The three-time scoring champion will need to take on even more offensive responsibility for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He'll open this season minus All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, whom Sam Amick of USA Todayreports underwent his second knee surgery since suffering a torn meniscus in April. He lost super sidekick James Harden in a last-minute trade to the Houston Rockets prior to the start of 2012-13. With that in mind, I guess he has what any player could ask for -ultimate control of his destiny. Like he told Sports Illustrated 's Lee Jenkins back in April, he's sick of being No 2. In all honesty, Kevin Durant might be even closer to his breaking point than this. His balky ankles can only carry him for so long.Ĭareer Per-Game Averages: 26.6 points, 6.8 rebound, 3.1 assists, 23.6 PER If Curry's not thrilled with their find, he can bolt from the Bay in 2017.īut if he goes ring chasing that summer, he better hope he finds it soon. Once Lee comes off the books in 2016, the Warriors will have a boatload of cash to search for a difference-maker. Curry, Iguodala and David Lee are all on the books for more than $30 million over the next three seasons, and that doesn't include Klay Thompson's possible extension in 2015. With his injury history, he's better served by taking a marathon approach.Īssuming the Warriors fall short in their championship pursuit this season -they look more like a really good team than a great one -the team will have a tough time adding missing pieces to the roster. With a reportedly healthy Andrew Bogut manning the middle and a Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Harrison Barnes, the Golden State Warriors should continue climbing the NBA power rankings in 2013-14.īut Curry's championship chase doesn't need to be a sprint. The offseason arrival of Andre Iguodala has only increased those hopes. Stephen Curry is absolutely a star, even if he's starved for individual accolades.īut with that elevated appreciation level come heightened expectations. I'm not going to make the same mistake the All-Star voters did last season. But if he strikes out this season and next summer, his playoff dreams will become postseason nightmares.Ĭareer Per-Game Averages: 19.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 19.2 PER He'll have one year to go ring chasing -with the Los Angeles Lakers perhaps -before panic mode takes over. If he doesn't see title potential in this current Knicks team, that's not going to change next summer. While New York's championship window may have never opened, the 29-year-old Anthony's own window is closing in front of our eyes. He refused to put a "championship or bust" tag on this year when talking to reporters at media day, via ESPN New York's Ian Begley. Injuries and age have forced the six-time All-Star to make the most out of his 20-to-25 minute runs.Īnthony's already lowering the bar for 2013-14, the last season before he can opt out of his current contract. His supposed superstar teammate, Amar'e Stoudemire, is barely a shadow of his former self. New York has a single postseason series victory to show for his first three seasons there. Anthony's Knicks are 7-14 in playoff games since his arrival. The same postseason demons that haunted him with the Denver Nuggets have followed him to the Empire State. **Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of .Ĭareer Per-Game Averages: 25.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 20.8 PERĬarmelo Anthony's stint with the New York Knicks wouldn't quite be called a worst-case scenario, but it's a lot closer to that label than he'd like. So players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Zach Randolph are off the hook. * No more than one player was selected per team. So when does panic time set in for today's current ringless stars? When will these hardwood heroes see that unsightly asterisk next to their names? You can't take over the castle without dethroning the king. Thanks to this generation's mini dynasties - Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers, Tim Duncan's San Antonio Spurs and now LeBron James' Miami Heat -a number of players could be headed to that same fate. Each of these players is a Hall of Fame talent in his own right, yet that's the way they are remembered. If that were the case, Bill Russell would be heralded as the league's greatest player on the strength of his record-setting 11 championships.īut rings aren't left out of the equation, either.Įverywhere you look there are discussions of the greatest players to have never won a championship: Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Elgin Baylor, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, the list goes on and on. NBA legacies aren't measured by rings alone.
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