If the Knicks refuse to play a conventional C we wont be a good team any time soon. Maybe it will be *fun* scoring 115 but we wont win more than 35 games doing so. We're not going to get Thabeet but we can get Mullens and I implore the Knicks management to invest in this player at pick 9==even if Mike Dantoni has a fit--even if they know it will take the player time to develop. It's in the BEST interests of the franchise. He has all the physical talent to be a very good solid NBA C for a long time. A guy with the ability to score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds and shoot 60% doing so. Its not going to happen in year 1 but it will happen. He may not[or likely wont be] be the stellar defensive guy who can block and alter a ton of shots but his body alone at 7-1 270 will help our porous lane defense in the long term by just being able to body up and take space. This draft is poor. We can buy a second pick for any assortment of guards that will have the same abilities as the one's picked higher for the most part. This is our chance to get a solid 5 for the long term.
Think about the long term viability for the franchise--this team is not built to win big now--it's all about a longer term approach and accepting the process. A C does not have to be your main cog but is an INTEGRAL piece of the pie. And Im not interested in some pseudo PF thrown in at C--Im talking legit 7 feet and 265+ plus.

Posted by BRIGGS:

If the Knicks refuse to play a conventional C we wont be a good team any time soon. Maybe it will be *fun* scoring 115 but we wont win more than 35 games doing so. We're not going to get Thabeet but we can get Mullens and I implore the Knicks management to invest in this player at pick 9==even if Mike Dantoni has a fit--even if they know it will take the player time to develop. It's in the BEST interests of the franchise. He has all the physical talent to be a very good solid NBA C for a long time. A guy with the ability to score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds and shoot 60% doing so. Its not going to happen in year 1 but it will happen. He may not[or likely wont be] be the stellar defensive guy who can block and alter a ton of shots but his body alone at 7-1 270 will help our porous lane defense in the long term by just being able to body up and take space. This draft is poor. We can buy a second pick for any assortment of guards that will have the same abilities as the one's picked higher for the most part. This is our chance to get a solid 5 for the long term.
Think about the long term viability for the franchise--this team is not built to win big now--it's all about a longer term approach and accepting the process. A C does not have to be your main cog but is an INTEGRAL piece of the pie. And Im not interested in some pseudo PF thrown in at C--Im talking legit 7 feet and 265+ plus.

imo - i dont necessarily think thabeet will make for a good pro...at least not yet. yes, he's tall, yes he anchors uconn's d w his shotblocking ability, but to me he looks skinny and a bit soft. my opinion only, but think thabeet would benefit w adding about 30 lbs and stayig in school a bit longer.

To me its not so much about a "conventional" center. If we even played a shot blocking power forward there we could win a title that way. (see Amare Stoudemire)

We're playing a guy who once played Small Forward for us at Center at this point. We need to remember that.

If you rolled out a team that I would think Mike D would love, think about;

Nash - substitute a PG from the 09 Draft
Joe Johnson - substitute Joe Johnson FA signing
Q Rich - substitute Wilson Chandler
Marion - substitute Chris Bosh FA signing
Amare - substitute Randolph via Lee/Nate trade

That's the kind of team that Mike's going to try to construct right? You can win like that and run teams to death. It would be impossible to keep a "conventional" center on the floor against a team like that.

Dwight Howard is a freak and maybe we don't beat Orlando without an equal player, but tell me there's a player out there that would match him.

If Thabeet's available, I'm sure we'll take him, but he's going to go in the 3-5 range because GM's want to keep their jobs and he's probably the safest pick out there.

Posted by LivingLegend:

Posted by BRIGGS:

If the Knicks refuse to play a conventional C we wont be a good team any time soon. Maybe it will be *fun* scoring 115 but we wont win more than 35 games doing so. We're not going to get Thabeet but we can get Mullens and I implore the Knicks management to invest in this player at pick 9==even if Mike Dantoni has a fit--even if they know it will take the player time to develop. It's in the BEST interests of the franchise. He has all the physical talent to be a very good solid NBA C for a long time. A guy with the ability to score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds and shoot 60% doing so. Its not going to happen in year 1 but it will happen. He may not[or likely wont be] be the stellar defensive guy who can block and alter a ton of shots but his body alone at 7-1 270 will help our porous lane defense in the long term by just being able to body up and take space. This draft is poor. We can buy a second pick for any assortment of guards that will have the same abilities as the one's picked higher for the most part. This is our chance to get a solid 5 for the long term.
Think about the long term viability for the franchise--this team is not built to win big now--it's all about a longer term approach and accepting the process. A C does not have to be your main cog but is an INTEGRAL piece of the pie. And Im not interested in some pseudo PF thrown in at C--Im talking legit 7 feet and 265+ plus.

I don't agree on our needing a conventional center to compete. We need better players.

If D-Wade was playing with our current squad we'd be tough.

Right now we are suffering from selfishness (see Nate and Harrington) and a lack of defensive effort (see the entire roster starting with D-Lee).

Even if you have a great player--they all need and have C's. It's an integral part of the game to have a good one even if it's not your main offensive threat. Lerbon James--BIG Z and Ben Wallace
Kobe Gasol Bynum Mgema Wade Oneal

Our biggest player stands 30 feet from the basket unguarded.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

I don't agree on our needing a conventional center to compete. We need better players.

[/quote]

Tbat's really all you need to say at this point. We need better players and one or two who knows about winning weather it's in college or the pros.
[/quote]

We wont get Thabeet but we can get Mullens. Mullens will have a better long term future than anyone picked 9 not named Mullens.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

Briggs, what's your take on this, because I think if you're the Knicks you have to go in one of two directions...

We use the #9(ish) pick on one of the top PG's (Warren, Evans, Jennings, Teague)
and then pair them with a purchased late 1st round pick of Tulsa's Jordan

or

We use the #9(ish) pick on Mullens
and then pair him with a purchased late 1st round pick of one of the best available PG's (Mills, Calathes, Maynor, Ty)

If Bj Mullens went to Central Michigan to play college basketball I bet there would be more than 1 person saying he should get consideration for pick 1. He went to a school where the tempo in that league is very slow--the play is very tight and they seemed to utilize BJ as a designated screen man ---he seemed to set 5 picks each offensive set rather than giving him the chance to get consistent deep position.

Yes we should pick Mullens 9th there is NO small guard more worthy of that pick than him. At the bottom line he was the first player to lead the big ten in FG% in 20 years as a freshmen.

One of these cash strapped teams will give up a draft pick for cash and if there is a match where a guard we like is there --maybe we can get that done as well. We are very thin on the bench and we have no pick next year.

Some people might say Greg Monroe but he is NO C--he's aPF who doesnt rebound and had little impact on W-L

The white dude is the best player on the team.

I think if they started Samb and told him to clean the glass and block/alter shots he would be good sort of like a Wallace type player. It couldn't hurt to give him run. Its not like the Knicks are going anywhere. Send a starting lineup of:
Gallo sf
Lee pf
Samb C
Chandler sg
Nate g

The Knicks wouldn't be that bad off with that line up. I agree with Briggs a conventional center is a must if you are going to be a serious team. There really is nothing to lose for the Knicks, its all about gaining in the draft. Suppose this lineup does well then the Knicks could say we have something in Samb and there is a young core that will only get better.

Posted by Vmart:

I think if they started Samb and told him to clean the glass and block/alter shots he would be good sort of like a Wallace type player. It couldn't hurt to give him run. Its not like the Knicks are going anywhere. Send a starting lineup of:
Gallo sf
Lee pf
Samb C
Chandler sg
Nate g

The Knicks wouldn't be that bad off with that line up. I agree with Briggs a conventional center is a must if you are going to be a serious team. There really is nothing to lose for the Knicks, its all about gaining in the draft. Suppose this lineup does well then the Knicks could say we have something in Samb and there is a young core that will only get better.

I don't disagree. If the kid can run and block shots... that's all you need. I'm sure it would make a big difference. We'd stop sagging back all the time.

Dribble drive - All 5 Knicks sag down - kick it out - Simmons for three - good

I could have told you that would happen without watching the game.

A player like BirdMan Andersen is a little more of a MikeD prototype to me though if you have to have a defensive guy.

Posted by fishmike:

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by JohnWallace44:

I don't agree on our needing a conventional center to compete. We need better players.

Tbat's really all you need to say at this point. We need better players and one or two who knows about winning weather it's in college or the pros.

We wont get Thabeet but we can get Mullens. Mullens will have a better long term future than anyone picked 9 not named Mullens.
[/quote] clearly we need to focus our draft search on guys named Mullens. There has to be a few out there


[/quote]

Yeah No Joe Alexanders in this draft

Cause Kendrick Perkins was so clutch to the Celtic's run?