Leading up to the 2020 NBA Draft in November, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s draft history to highlight some of the most memorable picks — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.
Before they had eyes for Stephen Curry in the 2009 NBA Draft, Don Nelson and Chris Mullin were trying to find the missing piece to Golden State’s playoff run. Before the 2008 draft, the Warriors finished with a 48-34 record, missing the playoffs by only two games.
With Monta Ellis and Baron Davis on the wings, and former first-rounder Patrick O’Bryant struggling to adjust to the NBA level, the Warriors need to add a piece to the frontcourt before contending for a place in the playoffs.
June 25, 2008
The Chicago Bulls began the 2009 edition of the NBA Draft by selecting March Madness phenom Derrick Rose out of Memphis with the first overall selection.
Along with Rose, future NBA All-Stars Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook went off the board in the top-five picks of the 2009 draft. Fast forward to the end of the lottery, and the Golden State Warriors were on the clock.
With the No. 14 pick in the draft, Nelson and Mullin landed Louisiana State University standout Anthony Randolph. During his first and only season in Baton Rouge, the 6-foot-11 prospect averaged 15.6 points on 46.4% shooting from the field with 8.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.2 assist and 1.1 steals. Following his impressive first season at LSU, Randolph was named to the SEC-All-Freshman First Team.
During his rookie season in the Bay Area, the 19-year-old forward averaged 7.9 points 46.2% from the field, with 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest. Randolph started 22 of the 63 games he suited up for a rookie.
Randolph built on his steady rookie play in 2009-10, bumping his scoring averages up to 11.6 points on 44.3% shooting with 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. During the next season, Randolph was included in a trade with the New York Knicks. The Warriors traded Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf and a future second-round pick for David Lee.
After short stints in New York, Minnesota and Denver, the former Golden State first-rounder opted to play overseas.
Randolph spent two seasons playing for PBC Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia before moving to Real Madrid. Over his four seasons in La Liga, Randolph won the EuroLeague championship in 2018, the Spanish League championship twice and the Spanish Supercup three times.
Along with Rose, Love and Westbrook, other notable members of the 2008 NBA Draft class included Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert, Marreese Speights, JaVale McGee, Serge Ibaka, Nicola Batum, George Hill, DeAndre Jordan, Goran Dragic.
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