The morning after Stephen Curry's otherworldy outing against the Thunder, Knicks President Phil Jackson made an eyebrow-raising comparison, likening the reigning league MVP to former NBA guard Mahmoud-Abdul Rauf.
Specifically, Jackson penned the following on his Twitter feed: "Never seen anything like (Steph) Curry? Remind you of Chris Jackson/ Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who had a short but brilliant run in NBA?"
[RELATED: Warriors' Curry reminds Phil Jackson of one fleeting NBA talent]
A day after his hotly debated social media post, Jackson again took to Twitter to clarify his original comment:
How does commenting on Rauf mean I'm comparing him to Curry?
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 29, 2016
Remind, yes, quick release, cross over, Yep, MVP, nope. Get a grip!
In other words, Jackson sees some similarities in the two players' skill sets, but was not trying to convey that Rauf and Curry are the same caliber of player.
Abdul-Rauf, born Chris Jackson, logged six quality seasons with the Nuggets in the 90's -- averaging 16.0 points and 4.0 assists and winning the NBA Most Improved Player award in 1993 -- but was never named to an NBA All-Star team. After brief stints with the Kings (1996-1998) and Grizzlies (2000-2001), Rauf played internationally before hanging it up in 2011.
Curry, on the other hand, has been an All-Star in three-straight years, and is the odds-on favorite to repeat as NBA MVP. The Golden State star is averaging 30.7 points, 6.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds for the Warriors (53-5) this season.
