PCIK A WINNER
Top 2nd-round selection adds incentive to beat tanking Bulls
A victory in Chicago on Saturday would be a boost to the Knicks’ awful road record. But it also would be a boon to their draft-night hopes — getting them closer to the coveted 31st pick in the draft.
In the unsung part of the Carmelo Anthony trade with Oklahoma City that netted Enes Kanter and ex-Bull Doug McDermott, the Knicks also received a 2018 second-round pick — owned by the Bulls.
Yes, that Bulls team that has dedicated this season to tanking.
The Knicks haven’t done as good a job at the tank — off to a 12-12 start and possibly ready to stay in a playoff race.
For the franchise’s long-term health, gaining a lottery pick and the 31st pick in the draft wouldn’t be the worst thing despite the players’ talk of an urgent desire to make the playoffs.
The 31st pick is considered gold because it usually draws the same caliber talent as a pick in the 20s, but without the first-round long-term salary. Second-round picks make the league minimum. Rooting for the Bulls to lose is something Knicks management should do with an eye on the first pick of the second round.
“Holding the 31st pick allows you versatility on the pick,’’ Ryan Blake, the NBA’s draft consultant, told The Post. “Not only does this pick comes with a smaller salary, but you also can find a pleasant surprise choice of someone coveted in the first round that may have slipped. This also gives you the ability to lock down an international prospect, draft a player that could be used as a two-way, G-League contract. There also will be offers for trades that other teams may covet that pick.’’
After dumping Jimmy Butler in a Minnesota trade, letting Rajon Rondo flee and buying out Dwyane Wade, Chicago is right on the tanking track — owning the NBA’s worst record at 3-20, riding a 10-game losing streak, with the worst offensive rating in the league.
That means nothing when the Knicks come to town without the injured Tim Hardaway Jr. The Knicks have treated road games like a vacation — a blotch on coach Jeff Hornacek’s performance this season.
The Knicks are 1-7 away from the Garden — the lone road win coming in Cleveland Oct. 29. Hornacek’s crew has lost its last five road contests, but he rationalized the lousy ledger.
“Early in season we played some better teams,’’ Hornacek said, referring to OKC and Boston. “We had a loss to Atlanta but KP [Kristaps Porzingis] didn’t play. Last couple of games, we were missing guys. We’ll have plenty of opportunities. We got a lot of road games coming up in the next month or two. We’ll try to get that right.’’
Indeed, the road beckons. The Knicks’ 12-12 record could be viewed as inflated because 16 of their games have been played at the Garden.
From Dec. 27 through Feb. 2, the Knicks will play 16-of-20 games on the road. Whether Hardaway will be back for many of them is unclear.
The Knicks issued no timetable for Hardaway’s return from “a stress injury in his lower left leg.’’ Perhaps a firmer timetable will be established after he is reevaluated in two weeks.
Medical experts say Hardaway has either a stress reaction in his tibia or fibula or a stress fracture. When Hornacek was asked if it was a stress fracture, he declined to answer.
More curiously, when Porzingis was asked if he ever had a stress injury like Hardaway’s, he volunteered he sustained a stress fracture his first season in Spain and only missed “a couple of weeks.” Medical experts say a stress fracture could take up to two months to heal.