For the first time in four years, the Golden State Warriors won't enter the regular season as prohibitive title favorites. Their major offseason overhaul coupled with an earth-shaking series of moves across the NBA shoved the championship window wide open, an outcome that's generated a new sense of excitement among league followers – one that apparently extends to Steph Curry.
The Warriors superstar admitted that he, too, is “excited” about the new challenges facing his rebuilt team going forward after years of the dominant status quo.
“I’m excited, to be honest with you. Five straight years in the Finals and we’ve accomplished a lot, and three championships,” Curry said on Thursday, per Cam Inman of The Mercury News. “There’s a lot to be proud of. But everybody wants a new challenge in terms of how do you get back to that level.”
Golden State's biggest loss, of course, is Kevin Durant. But the team will also be without on- and off-court culture-setter Andre Iguodala following his cost-cutting trade, and waived longtime stalwart Shaun Livingston earlier this week. Key contributors like Quinn Cook, Jordan Bell, and DeMarcus Cousins signed elsewhere in free agency, too.
But beside Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, with the addition of D'Angelo Russell, Curry believes his team can still play “championship-caliber basketball.”
“For us, our core, myself, Klay (Thompson), Draymond (Green), adding D’Angelo and a lot of hungry, young guys trying to prove themselves in the league, it’ll look different in terms of the lineups and things like that, but the expectations of how we play, that championship-caliber basketball, that for us will always be the motivation and the challenge,” he said.
Russell, an All-Star with the Brooklyn Nets last season, was acquired by Golden State in a sign-and-trade with Durant.
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