Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by Knicksfan:

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by Knicksfan:

Posted by GKFv2:

Thabeet is too raw to risk another lottery pick on. We need to go for the sure-thing this time. I'd take Thabeet out of the lottery though.

He wont be there out of the lottery

If you want to draft him in the lottery, then trade Lee for a lotto pick and draft him. Let's not waste our own on him.

He is certainly in the radar as he is a defensive C we desperately need and for a guy that just not long ago started playing bball has definitely skills in offense. He is already a lottery projected prospect and since we will probably be there again we have to do our job and check him out.

But that also depends on the pick. If we do #1 and Griffin is the stud player to take, no way we go differently.

I like Derozan and BJ Mullens as well. I think Mullens has tons of potential.

Do you think Mullens brings balance both on D and O? Does he have Mike D favorite's range for a C?

Unless its a can't miss, we should pick a C if we are high in the lottery. Is DeRozan a can't miss?

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by Knicksfan:

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by Knicksfan:

Posted by GKFv2:

Thabeet is too raw to risk another lottery pick on. We need to go for the sure-thing this time. I'd take Thabeet out of the lottery though.

He wont be there out of the lottery

It's either Hasheem or Griffin for 1 and 2.

Thank You Ms. Cleo.

The good thing is that I believe most GM's are smarter than to draft a guy like Thabeet in the top 2. There is a chance he goes after 8 but I don't see him going before that. Definitely not top 5.

Ohhh but NBA GMs definitely know how to surprise us. Don't forget Kwame and Milicic, to name a few.

Thabeet is definitely a top prospect, like it or not. But I guess its too early to be sure which guys will go where.

Problem for us is, the draft and 2010 are more interesting than 2008 Knicks...

This is not a problem. This is the first time in more than 5 years that we have something to look forward to.

True

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by Pharzeone:

Hmm.... The Knicks just threw away a 6th pick on European player who games were basically viewed on 5 minute youtube clips and somehow Thabeet, a player that has been to the NCAA tournament and plays right in the backyard is a risky player. Gotcha.

Are you going to do this again? AGAIN? Jesus. How did the Knicks "throw away" a lottery pick a few months after the draft when the kid has not played at all due to injury? Was Oden a waste of a draft pick last year for the Blazers? Enough of this stuff already.

Playing in the NCAA tournament has nothing to do with anything. Dude is too slow and has no offensive skills to be picked in the lottery. He is a project, just like Gallinari. Back to back gambles on draft picks is not worth it. Tall guys who block shots can be found anywhere and that's all Thabeet does. Thabeet will not go in the lottery.

So now Gallinari is a project? Wow. When did that happen? I thought he was a can't miss pick that had ball handling, can't miss shooting ability and high BB IQ. I mean for godsake he played in the EL. Now he is designated a project? What's next.

Tall guys who block shots can be found anywhere?
Thabeet is not a gamble but for your taste I hear that they found some Russian kid on facebook that may interest you.

So the bottom the line Gallinari is lottery worthy and Thabeet isn't. As I said before gotcha.

You must live in fantasy land. Yeah, that's it. Fantasy land. Nobody ever said Gallinari would come in here and be the Italian Jordan. That's probably the expectations YOU had and that's why you're acting like you drank some spoiled milk over this situation. Gallinari was always a project at 19 years old.

The bottom line is that Gallinari has not proven he ISN'T lottery worthy. He has huge amounts of potential and from the one game he was even allowed to play in, he showed that.

Hasheem Thabeet is as as slow as molasses. Guy reminds me of Mamadou N'Diaye. Don't know what name? what about Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje? Soumalia Samake? Mohammed Sene? Yeah, there is a reason you haven't heard of them. They all fall in the same category. And they all suck. Does Thabeet suck? Who knows. But I'm not wasting a lottery pick on him to find out. At least not the one we have. Like I said, trade Lee for a lotto pick and then we can talk.

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by Knicksfan:

Posted by GKFv2:

Thabeet is too raw to risk another lottery pick on. We need to go for the sure-thing this time. I'd take Thabeet out of the lottery though.

He wont be there out of the lottery

It's either Hasheem or Griffin for 1 and 2.

Thank You Ms. Cleo.

The good thing is that I believe most GM's are smarter than to draft a guy like Thabeet in the top 2. There is a chance he goes after 8 but I don't see him going before that. Definitely not top 5.

Well my guess is NBA scouts are pretty darn high on Thabeet. I would say extremely high. If I was Demar Derozen or Mullens--I would be on the 3 year plan --because year 1 has proven they are not close to NBA levels. These publication and mock drafts have no idea in great gorge putting Derozen or Mullens top 5 and then people pick up on that and reiterate it on message boards like they know what they are talking about. It's good to be the best player on your team--in your league--dominant before you say pick 1-5 and these guys are NOT even close right now. The Knicks could not take a risk on either of these players and I know they won't with the Gallinari debacle--on top of it I would say as of now--unless they are nuts there is a high probability of both returning to school.

I basically agree here, even though it'll be hard going yet another year playing mostly losing basketball. But it is what it is - Maximizing our draft position is the most important thing right now. Priority #1. Buyout Marbury, remove the distraction already, then play out the rest of the year with what we have. No more moves unless it means removing more longterm salary players, namely Curry and Jeffries.

As for the draft, I'm sure I'll change my mind another 100 times, but right now I'm leaning toward revamping our power spots up front with moves for Thabeet in the 1st round then either Taj Gibson or Jarvis Varnado in the 2nd round. These may not be 'best player available' type moves but they would fill gigantic holes on this team and would totally change opponents' approach on how to play us. All of a sudden we could have one of the better defensive frontcourts in the game on the interior drafting two of these three guys.

Thabeet may never be great but he looks to be at least a young Mutumbo and that would be fine with me. And very quietly, Gibson and Varnado are having impact years for their teams in the early going.

Taj Gibson (USC, junior): 15.3 ppg, 11 rpg, 3.4 bpg (#4 best shot-blocker in the country). Just had a decent game against the best player in America, Blake Griffin, going for 12 & 10 w/2 blocks and held Griffin to a modest (for him) 25 & 6. USC played well and lost by only 1 at Oklahoma.

Jarvis Varnado (Miss. State, junior): 10.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 6.1 bpg (#1 shot-blocker in the country).

It's rare to find keepers in the 2nd round nowadays. Both of these guys could come in and contribute for us and would also help cover the lose of David Lee in the event he were to be traded.

[Edited by - finestrg on 12-05-2008 11:06 PM]

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by Knicksfan:

[quote]Posted by GKFv2:

Thabeet is too raw to risk another lottery pick on. We need to go for the sure-thing this time. I'd take Thabeet out of the lottery though.

3He wont be there out of the lottery

It's either Hasheem or Griffin for 1 and 2.

Thank You Ms. Cleo.

The good thing is that I believe most GM's are smarter than to draft a guy like Thabeet in the top 2. There is a chance he goes after 8 but I don't see him going before that. Definitely not top 5.

Well my guess is NBA scouts are pretty darn high on Thabeet. I would say extremely high. If I was Demar Derozen or Mullens--I would be on the 3 year plan --because year 1 has proven they are not close to NBA levels. These publication and mock drafts have no idea in great gorge putting Derozen or Mullens top 5 and then people pick up on that and reiterate it on message boards like they know what they are talking about. It's good to be the best player on your team--in your league--dominant before you say pick 1-5 and these guys are NOT even close right now. The Knicks could not take a risk on either of these players and I know they won't with the Gallinari debacle--on top of it I would say as of now--unless they are nuts there is a high probability of both returning to school.

I don't go by mock drafts. I watch college basketball.

And you watch Derozen and you believe he is a top 5 pick--or you saw him dunk on youtube against high school kids? He has a LOT of flaw--I wont even name him--hes not even the best player on his team --nor is it close. He has tremenodus flaw with the dribble he doesnt have a pro shot--he looks like a tweener 2-3 with nothing defined--his intensity is just OK he's not a great rebounder or passer--he's just a fair rookie at USC--nothing special right now. Mullens is slow he's not ready to play 30+ minutes at the college level. He's been soft and has shown no offensive game what so ever. I mean this is a 7 footer who had one point and no rebounds against Bowling Green. He lumbers up court. He's got more potential than Derozen but he should be on the 3 year plan because he is NO lottery pick--he's not NBA ready--not even close. Thabeet was better than him as a freshmen to this point and now he has tougher games on his plate.

Posted by Knicksfan:

Posted by TMS:

Blake Griffin
Hasheem Thabeet
Demar Derozan
Brandon Jennings
BJ Mullens
Patrick Patterson (trade for extra pick later in the draft)
Chase Budinger (trade for extra pick later in the draft)

if we end up w/any of the above, i'm straight.

If not you are gay?

HA! bitch.

Posted by Knicksfan:

Its ridiculous for any team and in this case, any fan, to expect a savior out of the draft immediately on his rookie year. How many players are called can't miss and don't play to expectations their first year or years? Too many. The point of the draft, no matter if its the lottery or at other point, is to get a young player with the potential to be a piece you want to have in your team for the future.

Its ridiculous how many are calling Gallo a bust when he is just a 20 year old player that has had an injury and even if he were playing he would be learning the game, making lots of mistakes and having good and bad games in his process of becoming a player. I hope for the best of our future that he can play so he can start that process, but meanwhile..

...can we stop the hate, please? Give it TIME!

It is pretty hard to take that approach when the president of the organization described the pick as vital, can't miss on this pick, a guy who can step in and contribute right away. Donnie Walsh put that pressure on Gallinari before he even selected him.

"We can't make a mistake with that kind of pick," Walsh said. "Case closed." - April 6, 2008, MSG press conference for Walsh hiring.
"No projects." Walsh stated. - April 6, 2008, ESPN 1050 interview.

You are confusing me with someone who is buying all this injury junk. D'Antoni admitted that he wasn't ready injury or not. That's why he wanted to ship him to the D-League. At some point though the excuses will have to stop. See you in another 6-8 weeks for a fresh batch of them though.

Posted by Pharzeone:

You are confusing me with someone who is buying all this injury junk. D'Antoni admitted that he wasn't ready injury or not. That's why he wanted to ship him to the D-League. At some point though the excuses will have to stop. See you in another 6-8 weeks for a fresh batch of them though.

Whatever, dude. Its still silly that you are arguing because you believe the guy wasn't ready for prime time when the guy is: a. a rookie, b. foreigner, c. injured.

But alright, go on. Hope that Gallo is a bust just to prove your point.

Meanwhile I will hope that the guy can recover so he can help the Knicks become a good team in the future. As any Knicks fan would.

Posted by GKFv2:

Posted by Pharzeone:

Hmm.... The Knicks just threw away a 6th pick on European player who games were basically viewed on 5 minute youtube clips and somehow Thabeet, a player that has been to the NCAA tournament and plays right in the backyard is a risky player. Gotcha.

Are you going to do this again? AGAIN? Jesus. How did the Knicks "throw away" a lottery pick a few months after the draft when the kid has not played at all due to injury? Was Oden a waste of a draft pick last year for the Blazers? Enough of this stuff already.

Playing in the NCAA tournament has nothing to do with anything. Dude is too slow and has no offensive skills to be picked in the lottery. He is a project, just like Gallinari. Back to back gambles on draft picks is not worth it. Tall guys who block shots can be found anywhere and that's all Thabeet does. Thabeet will not go in the lottery.

Sorry dude but your wrong about Thabeet --- there aren't 2-3 guys in the NBA right now that can do what Thabeet can.

He's a game changer on the defensive end -- it's not just the blocked shots its the changed, altered and passed shots that really impact the game.

In the 4-5 games I seen Thabeet play -- he has blocked more shots above the rim, off the backboard (including pinning balls to the backboard) then any center I can remember. His timing is wonderful - his ability to stay on his feet and his ability to block shots while keeping his body away from the shooter are all part of the puzzle that makes Thabeet a big time prospect.