Kevin Durant and Steph Curry may be a near-perfect duo on the court, but the two Golden State Warriors stars could not be much different when it comes to the NBA All-Star Game. With the league rolling out a brand new format in which team captains will be named and get to pick their team from a roster of available all-stars — just like we picked guys back in gym class or on the playground — Durant and Curry have contrasting views on being given the responsibility of choosing teammates.
Curry has embraced the idea of potentially getting a chance to choose his teammates for an All-Star Game and already suggested he would try to grab all of his available Golden State teammates to be on his team.
I asked Stephen Curry if he’s voted a captain of an All-Star team, who does he draft first? “Probably one of my teammates…” pic.twitter.com/jCczMbFWjs
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 11, 2017
As the 2017-18 season reaches its midpoint and the NBA All-Star voting comes down to the wire with Curry and Durant jockeying for the top two spots in the fan voting, the Warriors guard is not backing down from his ambition to be a team captain and pick his team.
“Why not?” Curry said in a story published by The Athletic. “I’ll be the first to usher in the new system. I used to go to the playground all the time, and you wanted to be the guy picking teams. That meant you were something on the court back in the day. It’ll be a cool vibe to see how it all shakes out and how unique you can make the lineups.”
Durant, on the other hand, is a bit more reluctant to embrace the role as team captain for the All-Star Game.
“I don’t want to do it,” Durant said to The Athletic. “I’d rather somebody else do it. It’s cool to be an All-Star, but all the extra stuff … I just want to go play in the game.”
That hesitance may be one of the reasons why the NBA won’t televise the All-Star draft despite it being an ideal event for TV. Not every player wants to be in that position.
With Durant and Curry the current top two vote recipients so far, it does appear they will be given the chance to pick their teams after the All-Star starters and reserves are determined. However this all plays out, another Warriors star has expressed his opinions on the subject. Draymond Green is stumping for four Warriors — him, Curry, Durant and Klay Thompson — to be All-Stars. All four were named to the NBA’s midseason showcase last year, as well.
“I kind of heard quite a bit this year that we should only get three max, but I don’t see why not four?” Green said to ESPN. “If winning has been the [blueprint to get four stars in] every year, why should it change up?”
If all four players do make it to the All-Star Game and Curry gets to make picks as a team captain, then he may get that chance to get all of his Golden State teammates on the same squad after all. Our dream matchup of the Golden State Warriors vs. the NBA All-Stars is one step closer to becoming a reality.
[ESPN]
