at the time of that discussed trade, (December 2011) ... Steph Curry was dealing with chronic ankle issues and sharing the ball with ball-hog Monta Ellis. Rondo was fully healthy and the starting point guard on a contender. Even then, I was largely in support of it, because I felt Curry was being held back and his ankle issues reminded me of Ray Ray before he came to Seattle. Also, at the time, it would have freed up a bunch of additional cap space for us since Curry was on his rookie deal... and the idea of Curry sharing a back court with Ray Allen sounded epic to me.
Still... Golden State turned us down. They preferred hanging onto their gimpy underachieving shooter than trade him for an all-star bricklayer like ROndo.
At this point, Rondo, who lead his team to a sub .500 record before getting injured, is coming off major ACL surgery (which ROse still hasn't returned from over a year later)... Curry has finally reached his potential and lead a team a couple rounds into the playoffs. Curry has proven to be one of the best shooters in the league.
Zero chance Golden State does it.
TL;DR: Golden State turned down the opportunity to sell low on Steph Curry for Rondo when his stock was high. No chance they'd sell high on Curry while Rondo's stock is at an all-time low
http://www.celticstown.com/2012/02/29/rajon-rondo-trade-rumors-rondo-being-aggressively-shopped-stephen-curry-could-be-targetaccording-to-espn/
Is that the rumor that leads you to believe that Golden State turned Boston down in a proposed Rondo for Curry swap?
It sounds more like Chris Broussard can't decide--or more likely, has no clue--who turned who down.
There were multiple reports at the time (December 2011) about GOlden State turning us down.
Example:
https://twitter.com/timkawakami/status/144196733197484035"NBA source: Celtics contacted Warriors about Rondo-for-Curry & were turned down. Presumably, Boston wanted to flip Curry to NO for Paul."Example 2 via ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7631850/sources-boston-celtics-aggressively-trying-trade-guard-rajon-rondo"Boston is aggressively shopping Rondo, according to sources. The Celtics find Rondo's personality to be too high-maintenance and his clashes with coach Doc Rivers continue. With the Celtics having realized they are no longer title contenders, they don't believe the payoff is worth the headaches Rondo brings, sources say. And they do not want to build around him. In December, the Celtics had discussions with Golden State about a Stephen Curry-for-Rondo deal, and one source says it was Golden State that decided against pulling the trigger. But Curry's recent ankle injuries, which have caused him several problems in his short career, have given the Celtics pause. The potential trade is still being discussed by Boston's braintrust, but they aren't sure they want to go forward with it. It also isn't clear whether the Warriors would be willing to do it. Other players would have to be thrown in to make it work financially."Also, the Hornets tried to trade CP3 to Golden State for Curry, but Golden State didnt' have interest. This was when Curry's stock was significantly lower than it is right now. I see no way they trade him... especially for an injured player like Rondo who they already turned down trading for back in December 2011.
Also, all the talk about Curry's fragility is a bit overblown. He played 80 games in 09-10, 70 games in 10-11 and 78 games this year.
You guys know that in the past 3 seasons, Rondo has missed 61 games. Curry has only missed 42 games. Food for thought.
Also, Bill SImmons went a little overboard with his trade value column this year, but he had Curry ranked #3 and Rondo ranked #36. Even before the playoffs he had Curry ranked #16.
Here are Simmons' thoughts on Curry:
3. Stephen Curry
I already shot my wad on Curry in last Friday's column (the extended March Madness analogy), so let's defend what seems like an overreaction of a ranking. I love Curry, you love Curry, everyone loves Curry … but third? Really? Third out of anyone? When he was no. 16 just five weeks ago? The top seven reasons why Curry snared the no. 3 spot, in no particular order:
Reason No. 1: Along with Kevin Durant, he's 2013's co-winner of the Derrick Rose Award for "Guy Whose City Would Riot If He Were Traded." Right now, the Golden Gate Bridge has a better chance of being traded than Steph Curry.
Reason No. 2: Here's what it looks like when a 25-year-old guy is making The Leap.
Post All-Star (30 games): 26.0 PPG, 7.4 APG, 48% FG, 89% FT, 46% 3FG, 8.9 3FGA.
2013 Playoffs (8 games): 26.5 PPG, 8.9 APG, 46% FG, 91% FT, 43% 3FG, 9.0 3FGA
And it goes beyond stats — the Warriors are winning with a team that is built around Curry's offense and personality. You're always looking for teams with identities in May, and here's Golden State's identity: Opponents can't leave Curry or Thompson open for a 3-pointer for 48 solid minutes. They aren't just stretching the floor, they're bending it into something else. When you're that panicked about staying close to two shooters, it affects every decision you make. That can't happen without Curry, who has assumed an even bigger offensive role with David Lee missing … only as Zach Lowe meticulously spelled out on Grantland today, Golden State's small-ball attack has taken off partly because he's handling the ball so much more. He's a franchise player now.21
Reason No. 3: It's only Year 4 for Curry. Reggie Miller peaked from Year 7 through Year 10. Ray Allen peaked in Year 5 and Year 6. Peja Stojakovic peaked in Year 6.22 Larry Bird peaked from Year 6 through Year 8. Dirk Nowitzki peaked from Year 7 through Year 9. Steve Nash peaked from Year 9 through Year 11. Glen Rice and Mitch Richmond peaked in Year 7. This is a roundabout way of telling you that Curry will probably create the 50-50-90 Club someday. It's in play.23 Along those same lines …
Reason No. 4: Mark Jackson is technically right — Golden State has the best shooting backcourt ever, although it's really the best long-range shooting backcourt ever. Check out the only 13 players (their best seasons only) who made at least 2.5 3s a game while (a) shooting at least 40 percent or higher, and (b) averaging at least 16.5 points per game (sorry, Damon Jones, Raja Bell and Kyle Korver).
Curry, 2013: 7.7 3FGA, 3.5 made, 45.3%
Allen, 2006: 8.4 3FGA, 3.4 made, 41.2%
Dennis Scott, 1996: 7.7 3FGA, 3.3 made, 42.5%
Peja, 2004: 6.8 3FGA, 3.0 made, 43.3%
Jason Richardson, 2008: 7.3 FGA, 3.0 made, 40.6%
Mike Miller, 2007: 7.1 3FGA, 2.9 made, 40.6%
Richmond, 1996: 6.8 3FGA, 2.8 made, 43.7%
Miller, 1997: 6.6 3FGA, 2.8 made, 42.7%
Rashard Lewis, 2008: 6.8 3FGA, 2.8 made, 40.9%
Danny Granger, 2009: 6.7 3FGA, 2.7 made, 40.4%
Thompson, 2013: 6.4 3FGA, 2.6 made, 40.1%
Paul Pierce, 2002: 6.3 3FGA, 2.6 made, 40.4%
Rice, 1997: 5.6 3FGA, 2.6 made, 47.0%
And the Warriors had TWO of those guys? And they still have room to improve? Yikes.
Reason No. 5: "Turn on the game, Steph Curry is heating up" is the single most exciting sports-related text you can send or receive right now. If I'm at dinner and you send me that text, I'm splitting toward the bar like a doctor who just had his "EMERGENCY!" beeper go off.
Reason No. 6: You can't come up with a better NBA match of "performer and crowd" than Curry and Oakland right now. They were meant for each other. It was destiny.
Reason No. 7:
Everyone else in our top 15 is getting paid the max next season, or [dang]ed close, except for Kyrie Irving (still on a rookie deal). Starting next year, Curry will make $44 million over the next four seasons.24 Translation: You're getting a franchise player for 45 percent off! It's like one of those Black Friday sales that Amazon has. That's the biggest reason Steph climbed to no. 3. Value plus performance plus results. He's like a fancy German car. I'm thoroughly enjoying the Steph Curry era.