Feb 2, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the ball against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Golden State defeated Utah 119-101. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

What better place to put the number seven overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft than in the number seven slot of our top ten Golden State Warriors’ players since 2000?

Stephen Curry is the first current Warrior on our list, and there is no doubt that he will be on many more lists similar to this one in the future.

Although he has just three years of NBA experience under his belt, Curry has become the “face of the franchise” (or should it be “baby-face of the franchise”?).

The Warriors were exuberant when he fell into their laps at No. 7 in the 2009 Draft, and boy have they reaped the benefits.

From the minute that he burst upon the scene, Warriors’ fans and management knew this kid could shoot. He has unbelievable range and a sweet stroke. Despite his fragile 6’3″, 185 pound body, he isn’t afraid to attack the rim and challenge much taller defenders. He plays with the passion, heart and intensity that can’t be matched by anyone else.

Curry was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year in his very first year, averaging 17.5 PPG as the starting point guard. He followed that up with an even better 2009-2010 campaign, scoring 18.6 PPG, shooting 48-percent from the field, and an astounding 93.4-percent at the free-throw line.

The only thing that can possibly slow Curry down from becoming one of the game’s top point guards is injury. He played in just 26 games last season due to recurring ankle issues. There were at least two or three instances where he would aggravate his ankle in the middle of a game, torturing their fans, as they had to watch their young phenom be helped off the court for the 63rd time in his career (ok, I might have used some hyperbole there, but it certainly seems like 63 times.)

But this hasn’t fazed the Warriors from labeling Curry as their “franchise player”, which was confirmed when they shipped off Monta Ellis to the Bucks in March of this year.

With that changing of the guard, the ball is now literally on Curry’s court. His success or failure will play a large role in the outcome of this upcoming season for the Warriors, and that itself warrants him a spot on our list of the “Top 10 Golden State Warriors Players since 2000″.

Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

Not many players can spend just two years with one team and be recognized as one of their top ten players in the past twelve years, except if that team is the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors have never really had that true “superstar” player since Rick Barry in the seventies, but Gilbert Arenas is close as it gets.

Bandwagon fans who became supporters after the “We Believe” team may not remember this, but before he was knocking down clutch shots for the Washington Wizards, “Agent Zero” was a young budding star in the Warriors organization.

Arenas was one of the biggest steals in the 2001 NBA Draft as the 30th overall pick by the Warriors. He became an instant fan-favorite as their starting point guard for much of the season, and logged double-digits with 10.9 points per game.

He really broke out in his second year, scoring 18.3 points a game and winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.

But of course, like all potentially great players had to do, Arenas left the Warriors after just two seasons and signed a six-year, $60 million contract with the Wizards. In the next few years, he would mature into one of the best point guards in the NBA. He peaked in 2005-2006 when he scored 29.3 points per game.

However, the Warriors and their fans can take some consolation in the fact that Arenas’ career derailed in 2010 thanks to the infamous gun incident. He played in just 17 games last season and averaged 4.2 points per game with the Memphis Grizzlies.

What makes it even better is that the Warriors have had two more “franchise” point guards since Arenas’ departure, and they will be chronicled later on in this list.