Ruminations on Picking #4

At the end of the season, the Knicks suddenly started playing as if a playoff position was at stake.  Critics of those pointless wins were admonished by saying, "the players get paid to play hard" and "oh, the players are playing for their careers" as if these last few games were going to alter career trajectories.

I criticized the winning then and I reiterate the stupidity of it now. There is a time and place for everything. Pyrrhic victories cost us a greater chance at finishing higher and it's a damned shame.

There are no basketball Gods who smiled down on us and said, "Good on you, you played hard and you deserve a better pick." No, instead the Math and statistical probability Gods said, "Don't you assholes understand arithmetic?" Is it any wonder the retired NBA players go broke in less than a decade?

The Statistical Probability Gods gave us pick #4. Let's examine the probabilities and options for the Knicks.

First and foremost we'll still need a center.  The Knicks could swap picks with someone further back in the lottery and reach for Cauley-Stein or Kaminsky.  That's probably there for them but I doubt they do that.

If the pundits are right, the Knicks will draft Emmanuel Mudiay and they'll keep him.  At 6'5", he's got the kind of size that Phil Jackson likes and the kid is still growing - how much more he grows becomes an interesting speculation.  He could improbably become the Lebron James of this draft class and under Phil's tutelage, a Michael Jordan archetype player.

Maybe there are Basketball Gods after all.

Assuming Mudiay is the pick - dominoes fall.  Gallo moves over to the two guard creating the most unique Knicks backcourt since Frazier and Munroe. Gallo is a lock down guard who can shoot - the Knicks defense is that much better and the back court is a force.

Hardaway becomes VERY expendable. Calderon as well. Signing Shved is less imperative but still a very nice option is Hardaway and/or Calderon can be moved. Corey Joseph, Reggie Jackson and the rest are no longer primary targets.

So what do we do about a center? Trading for a second, first-round pick is one possibility.  More likely, the Knicks make a Hail Mary pass at Marc Gasol.  Simultaneously, I think they make a strong move for DeAndre Jordan, a pragmatic and effective druther.  And the Knicks will no longer be competing with LA for their talents.

Greg Monroe is publicly rumored as another target, one that I'm less enthusiastic about. Holdovers Jason Smith and Cole Aldrich are as good as many of the lesser FA options. Robin Lopez may be the Dark Horse candidate.

That leaves room for another FA signing. Aldrich? Butler? Danny Green? DeMarre Carroll? Lots of interesting possibilities.