If Curry can take Davidson to the Sweet 16…
by Russ Bengtson
With the eighth pick in the 2009 SLAMonline Mock Draft, the New York Knicks select…
Stephen Curry, from Davidson College. You were expecting someone else? Face it, we telegraphed this pick like a Chris Duhon entry pass. You knew we were picking Stephen Curry. KNEW it. At least since those Ernst & Young guys ignored the frozen envelope. Jerks. We had Isiah scouting him all year, which means he watched a couple of Stephen’s games on ESPN, I think. And Dell Curry hung up on him a couple of times. It’s hard to tell from these expense reports. Did Davidson really play a tournament in Turks & Caicos this year?
Anyway, yeah, it’s Curry. Who’d you expect, Tyreke Evans? Sure, we thought about Evans. Whaddya think I am, stupid? Big point guards don’t just grow on trees. I know that. But the kid’s only 19, and he couldn’t hit a perimeter shot if you paid him. And trust me, we thought about it. Isiah either talked to the people at Synergy Sports Technology or read the kid’s Draft Express page—same difference, I guess—and not only is Tyreke a lousy jumpshooter, but he likes taking them! Yeah, sure, that’s exactly what we need. You can fade away right past us, buddy.
So why Stephen Curry? I’ll tell you why. If I’ve learned anything in my 57 years in this game, it’s that the ball don’t shoot itself. Guys like Stephen Curry do that. Kid’s got icewater in his veins. Pretty much the only rule we’re making is that he can’t go by “Steph.” Had quite enough of that name for one lifetime, thanks.
It’s pretty simple, really: If Stephen got Davidson into the Sweet Sixteen, he should be able to get us into the playoffs. He might still get carded when he tries to go to R-rated movies, but he’s already more of a leader than anyone we got. A couple guys’ll probably try and get him to get their food and stuff, but he’ll get over it.
Where’s he gonna play? Wherever he wants. Can he play center? Kidding! I know, the kid’s all of 6-3—maybe—and weighs 185 pounds soaking wet. We might just put his locker in the weight room and make him live in Eddy Curry’s refrigerator. Scratch that, Eddy might eat him. But we’ll throw him out there at either guard spot and see what he can do. Duhon averaged something like 93 minutes a game last year, and that’s just not g
onna cut it. Curry averaged nearly 29 points a game last year, shooting 52 percent on twos and 39 percent on threes. And he was getting double- and triple-teamed. On the catch! Meanwhile, you know who our best three-point shooter was last year? Danilo Gallinari. Right, the one who looks like a giant Keanu Reeves and had season-ending back surgery. That’s not gonna get it done. And since we have about as much of a chance at trading Eddy this summer as we do of winning the WNBA championship, we just need to surround him with shooters and try some sort of inside-out game. And—what?
Defense? You’re seriously asking about defense? I hired Mike D’Antoni, not Mike Brown. Forget about it.
Anyway, we think we can find plenty of time for the kid. Who’s minutes is he gonna take? Quentin Richardson? Larry Hughes? Nate Robinson? Come on. Stephen should step right into the starting lineup and be firing up threes even before Wally finishes the introductions. Which is all we want him to do. Well, besides run the offense. But it’s not like he’ll have to do that for long. We got our eye on this other guy who should be taking over that role after the summer of ’10. You might have heard of him. But we can talk about that more later, after I make him an offer he can’t refuse.
| 2009 SLAMonline Mock Draft Results | ||
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | L.A. Clippers | Blake Griffin |
| 2 | Memphis Grizzlies | Hasheem Thabeet |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Ricky Rubio |
| 4 | Sacramento Kings | Brandon Jennings |
| 5 | Washington Wizards | Jordan Hill |
| 6 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Demar DeRozan |
| 7 | Golden State Warriors | James Harden |
| 8 | New York Knicks | Stephen Curry |
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