The Knicks drafted Trevor Ariza in the second round in the 2004 NBA Draft. He spent just one season at UCLA. Ariza averaged 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game as a Freshman. His quickness and athletiscm quickly made him one of the best perimeter defenders in the Pac-10. At 19 years old he played 80 games in his rookie season averaging 5.9 points in 17 minutes per game. However, in his second season he lost playing time to rookie David Lee and head coach Larry Brownwanted to acquire Steve Francis. Ariza was traded along with Penny Hardawayto the Orlando Magic for Francis. There has been speculation that if Ariza was never dealt then Renaldo Balkman would have not been drafted in 2006. Also spending $30 million to sign Jared Jeffries, may not of happened either if Ariza was allowed to blossum.
By landing Francis it made the Knicks backcourt (Stephon Marbury) the highest-paid in the NBA. Francis was owed $49 million for the next three seasons. The 29-year old had career averages of 20.1 points, 6.4 assists, and six …
2000
Knicks select Lavor Postell at at 39
Milwaukee Bucs select Michael Redd at 43
It is hard to blame the Knicks for not selecting Redd because so many other teams passed him up. He turned out to be one of the best 2nd round picks this decade. The Knicks chose Donnell Harvey in the first round who was traded with John Wallace to the Dallas Mavericks for Erick Strickland and Pete Mickael. Yet another tade that did not work out for GM Scott Layden.
Lavor Postell played four seasons at St.Johns averaging a career high 14.3 points in his senior season. He also led the team in rebounding (6.9) and performed well at the Chiacgo predraft camp which caused his draft stock to rise. He was named All-Big East 2nd team and finished 15th all-time in school history in points scored.
Postell played three seasons for the Knicks and appeared in just 61 games. He averaged 3.2 points in 7.3 minutes per game in his career. The 6′6″ Georgia native was buried on the bench backing up Allan Houston and …
2002 NBA Draft
Knicks select Nene at 7
Suns select Amare Stoudemire at 9
Honorable mention: Wizards select Caron Butler at 10
Nene turned out to become one of the better players the Knicks drafted in the first round but he did not play one game for the franchise. His draft rights were traded along with Marcus Camby to the Denver Nuggets for Antonio McDyess and the draft rights to Frank Williams. Acquiring McDyess was risky because he suffered a severe knee injury forced him to miss 72 games during the 01-02 season. However in a three year span before that he averaged 20.4 points, 10.6 rebounds in 67 games per season.
McDyess did not start his Knicks tenure on a high note as he injured that same knee in a preseason game. He appeared in only 18 games before he was involved in a eight-player trade with that Phoenix suns that brought in Stephon Marbury. McDyess has battled back through injuries and over the past five years has appeared in 76 games per season. His 9.8 rebounds per …
2003
Knicks select Michael Sweetney at 9
New Orleans selects David West at 18
The 2003 NBA Draft was very top heavy with the likes of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade chosen in the top five. The Knicks missed out on all these players and selected a player worse than Darko Milicic.
Michael Sweetney excelled in his junior year at Georgetown averaging 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. The 6′8″ 260 pounder was the only player in the nation to rank in the top 20 in scoring and rebounding that year. He avearged 3.2 blocks which was ninth in the nation. He was named First Team All-Big East in two straight seasons. However, his tenure with the Knicks lasted just one season as he appeared in 77 games. The DC native ran the court poorly and did not develop a mid-range jumper. His lack of athleticism and bad conditioning did not translate well in the NBA. Because of this Sweetney was one of the pieces traded to the Chiacgo Bulls for C Eddy Curry. Sweetney lasted …
The 2009 NBA draft is looming, and with another another lottery pick in the Knicks lap, let’s take a look at some way that the Knicks can blow this as they so often do..
1. Don’t draft Stephen Curry, even though he is on the board.
At the #8 spot, it’s pretty cut and dry that Curry is the logical selection should he be on the board. He can provide instant offense to a Knicks team looking to transition into, well, a transition team. Aside from a deft shooting touch and immeasurable heart, Curry also has above average floor vision and ball handling. Can develop into a very nice combo-guard.
2. Trade the #8 pick, along with our first round pick in the next draft(s), for some disgruntled veteran 3 years past his prime, or an unproven player who bromances with his chauffeur. (e.g. Camby and #7 Pick Nene Hilario for Antonio Mcdyess, 2 First round picks for Eddy Curry, etc.)
3. Draft Chase Budinger. There’s not much explanation that …
2005
New York Knicks select Channing Frye at 8
Indiana Pacers select Danny Granger at 17
The New York Knicks had three first round picks in the 2005 NBA Draft. Their first pick Channing Frye turned out to be there worst one. He did enjoy a productive rookie season averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 in rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game. However, the next season his points, rebounds, blocks and FG% per game all decreased. The main reason for the sophomore slump was the career season from C Eddy Curry who averaged 19.5 points and seven rebounds a game. Frye’s tenure lasted just two seasons with the Knicks as he was traded to the Portland Trailblazers for PF Zach Randolph.
Danny Granger was one of the best picks in the 05 NBA Draft. The 6′9″ wing player has shown his versatility with the ability to defend, pass and shoot. He has evolved into one of the top offensive threats in the game. The 08-09 Most Improved Player averaged 25.8 points per game which was fifth in the NBA. He made 182 …
Leading up to the draft i will be discussing some of the recent Knicks draft blunders. This one occured during the 2006 NBA Draft.
The Knicks select Renaldo Balkman at pick 20
The Phoenix Suns select Rajon Rondo at pick 21 (Traded to Celtics during the draft)
This had to be one of the worst draft blunders in recent Knicks draft history. Renaldo Balkman was not even listed in the draft media guide and was traded to the Denver Nuggets last July. His tenure with the Knicks lasted just two seasons as he averaged 4.2 points in 15 minutes. The reason he was drafted so high was because Isiah Thomas (ex-President of Team Operations) liked his athleticism and hustle play on both ends of the floor. Balkman, had a strong showing at the Orlando pre draft camp which helped his stock to rise. However, besides running the floor well he did possess any other intangibles. He lacked a perimeter shot and played power forward in college which would not translate well in the NBA.
No other team …
The New York Knicks did not move up during the draft lottery and will be selecting eigth in next month’s NBA Draft. The franchise had a 2.8 percent chance of landing the top overall pick in the draft, a 3.26 percent of getting the No. 2 overall pick and a 3.87 percent chance of moving up to the No. 3 spot. Here is at look some players the Knicks could select on June 25th.
Stephen Curry (Davidson)- The Junior guard led the nation in scoring at 28.6 points per game. He played the point last season and averaged 5.6 assists. The 21-year old showed not only can he create his own shot off the dribble but also for his teammates. Curry is a high-IQ guard who showed he can play both the point and shooting guard. He would provide depth and a pure shooter in Head Coach Mike D’Antonio’s spread offense. There are many ways Curry can be involved in the offense such as pick and roll sets or running …
The New York Knicks have a 2.8% chance to land the top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. However, it looks like the team that finished with the eigth worst record in the league will be selecting at that spot. Rumors have been swirling that the franchise plans to select Davdison G Stephen Curry. There has been chatter going around saying Curry declared after his junior year based on the asusmption the Knicks would use their lottery pick on him.
Curry led the nation in scoring this past season at 28.6 per game. Curry scored more than 40 points in four games and would fit right into the Knicks system. Head coach Mike D’Atonifavors shooters and Curry has showed he can be lights-out. Curry, played point guard last season and elevated his game in two areas. He averaged 5.6 assists per game (22nd in nation) and 2.5 steals (10th in nation). He showed he can do more than shoot by getting to the free throw line 7.4 times a game. The 6′3″ guard is …
It looks like we’re going to have to go with an all-Schmuck edition again. The local teams went a combined 4-12-1 this week. The only positive moment happened when the Knicks honored their past with a ceremony on Monday night. A player from each decade was chosen to represent the franchise’s history: Carl Braun (1940s), Richie Guerin (1950s), Willis Reed (1960s), Walt Frazier (1970s), Bernard King (1980s) and Patrick Ewing (1990s). The team hasn’t voted on a player for the double aughts yet because the decade hasn’t ended, but the end can’t come soon enough for the Knicks. Who should they pick? Jerome James? Eddy Curry? Stephon Marbury? Maybe the best representative of this hapless decade for the Knicks would be Anucha Browne-Sanders. Though these past eight years should most likely never be honored. Ever. Please. As always, there’s no prize for the Hot Stove Schmuck of the Week.
Winner
Al Harrington: Not again! Harrington hung on to the rim too long after a dunk, and was whistled for a technical, which caused overtime, …
Heading into the homestretch of basketball and hockey season, the Knicks, Nets and Rangers are fighting for their playoff lives, the Islanders are just fighting to stay in existance and the Devils are fighting to stay awake as they coast into the playoffs. Down in Florida, the Mets search for a fifth starter is turning into an “ugly competition” (what’s Jim McAndrew doing these days?), and the Yankees are standing pat with journeyman Cody Ransom at third (is Mike Pagliarulo still in shape?). It’s still pretty damn cold outside, so the prize for this week’s Hot Stove Player of the Week is the greatest invention of the 21st century: The Snuggie, so he can keep warm and still have the maneuverability to use the remote control to keep track of the all the games with playoff implications this coming week.
Winner
Larry Hughes: He didn’t have the greatest week in Hot Stove Player of the Week history, but he had two monster games, helping the Knicks kick off their road trip with two wins and …
Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.
1. The Knicks defeated the Heat, Hawks and Pacers in the 1999 playoffs.
2. They swept the Hawks in the playoffs that year.
3. The Spurs defeated the Knicks in the Finals.
4. The team’s record was 27-23.
5. Patrick Ewing led the team in scoring during the regular season, with a 17.3 average.
6. Latrell Sprewell led the Knicks in scoring during the playoffs, averaging 20.4 points per game.
7. The Knicks finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division.
8. Charlie Ward led the team in assists, averaging 5.4 per game.
9. Kurt Thomas was second on the team in rebounding, with 5.7 boards per game.
10. Herb Williams coached the Knicks for one game in the 2003-04 season and 43 games in 2004-05.
