It’s the 2009 NBA Draft and the top 5 talked about prospects are Blake Griffin, James Harden, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet and Tyreke Evans. At the point guard position the top 3 projected point guards were Ricky Rubio, Johnny Flynn and Brandon Jennings with Ty Lawson up there but out of the top 3 discussion due to an injury and a pair of UCLA point guards in Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday were talked about very highly.
What everyone wasn’t talking about that draft day was a skinny, small yet great shooter from Davidson University, who just came off one of the best performances in NCAA tournament history a year earlier in 2008.
Curry averaged 25.3 points per game with 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals and was shooting 46.7% from the field including 41.2% from three point range and 87.6% from the free throw line in his Davidson career.
Insert Stephen Curry, who about 5 years later, may be the best player from that draft.
New York Knicks saw something in Curry and was very high on him and at the time, Curry wasn’t very high on the Warriors.
Golden State Warriors took Stephen Curry with the seventh pick of the ’09 draft. The New York Knicks had the next pick, and picked Arizona big man, Jordan Hill with the eighth pick.
But as a new story by the New York Times’ Harvey Araton details, the Knicks and Curry were both fond of each other before the draft.
For Walsh, the most painful part of the episode is that leading into the draft, Curry wanted no part of the Warriors and, assuming he was not going to be drafted higher, pointed to the Knicks as his preferred landing site. Curry refused to so much as visit or work out for the Warriors.
In a telephone interview, Curry’s father, Dell, who played 16 N.B.A. seasons as a sweet-shooting guard, said: “The Warriors had some questionable characters on their team, the Knicks really needed a point guard, and we felt that Stephen would fit perfectly with a coach like Mike D’Antoni, playing that fast, up-and-down style. He loved the idea of playing at Madison Square Garden.”
A few interesting variables here. Curry didn’t want to go to Golden State? He preferred the Knicks? Look at him now, performing well for the Warriors. They’ve definitely build their team around Curry and prove it by posting the best record in the NBA with Curry being the lead MVP candidate.
You can only think about the “what-if’s” involved with this. Let’s say Curry goes to the Knicks, he’s their point guard and do you include him in the deal for Carmelo Anthony?
No way you’re going to trade Steph Curry and Jared Jeffries to the Rockets for Tracy McGrady, so that’s out. You don’t trade Jared Jeffries and Kostas Papanikolaou to the Trail Blazers for the failed experiment that was Raymond Felton and still do in fact sign Amar’e Stoudemire.
Just imagine the New York Knicks in 2010, when Amar’e was playing like an early season MVP candidate, before the Carmelo Anthony trade happened, and paired up with Steph Curry.
Let’s say you don’t trade for Melo. You keep the core of Curry and Amar’e for a few years, running the pick and roll and unleashing Curry without anyone in the back court holding him back, like Monta Ellis was early in Curry’s career in Golden State. Melo then comes over in free agency, like he always should have done. Saving the Knicks some draft picks and possibly acquiring some more if they get rid of Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari properly.
Then you have a team in 2011-12 with a big three of a developing Steph Curry paired with All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire and this guy overseas in Papanikolaou ready to come over in 2014 and we’ve all seen how well he’s done early this season for the Houston Rockets.
Geez.
Of course, this is all speculation and a bunch of “What-if’s”. Hindsight is always 20-20.
Fast forward a few years with the Warriors after a logo change, teammates come in and out to get the roster they have now and you now have your NBA best 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, who are currently 21-2 and number 1 out in the Western Conference.
Since Steph entered the league in 2009 he’s done nothing short of impress the NBA, Golden State Warriors and all of their fans.
Including having a career night against a team that almost had him, the New York Knicks, on February 27th 2013. Curry scored a career high 54 points.
Although it was a loss, enjoy the third highest scoring output from a visiting player in Madison Square Garden history, only behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
https://youtu.be/O70rVNKIUGE
