NBA

IF DRAFT GOES THEIR WAY, KNICKS MAY BE SINGING

There is one truth about this year’s draft lottery, which, barring a miracle, the Knicks and Nets will be part of again. After Oklahoma’s sturdy 6-foot-10 Blake Griffin, it’s a crapshoot.

“After Blake, people are all over the place,” one longtime NBA talent evaluator said. “There’s no consensus. Take the mock drafts now with a grain of salt.”

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Said another NBA scout, “Two to 14, you get a different opinion from everybody. It’s a very weak lottery.”

As the losing continues, the lottery positions improve for the Knicks and Nets. With Toronto leaping ahead of them in the standings, the Knicks have the eighth-worst record and a 2.5 percent chance of winning Griffin and the Nets are a couple of spots back with a 1.7 percent chance at the No. 1 pick. One scout compares Griffin with Karl Malone. At No. 8, the Knicks would have a 10 percent chance of bumping up to the top 3, with the likeliest scenario staying at 8 when the Secaucus festival is held May 19.

The most intriguing name the Knicks are considering is 7-foot-3 Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet. Team president Donnie Walsh has often talked of the Knicks’ need for a shot-blocking enforcer in the lane. That’s a giant offseason priority, as David Lee has proven undersized at the position.

The reviews on Thabeet are mixed, though some expect him to go before No. 8.

“There are teams who would not draft him in the first round, but others can’t see him getting past 8,” one college scout said. “You might like him because he blocks shots, but against a 6-9, 222-pound center, you might have to take him off the court. There might be times there won’t be anyone on the court for him to guard. Do you take him in the top 5 for a situational player?”

Another scout does not see him lasting until the eighth pick, though hardly raved about Thabeet.

“I’d be surprised if seven teams pass on him only because it’s a weak draft,” the scout said. “He’s athletic, a good kid, but he can’t put the ball in the ocean. But if he’s there at 8, Donnie can’t pass him up.”

The scout said Thabeet is not a good post defender and smaller centers can spin by him on post moves.

“A 6-8, 6-9 guy with moves can kick his butt,” the scout said.

But he’s a great roaming shot-blocker, which the Knicks need because of chronic perimeter-defense problems.

The only European to consider is Ricky Rubio, but most feel — at age 19 with an enormous buyout — he will not enter the draft, though a source close to Rubio said it was 50/50. The buyout is so big, Rubio may have to cover some of it from his own pocket, because NBA teams can only pay up to a limit. If he does put in his name, Rubio, a Jason Kidd type, would go No. 2.

Without Rubio, only Griffin is considered a big-time prospect.

“He’s incredibly powerful, Karl Malone physique and only 20,” one talent evaluator said. “He’s the type who will throw you through the rim with the ball. Who doesn’t want that?”

Another potential top 5 pick is someone else who may not enter — Arizona State shooting guard James Harden. That leaves a group of players with big upside but are risky and unproven — Louisville SF Earl Clark, Arizona F Jordan Hill, Pittsburgh SF Sam Young, Davidson G Stephen Curry, Kansas C Cole Aldrich and Pitt PF DeJuan Blair.

Some NBA executives think lottery teams, including the Knicks, will look to trade down or deal for a 2010 selection if their “need” guy is not there. The Knicks don’t have a pick in 2010.

marc.berman@nypost.com