GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Donnie Walsh got booed when he chose Chuck Person, then Reggie Miller (instead of Steve Alford) with his first two drafts in Indiana, then heard "who?" when he picked Rik Smits in his third.

Yet, he's never drafted with the scrutiny of a crowd as tough as New York's, so the significance of his first draft as Knicks president Thursday doesn't escape him.

"A pick of this caliber is always important to the franchise," he said Tuesday of owning the sixth pick (if he doesn't trade it), the Knicks' highest pick since they chose Kenny Walker fifth in 1988 (one pick after he chose Person).

It's particularly important because although players such as Brandon Roy (2006) and Shane Battier (2001) went sixth, there's always the lingering fear of pulling what's come to be known as a "Tskitishvili." That refers to Denver spending 2002's No. 5 pick on forward Nikolsz Tskitishvili, who's now out of the league, as is the player Golden State then chose sixth that year, Dajuan Wagner.

Which is why Walsh has admitted he can't "blow" this pick in the wake of the Isiah Thomas-orchestrated 23-59 2007-08 season. Which is why, although he acknowledged getting as many as 10 calls a day about possible trades, he isn't tipping his hand about much of anything — except that he likes the apparent two top candidates between whom he may choose: Italian League forward Danilo Gallinari and UCLA guard Russell Westbrook.

"He's got a great overall game," he said of the 6-10 Gallinari. "He's 19 years old and yet he's a guy that his (Italian) team went to at the end of games. ...

"He's an unusual package."

As for the 6-3 Westbrook, who could become the team's post-Stephon Marbury point guard despite a college career as a combo guard and questions about his offense (but not his defense), Walsh said, "I think we thought he was a good athlete, but to see it up close was impressive."

Westbrook is one of several guards who could be available when the Knicks' turn comes, pending a trade, with Arizona's Jerryd Bayless, Indiana's Eric Gordon, Texas' D.J. Augustin and possibly even Southern Cal's O.J. Mayo (who's expected to go earlier) among the others.

But despite building a reputation in Indiana with Person, Miller and Smits for making the unexpected pick, Walsh insists he won't reach for a guard just to pick one based on need.

"If you have to reach and go way down in the draft just to fill a need," he said, "then I think you're making a mistake."

Still, although he claimed he had no deals in the fire, he spoke slightly more than 48 hours before the start of the draft, during which he expected to field and consider more offers to move up or down in the draft, depending on how it plays out.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a draft like this," he said, referring to its depth beyond consensus 1-2 picks Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley. "Everybody's talking to everybody."

And not only between now and Thursday, but afterward, he still expects to keep talking, for if the Knicks stay the course, they'll draft just one player. With the free agent and trade markets opening in six days, he expects they'll need more.

"You make a decision, you hope it's a good one, you move onto the next one (and) this is the next one," he said. "They're all important."