I think Baker has shown he can be a rotation pg. ideally a backup. Look at the talent in the league at PG. if we have a chance to draft a stud Pg as the best player on the board, we should.

Baker also has the size to play alongside another PG. Hornacek likes to play two pg.

We're not in the position to let existing players dictate what we take in the draft. The only thing I'd say is that we should try to get a 1, 2, or a 3. But honestly even some of the hybrid 3/4 guys are appealing like Jon Isaac.

But Baker is playing well. Maybe he can be a Charlie Ward type for us.

newyorknewyork wrote:

fitzfarm wrote:Baker is the perfect triangle pg! Smart , defensive beast, high iq, could be a occasional triple double guy ... a double double guy for sure... he makes everyone on the team better. Again a perfect triangle starting pg... if he works hard on becoming a dead eye from downtown sky is the limit for Ronny boy.

Also these last few games show how the NBA has changed and how guys like rose and melo refuse to buy in and play team basketball.... we almost beat the griz and raps without KP melo and rose... and if horny didn't tank in both 3rd/ fourth quarter rotations I wonder if we win these games.

With a core of KP, Willy, baker we just need a starting caliber 2 with a defensive specialist at the 3

Baker
Monk
Tucker
Willy
KP

Check out our backups esp if we go over to sign rose with the bird rights.

Rose
Lee
Lance
Oquin/ndor
Noah/plum

Rose would win sixth man of the year if healthy the question is who are we to get for melo regardless I want pj tucker on my team even if melo stays.

Would need to see 2 years of consistent play from Baker before coming to this same conclusion. There is no reason to become content either. Build depth and a strong rotation.

If we are abke to come out of this draft with Frank and Hart. If Baker improves, we would have completely revamped our backcourt with Baker, Frank, Lee, Hart. All of them play defense.

I hear ya but I think we don't lose much with Ron in the starting lineup cause he makes the right plays and is a lock down defender... if he works on hitting his open threes he'd be a perfect blend of Ron Harper and derrick fisher .

It's pretty exciting we have two budding stars in KP and Willy... I still feel Willy can be molded into a 4 ala LMA and KP dominant as a 5... both can interchange position. With a top 8 pick in store a backcourt of monk and baker would be a deadly blend of offense from monk and lock down defense from baker ... I like frank but I think we need a 2 bad

StarksEwing1 wrote:I like baker BUT lets dial it down. This is one of the better drafts for point guards in recent memory. Take the best player available but dont pass up a good point guard because of baker

nixluva wrote:Knicks will have options as opposed to only looking for one thing. They can go BPA if the end up at 6 or better. It's a good draft at PG and SF.

Few people realize how important this is. They are too busy finding fault and assessing blame and could care less about any flexibility we have with the kids on the roster. An "experiment" backcourt after we draft a starting SF to go with KP/Willy is perfectly fine too.

fitzfarm wrote:Baker is the perfect triangle pg!

Kyle Lowry
Goran Dragic
Aaron Brooks
Jeremy Lin
Patrick Beverley
Ish Smith

I'm sure there are other names of players the Rockets had under Daryl Morey playing point guard.

Good teams, well run teams, are proof you don't need to spend a ton of resources/ton of assets to fill the PG position.

Ish Smith actually runs the offense better in Detroit now than more expensive Reggie Jackson, whom they tried to trade.

Obviously Dragic, Lowry and Beverley and Lin ended up making more money over time, but there is point guard help out there if you can mine in, and well run teams find a way to mine it.

Utah might end up paying George Hill the max because they suffered at PG for half a decade now. It's not just a sign of their luck, but also of their dysfunction at some level.

I don't think Baker is a starting caliber PG in the NBA, not consistently. However, he is proof IMHO, that with good coaching, a player who is committed and putting a player in a position to succeed, good things can happen without paying the brand name price for it.

You don't win in the NBA without good defense on the wing and rim protection. Both cost money. 3 And D wings and pivots cost money. Means you need to skimp if you can on the PG and PF position, or find value in those areas. This is why Daryl Morey never broke the bank trying to get a point guard.

Knicks should take BPA and figure all the rest out later. There isn't enough talent on the roster to worry about "need based drafting" yet.

StarksEwing1 wrote:

nixluva wrote:Just look at how far Baker has come since the start of the year! The confidence and how smooth he looks now!
He's an NBA player for sure. IMO he's another Knicks Scouts success. A 2 way player that is smart enough to run the offense and tough. You can play him with a PG or SG.

Nobody is saying we don't want Baker...he should be apart of the team next year. HOWEVER that doesn't mean we should abandon drafting a point guard in a strong draft class for point guards

My point is more about the Flexibility of Baker. He's a guy that can play next to any guard we'd draft or just come off the bench. He's good next to a PG or SG as he can guard both and run the team too. In the Triangle you don't have to be a star to play the PG. Baker has the BB IQ to handle the job.