Reply With Quote
lol......................... I am glad that Isaiah Thomas is not the Kings gm
ISIAH MAY PULL DRAFT SHOCKER
By MARC BERMAN
June 5, 2007 -- Isiah Thomas is bracing Knick fans for an improbable draft night. If a late lottery pick drops like a stone to No. 23, be warned: The Knicks president/coach could pull a Renaldo Balkman again.
Thomas says he plans to be a "Gamblin' Man" on June 28. Today, the Knicks, in a joint session with the Nets, begin individual pre-draft workouts at the Knicks' Westchester campus, with Vanderbilt's small forward Derrick Byars, projected as a mid-first-rounder, the centerpiece.
Thomas feels he can be looser with the 23rd pick. He considers former Kentucky center Randolph Morris, signed in March after the NCAA Tournament, as his first selection of the 2007 draft.
"I feel it's my second pick in the draft," Thomas said last week at Orlando's pre-draft camp. "Having [claimed] one pick in this draft, I could be more riskier with the second pick. I'm could take some chances, take a flier on maybe somebody people aren't expecting you to pick."
"The guy we pick at 23, I'd be surprised if he cracked the playing rotation next year," Thomas added. "We can afford to draft a guy and maybe look at a two-year window and wait on him."
Thomas shocked the NBA world last June, when he took Balkman at No. 20, passing up prestigious point guard Marcus Williams. The move turned out OK.
This draft season, word around the league has Thomas considering Boston College shot-blocking center Sean Williams at 23. Williams was kicked off BC's team in January for alleged repeated marijuana use. Now that would be a risk, as Williams could be a candidate for a lifetime NBA ban since the league tests five times a season.
Thomas could take a European risk, perhaps even leaving him overseas for one year. Tiago Splitter, a rugged, 6-11 power forward, has been passed over in the draft the past few years because of a complicated buyout with his Spanish team. However, sources say the buyout is now just $500,000.
A safe pick would be Rice senior shooting guard Morris Almond, the best outside shooter in the draft. Thomas said in January he wants to add another deep perimeter threat. Ohio State freshman shooting guard Daequan Cook also fits the bill, as does Arizona small forward Marcus Williams, both of whom will surely be there at 23.
The Knicks' lottery pick goes to the Bulls, who will have a good chance at No. 9 of selecting Florida star Joakim Noah.
Thomas does not seem heartbroken at giving away the No. 9 pick. "It's definitely going to be a very difficult draft," he said. "Anywhere from 3 to 19 you may get the same kind of player."
Another obstacle is teams were forced to wait till today until beginning workouts. "The way they've shortened the window is definitely going to make it more difficult trying to assess the talent and trying to pick the right player," Thomas said.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06052007...arc_berman.htm
lol......................... I am glad that Isaiah Thomas is not the Kings gm
I think every team is.
This has to be fake. No editor who has a job in the WORLD would let the word "loser" get mistaken for the word LOOSER in the 3rd paragraph.
Plus, this is just badly written.
He didn't mean loser. He really meant looser. He means Thomas doesn't have to be so uptight now with the 23rd pick anymore because he thinks Randolph Morris makes up for that pick if he trades it.
yah either mrchug is trying to be funny with a really dumb joke.... or hes just an idiot that needs to learn how to read and comprehend
I wouldn't be too quick to scoff at Thomas' drafting ability. The guy may be the worst GM in the world, but he's done well with picking talent. David Lee and Balkman both were great pickups.
There are few GMs I'd want in charge of my draft more than Zeke. His draft record is great. One of his "gambles" turned into McGrady. I can't recall all off the top of my head, picks like Tracy McGrady, Marcus Camby, Damon Stoudamire and up-n-comers like David Lee, Channing Frye, Nate Robinson and Renaldo Balkman... throw in a few unknowns with potential like Trevor Ariza and Mardy Collins and you have three legit stars at their peaks, two other legit starters with potential for more, and a handful of talented rotation players, all with a specific skill or ability that allows them to contribute.
While there are better, you can do a lot worse off than Zeke when readying for the draft.
Everything else, I'll give you... the draft is his lone saving grace.
It's the NY Post. Isn't that just a fluffy version of National Enquirer?
I will be so pissed off if the Knicks take Byars
Isiah's terrible in dealing for FAs - but he has an impeccable eye for talent. There was a story once that he predicted that The Glove would be a good player; and he was right.
Either that or Lee and Balkman both looked good compared to the rest of the Knicks' roster.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
