GAMECOCKBOY
06-29-2006, 06:51 AM
knicks.com
by Tom Kertes
NEW YORK, June 28, 2006 -- More than anything else, the annual talent smorgasbord known as the NBA Draft is about individual skills and team needs. When the two meet head-on, you’ve got yourself the type of draft that can improve your present -- and that you can also build upon for the future.
The Knicks identified one of their chief needs as improving the small forward position. Another one was to better their defense. And new coach Isiah Thomas likely plans to play at a faster tempo. Thus it’s hardly a coincidence that over the past few days a number of NBA executives and scouts have compared the Knicks top pick Renaldo Balkman to some of the greatest running defensive forwards in NBA history.
“Renaldo is a very unique player with unique talent,” said Thomas. “He reminds me a lot of Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest.” Balkman has also been called “a Scottie Pippen-type all-around player.”
The 6-8 Balkman, selected 20th, is a long-armed, run-first super-athlete, dynamite on the open floor and dynamic on defense. The highflying small forward already loves Madison Square Garden, having won the 2006 NIT MVP Award in the Mecca with the University of South Carolina.
“He plays great defense,” said Thomas. “When we saw him in Orlando, it solidified that he was the player we wanted. He plays with such intensity. We had a couple of chances to move up in the draft but the player we would have moved up for didn’t excite us as much as the ‘B-man’.”
The Garden should love 29th selection Mardy Collins equally well. The 6-6 Temple swing guard has very good size and strength, makes excellent decisions on the floor and – equally essential for a quarterback -- is an ego-less, selfless, forever team-first “character” player. “I always think of setting up my team mates first in the best possible shooting position,” he said after working out for the Knicks. “Then I think of myself. Maybe.”
“Mardy is a guard who can defend and he’s a ball-mover,” said Thomas. “He has a good feel for the position he plays. He is a distributor. He can play with Marbury, he can play with Francis, he can play with Robinson. With his unique size he can defend and he’s great at forecasting plays.”
Collins comes to the Knicks as exceptional value -- most of this past season he was thought of by insiders as a likely lottery pick and one of the top two point guards in the country. Think (ex-Sixer) Aaron McKie -- a versatile guard with long arms and great size for his position who really understands the game and defends well.
“Balkman and Collins are players who are capable of playing two or three positions,” said Thomas. “They will not be afraid, they’ll be tough. They are not young players – they play at a high level and they’ve played in the toughest conferences.”
“We got the two players we wanted. We are very excited with the players we’ve got. We have offense on our team. We wanted to complement that offense with players who can play defense.”
by Tom Kertes
NEW YORK, June 28, 2006 -- More than anything else, the annual talent smorgasbord known as the NBA Draft is about individual skills and team needs. When the two meet head-on, you’ve got yourself the type of draft that can improve your present -- and that you can also build upon for the future.
The Knicks identified one of their chief needs as improving the small forward position. Another one was to better their defense. And new coach Isiah Thomas likely plans to play at a faster tempo. Thus it’s hardly a coincidence that over the past few days a number of NBA executives and scouts have compared the Knicks top pick Renaldo Balkman to some of the greatest running defensive forwards in NBA history.
“Renaldo is a very unique player with unique talent,” said Thomas. “He reminds me a lot of Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest.” Balkman has also been called “a Scottie Pippen-type all-around player.”
The 6-8 Balkman, selected 20th, is a long-armed, run-first super-athlete, dynamite on the open floor and dynamic on defense. The highflying small forward already loves Madison Square Garden, having won the 2006 NIT MVP Award in the Mecca with the University of South Carolina.
“He plays great defense,” said Thomas. “When we saw him in Orlando, it solidified that he was the player we wanted. He plays with such intensity. We had a couple of chances to move up in the draft but the player we would have moved up for didn’t excite us as much as the ‘B-man’.”
The Garden should love 29th selection Mardy Collins equally well. The 6-6 Temple swing guard has very good size and strength, makes excellent decisions on the floor and – equally essential for a quarterback -- is an ego-less, selfless, forever team-first “character” player. “I always think of setting up my team mates first in the best possible shooting position,” he said after working out for the Knicks. “Then I think of myself. Maybe.”
“Mardy is a guard who can defend and he’s a ball-mover,” said Thomas. “He has a good feel for the position he plays. He is a distributor. He can play with Marbury, he can play with Francis, he can play with Robinson. With his unique size he can defend and he’s great at forecasting plays.”
Collins comes to the Knicks as exceptional value -- most of this past season he was thought of by insiders as a likely lottery pick and one of the top two point guards in the country. Think (ex-Sixer) Aaron McKie -- a versatile guard with long arms and great size for his position who really understands the game and defends well.
“Balkman and Collins are players who are capable of playing two or three positions,” said Thomas. “They will not be afraid, they’ll be tough. They are not young players – they play at a high level and they’ve played in the toughest conferences.”
“We got the two players we wanted. We are very excited with the players we’ve got. We have offense on our team. We wanted to complement that offense with players who can play defense.”