The biggest upset of the NBA draft might have been that all three picks made by Knicks general manager Scott Layden received cheers instead of the customary boos. Instead of trading for a young veteran, Layden began to lay the foundation for the future by taking forwards Mike Sweetney (No. 9) and Maciej Lampe (No. 30) and center Slavko Vranes (No. 39).

Layden had reason to feel good about the draft, but no one in the organization was happier than European scout Kevin Wilson, who was stunned that Lampe, a projected lottery pick, fell to the Knicks with the first pick of the second round. Lampe was chosen later than expected because of a contractual problem with Real Madrid, the Spanish team that owns his rights.

"Kevin was bouncing off the walls last night," Layden said Friday at a Madison Square Garden news conference to introduce the newest Knicks.

The Knicks considered taking Lampe with their lottery pick but went the safe route with Sweetney because of the uncertainty regarding a buyout clause in Lampe's contract. To their surprise, even teams with late first-round picks and little hope of hitting a home run passed on Lampe. Possibly, teams with lower picks didn't have enough information because they didn't expect Lampe to be available.

"It is kind of a mystery why some of these teams passed on him," Wilson said. "The only thing that makes sense is that this was a draft that was addressed toward needs rather than best player available ... Maybe they were afraid of how much potential he had. Maybe people were pinching themselves and saying, 'Ah, this guy can't be that good. I think we're overselling him."'