Written by Taylor Odenat
The New York Knicks have won a total of 14 games in this 2014-2015 season and, at this point, are aiming for the Number One pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Projected Number One pick of the upcoming draft, Jahlil Okafor, has the chance to be more than a special player. He has the chance to be the franchise stabilizing pick that the 1996-1997 San Antonio Spurs had the chance to acquire when they drafted Tim Duncan in the 1997 Draft.
The 1996-1997 NBA season was not one that the San Antonio Spurs were built to do well in. Once Duncan declared out of Wake Forest, San Antonio wanted to acquire him and multiple factors came into play that allowed this to happen. The Spurs lost David Robinson, who had been their best player without a doubt, to injury that season and were also dealing with the declines of ‘The Admiral’ Avery Johnson and Vinnie Del Negro. Their once dynamic backcourt was now in their early thirties and had lost a step. After decades of being a consistent and winning organization, the Spurs all of a sudden weren't a good team and were well on their way to having a great chance at the Number One pick. Granted, they did finish behind the Celtics and the Grizzlies in losses, but if their intentions were to tank then they were successful.
The 2014-2015 NBA season started off as one that might be semi-prosperous. Phil Jackson recently joined the Knick front office and hired Derek Fisher as the new head coach. Carmelo Anthony just came off an All-Star season where he averaged 27.4 ppg, 3.1 apg, and a (career high) 8.1 rpg. They seemed to have a roster that could contend for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a team led to Carmelo with a supporting cast of Iman Shumpert, Amare Stoudemire, and J.R. Smith. However, the season for the New York Knicks spiraled out of control and their season went from prosperous to wondering if they will even make the playoffs. Just like the 1996-19967 Spurs, the Knicks season took the biggest hit when they lost their superstar forward Anthony to injury mid season.The Knicks eventually had to face the reality that they weren’t going to be a good team this season; even if Jackson won’t admit it. The tanking seemingly begun with the trade of erratic scorer J.R. Smith and athletic defender Iman Shumpert going to Cleveland and ending with the the buyout of Amare Stoudemire. The Knicks organization had to look forward to the future and put this season behind them. There may still be games that have to be played, but Jackson has bigger plans.
While the pile up of losses for the 1996-1997 San Antonio Spurs led to the acquisition of 21-year-old Tim Duncan, the collection of losses for the New York Knicks may lead to the drafting of 19-year-old Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor. Okafor has a refined, pro-ready body and low post game that will allow him to make an impact from day one of his rookie year. For a 6’10, 273 pound player with a wide body structure, he has impressive footwork and tremendous body control. He’s super comfortable with his back to the basket and is a tenacious rebounder on the offensive end. While Okafor may not be the exact same player as Duncan, they both are versatile players and have effective post games. Okafor could be the New York Knicks version of Tim Duncan to finally bring the Knicks to an elevated spot in a struggling Eastern Conference.
The New York Knicks now have the chance to be the 1996-1997 San Antonio Spurs. With only 14 wins and 11 games left to go, the New York Knicks are set to even attain less victories than the 1996-1997 Spurs(20). Only the ping pong balls know if the New York Knicks will receive the Number One pick in the 2015 Draft, but this season could mean much more than just a pile up of losses; just ask the Spurs.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duncati01.html, http://espn.go.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/ny/new-york-knicks, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1683179-nba-draft-profiles-from-back-in-the-day, http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jahlil-Okafor-6469/
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