Another reason the Knicks stink ... Ineffective international scouting

By Justin Grant

As the San Antonio Spurs wiped away the New York Knicks' 18-point lead Friday night at the Garden, observers saw more than just the simple differences between a good team and a bad one.

We were also eye witnesses to what strong international scouting can do for a team in the globalized NBA. Meanwhile, Greg Popovich put the spotlight back on Isiah Thomas' glaring deficiencies as a coach and general manager of this once proud, but suddenly despicable franchise.

I hate to kick a man when he is down -- but as an objective member of the media -- I must state the obvious. As long as Thomas has control of the Knicks' basketball operation, -- and please discount my last column about this team -- the Knicks will remain in the basement.

And this is not only due to Thomas' gross mismanagement of the salary cap; or his high-risk bets on players with questionable track records.

It is also due to his unwillingness to properly scour the international market for talent. With all due respect to the American-born players on the Knicks, in order to be successful in today's NBA, teams must not ignore players from overseas.

Pop' and the Spurs showed that Friday as they toyed with the Knicks before ripping their hearts out in overtime.

Although they lucked out when Tim Duncan landed in their lap, the Spurs have remained annual contenders for the title because they've scouted foreign-born talent better than anyone else. They picked Argentine forward Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in the 1999 NBA draft and French point guard Tony Parker with the 28th pick in 2001.

The Spurs would not have won championships in 2003, 2005, and 2007 without them.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets have built playoff teams with international players playing key roles in getting them there.

Whomever the Knicks choose to skipper the franchise when the Thomas era reaches its merciful end, they must not fail to aggressively scout players on foreign shores. Their future depends on it.