It might be wishful thinking, but then again, what else do Knicks fans have these days? Still, if there is one kid who could help make the beleaguered franchise interesting again, it could be Andy Rautins.
Every team needs that kind of guy, especially those teams trying to regain a fan base nervous about the future. At 6-foot-4 with good shooting touch, he could be an instant energy guy, a guy who can score quick points and create excitement.
“I’ve always said I’m a little bit like Steve Nash and Dan Majerle,” Rautins said by telephone yesterday. “Steve for the way he sees the floor and his passing ability and his vision, and Dan for the way he shoots the ball and his ability to grind it out on defense.”
Selected by the Knicks with the 37th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, Rautins does not have to be Nash — an early John Starks will do. That’s someone the Knicks can use even if they sign LeBron James.
Right now coach Mike D’Antoni’s lone sharpshooter is Danilo Gallinari, who is not a bad first option, but the Knicks need another — someone less feast-or-famine than Nate Robinson; someone who can allow Wilson Chandler to be more physical; someone who can energize an arena.
Rautins, who made 282 3-pointers during his four years at Syracuse, could do that.
“I just want to take some pressure off some of the double teams with my ability to shoot the ball as well as my ability to pass the ball and bring it up the floor,” Rautins said.
He already has a leg up on being a fan favorite, unlike Landry Fields of Stanford, whom the Knicks made the 38th overall pick. Rautins is the local kid who made good. Well, sort of. He’s a Canadian from good basketball bloodlines who went to Syracuse and made playing in the Big East and in the Garden a home away from home.
The last Syracuse player drafted by the Knicks was John Wallace, who was taken in the first round in 1996. At least the Orange lovers in Manhattan now have a reason to follow the Knicks.
“Syracuse is New York’s college team,” Rautins said. “Every time we played in the Garden, we rocked it. I think the fans can identify with me, and I look forward to playing down there because there are a lot of Syracuse fans there and my family will be able to see me play.”
He has the father-son thing working, too. His father, Leo, was a star at Syracuse and the first Canadian drafted in the NBA’s first round when he went 17th in the 1983 draft to the 76ers. Knee injuries wrecked Leo’s career, but he is part of history now that the Rautins have become the first father and son from Canada to be NBA draft picks.
“He’s my guy,” Andy Rautins said of his father, who coaches the Canadian national team. “We talk about four or five times a day. Throughout this process, he’s been huge in terms of giving me advice and keeping my head above water. I owe a lot of my success to him.”
Rautins, who has a maple leaf tattooed to his wrist, will play for his dad and his country at the World Championships this year in Turkey. Then he will make a quick transition to point guard in D’Antoni’s offense, an offense Rautins studied by watching Nash in Phoenix.
“You saw guys were getting shots left and right,” Rautins said. “Then you can see Gallinari getting wide open 3’s. It’s something I’m interested in doing.”
The Knicks have plenty of job openings right now — from superstar to bench support. Somewhere in there is a spot for Rautins, already a potential Garden favorite without having played a game.