Stephen Blurry? TNT Claims Knicks 'Passed' on Curry at 2009 Draft
There was enough factually wrong with the New York Knicks on Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors. An on-air error from TNT's Brian Anderson unintentionally made it worse by opening up hypothetical wounds from the past.
Thursday offered another sterling performance from Stephen Curry at Madison Square Garden, as the NBA's three-point king put in 31 points and secured a season-best 11 rebounds in a 110-99 victory over the Knicks. With another Garden party wrapping up, TNT's play-by-play man took viewers back on an MSG-themed timeline for Curry, who has rivaled Billy Joel in terms of memorable Manhattan shows.
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Curry's NBA career, in fact, began at MSG, as The World's Most Famous Arena hosted the 2009 draft that saw him chosen by Golden State as the seventh overall pick. As Anderson reminded viewers of his dramatic debut, he erroneously claimed that the Knicks had a chance to take Curry in that draft.
“Stephen Curry has had some memories here,” Anderson said as images of the 2009 draft flashed on-screen. "Remember the draft in ’09, shaking hands with (commissioner) David Stern, Knicks passed him up."
The Knicks, in fact, did not pass up Curry as they never had an opportunity to do so: New York chose eighth in that draft and wound up settling for Jordan Hill, who lasted only 25 games in Manhattan before he was traded to Houston in 2010.
New York's relationship with Curry is a complicated one: while it was more than likely an honest mistake from Anderson with no ill intent, claiming that the Knicks passed on Curry in 2009 has been used as a false punchline by those seeking a laugh at the franchise's expense. Curry himself has admitted that he believed he was destined to be a Knick when he arrived in Manhattan that night and that he "didn't really have Golden State on the radar at all."
Some of Curry's finest moments have since occurred on Manhattan hardwood: a 54-point outing against the Knicks in 2013 is often viewed as the turning point of his NBA career and he'd set the NBA record for most successful three-pointers at MSG eight years later.
While the Knicks are exonerated for allegedly passing on Curry, the 2009 draft remains a night of missed opportunities: future All-Star DeMar DeRozan was chosen immediately after Hill while other first-round misses included Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, and Jeff Teague.
