Making a point
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- May
- 22
I spent a good part of my afternoon yesterday killing time in the Yankees clubhouse, talking with other writers about who the Knicks might grab in the upcoming draft.
We all know they would like to find a better alternative to Stephon Marbury.
The problem is, there’s no sure way to figure out who’s going to become a playmaker in the NBA based on very short college resumes. Look at the list, there’s a lot of combo guards on there. And while scoring is very much part of the position, Mike D’Antoni needs some balance.
Let’s use the Steve Nash example. He draws the defense in when he gets inside the lane. He forces the defense to rotate when he steps beyond the arc. That’s because Nash is a reliable scorer. When the defense rotates, he exploits those shifts with a great court vision and precise passing.
How many in this class are capable of running a team?
What the Knicks don’t need right now is another Jamal Crawford or Nate Robinson. Bringing in somebody in that mold would not help the situation. The question is what kind of players will prospects like Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo, Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon become?
“There’s an awful lot of point guards in the pros right now who were combo guards in college, and the reason is, normally the best player on the team is counted on to score,” Knicks president Donnie Walsh said. “Chauncey Billups is a good example of that. You don’t have to have a distinctive point guard. That’s not what most NBA teams end up doing.”
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on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm by Mike Dougherty.
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O.J. Mayo actually reminds me of Chauncey Billups. Mayo is a scorer and not a pure PG but he does have very good court vision. I’m not high on Jerryd Bayless or Eric Gordon.
i dont think that we should put a label on these combo guards. i think alot of how a point guard develops comes down to the coach. billups, rondo, parker and fisher are not pure point guards. they dont go out and get 8 or more assist every night but they help their teams win. steve nash wasnt a beast until d antoni got him. i think that d antoni can get any of these draft picks to play well in his system and i still think there is hope for crawford. remember crawford did play well and under control for larry brown that one year
fury, I agree re. Crawford and Brown. As an aside, ZeBo did all the right things when he came here so who knows. That said, a PG has to have a minimum basketball IQ/court vision. I don’t know Bayless that well but I gotta tell you, I’m not sure why everyone’s so down on Mayo. He can play and he’s been doing it at every level. He’s gonna be a good one, however, I think he’ll be gone by the time we get a chance. Westbrook could be a surprise but it’s a stretch to draft him 6. Gordon looks like N8, not sure what he would give us. Trade down and dump a contract, that’s my hope.
I really feel as much as I can’t stand Stephon Marbury. Is to let him play out the last year of his 21 Mil contract. Now, If we have to trade down I wonder who and where we will trade down to and for what? For instance, there may be a condition to our trade. Donnie can work his Magic. This is what he is good at. Draft night magic. I think the Knicks will bite if the player they are getting in return is a solid prospect or a second round pick included. Of coarse, Curry or Zach have to be gonners in the trade.
Mike and Company,
What do you guys think of Kevin Love and Chris Douglas-Roberts? I’m sort of suprised by the lack of attention they’re getting. Also, whay are we so fixated on a point guard? I mean, we need everything, and most importantly, we need the best player available. Douglas- Roberts won player of the year in conference USA over Derrick Rose. I didn’t watch alot of UCLA but didn’t love have a bigger impact than Westbrook?
Some people think Love could be a fit for the Knicks. The issue with him is work ethic and athleticism. He dropped 13 lbs thus far in the offseason, which raises the question why he wasn’t in better shape during the season when UCLA had a legit shot at winning it all. Is he just working out this much to raise his draft stock and get the biggest rookie contract he can ? It’s something to consider.
He has very good range on his shot, a crafty post game, and excellent passing skills. He’s an interesting player, but I’m not sure the Knicks will go in that direcion at 6.
Douglas-Roberts is a good prospect, but this is a pretty strong draft. He’s likely in the 16-24 range.
I totally agree with you on the issue of a PG. Yes, it’s a very important position, but the Knicks cannot reach for a player just because he’s a PG. I don’t think Augustine is worthy of the 6th pick, so you can’t draft him just because he’s a PG. The Knicks need talent.
Just an aside – David Lee for Kyle Lowry is something the Knicks should really consider.
I got no love for Love. He looks to me like a classic NCAA over achiever who won’t have the athleticism to keep up in the NBA. Perhaps a solid role player but I’m not seeing much more than that. As for CDR, he’s a little more interesting to me though I think we’ll be able to trade down and still get him. As for the PG issue, I agree we’ve got lots of needs, but a good PG is real important to a team without a superstar. Having said that, this is going to be a multi-year process so I definitely believe in best available player. And by best available I put work ethic as a necessary though not sufficient characteristic for whomever we draft. Chemistry is so important.
Thanks fellas. ESPN says Gallinari will be our man. 6’ 10’’ with skills. I really don’t know. I picture Augustine being Jaques Vaughn in the pros.
Here’s Jerryd Bayless in High School. He looks quick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcqe9UXkc8o
I have a feeling that after Beasely, Rose, Mayo, Baydless, and Lopez this years draft will be a hit or miss draft with the potential being the operative word with regard to the players south of that mendoza line.
Also I think the Knicks in this draft might be facing the ghost of draft picks, and players trades past. I’ll explain later but simply put match these names and the words there associated with.
Curry… Potential … Jordan
Lampe… European Player … Gallinari
Marbury/Robinson/Crawfor Tweener gaurd … Gordon, Mayo, Baydless
Randolph, Love, and Augustin intrigue me but also have question marks which have been notably raised by scouts of this years draft.
Randolph, (assuming Chadler may be out this year, I hope not and for the best for that kid), is a long 6-10 — 6-11 shot blocker with a mid range jump shot who could provide great help defense, run the floor, and hit the jumper but is too underweight according to many critics. Alo of upside but he will probrably need to bulk up to play in the league as a 4.
Love, intangibles is the word of the day with this guy but his athleticims is questioned, and there are worries that his inside game will not translate to the pros. What he may be is a slightly better version of Michael Doleac, good jumper with solid range who rebounds well, and may be a pick and pop option. Can he be more than that?
Augustin may be the best or second best pure point gaurd in the draft. By what I’ve read he is a good shooter with impressive range on his shot, he is very quick, can split the double team, and score at the basket with ease. His biggest question mark is his size, (arguably 6 feet but may be closer to 5-11), and many reviews seem to point to this as an issue which may make it more difficult for him to be effective against the quicker, and taller talent in the NBA.
Last point I have to make is that whether the Knicks can get Mayo, Baydless or any of the players many a fan hopes the Knicks get, may depend on which player Minnesota, and Memphis select. Hence the fate of the Knicks draft may be dictated by what choices are made by two of the NBA’s smaller market clubs.
Both team are portrayed, according to many a draft analyst, as teams needing help at the 4 and or 5 spot, with Minnesota needing help at the 5 to free up their current center to play his natural power foward position, while Memphis is portrayed as lacking a tough and effective 4 capable of faciliting the already present talen on that team.
These descriptions lend themselves to picks that could readily translate into either Lopez, Love, or Randolph. But of the three mentioned only Lopez’s game is portrayed as translating seemlesly into the pro game.
Mike,
What’s up? Any Knicks scouts at the draft combine? Let’s talk about something. Like how Chris Douglas-Roberts is gonna be the next Tayshaun Prince and Kevin Love is gonna be the next kevin McHale.
Here’s some good Gallinari. I hope he’s the guy, because after what we’ve been through we don’t need another Frederic Weis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX-QxNZTnLM&NR=1
Here’s another thought. Forget the whole rebuilding thing and make a deal for Carmelo Anthony right now, if he’s available. I mean, take Kenyon Martin, give up DLee. Good old slash and burn NYK style deficit spending.
Carmelo might be worth it. Unlike Rose or Beasley he won a national championship. He’s young. He’s got his best years ahead of him. I don’t think you can make a definitive case that anyone in the league is more gifted or tougher. We could take a page from the C’s and deal that 6th pick for a complementary player.
Everybody is all hot and bothered about the summer of LeBron, but, in Carmelo you have that player now.