Knicks Pick Up Another NBA Lottery Bust

As if taking on Darko Milicic--the classic trivia answer to who was the worst player ever to be mentioned in the same sentence as Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony--wasn't enough, the New York Knicks have put one of the ultimate busts on their NBA Summer League roster.

Take a good look at the Knicks roster that will be suiting up for five games in Las Vegas starting today. That's right, at the bottom it's Nikoloz Tskitishvili, the fifth overall pick from the 2002 NBA Draft. NT for short, has been with four NBA teams and a host of international clubs since his draft and has been dubbed by many as one of the worst lottery picks ever. If not for his ridiculously hard name to pronounce he may have fallen from all memory. Alas, seven footers will always be a commodity in the NBA and so NT has a home at least for the summer.


As for the rest of the roster it includes the two new draft picks in Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas, but the rest is a mishmash of guys that technically played in college but that we haven't heard from in a while. David Noel from UNC could be fun to watch and Morris Almond from Rice was fun to watch in college. However, with seemingly every other team in the league boasting exciting young players and draft picks to trot out, the Knicks hang their hopes on Hill and Douglas. I know the games don't mean much, but after Jason Kidd and Grant Hill used the Knicks just to get better contracts from their own teams, it's tough to find positives for the 'Bockers these days.

One can only hope Danilo Gallinari isn't too far off from returning after back issues sidelined most of his true rookie season. If you're curious, it looks most of the games will air at some point on MSG. The Knicks start today with Memphis before meeting Detroit, Sacramento, Chicago and Washington.

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Nats President Downplays First Pick of Phenom Stephen Strasburg

The Nationals have been a comedy of errors since the team's relocation to the Nation's Capitol. In an post today at GQ.com with Nats president Stan Kasten, interviewer Nate Penn does little to sugar coat. Hell, the title is even: "The Really, God Awful, Bad News Bears: Are the Washington Nationals the worst franchise in history?"

In addition to touching on the team's mediocrity, Penn also asks point blank about the direction Washington will head in tomorrow's MLB draft, where the team has the #1 pick and experts have all but locked San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg in that slot.

Amanda Wurlitzer?

Stephen Strasburg could do for the Nats what Lincecum has done for the Giants. Undoubtedly there’s a fair amount of pressure to draft him. Will you do it and can you sign him?

On June 9th we’re going to take the player we think is the best player. We know what #1 picks get; we expect to sign our guy. The system isn’t going to change for any one circumstance, for any one situation. We know how players get drafted, how they get paid, how long it takes them to develop, what steps are necessary. We’re gonna take the best player we can.

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Have You Gotten Your BlogsWithBalls Tickets Yet?

Here's Your Sign

What was the best part of going to the Trenton Thunder Game last night?

Seeing Yankee prospect Austin Jackson up close and personal?

Nope.

Being able to retreat to a luxury suite when the skies opened up?

Nope.

Was it the Bill Engvall saturation?

You bet.

He was on banners & t-shirts.


And nothing says wholesome family fun, like Bill Engvall Show coozie night at the ball park.

HHR Exclusive Interview With NBA Draft Hopefull Zach Feinstein

By now, you may have read about Zach Feinstein, a 5'8", 130 pound, D-III Caucasian who does "not play basketball," declaring his eligibility for the upcoming NBA draft.

By simply submitting a letter to Commissioner Stern and filling out required paperwork, Feinstein is officially a declared and eligible.

HuggingHaroldReynolds was lucky enough to catch up with the Washington University in St. Louis Junior for what we hope is Part 1 of a multi-part conversation with the baller.

Be sure to visit DraftFeinstein.com for scouting reports, stats, and additional information.

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HuggingHaroldReynolds: Now, we checked the records and you are in fact white and don't play basketball, how does that effect your draft position?

Zach Feinstein: Well every year there are many non-white players, who do actually play basketball. Most of these players go undrafted, so this probably gives me an edge.

HHR: According to math I just did in my head, if you change your last name to a more Eastern European mess of all consonants, it would improve your draft ranking by a factor of 10,000. How far are you willing to go?

ZF: First, 10,000 times 0 is still 0 (I am majoring in math so I'm fairly confident about this). Secondly, this may have worked if it weren't for Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

HHR: Will you simultaneously be lobbying for a "lightning round" based on trivia?

ZF: Good suggestion, the less time a team has to think about it, the more likely they are to take me.

HHR: Would you consider playing a year in China just to look taller?

ZF: We will see how my Summer in China goes. It really depends on the offer though.

HHR: Have any shoe companies reached out yet for endorsement deals? Vitamin Water?

ZF: Not yet, though I would love to get a shoe deal for driving shoes (I suggest Google-ing these comfortable, comfortable shoes). And although I have gotten multiple offers from people who would love to be my agent, I have turned them all down so far. This has probably hindered my negotiations for endorsement deals.

HHR: Let's be honest, this is also a beauty competition for low market teams looking to give their fans something to come out and see. Do you have a nickname? A signature move/dunk?

ZF: I do not have a nickname. I will be creating a contest on draftfeinstein.com looking for suggestions from readers to come up with my nickname, and this is being announced on Hugging Harold Reynolds first. As for a signature move - that would be creating a website.

HHR: Where did this idea come from? Honestly it's pretty damn funny.

ZF: From the site: "The story begins in April of 2007, when one of my roommates (Dan) suggested that we should declare for the NBA Draft the following year. He, of course, said it jokingly. I, however, thought he was serious."

Just from hearing stories other people have related to me, it seems a lot of people think about doing it every year, but few have the motivation to look into how. Maybe this will help out those who are confused as to how to declare for next year's draft.

HHR: Do you have your draft day suit picked out?

ZF: Well I plan on following the same trend I do for clothes every day; take what is at the top of my dresser.

HHR: What happens if you don't get drafted?

ZF: In that unlikely situation, I will go back to what I was doing last week before the official Early Entry list was released.

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To Be Continued.

UPDATE (5-8-08):

HHR Exclusive Part 2: Zach Feinstein on Illegitimate Children, T-Mac, Oden & Erin Andrews