…it was the night of the point guard. And nothing captivated the audience at the WaMu like the Wolves selecting Flynn and then Ricky Rubio. Do yourself a favor and read the account of Rubio’s back stage journey from freedarko.com, one that he wasn’t too excited about.

“…It’s time for Ricky to make the phone call. We all hunch over at the table as he dials. The timid kid looks in my general direction as the conversation unfolds. Rubio damns with feint praise.

“I hear Al Jay-fer-sohn es um…guuudeee…”

There are long pauses.

“My buyout? I don’t know…eet eez very compleecated.”

For the sake of propriety, Rubio is trying. His cadence betrays any attempt. He’s not a bullshit artist; he’s a teen unhappily coping with fate-altering forces. The kid can’t fake enthusiasm for the process any more than I could happily sell cars.The Wolves are likely using him as a trade chip, but I’m sure the other end of the phone call is shouted faux enthusiasm for the great mutual future on the horizon. American basketball executives can BS better than scared 18-year-old Spanish kids…more.”

The buzz, as you may remember, was that Rubio’s camp was furious at the Wolves. Not so much that he didn’t like Minnesota, but because they drafted Flynn. Anyone else curious why all the draftees were asking who went to Phoenix?

Was sent an article by my boy Drew written by Chad Ford where he talks about General Managers and executives’ take on prospects and highlighting Brandon Jennings.

“…In early June, there was anything but a consensus on what kind of NBA player he’d become, and NBA executives and scouts traveling to the Reebok Eurocamp were furious that Jennings was a last-minute scratch.

According to one veteran general manager:

“We all came to see whether this kid can really play. I’d heard the hype, watched the video and heard various opinions from my scouts. I wanted to see how he stacked up against other top kids his age. Then he doesn’t show. He sure isn’t making this easy on us. You want to like the kid, but he ain’t giving you a lot to go on…”
The Grizzlies (2nd), Thunder (3rd), Warriors (7th) and Raptors (9th) weren’t really in the hunt for a point guard. The Kings (4th) had ruled out Jennings after a shaky workout and were deciding between Tyreke Evans and Ricky Rubio. The Wolves (5th and 6th) were considering Jennings, but he was behind Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio and Stephen Curry on their board. The Knicks were set on taking Curry or Jordan Hill, whoever was left.

Duffy couldn’t get a team to commit to Jennings and eventually decided to pull Jennings from the NBA green room to avoid a potential embarrasment.

Just hours before the draft, things started to turn Jennings’ way. The Bucks had been on the fence between Jennings and Jrue Holiday. For much of the past month they had been leaning toward Holiday, but in the final 24 hours they began to have a change of heart.

“Jennings has so much upside,” a Bucks source told me hours before the draft. “Sometimes you have to gamble a little. The great teams take calculated risks. I think we need to take a calculated risk.”

Two hours later the Bucks jumped in head first and drafted him with the 10th pick. (more…)

Kudos to Pete Vecsey for flat-out asking Donnie Walsh his preference between Ricky Rubio and Stephen Curry in terms of who he would have drafted had the opportunity presented itself. It was something Alan Hahn has been telling us for some time.

“…”Curry,” Walsh answered when asked whether he would have taken Stephen Curry or Ricky Rubio. “Not only is he a great shooter but he can get his shot on anyone. Opponents look at his baby face and figure they can manhandle him. Meanwhile he tore up every top-rated guard he went up against at our workout, including Tyreke Evans, who might be the best player in the draft next to Blake Griffin…”

Interesting that Curry would be the pick over Rubio in my opinion based on the fact that Rubio seems to fit D’Antoni’s style a little better. Granted, I liked Curry as a facilitator and shot maker given space, but I thought Walsh for sure was targeting Rubio and heard several things of the like.

That being said, Walsh didn’t aggressively move in on Curry or move up one spot to take him at #7, which makes me wonder just how much in love they were with him. And judging from what’s coming out of Golden State, Curry isn’t a great fit with teammate Monta Ellis.

Update: Source tells me that it’s more Donnie Diligence, in terms of the delay, than trying to make a roster move, although that could happen soon after the offer sheet. The way the deal will be structured will ensure the Bucks don’t match. I really still can’t believe that part.

Via Hahn’s Tweet: “What I have been told is the Knicks want Sessions and they will eventually get him. The price remains TBD. 13 minutes ago…”

Just had an interesting and long conversation with a former Eastern Conference scout who told me that he doesn’t think Ramon Sessions is the right fit for Mike D’Antoni’s pick and roll offense.

“.I like Sessions a lot,” the scout said. ” But he can’t shoot. In D’Antoni’s system, which is predicated on the screen/roll, all a big man has to do is go under the screen and dare Sessions to shoot. That’s not a good thing.”

I doubt this notion is the reason for the contract holdup, obviously they wouldn’t have sit downs with Sessions’ agent if it were. But, it seems that other teams can easily scout the Knicks should Sessions take over for major minutes. Clearly, to me, it would seem that the only Knicks want Sessions at the right number and don’t have the confidence in him quarterbacking the offense that they did with an aging Jason Kidd. So the question becomes does Sessions’ elusiveness outweigh his lack of shooting range? To me, I like a guard who doesn’t shoot first, but at some point you have to be able to knock them down. Sessions only attempted 36 three pointers this year, but he is a 44% shooter from the floor.

Despite working hard on a deal, the Knicks have yet to sign Sessions to an offer sheet.

The scout also had this to say about Nate Robinson, which is why he isn’t surprised the restricted free agent guard hasn’t received a contract offer.

“…If he (Nate) isn’t the most disliked player in the league, he’s certainly right up there. Every player I know can’t stand him.”

Meantime, the scout, who recently left his post and is heading to the college ranks, went on to say that he feels that Danilo Gallinari is ready for a bust out sophomore season and that his team had Jordan Hill very high on their draft board in June.

“Hill is certainly a top-3 talent, but we had some questions. But he was never falling to us so it didn’t matter.”

According to the Pioneer Press, Rick Rubio is prepared to stay overseas, making the choice of drafting Jonny Flynn a huge mistake for David Kahn.

The report was that Rubio was content with the Wolves for about 4 minutes until the drafted Flynn, leading to Rubio’s disgust with Minnesota.

“…The Minnesota Timberwolves’ top draft pick, Ricky Rubio, 18, will remain in Spain to play for his DKV Joventut basketball team for the remaining two years of his contract rather than try to move to the NBA this season, El Periodico reported today. The Barcelona newspaper also says Rubio, who was paid $97,000 last season, plans to withdraw his contract lawsuit against DKV Joventut…”

So let’s see, Rubio is going to stay with his old team? This smells like yet another play for Rubio. Dropping the lawsuit is an interesting turn of events and one that I am shocked at.  How could the Wolves NOT try him soon and get for him while his value is so high? How can they let him sit overseas?

Two things of note this morning:

• Via the Minnesota Star Tribune is reporting that the Knicks did offer Chandler and 8 to move up for Rubio and the Wolves declined. Why on earth would the Wolves would decline, I have no idea. They also noted that the Knicks had Rubio on top of their list ahead of Curry, which we figured all along.

“… The Wolves did turn down that Knicks’ offer of No. 8 and Wilson Chandler for the No. 5, which Donnie Walsh would have used to take Rubio and not Stephen Curry…”

• Mitch Lawrence is reporting the Rockets made an offer for Rubio.

“…Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reported that the Wolves turned down a deal with the Houston Rockets that would have resulted in Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier headed to Minnesota for Ricky Rubio…”

Finger point to Alvino’s boy natesbury126

Kudos to Hahn for adding clarity to the Lee and Nate situations:

“…The Knicks can entertain sign-and-trade discussions involving both Lee and Robinson on July 9, after the seven-day moratorium. There is expected to be a strong market for Lee, who led the NBA with 62 double-doubles, and there are teams with cap space that have an interest. The Pistons could attempt to sign him to an offer sheet if they do not go after Carlos Boozer and the Trail Blazers are also said to be in hot pursuit, but more likely in a sign-and-trade scenario.

For the Knicks to keep him, Lee and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, would likely have to agree to a back-loaded deal to protect the cap space in 2010. Walsh would also have to first find a way to move either Eddy Curry ($11.2 million against the cap in 2010-11) or Jared Jeffries ($6.8 million) off the roster to offset Lee’s contract, which could command up to $8 million per year or more. Consider the range of these comparables: Troy Murphy ($11 million), Andris Biedrins ($9 million) and Udonis Haslem ($7.1 million)…”

Andrew and I have come to the agreement that you’re looking at a 60% chance Lee is traded and a 40% chance they manage a sign and trade. There is no chance, we believe, that Lee signs an offer that Walsh won’t match meaning no team will push the Knicks into a situation where they have to pay him too much and risk getting nothing in return.

On another note,  I’ve had enough of the Jordan Hill is Channing Frye, Chris Wilcox or Mikki Moore nonsense that’s been going around. I’ve had Hill on top of the board for a reason. Let’s pretend, shall we, that Hill shaved his dreads and went to Wake Forest. College careers, in terms of team success, have nothing to do with a player’s ceiling. Did Tim Duncan ever make a Final Four?

Hill’s upside is off the charts, but more importantly, he has the organization’s trust that he’ll be able to come in and have and impact. Frye had to compete with Lee, and if memory serves, it was Isiah who thought he was too soft. So Isiah stuck with the scrappy Lee more because the fans loved him, (and Zeke needed all the cheers he could get) and Lee rewarded Zeke with solid play. And all the draft experts had no clue who Lee was coming out of Florida.  But that’s what archives are for.

In all honesty, Hill started playing as a junior in high school and he ran into a tough situation at Arizona in terms of there being a ton of distractions. The best piece of advice I received once came from the editor of a major sports magazine who told me “talent is great but potential is reached when it’s recognized and allowed to flourish by someone in management who believes in you.” I believe that Hill can flourish in D’Antoni’s system and he will be allowed to flourish.

Besides Blake Griffin, what big over the past few years has had the package of size, speed and athleticism that Hill possesses? Sure, the odds are that bigs chosen early become less productive than guards, just look at the history of the draft, but it’s tough to imagine that Hill won’t be a big part of the rotation next year.

Also, as always, thanks to all the callers and listeners who have quickly made TKB Radio one of the top 10 most popular sports shows on BTR. As you guys know, blogtalkradio has established itself as one of the driving forces in Internet radio.

Had the chance to chat up foxsports.com’s Pete Schrager at the draft the other night, as we were posted up right next to each other and all of us kind of scratched our head at James Harden’s getup after he went 3rd to OKC. Everyone seemed surprised that he went with the Diddy butler-look.

Check out Pete’s take on the prospect’s gear and some blasts from the past.

“…You see, for too long we’ve been devoid of creative wardrobe selections at the NBA Draft. Throughout the ’80′s and ’90s, watching this event meant three things: the Dallas Mavericks screwing something up, TNT’s Bob Neal announcing each pick, and absolutely absurd clothing choices.

Crazy get-ups and head-scratching accessories were the glue to the early years of the televised NBA Draft. Hell, they were the highlights.

Some examples?

How about Samaki Walker’s nifty get-up to the 1996 NBA Draft? Sweet hat, Samaki.

Or Karl Malone’s interesting “skinny tie” look at the 1985 Draft?

Jalen Rose’s 1995 candy cane-striped tuxedo probably takes the proverbial Draft Day suit cake.

Comedians Randy and Jason Sklar, co-hosts of the ESPN Classic show “Cheap Seats”, went to Michigan with Rose back in the mid ’90s. On the now legendary ’95 Draft suit, Randy jokes, “I think his suit came with a pimp cup. When he took the obligatory photo on stage, he actually handed David Stern his scepter so he could put on his hat.”

If Rose’s rosy red outfit was the George Washington of noteworthy Draft Day suits, Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon might be the other suits on that Mount Rushmore…” more.

Two highlights for me was the brave act that both Rubio and Curry put on when walking up after hearing their names announced.

But by far the funniest moment of the night was the intensity that Ty Hansbrough went up there with. He was freekin pumped, you know like WWE pumped. I thought he was going to suplex Stern. The intensity grew when the fans started to chant “overrated.” Either way, you know Psycho T wakes up in a sweat.

Got an interesting Tweet from “Section 518″ who had a thought that I had on Thursday once I heard that Ty Lawson was traded to Denver.

Walsh loves Lawson, and it may seem that the Rubio deal doesn’t have the right parts. Not sure the Wolves would want David Lee with both Kevin Love and Al Jefferson up front. Do they do Chandler and Nate? Who knows. Rubio’s camp wants out and the situation could really drag out.

The Nuggs apparently offered Linas Kleiza for David Lee, which Walsh turned down. Does Ty Lawson cause the deal to be revisited?

That won’t be easy. We reported that Denver wanted to jump into the mix to get a point guard pre draft, so that they can groom the player under Chauncey Billups. And more importantly, George Karl bleeds Tarheel blue as well, but they are on the cusp of a championship and could use Lee’s energy more than that of a rookie PG.

You would have to figured that it would have went down, or go down by Wednesday so that David could negotiate with Denver, who we knows loves him.

Not sure what the legalities are since the Nuggs are over the cap, but there might be a fit here between the Knicks and the Nuggs.

Just wanted to take a second to ask you guys a quick question as I shake off a long evening at Mohegan Sun. You want the quick recap? Got down, went to the ATM, made a huge run, which would have been equivalent of a 20-2 spurt causing several time outs from the other team and then ultimately left breaking even.

Won’t be back there for a while, so had to get it out of my system.

Anyway, again with Drew manning the controls, Alvino getting the fan’s (along with Johnny Hoops and Trautwig) perspective, Myles playing hurt, Big Ben getting our take and your boy scouring the room for rumors.

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As always feel free to give your feedback below.  You guys make us better.

Via Sheridan:

“…In hindsight, the Knicks had some huge regrets Friday. Two weeks ago, they were convinced Rubio would be off the board at No. 5, leading them to turn down a deal that would have sent Larry Hughes and Chandler to Washington for Etan Thomas, Mike James, Oleksiy Pecherov and the No. 5 pick (New York would not have surrendered the eighth pick in that trade), and Washington ended up getting Miller and Foye for the pick…”

If this were true that shows you how high they are on both Hill and Chandler and maybe not so high on Curry or Tyreke Evans. If they moved to 5 they could have secured Curry or Rubio and still landed Hill at 8.

Now, you’d have to figure, that Chandler is an absolute D’Antoni favorite.

I’m really not to sure if I buy this anyway. Why would Washington pull a deal two weeks before the draft? You’d have to think that they would have waited up until the draft, which is what ultimately ended up happening.

And of course, cheers to our old friend Donald Sterling for apparently nixing a deal that would have bagged him Darko and Greg Buckner for Z-Bo.

Also, kudos to Marc Berman for calling Jordan Hill, or at least getting us all looking in that direction…thanks to those of us visiting from overseas. You guys don’t need a passport to come to TKB, and it’s really neat to think that we stretch that far. Keep checking in for all sorts of Rubio information.

Highlights of new Knicks Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas

Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FoxSports.  Check out his blog at Good’N'Plenty.

Interview with Jeff Goodman, Foxsports.com

CA: How did you like the draft overall?

JG:  It was okay. It didn’t blow me away.  There were interesting picks with Minny and Curry to Golden State. I don’t know what Kahn was thinking taking Rubio and Flynn.  Both are playmakers and they both need the ball in their hands to be effective.  I don’t see them being a good match together in backcourt.  They have to deal one right away.

CA: Some say it was a weak draft class.  Do you agree?  Or do you think this draft was simply filled with potential solid NBA players, and not necessarily all-star NBA players?

JG: Other than Griffin, there are a lot of good pieces.  A lot of guys will play a long time in the NBA.  It is a good draft, not a great draft. 

CA:  Biggest Trade of the Off-season thus far?  Shaq to Cavs?  Carter to Magic? Jefferson to Spurs? 

JG:  Big names. Big contracts. Shaq is probably the biggest acquisition for the near term.  Cleveland is now in position where the addition of one more player can lead the franchise to a title.  I do not know if any other trade will do that for their respective teams. 

CA: If Cavs had Shaq last season, do they win the title? 

JG: I do not know if anyone was going to beat the Lakers.  The Lakers were the best team last year. If Garnett stayed healthy, the Celtics could have beaten them again, but he was hurt.

CA: What do you think of Knicks draftee, Jordan Hill?

JG: I saw Hill play more than most people.  He is very raw and athletic, but he is mechanical.  In an ordinary year, Hill goes in the 20′s.  He is  a hit-or-miss prospect.  I do not know if he can handle NY.  He is a deep south kid, and he might be eaten up in NY. As a defender, Hill is not very smart.  He leaves his guys open on a block sometimes and allows for easy lay-ups. He is just okay as a defender. He’ll help as a shot-blocker though.  Hill is foul prone at times.  He commits dumb reach-in fouls consistently.  He doesn’t know how to use his body well.  I see Hill as more of a good big man off the bench.

First of all, Goodman is a good dude.  I met him last night at the draft, and he was nice enough to stop and chat with me for a second.  He was a bit busy, but he gave me contact info and I was able to talk to him for a while today.

As a college basketball writer, Goodman obviously has an abundance of insight on the players selected last night.  As he told me, he has seen a lot of Jordan Hill.  Much to my dismay and probably to the dismay of every Knicks fan, Goodman is not as high on the big forward as the Knicks front office.  He did not especially like the pick and he believes that the Knicks should have used the pick on point guard, even if that guard was a risky pick.

I would love to sit hear and disagree with what Goodman said.  I would love to be able to respond by pointing out the qualities that make him a sure fire bet as a legit NBA big man.  I would love to say, “Hey Jeff, you’re wrong.”  The problem is that I cannot do any of those things.  I have not seen Hill play enough to make a definitive judgment on him as a player.  I have heard comparisons to Amare Stoudemire.  NBADraft.net has compared him to Bosh.  HoopsHype.com compares him to Chris Wilcox and Ronny Turiaf.  Based on what I have seen, Hill is not any of those players.  Because Amare blew up in D’Antoni’s system, some people expect Hill to fit into that mold.  Here is the problem with that idea.  Amare Stoudemire is Amare Stoudemire because of his explosive attitude and explosive athleticism.  Hill is a good athlete, but he is not Amare.  Not many people are on par Amare Stoudemire in that department.  Chris Bosh is a silky smooth offensive player.  Hill is not that.  Wilcox and Turiaf are not as good as Hill offensively.  I can almost see the Wilcox comparison.  Like Hill, Wilcox does not use his size well on defense.  He leaves you scratching your head at times because he is so athletic and he has so much potential to be a force on the defensive end.  Also, Wilcox, for his length and athleticism, is a poor shot-blocker.  Because of that, Hill is not quite on par with Wilcox if you ask me.  But based on what Jeff said above, I can almost see the Wilcox comparison defensively.

At 8, Rubio, Evans, and Curry were all off the board.  Terrence Williams, Brandon Jennings, and Jrue Holiday were all left.  But would any of those guys have been a smarter pick than Hill?  Williams is going to be a good player.  No question.  But will he be a star?  The jury is still out on Jennings and Holiday being able to make it as premier point guards.  One thing that cannot be taught is size.  At least Hill has that.  But as Jeff noted above, Hill can be a bit mechanical with his game.  Guys like Amare and Bosh are fluid on the court.  Athleticism means nothing when you are clumsy in the basketball sense.  Hill will have to continue to become a more fluid player on the court. 

My friend Danny Kilduff wrote to me, “I’ve never been to a draft where the crowd applauded a Knicks first round selection, so I’ll hold my critiquing for the summer league when I get to see this kid play a bit more.”  I agree.  As of right now, I like the pick, but he was not the guy that I wanted.  He was more the guy that was left when the Knicks made the pick than he was the guy that I hoped would fall to us at 8.  To a lesser extent, I believe Walsh and D’Antoni feel the same way.  I will try and hold off any real judgment until at least the summer league, but more likely until about 1 or 2 months into next season.  If he turns out to be a 16 ppg, 8rpg, and 1.5 bpg type of player, on top of doing the intagible things that help win games, then this pick will be a great pick.  It is tough to find an elite PG, but finding a serviceable one is possible.  Finding a legitimate starting PF / C that is very effective is much harder than finding a serviceable PG.  Next off-season, players like Amare and Bosh will receive max contracts.  If Hill can provide 70% of what those two players would  give us, then I would be happy.  But Hill still has to do all of that first.  If the Knicks retain Lee, I am also unsure if Hill can play the center position.  Perhaps Hill and Lee can combine to form a strong, but under-sized front court, but that remains to be seen.

Time will tell on this pick.  Hill will have the opportunity to play almost immediately.  His selection also tells me that Gallianri will likely see a lot of time at the SF position.  If Hill cannot play center, then D’Antoni cannot play Gallo and Hill as power forwards at the same time.  That all said, if Curry comes back healthy (and is not traded in the meantime), the Knicks suddenly have a big front court rotation with Hill, Curry, Darko, Gallo, and perhaps Lee, with Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler in the mix at the SF spot.  The Knicks’ depleted front court hurt them last season, but next season figures to be a bit different…

… we hope.

**I will give my thoughts on the draft winners and losers at some point soon.  Initial reaction to the Knicks… unsure.  I am not sure Doulas was the best guy at that spot, even though Walsh loved him at the workout and others love the pick.  I am just not sold that he is better pro prospect than a guy like Sam Young.  If Doulas can play the point (and not like Nate Robinson or Eddie House playing the point), then this pick makes more sense to me.  But if he is simply an under-sized SG that will be used in the Nate Robinson role, then I do not like the pick.  I am starting to get tired of watching an under-sized Knick team.  Young could have provided starter potential, length, offensive power, defense, and size at the shooting guard spot.  So what he is 24 years old.  What difference does that make?  As for Hill, he was the best player there at 8.  Barring a trade for Rubio or Curry, the Knicks did the best they could at that pick.  I believe that Hill can ultimately play both the 4 and the 5, but time will tell on him.  I feel bad that he got booed, but with Curry going just before to Golden State, I was not surprised. Oh well…….**

I was at the draft last night in the Garden, and I was able to catch up with a bunch of loyal TKB readers and die-hard Knicks fans. This is what they had to say:

Nathan Cohen:  First off, let me say this.  Nathan helped me get down into the front area of the draft for the latter half of the first round.  Thanks again bud. I caught up with him while waiting to get into the theater, and Nathan said he wanted either Rubio or Curry, but that “I trust Donnie Walsh to make the best move.”  Nathan, did he do that in your opinion?

Andrea:  This guy and his friends were hysterical.  They started “Chris Alvino…..Chris Alvino….. Chris Alvino…..” chants in section 305 that echoed thorughout the Garden (I hope).  Thanks for that guys.  Andrea had the following to say before the draft started:  “If we don’t get Curry, we don’t want anybody.”  Well, Walsh made a pick at 8 anyways. 

Andrea also said that I need to get a new picture on TKB.  He said that I look too old in my current picture.  Andrea, I’ll look into that.  Also, I want to make a special shout out to Staten Island for Andrea and his friends.

Sivon: Sivon wanted Evans, but ended up with Hill.  He said that the “draft is a very happy time for Knicks fans.”  With all the boos for Jordan Hill, were the Knicks fans happy?  Sivon also said that, Walsh will build this team “step by step” and that he will “bring the Garden back to the 90′s” in terms of excitement.  I hope so Sivon, I really, really do.

Once Stern congratulated the NBA champion LA Lakers, every Knick fan echoed, “Lakers Suck… Lakers Suck”.  Good job everyone.

Alex Gonzalez: I waited on line with this guy for tickets all morning yesterday.  He is from the Bronx, but he is a die-hard Wolves fan.  It was like Christmas morning when the Kings took Evans, leaving Rubio to slip to 5.  For Alex’s sake, I hope Rubio goes to Minny.  

After the Knicks took Hill….

Sam Bobley: “This is the 2nd straight year they pick exactly who I didn’t want.”  Ouch.

Brian Shea: “Another Channing Frye… and that sucks.” I certainly hope not. In all fairness, I think they are different players, aside from the fact that they both played at Arizona and they both play the same position and they both got picked by the Knicks at the same spot.

Brian Leigh, a Thunder fan: ”I am very excited about James Harden.  The Next Manu Ginobli”

Tyler Pager: ”They needed Stephen Curry.”

Al Trautwig, Knicks announcer: When I asked him about the Hill pick, he responded, ”I don’t know.  I didn’t see him play enough.”

Cliff: “It’s great, but Rubio or Curry would have been better.  Minnesota screwed us.”

Sean O’Connor: “This is a seven person draft and once again the Knicks were stuck picking 8th.  Although I am convinced they are getting Rubio”

Johnny Hoops, Knicks announcer and basketball legend: When asked about Hill, he said: “Hill is a major plus for the Knicks.  He is a real forward with versatility.  He can do it all”.

My friend Danny spotted Mr. Hoops from a distance and I tracked him down.  Lucky for me, he was slowed down by others asking him to sign autographs.  And he signed a lot of them, including one guy’s Jordan sneaker.  Hoops is an extremely nice guy and he was willing to give the time of day to anyone that asked.  Good for him (and for us too).

Catherine Alvino: “Chris, stop bothering me.” Oh wait, wrong quote.  Cahterine is sad to see basketball end for a few months, but is ready for it in the fall.

Melissa Lombardi: Melissa is sad to see Ricky Rubio go to Minnesota.  She says that he has “quick hands and pizazz”.

Danny Kilduff: Thought the Garden was ready to rock last night.  He cannot wait for the Knicks to be competitive because he knows how passionate Knicks fans will be when it happens.

Greg Packer, “the draft guy“:  First off, I have been to 4 or 5 drafts, and this guy has been at every single one of them.  I have also seen him on TV during the NFL draft.  He is the draft guy and he is pictured to the right next to me during the 2006 draft.  He has the stache.

He said about Hill:  “He is not Curry, not Rubio, but he was the best available.” 

Tom Gaudio” On the Knicks’ draft, “Definitely dissapointing, but with people saying that he could be like Amare, that is intriguing.  He better improve his jumper.  Also, Toney Douglas, though undersized, brings versatility.  The biggest key to the draft is that they took two versatile players that can play defense and that have an offensive game. Just I would like to see improvement in Hill’s jumper.”

I have known Sean, Tom, Danny, and Melissa for a long time, and they all have great basketball minds.  Danny is also a die-hard St. John’s fan.  Basketball has been pretty tough on him lately.

All in all, I had a great time at the draft last night.  Last night was an example of how much New Yorkers want to love basketball and their Knicks again.  When the ship gets righted, this city will be poppin’ again.  Thanks again for all the contributors to this post.  I am pretty sure that I got everyone, but if I missed you, then I apologize.