Posted by Bippity10:

If BJ Mullens comes into this draft and falls and we have opportunity to take him in the 19-25 area and we can get it done I would seriously consider it.

Last month

BJ Mullens is David Lee only 4 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier. Not because he is white but because he has the same springs in his legs that David has. Thats because he can use both hands like david can. Thats because he will shoot a very high % like David does. Thats because he will rebound like David can. He can also win dunk contests like David did to show increcible agility for such a big man who also possesses an incredible base. He's not a great defender like David although he is 7 feet tall and 270 pounds and that alone can help clog a lane. Take this to the bank if BJ Mullens stays one year he will be pick 1 in the 2010 draft. IF IF and its a BIG IF IF this player fell and we were drafting 10-12--we would be PSYCHOTIC not to take him even though he would need development time of atleast 1 year[although he would be good enough to play of the bench immediately] Unlike Gallinari--this is not a soft body player--this is a big athletic C with a very strong base who has a mean streak as well. He now knows hes bigger and stronger than his opponents and when he gets the ball near the hoop its nearly a dunk every single time. Again I didnt see Patrick Obryant lead the big Ten in FG% and he wasnt very highly recruited coming out. You're the same guy who thinks Jerome Jordan is going to be a good player. All big men are not created equal. This kid is a physical specimen. He's got springs in his legs at 7-1 270. He has agility that few guys his size have. He's got to work but the physical part is already there. Again there are a lot of 7 footers in CBB--none of them led the Big Ten in FG% except this player. Every big school wanted him and for good reason. If he worked hard with a trainer and a pro skill coach in the offseason he could play off an NBA bench next year. The kid needs work but but he will be a very fine player in the NBA.

A few days later

MY God if the Knicks cant figure out this kid will be a 20 point 60% player they should all hand in their badges and paychecks

I can't keep up

[Edited by - bippity10 on 25-03-2009 09:01 AM]

seems like he's saying the same thing in all of these posts

The thing with Mullens is that he's raw and not a shooter, which are two strikes from MikeD. Its unlikely that we'd take him. That's why Briggs is recommending more likely picks.

Derozan would surprise me a little bit as a pick as well, but hopefully they can see his potential.

Posted by fishmike:

I still still want to know how Tyreke Evens gained 30 pounds and grew 2 inches

He's listed at 6'6" 219 - I would bet that he's 6'4, but that doesn't change the fact that he's clearly a beast of a PG. Think about how good we were as a team when Marty Collins had his five games of wonderment. If this dude can do that normally, then we're in a good position.

Posted by BRIGGS:

1. Blake Griffin [no-brainer]
2 Demar Derozan [I view him as the second best long term prospect in this draft]
3 Jordan Hill [Can replace David Lee and make an instant impact]
4 Tyreke Evans [An NBA ready clone of Stephen Jackson who can play PG at 6-6 225]
5 Hasheem Thabeet [has had incredible growth that will continue at an athletic 7-3 265]
6 Eric Maynor [After reviewing everyone several time I think he is the second best PG prospect next to Evans
7 Cole Aldrich [Solid lengthy sturdy player who will have similar results i.e 15-12 from the C position like he has been doing now. Probably a little safer in some respects than Thabeet but with less upside]
8 James Harden [I said a about 6 years ago that Micheal Redd would be a great NBA player--so will James Harden--this might even be low for him]
9. Jeff Teague [productivity has fallen off but his athletic ability and skills the way they will translate to the NBA havent
tie 10a. Dejuan Blair[warrior leader producer winner long arms powerful body that has nice agility with superior mental make up we wont take him but hey]
10b. Craig Brackins[Looks a lot like David West at Xavier albeit just slightly thinner]

If BJ Mullens comes into this draft and falls and we have opportunity to take him in the 19-25 area and we can get it done I would seriously consider it.

Also I like both Jeff Pendergraph and Wayne Ellington for this system if we have a later pick and go the route of rotational player who can go now.

lol.. PROBLEM IS, 6 years later, you are still wrong.. Redd is not a Great NBA player. He is a good NBA player, but not GREAT...

Posted by JohnWallace44:

I'll make a couple of assumptions - one, the ping pong balls won't fall our way, two, Donnie will get a low 1st round pick (or he's a total failure)

Here are some realistic pairings that would have a massive impact on our Knickerbockers

Assumed drafted before us: Griffin - Hill - Evans - Rubio - Thabeet - Harden - Monroe - Aminu

1 - Derozan - Mills
2 - Jennings - Sam Young
3 - Brackins - Christmas (get Vornado in the 2nd round and this looks really good)
4 - Mullens - Meeks
5 - Warren - Jordan
6 - Holiday - Chris Johnson
7 - Williams - Taj Gibson
8 - Maynor - Patterson

key is length, defense, athleticism

counting down the days to the draft...

I'm with you JohnWallace. We definitely should be looking to add multiple picks in this draft. I like what you've got here. They need to think big in this draft and if all it comes down to is money, get Dolan on board and convince him that coughing up a few million for a couple of extra prospects in this draft will be money well spent and go a long way in improving the team's talent base and flexibility. Many teams have done this recently and used this method of improving to great effect. Why can't we???

Guys I love for us with our own pick are Warren, Maynor or Teague - these 3 have the potential to be lead guards with star potential in my estimation. No disrespect to Chris Duhon who's played fairly well for us, but these guys have skills that put him to shame. I like Evans also though not as much as these 3. I do like DeRozan and I agree with you guys, if he's still there around 10, you gotta grab him.

With the additional lower pick(s) we hopefully acquire somehow, you can't go wrong with any of the names you guys are talking about here. Pendergraph looks like a well put together big man who can run the court and contribute and Christmas, Ellington and Meeks all look like good shooters who can play in the NBA. I'd be OK with any of these guys... I personally really like Sam Young, DeJuan Blair, KC Rivers and/or Taj Gibson for us. Young and Blair are just awesome and should be big impact guys in the NBA right off the bat - I couldn't imagine why they wouldn't be. Both are strong & skilled with room to get even better (Blair in particular, already a monster rebounder and space-eater, I could see him becoming an even better offensive player in the NBA provided he's developed properly). Both guys are NBA-ready right now and should produce right away. Ditto KC Rivers. He's a legit 2 in the NBA with enough size, a great long range shot, slashing ability and good defensive instincts with quick hands and feet. And Taj Gibson's definitely a contributor at the next level - there's not much Taj can't do when you think about it - Pac-10 defensive player of the year's a plus athlete that can run, jump, pass, score, board and challenge shots at the rim. As is, he's a little thin, but you can't convince me he can't add another 10 lbs. of muscle with the right training program. Another great lower pick with real nice value. Hey, if we could acquire players even better than these guys, great, but these guys would make us better right away.

To go a step further, provided these guys don't get drafted, I'd immedimately give them an invite to camp to get a closer look: Jack McClinton and AD Vassallo. At no more than 6'1" McClinton may not be much of a pure PG but he can score the ball either on the perimeter with the deep ball or going strong to the rim. He's strong and fearless and could be a nice little scoring guard off the bench for someone in the Leandro Barbosa/Nate Robinson mold. AD Vassallo's another interesting guy that gets no buzz. VA Tech just got wacked at home by Baylor in the NIT and Vassallo had a stinker (only 12 pts. on 4-17 from the field) but make no mistake, he can play. 6'6" shooter has a very smooth game. Very Reggie Theus/Francisco Garcia like...

[Edited by - finestrg on 03-25-2009 10:31 AM]

Posted by tkf:

Posted by BRIGGS:

1. Blake Griffin [no-brainer]
2 Demar Derozan [I view him as the second best long term prospect in this draft]
3 Jordan Hill [Can replace David Lee and make an instant impact]
4 Tyreke Evans [An NBA ready clone of Stephen Jackson who can play PG at 6-6 225]
5 Hasheem Thabeet [has had incredible growth that will continue at an athletic 7-3 265]
6 Eric Maynor [After reviewing everyone several time I think he is the second best PG prospect next to Evans
7 Cole Aldrich [Solid lengthy sturdy player who will have similar results i.e 15-12 from the C position like he has been doing now. Probably a little safer in some respects than Thabeet but with less upside]
8 James Harden [I said a about 6 years ago that Micheal Redd would be a great NBA player--so will James Harden--this might even be low for him]
9. Jeff Teague [productivity has fallen off but his athletic ability and skills the way they will translate to the NBA havent
tie 10a. Dejuan Blair[warrior leader producer winner long arms powerful body that has nice agility with superior mental make up we wont take him but hey]
10b. Craig Brackins[Looks a lot like David West at Xavier albeit just slightly thinner]

If BJ Mullens comes into this draft and falls and we have opportunity to take him in the 19-25 area and we can get it done I would seriously consider it.

Also I like both Jeff Pendergraph and Wayne Ellington for this system if we have a later pick and go the route of rotational player who can go now.

lol.. PROBLEM IS, 6 years later, you are still wrong.. Redd is not a Great NBA player. He is a good NBA player, but not GREAT...

Yeah he is a great basketball player and easily one of the top second round picks in modern times. If you can average 25-4-3 on 45% shooting+ in the NBA--you are on great level. Thats not franchise player but close= great. If you threw Mike Redd into Boston for Ray Allen--you would have the same result. It's kind of difficult to say hes an average nba player--no?

A couple names you should add to the list is Paddy Mills from St. MArys and if Jujuan Johnson leaves purdue he is going to be a very good pro. Huge Aldrich fan and I think they have to sign a center with some skills. Lets hope Walsh doesnt screw up this draft again because EG or Augustine would look great on this team.

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by JohnWallace44:

Posted by Bippity10:

So saying "IF IF and its a BIG IF IF this player fell and we were drafting 10-12--we would be PSYCHOTIC not to take him" is the same as "seriously consider at 19-25"?

Why not just say that Mullens is a mystery and will therefore go anywhere from 10-25 in the draft. It may even be possible according to Briggs("Big If for him to drop to 10) for him to go higher. So the range actually be be something like 5-25. And if that's the case why would someone lose their jobs and be considered pyschotic for passing up on such a mystery.

It just goes to illustrate that the draft and talent is not as easy to measure as we seem to think. And may illustrate how a scout in NY on draft night may consider Gallinari over other prospects. No?

[Edited by - bippity10 on 25-03-2009 10:03 AM]

His range probably is 5-20 in reality. There's a whole bunch of players like that.

This is what I've been saying the whole time about this draft. There is one A+ dude in Griffin, four A dudes, and about 15 guys that are all A- type players. Maynor, Williams, Clark, Mullens, Brackins, these guys could go anywhere in the draft really.

I agree. I just think we are quick to yell for firings and create conspiracy theories over why a guy was picked, when in reality we ourselves can't even decide on who to pick. The only time we seem to have a consensus on who to pick is after the draft is done and the players have had a few months to show their talent in actual NBA games.

Actually when you look at the phrase "seriously consider at 19-25" that means you could pass on him at 25. Which means his range is more like 5-infinity.



[Edited by - bippity10 on 25-03-2009 10:30 AM]

[Edited by - bippity10 on 25-03-2009 10:39 AM]

He had a game in early February against Purdue that led me to believe they he was ready to show what he could do--especially offensively with more PT. He was dominating. The follow through breakout did not fully materialize but I cant cover my eyes from what I watched a 7-1 270 18 year old do against a very good team. Did his value slip from there--it did he did not sustain--not all of his fault. But the bottom line is he took a hit--yes if we can get a second draft pick I would like to take him--that would be my target. Whether it was 16 or 26--I wouldnt care. Do I know if he will be there--do I know if the Knicks want a C or even like his prospects or can even get a second pick? No--so impossible to speculate. I would like us to be able to get Mullens and stash and develop him. He can play offensively as a C right now off an NBA bench while he develops.

Nothing unfair about what you say and I don't disagree with you. Draft stock rises and falls all the time. I was making a greater point that it's not easy to make a pick. No matter how much potential many of these guys show drafting is not an exact science and shows why all the teams that passed on guys like Lopez and Randoph aren't pyschotic or part of some greater conspiracy. They simply viewed one player higher than another at that particular time, like you have about Mullens. I'm sure right now someone is chomping at the bit and praying he drops to them. While someone else is not even considering him. Similar to how many probably viewed Lopez, Bayless, Gordon etc. Outside of 3 or 4 guys there is noone in the last 2 drafts that you could look at and say that guy is a superstar and you are psychotic, stupid or deserve to be fired, if you pass on them. You proved this point yourself in less than a month regarding BJ.

harden reminds me of john salmons...

Comparing Lopez and Frye is moronic. They have nothing in common. The NBA adjusted to Frye because he was soft and did nothing on the court other than shoot jumpers. Lopez is a low post scorer who can also hit the outside shot. Not a lot of 7 foot big men can do that in the NBA. He protects the basket averaging nearly 2 blocks a game, rebounds and scores efficiently. He also shoots 80% from the FT line and with that way he operates he is going to start the game with 10 points automatically just because of the FT attempts. He is also all of 20 years old and is already commanding double teams in the low post. He is not a right fit in D'Antoni system but dismissing him as the next Jason Collins, which is even more idiotic than the Frye comparison, is just mind numbingly stupid.

If we don't get into the lottery and get Griffin--my hope remains the same--that we target Demar Derozan first Tyreke Evans second. Id be willing to give up something to move up to get either player. I would be willing to give up Nate and a future 1 to get both players.

Posted by huskies01:

Comparing Lopez and Frye is moronic. They have nothing in common. The NBA adjusted to Frye because he was soft and did nothing on the court other than shoot jumpers. Lopez is a low post scorer who can also hit the outside shot. Not a lot of 7 foot big men can do that in the NBA. He protects the basket averaging nearly 2 blocks a game, rebounds and scores efficiently. He also shoots 80% from the FT line and with that way he operates he is going to start the game with 10 points automatically just because of the FT attempts. He is also all of 20 years old and is already commanding double teams in the low post. He is not a right fit in D'Antoni system but dismissing him as the next Jason Collins, which is even more idiotic than the Frye comparison, is just mind numbingly stupid.

let me be the first to say your a douchebag. My guess is its something you were you used to hearing where you may have posted in the past. That being said I appreciate your response and the time you took to offer your feedback.

I am not sure where you read "Brook Lopez is just like Channing Frye." Perhaps its because your moronic.

Many players come into the league and put up good numbers.

As I mentioned "Beware of what you see from rookies on bad teams."

Also (probably a symptom of being moronic) you will notice I never knocked Lopez's game. I only gave one example I hoped would be familiar with Knick fans (FYI: Channing Frye was a Knick once) of a player that had a very fast and promising start but fizzled.

I also the said the "jury is still out." on Lopez. This is another way of saying one is undecided, or there is not enough evidence to say with conviction that something is true or false. Lopez may be a very good center for many many years. He may also be putting up good numbers on a bad team because somebody has too. Who is behind Lopez to challenge him for minutes? Aside from Carter launching his 30 shots who would you focus your defense of on that team? Dooling? Jarvis Hayes?

Thank you and welcome!