smackeddog wrote:Apart from the two Nets games, the rest of our schedule is against teams with better records than us, apart from one game vs the Blazers (who are tied with us, so we need to lose that one) and one vs the 76ers (which is the last game so we'll know by then whether we have to lose that one too). We really lost control of our destiny by winning the two magic games.

As for the teams tied or ahead of us & the number of times they play other teams ahead of us):

Kings (7 games)
still to play: Magic, Suns x 2, Pelicans, Twolves, Mavs, Lakers

Blazers (10 games)
Sixers, Pelicans x2, Knicks, Twolves x3, Lakers, Suns x2,

Pelicans (6 games) (No incentive to tank)
Blazers x 2, Twolves, Mavs, Kings, lakers,

Sixers (7 games)
Blazers, lakers, Mavs, Magic, nets x2, Knicks

Magic (5 games)
Kings, Suns, Sixers, Nets x 2

Twolves (8 games) (unlikely to tank due to Thibs)
Blazers x3, Pelicans, Lakers x3, Kings

Mavs (9 games)
Lakers, nets, Suns x2, Sixers, nets, Pelicans, Nets, kings

Knicks (4 games)
Nets x2, Blazers, Sixers

If we lose nearly all our games, then Mavs and Blazers schedules would indicate they could finish behind us in the tanks standings.
After winning the two games vs them, and taking into account their remaining schedule there is no way we overtake the magic.
Kings are awful, so I'm not optimistic about them winning many games, even though they play 7 vs teams ahead of us in the tank standing.
Pelicans have a tough-ish schedule, don't look good and only play 5 games vs teams with a worse record than them (but they have no incentive to tank)
Sixers we have a shot of tying with, but it will be very difficult- likely they lose vs Blazers and mavs. games vs Lakers and Magic could go either way. Key games will be the 2 nets games and the one vs us.

Nets, Lakers and Suns are set in stone as the top three, with Magic likely 4th

In addition, I think Kings and Pelicans will finish above us in the tank standings

So likely we're looking at 8th or 9th spot (depending on what the twolves do), The best we could do would be 5th (which is where I would like to finish as that spot has a good shot at moving up in the lottery), but it's very unlikely.

1.Nets
2.Lakers
3.Suns
4.Magic
5.Sixers/Kings/Pelicans
6.Sixers/Kings/Pelicans
7.Sixers/Kings/Pelicans
8.Knicks/Twolves
9.Knicks/Twolves

Knixkik wrote:

nixluva wrote:I'm most interested in a SF and SG in this draft. We need to get a STUD SF out of this draft. We need that athletic, attacking player to replace Melo. The same goes for SG! I love the PG talent in this draft but I doubt we can lose enough to get one of them.

For SF, a lot of people are really liking Tatum, but i am trying to figure out what Tatum does better than Miles Bridges. Bridges is more athletic, better shooter, better passer, better defender. I guess Tatum is taller and has better length, but otherwise i see Bridges as a better prospect in most areas. Chad Ford recently put out his updated Big Board and said many scouts think Bridges is a better long-term prospect. There is also the stigma of Tatum being a Duke player, and Duke players have always disappointed in the NBA for a variety of reasons. I would be happy with either player, but Bridges is the ultimate fallback option, as he probably gets drafted between 9-12, unless one particular team falls in love with him. But he's going to be a very good player. Worst case is he might be a Jae Crowder-type player i believe. Best case, maybe a modern day Larry Johnson?

smackeddog wrote:Looking at players that might slide to 6th, 7th, 8th- What to people think of Jonathan Isaac? Is he a SF or a PF? Could he play alongside KP or would we be too thin?

I'm not sure how Isaac fits. He's a high upside guy, but still hasn't put it together at the college level. He's not a good shooter yet, just great length and athleticism. I can't really see him as a fit. Bridges actually seems like a better fit, due to his shooting, passing, and defense.

ESOMKnicks wrote:My concern with Bridges is that he may suffer from tweener issues, as he may be a bit too stocky and slow to play SG/SF, yet lacks the height and the rebounding to be a great PF. And he is not as explosive as the great undersized power forwards like Larry Johnson or Charles Barkley were in their youth.

By comparison, Tatum has the more classic NBA-ready SF build and game, and his incredible body control suggests that he may very well have a superstar career in the pros. May be it is the Duke uniform, but he reminds me of Grant Hill. What are the chances of the Knicks being able to draft both him and Grayson Allen? They seem to form a pretty good tandem, and Allen has a nice outlet pass and long distance shot, plus the Knicks could really use a nasty a##hole like him for some extra edge and to get under the opposing players' skin.

With some luck, I could VERY MUCH see a Tatum/Allen draft. In any event lets hope we at least end up with Tatum or Bridges. I actually think despite Bridges tweener status that he could still be very effective in a Team Oriented style of play.

BRIGGS wrote:Wow. Ky bowman tore his knee in meaningless game today. He's out

I hate to hear that for a young prospect . Hopefully he can recover and move forward with his dream to make it to the NBA.

BRIGGS wrote:Guessing we will pick 9-12 jumping on the Miles Bridges bandwagon

There's still a chance the Knicks could end up higher. They're only 1 game back of the Pels for the 5 spot. Slim but still a chance.

TPercy wrote:

ESOMKnicks wrote:Will picking 8 or 9 get us Malik Monk? Or do we need to move higher?

It depends on his performance but as of right now we need to move into top 7 for a shot at him. 76ers look most likely to get him though

Let's hope that the basketball gods will reward us for staying sportsmanlike and not tanking on purpose with a lucky ball bounce into a top 3 position. They way the did for us in 2015, when we still got the 2nd best player in the draft despite dropping to #4.