“Loose lips sink ships,” goes a familiar phrase that cautions against careless chatter.
In Steph Curry’s case, the expression may hint at a move that could keep the USS Dubs’ plans for a lengthy postseason course afloat.
Curry possibly told tales out of school Thursday while preparing to play at the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. Asked about the idea of his Golden State Warriors signing veteran center Al Horford, Curry said this, per a report from Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
“He’s a champion, great player. When … if, when all that stuff happens, I’ll talk about it.”
Hmm. Should we credit Curry with a blown save there? He’d be three behind San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval, if so.
Assessing context, if not syntax, goes with the territory of NBA free agency, especially in slower periods like this one.
“We use ‘if’ to introduce a possible or unreal situation or condition,” Cambridge Dictionary says. “We use ‘when’ to refer to the time of a future or condition that we are certain of.”
Horford signing with a team that isn’t the Boston Celtics, his employer the past four seasons, seems to trend toward the “when” arrow instead of the “if” one. While Horford, 39, remains a capable starter, the Celtics are revamping their finances while preparing for a near-lame-duck season without star Jayson Tatum, who suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during the Eastern Conference semifinals in May as Boston’s bid for a championship repeat ended.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed this week that the organization made offers to Horford and Luke Kornet, a fellow center who later signed with San Antonio.
Stevens added that “the only reason I haven’t talked about Al is because I could probably talk about Al my whole press conference and not say enough. But I don’t want to speak in absolute terms until an ultimate decision is made. But [he’s] another guy that if he were to go and play somewhere else, I think he’s [still] an all-time Celtic and winner and did everything he could for this organization.”
Should Horford join the Warriors and prove Curry, uh — is it still prophetic if you have advance knowledge of something? — the veteran would assimilate quickly.
A core of Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III and Horford may not be as youthful (or well-compensated) as the Big Three that just led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but it would be unrivaled for championship pedigree.
The Warriors edged second-seeded Houston in seven games to open the Western Conference playoffs before falling to eventual West finalist Minnesota in five games. Curry strained his hamstring in a Game 1 victory against the Timberwolves before missing the next four games, all defeats, including two by single digits.
Naturally, numbers in every equation are prone to fall out. Curry’s injury is one example.
But all things being equal (another idiom), it would be tough to deny a Warriors construction with Horford more than a puncher’s chance in a rematch with the revamped, Kevin Durant-led Rockets or a showdown against OKC.
Sure, the Thunder are young and speedy and a terror on defense, but they still needed seven games to dispatch the plucky Indiana Pacers, who emerged from an open Eastern Conference.
If and when Golden State adds Horford, it won’t shift the West’s balance of power from Oklahoma City nor topple that next plateau in Houston. Winning the conference, though, won’t be a gimme.
Celebrity golf tournaments offer enough of those already.
