Breaking Down New York Knicks' Top Draft Needs and Targets

The 2014-15 New York Knicks' season was such a disaster that it might as well have been directed by Roland Emmerich.

New York, guided by first-year head coach Derek Fisher, won just 17 games, finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA and the worst record in franchise history.

The Knicks front office has had to watch departed players like Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and, to a lesser extent, Pablo Prigioni enjoy long runs of playoff success as it sits and assesses how to salvage the franchise from the muck.

Add in Carmelo Anthony's season-ending knee surgery and a darkly hilarious tumble out of the top three in the draft lottery, and you have the perfect recipe for the worst season in Knicks history.

Yet, like all Emmerich movies, despite the debris and destruction and total devastation of the main act, there is a glimmer of hope left shining through at the end.

The Knicks' possible salvation comes in the form of the No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft and roughly $27 million—New York could actually open up over $31 million in cap space, should it waive and stretch the remaining two years of Jose Calderon's contract—to sign free agents with.

The Knicks have a legitimate need at every position, other than small forward. They have only four players with guaranteed contracts for next season: Anthony, Calderon, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cleanthony Early. They also have Langston Galloway and Ricky Ledo on partially guaranteed contracts.

None of those players will provide answers, aside from Melo, who won't be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

The situation isn't perfect in New York right now, but help should be on the way to assist Anthony in his quest to make a deep run through the playoffs.

But the question is this: With plenty of talent at the top of the draft, who will be Melo's running mate in New York next year?

Here's a look at which player might be donning a brand-new Knickerbockers jersey for the 2015-16 NBA season.

Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, Guangdong

By the time the Knicks pick at No. 4, the draft's two most prized big men, Duke's Jahlil Okafor and Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns, will likely be gone.

The same goes for Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell, who would be heading to Philadelphia as the newest part of general manager Sam Hinkie's experiment, should the two bigs go off the board first.

This is all assuming a lot.

The Lakers have expressed interest in Russell with the No. 2 pick, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, which could lead the 76ers to draft point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, as CSN Philadelphia's Dei Lynam suggested to Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe.

That's a lot of "if" to work off.

Assuming current projections hold for the first three picks, the Knicks would be left with several intriguing options—the most tantalizing of which is Mudiay, who would be a strong fit on a team in desperate need of a point guard.

In his end-of-the-year press conference, Knicks president Phil Jackson "stated his desire to add players who can attack the basket," according to NYKnicks.com's Charlie Widdoes.

Mudiay, who is a ferocious attacker of the basket with ideal size, fits that mold perfectly.

The video above links the 19-year-old Mudiay to Jrue Holiday. Mudiay has a more dynamic game and a higher ceiling than Holiday, though Holiday is a better shooter—something Mudiay sorely needs to work on.

In terms of size, the 6'5", 200-pound Mudiay enters the league in the mold of Derrick Rose (6'3", 190 lbs) and John Wall (6'4", 195 lbs), with a similar level of explosiveness.

He opted to play overseas last year instead of at Southern Methodist University under head coach Larry Brown, which has made him somewhat difficult to grade. The 19-year-old did average an impressive 18 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Now, this is also a league where Yi Jianlian averaged 27.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, so it isn't the highest caliber of talent in the world, but Mudiay's versatility—particularly his strong rebounding numbers for a guard—highlights the type of talent he possesses.

Mudiay's most enticing attribute right now might be his skill in the open court, where he transforms into a menacing blur, going coast to coast like a whirling dervish outfitted in Under Armour kicks.

Those who assume such a skill may not translate to New York's style of offense—with its emphasis on the triangle—couldn't be further off, per Bleacher Report's Sara Peters: "By the way, transition offense and drives to the hoop do not in any way conflict with the triangle offense. Easy buckets off the break and charges to the hoop are the first choices. The triangle is the scheme that the team goes to when those opportunities aren't available."

The NBA has transformed into a point guard-driven league. Every successful team needs a talented floor general capable of going toe-to-toe with the likes of Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook on a nightly basis.

Mudiay would infuse a new type of excitement into the Knicks franchise while giving the organization a point guard to build around for years to come.

He might be the best available option at No. 4, but he's far from the only option.

Justise Winslow, SF, Duke

At first glance, drafting the 6'6", 225-pound Justise Winslow might not make a ton of sense.

He plays the same position as Carmelo Anthony, who has four years and over $100 million left on his contract (there is an early-termination clause for the final year of the deal).

Winslow would force Anthony to move over to power forward, but that actually could be a blessing in disguise.

The Knicks found a lot of success with Anthony at the 4 during their 54-win 2012-13 season. He was able to hold his own against bigger power forwards due to his size and strength, while they were unable to keep up with his array of stutter steps, shimmies, jumpers and drives on the other end of the floor.

Granted, Melo and the rest of the Knicks had the 2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year in Tyson Chandler to compensate for any defensive shortcomings on their part. New York would need to lure a defensive-minded center to play the same role, which is an option—given the lush reserve of money it has for the summer free-agency period.

So rolling the dice on Winslow might be worth it.

The 19-year-old brings a type of defensive intensity and versatility similar to that of Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler. His future looks bright, as he's drawn comparisons to everyone from Leonard to MVP runner-up James Harden.

Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal had particularly high praise for the former Blue Devils star in comparing him to the Houston Rockets' Harden:

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During his three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden improved from 2.8 to 2.9 to 4.2 assists per 36 minutes. He just wasn't that featured offensive option yet, and during his minutes, he had to look for his own shot first and foremost.

That's the exact type of player Justise Winslow is right now, even though he's a capable distributor. The 19-year-old Duke product excels from the perimeter and loves slashing to the hoop, and the crafty nature of his body control allows him to spend lots of time at the stripe (5.5 free-throw attempts per 40 minutes as a freshman).

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Add in the fact that he doesn't need the ball to thrive offensively, a tenet of the triangle offense, and Winslow could turn out to be a draft-day coup for Jackson and the Knicks.

ESPN Insider Fran Fraschilla is especially bullish on Winslow in the triangle, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley:

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“He‘s versatile forward with good size and strength,” ESPN NBA Draft Insider Fran Fraschilla says. “He’d be good in the pinch post area; he’d be great cutting off a post action. He’s also a good ball handler for a forward.”

All of those attributes fit Phil Jackson’s signature offense, which emphasizes cutting and the ability to make quick reads with the ball based on the defense’s positioning.

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Winslow would bring the grittiness and defensive presence New York has missed since shipping Chandler to Dallas. His offensive repertoire and shooting skills need some work, but Butler and Leonard both turned themselves into productive offensive players through sheer will and hard work.

Winslow looks like the type of player who would dedicate himself to nonstop betterment, just as those two did.

He might not have the flash of Mudiay or the name recognition of Okafor and Towns, but the Knicks could do a lot worse than Justise Winslow.

Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky

Willie Cauley-Stein wouldn't be a sexy pick, but he could be a smart pick.

He was an absolute menace for Kentucky defensively, becoming the undisputed leader of one of the most feared defenses in college basketball history.

He's a genus of the Tyson Chandler-DeAndre Jordan family with his lanky limbs, galloping strides, impactful defense and limited offensive range—not to mention his 7'0", 240-pound frame.

Draft Express' Jonathan Givony had a terrific analysis of what makes Cauley-Stein such a tantalizing player in the coming draft:

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Defensively is where he has the chance to be a real game-changer at the NBA level. He legitimately guarded five positions for Kentucky this season, showing incredible versatility and agility covering ground on the perimeter and staying in front of players much smaller than him. His exceptionally quick feet give him the ability to switch seamlessly on pick and rolls, and he does a great job of contesting shots on the perimeter or recovering into the paint and offering rim protection. Cauley-Stein averaged a terrific 3.6 blocks and 1.8 steals per-40 minutes over the course of his career at Kentucky, showing outstanding instincts for forcing turnovers.

Offensively, Cauley-Stein is not particularly prolific, but nevertheless finds ways to contribute in small doses. He is a voracious floor-runner, getting out in transition frequently to beat guards and big men alike, and converting 77% of his field goal attempts in these situations when he does, one of the best rates in college basketball.

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According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Knicks are taking a strong look at the talented big man from Kentucky:

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And two different sources today told me the Knicks are also looking strongly at Willie Cauley-Stein. They want a strong defender in New York which explains the Winslow and Cauley-Stein interest. Of course, I also think there's a good chance they just trade this pick if the right veteran comes around.

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Cauley-Stein isn't much of a facilitator, but he's menacing in the high pick-and-roll game. While that isn't a staple of the triangle offense, the Knicks have shown a willingness to mix it up enough to incorporate such plays into the offense from time to time.

Like Chandler and Jordan, Cauley-Stein isn't a player who will demand the ball or even look for his own offense. Most of his buckets will be the results of lobs and putback dunks at the rim. Despite those inherent limitations, we've seen the type of impact players like that can have in the right setting, though New York will have to fill out the rest of the roster with capable offensive individuals if it does go in this direction.

Cauley-Stein doesn't have that first- or second-team All-NBA potential like other players who would be on the board at this spot, but he has some All-Defensive accolades in his future and possibly a Defensive Player of the Year award or two.

Again, drafting defense-heavy with the No. 4 pick isn't sexy, but opting for smart over sexy would be a step in an entirely new direction for this organization.

Trade the Pick

Associated Press

There has been much discussion of trades involving the Knicks' No. 4 pick. But are there any deals Jackson and the Knicks would pull the trigger on?

Of course, all of these points could be moot if the Knicks decide to trade the pick away.

Even before the draft lottery, the word was that the Knicks would be willing to trade the pick if it were to fall out of the top two or three. Early in May, ESPN.com's Ian Begley reported that "league sources with knowledge of the Knicks’ thinking said last month that the team would be very open to trading the pick if it falls outside the top two."

Well, it fell, and now there is a cloud of uncertainty hovering over the Knicks' No. 4 pick.

If the Knicks aren't in love with whichever players are likely to remain after the first three picks are made, Jackson and his team will pursue the best available course of action, which in this case could be a trade down or a trade for a veteran.

Bleacher Report's Dan Favale listed some trades the Knicks might be interested in making: drafting Mudiay and trading him to Sacramento for Cauley-Stein (No. 6 pick) and Ben McLemore; sending Winslow (No. 4) to Philadelphia for Joel Embiid (No. 3 pick in 2014); and a pipe-dream blockbuster involving seven players from the Knicks, Kings and Nuggets, which would net New York DeMarcus Cousins.

They're all wishful thinking for now, but Jackson and the Knicks are prepared to roll the dice, should the right offer fall into their laps.

Cousins would be a stellar addition to the Knicks, but that doesn't seem likely at this point.

All of the deals involve bringing New York the big man it coveted before falling out of the running for Towns and Okafor.

Whatever the Knicks decide to do with the pick, they have several viable options that will all benefit the team greatly going forward.

With an excess of $25 million in cap room, at the least, for the summer, Jackson will have more than enough money to fill his roster out by targeting talented free agents like Greg Monroe, Paul Millsap, Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol and DeMarre Carroll. 

It's going to be an interesting summer in New York, and at the very least, we'll be looking at a brand-new set of Knicks come next fall.