OAKLAND — Steve Smith spent the first 11 of his 14 years in the NBA chasing Dell Curry all over the court.

And while most fans remember Curry as a spot-up shooter, it’s how he usually got open that gave Smith and other defenders absolute fits.

“A guy dribbling a basketball is a little bit easier to guard than a guy not dribbling, running around and coming off screens,” said Smith, attending Golden State Warriors media day Monday to tape a segment for NBA TV.

“How can you keep a guy from coming off a screen, without holding him? It’s pretty much a game of cat and mouse. If you go under the screen, he’s going to pop back for a three, and if you trail it he’s going to curl in and get a shot.”

Smith, an All-Star himself in 1998, had to deal with some of the game’s greatest gunners in his day.

“Chasing shooters like Dell Curry, Reggie Miller, Dale Ellis is one of the hardest things in the NBA, especially shooters like Dell Curry, when 80 percent of the time it’s going in,” he said with a chuckle.

Curiously, most Warriors fans are hoping for more out of Dell’s son Stephen, the team’s top draft pick in June.

Sure, he’s got the patented Curry family shot, but what else?

They want him to be taller — he’s, uh, listed at 6-foot-3.

They want him to be heavier — he’s, uh, listed at 185 pounds.

They want him to become a lockdown defender — he says he’s working on it.

But what’s wrong with what got him here?

Nothing — just keep on keepin’ on, Smith said.

“I think the biggest thing for him is not to put too much pressure on himself. He just needs to come out and play his game. I think as a young guy you’re trying to prove to people you can do this or do that when they said you couldn’t, but sometimes you’ve just got to do what you do best.”

Dressed in his Warriors home whites for media day photos, Curry came across as calm and confident — but not cocky — as he patiently answered several different versions of questions about grumpy teammate Stephen Jackson and how he can co-exist with another high-volume scorer of smaller stature, Monta Ellis.

Curry, for one, doesn’t outwardly seem worried about expectations this year and beyond.

“I’ve been working hard all summer preparing for this. I have a lot of confidence coming in, and my work ethic is great. Just learning how to compete on the NBA level both offensively and defensively, I think it’s going to be a challenge against the best players in the world, but I’m up for the challenge.”

Dell Curry, who scored 11.7 points a night in 16 pro seasons — bagging 1,245 three-pointers along the way — is now a broadcaster with the Charlotte Bobcats.

By and large, the younger Curry said, his dad is letting him make his own bones in the NBA.

“He’s letting me experience it for myself. He’s just telling me to go in and work hard and be yourself and let things just happen. He’s not going to put any extra pressure on me or anything like that or overwhelm me with advice. He’s just going to let me do what I do.”

Curry seems like he conducts himself with maturity and with a purpose, the kind of spokesman an organization likes to lead with.

What he might really be doing this season is going on early-morning doughnut runs for Warriors coach Don Nelson.

After all, they live in the same complex near Lake Merritt.

“I can’t wait until after my first game, and he’s watching film upstairs just yelling. Hopefully he’s yelling in excitement and encouragement,” the rookie joked.

As for playing with the, uh, 6-foot-3, 180-pound Ellis, putting the ball in the basket shouldn’t be a problem.

Ellis scored 19.0 points per game for Golden State last year, while Curry bombed away for 28.6 a night with Davidson College.

Curry said he is comfortable playing the point, meaning Ellis could line up at his natural off-guard spot.

“My first love is to have the ball in my hands, make decisions. I think I did a pretty good job in college last year leading my team, playing that position. It’s a different level, but we both have the mentality to come in here, work hard, learn from our mistakes and continue to get better.”

The potential problem is on the other end of the court against taller, stronger foes such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Brandon Roy, Tracy McGrady (if healthy), Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, etc.

“It’s going to be a struggle to guard bigger backcourt guys. We’ll have to make them do something different when we’re on the court together. It’s going to be a team challenge defensively all year,” he said.

Interestingly, Curry may not even be the last member of his family to make it to the pros.

His younger brother Seth led all Div. I freshmen in scoring (20.2 ppg) at Liberty last year and has transferred to Duke, where he’ll suit up in the 2010-11 season.

For now, though, it’s an easy call as to who is the better Curry.

“Me or Seth? I think I’ll take that crown,” said Stephen. “We played three games of one-on-one this summer, and I won all of them.”

The boys even lock up with Dad for a friendly shoot-off now and then.

“We play horse now and it’s pretty fun. We can all shoot the ball, so it’s pretty even.”

Unlike some of his new Warrior teammates, Curry is not covered in tattoos.

Except for one that we know of — a small inscription on his left wrist that reads “TCC 30.”

The 30 is for his jersey number, and TCC is for Trust, Commitment, Care, a motto of Wildcats coach Bob McKillop.

Curry and about five of his Wildcats teammates got them together as a sign of the good times they had at Davidson.

Warriors fans are hoping he has more of the same in Oakland.

Sports Editor Randy Johnson can be reached at rjohnson@napanews.com or 256-2222.