Wilcox Wows 'Em In New York
6/18/2002 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 18, 2002
by Marc Berman, New York Post
Read this story on the New York Post website
NEW YORK -- This solidified it.
If Knick brass had a tiny reservation about Chris Wilcox entering yesterday's big Garden show, GM Scott Layden got blown away by the dynamic, athletic 6-10 power forward from Maryland during the 90-minute workout.
Before 10 teams and the media, Wilcox, wearing Sprewellian braids, brought his high-powered, high-energy, hard-dunking game to the Garden - an element the Knicks lack. It's why Wilcox, 19, has now become a no-brainer if he falls to seven, a perfect fit for Don Chaney's high tempo style.
And it's why a source told The Post yesterday the Knicks will explore swapping picks with Cleveland at six if they feel the Cavs might take him.
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"He's very high-energy, energetic, unbelievable amount of explosiveness and quickness to the ball. What I really like, you put that guy in the open court with that size, he'll beat most guys down the floor. He should have great opportunities in the open court."
Knicks Coach Don Chaney
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Layden and assistant GM Jeff Nix were at Wilcox' first NBA workout Wednesday in Chicago and clearly the 6-10 high flyer was rusty.
"I think this workout compared to the other was very impressive," Layden said. "We had an opportunity to see the workout in Chicago and this was even more impressive than that."
What left Layden drooling yesterday was Wilcox's polished low-post moves. Though he has no range beyond 14 feet and shoots free throws poorly, he showed a nifty low-post game, one time rolling past Fresno's Melvin Ely along the left baseline for a pretty reverse.
"When you watched his team, he brought tremendous energy offensively and defensively - very active," Layden said. "What you see in the workout here, he's improved his skills. When you watch him play [in college], you don't see as many as the refined moves. From freshman year to today, a great improvement."
Read the full story on the New York Post website (written June 16).
