Impact player

Ian Thomsen: He may not be ready to take on full-time responsibilities at the point, but as a combo guard he’ll provide deep shooting and smart passing. He’ll know how to play as a rookie.

No. 4 to Sacramento?

That’s what Ian Thomsen says: If he can turn into a point guard, all the better. If not, the Kings will still embrace this fearless scorer with an innate feel for the game. He will help create a new identity for the franchise (unless, of course, Sacramento moves up to choose Rubio).

Knicks at No. 8?

Ian Thomsen:

This is all the talk in New York. The problem is that Don Nelson is picking No. 7 with Golden State, and Nellie -- in the most general terms -- has the same tastes as New York coach Mike D’Antoni. If the Knicks like Curry, so will the Warriors.

This too: If Thabeet looks inclined to slide, a player likely to rise over the next month is a mature scorer like Curry, who will nail the interviews with team management and smoke jumper after jumper in his workouts. He’s likely to impress everyone who meets him.

Curry, of course, is small for a shooting guard. The same was said of Ben Gordon, and yet in the week before the 2004 draft he was coveted by several teams hoping to trade up to get him. (Chicago selected Gordon at No. 3.)