There was some foolish chatter last week that argued Steph Curry's legacy was at stake this season, as critics couldn't help but break out the hot-take machine following the Warriors' first handful of games in over nine months. Though Curry quickly put that talk to rest, scoring a career-high 62 points in his very first opportunity to respond, NBC Sports Bay Area's Chris Mullin disagrees with the very premise of the discussion.
"He's one of the top three players of his generation," Mullin told NBC Sports Bay Area's Grant Liffman on the "Dubs Talk" podcast. " ... He's the Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird of his generation. And each generation has those guys. ... The accolades, we all know what they are -- three-time champion, five times to the NBA Finals -- so, yeah, that's what he's going to be remembered for. This is all adding to his legacy. His legacy is cemented in stone. He's adding to it with new challenges."
For whatever reason, Curry's detractors seem to enjoy overlooking the past in an effort to delegitimize his accomplishments. They like to forget that he led an entire franchise out of the gutter, and instead pretend like he always has been surrounded by a star-studded roster. They'd have you believe he has been carried to multiple championships, when the opposite actually is true.
From Mullin's perspective, it boils down to jealousy.
"I guess they call them haters," Mullin explained, " ... I just call it being jealous. I really do believe not only how well and dominant that Steph plays; it's the joy and passion and fun he has doing it, and he doesn't let that stuff bother him. So, I think a lot of people are jealous of the way he can handle his success and his failures -- he handles them both admirably."
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No matter how many people feel compelled to express their jealousy in the present, Mullin believes Curry will be properly appreciated in the long run.
Golden State Warriors
"I think when you fast forward, total picture is going to be this once-in-a-lifetime, once-in-a-generation player with these championships," Mullin continued. "Does he add to it? He might, we'll see. But that's already locked in. ... If his career was to end today, he has got incredible accomplishments, and the only thing more impressive than his accomplishments is how he does it."