YET ANOTHER BAD BOUNCE
Knicks stand pat at 11 as lotto balls go against them ... again
CHICAGO — The Knicks’ lottery jinx continued Tuesday in Chicago.
Senior executive William Wesley, wearing a dark blue suit and orange tie, couldn’t bring the Knicks any luck as the club stayed put at No. 11 during the pingpong ball rollout.
Wesley nodded his head up and down when the Knicks were announced at 11, making it 18 straight times they’ve been in the lottery and failed to move up.
The Knicks, who had a 78 percent chance of staying put, have not moved up in the lottery since winning the inaugural edition in 1985. The Magic were the big winners Tuesday, with the Thunder (No. 2) and Rockets (No. 3) rounding out the top three.
The 11th pick hasn’t been bad at all recently with alumni including Cam Johnson (2019), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018), Domantas Sabonis (2016), Myles Turner (2015) and Klay Thompson (2011).
The Knicks only had a 2 percent chance of winning the top pick and 9.4 percent odds of winning a top-four selection. Their road back to relevance still seems tougher than if they had a crack at Auburn power forward Jabari Smith or Purdue combo guard Jaden Ivey.
Wesley declined to talk to the media afterward. Knicks president Leon Rose, coach Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Perry all were in the front row of the banquet hall. None of the trio were made available to talk about the June 23 draft, though all of them seemed surprisingly cheerful before and after the drawing.
Now Wesley, who was a surprise pick to sit on the dais, will turn the keys over to Rose, whose last lottery-pick selection was Obi Toppin at No. 8 in 2020.
The Knicks need a lot of help and will have a share of solid wing prospects to choose from in the 11 range, though Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe’s rousing Pro Day in Chicago this week may have solidified himself as a top-five pick.
Other wings who could be available include versatile small forward Jeremy Sochan of Baylor, two-way shooting guard Johnny Davis of Wisconsin and wing Bennedict Mathurin of Arizona. ESPN guru Seth Greenberg told The Post the Knicks can’t go wrong with Sochan, who can guard all five positions. And ESPN’s Tim Legler said after the draft lottery he felt it was a very good crop and deep for the 11th-slotted team.
Two point guards of note are G-League Ignite’s Dyson Daniels and TyTy Washington, who is of even more of interest since he played for Kentucky coach John Calipari. Rose and Wesley are close to Calipari and have a number of Kentucky players on the Knicks roster.
The draft order also could have an impact on the Knicks as far as trades on draft night. The Pacers will select sixth and could be a potential trade partner on June 23.
The Knicks and Pacers spoke before the
February trade deadline about Pacers center Myles Turner. The Knicks don’t have a stretch big man on their roster who can fling the 3-ball. Turner also is a good shot-blocker.
The Pacers are at a crossroads, trying to figure out if they are totally rebuilding or going for it next season after trading Sabonis to Sacramento in a big package that landed young point guard Tyrese Haliburton, among others.
Haliburton’s addition has made the Pacers evaluate the future of their incumbent point guard, Malcom Brogdon, whom the Knicks have some interest in as he’s a better defender and with more size than free agent Jalen Brunson. Brogdon is 6-foot-5 but comes with a heavy contract.
With the Knicks desperate for a playmaking point guard, the Pacers hold two potential targets in Turner and Brogdon.
If the Knicks can land Turner, that would lessen the need for re-signing Mitchell Robinson to a major deal. They have until June 30 to agree to a contract extension, with signs pointing to Robinson testing free agency.
“With Mitchell there has been ongoing discussions throughout the year with his agent and those discussions will continue, will continue for the remainder of the time til free agency,’’ Rose said on April 10 during his season-ending interview with MSG Network.
Rose has not talked to reporters since September, even getting a playful jab from MSG’s Mike Breen about his reticence.
“I want to please the fans,’’ Rose said on MSG Network. “That’s very much important to me, important to this organization, from the standpoint of giving them something they can be proud of, they can root for, they can feel good about. Anything I can do to contribute to that, I wanna do it.’’
The Blazers had Damian Lillard rep them in the lottery — a sure sign he’s not going to demand a trade anytime soon.
“We have a lot of talent to build on,’’ Lillard said before the drawing.
The Knicks have never had an active player sit on the lottery dais. Chief strategist Brock Aller was inside the drawing room when the pingpong balls bounced out an hour before the reveal.