Iguodala not talking about what-ifs
OAKLAND >> Andre Iguodala’s present is about to come face-to-face with his ‘what if’ when the Warriors play the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference finals.
The Rockets pursued Iguodala last summer when he was a free agent. When asked Friday how close he actually came to signing with them, he played coy.
“I don’t remember none of that from last summer,” Iguodala said. “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s all business and every story turns into business. I don’t know, man. I don’t remember, man.”
After the Rockets signed Chris Paul in June, they had a meeting with Iguodala. Paul tried to convince him to leave the Warriors, and Iguodala reportedly canceled meetings with a few other teams after that pitch.
Iguodala eventually chose to remain with the Warriors, signing a threeyear, $48 million deal. The whole ordeal is something Iguodala clearly prefers not to discuss.
“I can’t get too deep now because then it will be a story everyone makes money off of at my expense,” Iguodala said. “So I’m just really excited to play basketball in America, be free and all that politically correct stuff.”
Iguodala has been key for the Warriors this postseason, averaging 7.7 points on 45 percent shooting from the field, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
“He brings an edge and a versatility and a high IQ and a presence on both ends of the floor,” Stephen Curry said. “He’s shown how valuable he is in big games, in games that matter, and in the course of a long series.”
Curry acknowledged that he was a bit concerned last summer about what would happen with Iguodala, though he had faith he’d return.
“You worry every free agency situation just because this league is so unpredictable,” Curry said. “And you never ever fault guys for making a decision that they feel is right for them whenever it comes down to that.”
Draymond Green, however, never doubted that Iguodala would remain a Warrior, especially considering the Rockets reportedly offered him a four-year, $32 million deal.
“I didn’t think that Andre was going to Houston,” Green said. “Did you look at their cap situation when everybody was taking about that? I think the most they could give him was like eight or nine million dollars. I didn’t think he was going to Houston. I don’t know who really did.”
Iguodala, a two-time champion with the Warriors, was the team’s Finals MVP in 2015, an All-Star in 2012, a member of the All-Defensive first team in 2014 and a part of the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 2012 Olympics.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently pointed out that much of what Iguodala does doesn’t even show up in the stat sheets. Kerr called him one of the most fundamentally sound players he’s ever seen, likening him to Scottie Pippen.
“He guards one of the most dangerous people on the floor night after night,” Kerr said after Game 4 of the Warriors’ Western Conference semifinals series against New Orleans. “He settles us down. A lot of the spectacular plays that you see us making during the season, it comes when Andre is flying down the floor and and he just makes a John Wooden jump-stop, waits until everything happens and then swings the ball.”
• Curry credited Rockets point guard Paul for inspiring him early in his career.
Curry and Paul worked out together in the summer of 2009, after Curry was selected by the Warriors as the seventh overall pick in the NBA draft out of Davidson.
“He’s a great mentor when it came to understanding how a guy on his level prepared over the summer for an NBA season,” Curry said Friday. “How disciplined he was, his work ethic, I got to see that first hand after summer league through the beginning of the season.”
The superstar point guards will now go head-tohead in the Western Conference finals.
Paul, a nine-time AllStar, will be making his first appearance in the conference finals. Curry, a twotime MVP, has led the Warriors to three straight NBA Finals, winning championships in 2015 and 2017.
Curry said that Paul gave him an important blueprint for success heading into his rookie season.
“He demonstrated firsthand what it takes to be great in this league,” Curry said. “It was a nice little eye opener that summer, to work out against him, compete against him. Take that confidence I have into my rookie year and get off on a good foot.”