NBA Draft Rumors: What are the Knicks Scheming To Do?
Will Zach be on the move tomorrow night?For the first time since they selected Channing Frye with the 8th selection in 2005, the Knicks are on the clock in the lottery of the NBA Draft. But this time around, they’re even higher, picking at No. 6, and along with that, at the dawn of a new era.
Without Zeke, who some consider a draft day genius, the Knicks are under the microscope even more so. Are they going to turn the Garden into a war zone by picking Danilo Gallinari? Are they going to start piecing their fan base back together by trading up and adding someone like O.J. Mayo?
Here are all the rumors currently swirling in the Big Apple…
* One Newsday rumor getting a lot of play involves the Memphis Grizzlies’ pick at No. 5 and the Knicks, who would send David Lee to get the pick, with some other contract-type pieces. This would give the Knicks a pick at 5 and 6 and ensure them the player they want…If the Knicks somehow get two top-10 picks, they have more options. Joe Alexander might be another option.
Though it would be doubtful that they would draft two guards, if they did, word is that Nate Robinson would be shopped and perhaps packaged with Zach Randolph.
* According to a different Newsday rumor, the Knicks are also apparently involved in talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 3 pick, which would suggest they’re trying hard to get in position to draft O.J. Mayo, a player Mike D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh absolutely love.
* There’s a chance that the Knicks would be perfectly content grabbing the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Russell Westbrook with the No. 6 choice.
Regarding Russell Westbrook, Walsh acknowledged that the kid helped himself with an impressive showing in his workouts.
“I think we saw he was a good athlete, but when you see it up close, it was impressive,” he said. “And so was some others.”
* The Toronto Sun says the Knicks and their new general manager Donnie Walsh expect to come away from draft night with a point guard of the future and aren’t restricting that search to the class of 2008. Both T.J. Ford and Phoenix guard Leandro Barbosa are mentioned as possible answers via the trade route.
* From the New York Daily News… “Donnie Walsh’s long-range plan is to make a play for LeBron James when the James becomes a free agent in two years. In the interim, the Knicks’ president is trying to clear salary cap space and assemble a few pieces that would make New York more appealing to James.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Data says:
If Walsh’s long-range plan is to land James he better find some way to get Hova innto the ownership. If the move from NJ to Brooklyn goes through I have a hard time seeing LBJ not signing with his boy Jay-z or staying with the Cavs if they actually get him some help (which is not a guarantee). Whatever cancerous tumors the knicks can try to pawn off on other teams they should take whatver they can get. That teams needs a fresh start and change of culture. Whatever young guys they bring in are just gonna be corrupted by the likes of Curry, Starburry, and company.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Bond says:
If they somehow come out of this draft with OJ Mayo AND Joe Alexander that will be talked about for years to come.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:12 am
yoda says:
i doubt anyone would take zach and nate together.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:30 am
illfil27 says:
The Knicks shouldn’t focus on getting LeBron in two years. Instead they should try to build a team of and on their own from scratch.
Drafting Mayo and making him the center of the franschise, building a team around him. Getting a second lottery pick would be great for them. They shoudl try to trade away as much of the team as possible. Get rid of Randolph, Curry and whoelse is there. Since nobody would take Steph I’d keep him. I don’t even think he’d do bad in D’Antoni’s system.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:32 am
fiyaman says:
I hate this talk about getting Barbosa (especially to play PG).. This guy is a career backup we cant put the keys in his hands. He played behind Nash and still shows no PG skills.He got speed and likes to jack shot plaese dont even mention him and the Knicks in the same sentence again.
If Im Walsh im doing anything to get Mayo and getting the #5 pick is not gonna do it he’s gonna be gone at 2 or 3 ..we need one of those picks
June 25th, 2008 at 10:50 am
ERIC says:
If the deal with Memphis goes through, perhaps trading the Nate, #5 & #6 to the Wolves for the #3 and craig Smith (need a filler). With the #3 take Mayo.
But the Knicks won’t do this. Only Kevin Pritchard is the type of GM to orchestrate many trades at once
June 25th, 2008 at 10:52 am
fiyaman says:
trading 2 picks to get Mayo would work for me
June 25th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Coop says:
haha Fiyaman. Step into the real world. If ‘you’ got Barbosa he’d be the best player on your God-awful team straight away. And Lee for the no5 pick? hahahahahahaha
June 25th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Kobeef says:
@Fiyaman
I agree on the #2 or 3 pick for Mayo. Any rumor that suggests the Knicks are moving to the 5 or 6 pick to get Mayo is false because Mayo is going to be gone by 3.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:40 am
hahns says:
if they do the Lee trade..
LOVE AND BAYLESS. DONNIE, PLEASE!
June 25th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
BxBaller says:
I’m not getting my hopes up for Mayo, he’ll be gone by the 5th or 6th pick. If he’s gone, I say we go with either Westbrook or Augustin, since Bayless will probably be gone by then as well. Plus to the clown who said Barbosa is better than anyone on the team, you must have not seen the Knicks this year. Nate & Barbosa are basically the same player, but Nate has heart and swag. Something that is important to us NY fans.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Celts Fan, "Kobe, Tell me how my @$$ tastes" says:
“Nate has heart and swag”
apparently heart and swag means a Napolean complex and a mild case of retardation
June 25th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
dana says:
Really? hard to believe.i heard this news times from many friends playing on a tall dating site ———Tallmingle.com——–,i did not believe, i think that they are know nothing but dating and love.
i am wrong.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
@BxBaller Yeah I love Nate too! but I would give him up for a shot at Mayo
@ Coop Barbsosa is soft he wouldn’t last a minute in NY plus the Knicks are not awful they just don’t mesh together all those dudes are good players (except Curry and Jerome James) that would make a good fit on other teams. GMs should be knocking down our door for a chance to get them.
@ Celts Fan Yo slim you wrong for that comment and that Shaq rhyme(Lmao)!! Congrats on the Championship we see yall cats in a couple of years enjoy it for now!!
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!! TOP OF THE WORLD MA TOP OF THE WORLD-Kevin Garnett
KNICKS up!! all the rest down!!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
Data is right. New York is New York, there would be no difference in the media attention and impact wether its the Knicks or the Brooklyn Nets.
Jay-Z is a huge attraction to LeBron James, more so than Walsh or that moron Dolan…
Seriously, would you wanna play for Dolan? This guy handed his team over to Thomas, and then kept getting pitched by Thomas that there was progress, what a fool
June 25th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Myrie says:
First off, I think it’s ok for Donnie Walsh to have a ‘long term plan’. If that includes going after LeBron James thats ok with me. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are also available in the same year as free agents. Every GM should at least BE TRYING to get into a position to be active when those players are available. Donnie might not get any, but at least he is planning on trying…..can’t fault the man for that.
As for the draft, New York Knicks need a point guard. Stephon Marbury is in the last season of his contract; he will NOT be resigned. So….the Knicks need to get his replacement. Possibly thru this draft.
I think the Knicks should package the #6 pick and quentin richardson (bad contracts) to the Chicago Bulls for Kirk Hinrich.
Then, I’d like to see the Knicks trade Zach Randolph (still has plenty of value) to Cleveland for Ben Wallace. Wallace only has 2yrs remaining on his contract ($15 mil per, but it’ll be off the books for a shot at LeBron in time).
June 25th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
doc says:
I think the Knicks should keep Nate and Zach and trade the 6th pick to Philly for willie Green.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:44 am
MBE18 says:
I know not many people would want to do this, but I think the Knicks should look into getting Jason Kidd to run the offense. The Mavericks want a first round pick, so the Knicks could package off the sixth pick with an undesirable contract to Dallas. The Knicks could follow that up by possibly looking into trading David Lee and Malik Rose for the Grizzlies’ fifth pick and Brian Cardinal.