Stephen Curry explains why Timberwolves passed on him twice

David Kahn’s tenure as Timberwolves general manager deserves plenty of ire, but the story of why he passed on Stephen Curry takes the cake.

During his years as general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves, David Kahn was clearly in over his head. His most notable miscalculation came in the 2009 NBA Draft, when he passed on Stephen Curry twice in favor of Ricky Rubio (No. 5 overall) and Jonny Flynn (No. 6 overall). That allowed Curry to fall to No. 7, where the Golden State Warriors took him, and the rest is history.

Curry’s love of golf is well-known, from his participation in celebrity events and a couple of appearances on the Web.com tour. Frankly, he could probably become a functional pro golfer and make a lot of money if he could dedicate more time to it. But when you’re one of the best shooters in NBA history, golf is just a hobby.

Curry appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast this week, and offered an explanation for why the Timberwolves passed on drafting him twice.

"I don’t know if that ever came out — that’s a story,” Curry said on The Bill Simmons Podcast this week. “Everybody knows how much I love golf — play it in my spare time and whatnot … I think the word on the street was that he [Kahn] didn’t draft me because, in Minnesota, it’s cold and I wouldn’t be able to play as much golf, so I would have been miserable."

Simmons questioned whether that’s a true story, and Curry backed off a little bit based on the ridiculous nature of it.

“I hope it’s true because that’s hilarious,” Curry said. “That’s hilarious.”

If Curry would have truly been that miserable in Minnesota, a state at or near the top in golfers per capita in the country, he could have left as soon as possible in free agency. But to use his love of golf, and the short season to play, as a reason not to draft him is pure lunacy.

Curry’s story might not be true, and he probably heard it secondhand from his agent or someone else. But as with most of the decisions Kahn made as Timberwolves’ general manager, it’s just dumb enough to be rooted in truth.