A lesson from the past
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- June
- 25
There might be some useful players on the board, but in case anybody still believes the Knicks will be picking up an impact player at No. 23, here’s a recent history of players selected in that spot:
2006 Josh Boone
2005 Francisco Garcia
2004 Sergei Monia
2003 Travis Outlaw
2002 Tayshaun Prince
2001 Brandon Armstrong
2000 DeShawn Stevenson
1999 Devean George
1998 Tyronn Lue
1997 Bobby Jackson
Except for Prince, that’s mostly a list of NBA journeymen. So you should probably be thinking about role players.
• We keep reading how Wilson Chandler would be a lottery pick next season with another year in college. He’d be gone 10 picks into the draft if that were true.
• Also, I went to interview Clippers star Elton Brand in Manhattan this morning. He was doing publicity for a move, Rescue Dawn, he co-produced. When the conversation shifted to basketball, I was impressed by his still obvious disappointment over missing the playoffs by a couple of games.
“It left a terrible taste,” Brand said. “As a captain and a leader, I know what I have to do this season to make sure that doesn’t happen again. It’s ridiculous. Now every game, we have to have that attention to detail. We can’t miss a beat.”
Brand was genuinely upset. And determined to get ready for another chance to make something positive happen. He took a week off and went back to work. He is working out most days before the sun comes up. Don’t you wish somebody like that played for your favorite team?
This entry was posted
on Monday, June 25th, 2007 at 9:30 pm by Mike Dougherty.
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I think that batch of guys are pretty decent. I hope we get a decent guy that will contribute.
I think you missed the point here, Mike. Prince and Bobby Jackson are/were stars. Stevenson is a pretty damn good player and Outlaw and Boone have good potential. That’s a 50% hit rate and that doesn’t take into account that this year’s draft is acknowledged as one of the deepest ever. The Knicks should get a quality player.
Mike, how can you even bring up comparing every #23 pick? If history has taught us anything it’s that there are steals and busts in the draft year after year.
Manu Ginobili #57
Michael Redd #42
Mehmet Okur #38
Carlos Boozer #35
Rashard Lewis #32
Gilbert Arenas #31
Josh Howard #29
Dennis Rodman #27
Andrei Kirilenko #24
Oh yeah.. David Lee at #30 anyone? Ronaldo Balkman at #20 was arguably a top 10 rookie last season given the minutes.
Come on Mike, the draft is a crap shoot. I can give you just as many names in the top 5 that were busts. There is always the possibility of a draft steal and Isiah is one of the better GMs at identifying that steal.
Tommy. You made a point. I totally agree with you.
And our steal this year would be Marco Belinelli, if Sean Williams has gone by the time. I read that The Nets will pick him.
I’m excited about the draft pick we already have – Randolph Morris. He was good to go the first time he stepped on the floor last year and showed good tools already in the bag. The most confidence I have in Zeke is as an evaluator of talent for the draft, so I’m looking forward to seeing who he pulls out of the hat this year. If he feels he’s got something in Chandler, I hope that something resembles Gerald Wallace.
Interesting twists and turns to the trade talks can be interpreted as favorable for the Knicks acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal. The Laker deal for him is dead, and the Celts didn’t want him as part of the KG to LA lalapalooza. Its very difficult to read what the Sonics will do with all the change over there, and Lewis is going to draw alot of attention – Bobcats, Orlando are both ready to pay, and as everyone takes pains to point out, the Knicks don’t have attractive players. Which means that JO is looking awful lonely and Bird may be losing dance partners fast as things progress. We may not have enough for Rashard Lewis, but we may have better-than-nothing for JO.
One more thing that may come to pass; the Sonics may look to jettison Ray Allen and get younger there, with fewer years of salary commitment, especially with new stadium, new team, etc… resulting in hard times financially the next few years. We probably would not have to mortage the future to get him. They may take salary matches just for flexibility and you have to consider what Ray could do on this squad. A peerless shooter, Curry in the middle, Starbury splitting the difference with rebounding and defense from our young guys – that starts to look like a squad that could compete in the East. And with the addition of a consummate pro like Ray Allen, and Starbury in year two of his rebirth as a basketball player, we will finally have a squad where character outnumbers knuckleheads.
don’t all of you feel great knowing isiah is building his team with late first round picks?
we are putting together the greatest 33 win supporting cast in nba history.
here’s the new slogan:
knicks 07/08: one franchise player away…
Those star players in trade talk are for teams 1 player away from championship. If we moertgage our future ro get rashard/JO we will be stuck in mediocrity for the next 3 years