While I agree with Briggs about Thabeets upside and much needed defensive presence in the orange paint under the low MSG ceiling , Isiah has made it clear from day one that he feels shot-blocking is overrated.

Not to mention his current comments about the NBA phasing out the big man and the fact that we need another leader in the backcourt. With that said, I expect one of the following to be wearing a Knick uni next year: Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo or Eric Gordon.

Rose will be gone by the time we pick, so Mayo may be the logical choice according to Isiahs logic. Mayo reminds of Brandon Roy and Larry Hughes when they were in college. 6'5 SG who has pg instincts. He's not super athletic, plays a nice pace and really undertsands the game. He's a jack of all trades; can pass, shoot, and will get his share of steals and defelctions. His behavior and so-called attitude has been better than advertised. I can see Isiah being in love with the idea of pairing Mayo and Craw in the backcourt together.

As far as Gordon is concerned, I'm not a big fan because of his size, but he is attending Indiana, so he obviously has ties to Isiah. Fortunately for us, Rose is from Chicago, so you know he's Isiahs first option, but barring a miracle, he'll be gone by the time we pick. So that leaves Mayo and Gordon. Despite what som eof these mock drafts are saying, I expect Mayo to go top 4.

I wouldn't be opposed to OJ Mayo. He came to USC because he wanted to lift that program into the elite, like Oden and Conley Jr. did with OSU.

He's not that good though and that program is not elite this year. He failed to live up to the insane expectations, so he'll drop.

Whoever drafts him is going to get a steal though, because he is going to have a chip on his shoulder. I wouldn't be surprised if his career plays out similarly to Caron Butler who also fell further than he should, due to way too lofty expectations.

Mayo's still got to learn, but if the team that drafts him is patient, with a couple of seasons under his belt, he'll really start to blossom. I do love how he moves without the basketball.

Mayo has had character problems and is somewhat of a spoiled player. Give me a team player like Rose and EG.

Posted by King1:

Mayo has had character problems and is somewhat of a spoiled player. Give me a team player like Rose and EG.

Knicks won't be lucky enough to get rose......but Eric Gordon? He reminds me too much of Jay Williams. Jay was an awesome college player then he became a bum ass nba player like i thought he would...what do you think King? Do you think his game will translate. Who would you compare him to?

I would take 15 players before Mayo, maybe 20. He is Larry Hughes (as you said initially). Not even close to Roy. Why would you want Hughes w/ a top 5 pick????

Posted by purple012870:

I would take 15 players before Mayo, maybe 20. He is Larry Hughes (as you said initially). Not even close to Roy. Why would you want Hughes w/ a top 5 pick????

I disagree with the Roy/Hughes comparisons. Both need the ball to effective. MAyo can move without the ball and I see him developing into a pure SG that can hit the open man.

Posted by nyk4ever:

I want Thabeet if we aren't getting Beasely or Rose. I'm tired of players like Mayo, that's not to say that Mayo is a bad player but I'm tired of having guys with character issues on this team, as well as combo-guards. Give me Rose, Gordon, Beasely or Thabeet. PLEASE.

I think Mayo has enough size for the 2 and would be an excellent 2 if that's all they asked him to do.

I don't see Jerryd Bayless as a true PG, though like Arenas he is a playmaker....but he looks for his shot first.

OJ is a good player. Him or Gordon on the knicks is fine with me. We aren't winning a title next year, so who cares if we find a point guard right now, you get the start players first.

Posted by purple012870:

I would take 15 players before Mayo, maybe 20. He is Larry Hughes (as you said initially). Not even close to Roy. Why would you want Hughes w/ a top 5 pick????

After Beasley, one could argue that Mayo is the most talented player in this draft. Nevermind what NBADraft.net says, Mayo is going top 5 easy. If not, he'll be a major steal for someone.

In fact, I believe that after Beasley, Mayo may have the biggest impact of all rookies next year. His game is NBA ready minus the experience. I can see Rose struggling while learning to play point in the NBA and Gordon is too small.

BTW, speaking of Hughes, he was the number#1 player coming out of High School when he joined St. Louis. When motivated, we have already seen wat Hughes can do (in his contract year with Wash, he put up great all around numbers). Judging from som eof Mayo's background, I dont think he'll have any motivational problems.



[Edited by - bigbeast on 13-03-2008 4:36 PM]

[Edited by - bigbeast on 13-03-2008 4:37 PM]