Carmelo Anthony's draft philosophy is simple and precise: draft the best available player from Baltimore.

Anthony has made it clear to the Knicks that he'd love for the club to draft one of his Baltimore pals, Josh Selby, a 6-3 combo guard out of Kansas. Selby is all but certain to be available when the Knicks, who own the 17th pick in Thursday's NBA draft, make their selection.

The question is whether the Knicks will take a chance on Selby at 17 or trade for a late first-round pick or a second-rounder with the hope that Selby would still be available.