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Knicks can’t help but think what could’ve been with Stephen Curry

ByDaniel Lubofsky|
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 5: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors signs autographs before the game against the New York Knicks on March 5, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 5: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors signs autographs before the game against the New York Knicks on March 5, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Stephen Curry has become one of the games best players, and the New York Knicks were incredibly close to having him all for themselves in 2009.

Each of the 30 NBA teams, including the New York Knicks, does an incredible amount of preparation leading up to the yearly NBA Draft, traveling near and far to watch a bevy of potential prospects and assessing both workouts and scouting reports in the hopes that they can figure out who to select when the time comes.

Unfortunately, not every pick is a home run or even a rational one at that. We’ve seen plenty of teams select a player, only to see the one they passed up on have a better career.

Rewind back to 2009, and the Knicks were coming off another dismal season, finishing with a record of 32-50, good for 14th in the conference and the number eight overall pick in the draft.

As the Knicks did their due diligence, it was clear to see that then Davidson point guard Stephen Curry would be a perfect fit in the Big Apple. Such a high-octane scorer and shooter in a Mike D’Antoni offense? The fit seemed created by the basketball gods.

The history of that draft night almost a decade ago is well known. Curry went one spot ahead of the Knicks at number seven to the Golden State Warriors, while New York selected big-man Jordan Hill, who lasted all of 24 games with the team before being shipped away mid-season.

It’s easy to assume that Curry would at least somewhat replicate his current play had he gone to New York, but there really isn’t any way to know. After all, his ankles were a big issue early on, and there’s no telling what the roster would’ve looked like. Would he have won consecutive MVP’s? More? Less? And what about titles? How far could a Curry-led Knicks team get? So many questions with no way to know the answers.

New York gets a glimpse of Curry just once a year when he comes to town, and while he’s one of the most exciting players to watch, his presence inside MSG is somewhat of a knife through the heart, reminding Knicks fans of the one that got away.

This wasn’t your classic draft-night blunder — one that many would expect — of a team passing on a guy who went on to do great things. The Knicks wanted Curry, and in fact, that feeling was reciprocated by Steph and his dad, with Dell Curry saying “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.”

Then, now and forever, so do the people of New York.

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