Steph Curry took the NBA world by storm from 2014-16, winning back-to-back NBA MVP awards, including becoming the first-ever unanimous MVP in NBA history.
Then, Kevin Durant joined the Warriors and the Curry became the underappreciated superstar that everyone wanted to take shots at.
As part of an all-time collection of talent, Curry was willing to share the limelight with Durant, doing what he needed for the Warriors to be successful. Sharing the court with Durant caused Curry to become an afterthought in the conversation around the game's best, and he never was a realistic possibility for the MVP award over the last three seasons.
But the times they have changed. Durant left the Bay for Brooklyn this summer, meaning the Warriors once again are Curry's team. To Steve Kerr, that means Curry will be right back in the MVP race this season.
"Well, I think he will be in the MVP conversation now that Kevin is gone," Kerr told 95.7 The Game's "Damon, Ratto & Kolsky" after Warriors Media Day. "I think those two guys cancelled each other out over the last three years - neither one of them was given much of a chance.
"And I don't think either one of them really cared that much, to be honest with you. They complemented one another."
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The Warriors will face a new world without Durant, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Klay Thompson, who will be out until at least the All-Star break as he recovers from a torn ACL.
The roster is retooled and the Western Conference has more teeth than last year, but the goal hasn't changed. It's title or bust for Curry, Kerr and the Dubs.
If the now "underdog" Warriors are to threaten for a sixth-straight Western Conference title, a heavy load will fall on Curry's MVP shoulders. If he is able to bear that burden, he just might add another piece of hardware to his trophy case.
