Posted by PresIke:

why would Rubio be defending in the paint?

fair point about finishing with the left for future observation.

defensively i am curious what you are referring to.

dude gets quite a bit of steals i think.

seems to me some are just LOOKING FOR ANY REASON to show why he isn't worth a top pick.

Rubio is no Marbury in so many ways I don't even see why there is a comparison.

Rubio isn't just a fancy passer, and I guess Magic Johnson, Nash, and Kidd could have also succeeded on the And-1 tour too...does that mean they haven't been or could be good NBA players?

[Edited by - PresIke on 06-02-2009 02:48 AM]

[Edited by - PresIke on 06-02-2009 02:49 AM]

Posted by Andrew:

McK1...those comparison stats you are using. Where are you finding the ones for Rubio? How many games is it for? What are the minutes being played compared to the others?

draftexpress player profiles

those are Rubio's ACB numbers. he played 22 games, 23 mpg
Holiday 35 games, 27 mpg
Evans 37 games, 29 mpg
Curry 34 games, 34 mpg

Posted by Allanfan20:

There's really no way you can tell if someone is a good defender by rebounds, in my most humble of opinions.

Posted by Allanfan20:

I don't agree. It shows that you're good at grabbing rebounds for a guard, but it doesn't show how good you are at defense. Like I said, there's a million questions to ask about how good a team defender you are. I don't think how many rebounds you grab is one of them, but that's just my opinion.

New York Knicks 32-50
Draft Pick #8

Draft History:
2008- SF- Danilo Gallinari (#6)
2007- SF- Wilson Chandler (#23)
2006- SF- Renaldo Balkman (#20), SG- Mardy Collins (#29)

Depth Chart:

PG: Chris Duhon/ Nate Robinson*
SG: Larry Hughes/ Quentin Richardson*/ Joe Crawford*
SF: Danilo Gallinari/Wilson Chandler/ Jared Jeffries
PF: Al Harrington*/ Chris Wilcox*
C: David Lee*/ Eddy Curry*/ Saer Sene*/ Courtney Sims*

*Potential Free Agent

The Mike D'Antoni-era began slowly in New York last season, as the undermanned Knicks looked promising early on, but sputtered to a disappointing 32-50 finish. That said, D'Antoni did not have a tremendous amount of talent to work with, oftentimes opting to shorten his rotation to just seven players, and playing much of the season without prized draft pick Danilo Gallinari.

Much like last summer, with the front office eyeing the summer of 2010, any free agent signings this off-season will be temporary and likely won't contribute towards building a contender in the Big Apple. There are certainly some solid players on the roster, most notably David Lee and Nate Robinson, although it remains to be seen if either looks to remain in New York this summer. GM Donnie Walsh has a lot of work to do in order to develop this team into a contender, starting with somehow finding a way to unload the considerable deadweight that Isiah Thomas left for him when he took the job. The fact that he managed to clear off a good chunk of it already is commendable.

The Knicks won't be able to address all of the glaring holes in their roster with the eighth pick in the draft, but they'll be able to add a quality basketball player, who can help them build a solid foundation for the future. Most importantly, whomever they draft must be a Mike D'Antoni basketball player, boasting solid basketball IQ, creativity on the offensive end of the floor, and perimeter shooting ability.

While it seems as though the Knicks are primarily looking for a point guard to relieve Chris Duhon of his starting duties, there are a lot of versatile players, on perimeter and in post alike, who fit the bill of potential targets for D'Antoni and his fast paced system. The Knicks need upgrades at just about every position and should find a good player in this draft capable of helping them out immediately.

First Round Candidates: Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday