If we get the #2, then who do we pick??

Who do you want at #2?


  • Total voters
    17
  • Poll closed .

Red

TYPE-A
"The Knicks - who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - are a long shot to make such a deal with Memphis, however, because the best they can do is dangle Cuttino Mobley's contract as an incentive for the cash-strapped franchise. The Knicks could take back a contract from the Grizzlies for Mobley's deal, of which 80 percent is covered because he retired with to a heart condition. The Grizzlies, who are getting the cold shoulder from Spaniard Ricky Rubio, would save some money and move into the Knicks' spot at No. 8."- quoted from NewdayThis rumor is nothing new. Rubio and his agent are trying to control where he goes as already stated. And his price tag might help ($6mil buyout). I guess there are only 2 (logical) choices: Rubio or Thabeet -- Rubio is probably more NBA ready (as an 18 yr old can be) w/ his Euro experiance but Thabeet who will be a project has the pedigre for a dominant force in the middle. Size, speed and athleticism. He was a soccer player growing up and would probably need heavy coaching to be a complete player but then again Tim Duncan was a swimmer and you see how that turned out. I guess Rubio is the "safer" pick but Thabeet's potential up-side is very rare. Who would you rather?
 

dave2138

Rotation player
Does Memphis really have these financial issues that the rumors are talking about? From what I can see they have one of the lowest payrolls for next season and all their young talent is signed cheaply for the next few seasons. They were even talking about adding payroll with the Amare Stoudemire rumor a few months ago.

I could buy a Mobley for Darko + #27 pick trade. That makes sense for both teams and I'd do that in a heartbeat since any additions of payroll for only next year have no affect on the 2010 plan.

So I say keep #8 pick and Chandler + Lee whatever it will take to move up to #2. That would be great though if Mobley's contract can be traded to add a mid-late 1st round pick.
 

Crazy⑧s

Evacuee
Tough poll.

I had to go with Thabeet. Regardless of African ballers bust-ability.

Guys that tall are rare and God knows we need a shot changing big man. The talk of Gortat's acquisition being a good one seems like desperation imo. Another reason I went for Thabeet.

Rubio is a stellar player and he'd be great as a Knick!

The reason I chose Thabeet was that the league is drier than a Nun's nasty when it comes to dominant defensive 5s.

I still doubt we'll acquire either of them.

I still hope we don't get Gortat regardless of his stats/ 36 mins.

Even now I'm wondering if I chose correctly in the poll.

Tough call!!!!!!
 

pat

Starter
I had to go for Rubio since the general rule of thumb in drafts is "talent over position".
 

KING~POETIQ

The One and Only
Thabeet and rubio are both intriguing players, but in my opinion the best choice would be staying at 8th. Moving up to the second spot will cost us cap space. As well as a young up and coming player(s).


If we stay put at the 8th, we are going to pick up a quality player regardless. Thabeet isn't that great of a big man, so it would be foolish to give up so much for him. Rubio is the best point guard in this draft but there's not a big gap in talent between him and the other point guards in this draft. So it wouldn't make much sense trading our valuable assets for unproven (in the nba) talent.



Also, if we decide on a SG, we would have a choice of picking up one of the two best in this draft (with the 8th pick).



Our line up could look like this:



PG- lawson
SG- chandler
SF- gallo
PF- lee
C- wilcox/(tyson chandler?)



Or



PG- duhon
SG- terrence williams
SF- chandler
PF- gallo
C- lee
 

Red

TYPE-A
Tough poll.

I had to go with Thabeet. Regardless of African ballers bust-ability.

Guys that tall are rare and God knows we need a shot changing big man. The talk of Gortat's acquisition being a good one seems like desperation imo. Another reason I went for Thabeet.

Rubio is a stellar player and he'd be great as a Knick!

The reason I chose Thabeet was that the league is drier than a Nun's nasty when it comes to dominant defensive 5s.

I still doubt we'll acquire either of them.

I still hope we don't get Gortat regardless of his stats/ 36 mins.

Even now I'm wondering if I chose correctly in the poll.

Tough call!!!!!!

Guy's from Africa bust potential... that's foul lol. Besides aren't most NBA players ancestors African? But anyway with the emergence of Dwight and the magic and Atl and Brook lopez in NJ etc... a good big man will be essential.
 

LJ4ptplay

Starter
I don't think Thabeet will be a dominant big man.

Trade up to get Rubio or trade the 8th pick + Eddy Curry for an expiring contract. These should be the only options.

I could live with drafting Stephen Curry and doing a sign and trade with Nate + Eddy Curry for an expiring contract but that seems more difficult to accomplish.
 

metrocard

Legend
Does Memphis really have these financial issues that the rumors are talking about? From what I can see they have one of the lowest payrolls for next season and all their young talent is signed cheaply for the next few seasons. They were even talking about adding payroll with the Amare Stoudemire rumor a few months ago.

I could buy a Mobley for Darko + #27 pick trade. That makes sense for both teams and I'd do that in a heartbeat since any additions of payroll for only next year have no affect on the 2010 plan.

So I say keep #8 pick and Chandler + Lee whatever it will take to move up to #2. That would be great though if Mobley's contract can be traded to add a mid-late 1st round pick.

Yea...staying mediocre sounds great.

The heartless afraid of going to the basket Wilson Chandler and the defense-less David Lee are going to be our gateway to success right?

Rubio could turn out to be the best player in this draft.

That means you trade whatever it takes to get him, and built around him.
He's probably the only two way player in this draft also.

Griffen is all offense and rebounding, no passing or defense
Thabeet is all shot blocking, his man to man defense is horrid...offense is worse.
Harden is multi dimensional, but not the defender Rubio is.
DeRozan has no NBA range, no NBA handle and a really limited offensive game. Didn't really show he's an elite defender, but has potential.
JRue is all defense, no offense.
Curry is all offense, no defense.
Lawson is offense with solid defense...which is why I prefer him as the 2nd option.
Jordan Hill's offense will be a question in the NBA since he's not very skilled. He has Marcus Camby defensive potential though.
Tyreke Evans could be a two player if he keeps his head straight.

etc and etc.

Rubio could dominate on both sides of the court.
Offensively, he's so unpredictable and elusive...he changes speeds so much like Johan Satana, he's impossible to guard despite him not being the fastest player in the NBA, he still has pretty good speed for a 6"4 PG.
This allows Rubio to do whatever he pleases in games, against any competition. That what makes him special, he can control games on both sides of the court.
Rubio has turned out to be one of the best defenders in Europe also. Not only he racks up a high volume of steals...he puts so much effort into defense, its rare to see it in such a young PG. Rubio has been doing it since he was 14.

Playing winning basketball is part of Rubio's game...he has all the intangibles most lottery picks don't have.

Passing up on Rubio can only mean you guys haven't done enough research OR you guys are still stuck in the Isiah phase where you feel all you deserve is the most medicore talent (Robinson, Lee, Chandler, Duhon, etc)...all these bench players getting starting minutes.
The only things you guys have with these guys is "potential" and their numbers will improve in this system.

But our wins won't, so **** those three guys.

I'm tired of this medicore ass play of bball.

This is NYC, the mecca.
We got a lame ass city, Cleveland as an elite team in the West...its time for the Knicks to rise to the throne with their new KING, King Ricky.

Getting Rubio should be the main objective.

There are many athletic SF's in the world we can obtain that can do what Chandler do...I honestly, I rather have Patrick Ewing Jr, a better ATHLETE, defender, passer, and intangibles player with HEART than Chandler. Chandler may be better with the jumper, but Patrick Ewing Jr. is more well rounded. Chandler's game isn't special to me.

Lee can be replaced also, even tho he's the most special out of the three because of his rebounding prowess, intagibles, and underrated jumpshot.

You figure a guy with Lee hops should be a better leaper on defense and contest shots...maybe its his arms that hold him back? I don't know. If Lee was a solid defender, we would all be on his nuts and offering him the MLE.
Its hard to look like a solid defender though when your backcourt lets everyone get a free pass to the basket.
 

GetRealistic

Starter
The problem is that Rubio isn't qualified to be the second pick, the problem is its going to take a f'n miracle for the Knicks to trade into the second spot....

If Rubio is all the things you claim he is why in the world would Memphis trade him for Chandler (the guy you think is overrated) and David Lee? This trade in the long run would actually cost Memphis more money then getting Rubio. They'd have to sign the 8th draft pick, pickup Lee's new contract and potentially resign Wilson Chandler in the upcoming years.

The Knicks simply don't have enough assets to trade for the second pick. I'm sure Donnie Walsh is attempting to do so but he simply doesn't have enough to tempt the Grizz... The Rockets and Celtics have more assets then we do.
 

Scribbles

Rotation player
The #2 pick is going to be a difficult one to call, which is why MEM is even exploring the option of trading down.

It's either a breakthrough pick or bust for that slot for the #2 overall pick. You either live up to the expectations and anything less than that - BUST.

I like Thabeet and would love him to be here but I can't lie, he has bust written all over him. The only reason why people are so keen on him is because he's really the only big man in the draft worth exploring aside from B. Griffin.

He looks like one of those players where it's one injury and it looks like he's done.

His physical frame is Stephen Curry esque compared to the bigs in the NBA.

He reminds me of a taller version of C. Frye with the way he runs up and down the court.

This is clearly a PG draft and any pick at #8 would equate to a quality player.

If we trade up for #2, we most definitely nab Rubio.

But I've likened to us being at #8 this year. We'll come away with a player that's at least decent and not just a question mark (Rubio, Thabeet)
 

metrocard

Legend
The problem is that Rubio isn't qualified to be the second pick, the problem is its going to take a f'n miracle for the Knicks to trade into the second spot....

If Rubio is all the things you claim he is why in the world would Memphis trade him for Chandler (the guy you think is overrated) and David Lee? This trade in the long run would actually cost Memphis more money then getting Rubio. They'd have to sign the 8th draft pick, pickup Lee's new contract and potentially resign Wilson Chandler in the upcoming years.

The Knicks simply don't have enough assets to trade for the second pick. I'm sure Donnie Walsh is attempting to do so but he simply doesn't have enough to tempt the Grizz... The Rockets and Celtics have more assets then we do.


Because Memphis is poor, and reports have shown Rubio doesn't want Memphis.

Memphis should just take another lottery pick and get two rotation players in return, thats the best move for him.

Memphis has mad cap space, they could handle Lee's, and Chandler's contracts.

Rubio would have to pay money to play for Memphis, he's not going to do that.

Don't be so negative...I would add Gallinari + 8 just for Rubio.
 

GetRealistic

Starter
Gallinari, Lee, Chandler, and 8th pick for Rubio...... Right???


I'm not being negitive i'm just being realistic here.. You may be right and Memphis may be poor and looking to move the pick but in that case they'll move the pick to a team (about 15 other teams) that have more appearling offers. The only way to concievable make it worth Memphis wilde would be for us to trade David Lee for the 15th pick and then send that 15th pick with Chandler and the 8th to Memphis but thats not possible since we can't trade Lee until after the draft.

Its time to concentrate on the 8th pick or in my opinion if were not in love with the Curry or Johnny Flynn trade down and get some assets and draft Ty Lawson or Jeff Teague later in the draft.
 

LJ4ptplay

Starter
Yea...staying mediocre sounds great.

The heartless afraid of going to the basket Wilson Chandler and the defense-less David Lee are going to be our gateway to success right?

Rubio could turn out to be the best player in this draft.

That means you trade whatever it takes to get him, and built around him.
He's probably the only two way player in this draft also.

Griffen is all offense and rebounding, no passing or defense
Thabeet is all shot blocking, his man to man defense is horrid...offense is worse.
Harden is multi dimensional, but not the defender Rubio is.
DeRozan has no NBA range, no NBA handle and a really limited offensive game. Didn't really show he's an elite defender, but has potential.
JRue is all defense, no offense.
Curry is all offense, no defense.
Lawson is offense with solid defense...which is why I prefer him as the 2nd option.
Jordan Hill's offense will be a question in the NBA since he's not very skilled. He has Marcus Camby defensive potential though.
Tyreke Evans could be a two player if he keeps his head straight.

etc and etc.

Rubio could dominate on both sides of the court.
Offensively, he's so unpredictable and elusive...he changes speeds so much like Johan Satana, he's impossible to guard despite him not being the fastest player in the NBA, he still has pretty good speed for a 6"4 PG.
This allows Rubio to do whatever he pleases in games, against any competition. That what makes him special, he can control games on both sides of the court.
Rubio has turned out to be one of the best defenders in Europe also. Not only he racks up a high volume of steals...he puts so much effort into defense, its rare to see it in such a young PG. Rubio has been doing it since he was 14.

Playing winning basketball is part of Rubio's game...he has all the intangibles most lottery picks don't have.

Passing up on Rubio can only mean you guys haven't done enough research OR you guys are still stuck in the Isiah phase where you feel all you deserve is the most medicore talent (Robinson, Lee, Chandler, Duhon, etc)...all these bench players getting starting minutes.
The only things you guys have with these guys is "potential" and their numbers will improve in this system.

But our wins won't, so **** those three guys.

I'm tired of this medicore ass play of bball.

This is NYC, the mecca.
We got a lame ass city, Cleveland as an elite team in the West...its time for the Knicks to rise to the throne with their new KING, King Ricky.

Getting Rubio should be the main objective.

There are many athletic SF's in the world we can obtain that can do what Chandler do...I honestly, I rather have Patrick Ewing Jr, a better ATHLETE, defender, passer, and intangibles player with HEART than Chandler. Chandler may be better with the jumper, but Patrick Ewing Jr. is more well rounded. Chandler's game isn't special to me.

Lee can be replaced also, even tho he's the most special out of the three because of his rebounding prowess, intagibles, and underrated jumpshot.

You figure a guy with Lee hops should be a better leaper on defense and contest shots...maybe its his arms that hold him back? I don't know. If Lee was a solid defender, we would all be on his nuts and offering him the MLE.
Its hard to look like a solid defender though when your backcourt lets everyone get a free pass to the basket.

Agreed. Donnie must explore every option in trying to get Rubio. Not only is Rubio very good but I can't think of a better match at PG for D'Antoni's system. If he can get that jumpshot and the pick and roll down, he will be setting hall-of-fame-type records in D'Antoni's system. Mark my words.

I agree that Lee, Nate and Chandler (including the remaining Knick roster) are bench players on a good team. But, we need a bench too. Don't you think having those players coming off the bench would provide great depth?

Getting rid of Curry has to be one of the top priorities and if trading up to get Rubio is unattainable, then we must trade the 8th pick + Eddy Curry for an expiring contract. No other player available in the draft is worth risking Curry still being on this roster next year.
 

metrocard

Legend
Gallinari, Lee, Chandler, and 8th pick for Rubio...... Right???


I'm not being negitive i'm just being realistic here.. You may be right and Memphis may be poor and looking to move the pick but in that case they'll move the pick to a team (about 15 other teams) that have more appearling offers. The only way to concievable make it worth Memphis wilde would be for us to trade David Lee for the 15th pick and then send that 15th pick with Chandler and the 8th to Memphis but thats not possible since we can't trade Lee until after the draft.

Its time to concentrate on the 8th pick or in my opinion if were not in love with the Curry or Johnny Flynn trade down and get some assets and draft Ty Lawson or Jeff Teague later in the draft.

Johan Santana for Ricky Rubio.
 

Red

TYPE-A
Although I said we need a big, I think if you trade up to #2 you have to be damn sure of the talent you get. That said, Rubio is the better investment @ 2. I just would hate to hear "what were the Knicks thinking" when Thabeet is top ten in blocks and rebounds and a candidate for ROY! And how did this become the "if we should trade Chandler" thread? He is a keeper. Look at it this way - if some team (finally) wants one of ours, then that should be a sign to KEEP him!
 

smokes

Huge Member
The heartless afraid of going to the basket Wilson Chandler and the defense-less David Lee are going to be our gateway to success right?

Well I know you don't rate Chandler but heartless and afraid of going to the basket? I think your dislike of him clouds your analysis to be honest. Chandler got heart, maybe he doesn't wear it on his sleeve but it's there. He often plays hard when he's out there. He took some monstrous dunks this year, up in the face of big men in the paint. Point is this is D'antoni's offense, you find the best look possible in the shortest time possible, and driving to the rim is not often the best shot. I've said it before but Chandler reminds me of Rose, another quiet player on and off the court but he comes up big or tries to when it's on.

Also you gotta remember he's still young, Camby for example was really weak in the 99 playoff series on some occasions, that was his sophomore year too iirc? Chandler is definately a building block worth keeping if possible. If it were as simple as Chandler + #8 for #2, then yeah, it's worth looking at, but to put him on to sweeten another deal is too much for me.

The only problem I have when it comes to Chandler is what do we do with him if we keep him. Gallo is obviously the SF of our future if Coach D gets his way, and while I was optimistic about Chandler at the 2 I'm starting to think his play won't translate properly to that spot. He's never going to be a PF either even in our undersized lineup, so where does he go?

Griffen is all offense and rebounding, no passing or defense

I don't know what you're talking about here to be honest, you're always directing other people to the draft sites so allow me to do the same:

An excellent passer who has good
vision and spots double teams quickly finding the unguarded teammate for openshots ...

Defensively he gives a high effort level and does a solid job of staying out of foul trouble (fouled out of 1 game as a sophomore) ... He just needs to learn better timing and anticipation ...

With that said, we aren't getting or looking at Griffen, so moving on...

Lawson is offense with solid defense...which is why I prefer him as the 2nd option.

Agreed on this, Lawson is quality and his only "downside" is size which really means nothing on a good PG, still can't understand people poking at 6' PGs, Chris Paul is 6' for gods sake.

What I don't understand is why Flynn isn't getting more discussion here, as a pass first guard he is extremely good, and his speed/driving ability is also top notch. Watching him against Uconn at the Garden was pretty special. He doesn't go over the top or make flashy plays, just constant solid basketball played with a LOT of heart. You can see throughout that whole game that he doesn't make many poor decisions on the ball, every pass has a purpose, and he almost never goes up on a prayer or without a plan. I'd really like to see more of how his workouts went with us, I'm pretty sure he'd love to be a Knick and I wouldn't think twice about picking him over Curry if he's still on the board.

I agree with pretty much every positive on Rubio that anyone has given, anyone can see he's going to be a special player but to give away pretty much all the building blocks of our team for one guy just isn't helping us get anywhere.

Trade Lee/Nate/cash/expirings/picks, whatever for Rubio, just don't give up the whole team.
 

dave2138

Rotation player
Gallinari, Lee, Chandler, and 8th pick for Rubio...... Right???


I'm not being negitive i'm just being realistic here.. You may be right and Memphis may be poor and looking to move the pick but in that case they'll move the pick to a team (about 15 other teams) that have more appearling offers. The only way to concievable make it worth Memphis wilde would be for us to trade David Lee for the 15th pick and then send that 15th pick with Chandler and the 8th to Memphis but thats not possible since we can't trade Lee until after the draft.

Its time to concentrate on the 8th pick or in my opinion if were not in love with the Curry or Johnny Flynn trade down and get some assets and draft Ty Lawson or Jeff Teague later in the draft.

That sums it up basically. I don't think anyone here is against Rubio..people are more against the idea of making it the top priority and a must move to make. Its really not and there are better value moves that can be made such as getting a mid-late round pick like you said and focusing on getting the best player available at #8. The knicks don't have to get a franchise player to build around this offseason..that can be done next offseason with the freed cap space.

At this point Memphis has to take Rubio in my opinion. They don't draw a lot of fans and the only way that will change would be if they start winning. So why trade away a potential franchise pg just to save a few mil by picking up Mobley.

What happened to the Conley Jr. + Darko -> David Lee talk? That was mentioned for like a day, but no one was really interested. That's a more realistic rumor than the Rubio one that makes sense for both teams.
 

JayJ44

Starter
That sums it up basically. I don't think anyone here is against Rubio..people are more against the idea of making it the top priority and a must move to make. Its really not and there are better value moves that can be made such as getting a mid-late round pick like you said and focusing on getting the best player available at #8. The knicks don't have to get a franchise player to build around this offseason..that can be done next offseason with the freed cap space.

At this point Memphis has to take Rubio in my opinion. They don't draw a lot of fans and the only way that will change would be if they start winning. So why trade away a potential franchise pg just to save a few mil by picking up Mobley.


What happened to the Conley Jr. + Darko -> David Lee talk? That was mentioned for like a day, but no one was really interested. That's a more realistic rumor than the Rubio one that makes sense for both teams.

Because if the Grizzlies draft Rubio, he'll stay in Spain. Why would Rubio leave for Memphis, when he can stay in Spain and make more money. I'm pretty sure he's stated that he won't leave Spain for Memphis anyway (who would?). The Grizzlies drafting Rubio, and not trading him, is basically a wasted pick for them.

I think we have to do whatever it takes to get Rubio. We need someone to build around. At the moment, we just have some good role players. Lee, Chandler, Nate; these guys aren't guys you can build around. We shouldn't just wait for a slim chance of getting Lebron/Wade in 2010, if we can get a superstar in the draft.
 
They should definitely draft Rubio. He is perfect with this running system. But Thabeet would also bring some HUGE defensive advantages.
 
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