Agree with Vmart..draft Lang..or best available regardless of position.

First off let me answer the question. Let's see if this sounds logical. I think we can agree that the Knicks are going to go for it every year, that there will be no rebuilding--not even one year as we found out--that's fine. We can also all agree that our team's core is againg rapidly.

That being said, I believe we should put forth an effort to put extensive time into scouting like Jerry West does. I think we should keep draft picks seperate[atleast 1 st round picks] from any transaction unless the trade is to good to be true. An example would be acquiring a Rahim for something like Thomas Knight and the 9 pick. Since Rahim is an elite power forward with no history of serious injury and still 26--tome thats where I would use the pick.
Where I would not use the pick. I would not use the pick unless it truly was a significant upgrade. Guys like Andre Miller,TimThomas,etc... I would not use a throw a pick in the deal for thse guys.

The Knicks need to put much more emphasis on scouting the draft. For to many years I believe it is like last second guess work based on limited due dilligence.

What we need to do is let guys like Lee nailon and Postell move on and replace them with 2 draft picks. And as each year goes by and players salaries run out--we replace them with draft picks, MLE's or cheaper Fa's. If we build up a stock of high quality young players in a few years,we will be in position to have a nice core and perahso significant aproom once Houston's contract is up in 2006. Maybe we get lucky in the draft when we dont make the playoffs along the way. But that is howI seeit.

As for James lang--Im right there with you but I don't think I can value him as high as 9. If we were able to move picks 30 and 38 upinto the first round to a team that didnt want to take on a rookie salary around 22--27 or so andif Lang was available there--thats how Id work it. Id probably do the same move with Villenueva. There arent many 6-10 225 SF with his talent and ifyou can land a 25 pick or so with both second rounders likeImentioned--absolutely--Imputting that talent on my bench and cultivating it.

Up at pick 9 Im looking to be a bit more conventional and conservative. That doesnt mean you cant hit the jackpot. If someone stayed conservative and went with Boozer last year--look at their reward. And for the most past I would rather stay with domestic players. The Knicks have had their troubles with foreign picks and while I wouldnt rule out picking oneif ithought they had immense talent--I would always defer to the domestic pick to keep out of troubles.

That being said I believe the smartest picks for us at 9 in order->not knowing if the player will commit to the draft-yet having realistic expectations of the pick falling to 9.

1) Wayne Simien PF Kansas 6-8 245
2) Chris Kaman C C Michigan 7-0 260
3) Torin Francis PF ND 6-10 250
4) Mike Sweetney PF/C Gtown 6-8 260
5) Dwayne Wade PG/SG Mrqte 6-4 215
6) Nick Collison PF Kansas 6-9 250

Posted by Andrew:

Is Lang the HS player that NBADraft.net has going early in the 2nd round?

I like the Kid from Spain Lampe I have never see him play but at age 18 he looks like a sleeper. 7' 255 at 18 years. That would be a good pick up at 10th position for the Knicks. Lang is going to last until late first round if the KNicks can work out a trade to get him it would be a good move either way I think getting Lang would be a good move people are down on him because of his weight but give him NBA trainers to work with him during the off season and during the season he has a chance to be a monster. I'm talking about 18 points 10 rebounds in his second or third year now a days those are great numbers coming from the center position. I think the Kid wants to make a name from for himself. He lost 60 pounds in the off season he has dedication for sure.

Posted by falcindor:

Lang definitely on the plump side and he has very little ups. Hes dumb for even considering comming out. Dont mentionhis name in the same sentence as Curry.

he doesn't have the grades for college.

Yes Rahim is an elite player in the league and yes he is a power forward.

His career averages over 6 years are 21 points 8.5 rebounds 1 block 3 assits on 47% shooting. Is he KG? No Is he an elite player? Anyone in the NBA who can put up those types of numbers consistently is elite. He is a 6-9 245 pound power forward and yes i would give up the 9 pick Thomas and Knight for him.

Posted by BRIGGS:

Yes Rahim is an elite player in the league and yes he is a power forward.

His career averages over 6 years are 21 points 8.5 rebounds 1 block 3 assits on 47% shooting. Is he KG? No Is he an elite player? Anyone in the NBA who can put up those types of numbers consistently is elite. He is a 6-9 245 pound power forward and yes i would give up the 9 pick Thomas and Knight for him.

Don't be foolish man, I live here in Atlanta and my friend and I shared season Tickets this year, I have seen a lot more of rahim than you did and He is NOT an elite player, actually Glen Robinson was the Go to guy on the Hawks, so that shows you the faith they had in Rahim, Rahim is a good player but hasn't played on a team that had a winning season Yet, he is a very good player but elite players are Garnett, Duncan, Dirk, Webber. etc. come on dukes and he is NOT a PF, he may play there at times but Rahim is a classic SF. Get over it... If Glen Robinson was not here in Atlanta, Rahim would be playing SF... I guess you would also say spree is an elite SF....haha!!!!!!!

He went from weighing 365 to 280 and gained some back.

The Knicks don't need Oprah.

I don't know if you have ever been on the heavy side but it take a lot of commitment and dedication to reduce weight.

It takes a lot of poor habits to get fat.

or a new owner?

- Elite or not (which he really isn't. He's good, but not great), I'd do Thomas, Knight and the 9th pick for Rahim in a second.

- Lang isn't deserving of a loterry pick, simply because he isn't ready for the NBA. You'd be nuts to take him over lottery worthy picks when he'll still be around in the second round. He isn't near as good as Curry was when he came out, and Curry sucked when he came out. On a team that needs a big guy from this draft, the Knicks need someone who can at least play at this level. Lang can't. He's fine as a second round project, but a complete waste at the 9 spot with all the other players available. Draft Lang, and we'll just be subjected to more years of Spoon n' O.

- Briggs, I don't think you can classify Sofoklis in that samne "Euro mold". He has an african mother, and his game screams Shaq, even if his size doesn't. At 6'9, he's already our biggest player, and being only 17, he could stand to grow some. But the most appealing thing is his aggressiveness down low. He wants to slam everything down, and loves competition. It's exactly what Amare has. And it's exactly what the Knicks need now. With his size (270 lbs), he might even get minutes at center. I'm completely sold on him. He's the man right now.