NEW YORK — The Knicks have the number 6 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Every day this week on Knickscast.com we will highlight a few players the Knicks may consider in this year’s draft. Here’s a look at two players they might take.

  Danilo Gallinari

Position: Small Forward

College: European Leagues

Height: 6′9″

Weight: 209 lbs.

07-08 Stats: 17.5 PPG, 46% FG, 40.5% 3PT, 6.7 RPG

The Skinny: The #1 ranked international basketball player, Danilo has size at the small forward position and can shoot the three. The 19-year old was a proven scorer in the Italian and European basketball leagues. Some say he is better than former #1 draft pick Andrew Bargnani.

Strengths: He has good size for his position and he is versatile because he can play multiple positions on the court. What may benefit the Knicks the most, is that he eve though he is just 19-years old, he is mature, has poise, and a good basketball IQ.

Weaknesses: Danilo lacks quickness and explosiveness and needs to be more consistent when shooting the three ball. He also will need to improve on his rebounding.

Good for Knicks?: While Danilo will be the best available player at #6 according to many mock drafts, he may not be the best fit for the Knicks. That’s because he’s not what the Knicks need. With David Lee, Zach Randolph, and Eddy Curry already clogging up the middle, the Knicks would benefit more from a point guard.

D.J. Augustin

Position: Point Guard

College: Texas

Height:  5′ 11″

Weight: 195 lbs.

07-08 Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.8 APG, 1.2 STLS

The Skinny: Next to Derrick Rose of Memphis, he’s the best point guard in the draft. D.J. has terrific ball-handling skills. He’s a passer and a scorer, has excellent court vision, and is good in transition. He would mesh well with Mike D’Antoni’s offensive minded approach. Augustin is projected to go anywhere from #9 to #15, so the Knicks may have to trade down for him.

Strengths: An excellent ball handler with good speed and the ability to switch gears in transition. D.J. is also a good perimeter scorer and can take defenders off the dribble. D.J. has a terrific basketball IQ too. He’s also a proven winner. D.J. helped lead a very successful basketball team at Texas. His winning attitude could be exactly what the Knicks need.

Weaknesses: He’s a little small at 5′ 10″ and some are worried about his defensive presence. He’s also known to be a streaky shooter.

Good for Knicks?: If the Knicks trade down for him, D.J. would be a nice fit for the Knicks at point guard and would be a logical replacement for Stephon Marbury who is in the last year of his contract. It’s tough to say if other teams will be willing to make the deal on draft day. Let’s face it, with the highest team salary in the league, the Knicks don’t have a lot of bargaining power when it comes to trading some of those hefty salaries.

Check back here often for more of our 2008 Knicks Draft Preview.  Tomorrow, we will break down guards Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordonn as Knicks draft prospects.

Knickscast Episode 16 - We break down all of the off-season happenings from new GM Donnie Walsh, to new coach Mike D’Antoni, to the Knicks Draft prospects, Knickscast is your source for all of the Knicks offseason news. Check out our latest episode on the top right.

NEW YORK — The NY Daily News is reporting that Isiah Thomas will not return as New York Knicks head coach next season. New Knicks president Donnie Walsh has yet to make the official announcement, but the Daily News says Walsh told Thomas of his decision sometime last week.

The Knicks finished the season a dismal 23-59. Their 59 losses, ties for the most in franchise history. In his two years as coach, Thomas went 56-108 after replacing Larry Brown. While running basketball operations, the Knicks made the playoffs once, losing to the Nets in a first-round sweep.

Worst of all, if Thomas officially does leave as Knicks coach, the Knicks are still committed to 177.50 million in salaries over the next three years.

The Daily News also reports that Knicks prez Donnie Walsh has not decided if Thomas will remain with the organization in some other capacity other than head coach.

We will update you on the latest as we hear it. Once again, no official announcement has been made.

Ok. We know, the Knicks stink: a 20-55 record with just 7 games to go.

But just because the remaining Knicks games are meaningless doesn’t mean there isn’t important basketball to be played!

The most crucial game of the season is coming up: Jack and Carl going one-on-one for Knickscast bragging rights. We’re excited, and here’s a video to get you pumped up too…

The Knicks have made a move. Isiah is out as president of basketball operations and Donnie Walsh, formerly of the Pacers is in.

The Knicks have yet to address Isiah’s status as coach, but it seems like they’ll let him ride out the rest of the schedule.

What do you think of the move? We’ll be discussing it on our next episode so drop us a line: (347) 410-9093