The Knicks could have taken point guard Brandon Jennings in this year’s NBA Draft.
Jennings worked out at the team’s Westchester campus back in May, along with Tyreke Evans, Earl Clark and Austin Daye.
Instead, Knicks President Donnie Walsh opted to pick forward Jordan Hill with the No. 8 pick on draft night and Jennings went to the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 10.
On Saturday night, Jennings made the Knicks pay, dropping 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as the Bucks absolutely slaughtered the Knicks, 102-87, in Milwaukee.
New York is now 1-6 on the season.
“I was a little upset because New York was one of my No. 1 teams I did want to go to at the time,” Jennings told The New York Times.
He said he thought the team would add LeBron James in 2010 and he might be part of something special.
“I thought for sure,” he told The Times. “They needed a point guard. LeBron was coming in ’10. I was thinking: ‘Aw, man. Here we go. Here it is.’
Walsh said he didn’t choose Jennings, who starred at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy before spending a year with Lottomatica Roma in Italy, because he didn’t have a “feel” for him.
“Even though I had him up there, we’re not playing up and down, we’re not playing five on five, I couldn’t get a feel for him,” Walsh told The Times.
Jennings entered the game averaging 18.8 points per game and is the early favorite to be the NBA Rookie of the Year. He is also benefitting financially from his deal with Under Armour.
Hill?
Head coach Mike D’Antoni opted to play him in the first half of the last two games, but recently said he had five big men who deserved playing time ahead of Hill.
After the Milwaukee game, D’Antoni said he planned to play Hill and fellow rookie Toney Douglas (16 points) more in coming games, but let’s face it. Neither possesses close to the talent Jennings does.
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