Would the Knicks Trade Up for Thabeet?

I really hope we dont trade up. besides the fast that i hate thabeet, why would we trade up to fill one of our 2 needs, when we can stay at 8 and fill a need w/o giving up anything. If we are at 8 and holliday or curry is there (which it is starting to seem they will not be) then we take one of them. Thabeet is a big question mark, and i would feel much more comfortable trading down and taking flynn or lawson later in the draft then moving up for thabeet.

The Knicks have holes at PG, SG, and center. They can fill any of those at 8.

I’ve said Curry would be ideal for the system… I think Thabeet is the opposite. He’ll make his mark in the NBA but I can’t see it in “seven seconds or less.” If we trade up, then it should be Rubio.

Did we ever work out Harden?

THABEET THABEET THABEET

Wow this sounds like exactly what I’ve been saying for a while….only difference is I DO NOT WANT TO TRADE THE #8 pick TO MOVE UP!

I always said that a defensive/shot blocking CENTER is our #1 need.

We should either….

1. Draft THABEET at #8 if he falls and BUY a late rounder to draft TY LAWSON

OR

2. Trade Mobley’s contract or DAVID LEE to memphis for the #2 (memphis can draft thabeet and we trade lee for him post draft)…with that pick select THABEET then with the #8 pick select Jonny Flynn or trade down to select TY LAWSON.

Getting a starting CENTER and PG this year would be a slam dunk.

We don’t need THABEET to be a scoring force..just putbacks and alley oops…rebounding and HELP defense…BLOCK SHOTS

There is noone on this site that can tell me that this lineup doesn’t get us to the playoffs

Lawson/Duhon
Chandler/Robinson
Harrington/Gallo
Lee (if he isn’t traded)
THABEET

OR

Curry
Chandler
Harrington
Lee
THABEET

Remember we don’t have a 1st rounder in 2010 so we need to get all we can in 2009. If we don’t draft THABEET…Who is our starting CENTER…LEE…no way…22 blocks just isn’t going to cut it.

I wouldn’t be mad if we got Thabeet at #8, but that would only be under the circumstances that we get a player like Jennings, Flynn, or Lawson (in that order). Is it even possible for us to trade away some of our assets to grab another pick within the lottery bw 10-14? I really can’t see another team giving up a lottery pick unless we give up some of our bigger assets. And even then, I don’t know if it’s worth it.

Forget that . Didnt Thabeet refuse work outs or something? I also hear his work ethic is suspect.

We have to be done with those type of players . Hasn’t Donnie learned by simply watching E Curry

Jesus , that scares me . They move up to 2 and take that kid over Rubio , I’m going to seriously wonder

THABUST THABUST THABUST may be more accurate. No need to write like that.

no matter who the knicks draft with the 8th, i hope we get Ty Lawson with a late 1st round pick.

No. He will likely go before the Knicks have a legit chance. I doubt he would even work out for teams out of the top 5.

Seriously, because Thabeet is the only center available this year doesn’t mean that he’ll be good. I just don’t see it, he’s soft and he doesn’t have a great understanding of the game – granted he’ll be a good shotblocker (if he gets enough playing game to show that in the NBA) but that is not enough. He has bust written all over him in my opinion.

I’m scared because the two players I really want the Knicks to stay from (Thabeet and Lawson) are involved in the latest rumors. Hopefully Stephen Curry and Jrue Holiday will put on a show today.

Wouldn’t Minnesota be an ideal destination for Thabeet ?

He can play with Love or jefferson. and compliment them perfectly.
There is no way in heck that Thabeet is dropping down to 8

They have two great young players – Love and Jefferson – who will play together. Why would they add Thabeet? He’d be a back-up. If they are dumb enough to draft him, I’d trade the 8th pick for Kevin Love.

The ideal destinations are OKC and Washington. If they don’t want him, he’ll slip.

Hasheem Thabeet = Shawn Bradley

No thank you.

If Thabeet is the pick, I really feel that they are confident in a future forward rotation of Gallo, Chandler & Harrington, and since none of the three are great rebounders, they need someone at center to p-up the load.

In today’s Hoopsworld chat, one of their writers suggested that all it would take for the Knicks to move up was Jeffries, #8 and cash (3mil) for Darko & the #2. Personally I don’t see this really working, but you never know.

here here

Thabeet wont be a 30 minute a game player for at least a couple years if ever.
Love and Jefferson are too smiliar to be play together effectively.

if you have a three big man rotation of jefferson, love and thabeet.
Thats gold, jerry ! gold!!

love and jefferson will provide the offense, rebounding, girth.
and thabeet will provide the weakside defense, shotblocking, length.

the only point of moving up would be for rubio, or griffin.that’s all.

They can take Thabeet, but they have a glaring hole in their starting lineup at shooting guard / PG (depending on where Foye would play). Thabeet would be a backup. He would fit, but with such a hole in their starting lineup, they would be best served to go the guard route. Probably DeRozan or Evans.

Kevin Love and Al Jefferson are undersized PFs. You start Thabeet and Jefferson and either bring Love off the bench, or trade him. It wouldn’t make sense to start 2 6’9 PFs who are unathletic and don’t play defense together.

Thabeet would be a great fit in Minnesota if he slips.

I would trade jeffries and 8 and cash for Darko and Rubio. No problem. That would kill multiple birds with one stone.

I doubt that is all it would take, but you never know. Jeffries would be a nice fit in Memphis.

Don’t forget your boi Holiday!!!

If we don’t get Curry the ERIC MAYNOR is the guy, we should be able to get him for cash hes a great pure point and he killed Holiday in the UCLA game. He’s a uptempo PG that can make every pass and can score from every where on the court. Maynor and Thabeet would be a solid draft I think Maynor is the biggest sleeper that guy is a winner.

I find it hard to believe that the Grizzlies will give us Rubio, give us an expiring contract in Darco, and take back a lower pick and a bad contract in Jeffries. How does that work?

Thabeet has a chance to be good one day, but realistically, the most likely outcome at this point, especially in the first few years, is a big body you can throw on the floor who stagnates the offense, and gets some blocks. Sammy D? Ratliff? Gortat? There is too big of a chance that he just becomes a typical defensive 7 footer who Greg Pops would like to put next to Duncan. Not worth a lottery pick, especially to a team in this position, who plays in a system that revolves around shooting and ball movement. Unless he has some sort of ridiculous beastly potential, like Dwight did, there’s no way we trade up for him, I am not worried about that at all.

If we trade up for the 2nd pick, it is 100% for Rubio… Not a doubt in my mind, but we would be giving up more than we’re getting, apart from the picks. That’s the difference between 2 and 8. They’re not going to just swap picks, and take our bad contract while their at it.

I know you want blocks, but we can get them from more functional players liHill. Hill is a very good defensive PF who will get blocks, but he is actually pretty nice on offense as well, and has a lot of potential. You don’t draft someone in the lottery just because he’s a big shot blocker, and we need one of those.

The hoopsworld writer is also saying that NBA talent evaluators do not believe Eric Maynor will go in the first round. I doubt that he slips out of round 1. Then again, Mario Chalmers did last year. That was a surprise, but Maynor is more highly regarded this year than Chalmers was last year. Aside from Steve Kyler, I have never heard of anyone believing Maynor was only a second round talent. I really like Lawson or Maynor to the Sixers at 17.

I think the reason that it is reported that DW is enamored with Thabeet is rather obvious. He is the only pure shot blocker in the draft. Thabeet’s offensive game does need work , but it is also encouraging that every year in college he improved.

Also, the fact that it seems the Knicks can rather easily BUY a pick in the latter part of the first round and select a PG there. Since this draft is PG heavy and there are very good PG’s projected towards the bottom of the 1st round such as Maynor and Lawson, it makes pretty good sense to try and grab thabeet.

Thabeet may never grow into a stud, but the fact that he has improved every year shows me that he has a good work ethic. He will be able to block shots and rebound at the next level based on his length alone. I personally see him in a Dikembe mold, not too much offense, but one hell of a post presence.

Im all for grabbing Thabeet, as long as DW grabs a PG later in the draft.

Chad Ford says that there is serious intrigue on Mullens and he even mentions him as a possibility at 8 for the Knicks in his newest mock draft.

Knick fans, do not worry. That will not happen. The Garden faithful would seriously rush the stage in a fit of rage if Mullens was the name called at 8.

Haha, if I go to the draft and Mullens’ name is called, I do not know what I would do. Probably curse a whole lot and then leave I guess. Wow. I am in the library right now laughing hysterically thinking about that.

i dont see how that line-up is much different than last years,except that there will be a rookie at the point,and a rookie at center.you are not giving time to these guys to get used to the NBA.that line-up of yours might get us less than 30 wins.jeezuz christ,where is our offense commin from?,LEE?(i dont think so)THABEET?lol.CHANDLER is barely used to the NBA and he has a whole year of starting behind him.I AM ON THIS SITE and im telling you that first line-up doesnt get us to the play-offs

CHRIS,what is this facination withDARKO? ive been hearing his name for months,doesnt he stink?

If we were able to gamble on him while keeping our 8 pick, I wouldnt mind it..

We could trade with the Wizards for 5, give them Larry Hughes, and we’ll take some of there dead weight with Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, Oleksay Pecherov and the #5 pick. If I was Wizards i would make that deal…

Knicks Get: Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, Oleksay Pecherov, #5 Pick
Wiz Get: Larry Hughes, future 2nd rounder?

Has everyone seen these stats? http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=CombineResults-090602
I know you can’t look too deep into that, but there’s alot of interesting stuff there.

Curry was able to bench 185 pounds more times than Demar Derozan and Earl Clarke, and he has the same standing vertical as DeRozan. Interesting stuff.

Who does Chad Ford have us taking in Mock 4.0?

And Donnie/D’Antoni wouldnt be dumb enough, there would be riots if Mullens was called at 8

Wow, Curry was faster than DeRozan in the 3/4 court sprint. I don’t know how much we can take from this stuff, but i still think it is awesome that the NBA is finally having a real combine…

Isn’t DeRozan supposed to be a crazy athletic specimen?

Flynn has the highest vertical on the list… alright I’m done.

I say consider grabbing Thabeet at 8 if he falls, especially if Rubio, Curry and Holiday are off the board. In no circumstance would I trade up for a center who would barely be a lotto pick in a draft with a mediocre crop of big men.

Harden?

Wiz are probably looking to keep one of those 3 guys if they’re giving up their pick. Especially if they’re shopping Jamison.

Hopefully Donnie’s putting Hoildays name out there so other teams can do what they did last yr with Westbrook and take him because the Knicks “like” him because I can’t see him doing anything for us next year we need to make the playoffs.

Curry can come in a help us right away hes clutch and he took his team deep into the tourney 2 yrs ago. Imagine, the game on the line at the Garden who do think is gonna take that shot Holiday?? Come Annn

Mullens would be a good pickup we need size he would be cheaper than any FA and he does have some potential. In our speedball offense he can score and play defense, the thing is 7 footers change shots whether they like it or not so just putting him out there and him being active will improve our defense.

I meant Bustiday.

OFFENSE…we ranked #5 in offense in the WHOLE league last year…WITHOUT this perfect PG we NEED so much…

Harrington – 20pts a game
Robinson – 17 points a game
Lee – 16 points a game
Chandler – 15 points a game

Gallo – ?

Ford has the Knicks taking Flynn. But his latest mock seems to be pretty much crap, he has a lot of players either dropping or moving way ahead where they should be. For example he has hansborough going like 11th.

How would we get Curry and Thabeet without trading Lee that would be a feat.

Can’t be much worse than JJ or Q, right?

In all seriosuness, he is a 7 footer that has the ability to block shots. Otherwise, he is not that great yet.

I want him only if it means dealing away either Q or JJ. He’s not the ideal player, but he is a legit NBA player and he is worth a shot.

No chance.

Shot-blocking is totally over-rated. A team that plays good D doesn’t need blockers: the weak-side help will contest layups enough to constrain opponents’ FG percentage. A block is needed when someone is badly beaten on his defensive assignment. DO NOT pay extra for shot-blocking ability. it looks great on the highlights but does not have a meaningful impact game-in game-out.

Not at 8. If Mullens was the pick at 8, ….. I do not even think I can finish that sentence. It will not happen though.

That is completely true. Blocking itself, doesn’t really mean anything. But Thabeet, who is great a blocking, represents more than just that. The idea is that having an athletic 7-3 guy in the paint who knows how to contest shots will improve our defense greatly. But since all he can really do is contest shots, we’re so much better off drafting someone with an array of skills, (offensive AND defensive) who happens to be a good defender also. DeRozan, Hill, etc…

If we can’t get Curry or Holiday, i want Hill, i don’t care what position he is, 6-10 athletic PF’s with huge frames who can play offense and defense equally well, are a rare commodity in this league, and when they show up, they are always a BIG deal.

You sound like David Lee’s agent.

That makes no sense your trying to say me blocking your shot is the same as me putting my hands up.

I like Hill as well and I almost wonder if he can play center on this team. I think that Hill looks bigger than 6’9, 235. He certainly played bigger than that at Arizona.

C’mon people say it with me….DEFENSE is our biggest need…who would have the biggest defensive impact on our team…THABEET…he can block shots…and change shots….he just needs to be a PRESENCE to be effective…

Knicks 2008/09

Offense – 4th IN THE LEAGUE 105 points per game right behind…..THE LAKERS

WHY ARE WE NOT THE LAKERS???

DEFENSE – 28th in the league in points per game 107.81 AND defensive field goal percentage 48%…

THE LAKERS – 99.26 points per game…

LET’S LOOK AT POINT DIFFERENTIAL…you guys were watching the same knicks games I was last year when we lost a lot of CLOSE games in the 4th quarter because we could’t KEEP a LEAD….not getting blown out…but couldn’t keep a LEAD

Point Diff

OKC = -6.09 = 23 wins
Wash = -7.46 = 19 wins
Sac = -8.75 = 17 wins
Clippers = -8.76 = 19 wins

Knicks = -2.61 = 32 wins

Chicago = -0.28 = 41 wins
Detroit = -0.48 = 39 wins
Philly = +0.07 = 41 wins
Atlanta = +1.57 = 47 wins

We are not as bad as we think we are…we aren’t OKC Sac or the Clipps…

2-3 more stops would do a WORLD of difference in our win total

All we need is 9 more wins for a 6th seed?????

If THABEET can average 2-3 blocks per game…or be a defensive presence in the 4th quarter when we have a LEAD…9 wins is NOTHING….the difference between us and Atlanta is….

4.18 points per game

2-3 blocks = 4-6 points per game….lee had 22 blocks ALL SEASON as a CENTER…in 82 games…we need more than that…if THABEET averaged 3 blocks per game …that’s 246 blocks or unsuccessful possessions for the other team…or….492 points GONE…THIS IS WHAT WE NEED…even before we get a PG.

Ur right…when Pat Ewing was blocking shots it didn’t mean anything

Or when Dwight Howard does it….it means nothing…or Pau Gasol…I bet if you looked at every starting center in the league…Lee’s blocks would be the worst

Thabeet may get you 2 or 3 blocks a game, but that’s IT! Just because we need defense, doesn’t mean we should stop drafting for potential and just take the big guy who blocks shots. You want 2 blocks a game? RONNIE TURIAF! SAMMY D! Defensive big men who can come in and be a ‘presence’ and block two shots. That is what you want to waist a top ten pick on?

Its not as simple as, add 2 blocks and game and we are the 6th seed.

Don’t we want to build a great team, with great players, for the future? A team that can be a no. 1 seed? And you want to waist a top ten pick on a guy because he can ‘get 2 blocks a game?’ That makes no sense. You can get those 2 blocks so easily via trade or free agency for NOTHING. That is just not what the draft is for.

But he’s a PF…and we need a CENTER…why have 8 forwards and no center…Jaokim Noah??? 9th pick…Brook Lopez…Athletic 7 footers are hard too find

Apparently, if Ronnie Turiaf were in this draft, you would take him with the 8th pick because he gets 2 blocks a game, and our team needs blocks. Please… it’s not that simple at all.

I would be a fan of drafting the big guy if he fell to 8… but if he doesnt, the only person to trade up for is rubio.

If he did fall to 8, then draft him… draft lawson with a bought late pick (or just buy lawson after he is drafted? can that happen?)

You can then bring in nash to play with the new guy, while trading duhon (someone will want him).

If we had Thabeet, it seems that it would be a precursor to signing Stoudamire or Bosh, as a strong D center would pair very well with either one of them.

I’d just pick Stephen Curry/Jrue Holiday/Tyreke Evans at #8 and try to make a minor move for Tyler Hansbrough.

I’d much rather try to get Milicic (who’s just 1 1/2 year older than Thabeet) or Marcus Camby than waste a lottery pick on Thabust.

Thabeet is gonna be an okay player, not a superstar, not an all-star, just a good defensive role player. Everyone says he screams with potential, truth is, no he doesnt. Hes way to soft to survive in the NBA, He had trouble containing DeJuan Blair in college, what is he gonna do vs Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Shaq?

Impereal- The stats you had above result from strong team defense. Strong team defense on many teams results from a strong interior presence on defense. That presence gives the perimeter defenders more confidence to play tighter on their men and thus gives them the confidence to not allow open looks from the outside.

The question is not whether Thabeet can help us defensively, it is more if he is worht trading up to get. If he falls to 8, I believe he’d be the pick because that would likely mean that Curry, etc. could be gone. But that is unlikely right now.

Turiaf cannot be compared to Thabeet. Thabeet is a 7’3” center whereas Turiaf is an energetic pf off the bench.
Thabeet does have potential, he is not a bad free throw shooter and should keep improving in that category, which is a plus for a big man. Also the games I saw him play in, while he is raw, he is a good finisher around the rim (as anyone would expect from a 7’3” center)
If he adds bulk and a few post moves, and i understand that that is an IF, Thabeet can be a big time player in the NBA.
A worthwhile read today on espn.com by JA Adande highlights Kareems hookshot. if Thabeet can learn just one move like this albeit Kareems hookshot is no easy shot to learn i have no doubt he will be a force.
Thabeet runs the floor extremely well for a big man and would fit in well in the knicks system.
If the knicks do take him, IMO, they would have to buy a pick for a PG later. i.e. Lawson, Teague, Maynor etc.
I would like to either see them go that road, or take curry , flynn , etc at 8 and try and get Mullens at 20-25. The knicks need a CENTER AND a PG.

Btw, i am in love with mcclinton out of Miami who is a projected second rounder, i think he has big time play making ability.

On the contrary: I think Lee is wildly overrated. Like most “hustle” players, he gets a fan and media following, but he contribution doesn’t match it. Lee’s deficiency isn’t that he doesn’t block shots: it’s that he doesn’t understand how to play D. He is awful coming over from the weak side and is consistently beaten off the dribble. His defensive positioning is poor, which — ironically — increases his rebound totals (becuase he’s often under the hoop when he should have been out contesting the player on the way in). This is a reason why hew should go: D’Antoni won’t teach him D and without that Lee is a very limited player.

How does thabeet fit into the system? Because he can run? That is just a broad generalization that doesn’t actually apply. People think that fast players are meant for this system, it doesn’t work like that.

To fit in this system you have to be a smart player with good hands who knows how to make quick decisions and make a variety of different shots. Right now thabeet is NOTHING more than a much weaker version of greg oden, so explain to me how that could possibly work out in this system.

He has NO hands. the only reason he can ‘finish around the rim,’ in college, is that he is 7’3. He has no offensive skills whatsoever, and its not like he has huge upside physically, like dwight did when they drafted him. He’s just a 7 footer who can help on defense, that is IT – especially for the first 3-5 years of his career.

No way at all we would ever trade up for him. If the guys we want are gone at 8, i could maybe see us taking him, but it would make much more sense to just draft the best all around player and try to snatch a guard later in the draft. Thabeet is just not the answer at all.

I think they’ve had a real combine for several years now

Darko is more proven to be a waste of space than Thabust as you want to call him. I would say Holiday will be a bust he did nothing in college to warrant a # 8 pick some said that he should have went back to college he prob didn’t because he would have been exposed. I’m not saying take Thabeet with our 8th pick but we should look into trading for him while keeping the 8th. Thabeet averaged 4blks a game and was a anchor for his teams defense what did Jrue do to be put in the conversation with impact players in college last yr nothing. Evans led his team Curry led his team Holiday couldn’t even take the starting job from Collison he’s unproven, I hope the Knicks pass.

I never said that we trade up for thabeet, im saying if hes available at 8 grab him.
I for one believe that has very soft hands.
I see him as a guy who is constantly improving and i like him as an NBA player and a Knick. Thats my opinion and you dont have to agree, thats the purpose of a blog.
I also see Thabeet as the biggest game changer in the draft on defense , and he would make a good pick at 8, which is all i was saying.

The guy is 4 inches taller than dwight howard…he’s taller than shaq….He’s a True CENTER…which does not come along every day.

13.6 points (on 7 shots per game)
64% from the field
11 rebounds (4 offensive)
4.2 BLOCKS
1.9 TO’s
2.5 PF’s per game (which means he stays out of foul trouble AND stays IN the game)

Excellent stats from your center

Al Jefferson is 7 feet… or at least 6’11

“Strong team defense on many teams results from a STRONG INTERIOR PRESENCE ON DEFENSE = THABEET. That presence gives the perimeter defenders more confidence to play tighter on their men and thus gives them the confidence to not allow open looks from the outside.”

You are correct Chris…our perimeter defenders know that if they DO get beat DAVID LEE ain’t blocking nobody’s shot…or even taking a charge…NOTHING…so now they can’t take risks…can’t play up on them at the 3 point line because they are afraid if they blow by them on the dribble there is noone to block or change their shot…Once you get past our perimeter defense that’s IT…with THABEET back there you can play the passing lanes etc because if you miss…good luck taking it to the rim with my teammate THABEET waiting for you. That we elevate THE WHOLE DEFENSE….right?

We agree though in principle….IF THABEET fall to #8 he should be the pick…I love Curry…if we can get both GREAT…if I gotta pick one I’m going with THABEET….I’m NOT A FAN OF TRADING UP AT ALL

Oh and BUY a pick to get Ty Lawson

I prefer Curry and Evans as well. Aquiring Thabeet wouldn’t be a bad move but I wouldn’t draft a couple of blocks per game with the #8 pick.

What are you talking about, David Lee can make a Variety of shots!!?? Oh you mean one handed dunk, two handed dunk, reverse dunk, lefty layup, righty layup. He can’t hit a 15 footer with out 12 trys Lee has no post up game at all.

Thabeet’s defense will mask any holes in his offense like Curry’s offense will mask holes in his D but at PF/C its more important to be a great defender than a great offensive player.

Thabeet fits because he can get up and down the court at 7’3″ and he can PNR and hes a big target in the paint that we don’t have oh did I mention hes a great defensive center. We were too perimeter oriented last year, its not far fetched to say you can throw the ball down to Thabeet and get a high percentage shot and if they double team you kick it out for what the knicks do best. Thabeet fits you’d probably be surprised how well.

Al Jefferson is 6-10.

Anyways The_Guy, their best players are big men, why would they draft another one considering the fact that they have other voids to fill? They need a big point guard, a shooting guard with passing skills or a swingman. Curry, Evans or DeRozan will be available where they draft.

Looks good to me.

Haha, nah, you know, this guy is just the third best point guard prospect in my opinion and I rank Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans and James Harden ahead of him. And I like Johnny Flynn.

Holiday’s clearly not my favorite prospect.

Yeah but the competition will be better in the NBA. He struggled against the best big men in college – how will he play against Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Al Jefferson or Pau Gasol??? I mean he was outplayed by… DeJuan Blair.

Oh yeah, Cheikh Samb is 7-1, the fact that Thabeet is taller than Shaq/Dwight etcetera is totally irrelevant in my opinion.

Double team Thabeet? Why would anybody do that? He averaged only 7.7 shot attempts per game in college!

If we pick holiday…

…I will have just as much respect for Donnie Walsh as i do for Isiah Thomas.

Thank you…… I agree 100%

Trading up to the 2 spot is a must if Donnie can get it done. Once we get the spot Donnie and Mike D should decide who will help us most. Rubio or Thabett are the obvious choices. We need a center and good centers are hard to find. Let’s hope we get the center.

Hes 7’3″ if hes scoring in the post teams wont continue to have him beat them down low tall big men get doubled when they score.

Holiday has potential, just isnt proven. He played SG in college, and i heard he played SG his senior year of HS, so, he hasnt played competitively at the PG spot, since his junior year of HS, but he plans on playing it in the NBA? Thats the only part of Holiday on why i’d be dissapointed in drafting him, but his defense is excellent and his upside is sky high.

“IF he’s scoring” !!! The question is, will he find a way to score and average more shot attempts in the NBA?

That’s a HUGE if.

I think everyone has been aware of your anti-Holiday crusade.

Thabeet isn’t legit 7-3. I believe he came in at 7’1.25”

I agree in that I don’t think Thabeet will be an outright bust. But certainly not trading up material. His basketball instincts are still poor, but he does have game changing potential ala Birdman or Joakim Noah.

Jrue Holiday is a high-risk high-reward prospect, he could be a monumental bust or an All-Star. In a way he’s like Hasheem Thabeet, both are risky picks but at least they’ll (should) be good defenders.

But there’s the “gut feeling” factor and I believe that Holiday will be a good player in a couple of years – but I have A LOT of doubts regarding Thabeet.

He struggled against Dejuan Blair because Blair is a freaking beast and thats all I really heard of. I think thabeet will only have problems with the big post players like Shaq, DH is pretty strong but not like shaq.
He falls to 8 grab him but please don’t trade up for him.

I’ve always loved Hansbrough. IMO, he’d be a great Knick IF we didn’t have Lee already.

Darko or Camby seems a bit more interesting. Camby in the Garden, even at this time in his career would be more than welcome. You’d have Camby, Lee (I just see him being re-signed for a reasonable deal), Darko, Chandler, and Curry/Duhon. Like or hate him, I just think Stephen will be the pick.

I don’t think Thabeet has quite the potential Jrue has, but you’re right, both are crapshoots with size and athleticism.

I’d much rather pick up Gortat for the MLE or trade for Camby as a rent a player to fill our defenseive Center needs than potentially wasting a draft pick and other assets on a player that could be a bust like Thabeet.

There are only 3 scenarios that will make me happy.

1. Trade up for Rubio (or trade for him after signing Lee/Nate)

2. Select Curry

3. If both those players are gone at #8, trade down for a second pick and then use one of them for Ty Lawson.

To me, anything else is a gamble or stupid. There are other players that may develop past either Curry and/or Lawson, but they could also be busts and I think we can be certain that Curry/Lawson fit perfectly and will be able to contribute now and over the long term.

Like Marc Jackson would say I’m a truth teller.

First off the Knicks need did 2 do whatever it takes to showcase eddy curry and give him enough minutes to show his worth and hopefully find a taker or hey if he plays well theres your center. I have also liked the big guy and you gotta feel sorry for all the stuff he has gone through in his personal life. also, hopefully the reason why he was not a good defensive player was because he could not afford to waste an energy on defense bc he was so spent after being the focal point of the offense with isiah and he was out of shape. this is just hoping, but hopefully when and if he comes in the best shape of his career then he will be more agile and in mikes system he wont be the focal point of the offense so he wont get as tired. what im saying is it MIGHT be hard to showcase eddy curry while at the same time playing and DEVELOPING thabeet. he is a project and if your lookin ahead at 10… i doubt bron wants to be playing with projects, kind of like kobe did not want bynum. rubio or curry would be the best fits for this team. and im not so sure about this we need to make the playoffs philosophy… what we need to do is clear enough space for next yr and hope that bron will agree with one of his buddies and sign together to play for the knickerbockers. lebron wont care if the knicks make the playoffs as the eight seed and lose in the first round in 09 10 but what he will care about is if anyone else is jumping aboard playing at the Garden. trade up for rubio and hope curry falls 2 eight.

No way they go Mullens at 8!! but you see Sam Young moved up four spots lol.

I am still of the mind that we should Move down for more picks then up for 1 pick.

What about Lee,Duhon, Gallo & the Mobley contract & the 8th pick for

Deron Williams & there 24th…….Then Nate, J.Jeffries to the Griz for Darko & the 27th pick.

I know you may say “why would they give up D.Will?” but the facts are that there team as is will do no better then it has and they may lose both Boozer & Millsap! So why not say hey we can get Lee who is perfect for us & Gallo who could also be really good as well as the 8th pick to reload at PG at the same time saving a ton of money.

We on the other hand get the PG we need and the 20th pick & if we can

trade Nate & J.J for Darko & the 27th pick we would be in real good shape.

PG)D.Will
SG)Huges
SF)Chandler
PF)Harrington
C)Darko

We can mix in whoever we pick at 20 & 27 and we should look pretty

good. By 2010 we will have dumped salary have an all star PG, young

talent & money for one more all star (Stoudemire) after that im ready to

roll!!

No way they go Mullens at 8!! but you see Sam Young moved up four spots lol.

I am still of the mind that we should Move down for more picks then up for 1 pick.

What about Lee,Duhon, Gallo & the Mobley contract & the 8th pick for
Deron Williams & there 24th…….Then Nate, J.Jeffries to the Griz for Darko & the 27th pick.

I know you may say “why would they give up D.Will?” but the facts are that there team as is will do no better then it has and they may lose both Boozer & Millsap! So why not say hey we can get Lee who is perfect for us & Gallo who could also be really good as well as the 8th pick to reload at PG at the same time saving a ton of money.

We on the other hand get the PG we need and the 20th pick & if we can
trade Nate & J.J for Darko & the 27th pick we would be in real good shape.

PG)D.Will
SG)Huges
SF)Chandler
PF)Harrington
C)Darko

We can mix in whoever we pick at 20 & 27 and we should look pretty
good.

By 2010 we will have dumped salary have an all star PG, young
talent & money for one more all star (Stoudemire) after that im ready to
roll!!

Deron Williams isn’t going anywhere. Period.

[...] some things (and thank you all for you comments and emails, and congrats to Alvino for a post that has nearly hit the century mark comments-wise. We really appreciate all the Gym Rat’s energy and devotion) about how we haven’t [...]

Who knew Thabeet would rile up Knick fans so much. I can only imagine what it would be at the Garden if he really is our draft pick

remember the fierce boooooooos that GALLO took last year when he was announced?

If the Knicks do try to trade up, I really do it’s for Rubio. Not Thabeet.