June 26, 2008

An off-season of resurgence dedicated to turning around their recent fortunes continues tonight when the Knicks participate in the 2008 NBA Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

After bringing in a new President, Basketball Operations in Donnie Walsh and a new head coach in Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks now embark on upgrading their roster, and they are in a good position to do so with the sixth overall pick.

"There's a lot of work involved in the draft," said Walsh, "But the bottom line is you are going to choose just one player with one pick, and there's an abnormal amount of work that goes into it so you can choose that player . … But if you make the right choice, then that begins your off-season in the right way. And I think we've started with Mike. That began our off-season. But this would be the beginning of the personnel side of it."

Having a selection as high as No. 6 presents the Knicks with a chance to build a solid foundation for the future. Players such as the legendary Larry Bird and recent Rookie of the Year and All-Star Brandon Roy have been tabbed at that slot in the past.

"I think a pick of this caliber is always important to a franchise," said Walsh. "You want to get a good player, a guy who can last with your team and can be part of your rotation in a short period of time."

In a draft that is very deep in talent, New York has a chance to dramatically improve itself tonight.

"I think there is a lot of really good talent this year," said Wilson Chandler, the Knicks' first round draft pick last year, who was chosen out of DePaul with the 23rd overall pick. "It's very deep. I think for us, we have a new coach and a new president, and they have both been around, so I think we are going to end up with a good player who is going to help turn this around. That is what we all are excited for, so it's going to be really big for us."

Best of all, the 2008 NBA Draft seems tailor-made for the Knicks, as it filled with players who seemingly fit in flawlessly with D'Antoni's high-octane style.

The crop of talent just happens to be loaded with combo-guards, who fit into the new coach's preference for a guard who can penetrate, spot up for a jumper or draw in defenders before dishing off to the open man.

Meanwhile, in the front court, this is an extremely athletic group of available forwards who excel at filling the lane, exploding hard to the basket and finishing strong at the rim.

The odds are also very high that the Knicks will continue their youth movement tonight, because the majority of prospects projected by draft pundits to be drafted in the top six are entering the NBA after only just one or two college seasons.

In Walsh, the Knicks have a proven veteran of more than 20 NBA Drafts, who displayed an uncanny eye for evaluating talent during his years with the Indiana Pacers.

In his first draft, Walsh selected Chuck Person, who went on to become the NBA's Rookie of the Year. Just one year later, he shocked the basketball world by taking a skinny kid from UCLA named Reggie Miller, who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career. Other standout selections during his time in Indiana include Rik Smits, Dale Davis and Antonio Davis.

Walsh realizes the importance of this pick, and in his intensive work alongside D'Antoni in preparing for the selection has reaffirmed his belief that he has found the right man to right the Knicks ship.

"(Mike's) the kind of guy that you want to do something like this with," he said. "He's a very positive guy with a clear idea of things that he likes. He's just a perfect guy for me to work with."