New York Knicks: Time to Draft the Next Broadway Joe (Alexander)

At least the NBA draft lottery isn’t rigged. 

In one of its most important draft lotteries since winning the top pick and Patrick Ewing in 1985, the Knicks ended up with this year’s sixth overall pick.

At No. 6, Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni should expect their pick to make substantial contributions without having to bear the “franchise savior” moniker.  Every player available at No. 6 should be able to help the Knicks, right?

Not exactly.  Isiah Thomas’s tendency to stockpile identical players is still affecting the Knicks’ future.  Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis were both decent point guards.  Yet, together they were just expensive, redundant pieces. Apart, Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph are both productive power forwards.  Together, they are just two guys with poor work ethics arguing over shots.

In other words, the abundance of mediocre players composing Isiah’s blue team of death makes it difficult to find a No. 6 pick that can take the Knicks in the right direction. 

While neither Marbury nor Jamal Crawford are current all-stars, the guards available at No. 6 most likely are not good enough to steal the Knicks guards’ starting spots.  

Starbury has voiced his desire to play under D’Antoni and I fully expect him to have a revitalized season next year. None of the point guards available, Bayless, Westbrook, or Augustin, are large enough improvements over Marbury to warrant a lottery selection.  

And if Marbury ends up splitting time with one of these rookies, Nate Robinson, a crowd favorite, will lose his rotation spot.  At best, it just adds to the redundancy.

Similarly, Jamal Crawford is an able shooting guard, and as close to a “franchise player” as the Knicks come.  O.J. Mayo is Hollywood, but Madison Square Garden doesn’t need any more drama. 

Given the Knicks’ current chaos up front, I really can’t recommend a big man selection.  It’s not that the Knicks don’t have decent big men, it’s that that these decent players can’t work together.   In 2006-07, both Curry and Randolph scored at least 19 PPG.  In 2007-08, they combined to score barely 30.

Add in these underachievers’ massive salaries, and you’ll realize that drafting another power forward or center is just going to compound New York’s big man woes.  D’Antoni simply will need to find a way to make the combination of Curry, Randolph, and David Lee effective—or maneuver a trade.

However, there is one position where the Knicks can immediately improve their roster: small forward.  The team currently boasts Quentin Richardson, a shooter who can’t shoot, and Jared Jeffries, a defender who can’t defend. 

This draft’s top two small forwards are Danilo Gallinari and Joe Alexander.  It seems D’Antoni has already fell in love with the foreigner.  Mikey, say it ain’t so!

I don’t care that he’s the Italian league’s top scorer, or that D’Antoni played with his dad.  Knicks fans have suffered through the Isiah reign of terror for too long and are finally starting to warm up to a new beginning under D’Antoni and Walsh. 

But expect a heavy chorus of boos if David Stern announces that the Knicks selected an Italian small forward with its pick. 

And rightfully so.

Sure, some highly touted international players have excelled in the NBA. But just as many have flopped.  (Think Darko Milicic, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, or Yi Jianlian).  Since 1999, New York has drafted four foreign players (Frederic Weis, Milos Vujanic, Slavko Vranes, and Maciej Lampe) that have never even played in New York. 

Scouts are billing Gallinari as a smooth, high-IQ, sharp-shooting combo forward.  He may be the next Kukoc or Ginobli. He could also be the next Tskitishvili. 

Why take a risk when Joe Alexander has already proven himself to be the real deal?  This season, Alexander blossomed into one of the Big East’s best players.  He can score in bunches, has an incredible vertical jump and work ethic, and will be a decent shot-blocker at the small forward position. 

If David Lee woke up one morning able to create his own shot from the perimeter or post, he’d be Joe Alexander.  In fact, with Alexander’s explosiveness and ability to score from the perimeter or post, I believe his ceiling is comparable to Carmelo Anthony’s.

You’re telling me this guy wouldn’t become an immediate fan favorite?

Alexander thrived in the ultra-competitive Big East, and willed his team to the Sweet Sixteen this year.  Had he not fouled out, West Virginia likely would have defeated Xavier and reached the Elite Eight. 

His shooting percentage isn’t currently noteworthy, but he has good mechanics and impressive elevation on his nearly unblockable jump shot.  In addition, Alexander is a world-class athlete, and would be a great finisher in D’Antoni’s up-tempo style.  

Furthermore, Ewing is allegedly interested in becoming an assistant coach for the Knicks.  What better way to entice Patrick Ewing back to the Garden? While Curry, Randolph, and Jerome James are not known for their work ethics, Ewing must be salivating to work with a raw gym rat like Alexander, who has been playing with his back to the basket for only a year. 

The time is now to rejuvenate the Knicks.  Joe Alexander will be an immediate fan favorite, and a solid addition to the post-Isiah Knicks.