*Photo: @KSTV_Sports
Charley Rosen, friend of New York Knicks president Phil Jackson, was discussing possible lottery picks Jackson and the Knicks might make this year. Surprisingly, Rosen was not high on Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, because Towns isn’t as wide as Charley would prefer.
Rosen told a reporter for the New York Post that the Knicks need a “bigger butt” than what Towns currently has:
“They need a center with a big butt to hold space,” Rosen told The Post. “They didn’t have anybody like that. It takes away a major portion of what you can do with the triangle because then it really becomes just a perimeter offense.”
After watching Towns in the NCAA Tournament, Rosen says, “Towns is not a big enough body. He’d never get that position in the NBA. He doesn’t have enough power or core strength. He wouldn’t be able to set up one dribble away from the basket. He’s not a kind of center you need in the triangle. He’s not physically that type of center, but he’s athletic and does other things. Look how far out (Lou) Amundson, (Jason) Smith and (Andrea) Bargnani get pushed out when they post up, well out of the box.”
Rosen didn’t comment on Duke’s Jahlil Okafor’s butt’s ability to maintain the post, as Rosen had not seen Okafor play very much this season.
Rosen’s issue is more related to the Knicks’ insistence to run Jackson’s triangle offense than Towns’ rear end. Deadspin’s Kyle Wagner spanks Rosen & Jackson’s assessment of Towns that is filtered through Jackson’s offensive system that has yet to succeed:
Leaving aside the existence of Dray or Chris Bosh or the other successful, mobile, smaller bigs that are thriving in modern NBA offensive and defensive schemes and how Towns might measure up to them, this is is an amazing comparison. Karl-Anthony Towns will not be able to post up in the NBA, because Lou Amundson, Jason Smith, and [expletive] Bargs get banged out of the paint. The Knicks universe is so solipsistic that it can only view a top draft prospect in the context of his similarities to Andrea Bargnani.
…
…it’s hard enough to amass a talented roster without having to contort your personnel decisions around proving that a fossilized system and a fossilized ex-coach still have places in the NBA.
Ultimately teams in the NBA Draft have many reasons why they select a player. Some teams take the best-available player and build schemes around the team they have. Other teams, like the Knicks, have a particular offense in mind and want to fit the best player into that system. It’s not a knock on Towns if the Knicks end up with the #1 pick of the Draft and not take him.
Karl’s ass will work fine on most other NBA teams. And his ass will get paid.
