An inquiry on No. 2 pick

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that the Knicks are among three teams that have approached the Grizzlies about the No. 2 overall pick. The other two are believed to be the Celtics and Rockets. As we've been saying, the Knicks lack the blockbuster-type assets to blow anyone else away however , while the Celts and Rox may have established veterans to offer in return to instantly upgrade Memphis' young roster, the Knicks do have some things that would interest a franchise such as the Grizzlies: No. 1, the ability to take back a contract, No. 2, expiring contracts and, of course, the waivable Cuttino Mobley contract, of which 80 percent is paid by insurance. The cash-strapped Grizzlies may find that valuable in the long run, especially if they can save on Darko Milicic's final year at $7.5M. For the Knicks, it's worth it because he comes off the books in 2010. The Grizzlies then still have plenty of cap space to go after a free agent or make a trade this summer. That roster is in need of some veteran influence, but the trouble is getting someone to want to come play there. Rubio has some leverage here, too. He can scare off teams by threatening to simply not come over to the NBA right away. His contract buyout is an issue and he is now seeking arbitration with DKV Joventut to ease the demands of the buyout so he can play in the NBA next season. The buyout clause is quite ridiculous: the team is demanding $6.6M if he leaves for the NBA but reportedly only pays him $175,000 if he stayed to play next season. As we know, NBA teams are only allowed to pay up to $500,000 to buy out an international contract. So Ricky would have to come up with the remaining $5.1M on his own if he wants to come over to the NBA right away. Obviously a big market will help him with the buyout because a major sponsor -- such as Nike -- could foot the bill up front just to have him in a place such as New York. Rubio also has one of the toughest agents in Dan Fegan, who works tirelessly to get what he believes is best for his client. It doesn't always happen that way -- such as in 2007, when Yi Jianlian was selected by Milwaukee despite Fegan's efforts to dissuade the Bucks -- but it doesn't seem the Grizzlies are willing to make such a defiant stance. They could, of course, with the intention to trade the selection later (as the Hornets did with Kobe Bryant). I believe the Knicks are doing the usual due dilligence and in reality may legitimately be a third or fourth option at this point for the Grizzlies, who could simply take Hasheem Thabeet with the No. 2 pick. But if they see enough out of other players who may fit their needs better (Jordan Hill, perhaps?) a slide down the draft order along with saving 80 percent in one player's salary (Mobley) could eventually become attractive to them. Rubio is expected to come to the U.S. this weekend and work out for the Clippers, Thunder and Kings. It is still unclear if he will work out for the Grizzlies. As for the Knicks, they have monitored his situation closely and remain very quiet about any interest in working him out. The team has a highly respected scout in Europe, Kevin Wilson, who has seen plenty of La Pistola over the past few years. Mike D'Antoni saw Rubio firsthand in Beijing last summer at the Olympics. Would he fit in D'Antoni's system? Yes, in several ways. He is a crafty playmaker and sees the floor with precocious vision, which is perfect for this offense of constant motion. Surround him with shooters and he would have many options. Defensively he is better than advertised, though on-ball D is a concern because of lateral speed. Quite frankly, there aren't many high-end offensive point guards in this league who can lock-down defend on-the-ball. Even Chris Paul and Deron Williams need help. The biggest concern with Rubio is his shooting ability on the pick-and-roll. Rubio loads his shot low and it's akin to a push shot, somewhat like Magic Johnson used to do it. Magic, of course, was 6-9, so he managed to get it off. He also worked on it to make it effective from downtown when left open. Rubio is 18. He'll have plenty of time to work on it, but a lot of work needs to be done there. Fixers, I believe this is a situation worth monitoring on a daily basis, because in the end the two guards that seem to best fit the Knicks -- Rubio and Stephen Curry -- may both be gone by the No. 8 pick. And, quite frankly, it makes no sense to just make a pick for the sake of making one at this point. If you wind up without your targets at No. 8 and see secondary choices you know you can get later in the draft (say, in the teens or 20s), then you trade out. Off to Westchester for the workouts. Check back here later for updates and, as always, follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for up-to-the-minute info.