The 2015 NBA Draft will be held in Brooklyn on Thursday, June 25. The New York Knicks have the fourth overall selection in the first round, and there are many ways this can go down. Here are a few of the scenarios that may play out:
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Best-case Scenario A
Minnesota selects Karl-Anthony Towns, LA selects human stick figure Kristaps Porzingis, Philadelphia selects D’Angelo Russell, and with the 4th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select:
Jahlil Okafor
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The Knicks have been putrid in the frontcourt since the 2010-2011 season when Amare Stoudemire still had knees that functioned. Since then, there hasn’t been a decent scoring option in the post worth mentioning. Okafor would be the best big man in Madison Square Garden since Patrick Ewing. I’m not saying he’s going to be Patrick Ewing, but the kid will be an offensive force in the NBA for the next 10+ years.
Best-case Scenario B
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Minnesota selects Karl-Anthony Towns, LA selects the man who got cursed by the old lady in Stephen King’s Thinner Kristaps Porzingis, Philadelphia forgets they already have too many big men and selects Jahlil Okafor, and with the 4th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select:
D’Angelo Russell
Elite athlete he is not, but neither were Jason Kidd and 2-time MVP Steve Nash. D’Angelo Russell has it, though (whatever it is). The kid can flat-out play. He put Ohio State on his back several times this past season. I don’t think the Buckeyes were a tournament team without Russell. The young man has the maturity to handle the spotlight of New York City, and would add some consistency to the point guard position for the Knicks on day 1.
Most Likely Scenario
Minnesota selects Karl-Anthony Towns, LA selects Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia selects D’Angelo Russell, and with the 4th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select:
Emmanuel Mudiay
Mudiay spent the past season overseas playing for the GuangDong (heh-heh, dong) Tigers in China instead of hanging around in Texas to attend SMU for a couple of semesters. He has great size for a PG (6’5″) and was the top-ranked player at his position coming out of high school. He’s probably the most NBA-ready guard in the draft, but I’m not a buyer of this guy just yet. Peep his GuangDong Tigers highlight reel:
There’s no doubt the kid can play, but will he become a star in the league? I’m not so sure of it.
The Scenario I’d Like to see if Best-case Scenarios A or B Don’t pan out
Minnesota selects Karl-Anthony Towns, LA selects Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia selects D’Angelo Russell, and with the 4th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select:
Justise Winslow
https://web.archive.org/web/20150603060344if_/https://vine.co/v/O1aI2xIBePH/embed/simple
Justise Winslow has the potential to be the best player in this NBA Draft. His game reminds me of the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler. I watched about 150 NCAA basketball games this season and I don’t remember seeing another player jump over a guy while blocking a shot. 4th overall may seem like a reach but the Knicks will be able to say “I told you so” when this kid becomes a stud and future NBA All-Star.
Unlikely Scenario I’d be OK with
Minnesota selects Karl-Anthony Towns, LA selects Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia selects D’Angelo Russell, and with the 4th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select:
Willie Cauley-Stein
the bleach-blonde Gumby was fresh to death
Willie Cauley-Stein is a guy who could have gone to the league last year and would have likely been drafted in the late teens. He still has a lot of work to do, but the big man made huge strides at Kentucky last season and could turn into the next Tyson Chandler. Cauley-Stein has great hands, is an excellent defender, and is a lock for 2 alley-oop dunks per game if playing significant minutes. I wouldn’t hate this pick.
Doomsday Scenario
Minnesota selects Karl-Anthony Towns, LA selects Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia selects D’Angelo Russell, and with the 4th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select:
Andrea Bargnani Lite Kristaps Porzingis
This dude probably has asthma and gets wedgies from his teammates on the way to the gym
NBA GMs will stop at nothing to find the next Dirk Nowitzki. It seems every single year there are a couple of Eastern European 19 year-olds whose names pop up during the first round as David Stern/Adam Silver struggle to pronounce any part of them correctly. While a few of these guys have become productive NBA players (Jonas Valanciunas, Nikola Vucevic, etc.), I feel like the majority of these players fade off into obscurity or never make it to the NBA at all. Then again, international players have fared much better in the league over the past 5 years or so than the rest of this millennium, so maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Kristaps Porzingis is going to be a stud and I am making a terrible judgement call based on a few images and YouTube videos that I’ve seen.
Naa. This dude sucks.
Fingers crossed for Okafor/Russell/Winslow.
