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Perhaps the Creative Artists Agency can pull some strings for Knicks president Leon Rose.
While Dayton scoring forward Obi Toppin is considered out of reach for the Knicks in 8th overall in the NBA Draft, it’s worth noting that the club used one of their 10 live practice slots. on the native New Yorker.
“I spoke with the Knicks,” Toppin said during an NBA Zoom call Wednesday. “I had an interview with them. It went very well. They have an excellent organization. It would be great to come home, but there are a lot of other teams ahead of them that are great too.
The 6-foot-9 slasher was signed to the CAA after being heavily recruited by the agency. Rose was director of basketball operations for the CAA before becoming president of the Knicks on March 2.
Toppin said he didn’t meet Rose prior to the Knicks interviews / practice sessions as his main agent at CAA is Austin Brown.
Can CAA play a role in Toppin’s fall to 8th or will Rose have to trade a few notches? He was widely screened to go No.5 in Cleveland, keeping Toppin in Ohio.
But it was in New York that Toppin identified himself after his birth in Brooklyn. Although he moved to Florida early in high school, Toppin returned to finish his school career in Ossining.
The Post reported last month that if Toppin fell to 8th, they would surely snatch him. Rose is trying to hit a home run at No.8 and Toppin’s cap is higher than most players in the lottery, with scout reports saying he could be the most explosive player in the draft.
In his sophomore year, Toppin won a series of Player of the Year awards after averaging 20 points per game on 63% shots. The downside is that he’s 22 – old for a high lottery pick – and played in a mid-major conference, the Atlantic 10.
“I would love to be picked by a location that suits me the best,” Toppin said. “Going to a place where people are going to help me develop and improve and make sure that one day I will be awesome and be a Hall of Fame and Player of the Year, an MVP. . This is where I want to go, in the team that will help me the most to prepare to be great and win a lot of games.
Toppin said he has worked with a handful of NBA players in South Jersey, including Knicks forward Kevin Knox and Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson.
“It’s very helpful for the next level to play against these guys and take that information,” Toppin said. “I feel like I’m more prepared for the next level than before.”
Defensive versatility is the question mark for Toppin in terms of how quickly to move on to different players, as is all the rage in the NBA.
“I feel like I’m going to prove to them that I can’t play defense,” Toppin said.
Spoken like a real New Yorker. The New York products didn’t burn the league like they once did, but Toppin said, “I feel like us, having that name behind us, especially New York being a basketball town, we have a lot to do. . “
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