Knicks Draft Strategy Driven by Who May Partner Best With James


By Mason Levinson
June 24 (Bloomberg) -- The New York Knicks’ main task in
tomorrow’s National Basketball Association draft may be finding
a player who can help them land LeBron James or Dwyane Wade next
year.
The Knicks, whose eight-year drought without an All-Star is
the third-longest in the NBA, have the eighth selection in the
draft at Madison Square Garden, New York’s home arena. The team
is in a five-year playoff drought and hasn’t had a basketball
celebrity since the departure of 11-time All-Star Patrick Ewing
almost nine years ago.
The answer may be drafting one of several guards including
Stephen Curry and Jonny Flynn to complement the superstar --like
2010 potential free agents James or Wade -- the Knicks may
pursue. The team aims to return a pulse to the building
nicknamed “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” which will undergo
a facelift costing more than $500 million by the 2012-13 season.
“You don’t need star power to fill up the gym, you need
star power to win,” Jeff Van Gundy, who coached the team from
1995 until resigning in December 2001, said in a telephone
interview. The Knicks haven’t had a winning record since he
left.
“Winning will always bring excitement back to the
Garden,” said Van Gundy, who led New York to the NBA Finals
against the San Antonio Spurs a decade ago.
Second-year team President Donnie Walsh, 68, and coach Mike
D’Antoni, 58, continue to follow a plan of seeking players who
fit D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense, while clearing salary-cap
space for a run at a perennial All-Star next summer.

‘Total Rebuild’

“It’s not easy trying to do what they’re doing, which is
totally rebuilding an organization,” Van Gundy, 47, said.
While this year’s draft isn’t viewed by NBA analysts as
particularly strong, they say there are quality point guards
available. Drafting the right one might help the Knicks reverse
their fortunes.
University of Oklahoma sophomore forward Blake Griffin
probably will be selected No. 1 by the Los Angeles Clippers,
though the rest of draft is less certain, said ESPN analyst Jay
Bilas.
“This is not the strongest of drafts up top,” Bilas said
on a conference call with reporters. “There’s not the kind of
star power we had in ‘03 and ‘05, but there’s still a lot of
good value.”
That includes point guards such as Spain’s Ricky Rubio,
Davidson’s Curry, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday, Syracuse’s Flynn, North
Carolina’s Ty Lawson, and Brandon Jennings, who chose to play in
Europe last season rather than college.

Class of 2010

While Walsh was coy this week in talking to reporters about
his draft strategy, a top point guard may help New York move
closer to playoff contention as it tries to attract possible
free agents such as James, Wade, Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix and
Chris Bosh of Toronto a year from now.
While Rubio may be taken before New York’s selection,
Curry, who has said he wants to play for the Knicks, may still
be available.
The 21-year-old Curry, whose father is former NBA player
Dell Curry, led the National Collegiate Athletic Association in
scoring last season with a 28.6 points-per-game scoring average.
“That system, he would feel super comfortable in,” said
Bilas, who called Curry the draft’s best shooter and a likely
top-seven pick. “There’s not a high premium, frankly, on
guarding anybody. They want to outscore you.”
The Knicks’ 105.2 scoring average last season was fourth
in the NBA, though they finished last in the Atlantic Division
with a 32-50 record.

Curry and Defense

Curry’s perceived defensive liabilities aren’t necessarily
a concern for Walsh.
“I think you have to have a system for all these players,
and to me, a guy like Curry is smart enough to figure it out and
learn how to play in the NBA defensively,” Walsh said.
The Knicks won’t be able to count on the 2010 draft to
build a better foundation, unless they trade for a selection.
Former General Manager Isiah Thomas surrendered New York’s 2010
first-round choice to acquire Stephon Marbury from Phoenix.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ James, 24, still doesn’t have a
championship after losing to the Orlando Magic in the playoffs
this year. Wade, 27, has one title with the Miami Heat. Both
probably will take into account what other pieces the Knicks
have in place as they consider where to sign.
“This day and age, you’ve got to have two stars,” Bob
Gutkowski, who was the president of Madison Square Garden from
1991-94, said in a telephone interview. “One of the reasons why
we never won a championship is that we never had that second
star to go with Patrick. You certainly need one, and two is a
luxury that will hopefully lead you to a championship.”

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--Editors: Vince Golle, Larry Siddons.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Mason Levinson in New York at +1-212-617-4753 or
mlevinson@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at +1-212-617-1262 or msillup@bloomberg.net.

Curry’s perceived defensive liabilities aren’t necessarily
a concern for Walsh.
“I think you have to have a system for all these players,
and to me, a guy like Curry is smart enough to figure it out and
learn how to play in the NBA defensively,” Walsh said.

I hope Donnie doesn't really believe this and just paying lip service to this reporter. You can't just hope and depend on players trying to figure out how to play defense or for that matter offense. The Knicks need to seriously address some of the defensive issues that plague this team. I hope he doesn't sign Lee to a contract expecting that he will eventually learn how to cover the post because he may be in for a long wait.

Ideally, Curry would be a perfect partner. He can set it up, dish it, and is a sniper from downtown. Everything that the Cavs missed this year.

Posted by Elite:

Posted by orangeblobman:

Ideally, Curry would be a perfect partner. He can set it up, dish it, and is a sniper from downtown. Everything that the Cavs missed this year.

exactly

uggh this sounds like Mo Williams.

you would think from all these Cavs are doomed articles they won 36 instead of 66 and got swept in the first.

Posted by orangeblobman:

Posted by McK1:

Posted by Elite:

Posted by orangeblobman:

Ideally, Curry would be a perfect partner. He can set it up, dish it, and is a sniper from downtown. Everything that the Cavs missed this year.

exactly

uggh this sounds like Mo Williams.

you would think from all these Cavs are doomed articles they won 36 instead of 66 and got swept in the first.

Mo Williams isn't dead on like Curry, and he has never been one to be a disher first, and a swisher second. You get that humble, humane vibe from Curry; he would mesh better with Lebron than fugazy-allstar Mo Williams is.

Mo Williams isn't humble? OK. His on-court demeanor and every interview I've ever seen of his suggests he is humble and humane. However, Curry is clean face and extremely light so I guess that makes him alright at chez white's

btw,
I don't think Mo was dead on like JJ Reddick either. Look how that one turned out



[Edited by - McK1 on 06-24-2009 3:16 PM]

The Cavs whined about it. Not Mo.

Curry has been whoring himself to NY since the draft process began. Oh Danytoni and my game this and Dantoni and my game that. Minny had him in to see if they would take him at 6 and he still was talking about going 8 to NY. Let the process play out like every other person in the draft not named Rubio.

Furthermore
Guarantees for your team don't define humbleness or character. He was showing belief in his team ability to pull through.

I remember Matt Hasselback guaranteeing an OT win against Green Bay in the playoffs, then he threw the pick and the Hawks loss.

Next year they made the Superbowl. Next year the Cavs may make the Finals then this year goes away.

Lastly,
as for your comment about Curry being humane, what differnce is there between whomever Mo is in his public or private life and whomever Curry is? The only visible difference is the tone of their skin.

[Edited by - McK1 on 06-24-2009 3:31 PM]