I agree that it would be worth it to try and double team him because not only is he good but he is playing out of his mind. The problem I see is that he moves so well without the ball he makes that notion harder than you think.
i could not see curry coming out of college. Going to a school like davidson i can see him graduating. Plus my opinion he needs to put on a few pounds. great player this year and ncaa tourney and i think 4 of there 6 loses came from duke, n.c, ucla, and nc state. Thats a hell of a schedule for a team such as davidson...or any team. i had davidson winning but not this far. I hope they continue and i am sure im not alone.
I agree that it would be worth it to try and double team him because not only is he good but he is playing out of his mind. The problem I see is that he moves so well without the ball he makes that notion harder than you think.
Rather than double team him all the time, if I had the depth I'd just try to wear him down by being very physical with him. Nothing dirty, but make him run through some rough screens on defense. Step out hard when they're trying to screen for him on offense. You'll get some fouls called on you, but you just might take his legs away from him by the mid point of the second half.
Wisconsin was a team that could have done that, but they were just way too slow to pull it off. Curry was gone by the time any player tried to get near him.
A few comments--
First of all, Stephen will not get any Player of the Year or even All-American awards this year as all the notable ones are voted on prior to the NCAA Tourney making his recent exploits null-and-void when it comes to getting those honors. Of course, his performance in the Tourney will likely give him a big leg up on awards for next season, should he decide to stay.
Secondly, regarding the draft, Curry does not need the money, that's for sure. Even though his father was never a big NBA star, being a solid bench player for a decade plus makes you a pretty decent living. Dell Curry made over $20-million from his NBA salary over the years. The Curry family has no need for money.
It is also worth noting that Stephen is not a lottery pick right now and it would really take a lot for him to become one. Yes, he will likely be a first rounder when he does come out, but he is a 6-3 (looks like he might be smaller than that) shooting guard who is not an elite athlete nor is he physically dominant with his strength. He is not a wizard passing/handling the ball either. What he is is an elite shooter, and those are valuable, but I'd be very surprised if any NBA team used a lottery pick on a shooter like him. He will struggle to find a position in the NBA (most NBA 2-guards are more like 6-5). Look no further than JJ Redick, who is a superior shooter/scorer to Curry and who has better size but who is likewise struggling to get much playing time.
It will be interesting to see how McKillop is able to parlay Davidson's run into some recruiting success. After Gonzaga made a couple tourney runs, it was able to begin getting top 100 recruits and sometimes even Mickie Dee-level talent. That is how the Zags have remained an elite team for the better part of a decade and show no sign of slipping back (unlike many other mid-majors who rise and then fall back). McKillop should go out right now and find a kid or two who want to play with Curry right away and bring those kids in or Davidson could slip back. McKillop has always recruited really well overseas and his only current recruit is a 6-8 kid from Greece. McKillop needs to get someone else, preferably someone with some size, as Davidson graduates two of their top frontcourt players in Thomas Sander and Boris Meno. They also graudate Curry's backcourt mate, PG Jason Richards. The loss of those three players could impact Curry's decision a bit as Davidson will be hard-pressed to be nearly this good next season and Curry may want to leave with a bang, not a whimper.
We'll see... I hope he has multiple games left to play!!
--Jason "as an aside, he has now scored over 900 points this season, if they make the NCAA finals he could go for 1000 in a season, which is really something amazing" Evans
Jimmy V would go to a box-and-one. Gotta love the junk defenses.
Curry would get my vote as POY. He probably should have been in the conversation before the tournament, but, of course, the national media doesn't pay attention to small conference schools. I'm sure they thought he wouldn't be scoring that well against big time competition. Gonzaga, G'Town, and Wisconsin would probably attest otherwise. I certainly think he's more deserving of the award than Hansbrough, who has NBA level talent around him, and owes part of his success to the Carolina refs sending him to the line if someone breathes close to him, while allowing him to camp in the lane, stroll with the ball, and climb over backs.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOO davidson...!!!
It sounds nice, in theory. Here's part of the problem -- some of Curry's most magnificent work comes off the ball. He shoots so well coming off screens, and with such a quick release, that takes doubling him out of the equation. So, you're left with two options. One would be double-teaming him all the time OFF the ball and if you did that then, yes, Davidson has enough good players to burn you. The other is trapping him hard as soon as he puts it on the floor. I have no problem doing that. But Davidson is a really good team, even beyond Curry.
I see very few similarities between Curry and Scheyer. Curry is a small (there's no way he's 6'3") guard with a quick release and a deadly shot who shoots extremely well off the move and looks to score first and second.
Scheyer is a big guard (6'5") who has an all-around game to die for. He is a superior defender, passer and rebounder. Of course, he doesn't shoot it nearly as well as Curry, although he's very clever putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim for a bucket or a foul. I think the biggest thing Jon needs to improve (other than gaining some strength) is his jump shot. He is a good shooter who needs to become a great shooter, which means quickening his release, learning to shoot off screens, etc.
I may have taken this quote out of context, but I completely disagree that he is not an elite ball handler. Did you not see his crossovers that absolutely shredded Gonzaga's full court pressure? Did you not see him dominate G-Town late by dribbling out time on the clock?
He is not just an elite shooter. Check out the lay-up he made last night - and LeBron's reaction.
Jumbo,
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, Jon's slow release on his shot is his greatest liability. His quickness is adequate ( less than Curry ), but he overcomes much of that with his savvy. A big question is do you change a guy's shot/release at this stage of his career and risk a prolonged shooting slump due to the change. Jon might be better off focusing on increasing his strength which would help him quite a bit. Freedevil, you are right, Curry is an extremely good ball handler, he just does not showcase it as much since Richards has the ball the majority of the time. Doc
Whoa there. Kobe and Curry aren't on the same planet talent-wise. I love Curry, I think he'll definitely be an NBA player, but he's not going to be anywhere close to being an MVP candidate and perhaps the best player in the game like Kobe.
Also, I suspect Davidson goes away next season. They'll still be a good team but they graduate Jason Richards, who is 1B to Curry's 1A as far as importance to the team. He's a VERY good point guard.
The easiest thing to fix in basketball is a shot, especially in college, given that the offseason is about eight months long. Much of Jon's shot is structurally sound. We're not talking about a major overhaul. He can learn to quicken his release a bit without losing accuracy. That's why these guys work so hard all summer.
If Bruce Bowen could learn to knock down open threes from the corner, anyone can become a solid shooter. Jon's already a good shooter. I have no doubt he can become great.
I agree with 99% of your post, Jason. About this specific line, ooooh, I dunno. I think when you factor in that Curry is only a sophomore, I think I'd take him over JJ **ducks lightning bolts** as a shooter/scorer. He's certainly ahead of where JJ was HIS sophomore year but, of course, JJ did improve a lot as an upperclassman. It's a close call but I think I like Curry just a smidge better because to me, he looks like he scores inside the 3-pt line better.
Jason:
Regarding "elite athlete" designation: While he isn't obviously strong and can't jump out of the gym (Like Gerald), I thought he was a blur on the court and extremely quick besides. I also suspect he is a lot stronger than he looks, so with 15 pounds, he could survive in the NBA and be a real force on offense.
sagegrouse
Other than his shot, watch closely when opponents try to steal the ball, off the dribble, from him. Impossible. If he gets a hand on it, it stays with him. Reaction time is catlike. He's probably got the fastest hands in the college game. He'll be a pro.
Jumbo,
If the easiest thing to fix is a shot, why did someone not fix Demarcus's shot? Doc
Curry's all-around game is very good. He's hardly just a spot up shooter, although shooting is obviously his strength. Just like Scheyer, he's a good passer, a good rebounder for his size, a decent enough defender, and is capable of making tough shots in traffic. I'd say Curry is a little bit of a better rebounder and Scheyer is a little bit of a better passer. Obviously it's a pretty rough analogy but Scheyer's all-around game isn't as superior as you make it out to be, if it's even better at all.