newyorker4ever wrote:

fitzfarm wrote:I think you have to take into consideration what frenchy frank at 18 is doing vs grown men opposed to the other kids. First off he is starting for the French team and the other day he scored 13 pts in 25 minutes vs again grown professional men. Like KP in Europe they dont play the young guys a lot of minutes... he is hands down the best defensive pg in the draft.. he's got a really nice looking jumper and uses his 7'1 wing span really well on both ends. Is he explosive like smith no, but he sure is a better defender and if we are making KP the main man we need players to compliment KP's game... Frenchy is our pick esp if Gaines tells Phil to take him ...the only player I take over frenchy is Isaac, And there is less then 10 percent chance he's there at 8 .

If we pick monk that means he, blew them away in the work out. Same with smith, although I see him going before us as well smith is not a good defender... do we need another bad defensive pg?

I'd be thrilled if we scored another first rd pick

Best draft would be

8th Frenchy

12th Mitchell

44th frank mason

58 th johan B

Rotation

Frenchy,baker,mason
Mitchell,holiday,baker
Melo,lance,kuz
Willy,johan,ndor
KP,plumlee,Willy

I think Phil signs that kid from Columbia that looks like Toni kucoc, as a undrafted FA

The hope is melo accepts a trade but I just don't see that happening.. I don't see rose coming back.

French and Mitchell are interchangeable at the 1 and 2 both defensive juggernots backed up by two other defensive studs in baker and holiday...

Our guard defense would be awesome if we had Frank and Mitchell back there but i think i'd rather pair one of them with a better 3 point shooter like a Kennard.

There seems to be a lot of 3 and D players coming up in this draft. If we're looking to change the culture from our turnstile defensive posture, Ntilikina looks like the way to go. In any event, I'm gonna route like hell for whomever C. Gaines puts the finger on. In Gaines we trust!

nixluva wrote:

newyorker4ever wrote:

nixluva wrote:

EnySpree wrote:You guys just described why I don't want this French Kid. His motor sucks.... I think guys only want him cuz draft express keeps saying the Knicks should draft him. I won't cry if we do draft him, but if I turn out to be right about him I'm going to roast him everyday.

I want a guy that puts the FEAR OF GOD in teams when he gets the ball. I don't get that vibe from Nitty. The lack of first step burst concerns me. Nitty's gonna be fine in a team concept. I don't see much bust potential just not a high ceiling.

I don't know if you were able to watch his game yesterday but some Knicks fans that were able to watch it said that they saw that burst that people didn't think he had in that game yesterday.

Didn't see that game yet. Good to hear positive reports on Nitty. Just to be clear, I'm not saying he's a scrub obviously, but in all the games I've seen I didn't see an Elite First Step. He does use change of speed at times and when he's already got a head of steam he's crafty enough to get by defenders.

The kid is good but I'm still skeptical about how he'll look in the NBA against the higher level guards. If we draft Nitty I'm not going to be expecting him to be a blur type PG. He's more smooth than explosive IMO.

Yeah i'm actually with you on Nitty and wasn't trying to imply that you think he's a scrub but i think i'm a little bit more of a fan than you are on him. Every player that will be sitting there at #8 will have question marks about their game and i'm starting to really think it would be a good idea to trade #8 to Portland for all 3 of their picks if that option is there for us and take on one of their guys as well which would hopefully be M.Harkless since his contract isn't as bad as some of the others.

It sure looks intriguing to think we could end up with one of these options at each pick:

#15--J.Jackson, D.Mitchell, L.Kennard,
#20--Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, TJ Leaf, K.Kuzma
#26--Frank Jackson, J.Bell, J.Evans
or
#8--Frank Nitty, M.Monk, DSJ

That would be a tough decision for me. Obviously the players sitting there at #8 have a better chance at being the better player but every player i listed for the other 3 draft spots also have a chance of being special players.

D.Mitchell
OG Anunoby
F.Jackson
or
Frank Nitty?? Hmmmmmmm

L.Kennard
Bam Adebayo
F.Jackson
or
M.Monk?? Hmmmmmmmmm

J.Jackson
TJ.Leaf
J.Evans
or
DSJ?? Hmmmmmmmmmm

newyorker4ever wrote:

meloshouldgo wrote:I never said Gaines shouldn't get credit. But if you think he hasn't been built up by the Phil haters like some type of draft God, so they can heap more blame on Phil, then you haven't been reading.

But if the KP and Willy picks were from Phil taking advice from Gaines then he deserves to be a top voice for Phil. None of us know if those picks were mostly on Gaines and all we can do is listen to what's being said which is that Gaines was the biggest reason for those picks.

All that matters is Phil HIRED Gaines because he trusts his scouting abilities!!! To hire an expert and then not listen to him would not make sense. The same with all of the quality Knicks scouts. Phil has admitted that he's not good at judging raw talent and projecting.

HofstraBBall wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:For me, Frank is just another reach from the wannabee GM's that get caught up in finding that next diamond in the rough. That "Unicorn" Curry pick. Its just all lottery talk. The good teams have shown time and time again that its best to pick the players that have been followed since teens and brought up in sound basketball systems. Kids with a proven track record of improvement. Agree, this kid has some great physical attributes. Which although important, is not the only variable for being a good NBA player. Just think he has too many weaknesses that everyone keeps assuming will improve. Would rather go with a proven player brought up in the US system. One who has competed with all the other draft picks successfully. Its also highly questionable to pick someone with such a small sample size, shooting weaknesses and limited exposure. SPECIALLY AT POINT GUARD. Toughest position to draft. Just seems like your classic bust move to me. Smith is probably the best player in the draft, and would be the 1st pick if not for his injury as a senior in HS. Monk already has the professional tools to be a good player. Lauri is the best big man shooter in the draft. Think if they are there at 8, you have to take them. If not, would actually prefer Mitchell, John Collins or Josh Jackson over Frank. However, will sulport any pick.

Early Update:

Need to get Frank healthy.

You seem to be suggesting that Nitty has to be killing it right away in order to justify the pick. This isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. We will only be able to judge this draft class after years.
It's not gonna be about how Nitty starts his career but how he develops.

We need to see how this season goes and next season etc. I can't think of that many 19 yr old PG's that dominated right out the gate. Nitty looks like he'll be able to contribute right away tho.

HofstraBBall wrote:

You seem to be suggesting that Nitty has to be killing it right away in order to justify the pick. This isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. We will only be able to judge this draft class after years.
It's not gonna be about how Nitty starts his career but how he develops.

We need to see how this season goes and next season etc. I can't think of that many 19 yr old PG's that dominated right out the gate. Nitty looks like he'll be able to contribute right away tho.

Making observations. It's what we do here. And what we all did pre draft. Of course you cant judge the final outcome for another couple of yeara. (SAID IT MANY TIMES) But you can comment on their start and progress. As these are guys many of us thought we passed on. Unfortunately we haven't had a chance to see Frank very much to prove us wrong. And I hope he does. 0Btw. watched the Dallas game and was impressed with Smith's ability to set up player's. Which for me was one of his biggest question marks. He seemed to be almost pass first.

As for Frank, I was impressed with his length and ability to guard. Waiting to see how he hits open 3's and if he is a threat on offense. He does seem to be okay with the pressure of the NBA. Hopefully he gets in soon. As long as he is healthy.

Your right but generally you can tell if someone will be good or not in their first season. My biggest concern is his inability to get on the court This is a lost season and if this kid and Porzingis can't stay on the court we have gained absolutely nothing long term

Your right but generally you can tell if someone will be good or not in their first season. My biggest concern is his inability to get on the court This is a lost season and if this kid and Porzingis can't stay on the court we have gained absolutely nothing long term

Think guys can obviously improve but your right, you can usually see if there is something special at the beginning. (My point)

I actually was happy to see confirmation that Frank may turn out to be a solid defensive player. Question for me, has always been if we needed to use the 8th pick on that type of player. As those can be had later in the draft. To me the top 10 picks are for "possible" franchise player's. Thought the 3 i liked were not only NBA ready but had that possibility.Still way too early to tell but they are showing signs they could be. Hoping Frank does as well. Anxious to see him in the starting lime up playing solid minutes.