Back to the Knicks Pick...Wilson Chandler

I am looking at how the draftboards (nbadraft.net, draftexpress.com) look and I getting nervous about the Knicks pick. I only worry because, in this draft, there may be a future all-star at this stage, and I don't want to see Isaiah not nab him. Isaiah is a good drafter, and he claims he is going to take the best prospect this year, maybe a guy who is going to take a couple of years to come along. That's good news, because Thomas is already looking to the post Marbury/Francis era (not sayin' i wanna see Steph go, but...). The Knicks claim to be looking for a shooter, but Thomas says there are no "Allan Houston's" in the draft. It's hard to ignore my first prospect ,for the pick at 23, Morris Almond:

He has a sweet stroke, and it's hard to ignore his shooting percentage, his shooting volume, and his scoring average in college (26.4 ppg, .456 3pt FG%). He has flawless mechanics, too (I wish he played for a better program than Rice, because I can't find any thing on YouTube about him. It looks like Belinelli may go higher, so the only other prospect, at this point, that I would consider is Almond. Isaiah may be playing possum in saying there are no good shooting prospects, but is ceiling may not be as high as Wilson Chandler:

I was going to go into other guys, but as soon as I though about who Wilson Chandler is, and who he gets compared to, I want to end with the best possible talent availible at 23. When I say who Chandler is, I say a guy who is a sophmore who played in a crap program. I think the GMs in the NBA are looking for the winning intangible that has translated to some of the leagues good, young stars (Boozer, Hinrich, E. Brand, Deron Williams, etc.). That's probably the easiest way to draft; draft a good guy, from a good program. When you're in the lottery. At the 23, Isaiah knows he needs to be agressive, and hit the lottery.

When people describe Chandler's athleticism, there is one name they associate, comfortably, with him. Shawn Marion. Nuff said. I envision an athletic, gritty, defensive team, when this roster hits its peak. Lineups with Balkman, Jeffries, Chandler, Lee, etc. in them. I see matchups problems, for other teams. It would also soften the blow when the Knicks lost Trevor 'Da Riza' Ariza. I now, officially, have changed my pick endorsement to Chandler.



Wilson Chandler #22