Knicks Today

So, the 2014 draft has come and gone, and the Knicks have three more new players -- or two more new players and one bookmarked asset.    It's still too early to tell if they'll be more or less competitive next year, but, we do know that they have not yet traded Iman Shumpert, and that this Thanasis kid looks to be at least as good a defender but at small forward.   So the Knicks should have certain times where they can more or less shut down the wings.    That would be unbelievably cool, if they had someone to shut down the point guard, and someone to protect the rim.  They don't have those players.  I mean, yes, you could put Shump on the point, but you're exposing a wing.   And Dalembert is probably not the answer back there.

I've been watching a lot of tape of Cleanthony and Thanasis, though I had seen Early a few times because Wichita State is one of my favorite programs.  The thing that jumps out at you about Thanasis is his electric energy, and his ability bounce up, sometimes twice in a row,  to block shots.   It's really impressive.   They say he doesn't rebound much yet, but a lot of that is his spacing and the fact that he's up in the air trying to alter the shots.  I don't think he's soft by any means.

Early is really interesting on tape, cause he really can score, and I think the only reason why he only averaged 16 was because he was only playing 26 minutes.     The kid can score, and some of his spots and moves are just like Carmelo's.   And with his back to the hoop, we are reminded of Bernard King.   Now, obviously, if he was actually that combination, he'd have gone no lower than third overall, but he does play a game we've seen before.   We'll see how his D is.

With both of these guys there are supposed to be times when they are not focused.   That will have to be cleaned up, but I think cleaning stuff like that will be part of the culture.   Anyway, we've added two very good athletes, who know how to play, and will add depth to the team.

Of course, we're still waiting to see what the rest of the team looks like.  The Vegas squad should be hot.

Oh, and we could also use some assistant coaches.