Jun 26, 2009 7:33 am US/Eastern
With Eighth Pick, Knicks Select Jordan Hill
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) ―
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Jordan Hill, an honorable mention All-American power forward for Arizona, was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 8th overall pick.
John Miller/AP
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(L-R) Terrence Williams, Jrue Holiday, DeMar DeRozan, Gerald Henderson, Jordan Hill, Stephen Curry, Hasheem Thabeet, NBA Commissioner David Stern, Ricky Rubio, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Austin Daye, Jonny Flynn and Tyreke Evans.
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Fifth overall draft pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ricky Rubio makes his way to the stage during the 2009 NBA Draft at the Wamu Theatre at Madison Square Garden June 25, 2009 in New York City.
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
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Sixth overall draft pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jonny Flynn is congratulated by members of his entourage during the 2009 NBA Draft at the Wamu Theatre at Madison Square Garden June 25, 2009 in New York City.
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni all but admitted being a little disappointed to see NCAA scoring leader Stephen Curry drafted one spot before New York was set to pick.
"To be honest: probably," D'Antoni said. "Might be better if I lied to you."
The Knicks took power forward Jordan Hill instead, citing his size and versatility. Hill was greeted with the customary boos from fans who attended the selection live at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
D'Antoni and president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh shrugged off the reaction, pointing out the 6-foot-10 Hill averaged 18.3 points and 11 rebounds in his junior season at Arizona before coming out early.
Hill went eighth overall, joining a franchise that finished 32-50, last in its Atlantic Division, but managed to give fans hope with some entertaining play and a front office that appears to be clearing the decks for a rich free-agent class in 2010.
"On a team that has a lot of open holes, this will help," Walsh said Thursday night at the Knicks' suburban headquarters in the leafy Hudson River valley.
The Knicks also traded Quentin Richardson and cash to the Memphis Grizzlies for notorious draft bust Darko Milicic, the second overall pick in 2003.
In another deal, the Los Angeles Lakers took Toney Douglas of Florida State in the No. 29 spot and traded him to the Knicks for cash and a future second-round pick.
Douglas is a 6-foot-1 guard for Florida State who was 16th in the nation with 21.5 points per game as the Seminoles' point guard. The third-team AP All-America selection also won honors as the ACC's top defensive player.
The Knicks were 28th in the 30-team league on defense last year, allowing nearly 108 points per game. That wasn't nearly enough to succeed, not even with the league's fourth-best offense.
Hill, an honorable mention All-American, is expected to help on both ends.
"The guy is 6-10, long, can really run the floor, very good shooter" D'Antoni said. "I think he's going to be a really good player."
The Knicks acquired a second big man in Milicic, best known not for any on-court achievements but because the Detroit Pistons chose him ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the 2003 draft. This will be the fourth team for the skinny, 7-foot Serbian center, who played for Orlando before joining the Grizzlies.
Milicic is due $7.5 million under the three-year contract he signed as a free agent with Memphis in 2007. He missed 21 games to injury this season and was inconsistent when healthy. He averaged 5.5 points and 4.3 rebounds averaging 17 minutes in 61 games with only 15 starts. He blocked three or more shots three times and tied a career-high with five blocks on Dec. 14 against Miami.
Walsh gave away the Knicks' higher ambitions when he pointed out another thing about Hill that appealed to him -- he'd immediately become one of the biggest players on the roster.
"Look at the playoffs," Walsh said. "There's not any Lilliput teams out there."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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