crzymdups wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:I think the media was definitely changing their minds moment to moment.

I'm sure the Knicks were hoping Okafor fell and then ran through a series of options in the five minutes they had - some trade down options, KP, Mudiay, maybe Winslow, maybe Stein, maybe even Kaminsky.

Once we got 4 we knew we'd be at the whim of whatever happened above us and to some extent what offers we got from below.

In the end, I can love with the pick, after being dismayed. I don't think KP was their first choice, but he was a solid choice with how things fell. At 4, you can't blame them for exploring their options. Maybe they switched back to Mudiay but then realized they had a shot at Jerian Grant and felt more comfortable taking KP. I know Grant allowed me to feel a lot more comfortable with the KP pick.

I started a thread about Grant during the tourney. I love LOVE love his game. I was fascinated by the KP pick, mostly because its a VERY UN-CAA un-Melo un-Dolan un-Isiah pick so I was like wow... ok, lets see how this pans out. When the guy said "Grant is going to the Knicks" I jumped up, pumped my first and hollered PHUCK YEA and that was when I started posting on UK. I figured we had ZERO shot at him because he would be too high a pick to aquire. I feel like we got so lucky. Phil said they were picking another guy in the KP interview, so its clear they had a taker for THjr before the draft. I wonder if they had a list of players or Grant targeted? Either way Im thrilled about Grant. He could start tomorrow I bet

Yep - I'm thrilled with Grant too. He was someone I coveted if we traded down. I would've been fine just taking him at 4, so getting KP and Grant felt like something of a coup. You have the risky high ceiling guy and also the very heady NBA ready PG. It was a great move.

At one point before the draft I said my ideal would be to get WCS and Grant. So KP and Grant is not a bad haul at all - KP obviously has more upside than WCS (though WCS still has the more defined game and plenty of defensive upside - the injury issue did make taking him seem dicier though).

I should've waited before posting on UK

This Grant kid is solid. I have been reading on him and watching video - He really can just start right away. I was amazed that he fell to where he did. After a loooooooong time I am starting to feel good about the Knicks again.

crzymdups wrote:If you look at Kristaps instagram feed - https://instagram.com/kporzee/ - (clearly I did no work today), every other photo is him with Willie Hernangomez, the guy we took in the second round. They're best friends. I think this is a smart move in a lot of ways to show that we are committed to Kristaps and making him comfortable here. And it seems like he could be a decent backup center - or maybe starter. He defends the post well and supposedly he and KP defend off each other, sort of like Towns and WCS did.

Hernangomez's foot speed gives him some upside as a pick and roll defender and he should improve his understanding on this end as he gains experience, but his lack of length and athleticism limits his potential as an individual defender regardless. He benefited this season playing alongsideKristaps Porzingis, who provides the ideal shot blocking presence from the power forward position to help compensate for his limitations.

Jackson talked about looking at family and support groups when considering potential picks in that press conference a short time ago.

Willie now becomes his brother, in some ways.

Not sure this type of thing has ever been done before, at least as far as I can remember.

Intriguing move.

s3231 wrote:Willie actually seems like a good prospect in his own right...think his friendship with Porzingis is just a really good bonus for us.

According to Givony from Draft Express, only 7 guys in ACB history posted a PER of 20 at age 20...Willie is one of them. Want to know a few of the others? Splitter, Rudy Fernandez, Scola, Rubio, Mirotic, etc.

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/willyhg94/status/614485428528394240

Looks extremely young for his age- much room for maturation.

Maybe he is a steal.

I think he should be here in the SL.

Probably going to be the fun to watch SLs we've had in a long time.

NardDogNation wrote:I definitely sensed that Phil was uneasy about the pick based on his tone and the way he described Kristaps. It gave me the impression that he outsourced the decision to his staff, which I wouldn't be surprised by; after all, there were Lady Gaga concerts to attend instead of focusing on last minute draft deals.

The way he perked up when he described that we were able to trade into the first round for a second pick though gives me the impression that there was a unanimous decision/position on Jerian Grant. And I couldn't blame him for feeling that way because Grant will likely be our best player coming from this draft AND fits the triangle like a glove.

You have to know Jackson by now- sometimes you can't get a grasp on his thinking, and I think he likes this.

Heard he was doing the same things with other GMs, who were asking about him- vague and cryptic answers.

I think that when Phil said he had 3 guys he was looking at, he was talking about Russell, OK4, and Porzingis. Not sure, but I don't think Mudiay and Winslow were in the mix.

Think about the guys everyone said were on his trade down list- Kaminsky and Lyles.

Pretty sure he wanted a big man, unless his Triangle dream guard, Russell, fell.

NardDogNation wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:I definitely sensed that Phil was uneasy about the pick based on his tone and the way he described Kristaps. It gave me the impression that he outsourced the decision to his staff, which I wouldn't be surprised by; after all, there were Lady Gaga concerts to attend instead of focusing on last minute draft deals.

The way he perked up when he described that we were able to trade into the first round for a second pick though gives me the impression that there was a unanimous decision/position on Jerian Grant. And I couldn't blame him for feeling that way because Grant will likely be our best player coming from this draft AND fits the triangle like a glove.

Depending on his guy Clarence Gaines, again. Hopefully the guy has an eye or the kind of talent Jackson was looking for.

You have to know Jackson by now- sometimes you can't get a grasp on his thinking, and I think he likes this.

Heard he was doing the same things with other GMs, who were asking about him- vague and cryptic answers.

I think that when Phil said he had 3 guys he was looking at, he was talking about Russell, OK4, and Porzingis. Not sure, but I don't think Mudiay and Winslow were in the mix.

Think about the guys everyone said were on his trade down list- Kaminsky and Lyles.

Pretty sure he wanted a big man, unless his Triangle dream guard, Russell, fell.

As I said before, I've got no problem with Kristaps the player. I think that he has an intriguing skillset, which could make him a compelling player in the triangle once he matures. But as I've said before, he was picked entirely too high for a guy with so little to offer off the bat and with such a long road ahead of him. That same reservation is what I sensed from Jackson, who seemed out of his breadth in the draft.

He was out of breath because he and Ms. Buss had just had a long talk about the draft in a private room.

Guys talk about BPA, and when I said in other threads that you might look at Anthony's age and the finite length of Phil's tenure I was usually criticized.

He was generally regarded as the BPA at 4 and the guy with one of the highest upsides in the draft- If you use the BPA thing, he was the right pick.

Time to wait, watch, and hope. I'm predicting that he becomes a solid player sooner rather than later, but we just have to wait and see.