Towns or Okafor or Mudiay or Russel?

[Jeff Van Gully]

Russell is the clear cut #3 and is a great consolation prize if you miss out on either of the bigs.

But I think the bigs are the clear 1 and 2 in this draft.

4 is where it gets tricky for the knicks.

Gotta take WCS at 4 no? He'd contribute right away and we can beef up the other spots in FA.

At #4, you still take BPA. You never draft based on need with an early pick. I would've thought people had remembered Sam Bowie ahead of Michael Jordan, after all these years.

injury history aside, bowie was a need and arguably BPA. jordan wasn't jordan yet.

and how could you blame them for not taking "mini-drexler" when they already had the real? so unfair.

[Jeff Van Gully]

do we really need this thread AND prospect watch?

[kane2021]

I always thought it was funny that portland gets so much crap for passing on Jordan when they had clyde. But houston gets none for taking hakeem over jordan when they already had sampson.

And its true no one had any real idea what was coming with Jordan. As a matter of fact, ... he suffered a major injury early that many felt was going to rob him of his greatest asset. No one had any idea that jordan the "man" had an unbreakable will to compete.

[E86]

Brand was a max player on his way to becoming a franchise power forward. A low post scorer. A very good rebounder and shot blocker. He was slowed to nothing by injuries as soon as he began to reach his potential.

Same could be said for Boozer. Although he was able to settle off and become a serviceable starter. Boozer had major game. He was an 18 and 10 guy on the way up. Each time it looked like he was going to hit the next level, he had an injury.

Irving was drafted only 3 or 4 years ago. And Parker is a rookie! Cant use kids that are still wet behind the ears as an example.

Duke has made some solid starters. But,...Everyone that has come out of Duke looking like a franchise changer has ran into circumstances that halted their growth. I understand its kinda silly to use that as a scouting tool. But its equally silly to assume that this kid is the one who will defy the odds.

Plus this is the knicks. We draft this kid and he is going to have heavy expectations placed on him. Its not like we can draft someone and just be realistic about what we picked up. From the time he gets his hat,... he is going to be forced to fill the shoes of a HOF center. That type of pressure break some people both physically and mentally.

Im just saying. If we do end up drafting this kid,... its better to take a wait and see approach. Taper off expectations and not put too much pressure on him to be the next franchise player. To be honest,... if I was the GM I would draft the kid to pump his value up and trade him. Thats how iffy I am with duke players.

Okafor's body movements are awkward and he might not be the best player for the Knicks to draft because our training staff is pretty terrible and he will end up going the way of Brand.

[F N 11]

I must say I am pleased with Jah's post ability and his ability to handle the rock as well as his ability to hold the ball like a tennis ball and pass out of double teams. He is going to be soooooo goooood.

[kingquan316]

I always thought it was funny that portland gets so much crap for passing on Jordan when they had clyde. But houston gets none for taking hakeem over jordan when they already had sampson.

And its true no one had any real idea what was coming with Jordan. As a matter of fact, ... he suffered a major injury early that many felt was going to rob him of his greatest asset. No one had any idea that jordan the "man" had an unbreakable will to compete.

Prob cause Hakeem won them titles, so it never gets mention. But when thinking about it, they should have taken Jordan, but I think back then u always take the big men.

I always say take the best player available, not position needed. The Knicks have needs in almost every position. To me the best player available is a big men with Okafor and Towns. But u never know, hopefully Phil scouts them closely and chooses who he thinks will have the best career, and not who can help in the short term.

[SD2042]

If I'm the Knicks and win the lottery, I would go after Towns. The Knicks are due for a good center to build some foundation for the future. I won't go into specifics as I'm sure they have been mention several times throughout this thread. Pass on Okafor, b/c the Knicks don't have that 1-2 punch like Gasol and Zbo have in Memphis or Horford and Milsap have in ATL.

[kane2021]

Brand was a max player on his way to becoming a franchise power forward. A low post scorer. A very good rebounder and shot blocker. He was slowed to nothing by injuries as soon as he began to reach his potential.

Same could be said for Boozer. Although he was able to settle off and become a serviceable starter. Boozer had major game. He was an 18 and 10 guy on the way up. Each time it looked like he was going to hit the next level, he had an injury.

Irving was drafted only 3 or 4 years ago. And Parker is a rookie! Cant use kids that are still wet behind the ears as an example.

Duke has made some solid starters. But,...Everyone that has come out of Duke looking like a franchise changer has ran into circumstances that halted their growth. I understand its kinda silly to use that as a scouting tool. But its equally silly to assume that this kid is the one who will defy the odds.

Plus this is the knicks. We draft this kid and he is going to have heavy expectations placed on him. Its not like we can draft someone and just be realistic about what we picked up. From the time he gets his hat,... he is going to be forced to fill the shoes of a HOF center. That type of pressure break some people both physically and mentally.

Im just saying. If we do end up drafting this kid,... its better to take a wait and see approach. Taper off expectations and not put too much pressure on him to be the next franchise player. To be honest,... if I was the GM I would draft the kid to pump his value up and trade him. Thats how iffy I am with duke players.

Okafor's body movements are awkward and he might not be the best player for the Knicks to draft because our training staff is pretty terrible and he will end up going the way of Brand.

I have to agree. Also he is such a BIG kid at his age. His body looks a little plush for 18 years old at 270. We have had a history of guys getting a little chubby as knicks. So there is no telling where his conditioning goes as he gets older. Is he going to become a gym rat all of a sudden and maximize his frame? Or will he be like... shawn kemp. A guy who counted on his natural metabolism to keep in shape rather than working out.

No matter what the draft is a gamble. But theres definitely a few red flags with oakfor.

[mpharris36]

Russell is the clear cut #3 and is a great consolation prize if you miss out on either of the bigs.

But I think the bigs are the clear 1 and 2 in this draft.

4 is where it gets tricky for the knicks.

Gotta take WCS at 4 no? He'd contribute right away and we can beef up the other spots in FA.

no way in hell I touch WCS where we will be picking. He is going to be 22 this year and pretty much is the player he is going to be in the NBA going up against bigger guys which doesn't bode well for him.

He really is a one trick pony. No thank you

[kane2021]

I always thought it was funny that portland gets so much crap for passing on Jordan when they had clyde. But houston gets none for taking hakeem over jordan when they already had sampson.

And its true no one had any real idea what was coming with Jordan. As a matter of fact, ... he suffered a major injury early that many felt was going to rob him of his greatest asset. No one had any idea that jordan the "man" had an unbreakable will to compete.

Prob cause Hakeem won them titles, so it never gets mention. But when thinking about it, they should have taken Jordan, but I think back then u always take the big men.

I always say take the best player available, not position needed. The Knicks have needs in almost every position. To me the best player available is a big men with Okafor and Towns. But u never know, hopefully Phil scouts them closely and chooses who he thinks will have the best career, and not who can help in the short term.

I mean even before Jordan retired the first time the rockets didnt get a whole lot of crap. Plus hakeem took YEARS to really hit his peak and dominate.

Plus,... it wasnt just Jordan the blazers passed on when they took bowie. Know what im saying? They get crap because due to a unfortunate break.

But I got this odd feeling it would be best for the knicks to land at number 2.

[E86]

Russell is the clear cut #3 and is a great consolation prize if you miss out on either of the bigs.

But I think the bigs are the clear 1 and 2 in this draft.

4 is where it gets tricky for the knicks.

Gotta take WCS at 4 no? He'd contribute right away and we can beef up the other spots in FA.

no way in hell I touch WCS where we will be picking. He is going to be 22 this year and pretty much is the player he is going to be in the NBA going up against bigger guys which doesn't bode well for him.

He really is a one trick pony. No thank you

I don't think so, man. When I watch WCS play, I can't explain it, but it looks like he's on a cloud the way he bounces around, his athleticism is pretty amazing to watch. He reminds me so much of Kenyon Martin with the way he moves around the court and his awareness on both ends. Maybe it's just me. He plays above the rim and I enjoy watching it.

[Retired_Doc]

Russell is the clear cut #3 and is a great consolation prize if you miss out on either of the bigs.

But I think the bigs are the clear 1 and 2 in this draft.

4 is where it gets tricky for the knicks.

Gotta take WCS at 4 no? He'd contribute right away and we can beef up the other spots in FA.

I like WCS a lot and I consider him very underrated on this board.

[mpharris36]

I don't think so, man. When I watch WCS play, I can't explain it, but it looks like he's on a cloud the way he bounces around, his athleticism is pretty amazing to watch. He reminds me so much of Kenyon Martin with the way he moves around the court and his awareness on both ends. Maybe it's just me.

not only would he be a horrendous fit in the triangle. He isn't a great rebounder and for a person that can only play center that isn't going to cut it.

He has no low post game and his offense pretty much consists of offensive put back and alley oops. You don't draft a guy in the top 5 to go 4 on 5 on the offensive side of the ball. I could see him being a fit for a team that was one piece away and needed an energy guy off the bench. But man he just doesn't have the skillset to be a top 5 pick in my eye.

Would rather take the chance on Mudiay or Mario any day of the week.

He's a great athlete but that's the thing you can't fall in love with just great athletes who don't have basketball skills because most big guys in college are either too short or if they are legit size they are usually plodding big man. He just doesn't have a projectable offensive tools.

[E86]

Russell is the clear cut #3 and is a great consolation prize if you miss out on either of the bigs.

But I think the bigs are the clear 1 and 2 in this draft.

4 is where it gets tricky for the knicks.

Gotta take WCS at 4 no? He'd contribute right away and we can beef up the other spots in FA.

I like WCS a lot and I consider him very underrated on this board.

Yeah, I like him a lot too. And coming out late in college isn't a big deal. Like I said in a previous post, he reminds me of KMart with the way he always seems to stay in the air and knew where everyone was on the court. Kmart also had a progressive college career and didn't start peaking until senior year.

[mpharris36]

and Kenyon Martin came out of a terrible draft class. Kmart wouldn't be picked in the top 5 in this draft either. Don't get me wrong K-mart was a very solid player but definitely not worth the 1st overall pick he was selected with. That draft was horrendous with swift, miles, fizer, and mike miller going top 5.

We don't have a hall of fame PG like Kmart had with Jason Kidd as well to get the most out of him. We also don't run an offense conducive to his play style.

this is no knock on WCS, he will be a solid pro for sure. He just isn't worth a top 5 pick and isn't the right pick for the knicks.

[Retired_Doc]

Brand was a max player on his way to becoming a franchise power forward. A low post scorer. A very good rebounder and shot blocker. He was slowed to nothing by injuries as soon as he began to reach his potential.

Same could be said for Boozer. Although he was able to settle off and become a serviceable starter. Boozer had major game. He was an 18 and 10 guy on the way up. Each time it looked like he was going to hit the next level, he had an injury.

Irving was drafted only 3 or 4 years ago. And Parker is a rookie! Cant use kids that are still wet behind the ears as an example.

Duke has made some solid starters. But,...Everyone that has come out of Duke looking like a franchise changer has ran into circumstances that halted their growth. I understand its kinda silly to use that as a scouting tool. But its equally silly to assume that this kid is the one who will defy the odds.

Plus this is the knicks. We draft this kid and he is going to have heavy expectations placed on him. Its not like we can draft someone and just be realistic about what we picked up. From the time he gets his hat,... he is going to be forced to fill the shoes of a HOF center. That type of pressure break some people both physically and mentally.

Im just saying. If we do end up drafting this kid,... its better to take a wait and see approach. Taper off expectations and not put too much pressure on him to be the next franchise player. To be honest,... if I was the GM I would draft the kid to pump his value up and trade him. Thats how iffy I am with duke players.

Okafor's body movements are awkward and he might not be the best player for the Knicks to draft because our training staff is pretty terrible and he will end up going the way of Brand.

I have to agree. Also he is such a BIG kid at his age. His body looks a little plush for 18 years old at 270. We have had a history of guys getting a little chubby as knicks. So there is no telling where his conditioning goes as he gets older. Is he going to become a gym rat all of a sudden and maximize his frame? Or will he be like... shawn kemp. A guy who counted on his natural metabolism to keep in shape rather than working out.

No matter what the draft is a gamble. But theres definitely a few red flags with oakfor.

There's definitely more than just a few red flags with OK4. His defense is a major issue. Additionally, with his horrendous FT shooting %, combined with that lousy D, how can you afford to leave him on the court in a close game late in the 4th quarter? You can't. But Towns is the complete opposite. Plays great D and is an amazing 82% FT shooter. Not too many seven footers can boast anything near that accuracy!

[E86]

I don't think so, man. When I watch WCS play, I can't explain it, but it looks like he's on a cloud the way he bounces around, his athleticism is pretty amazing to watch. He reminds me so much of Kenyon Martin with the way he moves around the court and his awareness on both ends. Maybe it's just me.

not only would he be a horrendous fit in the triangle. He isn't a great rebounder and for a person that can only play center that isn't going to cut it.

He has no low post game and his offense pretty much consists of offensive put back and alley oops. You don't draft a guy in the top 5 to go 4 on 5 on the offensive side of the ball. I could see him being a fit for a team that was one piece away and needed an energy guy off the bench. But man he just doesn't have the skillset to be a top 5 pick in my eye.

Would rather take the chance on Mudiay or Mario any day of the week.

He's a great athlete but that's the thing you can't fall in love with just great athletes who don't have basketball skills because most big guys in college are either too short or if they are legit size they are usually plodding big man. He just doesn't have a projectable offensive tools.

Respectively, I disagree. He has a decent outside shot, but he doesn't use it consistently. He doesn't have to score on that team, and he is playing his role. As far as his fit in the triangle, like I said he can take guys outside if he works at it and I think he's an above average passer for a big. He's just the type of guy that you plug in and he's going to try to fill your weakness and let other guys excel at what they're good at.

He's not the #1 pick, clearly, but I think his ceiling is a second tier FA type of guy who might see an all-star game or two and is always in demand. I believe he reaches that ceiling.

[E86]

Okafor's body movements are awkward and he might not be the best player for the Knicks to draft because our training staff is pretty terrible and he will end up going the way of Brand.

I have to agree. Also he is such a BIG kid at his age. His body looks a little plush for 18 years old at 270. We have had a history of guys getting a little chubby as knicks. So there is no telling where his conditioning goes as he gets older. Is he going to become a gym rat all of a sudden and maximize his frame? Or will he be like... shawn kemp. A guy who counted on his natural metabolism to keep in shape rather than working out.

No matter what the draft is a gamble. But theres definitely a few red flags with oakfor.

There's definitely more than just a few red flags with OK4. His defense is a major issue. Additionally, with his horrendous FT shooting %, combined with that lousy D, how can you afford to leave him on the court in a close game late in the 4th quarter? You can't. But Towns is the complete opposite. Plays great D and is an amazing 82% FT shooter. Not too many seven footers can boast anything near that accuracy!

Yeah Towns is clearly #1. It's hilarious watching Okafor attempting to block shots because he can't get 2 inches off the ground.

[Deeeez Knicks]

not a fan of WCS either. Great perimeter defense and athlete, but he's a below average rebounder, absolutely no offense and i think he'll need to get stronger too. I think he's maybe an eventual fringe starter or more likely an energy big that comes off the bench. Not someone to consider given where the Knicks are likely to pick.

[Retired_Doc]

Gotta take WCS at 4 no? He'd contribute right away and we can beef up the other spots in FA.

no way in hell I touch WCS where we will be picking. He is going to be 22 this year and pretty much is the player he is going to be in the NBA going up against bigger guys which doesn't bode well for him.

He really is a one trick pony. No thank you

I don't think so, man. When I watch WCS play, I can't explain it, but it looks like he's on a cloud the way he bounces around, his athleticism is pretty amazing to watch. He reminds me so much of Kenyon Martin with the way he moves around the court and his awareness on both ends. Maybe it's just me. He plays above the rim and I enjoy watching it.

Nope, it's not just you. WCS is a a very special type of player. The way he runs the floor and runs AROUND the floor is quite amazing. He will play great D in the NBA, be an excellent rebounder, and score 12 ppg on avg. In a sense he's somewhere between Tyson and Noah. A valuable commodity!