David Lee and Nate Robinson, it may be time to pack your bags.
With Stephen Curry off the board, taken at No. 7 by Golden State, the Knicks added to their power-forward stable by selecting athletic 6-foot-10 Arizona stud Jordan Hill — a player coach Mike D’Antoni compared with Amare Stoudemire — with the eighth pick.
Hill’s arrival allows the Knicks flexibility in deciding whether to re-sign Lee or use him in a sign-and-trade when he becomes a free agent on July 1. Lee’s future became even more clouded because the Knicks finalized their trade with Memphis, obtaining 7-foot center Darko Milicic for Quentin Richardson and cash.
Robinson’s Knicks future also is in major jeopardy when the Knicks drafted his likely replacement with the 29th pick that team president Donnie Walsh purchased from the Lakers for $3 million. Walsh selected scoring combo guard Toney Douglas (21 points per game), a 6-foot-1 Florida State senior who was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Walsh didn’t pay $3 million for the extra pick without big plans for Douglas. Walsh said he obtained the pick specifically for Douglas, and if he was off the board, he would have traded it for a first-round pick in 2010, and already had a buyer.
Coach Mike D’Antoni couldn’t hide his mixed emotions that Curry, his favorite, came so agonizingly close to 8. Neither could the Knick fans who chanted “Warriors [stink],” and booed the pick even though Hill averaged of 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds as a junior.
A Yahoo! report said the Knicks asked Minnesota about Ricky Rubio’s availability, but the Timberwolves shunned them. A deal likely couldn’t be done until July, when Lee and Nate Robinson become restricted free-agent trade pawns.
“To be honest, probably,” D’Antoni said, when asked if he was disappointed Curry didn’t drop. “I could lie to you and it would be better if I lied to you. You do have little favorites. But I’m thinking this could be luck. Lucky we got him. Lucky he’s 6-10, can shoot and run the floor. I’m really excited he’s on team. We’ve gotten better. It’s easy to find small shooters, hard to find big shooters.”
“Some of us had him rated as the second-best player in the draft,” D’Antoni added. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but he can be a really good player.”
Walsh called him, “maybe the best big man in this draft.”
The Post reported last week the Knicks coveted Hill and that he was dropping on draft boards. The Wizards would have taken Hill at 5 if they didn’t trade the pick to the Timberwolves.
Hill can score inside and out. His athleticism makes him perfect for D’Antoni’s speedball offense. Though he blocks shots, the Knicks’ lone concern, according to sources, is whether he will be a stout post defender — a need. Watching videotape, the coaching staff saw that Hill often missed defensive assignments.
“I’m definitely happy,” Hill said. “The Knicks are definitely good for me because it’s an up-tempo team. I love to run the floor, so it’s a food fit for me.”
Walsh often complained of the Knicks’ lack of size last season in an Eastern Conference that added Shaquille O’Neal on the eve of the draft.
“We got bigger,” Walsh said. “Look at the playoffs, there’s not many Lillipute teams out there. He can score, rebound, block shots run the floor. On a team that has a lot of open holes this will help.”
Hill had a blazing solo workout last week and compared himself with Stoudemire.
“When Amare was [in D’Antoni’s offense], he was running the floor like no other, getting dunk after dunk after dunk,” Hill said. “With a point guard like Chris Duhon, a pass-first point guard, that’s a good look for me.”
Walsh said he was trying to trade up with the Timberwolves to 5 or 6 for Rubio or Curry.
“I thought it was a possibility, but they took two point guards [Rubio and Johnny Flynn],” Walsh said.