Instead of hitting the mythical 'rookie wall,' Curry only got better and better. Golden State fans were energized and left wanting more from their young phenomenon. However, before Curry can get back to lighting up NBA scoreboards, he is attempting to become a key contributor on Team USA as they prepare for the World Championships. And it was at a recent Team USA practice session, at the Knicks' practice facility in Tarrytown New York, where HOOPSWORLD caught up with Curry for an exclusive interview.
Since we were on New York soil (it was Curry's first time being at the NYK practice facility since his pre-draft workouts last summer), we first discussed whether Steph had ever wondered what life would have been like if he slipped one spot in the draft and landed in NY (with the 8th overall pick) instead of Golden State, who owned the seventh selection; as we all know Donnie Walsh was an unabashed admirer of Curry and was praying the sharpshooter would slide to #8.
Curry admitted the thought had crossed his mind, but was of the belief that giving it too much thought wouldn't have made much sense. "You always play the "what if" game. What could have been, or what might have been. But I think every worked out the right way, the way it should have. That's all you can really say I guess…"
While discussing New York, Curry was asked to share some thoughts on the Knicks recent acquisitions from Golden State – Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, and Ronny Turiaf.
Curry wistfully recounted his short stint with Randolph, and made it clear Knicks fans have every reason to be excited about their athletic new addition.
"Man, I was really looking forward to playing with Randolph but he had that ankle injury halfway through the year last year," said Curry. "The potential he has and the athleticism he has, he is kind of like a freak out there that can pretty much just do everything. So you guys are getting a great player put in the right situation. Also, Coach D'Antoni will give him some great coaching. He'll become a great player."
Stephen also gave a brief scouting report on the other two players involved in the sign-and-trade transaction involving David Lee.
"Kelenna Azubuike is a real solid guy and you know exactly what you are going to get out of him every night. And Ronny Turiaf is your leader. He is your vocal guy that keeps everybody excited and will bring the energy every time he steps on the floor. I am going to miss those three guys; those were good friends of mine. Hopefully they will do well for the Knicks," stated Steph.
Asked if he felt Anthony Randolph in particular would be able to flourish in New York under the tutelage of D'Antoni, who is also an assistant coach for Team USA, Curry answered affirmatively.
"He's young, like myself, and I think anytime you have a guy that has a good relationship with the coach who can come in every day and talk to him and have that open communication where he is trying to help the player get better and always trying to learn something everyday, that is going to be good for him. He'll definitely be a better player because of it."
[color= rgb(255, 255, 255)]Curry on D. Lee[/color]
While Curry is unsure about who his head coach will be, he can be relatively certain that whoever is designing the team's plays will utilize their new starting power forward in plenty of pick-and-rolls with its point guard. David Lee was the Warriors biggest offseason addition, and Curry is obviously excited about getting the chance to team up with the All-Star big man. When the topic of playing with D Lee came up, a smile crept across Curry's face.
[color= rgb(255, 255, 255)]"I don't know if you remember the game last season,"[/color] (Steph is referencing Lee's monster effort against the Warriors on April 2nd in Golden State, when Lee exploded for a career-high 37 points, to go along with 20 rebounds, and 10 assists), [color= rgb(255, 255, 255)]"well I told David that if he plays like that every game we are going to win the championship. So, I let him know I'll be expecting that every night," [/color]Curry deadpanned.
"Yeah, he (Lee) can do everything for us; rebound, defend, block shots. On the offensive end, playing the pick-and-roll with Monta, and me, and him – I think that is going to be lethal! He can pass; he can shoot the mid-range jumper and spread the defense out. And you know he is going to work hard and play hard every night. Barring any injuries, he is going to be that workhorse that every team needs. We missed that last year, not having anybody that could rebound consistently, so that should definitely add something to our lineup."
