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diderotn
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FRONT & CENTER
By MARC BERMAN
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BIG MEN: The Knicks hope to draft stud center Channing Frye of Arizona, but if he's gone, the word is Isiah Thomas will reach for 17-year-old Andrew Bynum (No. 33, above) of St. Joseph H.S. in Metuchen, N.J.
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June 25, 2005 -- With Kurt Thomas expected to officially join the Suns after the weekend and Quentin Richardson filling Knicks president Isiah Thomas' wish for another athletic swingman, the Knicks' need in Tuesday's NBA Draft has never been more obvious: Center.
Problem is, the Knicks are unsure if the player they've pegged, 6-11 Arizona center Channing Frye, will make it to their first pick, No. 8. If Frye is not there, a NBA source familiar with Thomas' thinking told The Post the Knicks are strongly considering the 7-foot, 280-pound high school center Andrew Bynum, which would be a reach if you consider mock drafts the Bible.
Bynum, who played at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, N.J., had been projected as a mid-first-round choice.
"Isiah likes to go against the grain," one person close to Thomas said. "He doesn't really care about what the mock drafts say. He likes the kid."
When Thomas plucked Tracy McGrady out of high school with the ninth pick, that, too, was considered a reach.
The Raptors are toying with the idea of taking Frye with the No. 7 pick, or at least they want the Knicks to believe they will. If it works, the Raptors could strong-arm the Knicks into a swap of picks. Ironically, the Raptors are said to have interest in Bynum at No. 16, with their second first-round pick.
A source familiar with the Jazz' thinking said Utah, at No. 6, has Frye in their mix. The Knicks would prefer not to have to trade up to get Frye. As reported in The Post, the Knicks have given Frye a guarantee at the eighth pick, and Frye's handlers are trying to get him drafted by the Knicks by refusing workouts with Toronto and Charlotte (No. 5).
Thomas is in full-blown rebuilding mode — as evidenced by his willingness to trade the 33-year-old Thomas for Richardson, 25, and a future first-round pick. The Knicks could have at least five first-rounders in the next three years.
Picking Bynum over a more experienced swingman plays into that strategy. Plus, this will be the last draft in which most high school seniors will be eligible.
In the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, expected to be signed in mid-July, the Knicks would be allowed to assign Bynum for games in the NBDL during any portion of his first two seasons. That would expedite his development.
"He's dropped some weight from the All-Star tournaments," one league executive said of Bynum. "He's got good hands. There's a big upside with a kid that size, but how much is he ready to help you next year? You have to be willing to wait."
Frye, meanwhile, is ready for a rotation. "Put it this way, he can score the ball, block shots, rebound; he's got length," one league GM said. "He's most of 6-11 if not all of that."
The Knicks are desperate for big men. Michael Sweetney would be the starting center unless Thomas, as he plans to, adds more pieces.
With free agency beginning July 1, Thomas has targeted three centers — the Cavaliers' Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Bulls' Eddie Curry and the Wizards' Kwame Brown. Cleveland's management situation is muddled and the Cavs have insulted Ilgauskas by not making him a significant contract extension offer. Curry has an irregular heartbeat issue that may scare Chicago into offering him a long-term deal. And Washington suspended Brown during the playoffs, so it's hard to see him wanting to come back.
The true Knickabocker..........
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6/25/2005 9:33 AM
