Western Notes: Curry, Bogut, Snyder, Stotts

The announcement of the MVP award will take place in the next few days, sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The sources confirmed the obvious, telling Stein that Stephen Curry was the voters’ choice, but it remains to be seen if he’ll become the first unanimous MVP winner. It’s also unknown whether Curry will be recovered from his sprained right MCL in time to play in Game 4 tonight in Portland. Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Sunday deemed the point guard doubtful, nonetheless adding that Curry will take part in the team’s shootaround today, as Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group relays.

See more from the Western Conference:

  • Rumors have linked the Warriors to Kevin Durant for months, but it would take a significant roster overhaul to fit a max contract for Durant onto Golden State’s payroll, and Andrew Bogut, one of those whom the team might have to give up to get the former MVP, believes the front office should think twice before disrupting team chemistry. Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group relays that and more from their interview. “Yeah. Look, you hear certain rumors about certain guys in the offseason. It’s unfortunately not up to us; it’s up to management and the owners,” Bogut said. “But for a franchise that hasn’t had a lot of success, to all of a sudden have a lot of success and then try to, you know, break the atom, it can go both ways, and I’ve seen that. It’ll be interesting to see what they do. Sometimes you don’t want to tinker with things that are going well because, as you know, it can go both ways. Sometimes you can get a guy, hey, this can put us over the top. But we feel like we’re at that point. It’s interesting. But there’s a lot of ego that goes into getting certain guys here and some teams want big names. Not just us. Even with good chemistry and a good program, some teams want that big superstar name to draw.”
  • The Jazz‘s decision to sign coach Quin Snyder to an extension was wise, in part because Gordon Hayward is entering the final season of his contract preceding his ability to opt out in 2017, contends Brad Rock of The Deseret News. The players have bought in, and a coaching change between now and next summer would have given Hayward reason to leave, Rock believes.
  • The Trail Blazers haven’t had any negotiations about an extension with Terry Stotts, but Game 3 against Golden State served as another reminder why he deserves one and that it won’t be surprising if the extension happens soon after Portland’s postseason is over, posits The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman. “He’s got our trust,” Damian Lillard said. “I think all season long, he’s counted on so many guys, he’s shown his faith in so many guys, and everybody on this team is behind him 100%.”
View Comments (0)