UPDATE -- 9:15 a.m.
We've got some housekeeping to do from last night's fast-paced, dizzying NBA draft.
First, four of the five picks to start the draft are freshmen (Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love). Maybe David Stern should just scrap that one-and-done rule?
There were a mind-boggling 14 trades. A late trade, reported by Chad Ford of ESPN.com, sent O.J. Mayo from Minnesota to Memphis for Kevin Love and Mike Miller, among others. It was an eight-player deal.
Darrell Arthur, who apparently has some sort of kidney problem that scared teams away, fell all the way to New Orleans at No. 27. But wait -- the Hornets traded him to Portland, then he went to Houston and finally to Memphis. So Arthur, who was the last player in the green room, had to wait longer to find a home. He was traded three times and was a member of four teams last night.
Now, winner and losers (in no particular order).
Winners
Portland: The rice get richer. After trades, the Blazers eventually ended up with Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu. Portland had the No. 13 pick, but get a lottery player with Bayless. Diogu is a good player who was sent over from Indiana. The Blazers also drafted Joey Dorsey, before trading him to Houston. Portland also had Darrell Arthur for a short time. Imagine if Portland kept Dorsey and Arthur. Wow.
Miami: Pat Riley did a nice job after that smoke screen he threw up. The Heat got Beasley and then acquired Mario Chalmers from Minnesota. So the Heat get a power forward and potential starting point guard. Great draft.
Memphis: The Grizz end up with Mayo and Donte Greene of Syracuse. A lot of teams liked Greene, who has loads of potential. But will he stay in Memphis with Rudy Gay around? Anyhow, getting Mayo from Minnesota makes it a good night. And they shed Brian Cardinal's contract in the trade.
Nets: I wasn't sure about New Jersey after the selections of Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson in the first round. I mean the Nets acquire Yi Jianlian earlier in the day and already have Josh Boone and Sean Williams. Anderson is another power foward in the logjam. But they stole Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis with the 40th pick. Plus, they've positioned themselves for the summer of LeBron.
Losers
Minnesota: What exactly are the T-Wolves thinking? They draft O.J. Mayo to go along with Al Jefferson as a solid inside-outside combo, then trade him for Kevin Love? Doesn't Love play the same position as Jefferson? Then the T-Wolves get Mario Chalmers in the second round and trade him to Miami? Isn't this the team with Sebastian Telfair? Who's playing center? One bit of reasoning I see with Love is perhaps a trade to Charlotte. Love fits better in Charlotte with Larry Brown. Plus, the Bobcats surprisingly picked D.J. Augustin. Could Raymond Felton be headed to Minnesota?
Sacramento: What are the Kings thinking? Who's running the scouting department there? Jason Thompson from Rider at No. 12? I hope Patrick Ewing Jr., a good bargain in the second round, works out.
We'll see .....
Indiana: The Pacers were busy last night. They ended up with Brandon Rush of Kansas and Roy Hibbert of Georgetown. They could both end up being solid players.
Milwaukee: The Bucks really stockpiled a lot of small forwards yesterday -- Richard Jefferson (in Nets trade), Joe Alexander (at No. 8), and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (No. 37). We'll see where this is going.
Pre-draft chatter
Expects trades. Not many teams like what's in this draft, especially the teams from No. 11 down. And Portland and Seattle each have too many picks for a two-round draft. Both teams have two first-round picks and multiple second-round picks (Seattle actually has four picks and Portland has three picks in the second round!). I expect that they'll be active. So will Memphis. Getting Marc Gasol over from Europe for next season is like a lottery pick.
One blockbuster trade that will happen is the Nets sending Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. Simmons has $20.5 million left on a contract that expires in the summer of 2010 -- or the summer of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Makes sense for the Nets to clear cap space to make a run at LeBron, who is close with Jay-Z. But don't the Nets need to make that move to Brooklyn and start building that arena for this to work. Stay tuned.
The Clippers and Sonics swapped picks. L.A. gets No. 4 and Seattle goes to No. 7. BUT the deal is contigent on O.J. Mayo being gone by the fourth pick. So L.A. will probably select Eric Gordon or Jerryd Bayless. Guess Shaun Livingtson's knee is not healing.
A few minor trades have already taken place (Portland acquiring the No. 27 pick from New Orleans, Charlottle getting No. 20 from Denver, etc.). The one "major" trade thus far is the Indiana Pacers trading Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and the No. 17 pick.
Not sure if either team got better because of this. O'Neal has a massive contract and a shaky knee. Even with Chris Bosh and O'Neal as a frontline, I still don't see Toronto moving into the upper echelon of the East. Ford has had injury problems, Nesterovic is nothing more than a backup, and the No. 17 pick won't help you immediately. I guess if I had to pick a winner it's Indiana because they shed O'Neal's pricey contract.
And, of course, the David Lee watch has started. Will Donnie trade Lee? Seems like it won't happen. Lee has told the Grizz that he won't sign a long-term contract to play there. And let's not forget Portland and Seattle here. Both could use Lee and have draft picks for the Knicks.
Let's start by being very honest -- this is a weak draft. Once the Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick, the rest of this draft becomes a crapshoot. We've all seen what an excellent point guard (Chris Paul) can do for a team. So there will be high hopes for Rose.
Michael Beasley, who's closer to 6-foot-7 rather than the 6-10 we were all fooled into thinking, is a big question mark. He's talented, but his work ethic and attitude are being scrutinized. If I'm Pat Riley any comparisons to Derrick Coleman would scare me far away. Which leads us to ...... O.J. Mayo. That is really what this draft is -- a combo guard draft. Russell Westbrook, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon and Mayo.
With Rose gone, the next best point guard is D.J. Augustin, who's only 5-11.
After that, how about Alexis Ajinca or Kosta Koufos?
Seriously, a few players are intriguing. Joe Alexander out of West Virginia has had ridiculous workouts. He's physical, tough, high energy and athletic. He will go as a lottery pick, but he'll end up being a good bench player in the NBA.
Kevin Love from UCLA is another player who could be good. He's got a high basketball IQ, he passes well, can shoot and rebound. He's also NBA-ready in terms in size (6-10 and 255).
It'll be interesting to see which teams take a chance on players like LSU's Anthony Randolph, Marreese Speights of Florida and Syracuse's Donte' Green. Randolph has been mentioned in most mock lottery drafts I've seen, but at 6-10 and a pencil-thin 197 pounds, what do you do with him? He can't play down low and is only a face-up shooter. Speights is 6-10 and 245, but he's 19 years old. It's going to take some time to see if he develops. Green has been all over the mocks drafts. Some have him as a lottery pick and some have in at the end of the first rouns or even in the second round.
Actually, one player I like is Joey Dorsey, definitely a second-rounder. But Dorsey is really tough, he plays defense, he rebounds, and he won't back down from any player. Dorsey is the type of player that can stick around the NBA for years (think Kurt Thomas or P.J. Brown). His only downside is that he has no offensive game. If he develops a little jumper, he'll always have a job. Kind of like a lefty reliever in baseball, who always seems to be employed somewhere.
To sum up, after Rose goes to the Bulls there are no sure-things in this draft. In fact, we may not know how good -- or bad-- this draft was for a few years.
Comments (38)
Knicks Blow! Die Hard fan sick of it!
I'm sick with the pick!
Knicks take Luca Brasi, the modern day Crip and/or Blood they never had.
Pass the mozzarella.
OJ Mayo got traded to memphis...
you know he is not happy about that.
a big time player like OJ playing in front of 1500 people in memphis.
i feel bad for him...maybe he will pull a Yi and boycott going there.
if i was walsh i would get on the phone ASAP
I am physically ill. I can't believe we passed on Bayless. I've said it since day one, the Italian kid may end up being a very good player in a few years, but the Knicks need leadership and a floor general in D'Antoni's system where the PG is critical. And it makes no sense to draft a SF when we have four already, our last two drafts were for SFs and our plan is to create cap room for Lebron in 2010 who is also a SF.
I have not felt this bad after a draft since the McDyess debacle.
I doubt Memphis trades Mayo. They want young cheap players and he is on a rookie contract. I can't believe they are giving up both M. Miller and Love for Mayo though. That GM needs to be fired or a league mandate should be put in place for him to only trade with the Knicks. Memphis also has 336 PGS. They are like the Knicks with our 455 wing players.
That GM for the portland trailblazers is a King
straight ballin'
i might become a portland fan...LOL
but that team is going to good...real good
The Knicks are hopeless
all the connects walsh has and he can't swing a 2nd rounder
its going to be a long season (sigh)
I can live with Galo at 6 but We should have brought that Hornets 27th pick, and got Chalmers who is much like Westbrook... In the same vain defensively, and is a better point guard prospect, Donnie dropped the rock on that one... He can be Rondo with a better jump shot...They would have lost nothing except a bit of cash...
The Knicks should have drafted Jerryd Bayless
are you kidding me?
galinari can't wash Jerryd Bayless's shoe strings
what hell are we doing?
i am a very disappointed knick fan
where's the moves donnie walsh?
where is the wheeling and dealing?
i am so jealous of portland.
It's funny to me everybody is dismissing this guy and they haven't even seen him play.
First of all, the reality is this was an extremely weak draft, after Beasley, Rose and Mayo - no one was a sure thing. We'll know in a few years which ones were the best picks, and likely they won't even be in the Top 10.
Second of all, since when was a 6th pick supposed to decide the whole future of a franchise?? If this was a Kwame Brown move then I'd be worried.
Third, why is everybody hating on the foreigners? Nowitzki, Gasol, Parker, Ginobili to name few should have paved the way imo. The risk of a foreigner being a bust is not greater than someone from the US. So please wait until November until anybody calls for Walsh's head.
Last but not least, this kid is only 19 and still dominated a league full of grown men, unlike a lot of these undersized combo guards everybody's screaming for that won't find an obvious place in the NBA. The kid can play.
This could be a great move or a horrible one...only time will tell. When it does, and IF it fails...I will blame Isiah (again):
There was a report last month that despite D'Antoni's friendship with his father, Vittorio (they were Italian league teammates), he wasn't sold on Gallinari until the last two weeks after his Westchester workout.
"Our scouts loved him," D'Antoni said. "They convinced me on it."
I was physically ill after we made our selection.
However, after doing some thinking and a good nights rest, I came to the conclusion that they selected the best player available after the player they really coveted (and me as too) was Russell Westbrook.
We currently have so many holes to fill, it's probably unfair to think that anyone we select would make a huge difference in our team next season, and word is that this kid can do some things, so we just need to patient, I guess.
This is one time I hope I made a mistake. I truly hope I'm wrong about this kid.
The poster above was me. Guess I'm still feeling the lingering effects of that pick...:(
I agree that I have not seen Gallinari play and the kid may be good in a few years. I just don't think it makes sense from a b-ball standpoint when this team needs to purge itself of the Marburry era and is looking to add Lebron. Our needs still remain a player who can play defense on the wing (hence the clamoring for Artest) a PG (why I and all other Knick fans were chanting for Bayless) and a shot blocker (why we all wanted another pick). How many drafts now have Knick fans been chanting and praying only to have our hearts broken.
Nuff said though I'll give Donnie and D'Antoni a chance to build the team there way. I just think we are all going to be suffering next year when we can't block a shot or bring the ball past 1/2 court after Marburry refuses to board the plane to Memphis.
I believe 99% of the Knick Fans were upset and shaken by this pick. I for one am not that patient. I can't watch another season like the past 2 years! I'm not going to sugar coat anything. There is no way you can tell me Gallanari was the Best pick @ #6.
There better be a few moves with trades or this Knick team will be unwatchable.Larry Brown takes Augustin??
It would of made more sense tradeing 6 to get two second rounders. I'm sure I'm not alone with that opinion?
God help the Knicks!
I hear the Italian stiff we just drafted might saty overseas for another year, if not 2 before he joins the NBA/Knicks.
Unbelivable. The first player the new reigme drafted he won't even be in a Knick uniform until 2010 at the earliest. Hey, Walsh, we need help right now!!!
Can't believe I'm saying this, but I kinda want Isiah back.
It may be noted that some will rightfully want to Blame someone for the fustration we feel as Knick fans! I say let us blame the correct person. A lot of you guys were excited and full of hope when Larry Brown was brought in. He was two mintutes away from a failed repeat with the Pistons and I was estatic. Had Brown the coach .....coached to win, and not postured to get Riley, Jackson, Pop type power....the Knicks would be a team of contenders today! Watch Brown the Coach do a great job with the Bobcats! The Guy can coach. He won't have 110 different line ups.......He won't ask MJ for Steve Francis or Jalen Rose.
He won't berate Ariza like players in the Media! Larry Brown will coach his azz off this year.... The Coach we thought we were getting 3 years ago....and it's sad because we now have the left overs of Brown who could coach ...but didn't.... and Thomas who couldn't coach and tried!
Someone said it above, I can't watch another 2 years of mediocrity. I don't care if we have an uptempo style so now we're losing 120-110 instead of 100 - 90, we're still losing. This team needs to be purged and I can't believe it did not start last night.
This kid better be the next Nowitzki. How do we pass on Eric Gordon or Bayless? This reminds me of passing on Artest! WE NEED A POINT GUARD! And what's this I hear about them wanting to play Danillo at the 4?!?!?!? He seems like a 3 to me. DUMP RANDOLPH! Lee should be starting at 4, Danillo at 3 (ugh!), Cury 5, Crawford and Bumbury. Chandler, Nate, Q, not a bad start to a bench, just need a BIG to backup Curry/Lee. DUMP RANDOLPH!
I am sure all the booing Knick fans know much more than scouts who get paid to spend all year watching these players, but . . . .
"I think he's the No. 1 pick,'' an NBA scout says of Danilo.
The first player picked overseas?
"I think he's the best player in the draft,'' says the European-based scout, whose strong opinion of the 19-year-old Gallinari is in the minority but not without merit. "He has so much character, he's a big, strong kid with a special combination of skills, and he's going to be a matchup nightmare whether he's playing small forward or power forward.''
And from Chad Ford:
Analysis: With the Knicks' three favorite backcourt players gone -- Derrick
Rose, O.J. Mayo and Russell Westbrook -- new Knicks president Donnie Walsh
did the right thing.
Gallinari is a talent and one of the few guys in the draft who could really
be special someday. Those who are bashing the pick because Gallinari is a
project should do their homework. Gallinari was the team leader on an
Italian Euroleague team -- and the Euroleague is much more competitive than
the NCAA. Those Euroleague teams scrimmage our NBA teams in the preseason
and, from time to time, beat them. The fact that Gallinari has starred there
at such a young age suggests that he's more ready than most of the freshmen
rushing into the league. And with Mike D'Antoni coaching him, you can bet
the Knicks will play to his strengths.
Gallinari has weaknesses -- he has so-so lateral quickness and lacks muscle.
I'm not sure he'll ever turn into Dirk Nowitzki, to whom he's been compared.
And the Knicks still have a long way to go in the rebuilding process.
But this was a good start for the Knicks. If they can use David Lee to get a
legit young point guard, they'll keep moving in the right direction.
Yall sound insane....
How can u, have never seen a guy play a full game before, who avg 17 and 14 in a league of men... Where guys like Manu came out of and say, he wasnt the best available player, How do you know that... If he played in the PAC 10 and put up those numbers, would you like the pick...
Time will tell, like in all drafts... Like when teams passed on Tony Parker and Manu only to have them be all-stars...Does it only make sense to pass on a Euro player and watch somebody else get him, to say we should have done that... Am I sold on Gallo? Not yet... I understand the frustration, of getting excited about talent that you see throughout the year and speculate on whether they could help the Knicks, only to hear the name of a virtual unknown on draft night... But my disappoint has more to do with the Knicks lack of aggressiveness in this draft...
Why not buy the Hornets pick for 3mil, and pick Chalmers... And add a possible guard of the future... Or why not trade that pick with Lee and Rose for the Memphis pick... Maybe then we have Mayo, or maybe we just have more pieces to trade later... By all accounts from every scout, this kid can play... But yall sound like another combo guard who duplicates everything we have, would have been better... There is more than one way to build a team... Wait and see, and if it doesnt work scream fire Don-nie then...
This kid looks good.
Check out this link a friend of mine found of his highlights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rwdsjq3WLE
Weak Draft, no clear cut favorites after Rose, Beasley and Mayo, teams pick for need or potential. Knicks "need" of PG with Defense and willingness to pass was picked when Westbrook got taken. Maybe Bayless will be a superstar, maybe he will be Arenas (volume shooters, we've got em in spades), the fact is, it wasn't a great draft. Gallinari has proven himself playing against men in Italy, has skills, is only 19, and could still grow. That's what you get at #6 in this draft. Do you really take Anthony Randolph at 6? Maybe, maybe, Joe Alexander is better than Gallinari in the end? I don't know.
Now we'll see if all the David Lee talk with Memphis doesn't continue now that Memphis has 4 young point guards and no Love. Mayo, Conley, Lowry, Crittenton, D'Antoni could start a team of those four with Boris Diaw, but I doubt Memphis can. If you wanted a guard, you might get one from Memphis for Lee.
Solid pick in a draft and with few home runs. Steady as she goes.
@peaceman - it isn't brown's fault that he didn't have a point guard who could pass or a big man who could block shots. That's all he wanted. Instead he got a bunch of whiny overpaid crybabies who couldn't get the job done.
In general, I'm not happy with the pick, but I'm trying to talk myself into it and doing a decent job. He can be a Durant style four - a deadly shot, not much defense, create mismatches against slower 4s, and a guy who can pass and isn't afraid to make contact. I'm trying hard. He's got talent and for the #6 slot with westbrook taken there aren't too many players I would have even considered ahead of him. In the end I'm ok with the pick, what I'm not ok with is ZERO PICKS IN THE SECOND ROUND! With mario chalmers, deandre jordan, and CDR still on the board we didn't make a single move. Any of those guys is a steal in the 2nd round. Jordan is the most likely to bust, but an athletic shot blocking and rebounding phenom in the second round aint bad. How could we have let this happen? Why didn't we jump on Darrell Arthur when he fell so far. Look, I'm glad we didn't make a panic trade or give something up for some i've never heard of in the second round. But there were first round prospects available in the second round (and a lottery propect in the late first round). If we had just made a move to get one of those players people wouldnt be so fed up today because at least something more would have changed than that we've added a young italian SF who we've never seen play. We aren't asking to make the playoffs this year. All we want is something to cheer for. A team we can be proud of. If we can say "well, they aren't very good, but they're scrappy" - that would be a huge improvement.
you guys are killing me! it is exactly this type of impatience that caused Isiah to pull the trigger on so many bad deals.
GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS... THERE IS NO QUICK FIX FOR THIS MESS...
that means that, yes, you will sit through a few more years of pain. that's what it takes to rebuild. we never did that and now we pay the price.
i also think that danilo IS the best pick at number 6. i'll remind you all of this when he's helping us win a few down the road. as for bayless??? he's marbury jr. we don't need another shoot first point guard. and i have no interest in ben gordon, let alone eric gordon. we have nate, who's virtually the same, albeit more undersized, but with a bigger chip on his shoulder.
NO QUICK FIX HERE!!!! let's be patient and let these guys help turn us around.
Check out this link a friend of mine found
http://nyer.sosblog.com/KNICKS-FANATICS-1-b1/I-M-DREAMING-OF-A-WHITE-CHRISTMAS-b1-p55673.htm
I did not like or want those overrated guards like Jerryd Bayless or Eric Gordon so I'm willing to give Danilo Gallinari a chance.
Now trade trade David Lee for a PG.
Some Knicks fans are so pathetic. How the hell are you going to boo a player you have never seen?! There was no quick fix to this mess. The Knicks are still a 25-30 win team and no player at 6 would have made a difference. Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon are not Star quality players.
This is about the future. Who gives a crap about next season? The best thing that could happen would be another 23 win season and another lottery pick. What is the point of winning 37 games and getting smoked as the 8th seed.
YOU GUYS MAKE ME SICK!!!
Some of you are such retards - Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon are NOT a damn PG's!!!!!! Watch a damn game before you post such bs!!!!! Bayless struggles to run a simple halfcourt set and Gordon has horrible dribble.
Some of you are such retards - Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon are NOT a damn PG's!!!!!! Posted by Sergio | June 27, 2008 12:08
Sergio.....slow your Roll! Because people express their opinion that doesn't align with yours...they are retards?
Your attack is uncalled for! Too many good bloggers here
don't like or support last nights Knick pick. You should respect that. We are all Knick fans, not clones!
No Peace, they are retards because Dino was the best on the board at 6 and he was squarely booed because we didnt pick either of the 2 midget SG's left in the draft or bean pole Randolph !
Why can't the Italian get some love ? He shouldn't have to suffer the harsh treatment because we picked Weiss over Artest years ago. There was no better player at 6 than Dino ! Good job Walsh.
@sergio
how many games have you seen bayless play?
i have a pac 10 package so i could watch USC play and saw all of bayless's games last year.
he can play the point.
before the coach took the season off they were implementing
d'antoni's offensive system.
he better suited to be in a open style of offense not
a half court style offense.
bayless's offensive game is sick.he is a lottery pick
that could come on court right now and drop 20 points in NBA
even with steve nash
phoenix struggles in the "half court"
that is why they could not beat san antonio
remember nash was just a PG before he became all world in
d'antoni's system
i have watched Gallinari play because i have Nba TV
and i watched the european championship
gallinari is pretty good
but he is not better than bayless
Gallinari can score but he does not rebound well
and he has a problem defending forwards with a quick first step
i don't think Gallinari will be better than Joe Alexander
who was also on the board when they drafted Gallinari
if i was the knicks i would have
drafted either Bayless or Alexander
oh yeah bayless sucks so bad that portland traded a veteran to get him.
that GM of the Blazers knows how to GM
bty they plan on playing bayless at PG
along side brandon roy,and greg oden
Anonymous scouts and Chad Ford were also raving about Marce Lampe, Darko, and Barignini, just to name a few. Look how well they worked out. The only good argument I have heard for taking him is that he can space the floor, is tough and is a winner (No D). Fine but we still have five SFs and supposedly have one more coming in 2010. That is why this move made no sense. If you are playing him at the 4 and trading David Lee ok, but who are you trading Lee for. Lowery, Felton, Luke Freakin Ridonour? We are not getting B. Davis or Billups for Lee. There are no realistic good PGs out there now that T.J. got traded that Lee can yield you. It's like the damn Jets not having a QB and picking a TE at 30 it just makes no sense to take yet another SF. (Yeah I'm upset).
Sorry Peace, LB is not to blame for this mess. This was all IT all the way, trading away all of our draft picks (unprotected) for Curry and Marburry and killing our salary cap with Jeffries, J. James, and Randolph. And I agree that none of us can see in the future and know who will be better b/w Bayless and this kid, but Bayless is a better asset, period, right now. If your rebuilding you get assets (see for example the Nets and Portland).
@ sergio. Your argument makes no sense. You say no player at six makes a difference. Then you say lets win another 23 games next year so we can what, get another # 6 pick. So we should suffer through yet another losing season, demoralize all of our young players, become the Clippers of the East, a further joke in the NBA and after all of that get . . . another #6 pick that according to your own words will not make a difference. Nice plan.
@NYC
I saw Bayless struggle running an offense not get
Budinger involved in many games, i saw him play no defense, and shrink in the NCAA's, get locked up by Mayo, get bumped early in the tournament, and not make any of his teammates better...
So we see, what we wanna see... Bayless has potential, like Dino does, and they both have flaws... They are young, but im pretty sure being in Arizona all last year, Dantoni saw more games than any of us,and he might know who fits into his system better... Especially because Bayless worked as an assistant to Frank Johnson last year who is on the Suns staff, and was tutored by Nash over last summer... So Walsh and Dantoni didnt blindly make this pick... Portland needs more scoring, thats why they picked him...They can use a combo guard because essentially Brandon Roy runs the point,is 6'6'', has a hi bball IQ and is very unselfish... If we had more players like that we could have taken Bayless, but instead we took a player that they hope will have a Brandon Roy type impact... We will see if they are right...
@Kid
i agree that bayless struggled at times last year but i think that the system did not fit his style
my point was not just against gallinari
but i thought joe alexander was a better player than him
joe alexander was banging in the big east against
more athletic and bigger forwards and did more than hold his own
why not draft him?
he was available
and if d'antoni was so into gallinari why did the scouts have to convince him that they should take gallinari?
he saw the workouts with his own eyes...i bet he thought joe alexander had a better upside
bayless or alexander would have been my picks
I wont argue against Alexander because outside of the top 3, he was my favorite in this draft... But Joe doesnt make anyone better and cant shoot the NBA 3... He gives you alot of what you already have in Chandler, but I do dig his game... The boy is bad, and is a hard worker, im sure they pondered picking him but Dino's passing and IQ had them sold... Plus they said he can shoot the lights out, The Nets tried to trade their 2picks to get him... So it wasnt like the Knicks were the only team with interest...
Gallinari was approved by Isiah. WE got ourselves a Playa people. All this "floor general" BS is BS! Nate and Crawford can run the point better then any of those guards we skipped on in the draft. Our guards can run and gun even if its the only thing they can do. Its 7 sec or less remember? We got the perfect pick for this team a real 3point threat, 6'10' with balls and a handle. I love it.