Knicks v. Kings [2009 Summer League Live Blogg (@ 6:00pm on 07.17.09)]

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Las Vegas Diary, Day 1, Part 2: Observations On Knicks’ First Outing

Las Vegas Diary, Day 1, Part 1

It’s On and Poppin’ In Vegas

Knicks Pick Up Jordan Hill at 8, Toney Douglas at 29 and Milicic at the Q.

Last Night at MSG’s WaMU Theatre was filled with excitement and anticipation as days of speculation about the selection order of the NBA draft climaxed into one of the most bizzare drafts in years. The draft was highlighted by the selection of three of the best point guards, Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn and Ty Lawson, in the first round by the Timberwolves who had stockpiled the 5th, 6th 18th and 28th picks. Minnie’s maneuver left the Knicks with either selection option C or D as they picked up big man Jordan Hill with the 8th pick and found a guard in Toney Douglas with the 29th pick which they purchased from the Lakers for 3 Million or so dollars.

Jordan Hill goes to Knicks at 8th Spot

Jordan Hill averaged a double, double with Arizona his last year.  He is undoubtedly raw, but eventually should be a much better and more defensively imposing option than Jared Jeffries.  According to DXEpress’ situational analysis, the things that stands out about Hill are his upside, energy and size. He is working on everything else and seems to have heart:

Situational Statistics: This Year’s Power Forward Crop
April 23, 2009
Looking over the numbers of our top power forwards, we noticed a number of players who are projected as lottery picks that don’t look the part on paper. Sitting just behind Griffin in our rankings, we find  Jordan Hill, who’s overall Points Per Possession of.94 places him slightly below the mean of .98, not quite what one would expect from a potential top-5 draft pick. Looking deeper, we realize that Hill ranks right around the average in a number of areas. He surprisingly connects on just 63.87% of his finishing opportunities not including post ups, and only scores on 49.6% of his logged possessions –sitting just off the mean in both categories. Much of Hill’s lack of efficiency can be attributed to the fact that he only gets fouled on 10.4% of his possessions and gets very few touches in transition (16th at 1.1 Pos/g) and basket cut situations (15th at 1.8), two scenarios where he’s effective ( 1.33 and 1.43 PPP respectively). The other factor working against Hill is his jumper, which we’ll discuss later.

Clearly teams are valuing Hill’s upside quite a bit. He’s already a productive rebounder and has a lot of potential long-term as a defender, but his offense doesn’t stand out amongst his peers. He’s raw, but some teams see his physical profile and athleticism and assume he will be a player that develops into a bigger threat on the next level.

The Toney Douglas pick put the Knicks far down on their point guard list, but Douglas is a good selection who has the potential to be a solid role player. He is not a true point, not a great passer and does not create his own shot nearly as well as the other guards. However, he can score an he has a defensive mindset. DXExpress has this to say about Douglas:

Situational Statistics: This Year’s Point Guard Crop
May 8, 2009
Toney Douglas, was one of the most efficient players on our list, using over 20 possessions per game (20.7). His overall PPP of 1.04 was the second best of all players, while his PPP as a finisher of 1.22 was sixth best. As a jump shooter, he scored 1.41 PPP on unguarded catch and shoot attempts, and 1 PPP on pull ups. A gifted off the ball player who scores 1.23 PPP (5th) shooting off of screens and 1.14 PPP in spot up situations, Douglas is only an average shot creator (.85 Isolation PPP), but he doesn’t turn the ball over in the half court almost at all (9.7%, 2nd), has experience running the pick and roll (5.3 Pos/G, 2nd), is an excellent defender, and seems like an ideal complement to a taller ball-handling guard. His stock has risen in recent months, and will be interesting to how his limitations as a distributor (he ranks dead last in amongst all passing metrics amongst draft-eligible PGs) factor in to where he’s selected on draft day.

The Jordan Hill pick received a mixture of cheers and boos, while the Douglas pick met a slightly more disappointed chorus of boos from fans who thought either Stephen Curry of Rick Rubio would be available after Tyreke Evans was the first guard taken at 4 by the Kings. Still, the buzz around the Garden was that the Knicks were going to be involved in a trade that would bring Rubio to New York.

Knicks Going to the Darko Side

In addition, the Knicks picked up another big in Darko Milicic, the disappointing lottery pick turned back-up while getting rid of Quentin Richardson who has been reduced to a role player after back surgery a little over a year ago.

Overall Evaluation and Grade: Incomplete. (Chad Ford says B+) This is one of those situations where a grade is a little more inadequate than usual. The draft has limitations especially when one is relegated to the eighth spot and is outmaneuvered by the likes of the Timberwolves who picked up the 5 spot and two of the best guards in the draft. The picks the Knicks made were considered among the best on the board at the time and they addressed their need for a mobile, defensive big. They also took a stab at getting a serviceable guard with defensive capabilities. These are truly choices which must be viewed over time. On the other hand, it is a little hard to tell whether the Knicks are building a competitive team yet for 2009-2010 or an attractive team for the top free agents in 2010. In Milicic, the Knicks continue to collect other teams undesirables as in Hughes and Harrington. They failed to make a move, yet, to pick up a guard to replace Duhon to run the D’Antoni system. And the big they picked up in Hill is not going to shake up the division in the first year. I would feel comfortable giving Walsh an incomplete until we see what else he does in free agency and with trades into October or perhaps February. But I will note that other teams are clearly improving, while the Knicks not so much, yet.

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Buzzer Beaters . . .

Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson.  You were an inspiration to many.  We have a little more MJ on our fantastic playlist. . . .Check out the Fanatics Live Blog of the Draft.  It is fabulous.  The participants, lead by O&B included Peaceman, Bronx in Maryland, DLT Knicks, Post p Prince, Tman, Modi, Paula and Jay Bee.. . . I see you guys didn’t pick up my Tweets in the LBE. I’ll have to show the LBE administrator how to include me next time, but I was tweeting to 46 Twitter followers. Although, my fingers are too big for Blackberry keys and the fans around me wanted to talk shop, I did a fair job of covering the action. . . . Knicks Fanatics hits are growing rapidly — yesterday we hit a high of over 200 hits and we’ve been linked by Fanhouse and other blogs that recognize the energy and quality of the community. . . .Bronx is the man.  At 7:33pm, on the live blog he said “I think they’ll go big with the   8th pick, and get a guard at 29.”. . . I sat in the second row right in front of Mark Jackson, Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson (the camera’s blocked my view of Stuart and David Stern for the most part). . . . Then I went and hung out in the press room (Play by Play) where the press had the hook-up (courtesy of some friends with cred). They had free fruit, brownies, thirst quenchers and lots of big screen TVs, but damn I couldn’t get wifi to work. I will not be quitting my day job(s). . . . I got lousy picks of two tall guys with baseball caps as they walked by me and some security folks near the interview room. They looked like Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry. Actually they were. I tried to tell them to look out for me at the summer league, but they were in a rush. . . . Cleveland trades for Shaq.  Cleveland still in need of more mobile big at the 4.  If Shaq comes to camp in shape, Celtics and Magic beware. . . . Oh yeah, did the Magic screw up by getting Vince Carter or what?. . . . Rubio threatening to go to Europe instead of cold-azz Minnie. . . .O.K., I’m outta pocket for a while because I need to do some real work that will feed Alpha Jr. and make Ms. Alpha not hover over me while I’m on the computer in July. . . . Thanks to IGM for the work on the draft scouting reports. . . .Peace out.

2009 NBA Draft (KnicksFanatics Live Blogging Event 06/25/2009 @ 7:15pm)

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Fanatics Pre-Draft Scouting Report: Tyreke Evans

6’5″, 221lbs

17.1 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.1 spg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg 3.6TOs, 45%fgp, 71%ft%, 27.4% 3pt%

IGM KNICKS ANALYSIS

Did I save the best for last?  If not, it’s damn near close.

Tyreke Evans brings a great combination of athleticism, skill and size to the 1-2 positions.   This is a nice sized guard and would probably be the best choice for the Knicks, even over Stephen Curry since we all know we can find scorers.  However, big multi-talented guards are a little harder to come across.

He has a well-rounded combination of skills.  He can run the floor, handle the ball, pass the rock, retrieve the bounds and play some D.  However, he needs to work on his shot including his free throw shooting in order to maximize his weaponry.  He seems to almost throw the ball from the back of his head. He needs shooting practice, but he is far more reliable at this point than Brandon Jennings. I would also be very concerned about the low number of assists and the high number of turnovers.  That is a signal that he may not be able to truly play the point position well-enough in a traditional offense.  However, in an offense like a triangle he would probably excel. One report compares him to Hughes and Crawford. That is not necessarily a good thing since Hughes never realized his potential and Crawford is still dealing with his.

He is certainly an added threat on the floor at either guard position.  In addition to his size, you must appreciate his ability to complete drives with a body on him.  As Geoff Petrie said, this guy is strong. He knows his way aroudn the basket and can make difficult shots. He is accustomed to having the ball in his hands as he stated in one of the interviews below. He will need to learn to live with playing off the ball as well.

Others seem to be mesmerized by the speed of the young guards in this draft as though an ability to run fast with the ball in your hand is the penultimate.  Speed is not the critical element for good playoff basketball.  The ability to create options in half-court game/sets is extremely important.   Tyreke has that potential as he can ball in the interior.

He has nice one-on-one creativity skills. You’ll see in one tap how he abuses a young Derrick Rose on the offensive end.  I do believe this is a response to a tape of the same competition where Rose abused him on the other end.  In any event, he can play with Rose.  Reportedly, he can also play with the other top points in this draft.  After being accused of holding soo workouts to avoid the competition and dropping in the draft, Evans  attended Timberwolves workouts which included Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague, North Carolina’s Ty Lawson, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday, Syracuse’s Johnny Flynn and Brandon Jennings.  Reportedly Evans performed well.

I’d rank him under Rubio and Curry in terms of potential to make an immediate impact on a squad. The Knicks could be happy with this pick should he slip to 8th.

OUTSIDE SCOUTING REPORTS

NBA DRAFT.NET

NBA Comparison: Jamal Crawford/Larry Hughes

Strengths: An extremely smooth and talented guard … He has an incredible wingspan, with a very strong and mature body … Has proven that he is able to play as a lead guard, but his natural position seems to be as an SG (where he can still be a facilitator, but can look to score more often) … Loves playing at a fast pace, where he doesn’t have to worry about play calls but can rather create on the fly … Puts constant pressure on the opposing team with his aggressive style … Plays with an edge and cockiness that will help him succeed … Was thrown into the thick of things from the beginning and he responded with a very nice freshman campaign … Playing in a spread offense that is predicated on ISO plays, he has proven that he can break down people off the dribble and get into the lane … His vision and passing are extremely advanced, and he’s shown that he can be a reliable distributor … Possesses deceptive quickness and has a variety of crafty moves with clever footwork that allow him to get by defenders … Has a nice repertoire of counter moves, whether it’s a crossover, spin, in& out or behind the back dribble … In traffic, whether in the half court or in transition, he is very steady and comfortable with his dribble … Even though he rarely finishes above the rim, he has a great touch around the basket, and uses his body and finesse to convert on a good percentage … Defensively, he has great hands and his wingspan allows him to get deflections at a high rate …

Weaknesses: His jumpshot has shown very little progress and he continues to struggle with inconsistent shooting … Most of his shooting woes can be directly pointed at his unorthodox release … He slings the ball from behind his head, losing sight of it completely at the point of release … Must improve his midrange game, his pullup lacks rhythm, often leaving him off balance with varying results … A bit of a tweener at this point, does not have the blazing speed or quickness to play as a PG full time, and lacks the vertical explosiveness possessed by the wing players … A decent athlete with an unreliable outside shot (a combination that is not ideal for the next level), he will have to rely on his deceptiveness and crafty game off the dribble to get by defenders … Has always had the ball in his hands and been allowed to operate freely, will he be able to adapt and still be effective playing off the ball and does he know how to use screens or how to work in a traditional half court set? … Is still prone to tunnel vision, where he seems to forget about his teammates … Defensively, he is a bit lackadaisical, and while he does have long arms, because of questionable lateral quickness he will have to work extremely hard to contain the ball on the perimeter … The 3.6 TOs per game are a result of both the system he was in, and his out of control play … Needs to learn to pick his spots better, rather than attacking into traffic and getting into trouble …

Borko Popic – 5/28/2009

Strengths: An elite level talent in his age group … A natural scorer with an excellent “feel” for the offensive side of the game, can put up big numbers on any given night … Flashy. One of the most exciting players when he has the ball; the game comes very easy to him … Long arms allow him to play bigger … Extremely adept at taking opponents off the dribble. Has deceptive speed with the ability to blow by guys and get into the lane … He has good finishing ability and is able to drive and kick … A smooth ball handler with a nasty crossover … Can shoot from anywhere on the court. Streaky, but can be lethal when he’s on … Already has an NBA range from behind the arc … Can create his own shot and is excellent pulling up off the dribble … Finds the open man; runs the fast break well … Excellent penetrator. Very aggressive attacking the basket … Has the versatility to play either guard position and the potential to develop into a point guard or combo at the NBA level …Weaknesses: Was hyped a bit out of control as a high school sophomore. From magazine covers to being called the next great thing half way through one’s high school career can cause some to lose focus … While he’s very talented, he’s got along ways to go before you could call him a sure fire NBA star … Lacks discipline. He must improve his fundamentals. Dedicate himself to becoming great and not just rely on his natural abilties … He is on a strength program but still needs to add strength to be able to finish off drives and handle physical opponents … Since at times the game is so easy for him, it seems like he lacks effort and motivation … He can be a lazy defender, does not always give great effort going after loose balls and rebounds … Hasn’t proven that he makes his teammates better or that he can take over important games during crunch time … Must develop a killer instinct Must become better at playing off the ball. He’s very good at creating with the ball in his hands, but must learn how to free himself for shots away from the ball … A very good shooter, however the mechanics on his release are a little funky. He may need to adjust his shooting form some … There’s a lot of street to his game, so he’ll likely need to tone it down some to limit turnovers and become a sound college player …

Notes: Plays AAU ball for Team Final … Similar to Derrick Rose, Evans was raised by his older brothers.

Greg Goettner – 4/13/2007

DraftExpress.com

Situational Statistics: This Year’s Point Guard Crop

May 8, 2009
Tyreke Evans has the scoring tools to be productive, but needs to improve his perimeter arsenal to be efficient.

Evans was the top player on our list in possessions used per game as a finisher at 8.8, and his PPP of 1.14 lands him a bit above average. Unfortunately, his overall PPP was .88, which lands him slightly below average and exposes the biggest weakness in his offensive game: his jump shot. His PPP in open catch and shoot situations was a paltry .86. Couple that with only .69 PPP on jump shots off the dribble, and it becomes abundantly obvious that Evans is far from a complete package offensively. His PPP of .54 on isolations is a bit disconcerting as well, but it shows that he’s opportunistic enough to find his way to the rim in other situations, while also displaying his tendency to force the issue in one on one opportunities. Getting fouled at an average rate and not being too turnover prone, whichever team drafts Evans needs to take the time to develop his jumper to help the transition of his dribble-drive game to the NBA.
[Read Full Article]

VIDEO LIBRARY

Tyreke Evans v. Derrick Rose

Tyreke Evans Mix

Tyreke Evans’ Pre-Draft Workout with Kings

Tyreke Evans Interview with New York Media After Knicks Workout

Tyreke Evans Combine Interview

Tyreke Evans Pre-Draft Interview

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