those tough situations.

I think the chemistry of our team helped us do that. We go on a six-game
slide and everyone thinks we�re the worst team in the league, we found a
way to get through that and obviously make something special towards the
end of the season.

So I�m sure that�ll be a big factor for them, whatever they do, to make
sure that locker room is the same.

-Q: What do you think will happen with Jack and Landry?

-CURRY: I want them back. They�re great teammates, they�ve added a lot
to us as a team and what we were trying to do. Their strengths really
helped us throughout the course of the season.

So we�ll see what happens. Obviously it�s a little unknown, but I heard
Jack say he wants to be back here and so does Carl. But they have to
make decisions that are right for them and their families, but you hope
that�s here.

-Q: Do you have discussions with them about it?

-CURRY: I�ve dropped lines to Jack all along the way. This is the place
for him. He�s bounced around a lot for him to have hopefully found a
home here for the foreseeable future would be huge.

I know he wants to be part of a winning team and I think we have that
here now. And continue to build on the foundation we started this year.
If he�s a part of that, it�ll be huge.

-Q: Where does this team need to get better?

-CURRY: Just consistency with our defensive effort and I think when our
offense and our shots aren�t falling, find a way to manufacture offense
and get to the foul-line more. I think that�s a huge thing that can�t be
overlooked.

We�re a strong jump-shooting team with some low-post presence. But to be
able, when defenses tighten up and the intensity picks up, the game
slows down a little bit, to be able to still find a way to be effective
on the offensive end�

I think we have the personnel to do it as is, we just have to pay
attention to detail�

-Q: Do you have the personnel to win a championship?

-CURRY: I think so. I mean, we�re young and we have a great core. And
for us to be able to get to the level we were this year, two wins away
against the Spurs to get to the Western Conference final, you feel like
you have that kind of confidence to do it and the right pieces to do it.

Obviously it takes a lot of things going right for anybody to win a
championship. But I feel like we have the pieces to do it.

-Q: What do you take from this season?

-CURRY: For a Warriors team to be where we were, it�s not very often. So
you appreciate the experiences we went through.

With the core that we have and leadership from the front office and our
coaching staff, we�re in a good place right now. And you can�t help but
be excited about taking that next step next year.

And the challenges that�ll bring also, but try to live up to that pressure.

-Q: What kind of impact could a healthy Bogut have next year?

-CURRY: You saw it in the playoffs. I mean, there�s no denying how his
presence in the paint on both ends boosted our defensive effort.

I know it was a tough year for him battling through so many different
treatments and therapies trying to get back and having set backs and
missing a big chunk of games during the season. But he still found a way
to be present and effective when we needed him the most down the stretch.

And if we could have him for the maximum amount of games we can get out
of him, it�s going to be huge. He can dominate�we don�t have to dominate
the post, he can rebound, he can block shots, take charges, he can pass
the ball on the other end.

I�m sure he�ll get his offensive touch back; we can throw a post-up
possession for him. So he does a lot of things that we need.

-Q: Any relief at all that the season�s over�from a pain standpoint?

-CURRY: I woke up this morning hurting� I won�t say you�re happy, I
guess there�s a little bit of a relief that you don�t have to grind
these ankles any more.

But on the other token, I wouldn�t have minded coming to practice today,
going through drills and getting ready for a Game 7.

Looking forward to not having any pain right now.