NBA Draft Press

9/28/06

Big City, Big Changes

The Knicks have made many changes this off-season and the one that has been the most talked-about has been the firing of Larry Brown and the hiring of Isiah Thomas. This has proved to be a very controversial move. While Brown struggled last season, he is still one of the best coaches in the NBA today, a proven winner with a great track record of turning teams around. The move to fire him caused many shockwaves throughout the Garden. While Brown is gone, Isiah Thomas is in. As much as the move to fire Brown was controversial, the move to hire Thomas is even more so. Since taking over as the Knicks GM in December of 2003, Thomas has made many bad moves and has completely decimated the Knicks roster, trading away promising young players and draft picks for expensive, older role players that have not had much success with the Knicks. Last year, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the NBA, and also the 2^nd worst record. He also traded away the #2 pick in last years NBA draft for Eddy Curry, also the Bulls have the option of switching 1^st round draft picks this year, if they so choose. But there is good news for those who do not like what Thomas has done with the franchise, owner James Dolan has stated that Thomas has one year to turn things around or he will be fired.

But Thomas does have one thing going for him, the fact that the players like him and they respect him. If there is anyone who they want to play hard and win for, it is Thomas. He is the definition of a "player’s coach". If he can motivate them to play hard, then the Knicks have the talent to succeed this year. If not, then Thomas will be run out of town faster than anyone has ever been run out before. Many of the Knicks fans scratched their heads after this years draft had concluded.

This years draft came and went with the Knicks holding only 2 picks, the 20^th and the 29^th overall picks. With the 20^th pick they selected South Carolina SF Renaldo Balkman. This was a very surprising pick, one that sent the Garden faithful into a frenzy. Many think that the Knicks reached for him, and that he was not worthy of the 20^th overall pick in the draft. He is 6'8 and 208 pounds, he is also a very aggresive player, something that no doubt caught Thomas’ eye. But he is not that much of a scorer (he only averaged 9.6 points his junior year) and he has a lot of maturing to do on the offensive end of the court. On the Defensive side, while he is considered to be a very aggressive player, his stats would not tell you that (he only averaged 6.3 rebounds a game), but he is considered a project player who has a lot of potential to be a very good player in the future. But still, most experts thought he would be drafted in the 2^nd round, not the 1^st. The Knicks 2^nd draft pick was the 29^th overall pick, and with that they drafted Temple PG Mardy Collins. While the Knicks may have dropped the ball with there 1^st pick, they rebounded with this pick. Collins is a 6'6 PG who is a very good ball handler and can run the offense very well. He is a very fundamentally sound player who has great instincts. He doesn’t try to be to flashy, he just gets the job done. He has excellent court vision and is a great passer. Isnt the best scorer, but he did play in a offense that hid his scoring abilities. He is also a good defensive player. Some of his weaknesses are shooting from the outside, he also lacks an athletic body, he needs to bulk up during the off-season, but those are his only 2 glaring weaknesses. Those 2 picks were the only ones that the Knicks had during this draft. The Knicks would have had the 2 overall pick, but Thomas traded it to the Bulls for a player who has the heart condition of a 92 year old man. Other than the Draft, the Knicks also made some other off-season moves that made headlines in Gotham City.

One major off-season move was the signing of Jarred Jeffries. The Knicks signed the restricted free agent away from the Wizards this off-season. Jeffries is a 6-11, 240 pound forward who has had a disappointing career thus far. In 2002 he was the 11^th overall pick in the draft, out of Indiana. He has only averaged 6.4 PPG in his 4 year career. He adds to that a unimpressive 4.9 RPG and 1.9 APG. While he is big, he is not a physical player. He should add some bulk if he wants to become a decent post player. But, he is a capable shooter, he shoot 32% from beyond the 3-Point line last year, not bad for a big guy. But nonetheless, he is not a dominant player, and his addition should not change the dynamic of this team that much.

This should be a long year for the Garden faithful, if they even care. This is an abysmal team with an abysmal coach who should have an abysmal year. But, as always, hopes springs eternal.