J-Speaks: What If Stephen Curry Was Drafted By the Minnesota Timberwolves

In the 2009 NBA Draft, then University of Davidson Wildcats’ floor general Stephen Curry, the son of former NBA sharp shooter Dell Curry was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 7 overall pick. While the Charlotte Christian School standout had a rough beginning to his NBA career, he has rebounded quite nicely winning back-to-back league MVPs; is a perennial All-Star and has help lead the Warriors to three NBA titles in the last four seasons. What if I told you though the boys from the “Twin Cities” had no one but two cracks at drafting the NBA’s most lethal shooter in recent memory? 

Close to a decade ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves had two chances to the guy that has become one of not only one of the greatest shooters in the game today, but one of the very best in NBA history. 

Instead with the No. 5 and No. 6 overall selections, they chose Ricky Rubio out of Spain with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft. That was followed by the selection of the point guard of the Orangemen of Syracuse Johnny Flynn. 

That draft put into motion a domino effect which is still being felt both the T’Wolves and the Warriors. 

After getting over some ankle injuries early on in his career, Curry has help guide the Warriors with help from fellow All-Stars Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Finals MVP the last two NBA Finals in 2014 league MVP Kevin Durant have won two straight Larry O’Brien trophies and three of the last four overall. 

As for the Timberwolves, while they made the 2018 Playoffs this past spring for the first time since 2004, when now NBA on TNT studio analyst and future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, host of “Area 21” won his only league MVP trophy are still in search of their first postseason series win since making it to the Western Conference Finals 14 years ago, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. 

Back on Jan 25 in a national televised game against ironically enough versus the T’Wolves on TNT, Curry scored the 14,000^th point of his career. 

It was another reminder for then new T’Wolves general manager David Kahn of what might had been and change the fortunes of a franchise that had not made the playoffs at that point in five straight seasons. 

As mentioned the T’Wolves at No. 5 selected Rubio, which as NBA on TNT sideline reporter and insider for TNT/NBATV David Aldridge said was going to happen. 

“The selection of Ricky Rubio was a no brainer,” fellow TNT/NBATV studio and color analyst Brent Barry said. “The talent that you saw on display as this young kid was playing in Spain. Playing professionally and getting beat around that he was going to have the potential in the NBA to be a great leader and a great point guard.”

The opportunity was there to take Curry with the next pick, with the notion that he could become the T’Wolves shooting guard playing alongside Rubio. Instead the chose at that No. 6 spot chose Flynn, which was a shock to even Rubio. 

“Well, at that time I was surprised they drafted another point guard,” the now Utah Jazz guard said. “But I think David Kahn who was the GM wanted to play with two point guards at the same time and that’s what I was told.” 

It would have been one thing for the T’Wolves to take Curry, because with his shooting ability he would have been a solid compliment to Rubio as the projected starting lead guard. So, it was a complete and utter shock when Flynn’s name was called. 

One pick later, the Warriors chose the guy that has been their floor general the past few seasons and has led them to the kind of success they have not had since the 1970s, when they were the San Francisco Warriors. 

According to NBATV analyst Stu Jackson, who was the league’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations from 2007-2013, there were questions about Curry’s physical size; his ability to make the transition to becoming a true point guard in the NBA. He had the propensity to turn the basketball over. 

As Hall of Famer and TNT color analyst and NBATV studio analyst Kevin McHale said though, you never questioned Curry’s ability to make jump shots. 

He also said, “the other thing I don’t think anybody knew about or didn’t know enough about was how dedicated he was to improving his game.” 

When the Warriors drafted Curry in 2009, their GM at that time Larry Riley had a conversation with Jackson the night before the draft. Jackson said that he was the only person of all the 30 general managers in “The Association” that was sure Curry was lead guard that was going to have longevity in the NBA and be a very good player. 

“Larry Riley is the guy that got Steph Curry to Golden State,” Aldridge said. “He was the guy that believed in Steph Curry and wanted to take him and resisted the urge to make the deal that everybody else wanted to make, which was to send that pick to Phoenix [Suns] for Amar’e Stoudemire for a quick fix.” 

That leap faith though required a lot of patience by the Warriors’ front office as Curry was shelved for 66 games over his first three seasons with as previously mentioned ankle injuries. During that time, the now back-to-back champions were 60 games under .500. 

Those ankle injuries were a major issue for him in his third seasons, where he was out for 40 games in the shortened 2011-12 NBA campaign that went just 66 games because of the second lockout. 

That led as Barry, the father of former Warrior and Hall of Famer Rick Barry a lot question marks amongst those in “Dub Nation” about the potential of Curry. 

“He really struggled during his early years both in his play and with his injuries to his foot,” Jackson said. He added, “after getting that corrected he came back. Was able to play injury free and then his work ethic, his skill began to take over onto greatness.” 

Curry’s fourth season was the start of his ascension to greatness as he broke the NBA record for three-pointers made in a season with 272 and led the Warriors to their first playoff berth since 2007. 

As for Flynn, who was taken one spot ahead of Curry, his career was already done thanks to injuries and poor play. 

“I was able to coach Johnny in Houston for a while and Johnny was hurt at that time,” McHale, the Rockets head coach from 2011-15 said. “He had a real severe hip injury. He never came back from that and I don’t think anybody understood at the time how badly he was hurt, and how much it really affected his game. How much it affected his quickness, his explosiveness.” 

“All the things that made Johnny Flynn a good player really kind of ended with that hip injury.” 

Two years after making it back to the playoffs, the Warriors and Curry overtook now Los Angeles Lakers four-time league MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their first NBA title since 1975 and have added two more, giving them six in total in franchise history. 

Their rise to being not just one of the best teams currently, but perhaps one of the best in NBA history can all be traced back to the 2009 draft when they took Curry at No. 7. 

What if however, the Timberwolves had drafted Curry at either No. 5 or No. 6 overall instead of the Warriors? 

“If the Minnesota Timberwolves had not passed on Steph, then you’d be looking at a completely different team,” Green, Curry’s teammate of six seasons with the Warriors said. 

“There’s probably no Kevin Durant. There’s probably no Andre Iguodala, who came here because he saw a young core almost like, ‘Man, I like those guys. It would be fun to play with them.” 

When Curry was asked about how his career might had been if he were drafted by the T’Wolves, he said to Aldridge, “I always have supreme confidence in myself that with the opportunity that I would’ve had regardless if it was in Minnesota or here that I could’ve done something with it.” 

He added with a smile, “Obviously it would have been a little bit colder. My wardrobe would have changed a little bit.

One other player the Warriors may not have had Curry not been drafted is Thompson, the other half of “The Splash Brothers” combination, who was chosen at No. 11 overall two years later. 

Instead, Curry might have formed a possible dynamic trio with Rubio and now Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who along with 2017 league MVP Russell Westbrook played against Davidson once when they were members of the UCLA Bruins. 

“He means so much to this league and so much to that team that I wish he would have been on the Timberwolves, but I had a guy in Ricky Rubio that found me. Gave me the ball. He’s playing at an extremely high level this year. So, it’s tough to say.”

Curry also said back in February that playing with Rubio would have been interesting because he has played with the ball in his hands and off the ball as two-guard and his wizardry with his ability to see the floor. 

Rubio echoed those same feelings saying that if he played with Curry that he could have gotten him more open shots, especially with his ability to create space with his shooting. 

“We’re talking about two All-Stars. Kevin Love and Steph Curry are two All-Stars. Had a great career in the NBA. Probably the three of us would still be in Minnesota.”

The possibility of what might have been had Stephen Curry been drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves nine Junes ago brings to mind many possibilities. 

However, life is about what is and it was the Golden State Warriors in 2009 that drafted Curry. Not the T’Wolves. 

In that time, he has been a five-time All-Star selection and counting. Won two consecutive MVPs in 2015 and 2016. Become a four-time All-NBA selection. Become one of the most lethal three-point shooters in NBA history alongside his fellow All-Star backcourt mate Klay Thompson and help guide the Warriors as mentioned earlier to three Larry O’Brien trophies in the last four seasons, which includes the last two in succession and he and his squad show no signs that they are done winning more titles. 

For the T’Wolves, they are still looking to capture that first title and while they have budding stars of their own in former Rookies of the Year in All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, there will always be the question of what might have been had Curry, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love and played together.  

“It could possibly look a lot like the Golden State Warriors look now,” Green said of that trio. “We all make mistakes in life. We all have some regrets in life. Most people do. That’s probably one regret and mistake that they’ve made. It could possibly look very similar to what this look like.” 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 6/15/18 NBATV original, hosted by Chris Miles, “What If? Draft Stories;” “2006-07 Official NBA Guide,” by Sporting News; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Curry; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_State_Warriors; https://en.m.wikipedia/org/wiki/Klay_Thompson; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NBA_draft#Draft.