We are all witnesses to Steph Curry's greatness. We're also aware the Warriors got a gift when the greatest shooter in NBA history fell into their lap at No. 7 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.
In a re-draft today, there's no question Curry would be the first one taken and the Los Angeles Clippers would be a completely different franchise. Blake Griffin, the actual No. 1 pick, was in no means a bust, but he didn't come close to achieving the level of greatness Curry did.
If anyone knows how lucky the Warriors got during the 2009 NBA Draft, it's then-general manager Larry Riley, who was on the Curry train before most. Riley, in fact, had Curry ranked No. 2 on the Warriors' draft board just behind Griffin, The Athletic's Marcus Thompson wrote Thursday.
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You can't fault Riley for having Griffin at the top of the board. Coming out of Oklahoma, Griffin was an athletic marvel whose game was expected to translate immediately to the NBA. Griffin lived up to the hype before injuries eventually took their toll and zapped him of some of his otherworldly athleticism.
While Curry was a knockdown shooter coming out of Davidson, there were concerns about the health of his ankles, his size and ability to finish at the NBA level.
Riley clearly didn't buy any of that. Thompson notes the Warriors were prepared to draft Jordan Hill, believing Curry would be long gone by No. 7.
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Oh, how things would have been different in the Bay.
You know the rest of the story by now. The Minnesota Timberwolves took Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio ahead of Curry with the No. 5 and 6 picks. The Warriors snapped Curry up without hesitation and have watched him become an all-time great.
The Clippers had a solid run with Griffin and Chris Paul, but the Lob City Clippers could never get over their Warriors hump.
As for the T'Wolves, passing on Curry is another in a long line of mishaps for David Kahn.