The New York Knicks haven’t been relevant in some time, but that might be different had they picked who they wanted in the 2009 Draft.
That year, the Knicks had the 8th pick, which they used to sign Jordan Hill. But according to their former coach Mike D’Antoni, they actually wanted to Draft Steph Curry instead, who was picked just a spot above them to the Golden State Warriors.
“We were picking 8 in New York and man we wanted him so bad, I could taste it. I didn’t know he was gonna be the Steph he is, obviously. But, for New York, he would have been on fire. He went 7 and that was one of the highlights of my disappointment — it’s like, that’s huge.”
The Knicks must have been feeling really hopeful as their turn drew nearer. Ultimately, though, Golden State beat them to it.
Apparently, the Knicks did have an opportunity to move up in the Draft but were so confident they could get him that they didn’t even bother.
“We could have, I think, moved up to 5 to get him but we had to give up a player. I think the reasoning at the end of the day, with management, was that we were gonna get him at 8 anyway so why give up that player.”
Curry would have been a game-changer for the Knicks. As the best shooter in basketball history, and a natural-born winner, he would have thrived in NYC and made the Knickerbockers a team to fear in the East.
Curry himself, in fact, admitted he wanted to get drafted by the Orage and Blue.
Admittedly, the thought of Curry lighting up Madison Square Garden on a daily basis sounds like a whole lot of fun.
Sadly, we’ll never get the chance to see it and the Knicks will just have to keep waiting for their next big-time star.
