Scotty Hopson and Wayne Chism

finestrg

Rotation player
I think these two undrafted former Tennessee Vol standouts would be perfect for us. They'd fill two glaring needs -- an athletic 2/3 wing that can shoot & score the ball and a backup 6'9" 245 PF that can also put the ball in the basket.

Hopson's a 6'7" 205 SG/SF with a lot of game offensively. Dude can pull up and shoot 3s at a good clip (almost 38% from behind the arc his junior year at Tennessee) and he's an excellent slasher taking the ball to the basket. Slick with the ball with plenty of moves off the dribble, athletic & long (6'7" with a 6'11" wingspan), wirely/bouncey, he's got very good hops and from what I remember he's a willing passer with a real good feel for handling/facilitating/passing the rock. Just looking at some highlights on youtube and one poster commented that he's "the next JR Smith." That's actually a very good comparison. He really does remind me of JR a lot. Very similar. Whatever happens with JR (I feel as though he's 50/50 to return at this point), this kid Hopson would be a real nice addition to this team either way. The word on him is that he made a mistake coming out too early after his junior year and that he came off a little ****y and delusional in some pre-draft interviews saying stuff like he fully expected to get drafted in the 1st round, etc...I think a lot of the criticism he took about his interviews was overblown -- he seems like a good, likable kid from what I've seen. Someone (maybe the same person(s) who told him to declare for the draft after his junior year--obviously a mistake) probably told him to stand tall in those interviews and come off confident and maybe he took it to the extreme a little bit. Not that big a deal. What was he supposed to tell people in those interviews -- that he wasn't ready for the NBA?? I don't see a problem with anything he may have said and don't see anything that would indicate that he's a headcase, has a troubled personality, etc. If anything, not getting drafted and then playing a full season in Greece may have humbled him a little. He had to have matured some, no doubt. If I'm Grunwald, this guy gets invited to Vegas for summer league. I've talked about guys like Sylven Landesberg and Jamelle Horne recently as potential swingman additions we could add on the cheap -- add this kid Hopson's name to the list. He actually might be the best of the three talent-wise.




Chism's got some nice talent himself on the offensive end of the floor. Legit PF size (6'9" 245 lb), this guy can really do it all offensively -- he can score it in close with his back to the basket, has really good touch in close & from mid-range and he can step out and shoot 3s with very good form and mechanics. Real nice package of offensive skills. When looking around for backups for Amar'e, this guy's name should be on our short list. There might be guys out there that might be better rebounders/defenders (Jeff Adrien comes to mind) but far less that possess Chism's offensive capabilities. Plus, it's not like he's some stiff defensively -- he's not.. He'll rebound the ball a little and he'll body up and stand his ground well inside when guarding the post (most of the time coach Pearl had Chism playing the 5 at Tennessee where he was usually matched up against bigger players -- he did a nice job with that btw)...I tell ya, It'd be nice to add another big that could score the ball inside-out when STAT's not in the game. Like Hopson, we could get this guy dirt cheap. I also like the fact that Hopson and Chism already know each other and are familiar with each other's games having both played together in college. A small bonus in terms of chemistry and comfort. I think both of these guys make a lot of sense for us.


 
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tiger0330

Legend
Odds aren't good for undrafted wings to make it in the NBA but the Knicks could use more guys like Lin with our salary cap problems.

Hopson is interesting. I hope NBA teams weren't influenced by his interviews or by his coming out as a junior in not drafting him, yeah he was over the top in his interviews but from what I saw he didn't have any major character issues.

I was in love with James "Flight" White, same height and weight as Hopson and has outstanding athleticism but he never made it in the NBA and is bouncing around in Europe. I hear what you're saying about Hopson but he'll probably wind up like White and nothing more.
 
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