NBA Playoffs 2016: Should We Be Concerned For Stephen Curry?
With Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry going down for the second time in as many games to a leg injury, should fans be concerned?
When Golden State Warriors megastar Stephen Curry‘s right leg awkwardly collapsed just before halftime of Game 4 against the Houston Rockets, the basketball world held its collective breath.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen this story pan out the wrong way too many times before. Star player reaches the zenith of his basketball powers only to sustain a leg injury in his prime that leads to a series of health issues the player just can’t seem to come back for.
The names of Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady and Derrick Rose all come to mind when thinking of players whose primes ended far too soon.
No one’s trying to jump to the conclusion that Curry’s injury is of the same severity, but it’s fair to be concerned about the health of the reigning MVP.
This isn’t Curry’s first rodeo with ankle issues; they plagued him terribly at the start of his career.
Curry suffered multiple sprains to his right ankle in the 2010-11 season and, despite having surgery on it that offseason, continued to have issues with it the next year, spraining it twice that year and also spraining the tendon in his right foot. As a result, he played the fewest games of his career that season, only appearing in 26 contests.
Now it seems Curry may have reopened the door to that bad luck, as this latest knee injury follows a sprain to that same right ankle only two games prior.
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While this scenario certainly bares some eerie resemblances to those of Hardaway, Hill, McGrady and Rose, this one is different because there is so much more at stake. The basketball world may be at risk of losing out on the best player in the world and a team on the verge of dynastic status.
With a healthy Stephen Curry, the Warriors were all but a shoe-in to win their second consecutive title and but the cherry on top of the greatest regular season mark in NBA history.
Now, with their star’s durability in question, the Warriors look more vulnerable than they have all year at a very inopportune time as teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers are beginning to find their stride.
Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and company are still a talented and elite unit, but Curry is the transcendent force that makes them extraordinary and gives them the edge over opponents who would otherwise be evenly matched with them.
With him out, the team loses a big chunk of their offensive production that they must fill by committee, which can be difficult when there are few players that can command the attention he does from a defense.
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The future of a great, revolutionary player and one of the most entertaining shows to grace a basketball court are both in jeopardy, and fans of the game are hoping that Curry is the exception to a trend that has derailed so many exceptional talents before him.