NBA Draft Rumors (Photo : REUTERS & Twitter)
Lady luck hasn't been shining over the New York Knicks for quite some time, but that might change six days from now at the 2015 NBA Draft, where they could stumble on a talented youngster with great potential of becoming their next franchise player.
In the first few weeks following the result of the NBA lottery, the Knicks were rumored to be highly interested in trading away the no.4 overall pick in exchange for an established player or using it as a trade chip to acquire more picks.
The motivation behind the Knicks' intention to part ways with their lottery pick stemmed from their perception that they don't have much of a chance in landing either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor - the two best big men prospects in the draft.
But after a series of private workouts and release of reports scrutinizing the weaknesses and strengths of each prospect, the Knicks started to realize that there are other options at no.4 aside from Towns and Okafor.
D'Angelo Russell, considered the best playmaker in the draft, has made some waves throughout the process to the extent that a scout even compares him to a young Russell Westbrook. Then there's Kristaps Porzingis, the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Latvian center possessing a rare mix of shooting prowess and incredible athleticism at his size.
"At No. 4, Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks are infatuated with Okafor, Towns and Russell and will take any of them if they fall. But they won't. My sources tell me that the Knicks instead will look to trade this pick and accumulate more assets. Based on the names I'm hearing most often, I think the Knicks are targeting a mobile big that can face the basket, such as Porzingis, whom we will have more on later this week," according to Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops.
While Towns is expected to be the no.1 pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the draft order between no.2 and no.4 is a toss-up with Okafor, Russell and now Porzingis are now neck and neck.
NBA insiders even believed that Okafor, the prospect the Knicks have been targeting from the start, might fall all the way down to no.4 as the Lakers become more fixated on Russell's skill-sets and the Sixers look to bring in yet another big man in Porzingis following a setback in Joel Embiid's foot injury rehab.
