Knicks Plan: Draft Petteri Koponen, Sign Rashard Lewis

If Isiah Thomas is still hoping to land Kobe or KG this summer, someone should tell him to quit dreaming.

Although the Knicks do need to add a prime-time player, they aren't going to be able to get one unless they give up David Lee.

And trading Lee would prove to be a mistake down the road.

So assuming New York doesn't swing a blockbuster deal, how to realistically assess the Knicks' needs?

Let's start with what isn't broken.

If anything was clear last season, it was that Eddy Curry is the center the Knicks have been looking for. In a league hurting for big men, Curry averaged 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and should have started over Shaq in the All-Star Game.

 

With continued improvement this summer, Curry could challenge Yao Ming for the title of best center in the NBA as early as next season—Greg Oden notwithstanding.

 

The Knicks should feel just as secure at power forward, where the gritty Lee has arrived as one of the most promising fours in the game. Who else in the league could have averaged a double-double off the bench? His MVP performance in the Rookie-Sophomore Game only solidified Lee's future in New York—and Thomas should start him next season.

 

Like Jalen Rose said last year: David Lee is the best player on the Knicks.

 

In the backcourt, Jamal Crawford's play is critical to Curry's output the lanky two-guard knows how to get the big man going with lobs and post feeds, and can also score and distribute on his own.

 

The bottom line, then, is that the Knicks are set at center, power forward, and big guard—which leaves the point guard and small forward spots to work on as the draft approaches.  

 

Stephon Marbury has helped put fans in seats at the Garden, but he has yet to win a playoff game in his four years with the Knicks. Isiah needs to start thinking about an upgrade at the point—and no, Nate Robinson is not the answer. 

With the emergence of Mardy Collins, in fact, Robinson and Steve Francis are becoming increasingly expendable. Collins could team with Crawford in the backcourt to give New York a pair of tall guards with complementary skills.

The one player Thomas should keep his eye on in the draft is Petteri Koponen, a 19-year-old European point guard. Jerry West likened Koponen's game to that of Steve Nash—pretty high praise from a pretty competent evaluator of talent.

Koponen has tried to mold his game after that of Nash, his NBA idol. At 6'5", he has good length for the one position, and his pass-first instincts are those of a true point guard.

Koponen's stock has soared since the Nike Hoop Summit, where he held his own against O.J. Mayo and other future NBA players. He also did well in the Orlando predraft workouts, and in private sessions with more than ten teams.

Koponen's inexperience makes him a project, but Thomas has expressed a willingness to gamble in this year's draft after having already secured Randolph Morris from the University of Kentucky. Koponen seems like a logical fit in New York especially given that Marbury has two years remaining on his contract, which should be enough time for the youngster to acclimate to the NBA game.

Some mock drafts have Koponen going as early as the late lottery, but the consensus is that he'll be available when the Knicks pick at 23. 

It's time for Isiah to end his anti-Euro policy and take a good look at a player who could be the next Nash or Tony Parker. Whatever prejudice Isiah has against foreign imports, he'd better get over it before the league passes him by.

But Koponen can't solve the Knicks' problems by himself. To turn things around, New York needs to land a swingman—probably via free agency. The ideal candidate is Seattle's Rashard Lewis.

The best move would be for Thomas to engineer a sign-and-trade involving any combination of the Knicks' expendable players. The Sonics already have Nick Collison, so they won't be too interested in Lee—and Seattle seems almost certain to land Kevin Durant in the draft, which would make Lewis redundant. 

 

Lewis' well-rounded game would prevent defenses from collapsing down on Curry, and he fits the mold of long, athletic players Isiah has been keen on. Critics will cite the Knicks' salary cap woes as an argument against the deal—but the fact is that the Knicks MAKE more money than any other team, so they shouldn't be chided for spending more too.

 

That, in a nutshell, is how you improve a 33-win team without sacrificing its youth. As it stands, Isiah should feel lucky to still have his job. Now it's time for him to prove he deserves it.

  

Possible Interest?

 

On Knicks.com, the team has a page devoted to the top ten backcourt players in the 2007 draft. Just after the top ten, there's a curious list entitled "Of Possible Knicks Interest," with a single entry: Depaul's Wilson Chandler.

 

Reports have surfaced in past weeks that Thomas promised the 23rd pick to Chandler—which would make him the Renaldo Balkman-esque surprise of this year's draft. Would Isiah draft another Balkman just to please the fans? More to the point, how many Balkmans are too many? I already count two on the Knicks, including Jared Jeffries.

 

Another Gamble

 

The one player who may be able to help the Knicks right away is shot-blocking beast Sean Williams. Williams has a past checkered by marijuana problems—but, again, Isiah has expressed a willingness to gamble.

 

If Williams ever gets focused, he could blossom into a young Theo Ratliff—something the Knicks desperately need to shore up their interior defense.