Exclusive: Scouts talk of slowing Warriors star

You can’t escape Warriors guard Steph Curry these days. Don’t bother trying. Much of that is due to his on court brilliance, to be sure. Some of it, though, is due to the tidal wave of adoration that began during his MVP run to a world title last year and has only grown taller and more intense.

While the media certainly perpetuates the notion of Curry as more mythological figure than great basketball player, even his opponents seem to have conceded his unstoppable greatness, often tweeting their amazement during and after one of his elite performances.

It's all good to recognize what Steph is accomplishing. But has the love turned into deification? Maybe.

So I set out to talk with some folks who are charged with stopping Curry and not just marveling at him. I spoke to two long-tenured NBA scouts and a college head coach familiar with Curry's offensive game.

They offered reactions to a number of ideas for how to better defend him.

Make no mistake -- even these grizzled NBA lifers appreciate Curry's greatness. But as you'll read, they are not yet ready to hand him the 2016 NBA title. Not yet, at least.

Shouldn't teams get more physical with him?

Scout #1:I agree with this. He's a tough kid, but you gotta knock him down. There should be no uncontested shots in the paint or at the rim. Clean, hard fouls. You have to be physical with him. Teams are trying, but not enough.

Scout #2:I would implement something like the Jordan Rules, especially in the playoffs. Clean but very physical play would be more viable with him in the playoffs. I just haven’t seen anyone get very physical with him yet. He has a choir boy image, seems like a good guy, all this and that, but it's almost like he's untouchable, even to his opponents.

Coach:In this day and age, with the rules as they are, I'm not sure there is an answer. Ten or 15 years ago, the answer was simple ... beat his ass up. Hard fouls and physical play. This would affect his physical well-being as well as his confidence. The Bad Boys (Pistons) would have wiped that smile off his face in about a half. In today's NBA, not a chance.

What about a double team as soon as he crosses half court?

Scout #1:I wouldn't double him immediately after he crosses half court. They have too many good players. They may have the second-best shooter in the league with (Klay) Thompson. Doubling him that soon would open the floor up way too much, and Steph is unselfish, so he would find people for easy baskets.'

Scout #2:Do not trap him immediately after half court. It opens up the floor too much. I would not do this.

How about a hard double team off the screen-and-roll?

Scout #1:I would blitz him hard off pick and rolls to get the ball out of his hands and set your defense. The problem is, he's very good at splitting double teams, he's obviously a tremendous ball-handler. But you blitz him hard, you do what you have to do until someone else really burns you, like Thompson.

Scout #2:I would try to trap him more in pick-and-roll situations. Make him give the ball up as much as you can. He's too lethal, you're better off trying to force other guys to make plays. The risk with that, of course, is that the other guys like Klay and (Harrison) Barnes can make plays. Still, I don’t think a lot of teams have truly trapped him hard and then rotated off of it.

Coach: He is playing at a level that has never been reached right now. He is great in every facet, especially elite in the pick-and-roll.

Maybe teams should force him to work harder on defense?

Scout #1:Making him work on defense is always an answer or seems like one, at least. But Curry isn't as little as you think. He's not physically overmatched against most point guards in the league. His baby face is deceiving, I think. He's also in tremendous physical shape.

Scout #2:He is a sneaky defender who plays passing lanes well. He's a better athlete than people give him credit for. When he came out of college, people thought he wasn't big enough, not that fast. Well he's a good athlete and a smart defender. Still, you would think more teams would attack him harder on defense and make him work. You have to try.

Maybe teams should consistently run him into screens?

Scout #1:I don't think this is a consistent answer or solution. You can set hard screens on him, both on the ball and off. In theory, it works, but it's not as easy as it sounds because now you are shaping your offense to make him work on defense.

Scout #2:I would definitely run him through hard screens on defense. Sometimes they cross match their guards, though, and put Thompson on the better offensive guard so Curry can kind of take a break.

OK, let’s concede there’s a complimentary bottom line.

Scout #1:It seems like he's actually improved, which is amazing.

Scout #2:What makes Curry a great shooter is his supreme confidence. He has great form, too -- like Ray Allen. Great form, soft touch. He's also got a super left hand. To have the confidence to play with both hands, so easily, like he does, is what creates a lot of the space he gets. His left hand is really what sets him apart, like it did for Steve Nash, where he can make plays and get to places with both hands.

Can Steph Curry keep up his torrid pace?

Scout #2:He won’t shoot 60 percent or average 38 points per game, no. Even he will slump at some point, have a 4-18 game. He's had those before, and he will have them again. But he's the face of the league, and it's good for business.

Coach:Right now there is no fear whatsoever. He is playing free and loose with a smile on his face. A swagger. He is great in every facet right now. Elite off screens. Elite going one-on-one. Elite in transition. Elite at the rim. And his confidence is in another stratosphere. NBA coaches are the smartest in the world, they're already throwing every scheme under the sun at him. The one thing they can't do and will not do is the one thing that has neutralized a superstar at the height of his career for a long time -- a hard foul or two that when he thinks about it will make him wake up at night in a cold sweat.

Jeff Kasler covers the Pacers and NBA for Amico Hoops. Twitter: @JKaslerHoops.