Thoughts on the Knicks' Draft

"With the 20th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select... Renaldo Balkman."

...

Just like the thousands of loud, drunk Knick fans at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, I was guilty of pre-mature, impulsive booing. The thought process went something like this: 'The Knicks suck... Marcus Williams was supposed to go in the top 10... he is available at 20... he's a solid player... and they pick Renaldo Balkman.' I pride myself on knowing a lot about the players involved in the draft, especially the first round, however I will truthfully say that I went on to think, "WHO THE [HECK] IS RENALDO BALKMAN?" In reality, I did know who Renaldo Balkman was, I just never payed too much attention to him; perhaps a mistake. I immediately went to the computer and did my research.

I was still in quite an emotional state, which triggered more impulsive thinking. While I was on the computer, I heard Jay Bilas give a Dennis Rodman comparison... I immediately went from
to .
Further research confirmed that his playing style is indeed similar to Rodman's. Helping Balkman's case, he says, “I know the streets of New York and I LOVED playing at the Garden. Man, that place was magic. It inspired me to do things on the floor I never even knew I was able to do.” This certainly was not the only factor taken into account when I made my final decision on the pick, but it sure sounded nice. So, upon further review of the play, I chose to reverse the call.

Now that it is a day later and I am completely level-headed, here are my thoughts on Balkman & the 29th pick, Mardy Collins from Temple University.

I love the fact that the Knicks got an insanely aggressive, defense-first, athletic player with a great work ethic in Balkman. The only problem I had was that there was word that Balkman was going to go mid second-round to undrafted. I read from a few different sources, however, that the Suns were planning on grabbing him at 21 (they traded the pick after the Knicks took him at 20). If this is true, then I say excellent job to Isiah. I am very excited to see if Balkman can bring to the table what someone who has been compared to Dennis Rodman should. Unfortunately I have not seen him play (unusual for me)... I don't watch the NIT much and I certainly don't mark off South Carolina Gamecocks games on my calendar. Though speaking of the NIT, his Gamecocks team is a monster in the post-season tournament. From what I hear, he is the reason for this, as he "puts his stamp on every game he plays in."

Mardy Collins is definitely a solid pick at 29. He (deservedly) was viewed as a possible lottery pick because of his excellent play-making ability, experience, and size. I have seen him play and I love the way he competes. My only reservation concerning Mardy is that his speed is a bit sub-par. This could definitely hinder his ability to play point; I think people often overvalue size at the PG position and undervalue speed/quickness. That being said, there will always be a spot for a playmaker like Collins on the floor, especially on a team like the Knicks where the PG's aren't really PG's. I think that is the most important thing to consider when talking about Mardy Collins' value on the Knicks... The Knick PG's are excellent scorers, but their playmaking abilities and attitude leave something to be desired. With Mardy on the floor, he helps neutralize the negative effects of a scoring point guard (there are also positives to scoring PG's) as he will not play the traditional scoring role of a 2 guard - rather a playmaking ballplayer.