Knicks Sign Center Who Was Undrafted but Not Unnoticed
By HOWARD BECK
Published: March 24, 2007
CLEVELAND, March 23 — The Knicks landed an intriguing young big man Friday.

Kentucky center Randolph Morris, who played his last collegiate game Sunday, signed with the Knicks. His path to the pros was unconventional to say the least.

Morris declared for the 2005 N.B.A. draft, but was not selected. Because he did not sign with an agent, he was allowed to return to college. However, Morris could not enter the draft again, and technically has been a free agent.

The Knicks regard Morris as a first-round talent. He is expected to join the team over the weekend. If the Knicks make the playoffs, he will be eligible to play.

“It’s more of a future thing, but we definitely won’t hold him back from doing something for us right now,” Coach Isiah Thomas said.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but it runs through at least next season. It is believed the Knicks used their lower-level salary-cap exception to sign Morris for more than the rookie minimum.

Thomas said other teams were also pursuing Morris.

N.B.A. officials believe that Morris’s quick transition to the pros is unprecedented.

“We said all along in terms of building this team we’d have to find unconventional ways to try to find talent,” Thomas said.

Had Morris entered this year’s draft, Thomas projected he would have been selected between 15th and 20th, or possibly in the lottery.

A scouting director for an Eastern Conference team called Morris a mid- to late-first-round pick and said that his work ethic has been a concern. It was a primary reason why no team drafted Morris. The scouting director, who did not want to be identified speaking about another team’s player, said Morris had excellent hands and was a skilled low-post scorer.

Why not put this in the Randolph Morris thread that already exists?

Too bad the Knicks aint eligible for the playoffs.....