Stephen Curry’s career as an NBA player and with the Golden State Warriors is currently peaking. His team won 67 games this season, he shattered three-point records, and he’s the 2014-15 Most Valuable Player. But it’s becoming more clear that Curry came very close to never even playing for the Warriors, and his true desire was to be a New York Knick.
There was that story back in December that reported Stephen Curry and the Knicks had mutual interest before the 2009 NBA Draft. His father, Dell Curry, who played in the NBA for 16 seasons, apparently wasn’t sold on the Warriors’ personnel and organization, saying that his son wanted to play at Madison Square Garden.
Yahoo Sports’ Marc Spears reports more back-channelling that occurred with Curry’s agent, Jeff Austin, and the front offices of the Warriors and Knicks, with Curry’s camp trying to push him to New York:
Riley also liked that Curry was the son of a successful and respected ex-NBA player. Riley sold then-Warriors coach Don Nelson on Curry as well. Austin and Dell Curry still tried to keep the Warriors away from Stephen Curry. But Austin told then-Knicks president Donnie Walsh that unless they could trade up, he expected Golden State to draft Curry. Austin said Walsh didn’t believe him because the Warriors already had guard Monta Ellis.
“I said, ‘Larry, I like you a lot and respect you a lot, but don’t take Steph. This is not the right place for him,’ ” Austin said. “We wanted him in New York.”
Said Riley: “Dell was the same way. He was almost cold.”
The Knicks had the eighth overall pick, which they used on Jordan Hill, because the Warriors ended up drafting Curry with the seventh pick. Things were shaky for the future MVP in the beginning, mainly in trying to define his position, fill out his body, and the co-existing project with Monta Ellis. From a hypothetical standpoint, I’d say it’s fair to assume that Curry would have blossomed just as nicely wherever he played. He would have lit up Madison Square Garden like he did in his career-high 54-point game, not to mention a potential future pairing with Carmelo Anthony.
If the Warriors do capture a title this season, they will have done so after years of evolution and progression. They’ve already overcome the severe possibility of never having drafted Stephen Curry in 2009.
