Draft Day

Here we are, the moment Knicks fans have either been waiting for or dreading.  For me at least, today's excitement and anticipation comes with a grain of salt.  It will likely be Donnie Walsh's last day as President of Basketball Operations of the New York Knicks (unless an unlikely deal is made between the draft and next Thursday when Walsh is set to resign) and if you are a Walsh faithful like myself, you too are biting your fingernails, waiting to see how the Knicks will fair without our savior.

Walsh has undoubtedly brought New York out of the slums and into the spotlight once again, but the job is far from over.  There are still glaring holes in the "New Look" Knicks and fans can only sit and hope that James Dolan doesn't mess it all up.

Walsh's previous drafts have had mixed reviews, completely whiffing on No. 8 overall pick Jordan Hill in 2009, and arguably making the steal of the draft last year with Landry Fields in the second round.  With a weak draft stock this year many are spectacle about whether or not Walsh's last act as President will be a positive one.

There have of course been stronger drafts, and comparatively this years class is one of the weakest in recent history, but there are a number of potential picks that could fill some of the knicks flagrant holes.  The plan for the knicks seems to be centered around the acquisition of Chris Paul either via trade or when he becomes available in 2012.  Now while I believe that the addition of CP3 alongside Amare and Melo in the Big Apple would create a powerful force in the Eastern Conference, as we have learned from the recent NBA championships, a "Big Three" isn't enough.  If the Knicks hope to one day soon contend for an NBA title, they need to address other needs.

They lack necessary size and rebounding and need a big rebounder to push Amare back to where he is comfortable as a scoring minded Power Forward.  They need a pure shooter to fill into Mike D'Antoni's run and gun offense.  They need a backup point guard, because with Chauncey Billup's age and Toney Douglass's inability to consistently run an offense, the Knicks need a pass-first-shoot-second point guard to feed Melo and Stoudemire until the far-from-guaranteed arrival of CP3.

The Knicks are headed in the right direction but there are definitely holes to be filled. Tonights draft could very well prove to be another step in the right direction for the New York Knicks.