Knicks · If Berman's right, Walsh is a true G (page 1)

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USC's Vucevic at 'center' of Knicks' attention
By MARC BERMAN
Last Updated: 4:02 AM, June 21, 2011
Posted: 1:33 AM, June 21, 2011

In an NBA Draft the Knicks did not believe would solve their size woes, along comes USC's 6-foot-11 Nikola Vucevic squarely into the picture.

Vucevic was back for another Knicks workout yesterday, and he's in the mix for when the team picks at No. 17, according to multiple sources.

Vucevic is not the Knicks' razzle-dazzle choice. Some of the higher-rated and sexier backcourt possibilites, BYU's Jimmer Fredette and Washington State's Klay Thompson, probably won't fall to the Knicks, nor will prized Florida State defensive swingman Chris Singleton. Fredette, Thompson and Singleton were invited to the green room in Newark for Thursday's draft; Vucevic was not invited.

That the Knicks will trade up into the lottery for Fredette or Thompson appears unlikely because multiple sources said the club is not willing to give up either of its two biggest trade pawns, Landry Fields or Toney Douglas, to do so. Plus, outgoing team president Donnie Walsh does not have a second-rounder to add to a deal because that pick was surrendered in the Carmelo Anthony trade.

Vucevic, a junior who was born in Montenegro, is not a shot-blocker, but he is a good rebounder, solid positional defender and a capable scorer from the post and mid-range. He averaged 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds this past season, is only 20 years old and may still be growing. Amar'e Stoudemire said the Knicks must improve defensively, and Vucevic would help in that area.

Reached yesterday in Hawaii, USC coach Kevin O'Neill told The Post, "He knows how to play, he's got legitimate size, rebounds well in his area, can guard the 4 and 5 and he's only 20. His best days are ahead of him."

Vucevic's Knicks workout yesterday was solid, but the Knicks also were impressed with Michigan point guard Darius Morris, who has risen on their draft board. Morris outplayed Kansas guard Josh Selby, who is being viewed by the Knicks staff as too big a risk at 17. Georgia Tech point guard Iman Shumpert and Selby could be available later in the first round, and Walsh is confident he will buy more picks as he has done in the past.

Big men, the Knicks' biggest need, are a scarcity in this draft. The Knicks feel they more likely can snare a good point guard late in the first round or in the second round.

The Knicks hope to have last year's second-round acquisition, center Jerome Jordan, join the team next season, but there is concern they still won't have enough big men. If the new collective bargaining agreement does not allow for a mid-level exception, the Knicks are going to be hard-pressed to find a solid starting center.

"[Vucevic will] be most attractive for a team whose biggest need is size," O'Neill said. "He can be a backup 4 right now, and he can start at the 5 as a young player. There's no size in the NBA.

"I don't think he'll be an NBA shot-blocker," O'Neill added. "But he can guard 5s well. He's a positional defender, not a great shot-blocker."

The Knicks' centers following the Anthony trade were Jared Jeffries, Ronny Turiaf and Shelden Williams.

Vucevic did not have a lot of buzz until the last few weeks, but he did well at the Chicago combine and during workouts, impressing teams with his basketball IQ.

"He doesn't drink, doesn't smoke -- he's a basketball player," O'Neill said. "And he's going to get better because he works hard."

*

There have been renewed whispers the Knicks have inquired about Suns point guard Steve Nash, who lives in SoHo in the offseason. The Knicks have talked internally about trading Chauncey Billups for Nash as both have expiring contracts. But there does not appear any reason for Suns owner Robert Sarver to make a move and give Mike D'Antoni a chance to reunite with his favorite son.

marc.berman@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/usc_vucevic_at_center_of_knicks_fQW4QY0ufdry7UDIr4GG4O#ixzz1PuT5tspj

vucevic isn't a sexy pick but to paraphrase rick pitino, timofey mozgov isn't walking thru that door. the knicks desperately need a C and this guy is 6'11, only 20 YO, has NBA skills (rebounding, midrange J), and is only 20 years old.

vucevic + jerome jordan coming back will give the knicks a much improved front line.

also, love the rumor of the knicks buying a late first rounder (from chicago? they said they were looking to deal) to get a PG. darius morris seems like a PG in the truest sense of the word, and mister earl likes him which means i'm obligated to like him. iman shumpert seems like an athletic freak who can be a lockdown defender. either one gives more depth to our back court.

this would be an A draft in my opinion. its not as sexy as getting a former #1 high school prospect (selby) or using assets to trade up and get the jimmer, but the knicks would be the strongest going into next season.

Big men, the Knicks' biggest need, are a scarcity in this draft. The Knicks feel they more likely can snare a good point guard late in the first round or in the second round.

I've been thinking this is the reason you go with a big at 17- that a pg is easier to find later in the first or second round, or undrafted, NBDL than a big.

Though we sure did find a big last year with Moz.

If the guy is as advertised and they think he can contribute then I say draft him. You can sign a decent PG as a FA - it's much harder to get a big man and we need a few of those.

I think he's done a good job of covering all the bases in terms of working out prospects who may fall to us. Nobody can say that Walsh has not seen these guys in person.

Now its a matter of chance and choice.

Anybody know how the workout process operates? Does a team inviting players in for a look pay for their travel or housing? When a team from the east asks a player who may live on the west coast to come back in for a workout does that team assume any costs?

Just wondering.

I hope this is true. This player seems to have the tools to be a good offensive player and a good rebounder. He may not block shots but he will still alter them. Amare is decent with his weak side help blocks, so that will help.

The key to this, is that the kid is 20, still growing and already has an offensive game. He can hit the 15 foot shot. He is perfect for MDA's system. NY's frontline will be dangerous. If they can get a legit backup PG and move TD to the SG spot with fields coming off the bench at 2-3, then they have a solid looking team.

I am all in for Vucevic at 17

franco12 wrote:

Big men, the Knicks' biggest need, are a scarcity in this draft. The Knicks feel they more likely can snare a good point guard late in the first round or in the second round.

I've been thinking this is the reason you go with a big at 17- that a pg is easier to find later in the first or second round, or undrafted, NBDL than a big.

Though we sure did find a big last year with Moz.

Yup. Not much true size in this draft, but there seems to a a pretty decent amount of guards.

Dallas' big men were not vertical leap champions, but if you have the size and can play solid positional ball, especially boxing out, just being big will let you control the paint.

I know Briggs is always searching for size, and if you look at the Celtics, Lakers, and Dallas- the 3 winners of recent years- you see that each had at least 2 guys approaching 7' tall, and in the case of Dallas, they had 3 guys in their rotation who were that tall.

Vucevic is a solid pick for most of the reason you guys mentioned, including the hope that we can get one of the many guards that should be available later that can fit into the rotation, like Shumpert, Jenkins, etc. As for Vucevic the player, my major question marks with him are his lack of athletic ability and his ability to be an impactful defender, despite not being a shot-blocker. I am a little more comfortable after reading this article because they feel he will be a good positional defender. I can't help but see some comparison to Marc Gasol and Memhet Okur, so hopefully he can develop along those lines. He's clearly not a soft center and definitely a strong rebounder, so if they feel he improve the front court, i am all for it. He probably has much greater upside than Jerome Jordan and hopefully is our center of the future. Iman Shumpert would be the ideal pick in the late first/early second, so hopefully we get another pick.

My top two picks that are likely to be available at 17 are Darius Morris and Nikola Vucevic. Glad to see they're on the Knicks board. I would be thrilled to get either guy.

Its really hard to think about who do you really want to pick in this draft because only a couple of days away, most players will be hyped more than they should. We know we have MANY needs, but the most glaring one is depth, so if you take into consideration the fear for the lockout, Donnie Walsh has to walk away with two, preferably three prospects out of this draft. What do we need?

We have the stars in PF Amare and SF Carmelo. We have the veteran lead guard in PG Chauncey Billups. We have pieces of a bench in SG/SF Fields, PF/C Turiaf, SG Douglas, SF/PF Shawne Williams and lets not forget SF Derrick Brown, who should be brought back.

So you need two centers (one starter), a starting SG, a backup PG and maybe a backup banger PF. The most glaring needs are the first three.

You get one center in Jerome Jordan, and that is a BIG help, but its doubtful he can start for us. A quality big C is much needed.

Now, in terms of this draft, maybe the best talent is in the top 15 and only a few are big men. That's why is understandable that if one of the top guards falls, for example Klay Thompson, you pick him and run away like a bandit. If you can move up to pick him without hurting your team (for example you trade Douglas to move up but get a 2nd Rd. pick in the deal) you do it. If you pick a big, be sure he is good and can help right away because most busts happen to be big men picked early because of size and not talent.

To me, the perfect draft for us would be something like this: A talent like Thompson or Burks falls to 17 and you pick him. Problem is, you are counting on luck and that is never a strong plan. So you move up in one of those suggested deals floating out there where you get a pick between 9 (Charlotte), 10 (Bucks) or 15 (Indy) for Douglas and the 17th. One of those deals would look better if you get a second rounder, especially if its the 15th. You pick a starting SG (Thompson / Burks)

Then you buy a lower 1st rounder (T-Wolves at 20, Bulls at 28 or Spurs at 29) and grab Vicevic. Don't know if he lasts to 28+, so the best bet is the T-Wolves. Would including Walker or Brown get it done? (Hopefully Brown stays as he has potential.)

With the 2nd rounder either acquired by trade or bought, grab the backup PG (Shumpert, Jenkins or Selby) and then go grab yourself a freaking good Margarita Frozen and celebrate with your peers for an extremely successful night!!

crzymdups wrote:My top two picks that are likely to be available at 17 are Darius Morris and Nikola Vucevic. Glad to see they're on the Knicks board. I would be thrilled to get either guy.

Agreed on Darius Morris. I think oof all the pg's that will be available, Morris is the best of the bunch in terms of pure pg ability; vision, making players around him better, and just having a nose for the ball. Definitely need to buy a nother first round pick but Chi's might be too low to grab Morris. He might be gone by then.

Not completely sold on Vucevic. I know his offense is pretty good but it seems like he wont be much of a defensive presence. This pick seems to have MDA all over it and we need to be careful tyring to pick guys to fit in MDA's system especially if this is his last season here. I will say this though, I'd definitely take Vucivic over Bismack. Dont trust that guy at all.

With a name like Donnie Walnuts... of course he's Gangsta!

Why not take a chance on Tyler. Vucevic might turn into a decent center, but the guy is never going to be an allstar and is not a shot-blocker. Tyler is going to take 1-2 years to develop, but he has the athletic ability to be everything we need from the center position. After watching videos of Tyler, I am convinced the kid is not a stiff. It is just of question of how hard is he going to work to develop his game, but he is easily one of the most atlethic 7 footers in the draft.

TheGame wrote:Why not take a chance on Tyler. Vucevic might turn into a decent center, but the guy is never going to be an allstar and is not a shot-blocker. Tyler is going to take 1-2 years to develop, but he has the athletic ability to be everything we need from the center position. After watching videos of Tyler, I am convinced the kid is not a stiff. It is just of question of how hard is he going to work to develop his game, but he is easily one of the most atlethic 7 footers in the draft.

Because by then we'll be on the tail end of our deals with Stat and Melo. We need help NOW, not in a couple of years.

Knicksfan wrote:Its really hard to think about who do you really want to pick in this draft because only a couple of days away, most players will be hyped more than they should. We know we have MANY needs, but the most glaring one is depth, so if you take into consideration the fear for the lockout, Donnie Walsh has to walk away with two, preferably three prospects out of this draft. What do we need?

We have the stars in PF Amare and SF Carmelo. We have the veteran lead guard in PG Chauncey Billups. We have pieces of a bench in SG/SF Fields, PF/C Turiaf, SG Douglas, SF/PF Shawne Williams and lets not forget SF Derrick Brown, who should be brought back.

So you need two centers (one starter), a starting SG, a backup PG and maybe a backup banger PF. The most glaring needs are the first three.

You get one center in Jerome Jordan, and that is a BIG help, but its doubtful he can start for us. A quality big C is much needed.

Now, in terms of this draft, maybe the best talent is in the top 15 and only a few are big men. That's why is understandable that if one of the top guards falls, for example Klay Thompson, you pick him and run away like a bandit. If you can move up to pick him without hurting your team (for example you trade Douglas to move up but get a 2nd Rd. pick in the deal) you do it. If you pick a big, be sure he is good and can help right away because most busts happen to be big men picked early because of size and not talent.

To me, the perfect draft for us would be something like this: A talent like Thompson or Burks falls to 17 and you pick him. Problem is, you are counting on luck and that is never a strong plan. So you move up in one of those suggested deals floating out there where you get a pick between 9 (Charlotte), 10 (Bucks) or 15 (Indy) for Douglas and the 17th. One of those deals would look better if you get a second rounder, especially if its the 15th. You pick a starting SG (Thompson / Burks)

Then you buy a lower 1st rounder (T-Wolves at 20, Bulls at 28 or Spurs at 29) and grab Vicevic. Don't know if he lasts to 28+, so the best bet is the T-Wolves. Would including Walker or Brown get it done? (Hopefully Brown stays as he has potential.)

With the 2nd rounder either acquired by trade or bought, grab the backup PG (Shumpert, Jenkins or Selby) and then go grab yourself a freaking good Margarita Frozen and celebrate with your peers for an extremely successful night!!

I would take the C Vucevic(and I think we can get him if we have a deal in place with Indiana) we have limited picks going F. We have a PG in place and i think the plan will be to use cap space the following year to acquire a pro PG. We can find oodles of back up PGs this year--NBDL undrafted buy additonal pick etc...
We have two guys who take a lot of shots--that to me puts guys like Thompson and Brooks behind Vucevic. We just do not have that size that you really need to win. I think the guy has nice upside and can play now--will work hard. If we get a player who is 6-4 or 6-7 we still have to address that 7 footer problem 23- times over--I think J Jordan will be more of a lower case Javalle Mcgee--and he has a lot to prove. Vucevic can shoot the ball well hes skilled rebounds knows how to play--you just cant teach that ---6-4 guys were not winning championships--its the bigger guys who have done it.
If we swap up pick swith Indiana knowing that Vucevic was not invited to the green room--I think we have a high % chance of getting him just after the lotto. If we cant--then you look at the BPA who is there for other positions--but I dont see a guy who is really more talented per se that would blow what Vucevic would bring to the Knicks off the table after pick 1 and 2.

TheGame wrote:Why not take a chance on Tyler. Vucevic might turn into a decent center, but the guy is never going to be an allstar and is not a shot-blocker. Tyler is going to take 1-2 years to develop, but he has the athletic ability to be everything we need from the center position. After watching videos of Tyler, I am convinced the kid is not a stiff. It is just of question of how hard is he going to work to develop his game, but he is easily one of the most atlethic 7 footers in the draft.

If I was Walsh I would gladly buy a 2nd rounder for him and even let him improve in the D-League or outside the US to let him develop while we wait. Its always great to have young talent waiting on the wings like Jordan this year. BUT, the truth is we need to use #17 and/or any other pick we get in the 1st round on talent that can help us immediately as we need to build depth for 'Melo & 'Mare.

Knicksfan wrote:

TheGame wrote:Why not take a chance on Tyler. Vucevic might turn into a decent center, but the guy is never going to be an allstar and is not a shot-blocker. Tyler is going to take 1-2 years to develop, but he has the athletic ability to be everything we need from the center position. After watching videos of Tyler, I am convinced the kid is not a stiff. It is just of question of how hard is he going to work to develop his game, but he is easily one of the most atlethic 7 footers in the draft.

If I was Walsh I would gladly buy a 2nd rounder for him and even let him improve in the D-League or outside the US to let him develop while we wait. Its always great to have young talent waiting on the wings like Jordan this year. BUT, the truth is we need to use #17 and/or any other pick we get in the 1st round on talent that can help us immediately as we need to build depth for 'Melo & 'Mare.

I agree. But IMO is Vucevic going to be significantly better than Jordan. If not, why draft another so-so athletic center. Why not go for a guy who, if he puts it together, has the athleticism to be a top-10 center. That being said, I would only draft Tyler at 17 if I got another 1st round pick and know I could get a PG later in the draft. If not, I think I would take Thompson, Brooks, or Morris, before Tyler.

Key is moving up from that 17 to 13-15 to get him. I dont think we get him @ 17 he moved up on the DX board to 16 and that is probably insider. So we would have to be quiet and have the ability to move up atleast 2 slots. We have no size and too many unknowns in that area. Playing w Amare Vucevic should be good.

we aint moving up without giving up too much
Knicks can wait for a PG if they aint going to get Selby or R.Jackson

Take the best Bigman and get late round picks for guards

True guard? True girl? So many possibilities.

Even if Vucevic is equivalent to Jordan, I think it would be wise to draft him and have that big man rotation set with Turiaf.

Tyler is intriguing but too much of a risk for a team that needs players to perform now. I'd still look to get him with a bought 2nd Rounder. But we need immediate performers with 17 if we can.