Knicks Draft Preview
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by user Moritz Wollert
I wonder what New York Knicks GM Isiah Thomas might think when he jumps into his Giorgio Armani or whatever suit on Thursday, just hours before the NBA Draft 2007...
What's on his mind? Is he thinking about the player he drafts or about the standing ovation he clearly will receive from the success spoiled Knicks fans?
Well, what ever Isiah might think or what he might do on Draft day, I have faith in him. Excuse me? Faith in Isiah Thomas?!? As a General Manager?!? Do you speak my language?!? Do you understand what we are talking about?!?
Ehhm... Yes!
As a Knicks supporter I have faith in Isiah Thomas and even though the Knicks "only" own the 23rd pick in the upcoming draft, there's still always that feeling around Draft Night. You have crazy rumors going around like all the Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant drama this season, you got atleast one new player on your team and it will be a young guy with promise for the future (which always makes you feel good somehow as a fan) and at the end of the day, something finally happens in the neverending book of another offseason.
Now what can we expect from Zeke and his scouting team?!? Well, no matter what name that pick may have, no matter for what school he did play, I won't boo or go nuts after I hear one more suprising pick by Thomas (actually I will boo no matter what if I don't like the pick, that's the nature of a fan). But I will be careful with my reaction after the recent draft success of Isiah Thomas.
Last year is the perfect example. "And the New York Knicks select... Renaldo Balkman from the University of South Carolina." Oh boy, who?!? What in goddamn hell got into Thomas again?!? Well, the Tazmanian Devil Balkman didn't even need a full summer league to win over the Knicks faithful and since he has been added to Tweety Nate Robinson and the other Knicks toons, atleast he makes the group a lot more watchable again. In the last two years Thomas added Channing Frye, Nate Robinson, David Lee (all 2005), Mardy Collins and Balkman via the draft and all of them have become contributors in the NBA and at their young age form a nice group of youth for the Knickerbockers.
This year another rookie will be added to this group. I just don't believe that Isiah will trade the pick (while I'm writing this I pray to the heaven that he won't do it in order to get another overpaid, idiotic contract). The Knicks have a young roster, a young centerpiece in Eddy Curry to build around and it is the right way to add young guys to the aforementioned group of kids. Let them grow together and hopefully lead the franchise to a better future.
The obvious need for the Knicks are a defensive frontcourt player that can block shots, which neither Curry, Lee, Frye or Jerome... ahhh no don't get me started. Point is, the Knicks need a shot blocker.
Sean Williams (Boston College) fits that bill. The 6-10, 240 pound center got suspended from college because of drug abuse. Reports say he's a good kid overall but his resume certainly raises red flags. Another notable shot blockers in the draft are Stephane Lasme from UMass (who led the nation in blocked shots with 5.4 per game) and Ekene Ibekwe from Maryland. Both guys are a little bit smallish and skinny plus they are projected as second rounders at best. The 23rd pick might be a stretch but we know how Isiah feels about that.
The other huge need for then Knicks is another outside shooter. Now while shot blocking was a problem, the lack of a consistent perimeter threat ( no, I don't mean streaky Jamal Crawford and Quentin Richardson who can't carry that load) hurt the Knicks (7th worst team in 3 point percentage last year) a lot more than you might think. Socring isn't the same as shooting. Eddy Curry while dominating the paints around the league never truly had a consistent kickout option on the wing which often limited the team's ability to truly take advantage of double and triple teams against the big man.
The Knicks can learn a lot from the NBA champions in that regard. The San Antonio Spurs have a post presence in Tim Duncan and what do they do?! They surround him with a complete army of shooters (Brent Barry, Steve Finley, Robert Horry, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen). It spreads the floor and makes the Spurs the team with propably the best spacing in all of basketball. Good spacing leads to more room for penetration and inside play. Add one to another and consider that the Knicks' strengths are just that penetration and the inside game and you will come to the conclusion that the Knicks have to get better shooters.
While Knicks fans haven't been blessed with luck in recent years, due to some questionable decisions of some important people I might add, this year's draft is just loaded with outside shooters.
The list, a who is who of NCAA's best gunslingers, includes Arron Afflalo (UCLA), Morris Almond (Rice), Demetris Nichols (Syracuse), Thaddeus Young (Georgia Tech), Daequan Cook (Ohio State) and so on and so on. All these guys could certainly help, even though a player like Young most likely won't drop. Almond and Nichols have impressed the Knicks in workouts yet they are considered that they don't have enough upside. I don't buy that since both are young, have a tremendous stroke and that will always get you far.
Another thing that I just can't say often enough is that the Knicks should take a look overseas. No, not to my house or anything (I'm a streaky shooter) but to the european top leagues. Again the Spurs offer a nice example of how that can work in your favor. With Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Fabricio Oberto and Bruce Bowen you got four key members of their recent championship team that played in Europe. And as the luck of Knicks fans wants it, this year the draft features two perfect players for the Knicks' needs: Rudy Fernandez and Marco Belinelli. Being in Europe I have seen plenty of both of these kids and they are primetime. Athletic freaks who both have a deadly stroke from downtown. Add a couple of pounds from a NBA weight program and you have a great player with either on your hands. I might be a bit early with this but both can certainly have the impact Ginobili had in the States.
Now long story short (just kidding), Knicks fans can expect another interesting night even though they are picking pretty low. Isiah will have something on his mind and as recent history... Draft history I might add, proved, he knows what he does. Even if he selects Wilson Chandler (DePaul) as a project player as some internet rumor had it lately, fine!
In Isiah we trust, atleast for one day...
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