New York Knicks: A recent history of draft lottery night

2009: Remained at eighth overall

Before Porzingis, the New York Knicks made the playoff three times, but also sent multiple selections away that became lottery picks. So there was a six-year gap between them joining the fray in May.

In 2009, the Knicks had the eighth-best odds for the first pick. This was a team off a 32-50 season, but in early preparation for the anticipated 2010 offseason.

However, there was still a pick to strike, and New York remained at eighth overall after the lottery. That proved disastrous due to the player that went seventh: Stephen Curry to the Golden State Warriors.

Little did Golden State know, that kid from Davison would become arguably the NBA’s greatest shooter ever, a two-time NBA MVP and a three-time NBA champion. To think, there was a debate between him and Monta Ellis at one point, too.

The Knicks, however, stuck with Jordan Hill. This was a fine player at Arizona and a young power forward to build off Danilo Gallinari; but that just never materialized, and Hill only lasted 24 games with the blue and orange, averaging 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds. He joined a cap-clearing trade to the Houston Rockets before the 2010 NBA Trade Deadline for Tracy McGrady‘s expiring deal.

Hill still played through the 2016-17 season as a fine role player and occasional starter, but he was no Curry, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Ricky Rubio or even Tyreke Evans that went ahead of him. Luckily, Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn were worse busts and went higher in the top 10, so it removed some spotlight from the player the Knicks drafted.