Tag: Larry Riley

Steph Curry to Trae Young comparison is ‘inevitable,’ Larry Riley says

While there are reasonable comparisons between Trae Young and Steph Curry, former Warriors GM Larry Riley said Young still has growth.

Atlanta Hawks advisor and former Golden State Warriors general manager Larry Riley understands similarities many fans see between Trae Young and Steph Curry, but he wouldn’t go so far to equate the two.

“There is that comparison that’s inevitable,” Riley said on the Papa & Lund podcast. “Everybody’s going to make that comparison between he and Steph.”

Riley was general manager when the Warriors drafted Curry in 2009, and was with Golden State in different capacities from 2006 to 2018.

He joined the Hawks as an advisor in August 2018, months after the draft-night trade that gave them the rights to Trae Young.

While Riley is now firmly aboard the Atlanta train, he was careful not liken Young’s talents to those of Curry too much — though in one area, the second-year pro is better at his age than Curry was, the executive thinks.

“The only thing he had over Steph was he’s probably a little bit better passer coming in as a rookie,” Riley said. “The rest of it, Steph has the advantage.”

Curry has turned into arguably the greatest shooter in NBA history and won two Most Valuable Player awards. Young has the makings of a star shooter, making the sixth-most 3s in the league while shooting 36% from behind the arc and averaging almost 30 points per game in his second year.

Riley hopes Young can continue down this trajectory and become prolific.

“Trae is still growing into the role that we’d like to see him take,” Riley said. “He’s done very well with it and we just hope he continues to progress.”

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Larry Riley was a guest on 95.7 The …

Larry Riley was a guest on 95.7 The Game’s “Bonta, Steiny & Guru” show Thursday morning, and was asked if it’s true that Steph named his daugther after him. He answered by telling a story that, to our knowledge, has not been shared publicly. “Steph came into my office one day, and he sat down in front of me and he said, ‘Hey coach, we’re getting ready to have a child and it’s a girl. We’re looking at names. What would you think if we named our baby girl Riley?’ I was blown away,” Riley said. “I was just absolutely blown away.

According to former Warriors GM Larry …

According to former Warriors GM Larry Riley, though, that trade was never discussed. In a radio interview, Riley denied ever having a discussion about a package deal for Curry and Thompson, but admitted that there was a “discussion about the possibilities” of trading Curry at some point. Via 95.7 The Game: “First off, that’s false. That never took place. And therefore, I think everyone learned something. When you — I had to tell my mother this because she grew up in the days of Walter Cronkite — when you see something on TV or you read it in the newspaper, it’s not necessarily true. And I never had a conversation with anybody about packaging our two guards to do something else. Steph Curry came to the Warriors and he won himself over as a Warrior for life — if he wanted to be — at the second half of his rookie season. He established the fact — this is our point guard for the next 10 years.”

Ex-Warriors GM denies report that team nearly traded Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul

Chris Paul for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson? According to a former Warriors GM, the reported deal was never discussed.

Before Kevin Durant arrived in Golden State to make the Warriors truly unstoppable, the duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson terrorized the NBA and led the Warriors to the greatest regular-season record in league history. According to Ethan Strauss’ new book on the Warriors, “The Victory Machine,” the Splash Bros. were very nearly relocated to New Orleans in 2011, years before they became All-Stars.

Paul was traded from New Orleans to the Los Angeles Clippers in December of 2011, days after then-commissioner David Stern nullified a deal to send Paul to the Lakers. Strauss writes that before then, the Hornets and Warriors nearly had a trade in place that would see Paul moved to Golden State in exchange for Curry and Thompson, but that Paul – who was on an expiring deal – had no interest in re-signing with the Warriors.

Via NBC Sports:

“It was far from the only time Curry was shopped, but in this instance, the deal was very close to completion. (Bob) Myers made the offer and Hornets GM Dell Demps was receptive. The catch was Chris Paul, who wanted out of New Orleans but had no intention of playing for the woebegone Warriors.

Paul told the Warriors they could do this trade, but he wouldn’t be staying when his contract was up at season’s end. With that, the Hornets lost out on the greatest backcourt of all time.”

According to former Warriors GM Larry Riley, though, that trade was never discussed. In a radio interview, Riley denied ever having a discussion about a package deal for Curry and Thompson, but admitted that there was a “discussion about the possibilities” of trading Curry at some point.

Via 95.7 The Game:

“First off, that’s false. That never took place. And therefore, I think everyone learned something. When you — I had to tell my mother this because she grew up in the days of Walter Cronkite — when you see something on TV or you read it in the newspaper, it’s not necessarily true.

And I never had a conversation with anybody about packaging our two guards to do something else. Steph Curry came to the Warriors and he won himself over as a Warrior for life — if he wanted to be — at the second half of his rookie season. He established the fact — this is our point guard for the next 10 years.”

Unfortunately for LeBron James, that deal never happened, and the Warriors went on to become one of the sport’s greatest dynasties.

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Former Warriors GM Larry Riley refutes reported 2011 blockbuster trade attempt that included Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Chris Paul

According to Golden State’s former GM, the Splash Brothers weren’t getting moved for Chris Paul in 2011.

In his new book “The Victory Machine,” Ethan Strauss noted the Golden State Warriors were on the verge of pulling off a blockbuster trade back in 2011. Strauss reported the Warriors attempting to move Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul.

Via The Victory Machine:

The Warriors attempted to trade Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul in 2011. It was far from the only time Curry was shopped, but in this instance, the deal was very close to completion. Myers made the offer and Hornets GM Dell Demps was receptive. The catch was Chris Paul, who wanted out of New Orleans but had no intention of playing for the woebegone Warriors. Paul told the Warriors they could do this trade, but he wouldn’t be staying when his contract was up at season’s end.

Strauss references Myers in his book as the Warriors’ front office member that made the offer. However, in 2011, he was the assistant general manager at the time. From 2009-2012, Larry Riley was listed as the Golden State Warriors general manager.

In a recent interview, the current senior advisor to the Atlanta Hawks GM denied the idea of the attempted trade. Riley joined “Joe, Lo and Dibs” on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and refuted the reported deal.

Via 95.7 The Game:

First off, that’s false — that never took place. And therefore, I think everybody learned something. I have to tell my mother this because she grew up in the days of Walter Cronkite. When you see something on TV, or you read it in the newspapers, not necessarily true. And I never had a conversation with anybody about packaging our two guards to do something else. Steph Curry came to the Warriors, and he won himself over as a Warrior for life if he wanted to be at the second half of his rookie season. He established the fact — this is our point guard for the next 10 years. And while there was a lot of discussion about the possibilities of trading him, it was never a reality. And we never had a discussion about trading Klay Thompson and Steph Curry for anybody else. And it would be very interesting because the author of this piece without a doubt talked to somebody who gave him some information. So it would be a little bit interesting to track that, but I can tell you right now that never happened. Now, I suppose it might have happened after I left, and there could have been a discussion with Bob Myers, but you’re telling me this was 2011. And that is not the case then.

Regardless of past trade rumors, after three championships and a bevy of All-Star appearances from Curry and Thompson, the Golden State Warriors made the right decision by sticking with their young backcourt duo in 2011.

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