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Warriors GM had Blake Griffin over Steph Curry on draft board
The Golden State Warriors got one of the greatest steals in NBA history when they grabbed Steph Curry with the seventh pick of the 2009 draft. Curry has won two MVPs, three Championships and is far and away the greatest shooter in league history. However, if the team had received the first pick, Curry isn't who they would have grabbed.
The Athletic's Marcus Thompson wrote that Warriors GM Larry Riley was definitely ahead of the curve when it came to seeing the value of Curry.
"Now, to his credit, Riley was always talking about Curry. He was the type of GM who would chat with you. I remember on many occasions we were talking about prospects, and he brought up Steph. ... So I know this for a fact — Larry Riley was all over Steph waaaaay before the 2009 draft."
However, he also revealed that there was one player who Riley had ahead of Curry on his board.
"But as Steph blew up, and the Warriors ended up with the No. 7 pick, he just didn't think Curry would be available. Their board was 1. Blake Griffin, 2. Steph Curry. He could've been lying to me, but he said that to me and I think (SF Chronicle beat writer) Rusty Simmons. They were expecting to land Jordan Hill. Riley and Nelson even flew to Memphis to talk to Monta Ellis, who was unhappy, and told him — according to what my sources told me — that they got on the same page with Monta, including that he would be the point guard."
This isn't that much of a shock, as Griffin was considered one of the best prospects in recent memory when he was drafted by the Clippers. Still, it's fun to imagine an alternative reality where the Warriors have Griffin instead. And maybe in that reality, the Timberwolves don't pass on Curry twice.
More must-reads:
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The 'Most made three-pointers by NBA season' quiz
Happy 24th birthday to Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards! The first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has lived up to the billing so far in his young NBA career, taking the Timberwolves from a 23-win team in his rookie season to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances. While Ant-Man hasn't been able to make to the NBA Finals yet, he has already earned himself a reputation as a giant slayer in the postseason, topping Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Steph Curry in his playoff career. Which brings us to today's quiz. Edwards came into the NBA as a freak athlete, but has since added a dangerous three-point shot to his game, leading the NBA with 320 made triples in 2024-25. With that being said, how many of the league leaders in three-pointers made for every season since then can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Green Bay Packers: MarShawn Lloyd’s Injury Opens Door For Experiment
The Green Bay Packers are dealing with some injuries heading into their first game in the 2025 NFL preseason. Among the hurt bodies on their roster is running back MarShawn Lloyd, who has impressed at Packers training camp but is down with a lower-body injury he suffered last week. The injury was initially blamed on a hit by defensive back Nate Hobbs, but it was later found out to be a non-contact type. With the former USC Trojans running back out of commission at the moment, the Packers are said to be open to testing out some creative approaches in the backfield. “I’m told the outlook for MarShawn Lloyd’s groin injury is roughly one to two weeks, so he could be back as early as next week,” wrote Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “Don’t be surprised if the Packers, who love versatility on offense, experiment with backups Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson playing hybrid or fullback-type roles at times.” When will Green Bay Packers RB MarsShawn Lloyd be healthy again? As said by Fowler, the earliest Lloyd could return to the field is next week, which would rule him out for this coming Saturday’s preseason matchup versus the New York Jets at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Also, under that projection, he can be back in action for the meeting with the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 2. The Packers can also just be extra careful and hold him back for the entire offseason, as they look forward to having Lloyd 100 percent healthy for their first assignment in the 2025 NFL season, which is a home game against the Detroit Lions.
Milwaukee Brewers: Nestor Cortes Gone, Standout Rookie 3B Has Emerged as Gem from Would-Be Lose-Lose Trade
Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes was the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ return haul from trading co-closer Devin Williams to the Yankees last December. Eight months later, Cortes is a member of the Padres, logging all of two starts in Milwaukee before injuries sapped his season. Over in New York, Williams lost his closer’s job, got it back, and has had one good month en route to a 5.04 ERA. Without the other part of Milwaukee’s incoming package, then minor-league third baseman Caleb Durbin, the trade would look at this juncture like a lose-lose scenario. Thanks to Durbin, it’s been anything but for the Brewers. Caleb Durbin is Milwaukee Brewers’ diamond in the rough Durbin didn’t make the spring training cut. Instead, the Brewers went with fellow rookie Oliver Dunn as the team’s starting third baseman. Durbin went down to Triple-A Nashville. Dunn didn’t last. After he struggled through the first three weeks of the season, he and Durbin switched places and the latter hasn’t squandered his shot. Following a slow start, he’s turned up the heat at the dish while playing outstanding defense. He’s had an OPS around .800 for over two months now and has his season slashline up to .263/.344/.372. His 2.2 WAR in 86 games played is tied for 10th among all third basemen, making him one of the position’s more valuable players. The Brewers saw plenty of promise in Durbin when they traded for him, coming off a strong season with New York’s Triple-A affiliate. Even though he didn’t, he was a decent candidate to make the team out of spring. The team likely didn’t see a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, which he is. By WAR, he and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin have contributed the same value to their teams, more than any other NL rookies. Cortes, on the other hand, was supposed to be a consistent cog in the rotation. Last year for the Yankees, he made 30 starts and recorded a 3.77 ERA. Instead, he’s still making his way back from injury ahead of start number three this season. In San Diego. Of course, Milwaukee did turn him into outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who will provide depth while Jackson Chourio is hurt. To dump Cortes’ salary, however, they had to attach a prospect, infielder Jorge Quintana. Neither Cortes nor Williams has been what the receiving team hoped. Both will be free agents this offseason. Only the Yankees, however, are at risk of walking away empty-handed. With years of team control remaining, the Brewers have in Durbin what looks to be their third baseman of both the present and future. The trade didn’t deliver according to expectations, but it’s hard to be too upset with the results.
Tracking the top surprises at Chicago Bears training camp
The Bears phased out of the early portion of training camp with a Halas Hall practice Monday, closed even to media. The early days are behind them as they gear up for the first preseason game Sunday with Miami at Soldier Field. After OTAs and two weeks of training camp, there were few real surprises, and those who can be classified in this way actually flashed some of it in the offseason work. Others didn't. Here are the surprises from the first section of Bears training camp. RB Kyle Monangai They badly wanted their seventh-round pick to succeed at contributing because of their inability to draft someone earlier. So far, so good. There are occasional glitches, like when he went the wrong way on a play in Sunday's scrimmage at Soldier Field. His ability to help as a receiver has been an obvious surprise because he never did a lot of it in college. However, he got to show some of his toughness as a runner in goal-line work and in full-contact play the past week. "I am very pleased with where he's at," coach Ben Johnson said. "I think he's a guy that we're going to be able to trust this fall." Johnson said "think," not that he can be trusted. There's still a way to go before that status is earned. WR J.P. Richardson The undrafted TCU receiver caught passes in OTAs and it was easy to notice. When it continued at an even greater rate in training camp, it caught everyone's attention. The unexpected part of Richardson's play has been his versatility. Everyone knew he would be a slot type receiver who would make his run at a roster spot as a possession guy. However, Richardson catches passes all over the field. He doesn't just catch it, he finds ways to be open and then runs after the catch. Richardson disappointed Johnson with one down practice last week after he had been so impressive. "That happened, but he bounces right back, just like the rest of these guys," Johnson said. CB Nashon Wright It seemed a bit too convenient when they had suddenly discovered Nick McCloud could play cornerback after a practice when they decided to put Tyrique Stevenson with backups, continued using Terell Smith with backups and rookie Zah Frazier was still away for personal reasons. It just seemed as if it suited coaching motivational purposes to punish Stevenson for some reason. McCloud has been beaten, though not as often as backup Shaun Wade. But Wright definitely has been there all along, practicing well and using his long arms and height against starting receivers at Jaylon Johnson's position. Johnson won't return until possibly the regular season. "You know, not many 6-4, 6-5 corners out there with his capabilities and his suddenness and agilities so it’s been a challenge going against him every "single day," Rome Odunze said. LB Noah Sewell The strong side linebacker spot isn't spotlighted much, but Sewell has begun to flash once more physicality was introduced with pads. He had some standout plays in Sunday's practice after being limited almost solely to special teams his first two seasons. "Physicality wise, he jumps off the tape at all times," linebacker T.J. Edwards said. "Any type of lead, you know, stretch, run to Noah Sewell, you (know) what's getting turned back because that's kind of what he does." Sewell also got to flash his blitz ability Sunday when he burned D'Andre Swift's attempt to pick him up and forced Caleb Williams to throw it away. "In terms of his pass rush capabilities and things like that, he's got a good guy to practice with in the off season with his brother (Lions tackl Penei Sewell)," Edwards said. Sewell had a reputation for being able to rush the passer in college but hadn't shown it yet. "He’s another guy who has kind of been doing a whole different bunch of roles and things like that, and he’s taking it in, he's performing, man," Edwards added. "He looks really good for sure.” T Kiran Amegadjie Now it appears all of his efforts went for naught because his ability to compete with Ozzy Trapilo and Braxton Jones for starting left tackle is halted by injury, but it couldn't hide how much he had improved over 2024. He's going to need to adjust to battling back from injury and then make up for lost ground. Amegadjie shouldn't be counted out just yet because he considers focusing on the situation at hand to be a strength. "I've always kind of prided myself on that, whatever the situation was, whether it was in college or coming out last year, I tried to do my best to just control what I can control," Amegadjie said. "That's all you can do. When you start to worry about outside factors, that's when you get astray a little bit."
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