Editor’s note: Monte Poole, Logan Murdock, Drew Shiller and Grant Liffmann participated in NBC Sports Bay Area's inaugural Warriors Ultimate Draft. All four chose squads from a 25-man pool of legends from the last 30 years, plus five "classic" players from before 1990. Our team of experts will analyze the merits of each team until a winner is crowned.
Dell Curry was hoping his son would be drafted before the Warriors were on the clock. He would rather see his son be selected one spot later, No. 8 to the New York Knicks, than No. 7 to Golden State.
The Warriors, to the pleas of coach Don Nelson, ignored the objections of the father and drafted Dell's oldest son anyway.
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And look at that decision now, 11 years after Steph Curry became a Warrior. Nelson crows about his foresight. Dell is delighted and Steph, the third point guard taken in the 2009 draft, is the biggest winner and most breathtaking player in franchise history.
Furthermore, Curry and his wife, Ayesha, were quick to get comfortable in the Bay Area and now indicate it is home to their family of five.
Though one can argue the merits of Kevin Durant and Curry as Warriors superstars and first-ballot Hall of Famers. Curry, however, is the nameplate, logo and hood ornament of the franchise. Durant himself used four words to describe the team’s offense under Steve Kerr: “Steph is the offense.”
No argument here. Curry is the hub of the team during its golden era, and his teammates are the spokes. Durant’s acknowledgement, along with Curry’s extended tenure with the franchise, is why Steph ranks ahead of KD and atop our list of the Ultimate Draft, featuring the greatest Warriors of the last 30 years.
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Curry is to the Warriors as Michael Jordan is to the Chicago Bulls, as Tom Brady is to the New Engand Patriots, as Rickey Henderson is to stolen bases and even Bill Russell to the BostonCeltics. Which is to say, nothing we have witnessed over the past seven years -- the seven playoff seasons, five consecutive trips to The Finals and three championships -- happens without Stephen.
Do you really believe that KD, upon becoming a free agent in 2016, ever would have considered joining the Warriors without Curry’s blessing? Or if Steph had been drafted by the Knicks?
KD is more imposing and perhaps can affect the game in more ways. But we’re talking Warriors. He’s No. 2 on the list, and I suspect he understands that as much as anybody.
Now, onto another selection bound to be contested by those afflicted with recency bias. I placed Chris Mullin at No. 3, one spot ahead of Klay Thompson.
First, that competition continues. Mully is retired, but Klay is in the middle of his career. He’s 30, fully recovered from ACL surgery and there is no reason to believe he won’t regain his All-Star status. He still has time to catch and surpass Mullin, so that cannot be ruled out.
Why, then, is Mully ahead of Klay? Because Mullin has more accolades. Both are five-time All-Star game selections, but only one is in the Hall of Fame. That’s Mullin, who also has the distinction of being a member of the original Dream Team, in our opinion the only Dream Team.
Mullin never won an MVP award but has two top-15 finishes in the voting, once sixth and once 13th. Thompson has one such finish, 10th in 2015. Thompson has put in eight seasons with the franchise, Mullin retired with 13.
Any argument for Klay going ahead of Mully is based on one thing. Defense. Klay is an elite defender, arguably the best two-way guard in Warriors history. He’s capable of defending three positions well, and probably could handle a small-lineup power-forward. As a two-way player, Thompson is better than Mullin.
Mullin, however, is a much more polished offensive player.
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Thompson’s greatness is connected to his long-distance shooting, because his ballhandling is average and his passing is sporadic. Credit Thompson for knowing what he does best and keeping that as his focus. When his shot is dialed in, nobody in the league is more explosive.
Mullin was a very good ballhandler and a wonderful passer. He was equally capable of running the offense as a point forward or, like Thompson, running relentless through screens and using misdirection to get free off the ball.
Mullin posted six seasons in which he averaged at least five rebounds; Thompson’s career high is 3.8. Mullin in seven seasons averaged at least four assists; Thompson’s career-high is 2.9.
Neither man is the alpha personality/performer required to lead a team to the top. But Klay is more the specialist, excelling in specific areas, while Mullin provided more all-around production.
As Thompson adds to his game, there’s a chance he will move up our board. Right now, though, we’re going with the guy more likely to make his teammates better