NBA

IF SPANISH POINT GUARD IS GONE, CURRY MAY BE KNICKS’ TARGET

As the Knicks brace for their annual rite of passage — Tuesday’s Draft Lottery in Secaucus — one sharpshooting guard prefers the Knicks don’t get lucky with the ping-pong balls: Davidson’s Stephen Curry.

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If the Knicks beat the odds and surge to No. 1 or 2, they are expected to take Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, the 19-year-old phenom whom Mike D’Antoni faced in the 2008 Olympics.

Blake Griffin, the bullish Oklahoma forward, is the consensus No. 1 pick, but the Knicks prefer the Spanish playmaker. UConn 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet is the consensus third pick and could fill the Knicks’ glaring lack of shot blocking.

If they remain No. 8, there’s a strong possibility Curry, who plays both guard positions, is the guy. The Knicks, desperate to fill a playmaking/scoring guard void so they won’t have to overpay Nate Robinson, have plenty of research left and Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn, Gerald Henderson and Jrue Holiday are on the radar.

But only Curry can claim to be “good friends” with a player they hope to eventually recruit — LeBron James.

“I think there are better players than Curry higher in the draft, but maybe not a better fit for D’Antoni’s system,” a league executive said.

Davidson coach Bob McKillop told The Post an intermediary informed Bobcats executive Dell Curry, Stephen’s father, the Knicks would probably pick him at 8. McKillop said Dell Curry hasn’t heard directly from the Knicks.

McKillop has spoken to D’Antoni about Curry, who said this week it would be “a “dream come true” if the Knicks take him. Curry, a deft perimeter threat, also revealed he’s reading the book “Seven Seconds or Less” that documents the 2005-06 Suns’ season with D’Antoni. It was a clear hint the Currys have inside information.

Rubio is the biggest prize. “You can compare him to Pistol Pete, he does so many things with the ball,” a league executive said.

The consensus on the speedy Jennings, who leapt from high school to Rome, is he’s too wild and turnover-prone to make an immediate impact. Lawson is steady but possibly too small. Flynn is a darkhorse — “tough as nails” — one scout puts it. And UCLA freshman Holiday may have the biggest upside of PGs outside Rubio.

marc.berman@nypost.com