Overall, I'm somewhat happy with what the Knicks did on draft night. They added three players: Andy Rautins, Landry Fields, and Jerome Jordan.
In Rautins, they got a legit shooter. If you've decided not to try for a star who slipped through the cracks at pick No. 38, getting someone with a clear NBA skill is a useful thing. For me, I'd have made that skill shot-blocking and grabbed Jarvis Varnado, but Rautins will help the Knicks as a shooter off the bench.
I will admit to having no idea why the Knicks drafted Landry Fields at 39. The players who came directly after him -- Lance Stevenson at 40, Varnado at 41 and Da'Sean Butler at 42 -- all seem to have a lot more talent. I will wait and see on this one, since I simply didn't see Stanford play enough last season to judge. But I am mystified.
And while I am glad the Knicks brought in a seven-footer, purchasing the 44th pick and selecting Jerome Jordan with it, why not Varnado at 39? Is his offensive game so raw that the Knicks didn't think his skills would help? Jordan simply didn't impress me at Tulsa.
Amongst the undrafted, the Knicks reportedly are interested in Brian Zoubek, so Jordan will have some competition at backup center.
Others I'd reach out to for summer league: Scottie Reynolds, Omar Samhan, Jeremy Lin, Ryan Wittman. Reynolds could stick at point guard, Samhan has a much more developed game than Zoubek, Lin is an intriguing player (though likely a tweener), and Wittman could be a Rautins-like shooter as well. These picks are a crapshoot, so getting multiple rookies to fill the slots is a must.
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