BROOKLYN — Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and assistant GM Allan Houston were among the nearly 50 NBA scouts at the Barclays Center Monday to watch the Legends Classic.
The event features a slew of potential first-round draft picks in 2013, including potential No. 1 overall picks Cody Zeller of Indiana, a 7-foot sophomore forward, and Shabazz Muhammad, a 6-6 freshman small forward of UCLA.
After having no first-round pick in 2012, the Knicks own one in 2013, but they don’t have a second-round pick.
In fact, they’ve traded away their future second-round picks in the next four drafts. Off to a 7-1 start, the Knicks don’t appear headed for the lottery so they’re unlikely to get a chance at a Zeller, who battled flu-like symptoms and finished with six points and four rebounds, or a Muhammad, who played his first game after being freed by the NCAA and finished with 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting. (Read more about Zeller and Muhammad here.) Among the other top prospects Grunwald and Houston — and the other scouts — saw were: **6-9 UCLA guard Kyle Anderson. Playing on the wing instead of his natural point guard position, the former St. Anthony star went scoreless for the first time since his freshman year in high school, but did have 6 assists and 7 rebounds. (Read more on Anderson here.) **6-5 UCLA small forward Jordan Adams, who may be the least hyped of UCLA’s vaunted freshman class but so far leads them in scoring. He is the first freshman in Bruins’ history to record 20+ points in his first three games, and extended that to four games with 22. **6-10 UCLA forwards Travis and David Wear, who had 12 points and 8 rebounds and 6 points and 3 rebounds, respectively. David left the game with a back injury. **6-8 Georgetown sophomore forward Otto Porter, who may have been the player of the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks after missing a game with a concussion. (Read more on Porter here.) **6-2 Georgetown junior forward Markel Starks, who sliced up the UCLA defense to the tune of 23 points with 4 steals. **6-9 Georgetown sophomore forward Greg Whittington, a long athlete who had 13 points and 4 rebounds. He and Porter also played great on-ball defense on Muhammad. The Knicks are coming off Sunday’s win over the Indiana Pacers and begin a three-game road trip Tuesday in New Orleans, which features Anthony Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in last June’s draft. (For more on Davis and Carmelo Anthony, read Marc Berman here.)
