Stephen Curry’s Charlotte roots make the idea of him potentially moving back there one day a natural point of interest.
The Golden State Warrior spent both his high school and college years in the state of North Carolina, and his success at both levels helped propel his success to the NBA. His family still resides in the area, and it seems fairly apparent that the bond he shares with parents is an incredibly strong one.
After being voted in as a starter for the 2014 All-Star Game, Curry had a conversation with his father that left him a little moved. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer relayed the thoughts of Golden State’s starting point guard:
He’s [Dell Curry] not an emotional guy. I could tell his voice was a little shaky. I could tell how proud he was.
This speaks to the connection of the Curry family. It’s not uncommon for Steph’s father to be in attendance at Oracle Arena, where he gets to cheer for his son when he is not busy broadcasting games for the Charlotte Bobcats.
Thus, the appeal of having his own father call his games could make for an intriguing scenario as far as the newly appointed All-Star is concerned. To be fair, Curry is locked into a four-year $44 million contract that expires at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season according to Sham Sports.
Thus, he will remain a Warrior at least until then, provided that Golden State does not trade him. However, past that point, Curry might have his sights set on joining Michael Jordan’s franchise.
Back in 2011, the 3-point bomber offered these poignant remarks to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:
Of course I’d like to play here [Charlotte] – it’s home and I know a lot of people. But that doesn’t mean I’m trying to get out of Golden State.
It’s worth noting that the context surrounding his comments might have had something to do with his response.
When Curry joined the Warriors in 2009, the reception was not exactly ideal. The best player on the team at the time, Monta Ellis, made it clear that he had no interest whatsoever in sharing the backcourt duties with Curry.
Here are Ellis’ exact words courtesy of Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News:
You can’t put two small guys out there and try to play the 1 and the 2 when you’ve got big 2 guards in the league. You just can’t do it. OK, yes, we’re going to move up and down fast, but eventually the game is going to slow down.
It’s safe to say that those words stung the long-range sniper, even two years well after the fact. Thus, with free agency looming potentially two seasons down the road, Curry naturally began to ponder what his future might look like in the Tar Heel state.
Ellis eventually backed off his stance and embraced his teammate, which might have sufficed to keep Curry focused on the Bay Area. The front office ultimately opted to move Ellis in a midseason swap that brought them Andrew Bogut, and then, the Warriors signed Curry to the aforementioned extension.
These series of moves have probably made quite the impression on the point guard. Golden State has made a clear commitment to Curry and what’s more, the franchise has demonstrated that it is invested in winning.
On the flip side, the Bobcats have been to the playoffs only once since 2004-05, and they have not been able to win a single postseason game. Further exacerbating issues for the Charlotte franchise, it is not an attractive free-agent destination, and the team lacks young talent to build on.
Granted, should they miss the playoffs this season — they seem headed for the postseason — they might end up with a top-10 lottery pick in what projects to be the most loaded draft class ever according to ESPN.com’s Chad Ford (insider). That could help kick start things and set Jordan and Co. on the path to respectability.
However, the franchise’s overall ineptitude since its inception makes it difficult to project them ever becoming a viable candidate for Curry’s services. It’s certainly not impossible, but Charlotte has a lot of work to do before it can entice the All-Star point guard into joining its ranks.