At Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, Lady Luck was supposed to be with the Nets. But she wound up kissing the Knicks.
Despite having the best odds of winning the top pick, the Nets were awarded the third pick behind the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers, which won the top two slots respectively.
A massive exhale could be heard emanating from the Knicks’ corporate offices in mid-town Manhattan when it was revealed the Nets were out of the mix for John Wall, basketball’s projected next great point guard who is certain to be the No. 1 overall selection.
In a span of less than 10 minutes, the Knicks had dodged two potential disasters. Before learning Wall was not going to be in their backyard, they celebrated the Utah Jazz coming in at No. 9. The Knicks once owned that pick. Imagine the grief they would have been subjected to if the Nets had the first pick and the Jazz positioned in the top five with their former jewel!
Signing LeBron James would have become a crusade of necessity for the Knicks if for no other reason than to avoid a public relations catastrophe. More importantly, the Nets, in the same division, would have been an instant playoff contender with the additions of Wall and an impending impact free-agent they will surely add this summer.
King James is still the Knicks’ primary target. But they can precede with much less stress after Tuesday.