Steph Curry wanted to be drafted by the Knicks
New York Knicks fans are walking wounded right now, and the New York Times' Harvey Araton has a pinch of salt to rub in.
In an article published Saturday night, Araton offers a lengthy look at what might've been had the Knicks drafted Stephen Curry back in 2009 - something it turns out they were very, very close to doing. The Golden State Warriors, picking a spot ahead of the Knicks in the draft, nabbed Curry, even though he reportedly had no interest in playing there.
From Araton:
... 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."
Larry Riley, the Warriors GM at the time (and now their director of scouting) refused to be deterred.
"Riley calls me and says, 'Can I watch a workout?'" Curry's agent, Jeff Austin, recalls. "I said, 'No, you can’t.' He says, 'Can I talk to him?' I said, 'No, you can’t.' I tell him that Stephen wants to be in New York. Stay away from him.
"Larry, to his credit, kept saying, 'I’m still taking him.' There was nothing I could do to dissuade him."
The Warriors drafted Curry seventh overall. With the eighth pick, the Knicks took Jordan Hill. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Knicks and Warriors today find themselves at opposite ends of the NBA spectrum. Curry is a bonafide superstar, an early MVP favorite, and arguably the best pure shooter the game's ever seen. His Warriors are 20-2, good for the best record in the league and the best start in franchise history. The Knicks (who, by way, traded Hill 24 games into his rookie season) are 5-20, the second-worst record in the Association and the worst start in franchise history.
Many other things had to go right for the Warriors, and others wrong for the Knicks, in order for the two franchises to end up where they are now. But for the Knicks and their fans, it's hard not to dream on how much sunnier things could've been if only that defining draft had shaken out differently.
"Every time I see him play, I think of it," said Donnie Walsh, the Knicks GM in 2009. "He was the guy I was really looking for, and his agent kept telling me he wanted to be in New York. So it just broke my heart when we didn’t get him because I knew we had missed out on something special."