Knicks best and worst in the NBA Draft (opinion)

Knicks best and worst in the NBA Draft

If you read my previous piece about the evolution of the NBA Draft, and how its become one of the most watched drafts in all of professional sports, it's only fitting that I elaborate further by providing the three best and three worse in New York Knick history.

Especially since the draft is right around the corner.

Also if you recall, the 1989 draft was the first one that was condensed to two rounds, rather than the near 20 it used to be in the early days. I will only go based from the '89 season and beyond.

So yea, that does not include the great draft picks of Richie Guerin ('54), Willis Reed ('64), Mark Jackson ('74) and Patrick Ewing ('84), just to name a few.

I will begin with my Top 3 best, then go into Top 3 worse.

TOP 3 BEST

3. Charlie Ward: First round, 26th pick in 1994 - This guy was an all around athlete. He was drafted 26th overall, but was also drafted in the Major League Baseball draft as a pitcher (and he didn't even pitch in college!). Playing at Florida State University, Ward won the Heisman Trophy as the best overall college football player, and the Davey O'Brian Award, which is given out to the best quarterback in all of college football.

Even with all the high honors in the sport of football, he wanted to pursue basketball. With his leadership abilities, he easily established himself as a good three-point shooter, a reliable ball distributor, and a respected floor leader.

Charlie played 10 seasons with the Knicks, including the '99 season where he helped his team reach the NBA Finals.

2. David Lee: First round, 30th pick in 2005 - David Lee was a solid basketball player at Florida, and had some trouble adjusting to the NBA style of play. But after a shaky first season where the forward only averaged 5.1 points per game, he has slowly improved each year, eventually averaging a double-double on a nightly basis.

This past season, Lee played in 74 games and averaged a career high 16 points, 11.7 rebounds per night. This comes after a season that was cut short because of a severely sprained ankle that kept him out of a lot of action. David has played all four years with the Knicks and is one of those players that does a lot of things right. Plus, he is a threat from both inside and out, which makes him a tough guard.

1. Wilson Chandler: First round, 23rd pick in 2007 - So far, so good. His development reminds me a lot of what Danny Granger is doing. Chandler went from averaging 7.3 points in his rookie campaign to 14.4 in is second season. Getting used to the Mike D'Antoni system has really helped his game and I think he is due for a All-Start caliber season next year, if he stays healthy.

Many say he left college a year or two early after his sophomore campaign where he was a second team All-Conference selection. The Knicks took him with confidence late in the first round, thinking that he could become a force when he matures. He is explosive to the basket, he is long, troubling defenders, and if he can improve on his 32 percent three-point shooting, the sky is the limit for this kid out of Benton Harbor, Michigan.

TOP 3 WORSE

3. John Wallace: First round, 18th pick in 1996 - Wallace had two separate stints with the Knicks, and averaged no more than six points per game in either season. In seven years of NBA ball, Wallace played for five teams before retiring after the 2004 season. In 1996, Knicks had both the 18th and 19th picks and drafted Walter McCarty, who had much more success than Wallace in his career, but only committed to one season with the Knicks until getting traded the following season.

2. Frédéric Weis, First round, 15th pick in 1999 - Weis was part of one of the worse drafts in Knick history in 1999. Drafted as the 15th overall pick, Weis never once set foot at Madison Square Garden. His draft rights were traded to Houston, in exchange for Patrick Ewing Jr., who was later released. The Knicks also selected J. R. Koch in the second round, and he didn't do much of anything either

Weis did get some publicity, which came in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Do you remember when Vince Carter leaped over and dunked the ball over a 7'2'' center? Yea, Frédéric Weis was that guy.

1. Michael Sweetney, First round, 9th pick in 2003 - In a Draft that was dominated by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, the New York Knicks draft Michael Sweetney with the ninth overal pick.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, the great three-year athlete that he was at Georgetown turned into a horrible NBA player. There was a lot of hype around this guy, because of his physical play inside. Although he was a smaller big man, he was the only player in college basketball to rank in the Top 20 in both scoring and rebounding of all the players in the draft that year.

He played just over one season with the Knicks before being traded to the Bulls for Eddie Curry and Antonio Davis. His weight has been an issue and has not made an appearance on the court since the end of the 2006 season.