Knicks Hope to Have Hit a Home Run With Rautins, Fields
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The Knicks might have hit a home run with the additions of Andy Rautins and Landry Fields.
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“It would be great to come out with one good player, to be honest with you. But you never know. In the second round, you never know. If we hit two, then it’s a home run…But there are some good guys on the board and we just hope they fall.” – Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni prior to the 2010 NBA Draft
Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni uttered those words moments before the 2010 NBA Draft got underway.
More than four hours later, when the Knicks finally got on the clock, it appears they may have done just that when they selected Syracuse’s Andy Rautins with the 38th pick and Stanford’s Landry Fields with the 39th. Both players put up phenomenal numbers over their four year collegiate careers and have the type of game that figures to translate very well to the next level, and were terrific value at that point in the draft.
“They are both good basketball players, and they both have identifiable NBA assets that can make them better as NBA players,” said Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh. “I think we got guys for where we picked were good picks.”
Rautins, a 6-foot-4, 194-pound senior guard out of Syracuse averaged 12.1 points and 4.9 assists this past season, and was named to the All-Big East Second Team and was an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention. He finished his college career ranked second all-time in school history with 282 three-pointers made and 754 attempted. He was also the 53rd player to score at least 1,000 points in Syracuse history, finishing with 1,121 points.
“Rautins is a great shooter who can pass the ball,” said Walsh. “He’s got a very tight game and he’ll be able to play some point guard and some off guard…I think he will be a combo guard. He can pass, handle and plays the way we play. And he can definitely shoot!”
A true-deep threat, Rautins is considered by many to be the best pure shooter in this year’s draft. In fact, 78.3-percent of his 360 career field goals were three pointers (282). In addition to his silky smooth jumper, he is a very good passer, leading the Orangemen in assists as a senior. On the defensive end, he plays with a determination and grit that disrupts his opponent. Prior to being selected by the Knicks, he expressed great interest coming to New York, feeling he would thrive most in D’Antoni’s fast paced attack.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in The Garden, just like it was to play at Syracuse. I made that happen, and hopefully some things can fall into place where I can wind up here,” said Rautins. “I’ve watched Coach D’Antoni a bunch and the way they get out and run the transition offense, they get the guys a lot of shots. I feel like I fit in really well with the system whether it be taking the ball as the one and getting it up in transition and finding guys or being the two and getting in my spot in the corner coming off the screen. I think that type of system fits me best.”
Fields, meanwhile, is a 6-7, 210-pound swingman who averaged 22.0 points, 8.8 boards, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals during his senior year for the Cardinals. A First Team All-Pac-10 and First Team All-Academic Pac-10 selection, he led the conference and finished eighth in the nation in scoring. He also has a knack for rising to the occasion, averaging 25.0 points and 12.0 rebounds vs. top-25 opponents.
An electric scorer, Fields can score in a variety of ways. He has a terrific jump shot, takes the ball hard to the rim and possesses both a face-up and post-up game. Extremely intelligent, he is a very crafty passer and solid ball handler. Defensively, he uses his long reach to get in the passing lanes and frustrate the opposition.
“Fields is a super athlete type guy and his game is ahead of him,” said Walsh. “I think he is a good all-around player. If you look at his stats, he had tremendous stats. They were complimenting him on TV saying he is one of the two or three best players in his league, so those are good (recognitions). He has a good body and is a tough kid.”
While it took four hours until the Knicks finally got a chance to select a player, it seems it was well worth the wait with the addition of Rautins and Fields. The Knicks will have to wait a little longer to see if they become the home-run D’Antoni hoped the team could pull off.
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Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni uttered those words moments before the 2010 NBA Draft got underway.
More than four hours later, when the Knicks finally got on the clock, it appears they may have done just that when they selected Syracuse’s Andy Rautins with the 38th pick and Stanford’s Landry Fields with the 39th. Both players put up phenomenal numbers over their four year collegiate careers and have the type of game that figures to translate very well to the next level, and were terrific value at that point in the draft.
“They are both good basketball players, and they both have identifiable NBA assets that can make them better as NBA players,” said Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh. “I think we got guys for where we picked were good picks.”
Rautins, a 6-foot-4, 194-pound senior guard out of Syracuse averaged 12.1 points and 4.9 assists this past season, and was named to the All-Big East Second Team and was an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention. He finished his college career ranked second all-time in school history with 282 three-pointers made and 754 attempted. He was also the 53rd player to score at least 1,000 points in Syracuse history, finishing with 1,121 points.
“Rautins is a great shooter who can pass the ball,” said Walsh. “He’s got a very tight game and he’ll be able to play some point guard and some off guard…I think he will be a combo guard. He can pass, handle and plays the way we play. And he can definitely shoot!”
A true-deep threat, Rautins is considered by many to be the best pure shooter in this year’s draft. In fact, 78.3-percent of his 360 career field goals were three pointers (282). In addition to his silky smooth jumper, he is a very good passer, leading the Orangemen in assists as a senior. On the defensive end, he plays with a determination and grit that disrupts his opponent. Prior to being selected by the Knicks, he expressed great interest coming to New York, feeling he would thrive most in D’Antoni’s fast paced attack.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in The Garden, just like it was to play at Syracuse. I made that happen, and hopefully some things can fall into place where I can wind up here,” said Rautins. “I’ve watched Coach D’Antoni a bunch and the way they get out and run the transition offense, they get the guys a lot of shots. I feel like I fit in really well with the system whether it be taking the ball as the one and getting it up in transition and finding guys or being the two and getting in my spot in the corner coming off the screen. I think that type of system fits me best.”
Fields, meanwhile, is a 6-7, 210-pound swingman who averaged 22.0 points, 8.8 boards, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals during his senior year for the Cardinals. A First Team All-Pac-10 and First Team All-Academic Pac-10 selection, he led the conference and finished eighth in the nation in scoring. He also has a knack for rising to the occasion, averaging 25.0 points and 12.0 rebounds vs. top-25 opponents.
An electric scorer, Fields can score in a variety of ways. He has a terrific jump shot, takes the ball hard to the rim and possesses both a face-up and post-up game. Extremely intelligent, he is a very crafty passer and solid ball handler. Defensively, he uses his long reach to get in the passing lanes and frustrate the opposition.
“Fields is a super athlete type guy and his game is ahead of him,” said Walsh. “I think he is a good all-around player. If you look at his stats, he had tremendous stats. They were complimenting him on TV saying he is one of the two or three best players in his league, so those are good (recognitions). He has a good body and is a tough kid.”
While it took four hours until the Knicks finally got a chance to select a player, it seems it was well worth the wait with the addition of Rautins and Fields. The Knicks will have to wait a little longer to see if they become the home-run D’Antoni hoped the team could pull off.
Back to NBA Draft Central
