The Knicks are all-in on Euros and a youth movement, which continues to paint Carmelo Anthony as the old man out.
Knicks president Phil Jackson didn't trade Kristaps Porzingis on draft night Thursday and selected two European players among his three picks.
The Knicks took French guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth pick and added Serbian guard Ognjen Jaramez at 58. They went with Houston senior guard Damyean Dotson at 44.
Presuming Jackson doesn't deal Porzingis, the Knicks now have three European players who could be part of their core for the future, and they're all 23 and under. Porzingis is 21, Willy Hernangomez 23 and Ntilikina 18. The Knicks also hope to re-sign guard Ron Baker, who is 24.
"The reality is we have to grow a team together," Jackson said after selecting Ntilikina. "I think we have to start growing our own kids."
Anthony isn't a kid. He's 33 and entering his 14th NBA season. The question remains, will it be with the Knicks or another team? Jackson has made it clear that he would like to move on from Anthony, who is in control since he has a no-trade clause. Jackson indicated Anthony told the Knicks "he'd just as soon stay." But Jackson said there would be further conversations "after teams start reorganizing their rosters."
The Cavaliers, Clippers, Spurs, Thunder and Wizards are teams that might pursue Anthony. There has been speculation that if Anthony isn't moved, he could be bought out.
The Knicks, who are 80-166 under Jackson's watch and have missed the playoffs four straight years, are rebuilding. Jackson wants players who buy into the triangle offense. To that end, he seems to favor international players over college ones. They fit and are more willing to adapt.
In his last two drafts, four of the six players the Knicks took or acquired through trade were foreign-born. Last year, Jackson signed Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas and has inked Sasha Vujacic to one-year deals the past two summers.
"Sometimes it's the ability for players to grow up into a system of play that they adapt to as they're growing up as young players, and fitting into that style," Jackson said. "A lot of the times in our college ball here, without making a lot of claims, a lot of it is about our college ball adapting to who the players are and our college game becomes more a style of what you can do offensively.
"Just giving a lot of room to players just to play whatever one-on-one or whatever ability they have, whereas the European players are schooled into a system and how to fit into it."
That's what Jackson likes about Ntilikina, who is 6-5 and versatile enough to play both guard positions in the triangle.
