Over the past week and a half or so, it seems Steph Curry has emerged as the fastest rising player in this draft. First, Blake Griffin called Curry the second best player in the draft. Then he scorched the nets and blew Knicks’ brass away during his head-to-head workout with Jrue Holiday. And now it seems like every team between 2 and 7 is a threat to pull the trigger on him and potentially spoil the draft night of at least half our fan base (unless, of course, the Knicks got an even better player).
Now, I’m not saying that I don’t believe the hype. We certainly love Steph Curry around here and it sure seems like he’s blowing up right now. But Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld, for one, is not buying it. Check out this Q and A from his chat this afternoon:
Art in New York:
Hey Steve, There’s alot of rumors swirling around about Curry going earlier than 8th, do you think its true or its just the hype from the New York media because he is what the knicks want???Steve Kyler:
I think everything around Curry is New York hype… I have been told he’s the third name on their board, so I would say most people will be surprised where he ends up I doubt he goes #6 to Minnesota… #7 to Golden State would piss off Monta Ellis… Washington does not take him at #5… Sacramento is not looking at him at #4… OKC gets Rubio at #3, so Curry #2 to Memphis?No chance.
(The two names Kyler’s hearing are ahead of Curry on the Knicks’ board are Jordan Hill and Jrue Holiday.)
One thing I should mention about the guys at Hoopsworld that I’m sure you can detect in that response: They all have this air of self-assuredness that seems to imply that they own a monopoly on the good intel and that we can ignore everything else we’ve read/heard and take what they say to the bank. And Steve Kyler is no exception in that respect.
While I’m not quite as confident in Steve Kyler’s information as Steve Kyler appears to be, the logic behind what he’s saying is valid. The fact is, although Curry seems to be in the mix everywhere, he doesn’t seem to be the first choice of any top 7 team. Maybe those teams are still playing coy and trying to disguise their interest. That’d be good business. But it could also be that the New York media is indeed fueling the explosion of hype around Curry. In fact, Kyler’s going so far as to say that Curry isn’t even the Knicks’ top choice at 8.
So, while I’m not convinced that Curry will be there at 8 when the Knicks select (no matter how confidently Steve Kyler proclaims it), I remain equally unconvinced that the team has to trade up if he’s the target.
Where does that leave us? I have no idea.
I certainly am turned off by Kyler’s way. He comes off arrogant. I didn’t hear him mention Hill as a top pick for the Knicks until Berman and then Chad Ford reported it. Now Kyler is acting like he KNOWS it’s true.
“Washington does not take him at #5″? Okay…why?
“Sacramento is not looking at him at #4″? Uh, actually they are.
I agree that Curry still has a decent shot to fall. The way Kyler treats his information just reminds me of a line from my favorite movie…”You’re not wrong Walter, you’re just an a**hole!”
I haven’t seen many of these prospects play a lot, but I don’t understand the Knicks strong interest in Jrue Holiday.
Statistically, he doesn’t look like much.
From what I gather he didn’t test exceptionally well as an athlete either.
So why is he considered such a good prospect?
If I was a GM I’d put a premium on statistical accomplishment, athletic ability, IQ/work ethic/attititude, and age. The first part would tell me where a player is now and the rest would allow me to at least guess how much further he might be able to go.
Based on what I know of Holiday, he’s nowhere now but has the potential to be OK. That would probably make him my 10th pick + or – a little. I actually rate Ty Lawson over him (granted I may be the only one). LOL
If the Knicks draft Holiday, I think I’m going to be disappointed. I would rather trade down, get Lawson and another pick and then gamble with the other pick and hope to get lucky.
I think Lawson is practically a mortal lock to be a good starting PG in the NBA. He may never be an All Star, but IMO he will be good enough to be part of a championship team. I’m not sure I can say that about many of the PGs ahead of him. Some may turn out to be better (like Rubio), but it’s not clear which ones so we may get a bust.
To me it’s Curry/Rubio or trade down and get Lawson.
I can’t even see the use of getting Hill when he’s probably not going to be an upgrade over Lee and may wind up no better than Wilcox. Unless you know you are trading Lee because he’s going to be too expensive, there’s no point to it.
@Stallion: I agree with you about Holiday (though I think I still prefer him to Lawson) but I think you may be underestimating Jordan Hill.
He’s a relatively inexperienced player having really only taken up basketball in high school but, by all accounts, he loves the game and is a hard worker. He’s also a great athlete with a gritty interior game and he put up some serious numbers in a tough conference. I don’t ascribe Arizona’s poor performance this past season to Hill. They don’t get reliable guard play and that’s everything at the college level.
He’s much tougher on the interior than Lee, especially defensively, and shows better touch on his jumper. He could turn out to be an enforcer down low in the mold of the Davis boys, Brian Grant and PJ Brown. Those types of guys are extremely valuable to winning teams.
Moreover, if you draft Hill you get his production on a rookie deal and it frees Lee up to use in a trade to cut salary and address other needs.
Hill isn’t necessarily my first choice because I’d also love to see the Knicks use this draft to anoint a PG, but I don’t think he’d be a bad choice either.
IMHO, these are the 3 top prospects for the Knicks:
1. Rubio
2. Curry
3. Flynn
Anything less than any of those 3 and I would recommend trading down from #8 and getting an extra pick, preferably in 2010…
[...] think there’s valid reasons to believe Curry will be on the board at 8 but, nonetheless, it’s a pretty substantial retreat by Kyler from yesterday’s blanket statement that “Washington does not take him at [...]