NEW YORK – The Knicks should put the “tank” in tanking to give the organization its best chance to land one of the most heralded center prospects in recent memory – Duke’s Jahlil Okafor.
The Knicks put on a full court press with Carmelo Anthony, team president Phil Jackson, general manager Steve Mills and Allan Houston all on hand at Madison Square Garden to watch Okafor in action.
“I like him,” Anthony said. “I think he’s got a great feel for the game, a great touch. He’s a big body for sure. He’s a load.”
The chances of New York signing a top tier free agent such as Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge or Rajon Rondo this summer are slim to none. Therefore, it makes the most sense to shut down Anthony after the All-Star Game for the rest of the season and have faith in the ping-pong balls of the lottery system.
The Knicks hit the jackpot with Patrick Ewing in 1985 and could do so again in a few months with Okafor – minus the David Stern frozen envelope conspiracy theories.
Anthony has admitted he’s pretty sure at some point surgery will be his “only option.”
With that in mind, why prolong the eventual rehabilitation process?
Meanwhile, Okafor has drawn comparisons to Tim Duncan, a player whom he idolized and studied growing up, from numerous scouts.
When a player of that caliber is available you do everything you can to land him – just ask San Antonio.
The Spurs were 59-23 and lost in the Western Conference semifinals during the 1995-96 season. The following season, David Robinson appeared in only six games and the Spurs finished with the league’s third-worst record (20-62). As a result, the franchise landed Tim Duncan with the first pick in the 1997 draft. Since then, the Spurs have won five championships with Duncan.
The Knicks currently have the NBA’s second-worst record (8-37). In this case, Anthony could fill the role of Robinson and Okafor could potentially fill the role of Duncan.
“I’m a big fan of Carmelo Anthony so for you guys (media) to ask him about me, and for him to know who I am, is a great feeling,” Okafor said.
The freshman standout is averaging 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Okafor has shot 80 percent or higher in seven games and 70 percent or higher in 11 games this season. He has also scored in double-digits through all 19 games of his freshman campaign.
Okafor recorded a double-double with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting and 10 rebounds in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 1,000th win against St. John’s on Sunday.
“It was very special,” Okafor said. “This is one of, if not the best, arena in the world and it was great to do it the same place when he got 903 and that was something I was watching on TV so it’s surreal to think that I’m here right now.”
One of the reasons Okafor ultimately chose to attend Duke was to help Krzyzewski win his 1,000th game.
“He has the biggest upside in college basketball,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s a remarkable player that needs the attention of an entire team really to neutralize him – or at least two or three guys there.”
Okafor showed flashes of Duncan at various stages in the game. When help defenders would rotate his way, Okafor patiently waited for his teammates to clear out for an isolation post up on the block or he found the open cutter heading to the basket. He found Amile Jefferson for a layup at the 17:48 mark of the first half as St. John’s tried to trap him at the edge of the free throw line. At the 15:16 mark, Okafor caught the ball on the left block, took two power dribbles and finished strongly off the glass while being fouled.
“That’s super high expectations,” Okafor said. “That was a guy I loved watching and I’m a long way from being anywhere like Tim Duncan.”
With that in mind, I asked Okafor whom else he studied while growing up and honing his game.
“There was a ton, but Tim Duncan – he’s the main guy,” Okafor replied. “He’s somebody that’s still playing today and I’ve been able to watch him my entire lifetime. Guys like Hakeem Olajuwon, who were a little bit before my time. My dad sent me a bunch of film on some of the big guys that I wasn’t able to see.”
While Krzyzewski didn’t compare him directly to Duncan, he made it clear that both players are cornerstone pieces to a championship organization.
“He’ll be a franchise player and a franchise person for whoever is lucky enough to get him,” Krzyzewski said.
The Knicks should do everything in their power to have the most luck – and ping pong ball combinations – on their side to land Okafor in June.
Michael Scotto is an NBA columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeAScotto.
Do the Knicks have a 1st round pick in the coming June 2015 Draft? Check out this link wherein it states that they don’t have one until 2017.. http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed
Even with faith in the Table Tennis balls (“ping pong” is an insult to someone who used to play in USATT sanctioned tournaments), the odds of finishing with the worst record is only 25% and 20% with 2nd worst record. Gone are the days where you can hope for the NBA to do something improper (eg when they lucked out with Patrick Ewing??) although the unemployed former Minnesota GM may still believe that the system is rigged.
If the Knicks or other teams appear to be competing for the bottom, then they may be ruining it for everyone else who is truly bad in future years. That is because after narrowly failing to change the odds for this June, the vote outcome might be different next time. By resting Melo, even though his condition would not get worse by playing, that would look improper. At least not playing Kobe is legit.