Knicks1969 wrote:Cartman718 wrote:the draft always occurs around my birthday so i consider the knicks draft a bday gift. too bad we have not kept my gifts lol
Pray that we draft WCS
I think we will see Phil do exactly what he said he was going to do and what Mills has also added to the description of what they're planning. Too often we get into these conversations but some actually forget what the Knicks have been saying. I don't.
that's they I keep posting their actual statements.
“Gotta have a defender,” Jackson said. “… That’s a good starting point — a guy like Tyson Chandler is the defensive backup that we have to have. In this day and age in our game, there are so many screen and rolls, so many 3-point shooters, so many things that a player of size has to (do). Not only cover the paint and protect the basket but he has to be able to step out defensively and play a guard and do some defensive work on the extreme part of the floor so it’s very important that that player have defensive capabilities.”“A first draft pick can move an entire organization as Patrick Ewing did here in the early 80s,” Jackson acknowledged. “We want to see if that player is the one that can move the whole franchise ahead as a direct cause. All the other options are there on the table for us and what happens behind that is we have zero big men. We have Carmelo [Anthony] as our only big man that’s under contract, so we have to pick not only draft picks but also free agents to fill out our roster, so what combination will go together with the people that we draft and a free agent market.”
The 2015 class figures to be stacked with talented guards and big men, especially near the top of the draft. On April 26 we’ll know exactly how deep the draft is following the deadline for early entry eligibility.
“It’s a very talented crop and we’re happy to have this opportunity and we’re going to make the most of it,” Jackson stated.
“We want a player that has multiple skills,” he added. “I’m very impressed with the young players that are playing in college right now.”
Free Agency Strategy
“We will not go after the biggest name that’s out there,” Mills confirmed. “We will go after players that fit in the system and style of play, so it may in fact be one of the big names but one thing for certain it will be a person that fits system wise with us. One of the things that Phil brings to the table for us is allows us to sort of clear the deck, to speak, so that we know exactly the skills that players need to have to be successful in our system and we’re going to go after players like that. It will be a combination of big names and guys that are just system fits.”
Members of the Knicks staff have traveled overseas in recent weeks to scout European players and seek out reasonable buyouts. Jackson and Mills expressed the importance of exploring all options to build the roster for the next season and beyond. As part of their due diligence, conversations will take place with agents of players to pitch the Knicks plan for the short and long term.
“You’re constantly planting seeds on why this would be a good place for their players and that’s a process that takes place all the way throughout the year,” Mills disclosed.
Who Will Return?
The Knicks re-shaped the roster midseason and entered evaluation mode to assess the players on the team that would fit the desired style and culture for the franchise. On Thursday night, Jackson and Mills praised Lou Amundson, Lance Thomas, and Langston Galloway for their play on the floor and professional approach to the game.
“They brought a lot of joy to us just by watching how they play,” Jackson smiled. “Great energy, team players, they do a job out there and they all can play defense and they’re two-way players as we say. So, that kind of says in a nutshell about what’s going to happen with this team. That’s the direction we’re looking to go.”
This does not rule out the potential return of other players on the roster as Jackson and Mills will make those decisions in early July.
“On July 1st, we chase free agents that we know are likely to come to this organization and we do that in a way that compliments our draft choice and compliments the team and the way we want to play basketball,” Jackson asserted.
"We have a lot of things that are on the table at this point," Mills said. "We still have [trade] exceptions that we can use between now and the draft, so we're talking to teams about a lot of different things, so we're open to looking at different opportunities to continue to improve our team."Mills indicated that if the team did decide to trade their draft pick, it likely would not be in an effort to move down and collect more draft picks.
"We may end up looking at a second pick, but more than likely, even if we take that pick, it's not for a player we expect to be on our team, we have a lot of young players on our roster right now, and our goal is to expand the team and add some more veteran, more experienced players."
6/4/2015 8:13 PM
