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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 24, 2018Stephen CurryOakland, California Q. Considering all the stuff you guys went through last year on and off the court, how much of that do you think can help you guys grow and develop? Everybody talks about how tough it was last year to get through it all, and do you think when you look back on it that those are things that can make you guys stronger and better going into this year? STEPHEN CURRY: I feel like, like I say, every year is different. There are different challenges, different obstacles, whatever the case is, and especially if you win a championship you're going to go through some ups and downs, whether it's injuries, lack of energy from time to time, lack of focus, rough parts in the schedule, whatever it is. That's going to happen this year at some point. But we have to figure out a way to rally the troops and keep our eye on being the best that we can be throughout the year, looking to peak at the right time, and really a certain -- have that smooth transition with the new additions that we have. There are a lot of things for us to focus on this year in terms of like mini-goals that will lead to us winning another championship as well as dealing with the hurdles that will come with just the length of the season. Q. With the ankle and knee stuff you had last year, what did this off-season do for you both in terms of rejuvenating, and did you have to get any procedures or anything of that sort? STEPHEN CURRY: No, it was just more so getting with my trainer about the right approach to the summer in terms of how much I was on my feet, strength and conditioning, working, all that I do, trying to ramp that up a little bit more, but with a perspective around not burning myself out over the summer in terms of I definitely had a knee, had an ankle situation last year that needed time to recover, and I wanted to really try to pace myself over the summer. But it's probably one of the best summers I've had in terms of my prep work going into a year, so I'm excited about what that'll mean on the court. Q. With Durant signing a one-plus-one, we are all going to be asking about it all year. What's the key for you guys to not let that be a distraction or issue in the locker room knowing that you'll have three free agents potentially next year? STEPHEN CURRY: That doesn't matter right now. We have five preseason games, 82 regular-season games and hopefully 16 wins in the Playoffs, and then you can ask all the questions you want. I think KD is going to have that perspective, DeMarcus had that perspective, even Draymond and Klay with their contract situations, you can nit-pick everything, and that's what's going to happen. It's part of what we do for a living. But the best teams and the best individuals are able to shut that out when it comes to playing basketball and enjoying the opportunity that we have as a team to do that. Yeah, I feel like we have the right guys with the right mindset to be able to turn that off when they need to. Q. The Warriors announced Bruce Fraser as one of the promotions today in terms of to assistant coach. How happy are you for him, and he's meant so much to your skill work and shooting drills. STEPHEN CURRY: First, I didn't know the official announcement. He's a catalyst to who we are as a team and our identity. He does way more than just, quote-unquote, coach. He's a people guy and understanding the ins and outs of what makes a cohesive unit with all the different personalities you have and whatnot, and he has such great awareness and feel and touch, his communication, his timeliness and whatnot that go way beyond X's and O's or what you see me do on the basket after practice and stuff like that. You need a guy like him that has great feel, he's really genuine and authentic with everything that he does, and for me to have that daily interaction with him, that kind of keeps my perspective straight, as well, no matter what happens throughout the season. You know, it's obviously great to have him, but for that to be recognized in terms of his position is huge. Q. Have you envisioned like running one and five type pick-and-roll stuff with Cousins, and as the point guard on that unit that'll have five All-Stars, have you envisioned the good of that but also maybe the challenges of trying to make sure everyone gets their touches? STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, there's a lot to think about in terms of opportunity. What I probably should do is spend like 50 hours logging on 2K and just simulate it all, see what happens, see what works and doesn't work, see what I can use on the court. But got three kids, so that ain't happening. But we'll see how it happens. When he comes back, we're obviously going to have a lot of minutes logged in terms of Damian playing center and J.B. kind of filling in the forward and center spots and rotating those guys through, and then when DeMarcus comes back, we'll obviously have a game plan of how we want to attack those situations, how the rotation will happen and whatnot, and our IQ in terms of being in the right spot and being purposeful about what we do I think will take over as the season goes on. Q. There are so many stars in this league but there's only one Swede and now he's on this team, and the Golden State Warriors are already incredibly popular in Sweden. What do you think about Jonas Jerebko now that he's joining your team and what do you think his role will be on the team? STEPHEN CURRY: He's going to be huge for us, just filling in holes and pieces. I think he's a really versatile player; he's tough; he can shoot; he can play defense. All things that we need from that wing position. The one thing I've noticed just about him, he seems like a very confident guy in terms of when he gets that opportunity, he'll take it and run with it, and I think he's very motivated after the last couple years just kind of playing spot minutes and whatnot, having an official role on a team that has a chance to win a championship, I think that will hopefully unlock something for him that we would love to see. Q. Does it seem like you guys have managed what to do now that you have experience in it, your off-season time better, because you guys don't seem as fatigued, everybody seems a little bit more spry than perhaps the last two years, and also, does it also help that -- and also your thoughts on LeBron being in LA, that a lot of attention has gone south. STEPHEN CURRY: No, that second part doesn't matter in terms of we know we're going to be our biggest -- I'll call it enemy, I guess, in terms of how we approach the season. Last year between September and December, it kind of sucked, to be honest, in terms of like the vibe. Like we were all trying to figure it out, play at a higher level than we were, but it never really clicked the way we wanted it to. I don't think anybody wants to go through that feeling again because it was just -- it was tough in terms of just we knew what we were supposed to be doing. I think everybody's intentions were right, but just the way that the summer and preseason last year went, it just didn't click until later. This year we want to really enjoy what we do, and it starts with tomorrow in practice, setting the right tone, having the right, like you say, excitement and energy and juice. Understanding it's a marathon, there's a lot of time between now and April and May and June, but if we go about it the right way to start the season, it can feed on itself in terms of the expectation we have night in, night out, unlocking some of the young guys in terms of them being in the rotation and things like that, and then doing what we do. Q. Obviously you're a very accomplished player throughout your career; you've been through a lot, been through injuries, won championships, you've won MVPs, you've lost championships. I'm sure your perspective to the game has just changed over that period of time. What's your mindset at now, and how has your approach changed and where is your perspective heading into this season given all you've been through in your career? STEPHEN CURRY: It's really cliché, but just staying in the moment and understanding what's at stake this coming year. There's a lot to gain. There's a lot more to accomplish. I'm obviously very appreciative and happy and proud of the images you see on the practice setting around here and the memories that we have, but we're right in the thick of another run, and you don't really have time to kind of sit back and rest and relax and say, look what we've done. I don't think any of us got to this point by doing that, and that shouldn't change now. These pictures in here are just motivation to go after more because it does feel that good to be the champs and to have all that comes with it and do it with guys that you like playing basketball with and like playing for from a coaching staff perspective, too. Nothing lasts forever in this league, but we've always said we want to keep this going as long as we can, and we're right in the thick of it. Q. You guys all seemed to have invested at some point, a lot of you a lot more heavily than others. How much do you guys talk about that amongst yourselves, the companies that you're investing in, and how much of that is the opportunity you have here in the Bay Area with the number of startups and the number of venture capitalists? What kind of opportunities do you have here that you wouldn't have in another NBA city? STEPHEN CURRY: I think we've all done a great job of just doing it our own individual unique ways. We definitely talk about it. It's a topic of conversation daily of what opportunities guys are aware of, what they've invested in, how they can get other guys involved, more just education of what's out there. If you look at pretty much everybody, myself, Andre, Draymond, KD, DeMarcus, guys have so much going on off the court that it's only amplified by what other guys are doing in the league and kind of creating that momentum and that wave from year to year. I think being in the Silicon Valley definitely helps. You get to meet a lot of different people and network, and you kind of are right in the thick of things, but guys in the NBA in the whole no matter what city they're in are finding ways to expand in that area. As the years go on, I think that's pretty special to watch and be a part of that growth. Q. You said that this was your best off-season prep-wise, but it was also your best off-season personally. You got your third ring, and you had your third kid. How is Canon different, having a boy? How is he different than your other two? STEPHEN CURRY: Well, every parent knows, I guess, that every kid is a little bit different, have something unique about them, and for us it's definitely special to welcome him to the family. He's only three months old now, so still a lot of time to go. Definitely happy. He hasn't gone to an NBA game yet, so we'll check that off the box very soon. Q. Do you see the three-peat as a historic achievement, or do you feel that you've already made history as a team? STEPHEN CURRY: I think we have made history, but in terms of what's in front of us, again, you've got to be able to turn the page and look ahead, and that's the opportunity that's in front of us. It gets even more, I guess, elite in terms of how few teams have accomplished the three-peat. I think only one other team have gone to The Finals five times in a row if I'm correct, I think the Celtics, so all those things we should talk about because it's kind of rare air, but it doesn't change our process in terms of how we go through training camp and the season and building towards that. I don't think anybody should shy away from talking about having that conversation about what this means historically. But it should be only motivation, too. Q. With this being the last season at Oracle, what do you sort of take from the home-court advantage you guys have developed here and the special fans, and also looking forward to a new arena, too; it's a big deal, moving to San Francisco. Can you kind of talk about both of those things? STEPHEN CURRY: This last year is going to be special. This is -- how many years we've played at Oracle, the journey, from some pretty down years to some really entertaining basketball but didn't win much, to now having won three out of the last four, all that happened in Oracle Arena. Our fan base has been tremendously supportive. They've given us a feared place to play in from an opponent standpoint in terms of the noise and the energy and the atmosphere. That's something we really relied on. Honestly, for me, it's my 10th year in the league, that's been my only experience, and it's something that I'll remember for a very long time. I think this year is about obviously representing that to the highest honor, celebrating it, trying to go out in style with one more championship, and then obviously turning the page. But right now this year is going to be really, really memorable, and I think we have an extreme opportunity to create a dope story around the last year in Oakland. Q. Obviously DeMarcus is going to be out for the outset of the season, and you're going to have a three-way competition for the center position. How does that change how you approach the center position, being that you haven't had a young guy there for an extended stretch? STEPHEN CURRY: I think it could be an amazing opportunity in terms of something new, something fresh, a chance for one of those young guys to really surprise people in terms of the work that they've put in. Looney, J.B., Damian Jones. They all have an extreme opportunity to take their impact to a whole 'nother level. Obviously with Zaza and JaVale gone and D-West, there's ample opportunity, and with the core that we have, that we've established, inserting those guys into the fold more consistently, especially early in the season, that could take us to another level and take those three guys to another level as players, and then when DeMarcus comes back, I think their confidence is going to be high, so no matter how that changes with him back in the lineup, it'll only help make us stronger as a cohesive unit going into the Playoffs, and that's the plan. Really focused on just making those guys feel comfortable, making them -- simplifying things so they understand how they're going to be most effective and efficient for us, and then buying in and just doing it. Q. Following up on DeMarcus, how is it going to be so late in the season having a guy of his caliber to try to bring him in to your nucleus when you guys already have a rhythm at that point? STEPHEN CURRY: I mean, I have no idea because we've never had to do something like this before, but that makes it interesting. It creates an opportunity for us to continue to evolve as a team, and throughout the 82 games, it's kind of like you can chop it up into almost like quarters around how the season is going to go and what mini-goals we can set for ourselves to stay focused and stay on task and on target. When DeMarcus comes back, that's going to be opportunity, but also, like you said, a challenge in terms of figuring it out on the fly. Good news is he is extremely skilled, extremely smart. He's going to be bought in to what we're trying to do that I feel like it'll be -- no matter how long it takes, it'll be better for us. Q. What's it like having your brother-in-law Damion Lee around? I'm sure you guys already had a bit of a relationship, but what's that dynamic like for you? STEPHEN CURRY: It's fun. He's part of the family, obviously. We spent a lot of time the past two years especially working out. He's been out here in the Bay with Santa Cruz and whatnot and I've been rooting him on when he was in Atlanta last year playing. To have him obviously in training camp as a two-way player back and forth, the opportunity he has to impact our team, it would be fun, and obviously I get to keep close eyes on him. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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