NBA Draft: Re-drafting the historic 2009 NBA Draft

Re-drafting the 2009 NBA Draft: 2) Jeff Teague, Golden State Warriors

In the 15 seasons preceding the drafting of Stephen Curry, the Warriors made the playoffs only once and finished with a winning record twice. They struggled for a bit longer afterward while Curry found his footing, but it’s safe to say that this dynasty the Warriors have built would be a fantasy if another team did the right thing and picked him earlier.

That would’ve left the Warriors with an assortment of average players to choose from. Players who would keep them on that mediocre-at-best treadmill that Bay Area fans grew accustomed to over the last decade and a half up to that point. You know, players like Jeff Teague.

This isn’t an indictment of Teague as a player. You could do worse than draft a lightning-quick point guard who goes on to compile a 48.3 career win shares and notches an NBA All-Star nod. But as serviceable as Teague is, he’s no Curry.

On the other hand, this hypothetical selection could have entrenched the Warriors into the Western Conference cellar long enough to eventually snag a franchise-altering star in a future draft. They could have even developed Teague into a perennial NBA All-Star for all we know.

But one thing is certain, Golden State being forced to draft Teague here instead of getting the steal of the draft changes the entire course of NBA history.

There would’ve been no hive-mind superteam, no major opposition to the Oklahoma City Thunder or LeBron James, no fancy new arena in San Fransisco, no record-breaking regular season, no LeBlock, no stories of Warriors owner Joe Lacob doing weird stuff with the Larry O’Brien trophy. They would’ve remained the same old laughingstock that they were prior to this draft.