iLLmatic860 wrote:Donavon Mitchell
Rj Barrett
Michae Porter Jr
Juluis Randle
Mitchell Robinson
6th Man
Tyrese Hali
Obviously our roster will prob look different but I can still dream lol
It's actually funny that if you talk about those 2 guys it's almost like repeating Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas all over again. Frank would have been the perfect Scott Layden pick (all substance no talent) and Knox the perfect Isiah Thomas pick (all talent no substance).
But I digress. As far as the Knicks picking Donovan Mitchell?
It's funny that vast majority of this board wanted Frank cause of his supposed higher potential as a true point guard. Not being a true point guard was something that a lot of folks had against Mitchell. And to be honest, as a big Louisville fan Mitchell's ability to run an NBA offense was definitely a concern for me as well. So would they have picked him instead? Yeah I don't know about that. The reality is that Mitchell turned out to be one of those rare players who does better in the NBA than he did in college. Hard to predict.
In all likelihood and based on reports the Knicks front office other than Phil Jackson was leaning towards Dennis Smith Jr so I seriously doubt they would have drafted Mitchell (or Bam or any of the other few hindsight guys). Malik Monk was the only other name that really got brought up in the rumor mill. And none of those 3 likely guys have done anything.
Now as far as Knox and 2018?
Sure SGA should have been the guy in hindsight but honestly his name wasn't really mentioned much at all in Knick rumor circles. The Knicks had just drafted their "PG of the future" (lol...see previous section) and the notion was that they were looking at Mikal Bridges as the most likely target up until the 11th hour when they went with Knox on account of his shooting potential and upside...and...well...the rumored Kentucky connection that had been attached to the Knicks well before the latest front office took control.
If it wasn't Knox it likely would have been Mikal Bridges. Better than Knox? For sure. But a foundation player? Not really.
What the above shows isn't so much that the Knicks can't draft, it's that even a lottery pick is a highly risky asset. The Knicks weren't the only team that passed on Mitchell. You can argue that 11 or 12 other teams also made that same mistake. SGA in 2018? 7 or 8 teams made the same mistake including at least 5 teams that picked before the Knicks did.
That's why if you get a chance at a sure thing (even if it costs more $ or assets to get) it may actually still make a lot more sense than rolling the lottery pick dice.