The Knicks could be looking at a new starting power forward come fall, and we're not talking about Antonio McDyess.

When the Knicks introduced Mike Sweetney yesterday at the Garden, Don Chaney ranked his new No.1 pick ahead of incumbents Othella Harrington and Clarence Weatherspoon in the one area in which his team needs vast improvement: scoring in the low post.

"If you look at the team from last year, not counting McDyess, we really didn't have guys who were really post-up players," Chaney said. "So to me, it's hard to compare. Most of our power forwards were guys who played away from the basket. I think (Sweetney) can play very well with his back to the basket."

One word of caution before you pencil the Georgetown product into the starting lineup: Last summer, Chaney also predicted rookie Frank Williams would challenge for the starting point guard position. That never happened.

"I think he'll surprise a lot of people, in terms of his ability to score down low," Chaney said of Sweetney, taken No. 9 overall. "I'm not saying he's a Larry Johnson. But Larry was undersized and he scored on big guys. I think (Sweetney's) versatility in the low post, with his different variety of shots ... I think he'll be very productive."