And With the !7th Pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, The New York Knicks Select...

Jimmer Fridette, Guard, BYU

There are many players in this years draft that could help the Knicks start to build around Melo and STAT in the big apple.  D'Antoni's offensive system really calls for a pure shooter to take spot up jumpers in transition.  One such player is Jimmer Fridette.

The Knicks have been connected to Jimmer in recent weeks and have expressed interested in the New York native out of BYU.  He can stop on a dime and pull up from virtually anywhere on court.  He can attack the basket and take contact.  And he can catch and shoot to give a spark off the bench.  There have been questions about Fridettes defense and size (6' 2" and 195 pounds), but he has reportedly silenced some of his critics at recent NBA workouts.  It is likely that Fridette will be off the board by the time the Knicks pick at No. 17, but there have been reports of the Knicks trying to move up to grab Fridette before he disappears.

With Landry Fields having struggled down the stretch, the Knicks could use another shooting guard to take some minutes away from fields and provide an exciting spark of the bench.  Plus, with Melo and Amare taking most of the defensive focus, and Chauncey Billups running the point, Fridette will have more than enough opportunities to spot up from anywhere on the court.  A STAT, Melo, Fridette scoring tandem would be intimidating to any NBA defense, especially with Chauncey Billups dishing the rock.

I think that Fridette would be a great fit in New York.  There is no doubt about his scoring abilities after he led all scorers in the NCAA last year with  28.5 ppg.  He has unlimited range and can pull up for a shot anywhere and at anytime.  He would be entering the NBA already as a fan favorite, and his New York Heritage is just a plus.  He has a great attitude and would work hard to improve on his areas of weakness (namely defense).  I think that if he is still on the board at 17 or if the Knicks have an opportunity to trade up for him (at the right price of course) they shouldn't think twice about bringing Jimmer to the Garden next season.