Warriors' Stephen Curry finds his stride

HOUSTON — The NBA announced Monday that Warriors guard Stephen Curry was the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January. In addition to the national recognition, Curry got something extra.

"Congratulate him for rookie of the month," Warriors center Ronny Turiaf said, breaking up Curry's interview after Monday's practice at the Toyota Center. "He has to carry my PlayStation 3 for all road trips from now on."

Coach Don Nelson calls Curry the perfect rookie. Not because Curry plays perfectly, but for his coachability and steady growth. January was the result of such development.

Over his first 15 games of 2010, Curry averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Those numbers illustrate his versatility during that stretch and his growth as a player.

Once a passive newbie who struggled enough to make fans a bit concerned, Curry is back in the Rookie of the Year conversation, of which Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans remains the clear front-runner.

"The adjustment that a lot of young players have to go through is the pace of the NBA — not only the basketball games," said Warriors assistant coach Keith Smart, who ran practice while Nelson got treatment on his back in Dallas.

"Then, finally, your body adjusts to the NBA and everything that goes along with that — practices, weight training, back-to-back games, the routine you have day in and day out. I think that finally settled in for him, and he was able to settle down."

The two most notable areas of growth have been in his shooting and his defense, aspects he'll need to display tonight in his matchup with Houston point guard Aaron Brooks.

Remember when Curry, the reputed shooter, couldn't make a 3-pointer if he put a magnet on the rock? He does.

"Preseason," Curry said, "I was terrible shooting 3s."

For January, he shot 48.6 percent from 3-point range and 48 percent overall. He said he got his stroke going by putting in extra work after practice and on days off. He practiced the kind of shots he would get in games and finally got adjusted to the NBA 3-point line.

But perhaps the main reason is that he no longer has to wear the black, curly wig his teammates made him wear earlier in the season.

"That started to itch," said Curry, who now is referred to as "Middle School" by his teammates.

Once upon a time, Curry looked like a middle-schooler on defense. Often undersized and defending a superior athlete, Curry found himself getting picked on by opponents and often in foul trouble.

Now, the coaches applaud his defensive development. Curry's toughness and grasp of the team's defensive concepts have led to significant strides on that end of the court.

Curry said his next step is to learn game management — especially down the stretch. First, though, he has to manage his first-year duties.

Sunday, Curry forgot to distribute the towels to his teammates after the Oklahoma City game. That is a punishable mistake.

"I heard them in the locker room talking about it," Curry explained. "They said I had to get one of those 'Dora the Explorer' things. The backpack."

Perfect rookie, indeed.

Notes: Forward Corey Maggette will be a game-time decision because of a hip pointer. He didn't practice Monday. Neither did forward Vladimir Radmanovic, who has a sore right Achilles. He is expected to be available tonight. ... Smart said Nelson is expected to rejoin the team in time to coach tonight's game.