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2011 Draft: Knicks Add Young Talent

ByVernon McKenzie

Nov 18, 2011

The 2011 NBA Draft began tonight with the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting point guard Kyrie Evans with the first pick, which was expected by many. After the lottery teams drafted their new young talent, it was time for the playoff bound teams to make selections to upgrade their roster. One of those teams, the New York Knicks held the 17th pick for the first round. This was the first time since 2005 that the Knicks were not drafting from a lottery position as they made this year’s playoffs.

When the Knicks went on the clock they used their 17th pick to draft Iman Shumpert, a 6 Foot 5 and 212 pound point guard who played his junior season at Georgia Tech. This was a surprising pick and the majority of Knicks fans who were inside the home site of this year’s draft, the Prudential Center disliked the pick.

The consensus for the New York Knicks was for them to draft an available center who had size and can rebound and defend his position. Ultimately the Knicks were supposed to draft a big man who can alleviate some pressure off Amare Stoudemire by being able to hold down the paint area. They choose to draft a defensive guard who brings some intangibles to New York.

He was a unknown draft prospect to Knick fans but what he brings to the table is size(can’t teach that), scoring ability(17.3ppg at Georgia Tech), a 42-inch leaping ability, and a high motor are enough to make any NBA fan happy to have a player like that representing their team.

Towards the middle of the second round, the Knicks obtained hulking center Josh Harrellson from the New Orleans Hornets who drafted him with the 45th pick for financal considerations. Josh Harrellson is coming off his senior season at Kentucky in which he averaged 7.6 points and 8.7rebounds in 28.5 minutes. He was a key contributor for a Kentucky Wildcat team that reached the Final Four in 2011. This addition to the Knicks give this team some front court help, which is a void the Knicks needed to fill.

By Vernon McKenzie

Graduate of New Institute Of Technology with a BA in Communications with a focus on Television Radio. Owner and Executive Producer of PureSportsNY

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