During the Jimmy V Classic in December, Donnie Walsh was a rapt spectator at the Garden. He may have been visualizing the future.
While the Knicks were losing in Chicago Dec. 9, Walsh scouted Davidson's 6-foot-3 junior guard Stephen Curry against West Virginia. Curry dazzled, racking up 27 points, 10 assists, four steals and two blocks in Davidson's 68-65 victory. Last month, Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, who played for Knicks senior VP Glen Grunwald in Toronto, declared for the draft, forgoing his senior year. Curry, sources indicate, will be one of the Knicks' main targets if the club remains in the eighth slot after the draft lottery. A draft Web site reported the Knicks have given Curry a guarantee if they stick at eight, which Walsh denied yesterday.
The lottery is exactly one week away. As the eighth seed, the Knicks have a 2.8 percent chance of moving up to No. 1 and a 10 percent chance of gliding into the top three.
With the eighth pick, the Knicks would be in position to select the nation's leading scorer in Curry, who has the attributes to fill their gaping hole at shooting guard in coach Mike D'Antoni's offense. Last season, Curry averaged 28.6 points on 45 percent shooting, hitting 38.7 percent from 3-point land.
"I think he's the perfect fit for a Mike D'Antoni team," one league executive said.
Sources say D'Antoni was as displeased with the team's shooting percentage as he was with its inability to defend. The Knicks also didn't have a shotmaker in the final two minutes of tight games.
After the Knicks made two Nov. 21 cap-clearing trades and Cuttino Mobley retired because of cardiomyopathy, the Knicks lacked a shooting guard with firepower. Curry's ability to play some point guard is a bonus because of the Knicks' desire to lighten the load on Chris Duhon.
