Knicks are looking at selecting Texas' D.J. Augustin in NBA draft

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Knicks are looking at selecting Texas' D.J. Augustin in NBA draft

Listed at 6-foot by the University of Texas, D.J. Augustin measured at only 5-10 in recent workouts, and was last seen by America getting beaten up by a bigger, stronger Derrick Rose in an NCAA Tournament game.

So why does it feel like the Knicks will make Augustin their first-round pick in two days?

It's just a hunch, and maybe that feeling will go away by Thursday. But Rose will be long gone by the time the Knicks draft at No.6, Arizona's Jerryd Bayless is likely to be off the board as well, and UCLA's Russell Westbrook, the only other viable guard, is not ready to come in and run an NBA team.

With Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni wanting to be competitive right away, Augustin - who averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 assists as a sophomore - might make for the best choice. And that's why a couple of teams drafting in the Knicks' vicinity see him coming to New York, even if a few think it's a bit of a reach. Once a lock to go in the top 10, Augustin's stock took a hit when Rose and Memphis ran over the Longhorns en route to the Final Four.

"That scared some people because you're looking at Augustin thinking, will this also happen on the next level?" said one Eastern Conference GM whose team picks in the top 10. "But he is the consummate point guard. He knows how to run a team and he can come in and do it right away, no questions asked. He's crafty with the ball. He can get his shot. And he can shoot it."

That sounds like just the kind of player D'Antoni wants to run his system. By all accounts, Walsh will have final say on whom the Knicks select. He knows all too well how things can go awry when he allows a coach to make the pick. Just go back to 2002 when he allowed Isiah Thomas to make the Pacers' selection. Thomas went against the wishes of the entire scouting department and took Fred Jones over Tayshaun Prince. Nice move.

But in this case, Walsh also has to see that despite Augustin's lack of height, he'd be a good fit for the Knicks. So he's two inches short of six feet? Chris Paul isn't the biggest guy in the world, either.

Westbrook is rated a little higher than Augustin, but only because he's 6-3. The UCLA star's No.1 strength is that he can defend either guard position. But since when is that a priority for D'Antoni? It's at the other end, the one the new coach really worries about, where Westbrook has shown that he will need lots of work.

D'Antoni wants a playmaker to get the ball to wing players. One of his favorite sayings in Phoenix was, "it's all about the corners," and Steve Nash did a superb job kicking the ball out to three-point shooters stationed in those areas.