NBA Rumors: Pros and Cons of Warriors Re-Signing Stephen Curry

The Golden State Warriors are looking at signing point guard Stephen Curry to an extension, according to Zach Lowe of SI.com.

Lowe tweeted on Monday:

"

Just chatted w/ Dubs GM Bob Myers--said GSW will "explore" Curry extension before 10/31 deadline. Nothing more, but he's optimistic on deal

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_SI) August 20, 2012"

Despite being considered one of the Warriors' building blocks for the future, Curry does come with his fair share of concerns as the team tries to bounce back from a 23-43 campaign last season.

Here's a look at the pros and cons of signing the 24-year-old to an extension.

Pros

Production

In his three seasons with Golden State, Curry has averaged 17.5 points, 5.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 44 percent from downtown. He's established himself as one of the purest scorers in the NBA and grown more comfortable running the offense.

As the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, Curry has largely lived up to his hype, despite being on a mediocre team. He shot a career-high 49 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range last season.

Now that former teammate Monta Ellis is with the Milwaukee Bucks and young shooting guard Klay Thompson is developing, Curry is needed more than ever in Oakland.

Youth

Curry has already established himself as a dangerous player in the league and he's still relatively young. 

Given the way Curry has shown strides at point guard, he very well could just be realizing his potential as a distributor. We've always known him as a dangerous marksman, but if he continues to develop at point guard he could become even more of handful for opposing defenses.

When Ellis left for Milwaukee, the team's reins were essentially handed to Curry. He has the potential to boost them into the playoffs.

Stability for the Franchise

The Warriors have had a great deal of turnover throughout the years. They've seen stars come and go and positions continue to be up for grabs.

Re-signing Curry would give the Warriors a direction. Failing to re-sign him would leave them in uncertainty, grasping for their next starting point guard.

Thompson, who showed marksmanship himself last season, needs someone to grow with and Curry could be that man.

Cons

Injury Liability

The biggest reason for not re-signing Curry is he's an injury liability.

The 6'3", 185 pound guard has suffered countless ankle injuries and he was forced to undergo surgery on his right ankle in April, limiting him to just 26 games in the 66-game season.

You can't discount Curry's ankle problems at this point and it makes him a high-risk, high-reward re-signing for the Warriors. 

He could go on to become an All-Star. In the same breath, he could go on to become Andris Biedrins (OK, that was a little harsh).

Defense

Head coach Mark Jackson has preached defense ever since he joined the Warriors last season. 

But Curry, despite all his offensive prowess, is not a great defender by any stretch of the imagination. His quickness and hands allow him to rack up steals, but his man-to-man defense leaves a lot to be desired.

The Warriors were better on defense last season than in 2010-11. Keyword: "better." They still allowed opponents to shoot 45.3 percent from the field.

Curry's defensive rating for his career is 111, which is, well, not good (per Basketball-Reference.com).

Not a True Point Guard

Curry came into the league as an undersized shooting guard. You could even say he came into the league as a combo guard.

But you can't say that Curry came into the NBA as a pure point guard.

Curry may have been forced into the point guard slot playing alongside Monta Ellis in previous years. He was more of a point guard than Ellis, so the Warriors gave it a shot. Although Curry has shown strides at point, he's still a work-in-progress in that area.

After all, Curry is the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, who was best known for his three-point shooting and undoubtedly passed it along.

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