The KnickerBlogger staff has decided to spend the 8 days prior to the draft discussing the upcoming event. Each day will feature a different question that we will attempt to answer. Feel free to join us in the comment section!
As the Knicks GM, would you trade down to the 7th pick in this draft?
Kurylo: If Okafor is still around at 4, I wouldn’t. If he’s not, and I can grab Turner with #7 I’m down. Yes if whoever was taken fourth becomes a star, I’d be hard pressed to live it down. However I’m really high on Turner and this team needs more picks.
Silverman: No. You’re not going to get anything of value by dropping three slots or so (think Mayo for Love back in 2008). Just take the guy that tickles Phil’s (not) Zen fancy and go sign a bucketful of smart, two-way players in free agency. It’s not that complicated, really.
Gibberman: Yes, yes and yes again. I’ve been screaming for this since almost immediately after the lottery. As long as the Knicks come away with one of Okafor, Russell, Mudiay, Winslow, WCS or Hezonja I’ll be happy. If they can do that plus acquire Ty Lawson or Danillo Gallinari I’d be ecstatic. If they can do that plus get the right’s to the future Blazers or Grizzlies’ pick Denver owns that’s a step down from ecstatic. 7th would be my cut off of where I’m willing to trade down too.
Fisher-Cohen: Obviously depends on the offer, but no way am I doing it just to get out of Calderon’s deal nor to pick up any non superstar player older than 26 or so. The Knicks are years away. Calderon’s deal will expire and Lawson will be in decline before the Knicks make the conference finals. But purely from a talent standpoint, there seems to be a lot of good gambles in the mid-late lottery, making it more sensible this year than most to trade down.
Topaz: It’s certainly tempting. This team isn’t one piece away — they have virtually no players of value under contract, and will need young, cheap rotation players. The return would have to be a future first and/or a talented young player in addition to the 7th pick, but I don’t really think that trade will be out there.
Cronin: It would depend on who is there at #4, #7 and what Denver is offering with the #7 for #4. I’m not doing it for, like Wilson Chandler and the #4. And Denver likely isn’t doing it for next year’s #1 pick, so I don’t really know what they have to offer. If Cauley-Stein is still there at #7 and the Big Three are all off the board and Denver is giving something fancy along with the #7, I’d do it. That’s a whole lot of ifs, though.