Why the Knicks will draft Justice Winslow

Paul1355 said:

Franchillo is also an international scout that always has a bias for the euro players...I don't believe a euro player can be trusted at #4 based on history...they are better as a risk lottery pick they are really hit or miss until proven otherwise

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Paul1355 said:

you lost me there...Winslow can guard multiple positions so just having that option puts his value above most players

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mafra said:

Me2!

Fran Fraschillo just told Michael Kay the choice is simple: Mudiay or Pirzings. He would roll the dice and go for the HR. He says Pirzingis is Dirk (offense) mixed with Kirlenko (defense). 19 yrs-old, 7"1.

BUT... you know... If we pass on him, he'll be great. If we draft him, he'll suck.

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Paul1355 said:

you lost me there...Winslow can guard multiple positions so just having that option puts his value above most players

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Broadway said:

I think Hezonja is the biggest wildcard in this draft for who could literally blow up. Like the most unlikely likely, he comes off like a Euro T-Mac. Dude is an absolute freak

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Broadway said:

Are you saying the players(at least most of them) I listed as comparables can't do likewise?

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mafra said:

Problem is.. we have GREEK FREAK 2.0 to fill that need. I think... if we feel (or believe) in Winslow's offensive game (shooting and dribbling) then you draft him to be your SG. If you want him to be a SF... then draft somebody else. CARMELO is our SF.

To me, JW is worthy as the 4th pick... if he is our SG. A tall, combo GUARD who can even run the offense, and hope you see some Harden-Kobe-MJ in him.

Think of CHI and LA...Could he be a smaller version of Pippen (to Carmelo)?

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mafra said:

The question is... if Okafor-Towns-Russell go 1-2-3, and if NYK don't love Mudiay... Do you play it safe and draft a tweener in Winslow, trade the pick... OR, shoot for the moon? Pirzingis would, IMHO, be the best pick if the focus was on the future. Again, he just might be better than both Okafor and Towns. Tough call. I think I would go with the big, but only if my scouts gave their blessings... otherwise... Go with WCS. Winslow is nice, but SF are a dime a dozen... and 6"4' is small for the F position.

I'm happy with Winslow, WCS, or Pirzingis tho.

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Why the Knicks should select Justise Winslow with the fourth pick
May 22nd, 2015 10:54 am

Keith Schlosser, Lead Writer
According to most NBA Draft experts, the likes of Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell rank as the top consolation prizes for teams falling just short of nabbing Jahlil Okafor and/or Karl-Anthony Towns at number one and two overall, respectively.

This would obviously include the Knicks, who arguably have the most to gain with so much rebuilding to do.

Each guard is very talented, boasting very promising futures. But a point guard isn’t what the Knicks need. Of course, the draft is often about selecting the best overall talent. It’s not that New York has a floor general on board already — finding talent through the draft means building for the future, and Jose Calderon’s first campaign with the team was underwhelming anyway. It’s more so that the triangle offense doesn’t call for a point guard to be a centralized figure in the system.

If Russell falls to number four, a case could be made for them Knicks to select him because of his ability to play off the ball. But, alas, it’s much more likely to be Mudiay left at the top of the board when it comes time for the Knicks to make their pick. Mudiay shouldn’t be the player New York is targeting. The young gun is an explosive player around the rim and a dynamic scorer, but he clearly thrives with the ball in his hands. He’d serve much better in an offense that runs through him.

The Knicks already employ a player like that in Carmelo Anthony. The superstar can create his own offense better than most players in the NBA. When healthy, Anthony seemed to struggle this past season while adjusting to the triangle. The system is all about spreading the floor and moving the ball. Players are constantly on the run.

There’s only one basketball, and it may not be big enough for both Anthony and Mudiay (let alone, everyone else that stands to get touches in the offense).

Taking all of this into consideration, the Knicks should strongly consider drafting Justise Winslow. He may not be the best raw talent, but he arguably stands to have more success in the triangle than any other player in the draft. The swingman is agile, athletic, explosive, and plays with a boatload of energy. Able to move his feet very well, Winslow has the potential to guard up to three positions on the court. This makes him very versatile, all the while giving the Knicks the best chance to be creative with different lineups. While he doesn’t have the best jump shot, Winslow is a great slasher and knows how to make his way inside and get to the basket effectively.

Nevertheless, the fact that some of his biggest strengths are displayed when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands is a huge plus for a team like the Knicks.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s coming to the NBA fresh off an NCAA national championship. He’s a winner, which obviously plays into the culture Phil Jackson and Co. are trying to create.

Though Mudiay may have more talent, it’s up for debate whether or not the Knicks would be able to utilize such talent (or if it would seemingly go to waste) in the triangle.

On the flip side, Winslow could contribute in a number of different ways. He has the opportunity to grow and develop his skills even further, all while making an immediate impact. This is the type of player New York should target in the draft.

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tiger0330 said:

Knicksblog published this article which contains many of the points you made re: why the Knicks should pick Winslow. Props to Paul for his bball iq.

I would be all over Russell though if he fell to 4. He could be the next Steph Curry.

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mafra said:

If the Knicks are targeting the best player to step in an contribute this season, and compliment both Carmelo & the triangle, then a case could be made for Winslow, WCS, & Frank the Tank. This would be even more attractive if we could slide back a few picks and pick up another asset (only if we like all 3 of those players equally, and are fine "settling" for any 1 of them).

Knicks could play small (employ JW & 'Melo at SF & PF) or play pig (JW at the 2 & 'Melo at 3). The question is: Do you grab the C, with 1 great skill (WCS) or the wing player that does a plethora of things well)? Tough call.

I do know this... when you draft for need, you're more probe to make mistakes. I could stomach swinging for the fences, rolling the dice on potentially elite players (Mudiay & Pirzingis) and missing... then I would stomach playing it safe, based on need, and missing on good (not great), role players.

The reality is: In this draft... 2 players possess UNIQUE... ONCE IN A DECADE (OR GENERATION) type of skills... Okafor's repertoire of moves, his soft hands, vision, BBALL IQ, footwork, is impossible to find. A true, legitimate post scorer... will be unstoppable. HIs kind doesn't exist anymore... Not since Duncan and Shaq. Then there's Pirzingis... a true DIRK clone. 7"1 and is maybe best shooter in this draft, a 19 yr-old who oozes athleticism, with bouncy hops, and a freakish wingspan. Pirzings can shoot like DeAngelo Russell and potentially... eventually... play defense like WCS.

SIZE + TALENT is hard to find.
Also, this is a PG league. Knicks have looked for a PG for eons. The best PG in this draft is EM.

In this draft... there are 7 legitimate future All-Star type prospects: most suggest only 1 of these 9 prospects will fail: Okafor, Towns, Mudiay, Russell, Winslow, Pirzingis, Hezonja, WCS, Stanley Johnson. This makes this the deepest draft since '03.

We will get a good player (as long as we don't trade out of top-10. BUT, of the top 10 guys... Only Okafor & Pirzingis are rare gems. A PG like Mudiay comes along every few years, players like the rest are available in every draft.

So, if it were me... I would think long and hard if I was gonna convince myself that Winslow, or WCS, was the choice. WHY? Simple: they aren't the best player on the board when we select (4th). THEY MAY PROVE TO SOLID, ALL-STAR players... and justify the pick... but I would be crossing my fingers regardless.

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pat said:

Porzingis seems to be a nice find. His stroke is as brilliant for a player his size as his lateral quickness. The problem just is that there is a lot of physical development to be done and he need to be more aware of where he is and what he should do. Give him the right system and he could be brilliant in a few years time, but I am afraid we haven't had a history of providing that in the past. Time and again we have seen great potential leaving the Knicks blossoming somewhere else. Before we can think about developing talent we need to create a stable situation by drafting instant impact players. Until the whole unstable culture of this franchise changes, we are a potential career risk for players like Porzingis.

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After a few minutes talking about the new house Yao picked out far closer to downtown than his home outside Katy, McGrady tries to talk Yao into moving to his Sugar Land neighborhood, only to be told that it is "too far."

"Oh, I forgot," McGrady says, beginning his long bit on Rockets assistant head coach and Yao tutor/shadow Tom Thibodeau. "Tibs wants you there two hours early every day."

With that, McGrady launches into a description of Yao's day Sunday, when he battled a stomach virus with several trips to the Staples Center men's room.

"Every time you went in there, he had to follow you?" McGrady says. "Every time you're in there, and there's Tibs. 'Yao, we have to go over defensive tendencies. Yao, we have to talk about this.' He couldn't even let you do that by yourself?"

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