Kentucky Big Man Towns Says 'It Would Be An Honor' To Play For Knicks
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- All eyes will be on the draft lottery on Tuesday night as the immediate future of more than a dozen teams will begin to be determined.
The Knicks stand to gain more than most considering they are coming off the worst season in franchise history and badly need for the odds -- for once -- to be in their favor.
Currently seeded second behind Minnesota, New York has a 19.9 percent chance to get the top pick in this summer's NBA draft. While No. 1 overall would be ideal, the Knicks probably wouldn't complain if they held serve and finished second, because that would still allow them to select one of the two top big men available, Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke's Jahlil Okafor.
Team president Phil Jackson has gone back and forth about what he will do with the Knicks' first pick, ultimately saying all options would be on the table. He's even hinted at possibly trading down, though it's hard to believe he'll do that if the size-needy Knicks come out at or near the top on Tuesday night.
The idea of Town in Knicks' blue and orange has the fans in a frenzy, some even harking back to the first draft lottery in 1985, which ended with New York getting the top pick and using it on eventual Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing.
Not yet 20, Towns, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound center out of Piscataway, New Jersey, averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds during his freshman season at Kentucky, which went undefeated before losing to Wisconsin in the national semifinals.
Towns spoke recently with the New York Post and had a lot to say about possibly becoming a member of the Knicks.
"It would be an honor, not only as a player, but as a Knicks fan, to be able to play for that organization," Towns said. "It's gonna be, I guess a childhood dream — rooting for the Knicks all this time, and the next thing you know, you hear an organization call your name to go out there and give it your best shot. I think it would be very cool, and really very honored and blessed to be able to play for them."
He said he understands the expectations that come with being a top pick, but added basketball at any level is always a team game first.
"I'm gonna try and work very hard to give them the best chance to win, but it's not as a savior, you can't do it all by yourself," Towns said. "That's why no one is bigger than nobody else. Everyone's helping each other to get to one common goal, and that's to win a championship and win games."
One of the biggest issues the Knicks have had of late has been trying to find legitimate talent to put next to Carmelo Anthony. Towns said if given the opportunity he would make the most of it.
"You don't get many chances in life to see a player like Carmelo Anthony play," he said. "It's just amazing what he can do with the basketball in his hands, and what he can do for his team."
Head coach Derek Fisher was tossed into the deep end of the pool during his rookie season with the Knicks. A lot went wrong, including a season-ending injury to Anthony and the team eventually dumping salary. Town said what went down in 2014-15 should in no way tarnish what Fisher is as a basketball mind.
"He's a champion, and he knows exactly how to win. The biggest thing is he knows how to win from the court," Towns said. "He knows what it takes as a team and as a player, what you need to sacrifice for the greater whole of everybody for a championship, and I think that's a very big thing to have, especially in a coach when he knows exactly what his players need to do to win when he's won multiple championships himself."
