#8: Jordan Hill

By: Tommy Beer Last Updated: 6/25/09 9:05 PM ET | 142 times read



Adjust font size:#8: Jordan Hill

The Knicks fans packed inside Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater, thought they were going to be welcoming crowd favorite Stephen Curry to New York tonight, especially when he was still on the board at #7. But the Warriors snagged Curry one pick ahead of the Knicks. Thus, when David Stern announced that Jordan Hill was the selection, the crowd gave Hill a good ol' fashioned 'Bronx Cheer.'

However, give Knicks fans a couple of weeks watching this kid play and they will be giving him standing ovations by Thanksgiving.

The key to the Knicks night was Sacramento taking Jonny Flynn at #6. This meant that one of the two players Donnie Walsh was targeting (Curry and Hill) would be there at number eight.

Widely considered a top-5 talent in this draft, Hill is an excellent value pick at #8. Any time you can get arguably the second best big man in the draft this late in the lottery, it has to be considered a good night. He is a long, athletic power forward who plays hard and with a chip on shoulder. He can bang underneath and can also block some shots, which is something the Knicks desperately needed. They were dead last in the NBA in shot-blocking last season.

In addition, this move gives the Knicks some insurance should they lose David Lee, who becomes a restricted free-agent on July 1st. It also gives them some flexibility should they look to move Lee via a sign-and-trade. However, don't count Lee out of NY just yet. Two years ago, Isiah Thomas traded for Zach Randolph on the night of the 2007 Draft and the scuttlebutt around New York was that Lee would be buried on the bench. But Z-Bo was traded 14 months later and Lee was inserted into the starting lineup and went on to lead the NBA on double-doubles last season.

Either way, having too many big bodies is never a problem in the NBA. Moreover, Hill and Lee have different types of games and could compliment each other if they are on they floor together.

Now the Knick focus their attention to the late first round: Multiple sources are reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers have sold the #29 pick in the first round to the Knicks for $3 million. Word the Knicks maybe targeting USC power forward Taj Gibson. Stay tuned…

Here are is blurb from the Knicks press release:

"Jordan was one of the best big men in this year's draft. He can score, rebound and block shots," President, Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh said. "He can run the floor. He's improved each year."

Hill, 6-10, 235-pounds, averaged 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in his junior year with the Wildcats, setting a school record for boards in a single season (375). The Newberry, SC-native finished as the Pac-10 leader in point-rebound double-doubles (20), ranked second in rebounding and blocked shots (1.71) and third in scoring.

"I'm excited to get Jordan here. Players like him are hard to find," Head Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He is going to help us defensively right away and it is an added bonus that he is a good shooter."

The Knicks fans packed inside Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater, thought they were going to be welcoming crowd favorite Stephen Curry to New York tonight, especially when he was still on the board at #7. But the Warriors snagged Curry one pick ahead of the Knicks. Thus, when David Stern announced that Jordan Hill was the selection, the crowd gave Hill a good ol' fashioned 'Bronx Cheer.'

However, give Knicks fans a couple of weeks watching this kid play and they will be giving him standing ovations by Thanksgiving.

that's exactly what i said after we made the pick... don't sleep on this guy, he's the real deal & will make everyone forget David Lee's name real fast if he ends up being traded.