While much of the basketball world prepares for the realistic possibility of David Stern’s dreams of a Kobe/LeBron final going poof! in a cloud of chalk, Newsday’s Alan Hahn is keenly focused on the NBA Draft taking place in less than a month.

Checking a list of those the Knicks have invited to Purchase, NY for workouts, Hahn writes that North Carolina G Ty Lawson, “could be the biggest competition Stephen Curry has in realizing his New York dreams.”

Lawson doesn’t have great size (6-foot, 195 pounds), but he’s strong and ridiculously fast, especially with the dribble. He showed in this year’s NCAA Tournament that not only can he run an offense, he can get to the rim and he also can get to the foul line, two very valuable traits for an NBA guard.

The biggest thing he showed this season is he’s a winner. The Knicks need to collect as many of those as they can. Lawson led the Heels to the championship and, as I’ve said here many times about him (including last year before he decided not to enter the draft), his team goes as he goes. When he was healthy, the Heels were one of the best teams in the country. When he was injured, they weren’t. Period.

Defense? Again, a question. His size will hurt him some, especially against the big guards. You can’t overlook the fact that he does get banged up and his durability as a starter could be questioned. But as far as true PGs in the draft, he is clearly one of the best and, depending on how the individual workouts go, he could be very high on the list for the Knicks at No. 8.