Stephen Curry told a fascinating story about how former Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn refrained from drafting him, knowing he'd be miserable due to the inclement weather in the city and Curry's love for golf.
Longtime beat writer Jerry Zgoda of The Minneapolis Star Tribune got wind of Curry's comments during an appearance in The Bill Simmons Podcast and quickly shut down the rumor.
“The old story that the Wolves didn't draft Stephen Curry because Minnesota has such a short golf season is news again? It's nonsense. Curry's threats played a role, but bigger: Kahn didn't think Curry was strong and durable enough to play PG full time.”
Curry was listed at 181 pounds, only nine pounds lighter of what he weighed last season, but his scrawny frame that could barely fill an XL-sixed jersey was a major question for GMs — who thought that while his shooting talent was unparalleled, there was a deep doubt that his fragile frame could take the toll of a more physically-demanding NBA game.
Yet if that was really Kahn's reasoning, it still makes very little sense.
Ricky Rubio was 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds entering the draft, with a similarly lanky frame. Jonny Flynn, who was drafted right behind Rubio with the sixth overall pick measured at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds coming into the 2009 NBA Draft, but he didn't stick in the league for long, playing only four seasons.
Both point guards were drafted with back-to-back picks and right before Curry fell to the Golden State Warriors, making it one of the Timberwolves' most regrettable mistakes in franchise history.
The story Curry told didn't come from Kahn directly, but rather from the grapevine, as one he has kept in his mind throughout the years.
Zgoda's credibility is unquestioned, as he is one of the longest-tenured beat writers for the Timberwolves, recently taking a step back from the beat a week ago to focus on different endeavors at the paper.
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