Combo guard gets hot leading into NBA draft
Stephen Curry is beginning to dominate discussion about the 2009 NBA draft just like he did two years ago in the 2008 NCAA tournament.
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When the Davidson junior guard declared his intent to turn pro in April, he was projected as a high lottery to mid-first round pick. By the time he arrives Tuesday at Verizon Center, there will be little reason to doubt that he is on the radar of the Wizards, who own the fifth pick, and could be taken even earlier. Some mock drafts have Sacramento selecting him fourth overall.
“The only players clearly ahead of Curry at this point are Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin and Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet,” said Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer last week.
Curry similarly captured the imagination of college basketball fans two years ago by averaging 32 points in four tournament games to lead the Wildcats to the 2008 Elite Eight, including 30 points in a second-round upset of Georgetown.
Even though Davidson did not make the tournament last season, Curry’s scoring (28.6 ppg) and assists (5.6) both went up as he shifted from shooting guard to the point. His skills as a shooter and passer have similarly wowed NBA executives and scouts, overshadowing a smaller frame (6-foot-3 with shoes, 181 pounds, as measured at the NBA predraft combine in Chicago) and ensuing questions about the ability to handle larger defenders.
But in what is perceived as a weak draft, Curry’s pedigree could make him the closest to a sure thing. His father, Dell Curry, averaged 11.7 points over a 16-year NBA career. The way current trends are headed, Stephen Curry might be thought to be even better.
“It’s surprising when Stephen Curry hits the rim,” said one league source after the Chicago combine. “That kid did nothing in my mind to get himself below eight.”
The eighth pick is owned by the New York Knicks, one of two teams Curry has worked out for (the other being his hometown Charlotte Bobcats).
Curry told reporters after working out for New York that head coach Mike D’Antoni had told him he didn’t think they can draft him, “because Allan Houston doesn’t want to be the second-best shooter in Knicks history.”
