Here's another BIG to keep an eye on:
http://www.theknicksblog.com/2011/05/26/prospect-look-vernon-goodridge/
Prospect Look: Vernon Goodridge
By Tommy Dee on May 26, 2011, 10:59 am
If you go to draftexpress
it has the name Vernon Goodridge listed as the #30 overall prospect in the D-League with some unimpressive stats. He?s behind bigger names like former Net
Sean Williams, Nick Fazekas, Courtney Sims, who the Knicks brought into camp, and Jermareo Davidson. If you asked me what the difference between those players are I would tell you simply ?not much.? You can search full game videos on the D-League site to give you a better idea
of what Goodridge can do here seeing that everyone looks good in a highlight reel.
I was really adamant
about obtaining Williams, who we knew was available when he was a Net, but he most certainly didn?t take advantage of his NBA opportunity and will be lucky to get another. The point is, the Knicks still have that need to fill.
Goodridge?s name was mentioned in a NY Post article during the season and again last week by Hahn, who made the great point that the Knicks should be on the lookout for cheap, veteran players like they did back in the 1990s with Starks and Mason. Guys with heart and energy.
I was constantly asked to write about Vernon, a 6?9 athletic freak with a 7?3 wingspan and 35 plus inch vertical by his people. He?s a Brooklyn kid who spent time in the D-League last year
after having an impressive showing in Golden State?s camp. I told them I don?t want to write anything until I saw him live.
Last night I did.
Honestly, I was expecting to be unimpressed and I came away thinking that Goodridge can play in the NBA. In today?s NBA. It is clear that most NBA executives are on the hunt for players like Serge Ibaka, long, lean forward/centers who can run the floor and guard the rim. It seems that the days of the post up 7-footers are coming to an end. Every big man has to be able to run, shoot and pick and roll, and not just if they play for Mike D?Antoni.
The Knicks have a particular need up front. They need someone who can play with Amar?e and Carmelo, and they could use someone off the bench who can play with either of them. I think from a defensive standpoint, Goodridge is a good option from what I saw. He has great footwork, excellent hands and anticipation and foot speed for someone of his size. He?s not a space eater, but he?s more adapted to the league than, say, an Earl Barron.
I know those anti-D?Antoni fans will doubt that he?ll see the court even if he does impress the Knicks, who have invited to bring him to their June 8th big man workout and that may be fair. But no one remembers that Pat Riley wasn?t in a rush to play Mason or Starks minutes either. They fought and earned them.
The team needs cheap big players up front and will also see what they have in Jerome Jordan. Goodridge is 27 and is hungry for a taste of the league and he?s more seasoned than anyone the Knicks could bring in via next month?s draft and that is a fact. People like to talk about the upside of a Jeremy Tyler, but who knows if he?s able to contribute at the NBA level. But hey, at least he has professional experience.
Goodridge is an NBA body and someone that if I were in charge I?d take an extremely hard look at and invite him to camp right away before another team scoops him up. Getting a job in the league is about the timing of the opportunity more so than anything, and Goodridge is in the best shape of his life and has been improving every year evident in his counter post moves and his developing range with his jumper than extends out to 15-feet with elbow angles. Good, high release and rotation.
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Add this guy, along with FOOTE... Take a gamble on B-Wells or Joe Alexander. Draft Singleton and a PG. Sign a free agent or 2. Give it a go!