What the Knicks Need to Do | Fier Thy Words: Sports Edition

5/24/08

Well, the conspiracy theorists got the night off Tuesday when the NBA had it's annual draft lottery in Seacacus, New Jersey.

The New York Knicks, in dire need of a point guard, were holding out hope that the ping pong balls could have fallen their way, resulting in them getting an opportunity to draft Memphis guard Derrick Rose to help save the franchise.

Unfortunately, unlike in 1985 when the Knicks landed the first overall pick in the first ever draft littery, securing them Patrick Ewing, they ended up actually falling one spot from 5 to 6 (their highest percentages had them landing the 5th pick), while the Chicago Bulls, yes, the same team new Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni spurned to take over for Isiah Thomas, landed the top pick despite a 1.7% chance of doing so.

And so the Knicks braintrust, at the moment led by team President Donnie Walsh and D'Antoni (the search for a GM is ongoing, must figure out what the best thing for the team is regarding that 6th pick.

If I was part of the decision making process, I would be crazy not to shop the pick in an effort to move one of those seemingly unmovable contracts.

D'Antoni loves European players, so there has been speculation the Knicks ae very interested in drafting Danilo Gallinari out of Italy, whose father actually played in Italy with D'Antoni.

That pick probably isn't the sexiest, especialy considering fans were crossing their fingers for Rose, and if Knicks are able to, packaging the pick might make some sense.

They can trade down, possibly with the Nets who have two first round picks which could then in turn potentially help New Jersey make a more attractive trade partner for a Carmelo Anthony (although apparently his agent came out and said Melo is staying put).

If they're really lucky, they can send off a Zach Randolph or an Eddy Curry with the pick and cut some cap room while essentially pulling off an addition by subtraction kind of move.

There are going to be no shortage of names floating out there, the most recent being Baron Davis and Monte Ellis of Golden State, but the Knicks have to be careful not to add players who will further inflate the payroll, which is something Walsh has claimed he wouldn't do.

One thing is for sure: they'll have plenty of options, and for the first time in a number of years, Knicks fans should have some faith in the people in charge of making these decisions.

The only question now is what those decisions will be.

If they draft and these any of these guys are available at 6, the Knicks should take...

(1) O.J. Mayo - forget the off the court issues, the kid can flat out score and would fit nicely into D'Antoni's offense.

(2) Eric Gordon- ditto

(3) Danilo Gallinari- D'Antoni loves Europeans, and apparently this kid is a very smart player with lots of upside

If they trade the pick, they should look to...

(1) Package the pick with an overpriced, underperforming player (take your pick on this team), whether its Curry, Randolph, Jefferies, etc.

or...

(2) Trade down for more picks in either this year or next years draft...you can never have too many trade assets, especially on a team without any on its roster (aside from David Lee)