Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s Steph Quote Feels Out of Touch with Warriors Fans

Dunleavy had his second strange quote of the offseason on Tuesday

Stephen Curry | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was interviewed by ESPN's Dave McMenamin during the team's summer league game on Tuesday, and two of his quotes got some attention.

The one that got the most attention was, "We’re getting close to finalizing the roster." Some interpreted this as Dunleavy's way of saying LeBron James will sign with the Warriors soon, but I didn't take it that way.

The other quote that got some attention was Dunleavy's response to McMenamin's question about the responsibility of building a strong roster around Stephen Curry for the last few years of his incredible career.

"Credit to Steph, he’s extended this thing out pretty far, so we get to keep building the team around him. It’s a fun thing to do. ... For the most part it’s easy as long as he keeps playing well."

It's easy?

If it were so easy, then why have the Warriors finished 10th, seventh and 10th in the Western Conference standings since Dunleavy took over as GM?

Guessing What Dunleavy Meant

I'm guessing Dunleavy meant that Curry is one of the easiest players to build around because he's a great player on and off the ball.

Normally, when you have a superstar and you want to find a second star to play with him, you have to consider how ball-dominant both players are and whether they will fit well together.

Curry would fit well with anyone, with the one caveat being the second star would ideally have enough size to be a versatile defender so that Curry isn't stuck having to defend bigger players.

This Is Dunleavy's Second Strange Quote of the Offseason

During his April exit interview, Dunleavy commented on the strength of the roster.

“This just isn’t about the roster, frankly,” Dunleavy said. “I don't think we came up short because of the talent on the roster. It was injuries and things we could control.”

Dunleavy continued: “Do we need to get better roster-wise? I think so. But we didn't get to a point where we played a team where their roster is better than ours. So, for that reason we're more focused on stuff that we can control.”

I took this as a subtle dig of Steve Kerr. If the roster wasn't an issue at any point last season, why were the Warriors hovering around the eighth seed when they were healthy?

In the lead-up to the draft, Dunleavy was asked about the roster again, and this time he had a quote that made more sense.

"Frankly, we need everything."

This feels like it's in direct contrast with what he said during his exit interview.

Outside of Landing LeBron, Warriors Seemingly Don't Have Plan to Properly Support Steph

If the Warriors land LeBron James, they will have given Curry the support he needs for title contention.

If they don't land him, they appear to have no plan.

Sure, they will sell to fans their "optionality," as they often say, in part because they own all of their future first-round picks. They will see how the first half of the season goes, and if they are in playoff position, they will say that they will explore what trades are out there around the trade deadline.

But even in the unlikely scenario that the Warriors are in playoff position with this roster, they will ultimately choose to do nothing, using Jimmy Butler's impending return as their "trade deadline move."

The problem with that is they were already a piece away from true title contention when Butler was healthy.

Dunleavy saying "it's easy" to build around Curry when the Warriors have been average the last four years is out of touch with Dubs fans.

Until they build a roster that Curry can win big with again, Warriors decision-makers shouldn't be saying anything about their roles is easy.