Houston Representing Knicks at May 19th Lottery

If he would have agreed to it I say Clyde would have been a great pick

Yeah I would love that.

Ok no offense to Allan Houston but he was bad luck for us going there in 2003 and we got the 9th pick and got a bust in Mike Sweetney!

I completely agree with BiggieSmalls….send Clyde Frazier to the draft selection or see if Bernard King is available to represent us.

he didn’t give us bad luck, because he was playing at the time and the face of the franchise. He had no say with picking Sweetney. This time is different, he actually has a managerial position.

precisely Myles.

he is the face of the franchise during one of the worst decades of sports team history.

His contract represents arguably the most franchise crippling move ever.

Clyde represents our golden age, is employed by MSG and is the visual link to our last championship team.

Also, could you imagine the outfit he would be sporting on the dais?

I love the Clyde talk. I agree he’d be perfect. The outfit, the rhymes, it’d be great at the lottery.

About the draft, I think that even in a weak draft, these picks are so valuable to us because this is where we are going to get the best bang for our buck, as in have guys locked in for 2010 in the 2-4 million dollar range, who may be worth more than that. And, if theres one thing this draft is chock full of, its athletes. We can never have too many athletes. Also, anyone on this team is expendable, we dont know whos going to be here in 2010, we should always be getting the best available. Even if it means running out four swingmen, it could work for a year in this system, and then we round things out in 2010 through FA and trades. Our priority #1 should be getting draft picks right now. And I’m sure there are teams selling them. The Suns sold the 8th pick when it was Deng a few years ago and that was in a perfect economy. A draft pick like that could potentially be 3-4 years of 3 million, and then they’d also get a few million for a pick, so selling a draft pick could save a team 15 million. The Knicks need to capitalize on that.

I bought Willis Reed’s soul swingman jersey, I got to say that I regret not having bought Frazier’s. I regret it.

Clyde would attract good karma, I like Allan Houston but I agree with Biggie.

Lame.

Clyde, Willis Reed, Bernard King, Donnie Walsh or John Starks would have been better. I don’t get any sense of luck with Allan Houston sitting there. : /

Maybe Clyde already skipped town. Doesn’t he live in St. Croix?

Ok we’ve talk a lot about our possible 7th, 8th or 9th picks. We’ve talk about who we take at #1 if we were lucky enough to hit the jackpot. We’ve talked about trading up to the 2 spot and trading down to late lottery and beyond.

But what if we got the 3rd, 4th or 5th pick? How much does that change our criteria concerning whether we draft for talent or for need? Are Harden, Hill, DeRozan or Clark good enough to neglect our most immediate needs? Do we take Curry, Tyreke, Lawson or Jrue at 4? Do we take our chances with Thabeet? With all these questions I think I would dread grabbing the 4 spot more than the 8, unless we trade up or down.

the only slots possible for us are 1,2,3,8,9,10

1-3 are chosen in the lottery.

After the lotto picks everyone else falls in by record. So if two teams hit the lotto that have better records than us we wind up with number 10.

Of course we can get 4,5,6,7 via trade.

Ah duh! I don’t know what I was thinking. Sorry I’m on 2 hours of sleep.

Ok. Hypothetically, what do you do if we get the 3rd pick?

Trade down, dump a salary get some more picks if possible and target Jrue Holiday or another Point Guard

If we get the 3rd pick?

A. Trade up for Ricky Rubio.

B. Pick Jordan Hill.

C. Trade down to dump a contract and take Jrue Holiday or Stephen Curry in the top 10.

Im getting more and more high on Curry, Harden, and Lawson (Lawson not at the same level, but compared to where he project. If we get the third pick i try to trade down for Curry or maybe just pick Harden.

DeRozan is an absolute no in my book; Much rather T-will.

Of all the guys in the top ten, i feel like there are 4 or 5 who we would really want, and among the others, we might be willing to trade the pick. My four are Rubio, Griffin, Harden, Curry.

I don’t even know what i’m trying to explain anymore, im driving myself crazy; Why can’t the Lottery just be now?

Why does everyone think that someone will trade the # 2 pick just to give the Knicks a chance to draft Rubio? The Knicks don’t have anyone worth the 2nd pick in any draft. And they can’t include Nate or Lee in any trades cuz they’re free agents on July 1st.

I agree. A lot of people think that the Knicks can make insanely one sided trades. A guy who might seem like a good player for us might not look so good for other teams or organizations. Example Al Harrington. It will be very difficult for the knicks to move up considering the value of the top 2 players in this draft. The only way we can possible get those two picks are through luck…called the lottery…

You’d take Hill over Harden? When did this change of heart come along, Mucha?

Of course I wouldn’t be upset with Hill as his acquisition would make parting with Lee a lot easier (and gives us a opportunity to package Jeffries with him as well,) but I feel as though Harden would be the safer pick.

I can’t believe I’m pleading Harden’s case to you, haha.

i bought the clyde soul swingman jersey. I’ll be sure to wear it on May 19th and hopefully it attracts good karma.

Griffin and Rubio seem to be the clearcut 1 and 2, respectively. I think a lotto team that already has a young, promising PG wrapped up (OKC, NJ, Charlotte, GS?), would at least consider trading down for the right deal. Especially so if we had the 3rd pick to give.

I feel as though OKC would consider moving down a spot if it got them Lee, Chandler or Nate and Harden, DeRozan or Hill (or maybe Thabeet) and unloaded the right contract (Watson, Collison, etc.).

I suppose it would be predicated on how OKC would feel about moving Westbrook to the 2.

Hahahaha.

Actually I forgot to talk about him. But I’d take Hill over Harden now because the players the Knicks will be looking for in 2010 are mainly wing players : LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson. And there’s only one spot left because we already have Gallinari. Plus, talented bigs always get max contracts – whether they deserve it or not – and quality wing players are generally cheaper so getting an inside banger on the cheap would be a great decision from that standpoint.

I don’t think that is the point. People are talking about trading up for Ricky Rubio because there’s a buyout and Rubio might blackmail everybody if he wants to play in New York – a la Gallinari.

Houston is a Good Look he should get Mind that Birds Horse shoe like what the Debusschere did.

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkxePs7cjkw&feature=PlayList&p=91CF1ED152417968&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=74

I’m not putting this up knock Steve A. he’s a crazy dude but this is how active we need to be on draft night. Portland got Sergio for *Cash Consideration* Jrue could be had the same way.

Very good points. I agree 100%

Even though the overall predictions for the 2009 draft class are on the weak side, I think last years draft class of future all-stars and super sleepers has teams weary of giving up draft picks. Then again, I haven’t talked to many GMs later.

*lately

I love Clyde and would be happy if he were there too, but allan houston is not bad luck…. i am constantly reminded of this when I watch 1999 knicks vs heat….. the floater…that my friend was some pretty good luck! Let’s go Knicks!

Considering what I said earlier, this is my board now :

1. Blake Griffin
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Jordan Hill
4. Tyreke Evans (if he’s able to play the point)
5. Jrue Holiday
6. Stephen Curry

I put Mr. Harden in the pack because he’s a stud and he’d be a great fit in my opinion, but I know this is just a personal preference and we have to consider the fact that – like I said – most free agents Donnie Walsh will be looking for in 2010 are wing players and there’s only one spot left because we already got Danilo Gallinari.

Say those 6 plus Harden are off the board when our 8th pick rolls around. Do we take a chance on Thabeet? I’m on the fence.

I wouldn’t. Hopefully somebody will draft him before us and keep the pick. I don’t know, maybe he’ll be great and prove me wrong – but anyways he’ll be a top 5 pick in my opinion.

Thabeet has the potential to be a rare and potent force in the game in the future, but the knicks are not the right place for him to develop, and he is the not the kind of player we are looking to develop.

Develop how offensively ? we don’t need offense from Thabeet not to mention Lee got most of his points off PNR Thabeet can at least get 10 ppg in this offense and he’s great defensively he would be a solid pick at 8, and like I said we can buy the rights to Holiday or Maynor.

Here’s an interesting take from Bobby Knight regarding Curry’s passing ability.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JyTIQq5H-g

Curry would be a very good fit on the Knicks since Gallo is a point forward, our PG does not need to be a dominant ball handler like lawson, maynor or flynn

If getting Ty Lawson at 8 would be a reach then Yea take the chance with Thabeet.

I agree that Rubio could do the same thing gallinari did but I highly doubt the knicks will get the same luck twice concerning a international stud only wanting to play here. Hopefully we do get lucky, but I am just trying to be as realistic as possible and not hope for too much.

Hopefully we can get a second round pick and draft Danny Green. This guy is a poor man’s Raja Bell and is a seasoned college player at the highest possible competition. Although he does have his flaws, why not have him as a defensive specialist/three point shooter that we can develop into a solid rotation guy when a 2010 FA rolls around hopefully.

You guys need to chill with all this Rubio talk. Wasn’t Darko supposed to be another can’t miss prospect. Didn’t he go # 2? What about Maciej Lampe? Wasn’t he supposed to be the next Dirk?

I remember Chad Ford ripping into the Miami Heat on draft night 2003 when they passed on him, in favor of some tweener named…Dwayne Wade.

Just because he’s ranked as the 2nd best prospect today, doesn’t mean he’ll be ranked that way a month from now. Martynas Andriuskevicius was ranked as a can’t miss prospect 2-3 yrs ago. 7’3, a center, trained by Arvydas Sabonis. He fell to the 2nd round, and is outta the league.

Sarunas Jasivevicius looked amazing in the Olympics vs. Team USA, and did absolulely nothing in the NBA.

A month before the draft in ’05 (I think) Gerald “Next Tracy McGrady” was ranked as the # 3 prospect in the draft. Nobody had him ranked lower than 5 or 6. And he fell all the way to the late teens and is now a 12th man in Dallas.

I agree with that BUT there’s a huge difference between Ricky Rubio and Jasikevicius : Rubio is only 18 years. Jasikevicius didn’t even get drafted after his college “career” and he was actually 29 years old when he jumped to the NBA.

But Rubio is overhyped in my opinion as well and these Pete Maravich comparisons are RIDICULOUS – no disrespect to anybody. But even Skip 2 My Lou looks like a regular NBA player now, maybe Rubio will be a great player but this comparison is just absurd IMO. He’s a high-risk high-reward pick.

I’ll wear Gallinari’s swingman jersey…. haha. God have mercy.

The Knicks weren’t lucky last year – the fact that he wanted to play in NY wasn’t a factor. I think Gallinari was really the 6th best prospect – and for some reason – the Knicks had the 6th pick. The Grizzlies would have picked Love to trade up for Mayo and the Sonics would have taken Westbrook regardless.

It’s a different scenario.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba…18711&draftyear=2005

Chad Ford’s Analysis: The second big steal in the draft. With a name like Green, Danny Ainge can’t go wrong. In 1998, the Celtics had Paul Pierce inexplicably drop to them. Has lightning struck twice? Green is one of the two or three most athletic players in the draft. He can stroke it. He has superstar potential. It may take a little while, but Green has the chance to be awesome. Pair him with Al Jefferson and other players like Delonte West and Tony Allen and, over the course of the last two years, Ainge has built a nice young core. An awesome pick for Boston.

Draft Projection: No. 3 to 7 overall (This is what he wrote months before the draft)

Notes: Averaged 33 ppg, 12 rpg, 7 apg his senior year at Gulf Shores Academy in Houston, Texas. Green had his coming-out party at the McDonald’s All-American game, scoring 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting and hitting six 3s. He scored 17 points in the Roundball Classic. He first made a name for himself this summer at Michael Jordan’s camp when he held his own playing against some of the top college and NBA players in the country. Green signed with Oklahoma State, but won’t be appearing in Stillwater.

Positives: Green is a super-athletic swingman who has drawn comparisons to a young Tracy McGrady. He possesses great range on his jump shot, can create his own shot off the dribble and is an excellent ball handler. Scouts claim he’s one of the fastest players in the draft.

Negatives: Like most high school players, Green has his share of weaknesses. He needs to put more muscle on his wiry frame. Lately, he’s been settling for a lot of jumpers instead of taking the ball to the hole. Several scouts who have followed him for the past few years also claim he’s very immature.

Summary: The top high school player in the country and one of the draft’s best athletes is still very raw, but once he learns how to play, watch out. The Lakers have been trying to move up to get him.

Or how about the hype over Marvin Williams, who Ford had ranked higer than Chris Paul.

Another guy who had “superstar upside” like Ricky Rubio.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba…18751&draftyear=2005

Chad Ford’s Analysis: The Hawks were tempted to draft Chris Paul because of their need at the point, but at the end of the day they took the best player available. Marvin Williams is an upgrade over Al Harrington and Josh Smith. It will be interesting to see what the Hawks do from here. Obviously they’re going to have to clear up a logjam at the forward position. Maybe they’ll be able to trade Harrington in an effort to acquire the team’s real needs at point guard and center.

Draft Projection: No. 1 to 3 overall (He wrote this after the NCAA Tournament)

Notes: Williams flirted with declaring for the NBA draft after his senior season of high school. Insider projected him as a late lottery pick at the time. After one year of coming off the bench at UNC, he’s now a top-three pick in the draft.

Positives: In a draft bereft of players with star potential, Williams is one of the few guys scouts are universally excited about. Williams is an unbelievable specimen. He has a great NBA body, top-notch athleticism and the ability to play just about anywhere on the court. He has one of the most developed inside-outside games of any prospect, something the Tar Heels rarely took advantage of. He also possesses a fantastic basketball IQ and work ethic.

Negatives: Williams is still young and inexperienced. He came off the bench all season for the Tar Heels and played in a supporting role to Sean May, Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants. He let his nerves get the best of him during North Carolina’s run in the Final Four and didn’t have the impact you’d think from such a highly-rated player. There were no Carmelo Anthony-like shining moments for Williams.

Summary: Williams is Insider’s No. 1-ranked player in the draft. He’s a versatile forward who can play both inside and out. Still developing but has the trappings of a superstar.

Last one, I promise…

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba…19020&draftyear=2007

Chad Ford’s Analysis: He’s been atop our Top 100 since last July and has never moved. He’s the best player in the draft when you factor in position, defensive presence, ability to become an offensive force. Kevin Durant was a hot option, too. But the Blazers are on the path to an NBA title with Oden, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. Look for them to trade Zach Randolph soon to continue the rebuilding.

Draft Projection: Top 2

Similarities: Tim Duncan meets Patrick Ewing

Notes: Oden announced on April 20 that he was declaring for the 2007 NBA Draft and hiring an agent, ending his college eligibility.

Positives: Has lethal combination of size and athleticism. Runs the floor very well. Dominant on the defensive end. Excellent shot blocker and rebounder. Alters so many shots that his numbers alone don’t do him justice. Great hands. Soft touch from inside and a developing jumper. Very good passer out of the post. Smart kid.

Negatives: Doesn’t dominate the way you’d expect him to. Can be almost too nice at times. Doesn’t have the killer instinct, though he started playing with more passion in the second half of the season. Post moves still need work. Wrist fracture sidelined him for the start of the season at Ohio State. His right wrist is still very stiff, forcing him to shoot free throws with his left hand for much of the season.

Summary: The consensus No. 1 pick in the draft despite Kevin Durant’s amazing season. Draws comparisons to Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. He may not be spectacular, but most NBA GMs believe he’ll immediately be one of the top two centers in the league. His strong performance in the NCAA title game gave us a glimmer of what he’s capable of, going for 25 points, 12 boards and 4 blocks.

I’m not saying Rubio’s gonna end up like any of these guys, but in the words of my man Flavor Flav…Don’t..Don’t Believe The Hype!!

Also, everybody tries to compare him to darko and other Euro big men who ended up being busts but it is an entirely different situation. First, like Mucha said, those Euro big men were old when they got drafted. Rubio is still onle 18!

Second, and more importantly, Rubio is a pointguard; he is a floor general with great vision and passing skills and can set the pace for an offense. That kind of talent transitions much better to higher level play because it doesn’t really rely on athleticism.

Yea, big men in Euro might seem dominant against the physical competition they have there, and then just not be able to hold their own in the NBA, but when you’re talking about a pure PG who is only 1 years old, its a completely different story. The fact that he is from Europe has nothing to do with this.

Thank you Mucha and Jeff.

Do I sense some anti-euro sentiment? Why is Rubio deemed the big bust? Arbitrarily labeling busts (two of which weren’t really busts because they were picked in the 2nd round) doesn’t make nor break the case for Rubio. Pretty much every single draft has at least one bust in the lottery, Why can’t it be Griffin, Harden, Hill, DeRozan or Evans? All of them have loads of hype.

I do think Rubio is a bit overhyped, but only because of the fruitfulness of the past 2 draft classes, not because of talent. Just because the NBA has a waning love affair with international prospects which yielded mixed results does NOT attest to Rubio’s value one way or another. Please, if you’re going to tell us to “chill” on the Rubio talk, you should probably give us a good reason.

Also, Chad Ford’s (in)abilities as a judge of talent does not say anything about Rubio either.

1) Chad Ford was one of the few who loved Westbrook going 4th. He wasn’t wrong there.

and

2) Ford is in a long, long, long, long, long, long list of experts who currently see Rubio going after Griffin.

I definitely don’t hold Fords opinion as gospel, but I don’t see it as blasphemy either.

Also, I think you’re jumping the gun by grouping Oden with the busts. He’s barely played 60 games, too small of a sample size.

I watched his entire speech, and LeBron basically said he’s not leaving Cleveland. He talked about growing up in Akron and winning multiple championships with the Cavs.
Accept reality my fellow Knick fans, LeBron James will retire a Cleveland Cavalier. Wade is the one who will “jump-ship” giving us our star, and “revenge” on one Pat Riley.
Hopefully we can draft a PG this year, and sign a C or get one in return for Nate.

My point is that alot of fans are talking about how they’d trade half the roster, plus our pick for a chance to draft a kid who might not be as good as advertised.

I’ve read things like “I’d trade Chandler, Nate, plus our pick for a chance at Rubio” and that’s just plain crazy.

The Guy – I dont understand what the point of all of those scouting reports was. Are you trying to prove that there are busts in the draft? That it is possible to be wrong about someone? And everyone knew Paul was better than Marvin, Oden isn’t a bust AT ALL, and Green fell to like 18 so I dont think you can call him a bust. There are going to be busts in every draft, but in this draft Rubio and Griffin look like the only sure things.

I don’t think it’s fair to compare Rubio to those big men who have ended up as busts. The different in big vs small is that playing in Europe as a big man is not the same as playing in college as a big man. Big men in Europe aren’t asked to bang around the post, it is more of a finesse game, less contact and less boxing out. When you throw in a talented but extremely thin and soft big man into an NBA practice it is completely different than playing against the top European talent. These guys are super athletes in America and it’s not the case in Europe. A point guard’s skills are really universal. And, on top of that, Rubio plays a very NBA style game and has spent his life studying NBA stars (thats why he gets the Pistol comparisons, because he always mentions him as the NBA player he tries to emulate).

Also, Cykiert, those Euro big men (this side of Arvydas Sabonis) were all drafted really young. I think Lampe and Darko were both the youngest NBA players in the league when they were drafted. Only Jasikevicious was signed as a 29 year old after he made a splash in the Olympics. He originally went undrafted out of Maryland.

You don’t think Greg Oden’s a bust? He missed the entire season last year, and a good part of this season with injuries. When he was on the court he was rarely effective.

The irony here is that Kevin Durant is EXACTLY what the Blazers are missing right now. They need a 3 who can score the ball and are rumored to be going after Luol Deng this summer.

My whole point with all those scouting reports is that alot of fans are working themselves into a frenzy over a guy that most of them haven’t seen play all that much.

Everybody’s going on these scouting reports, and they’be been wrong before. Especially when it comes to these Euros.

The fact is, as good as Rubio may be Europe, his team is in 6th place, he’s a step slow, and he can’t shoot. Jasikevicius was a stud in the Euroleague when he played for Maccabi, and many thought his game would translate to the NBA because of his basketball IQ, and his shooting, but he was a bust here.

Sergio Rodriguez, aka Spanish Chocolate, was all the rage in Spain, but is a backup here. A backup to guys like Jarrett Jack and Steve Blake, who are not exactly top tier PGs.

I just want fans to slow down with all these crazy scenarios like, “Whoever gets the # pick, can have our #8, and any 2 of our players. That’s ridiculous.

I agree with that TheGuy but Rubio is a really good prospect IMO and I base my opinion on what I saw even though scouting reports (I like draftexpress) point out details I’m not always aware of.

But Rubio seriously has bust potential. I’d use somebody to trade up if possible because we desperately need talent at the point guard position and an overhyped international pick could put NY in an unusually great position to trade up. But I’d much rather get Jordan Hill if he’s available with our pick (not in a trade up scenario). I would be happy with Curry or Holiday as well, I think either one of them will be available where we draft if we don’t hit the jackpot (top 3 pick).

Wow, that’s really high praise. If he’s right and we get him, I’m going to be a happy camper.