Iman Shumpert said he’s rooting for his former Georgia Tech teammate Glen Rice Jr. to be selected by the Knicks tomorrow with the 24th pick of the NBA Draft.
Some scouts view Rice, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, as one of the draft’s most NBA-ready players because he played in the D-League with Rio Grande last season after being kicked out of Georgia Tech for disciplinary reasons. The Knicks are looking for “perimeter help’’ in the draft, and Rice could fill the bill. Because of his off-the-court issues, Rice is slotted early in the second round in many mock drafts.
ESPN draft analyst Fran Fraschilla said he thinks the Knicks should have an open mind about their 24th selection. He feels they should not be so concerned with drafting a player who makes the rotation next season, though 2013-14 is critical for the franchise because many believe their championship window is closing.
Fraschilla said he believes Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald should take a flier on a project such as Providence’s Ricky Ledo, whom he predicts will be by far the most talented player available at No. 24.
Ledo said this week his best pre-draft workout was with the Knicks.
Ledo had major issues as a college freshman, wasn’t allowed to play because of academic reasons and is known as a flake with bad body language.
“He’ll be the most skilled player left,’’ Fraschilla told The Post yesterday. “Sure, there’s a lot of questions. You don’t know what he’ll be able to bring next year because he didn’t play last season. But for the franchise down the road, it’s a better pick. What you get from the 24th guy in this draft you may be able to get from free agency with the veteran’s minimum for next season.’’
Another option is to trade the 24th pick and go back to the early second round, where the Knicks don’t have a pick.
The Knicks were formulating their draft board in meetings yesterday. Ledo, at 6-foot-6, can attack the basket and hit perimeter jumpers — the kind of shooter the Knicks are looking for after their slump on offense in the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony is solidified as the team’s power forward, so the Knicks would like help on the wing. North Carolina’s Reggie Bullock, Michigan’s Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cal’s Allen Crabbe are on their radar.
Rice, who played with Shumpert in 2010-11, averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds in the D-League playoffs after not being in the rotation for the season’s first half. Fraschilla said he has concerns about Rice because the D-League is a “tweener league,’’ and Rice scored a lot of his points around the basket.
“He played more like a power forward,’’ Fraschilla said.
One NBA executive said of the Ledo-Rice comparison: “Ledo is riskier for this season, but with Rice, what you see is what you get.’’