Lady luck simply continues to frown on the Knicks even in the NBA lottery. With a 39.8 percent chance and second best-odds of snagging the top pick, the Knicks went down to the fourth pick overall.
This means that the Knicks may have little to no chance of trying to get Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor since they may likely be picked up by the Minnesota Timberwolves and/or the Los Angeles Lakers who will be selecting first and second respectively. The Philadelphia 76ers will pick third.
The result drew a chorus of boos from Knick supporters but all is not lost since the Knicks are still in a good position to draft a good player in the upcoming NBA draft.
With Towns and Okafor practically out of the equation, the Knicks could set their eyes on Emmanuel Mudiay or D'Angelo Russell instead. Justice Winslow could also be an option or even Willie Cauley-Stein.
The Knicks are trying to rebuild frantically as they look to find suitable players to fill in their fold. Carmelo Anthony needs the appropriate supporting cast to help the Knicks rise back to contention and getting some good rookies is a good way to start.
Of course the Knicks are also in the running for the top free agents such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Greg Monroe or DeAndre Jordan but all that would follow.
There is also that angle where they could use their pick and trade him for a developed player. At this point, the Knicks are weighing all their options and that includes trading away their fourth pick, whoever that may be.
The Knicks have already interviewed Russell and have done the necessary scouting on Mudiay, Winslow and Cauley-Stein. There is no word on who among the four have the inside track for now.
Whoever it may be, the player will ultimately be seen as the one who can compliment Anthony should he be kept. If not, that player could be bait for someone better, probably a veteran who can blend in with Anthony, coach Derek Fisher and of course president Phil Jackson.
