True we'll never win a championship without a true center, but they're not winning anytime soon, so it isn't like they need to draft a Center because they don't have one. If a great player like Butler or Wagner is there and the Knicks take Borchardt it will make absolutely no sense.

Camby never claimed not to be a center. he just complained that they never gave him a real PF to play with. Kurt is soft. Clarence is short and clumsy. He wants a real PF.

I like the idea of taking Hilario more and more each day. He's more or less got a center's build. If he grows a little more, that's pretty good, too. The kicker is the post game, though... if he doesn't have it, he's gotta learn it... it's frustrating to have 5 power forwards on a team where none of them can post up.

The only thing I'm worried about with Hilario is he hasn't really played against top-notch talent. Sure he had 10 good minutes in the Goodwill games, but that's not really going to help you.

Let's face it, to win in the NBA you need someone to go to downlow and a guy who can score off the dribble. My examples, Lakers (Shaq-Kobe), Kings (Webber/Vlade-Bibby/Jackson). That's why Dallas won't win a championship, because Cuban's philosophy of "since nobody can guard Shaq, don't even try," is bound to fail, and because Kobe is better then all of his perimeter guys. I'd be shocked if New Jersey won the title for this reason, they have no guys who can flat out score (and please don't tell me Kidd can, because he can't.) Once Antoine Walker develops a post game the Celtics will be really dangerous, and once Iverson gets a scorer downlow the 76ers will too.

Which brings me to the Knicks, this draft is so big because there are people at 7 that can take people off the dribble and develop into all-stars (DaJuan Wagner) and a guy that can go downlow and score at ease even if somebody is guarding him (Hilario.) If the Knicks get either guy, I'll be happy.

One more thing, here is a pic of Hilario going against the top talent in Brazil -- http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/largepics/nene5.jpg
That guy doesn't exactly look even high school caliber. But still, the other pics of Hilario on that page are impressive.

[Edited by - bigsm00th on 06/06/2002 16:06:45]

Posted by UKDad:

After watching Shaq make everyone look like midgets in the playoffs, what the Knicks need to draft is a guy like Shaq. He is the proto-typical center in the NBA for the years to come. Until another 7 foot, 350 pound man comes along, the rest of the league can only hope that they get lucky for 7 games in the next several years. The Lakers will be 4-peating, 5-peating, 6-peating or so.. Maybe Shaq and Kobe will demand so much money that the Lakers won't be able to afford any other "players" and Jackson will have to both coach and play. Even then I wouldn't count them out..

jerome james is solid. vlade did well against shaq in the finals, but shaq is the best. why tim duncan doesn't play better or play center, who knows. at least webber played shaq (poorly, but took him) when vlade was in foul trouble.