NBA

Steph Curry, Warriors stars argue against Jonathan Kuminga’s ‘not a distraction’

ballervisions 2026年1月16日

Steph Curry, Warriors star contends Jonathan Kuminga saga ‘isn’t a distraction’ appeared first on NBC Sports Bay Area.

SAN FRANCISCO – Day 200 of the Jonathan Kuminga Chronicles is upon us, and it probably won’t be much different than the previous 199, except for the expansion of his bank account on Day 92 and the fact that Day 199 drew him to the trade market. The divisive discussion will continue for the Warriors, their fans and anyone who follows this confusing phrase.

This noise, however, will not affect the Warriors. That is what they say, emphatically, and their statements are reliable.

“It’s not a distraction at all,” Stephen Curry said Thursday night, after scoring 27 points in a win over the New York Knicks while Kuminga sat on the bench for the 13th game in a row. “It’s a very unique situation, but our job is to keep playing. Keep winning. It will work itself out one way or another.”

Curry believes that this will not shake the Warriors because of their history. As the longest-tenured player on the roster, he’s seen potential distractions come and go like waves on the beach.

“(If) you’ve been there for three, four years, we’ve done it all this time,” Curry continued. “We are very well trained in this area to play only basketball.”

Curry’s comment was accompanied by coach Steve Kerr, who is said to be the one who is the hottest in Kuminga. So much so that some outsiders suspect their intentions.

“There will be no interruption,” said Kerr two hours before being notified by the Knicks. “Jonathan is a very nice guy. His teammates like him. He behaves well. There will be no disturbance.”

Yet Curry’s words carry more weight. He was a Warrior before Kerr came along. Curry has had issues early in his career, one being the presence of Monta Ellis and the other being the rare and short-sighted belief among the coaching staff that Acie Law should start at guard.

Steph has been there, done that, and seen it many times. He was several weeks removed from watching his close teammate, Draymond Green, enter the locker room amid a heated argument with coach Steve Kerr. There was a very near breakdown of the relationship between Klay Thompson and the franchise. There was the indefinite absence of Andrew Wiggins, Draymond’s shocking hit on Jordan Poole during practice and, oh yeah, Kevin Durant’s painful final season as a Warrior.

Kuminga is not Klay or KD, established All-Stars and important parts in the daily operation of the team.

Kuminga is a good-hearted guy who makes $22.5 million to be a spectator. He stuck with the Warriors, despite the obvious incompatibility; they drafted him and spent four years debating trade considerations for him.

Jimmy Butler III brushed aside any suggestion that Kuminga’s status – visible but separated from the games – was the source of the unrest.

“No, no,” said Thursday night. “Oh no, that has nothing to do with us, we love JK in this locker room, that will not change, if he is not there, we are still struggling with JK, I speak for everyone, I don’t care, I speak for everyone, we love the boy, I wish him well here, I wish him well but forever, he does not change.

“We don’t listen to the noise, I hope he doesn’t listen to the noise.

There’s enough maturity in this locker room — Curry, Butler, Green and Al Horford — to dispel any creeping tension related to Kuminga’s continued underutilization. The vets are designed to keep the focus on the big goal of rallying the Warriors from mediocrity, which during the first half of the season has been stubborn to hold.

There have been games where it seemed like Kuminga could have helped on the floor. The last time he was expected to play, Jan. 2 against Oklahoma City, until he retired because of a sudden “back pain.”

However, Kuminga, by all accounts, remains popular and has not been a frequent source of irritation – at all. There is a main reason why Kuminga is not, and will not be, a distraction for the Warriors, according to Green.

“Because he not a distraction,” said Green, pointing to Kuminga’s empty closet. If he treats it a certain way, it becomes a distraction. But it doesn’t have to be. And the way he behaves, the way he deals with things that don’t go his way, says a lot about his character.

“Everyone here can say with confidence that it will not be a distraction, because he not to interfere.”

Green and Butler did their part to advise Kuminga on the ways of life in the NBA. Almost every young player who enters the league has a “vet,” someone who plays a big brotherly role. Kuminga has two.

They both wish Kuminga well, wherever he ends up, as does everyone in the locker room. He realizes that, which is another reason, he trades out of “need” anyway, that he won’t break this team.

JK is not designed to do that. And, what’s more, he still hasn’t found a position.

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