GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks could have gone with the safe pick or taken a risk. They went with the latter, but not the one their fans wanted. The Knicks took 6-9 Kentucky freshman forward Kevin Knox with the No. 9 pick over Villanova forward Mikal Bridges and Missouri’s Michael Porter, Jr. Knox, the second-youngest player in this draft, is 18 and has tremendous growth potential. But Porter was once considered a top three pick before a back injury caused him to drop. Fans inside the Barclays Center were chanting “Michael Porter” and “We want Porter” before the Knicks made their selection. When Knox was announced as the pick, there were loud boos. Knox was inspired by that. “I like that. That’s motivation,” Knox said. “A lot of the city wants Porter, but I’m ready to work. I’m ready to get to the organization and try to win some games. help the organization.” Boos when the Knicks pick is nothing new. Three years ago, the Kristaps Porzingis’ selection was roundly booed on draft night and a young fan was seen on TV crying. Porzingis proved himself and is now the Knicks’ franchise player. The Knicks are not ready to hand the franchise to Knox, who will be 19 in August. But they feel comfortable that he will play and develop as a rookie. “Even though he’s young, we’re going to push him to be able to contribute as early as possible,” Knicks general manager Scott Perry said. “It’s not like we’re looking at the selection of him as a guy who will not be ready to play. We talked about this team needing more talent and adding to our talent cupboard if you will. Kevin represents that and he represented that for us. He has the level of talent we were looking for.” Subscribe to Newsday’s sports newsletter Receive stories, photos and videos about your favorite New York teams plus national sports news and events. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Team president Steve Mills said the Knicks’ decision makers debated who take for weeks, but they felt comfortable picking Knox. The Knicks had a tough decision regardless. Bridges, 21, is the more mature and ready-made NBA player. He also checked so many boxes of what the Knicks need: he’s an athletic wing, a good three-point shooter and versatile defender. But the Knicks are rebuilding so they could swing for the fences. Porter could turn out to be the best player of the three. But there were red flags involving the 6-11 forward because of medical concerns. He ended up going 14th to the Nuggets. The Knicks ended up taking a player who they felt fits the NBA trend of multi-positional player and could grow with the organization. Knox could develop into a hybrid forward who plays and guards multiple positions. He averaged 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in his only season at Kentucky. Knox is a good mid-range shooter, but he needs to improve his three-point shooting and defense. “I think both of those young men have chances to be very good players in the league,” Perry said. “But we just thought that Kevin separated himself for us in terms of where we want to go, how we want to play, where the league is trending. We’re just really excited about getting him here.” The Knicks see Knox as someone who can complement Porzingis, and he fits a positional need. “We realize we’re a developing team and we need talent and athleticism,” Mills said. “If we could get that at the right position that’s the best of both worlds.” The Knicks think that playing for Kentucky and coach John Calipari helped prepare Knox for the NBA and New York. Perry said that Knox “got thrown right in the fire” at Kentucky. Mills also said one of the things that drew them to Knox was his mental makeup and confidence. Many players in the lottery do individual workouts. But Knox agreed to work out with five other players at the Knicks’ facility and impressed. “The fact that he wanted to come in and compete with five other guys that said something about how he felt about himself as a player,” Mills said. “The size that he has, the athleticism he has, he’s a perfect fit for how we want to play and what’s going on with the league today.” Knicks take center. The Knicks, who have some uncertainty at center, took 7-footer Mitchell Robinson with the sixth pick of the second round. Robinson is said to have first-round talent — he was the No. 8-ranked player coming out of high school in 2017 — but there are questions. Robinson never played in college. He enrolled at Western Kentucky, but he was granted his release to transfer. He re-enrolled briefly and then left to train for the NBA Draft.<doc-sep>NEW YORK, June 21, 2018– The New York Knicks have selected Kevin Knox from the University of Kentucky with the ninth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. With the 36th overall pick, the Knicks selected Mitchell Robinson from Chalmette High School (Chalmette, La. ), in the second round of the Draft. Knox, 6-9, 215-pounds spent one season at Kentucky with averages of 15.6 points and 32.4 minutes over 37 games (37 starts). He led the Wildcats in scoring, 3-pointers made and recorded the eighth-most points (576) in school history as a freshman. Knox was a 2017-18 AP Honorable Mention All-America selection, 2017-18 SEC co-Freshman of the Year and named to the 2017-18 All-SEC First Team. As a freshman, he scored in double figures in all but seven games, including a team-high 10 games with 20 or more. He erupted for a game-high 34 points in a 17-point comeback victory at No. 7 West Virginia on January 27, 2018. In a victory over Davidson, he posted 25 points and six rebounds in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Robinson, 7-0, 225-pounds, finished his senior year at Chalmette averaging 25.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 7.1 blocks. For his AAU team (Pro Skills), he recorded 15.5 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.1 blocks in the summer of 2016 and was named All-EYBL Second Team. At the Peach Jam Championships, Robinson posted 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.6 blocks. The Naismith Trophy All-America honorable mention was selected to the 2017 McDonald’s All-American Game and participated in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic.<doc-sep>Mike Stobe/Getty Images In what has become a time-honored tradition, New York Knicks fans weren't thrilled with their first-round draft pick. On Thursday, that meant a handful of boos for former Kentucky swingman Kevin Knox—who joined the Knicks at No. 9 overall—from the Knicks faithful on hand at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. So who did Knicks fans want? Well, according to those on hand, the room was strongly in favor of New York selecting former Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr., who fell because of concerns regarding his surgically repaired back. However, Knox shouldn't be deterred. After all, Knicks fans also jeered when Kristaps Porzingis was selected fourth overall in 2015, and now he's a Big Apple darling. "I like that. That's motivation," Knox told ESPN (h/t ESPN.com's Ian Begley). "A lot of the city wants (Michael) Porter, but I’m ready to work, I’m ready to get to the organization and try to win some games."<doc-sep>
Kevin Knox and Kristaps Porzingis already have one thing in common. Both were booed on draft night — and the same young fan, Jordan, who was seen crying after the Knicks drafted Porzingis was among those jeering at Knox and chanting to take Michael Porter Jr. instead at No. 9 on Thursday. “We were hoping the Knicks would trade up for the fourth pick and get (Mohamed) Bamba,” Jordan’s father, Gal, told The Post. “Once that didn’t happen and Atlanta made the trade (for the fifth pick), Orlando ended up getting Bamba at six. And we thought Perry being the former (Orlando GM) … that he would try to make a trade with Orlando for the sixth pick and that we’d end up with Bamba. I thought that would really, you know, help the Knicks tremendously down the line. “But once that didn’t happen, we knew the Knicks were sticking to the original ninth pick. And then we saw Michael Porter Jr. still on the board and we were hoping the Knicks would draft him at nine. Didn’t happen. Our second choice would have been Mikal Bridges. That didn’t happen.” Knox, a Kentucky product, has talent. But Gal and his son wanted Porter, due to his ceiling. The Missouri product was a top prospect coming out of high school before hurting his back and barely playing last season. If history is any indication though, the Knicks may be just fine. Porzingis, after he was booed, went on to be the Knicks’ best draft pick in years. Gal and his son, who regularly attend Knicks games, now have a relationship with Porzingis. Since then, cameras have been on them at every draft and on Thursday, ESPN got its payoff. “Whether the cameras were not there, we booed the selection, that’s what it was,” Gal said. “Not the player, the selection. He may turn out to be great. “… Knox was just, nothing against him, but he was not our top choice for the ninth pick. That’s how it is.” Knox, for his part, used the harsh reaction as motivation. “They booed Porzingis [on draft night] and look where he is now,” Knox said after he was selected. “That’s the same mindset I’m going to have. They can chant Michael Porter all they want. But they got Kevin Knox, and I’m willing to work and I’m willing to get better.”