Grading the Knicks Draft

And so the pick is in and the Knicks select Iman Shumpert with the 17th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.  While this may come as a surprise and even a disappointment to many fans, I believe that this was the best pick available at the time (notice I did not say best PLAYER available).

Everyone around the NBA is more than aware that the Knicks are a painfully below average defensive team.  So instead of taking the offensive minded Marshon Brooks with their 17th pick, Donnie Walsh went defensive with Shumpert.  The Knicks already possess sufficient offensive firepower as two of their starters were top five in scoring last season (Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony).

While they still need shooting Shumpert provides an immediate relief to both the aging Chauncey Billups and Toney Douglass who is fresh off shoulder surgery.  If Jimmer Fridette or Klay Thompson had still been available when the Knicks made their pick I have no doubt that I would be writing a very different post.  But they were taken off the board early and Iman Shumpert out of Georgia Tech became the last first round draft pick of Donnie Walsh's career as general manager.

Shumpert obviously did not fulfill all of the Knicks needs however.  After missing out on Nikola Vucevic who went to the Philladelphia 76ers just one pick earlier at 16, the Knicks decided to use James Dolan's endless pockets to buy a second round pick.  Josh Harrellson, a big man out of Kentucky was picked 45th overall by the Hornets but then traded to the Knicks for cash.  Although Harrellson is nowhere near the abilities of a starting center in the NBA, he has size at 6' 10" and provides much needed depth at the center position.  If you remember, Donnie made a similar move in last years draft, sending $1,000,000 to the Milwaukee Bucks for rights to the 7 footer Jerome Jordan.  Jordan spent last season in Europe and is expected to make his debut in the NBA for the Knicks this season.

Already it appears as though the Knicks have improved on their depth at the center position (although they still lack a true starting center with Ronnie Turiaf being aging and relatively undersized and neither Jordan nor Harrellson having the necessary skills to be a starter this season), and their need for a backup to Chauncey Billups.  They scored with Shumpert because being a combo guard, he can both back up Chauncey Billups (who as we know from last years playoffs is becoming more and more injury prone), and allow Toney Douglass to focus more on the shooting guard responsibilities to which he is more accustomed.  He will also provide necessary relief for Douglass who is just coming off shoulder surgery.

Overall Grade
B