Listen to Jason Smith join The Doug Gottlieb Show to discuss Jason’s sweltering week of hot takes that had Jason calling Steph Curry an overrated ‘system quarterback’ last week, and then doubling down this week with segments proclaiming that Steph isn’t an ‘all-time great’, but simply a ‘fun show'.
Curry is in the midst of one of the best scoring stretches of his entire career, but the Warriors sit at only 29-29 and in the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings.
Check out the heated discussion above as the two Fox Sports Radio hosts get after it, and make sure to check out the transcripts below for context as to why Gottlieb called the controversial Smith takes ‘horrendous.’
Jason Smith on April 19th:
“Tonight is the 11th straight game that Steph Curry has scored over 30 points, but let’s not confuse a ‘fun’ player who gives you a lot of highlights, with a guy who is raising the level of his team. Do you know what their record is in these 11 games? 6-5. He has been absolutely huge but it doesn’t translate to wins and losses. He’s fun, he’s a human highlight reel, he’s a phenomenal shooter, and the best shooter I have seen in years, but is he raising the level of the Warriors? He’s NOT… The Warriors are going to be lucky if they make it into the play-in round. He’s kind of like Kobe at the end, where he would have big games once in a while, and Kobe wasn’t the player he used to be, but boy, was he still a show. That’s what Steph Curry is. He’s a 'SHOW' and it’s great, but it’s not like the Warriors are 9-2 during this stretch and racing through. I can’t give a guy the MVP when I don’t even know if he’s going to be in the top 8. I’m sorry the West is tough, but Steph Curry had no problems when he had a peaking Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. He had no problems then but the true greats can do it themselves. You can raise the level but he’s not doing it. Luka Doncic has raised the level of Dallas basically all by himself. You say Steph ‘needs help’, but is he an ‘all-time great’ or does he need help’?? You can’t tell me one or the other, because LeBron got the Cavaliers to the Finals in the East many years when the second-best player was Anderson Varejao. Steph Curry is a SHOW. But it’s ‘highlights’ ,and how much substance is there to it when you’re 6-5 and barely .500? I enjoy it, it’s fun, and it’s fun to see him hit these shots; he’s a show but his impact is the standings is really not.”
Jason Smith on April 15th:
“Steph Curry has been on some kind of tear the past few weeks and he’s had a great season filling it up, but let’s have the REAL Steph Curry conversation. Steph Curry, as terrific as he is, is a ‘System Quarterback.’ He is succeeding in the system that Steve Kerr brought to the Warriors because there is a reason why he went from 23 points a game to 30 points a game when Steve Kerr showed up… If you want to continue with this Steph Curry ‘ALL-TIME GREAT’ stuff, TIMEOUT for a second. Steph Curry, if you want to say what he is, is the best volume three-point shooter I have ever seen. If you want to say he’s the best ‘shooter’ you’ve ever seen that’s okay too. THAT’S Steph Curry, and kind of who Steph Curry has ALWAYS been. He hasn’t gotten to the hoop enough like other players do who are considered the all-time greats… I’ve told you for a long time, HE’S A SYSTEM QUARTERBACK, and this year he has been able to take this to the extreme. Steph Curry is Damian Lillard. Do we talk about Damian Lillard as being an all-time great? They are the only two big-time scorers where over HALF of their shots are three’s. He’s had players around him and he’s had Steve Kerr bring that system in. This doesn’t diminish what he’s been able to accomplish, but the lofty standards that we put up for Steph Curry, you kind of have to step back and go ‘OK, what’s he REALLY doing??’ If he’s an ‘all-time great’, then why aren’t the Warriors better than .500?? Why were they terrible last year until he got hurt? Steph Curry is not a guy who can elevate his team… We’ve seen great players LIFT their teams, but we’ve found out about Steph Curry over the past year and a half, that Steph is a terrific player, but he really needs guys around him if that team is going to succeed. This was supposed to be ‘HIS’ year and you’re just barely at .500 and lucky if you make the play-in games for the playoffs. All-time greats don’t sit here and have their team under .500 when they’re still in their prime… He has a great reputation, he’s a fun superstar, and everybody loves him, but because he has this great reputation we kind of inflate how great he is. A lot of guys can score points, but if you can’t get your team to the playoffs this is the year where you go ‘well, maybe Steph did need ALL that help around him.’"
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