Phil Jackson's Summer Plans: New York Knicks 2015 Draft

This is the summer things are supposed to change for the New York Knicks. Phil Jackson is entering his second off-season as team president, and his first with some real expectations.

The Zen Master went into his first summer with little money and no draft picks. After completely gutting the roster over the course of the season, Jackson has a clean slate to form this roster into a team that can become a contender. He has $30-plus million to spend on free agents and is guaranteed at least a top five pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

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While Jackson and Co. have made statements declaring that this team will be built through free agency, not the draft, this pick could go a long ways in shaping the future for the Knickerbockers. With the Knicks holding the second-best odds to win the lottery, a defensive big man is what Jackson has his mind on. Though if they fall to number five, which is the lowest they can go, it seems likely they will test the waters to see what they can get in return.

One possibility could be a move to acquire Brandon Jennings from the Pistons, who could be on the move this summer after Stan Van Gundy and Detroit acquired Reggie Jackson at the trade deadline. Jennings could give the Knicks the “penetrator” that Jackson is looking for this off-season.

Depending upon where Detroit ends up in the lottery, likely somewhere in the 8-12 range, the Knicks could look to swap picks and send Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Pistons and Jennings comes to New York. I know a lot of fans aren’t ready to give up on Hardaway, and I don’t think Jackson is either, but with nothing but opportunity to show his promise this season, the second-year pro fell flat on his face.

My favorite of the “New York should trade for…” scenarios is making a deal for DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins from Sacramento. Boogie in the middle would give the Knicks two legitimate All-Stars and would put them in the fast lane for a bounce back season. Not that Cousins knows very much about winning in the NBA, his Kings haven’t done much of it since he made it into the league.

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Take a look at his numbers though: 24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and a couple steals and blocks. Put that in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference with the likes of Tyler Zeller, Jonas Valanciunas, Joel Embiid and whomever the Nets have in the middle next year, and you have to like Boogie’s odds to improve on those numbers.

Sacramento would be mental to deal him, unless he gave them no other choice. I don’t think that happens this, summer.

New York’s odds are good to land in the top two of the draft. That puts them in position to presumably draft either Jahlil Okafor from Duke or Karl-Anthony Towns from Kentucky. If I was in the war room, I’d be voting for Towns as many times as they would let me.

My reasoning is pretty simple, I think Towns is better at the aspects of the game that are harder to teach. His defensive instincts are on-point and his free-throw percentage is around 30% better than Okafor’s. This would make me believe that his mid-range jumper is going to develop nicely at the next level, which allows room on the block for others to operate and space in the paint for penetration.

If Towns is off the board before Jackson gets to make his pick, I think he should consider either moving the pick for an established, young star if one is available or making Emmanuel Mudiay his pick. Mudiay is a 6’5″, 200 pound point guard who has averaged 18 points, 6 boards and 6 assists while playing in China this season.

Phil Jackson’s Summer Plans: What Should the Knicks be Planning With Their 2015 Lottery Pick?

By Tyler Hankins | Apr 26, 2015

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