New York Knicks move up for LaMelo Ball

The Knicks got punched in the lottery. Not only did they fail to climb the ladder, they slipped from sixth to eighth. This reverses their luck, at the expense of Robinson, who is fraught with upside but hasn’t scored an average of 24 minutes in any of his first two NBA seasons.

This deal wouldn’t go down until draft night, because it depends on LaMelo Ball beating the top two picks (as it does in B / R’s Jonathan Wasserman’s last feint). The 6’7 “point guard has caught the attention of the Empire State and the interest could be mutual.

“More teams believe ball and those in his circle prefer it lands in New York,” Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported.

The ball is a risk-reward perspective, but he could be the best player in this draft. He is a supernatural bystander and his aggression in pushing the pace could give this young team an identity. He needs to work with his shooting, shot selection, and defensive engine (if anyone can keep him revved, maybe it’s Tom Thibodeau), but those can theoretically be trained. If Ball hits, he will become a star.