Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and the 15 Best Draft Picks in Warriors History
The Golden State Warriors are far from synonymous with a franchise that drafts well. Frankly, they're pretty far from a franchise that does much of anything well (save for perhaps staffing the best D-League scouts).
But the Warriors have struck draft-day gold before. Plenty of times, actually.
This list has Hall of Famers, NBA champions, past All-Stars and future All-Stars.
If the Warriors are able to nab a player in the same class as any of the 15 players on this list in the upcoming draft, a prolonged playoff stay might be on the horizon.
15. Joe Barry Carroll
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Drafted first overall in the 1980 NBA Draft, J.B. played his first six-years plus with the Warriors.
Here's a guy who you probably needed to see to appreciate.
To me, I see a player who ranks in the top five in both offensive and defensive rebounds in team history and scored the ninth most points (9,996) of any Warrior.
To those who watched him play, though, he was simply "Just Barely Cares" or, even worse, "Just Breathing".
But his statistics are hard to ignore. Carroll burst into the league with 18.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in his first season out of Purdue. In 1982-83, he dropped 24.1 points per game and began a stretch of four consecutive seasons averaging better than 20 points per game.
Perhaps the pressure of being the first overall player and the expectation level that comes with it never allowed Carroll to get his due praise during his time in the Bay. Then again, the fact that he was one of two picks acquired from the Boston Celtics for Robert Parish and a first-round draft pick who became Kevin McHale was a situation that left him destined for failure.
14. Jason Richardson
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Drafted fifth overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, J-Rich played his first six NBA seasons with Golden State.
Richardson is known nationally more for his highlight finishes and ridiculous dunk-contest performances (better than Vince IMO) than for his efficient scoring. But he was appreciated in the Bay Area for his all-around contributions during some rough seasons at the beginning of his career.
Despite losing his record for most three-pointers in a single season to Dorell Wright in the Warriors' impressive win over the Lakers on Wednesday night, Richardson remains the franchise's career leader with 700 three-pointers in a Warriors uni.
A fan favorite during his tenure in Oakland, Richardson was shipped to the Bobcats for then-rookie Brandan Wright as the Warriors tried to make space for a new franchise guard.
13. Guy Rodgers
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The Warriors' territorial selection in 1958, Rodgers played his first eight seasons with the franchise.
Territorial selection, you ask? I suppose I should elaborate. Before the NBA Cares and those creepy big-head commercials were so prevalent, the NBA allowed teams from 1947-65 the option to forgo their first-round pick and select a local collegiate star to drum up interest. Seems a bit more interesting than David Lee explaining his enjoyment of making others smile during every Warriors national broadcast.
The Warriors used more territorial picks than any other franchise (if you see who else they nabbed on this list, it makes a lot of sense) and Rodgers was one of their best.
A four-time All-Star (with three appearances as a Warrior), he holds the franchise record for assists (4,855) and only one other player (Tim Hardaway) even comes within 1,000 assists of his mark. He also trails only Hardaway in assists per game (8.3) during his time with the franchise.
12. Purvis Short
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Drafted fifth overall in the 1978 NBA Draft, Shorty logged nine of his 12 NBA seasons with the Warriors.
A 6'7", 210-pound swingman, Short's name may not be the first that comes to mind when considering this franchise's best draft picks.
And while his career numbers aren't earth-shattering (17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds), Short did have his moments.
From the 1982-83 season through 1985-86, Short never averaged fewer than 21.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Not coincidentally, those four seasons were also the only four in which Short averaged over 30 minutes a night.
Considering that the Jackson State University product shot an efficient 47.4 percent from the field for his career (and 82.4 percent from the line), one might wonder why Short couldn't see more minutes.
Perhaps a player to be named later (spoiler alert) may have had something to do with his struggle to stay on the floor after 1985.
11. Mitch Richmond
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Drafted fifth overall in the 1988 NBA Draft, Richmond played his first three seasons in Oakland.
If Richmond only played more than three seasons in the Bay, he'd easily crack the top five. He dropped 22 points per in his rookie season. He averaged more than 22 in each of his next two seasons, all while shooting a blistering 49.7 and 49.4 percent, respectively.
A 6'5" scoring guard, Richmond thrived with his mates in Don Nelson's run-and-gun offense and the trio (with Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin) earned the nickname Run TMC.
His 22.7 points per game as a Warrior are fifth best in franchise history. Somehow (and, mind you, Chris Cohan and Larry Riley were nowhere to be seen) Richmond was shipped with Les Jespen and a second-round pick in the 1995 draft to Sacramento for Billy Owens.
10. Stephen Curry
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Drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, Curry has played each of his three seasons with the Warriors.
Too soon for a top 10 pick in franchise history? Initially, I thought so. But with a closer look at where he (already) stands in terms of franchise ranks, Curry absolutely deserves the spot.
If you Warriors fans haven't done so recently, please call, write or email Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations and thank him again for passing on Curry in the 2009 draft. Landing a player of Curry's caliber outside of the top five is tough; landing that player after two others who play the same position are taken is nearly impossible.
Despite entering the league as a non-point guard, Curry had the eighth-best assists per game (5.9) season in Warriors history as a rookie. He also is the current career leader in free-throw percentage (90.9 percent, ahead of Hall of Famer Rick Barry) and third in three-point percentage (43.6).
The sky's the limit for Curry, but with these players ahead of him, it'll be hard to move far up this list.
9. Latrell Sprewell
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Drafted 24th overall in the 1992 NBA Draft, Sprewell played his first six seasons in Golden State.
Despite a stellar career, Sprewell will probably be known for one thing and one thing only: He's the player who choked his coach. The ugly incident with then-Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo shortened his 1997-98 campaign to just 14 games and the budding superstar was promptly shipped to New York in January of 1999.
Looking back, who would you have rather kept: Carlesimo or Sprewell? Carlesimo has coached just 172 games since 1998 (and won just 48 of those games) while Sprewell went on to play seven more seasons (five in New York, two in Minnesota) and never averaged less than 15 points per game, despite having one of the NBA's historically ugly (for a perimeter player at least) shooting strokes.
Sprewell was second team All-Defense in his second season and made first time All-NBA that same year (averaging 21 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals). Playing alongside then-rookie Chris Webber, Sprewell and company led Don Nelson's squad to the playoffs that season.
However, Webber was sent packing the following offseason and Sprewell would have to get out of Golden State to reach the playoffs again.
Thinking of Sprewell now is sort of like thinking about Allen Iverson ending his professional career as a soundbite and a basketball player in a Turkish league.
In the words of any Warriors fan any season, what could have been...
8. Robert Parish
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Drafted eighth overall in the 1976 NBA Draft, the Chief played his first four seasons with Golden State.
When the NBA announced its top 50 greatest players in New York City in 1996, Parish was one of five players on this list to be mentioned.
So why, then, does Parish not even crack the top eight of the Warriors best draft picks?
Well, besides his productivity, Parish's career is perhaps best known for its longevity. He appeared in 1,611 games in 20 professional seasons. But only four of those came with Golden State.
Even with the small sample size, though, Parish holds the franchise record for single-season defensive rebounds (651 in 1978-79) and the third-best single-season block total (217, also in 78-79).
7. Monta Ellis
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Drafted 40th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, Ellis has played each of his six seasons with the Warriors.
At 6'3", 175 lbs Monta Ellis hardly has the build of a do-it-all wing player. But that's exactly what he does: a little of everything.
His scoring (and variety of ways he's shown he can score the basketball) garner him the most attention, but don't forget that he's averaged at least five assists in back-to-back seasons and he's averaged at least four rebounds in three of the last four years.
As the front office continues to bring in players to support Ellis and his backcourt mate, the expectation levels will continue to rise.
Postseason success is a must if he hopes to crack this top five.
6. Tim Hardaway
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The 14th overall pick in 1989 draft, the Bug played his first five-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Warriors.
Hardaway couldn't have found a better system to thrive in after being drafted out of UTEP than Don Nelson's run-and-gun offense.
But, to be fair, Hardaway could have thrived in any system.
With a devastating cross-over that helped shape today's slashing point guards, Hardaway carved up defenses to the tune of 8,337 points (10th) and 3,926 assists (second) in his Warriors days.
Despite logging time under the anti-defensive guru Don Nelson, Hardaway still holds the third spot in Warriors history with both 1.9 steals per game and 821 steals.
Hardaway earned three All-Star trips as a Warrior and made the All-NBA team twice (second team in 91-92, third team in 92-93).
All-Star Games and individual recognition from the nation for Warriors players, huh? Yeah, those were the days.
5. Paul Arizin
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The Warriors' territorial draft pick in 1950, Pitchin' Paul played all 10 of his NBA seasons in Philadelphia.
Watching Arizin play was an absolute treat.
I imagine.
Along with Parish, Arizin was named to the NBA's top 50 list in 1996. And, if it were not for the incredible guys still to come on this list, Arizin would make a strong push for the number one spot.
A 6'4", 190-pound swingman, Arizin posted three seasons of 25-plus points per game and only averaged fewer than 20 in one season: his rookie year when he averaged a mere 17.2
An All-Star in each of his 10 seasons, Arizin was a four-time All-NBA player (first team three times) and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
He ranks in the top five in franchise history in games (713), field goals (5,628), free throws (5,010), rebounds (6,129), points (16,266) and points per game (22.8).
4. Nate Thurmond
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The third pick in 1963 draft, Nate the Great played his first 11 seasons with the Warriors.
A 6'11", 225-pound banger out of Bowling Green, Thurmond was another top 50 selection and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985.
The Warriors career leader in minutes played (30,735), Thurmond is one of just five Warriors to have his number retired (along with Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Meschery, Al Attles and Rick Barry).
Look in the Warriors record books and you're bound to come across his name. He ranks in the top 10 in points (fifth with 13,101), rebounds (first with 12,771) and assists (eighth with 2,070).
Thurmond abused the opposition with a six-year stretch of 17.7-plus rebounds a night and a five-year stretch of 20-plus points a night. He had two seasons where he averaged better than four assists and recorded 2.9 blocks in 1973-74 (the first year that blocks were recorded).
In a cruel twist of fate, one of the greatest Warriors was sent to the Chicago Bulls in September of 1974, less than a year from the Warriors' championship run.
3. Chris Mullin
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The seventh pick in the 1985 draft, Mullin played his first 12 NBA seasons in Golden State.
Chris Mullin has been a lot of things in the basketball world.
He's been an All-Star (five times), a gold member Olympian (twice), a university's all-time leading scorer (St. John's), a Dream Teamer (1992, duh), an ESPN analyst (currently) and, soon to be, a Hall of Famer (Class of 2011).
Wait, it doesn't stop there. He's a top-10 member in the Warriors history in points (fourth), blocks (eighth), steals (first), assists (fourth), defensive rebounds (fourth), offensive rebounds (ninth), free-throw percentage (fifth), free-throws made (fifth), 3-pointers made (third), field goal percentage (10th), field goals (third) and minutes (second).
Whew, I'm out of breath.
Luckily, for Warriors fans, that's something Mullin never was. He played in every single game in five different seasons in his career (granted, one was the strike-shortened 98-99 season). Needless to say, he also is the franchise leader in games played (807).
2. Rick Barry
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The second pick in the 1965 draft, Barry played eight of his 10 NBA seasons with the Warriors.
What team other than the Warriors (and maybe Trailblazers), would be dumb enough to pass on Barry and his 34.7 points per game as a Miami Hurricanes senior as the first pick, right? Well, the Warriors did pass on him. Kind of. You see, they held the first and second pick in that draft.
Barry's time in the Bay Area was productive to say the least. Tenuous for sure, but very productive.
Barry burst onto the NBA scene with 24.8 points and 10.2 rebounds as a rookie, garnering a first-team All-NBA spot in the process. His second season was more of the same, this time with 31.5 points and 8.1 rebounds earning this first-team All-NBA spot.
Then Barry, really a pioneering move at the time, jumped ship to the ABA Oakland Oaks. The Warriors took Barry to court over his right to do this, so Barry jumped in the broadcast booth for Oaks games in the first ABA season.
Barry would suit up on the ABA hardwood the following season and play his next four seasons in the league, playing for three different franchises.
Barry would finally return to the NBA and the Warriors in the 1972-73 season, now more of a shooter after some knee problems surfaced during his ABA journey. The results? Exactly the same, 25.1 points per game in that return season and never fewer than 21.0 until he left Golden State. He posted 30.6 points per game in the Warriors' championship season of 1974-75, with Barry named the NBA Finals MVP.
Another member of the NBA's top 50 team, Barry ranks in the top in franchise points (second with 16,447), rebounds (seventh with 4,655), assists (third with 3,926) and steals (second with 929).
There are more stats I could throw at you, but wow, this guy's career was unique in a way that few others were.
1. Wilt Chamberlain
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The Warriors' territorial selection in 1959, the Chariman of the Boards played his first five-and-a-half seasons with the Warriors.
Was the suspense killing you? Did you skip the last 15 slides to see who made number one?
Shame on you.
And not for skipping the wonderful prose that you missed. But rather for not knowing that Chamberlain occupied this spot.
Wilt's statistics are ridiculous. Despite playing under six years with the franchise (and 378 fewer games than Chris Mullin), he's the franchise's all-time leader in field goals (7,216), points per game (41.5) and rebounds per game (25.1). He scored 15.9 points more per game than number two (Barry) and grabbed 8.2 more rebounds than number two (Thurmond).
Despite playing collegiately at Kansas, Warriors owner Eddie Gottlieb argued that the Philadelphia native had developed such a following during his high school days, that since there was no NBA team in Kansas then the Warriors held his territorial rights. Somehow, the NBA agreed and Chamberlain was soon the new face of the Warriors (and the highest paid player in the NBA).
It took him all of 56 games to break the single-season scoring mark. His sophomore season, he trumped that with the first 2,000 rebound season the league had seen (a number only matched by him in the subsequent season). He followed those two seasons with this: the league's first (and only) 4,000 point single-season output.
Plenty will debate his overall greatness (I have him third best behind Russell and Jordan, in that order) and his obsession with statistics is well documented,
Still, that obsession led to some tremendous statistics. He could have played one season with the Warriors and still be tops on this list.
