Mike D'Antoni's makeover of the New York Knicks is ready to begin Phase 2.

The time will be 7 p.m. Thursday.

The place will be Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The event will be the 2009 NBA Draft.

This will be D'Antoni's second draft as Knicks' head coach. And the Mullens, W.Va., native and former Marshall University basketball star realizes it is crucial.

After all, it is New York.

It is the Knicks.

And it is New Yorkers, who regard NBA hoops as a religion.

Just ask Spike Lee.

"They want a rebuilding process," explained D'Antoni. "They know that. Fans in New York are very knowledgeable fans and they'll give us a chance to get our plan implemented and try to get it right.

"At the same time, people can be impatient. And I'm impatient. We have good players, good guys. I think we've changed the culture a little bit.

"Now, we need a good draft this year. And, hopefully, some free agent moves. And just keep making progress."

One particular free agent move could impact which player the Knicks draft with the No. 8 selection of the first round.

The Knicks obviously need a point guard to run D'Antoni's uber-tempo, high-scoring offense.

The tandem of Chris Duhon and Nate Robinson really didn't get the job done last season. Duhon wore down physically and will be a free agent in 2010, while Robinson isn't a true point guard.

One option would be signing Carlos Cabezas from Spain.

He could be the answer.

If so, then the Knicks could draft a mobile big man with their first-round pick, such as Louisville's Earl Clark.

If not, the Knicks are looking at such point guards as Brandon Jennings (Arizona), Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth) and Ty Lawson (North Carolina).

All of those players are solid, but they obviously lack the pizzazz of a Hasheem Thabeet (UConn), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Tyreke Evans (Memphis) or even a Stephen Curry (Davidson).

Unfortunately for D'Antoni, it is impossible to obtain that sort of star power with the No. 8 pick.

"It's hard to hit the home run nowadays," said D'Antoni, who also is limited by the fact the Knicks traded their second-round pick to Portland. "You've just got to hit little singles and keep getting better. We'll have a chance.

"But it's exciting. New York is an exciting place. The arena -- when you're playing well -- is excited. Living in New York -- we live right outside New York -- is terrific.

"So, now, it's all set up. We just have to win."

Part II of that process commences on Thursday.

D'Antoni would love to hit an NBA Draft home run like Memphis did last year with Huntington native O.J. Mayo.

"When we drafted that year, we couldn't get him," said D'Antoni. "We would have liked to have gotten him. So, we talked to him.

"I like O.J. a lot. We had him in the Select Group in USA Basketball, so I was around him a little bit. It was really the first time I got to know him.

"He's a terrific person. I think he's going to be a great pro. I'm really proud of him. And he handles himself really well. He's very articulate and he wants to learn.

"From what I've seen, he's a great guy. I think he'll do well."

Then, D'Antoni paused to allow the other high-top to drop.

"I hope he does well," added D'Antoni with a sly smile. "Just not against the Knicks, obviously."

Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.

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