By Bobby "The Voice" Ciafardini

Building a championship team in the National Basketball Association is a little like making a cake. You need several ingredients, the right chemistry, and with a little luck, your cake will raise to championship glory, where victory satisfies everybody's sweet tooth.

That might be an over-dramatized analogy, but last night the New York Knicks, under their roof, in their kitchen toyed with the flavor of their cake, landing 6-foot-8 Georgetown forward Mike Sweetney with the ninth pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden.

In the process, the Knickerbockers also pulled off the steal of the draft, grabbing 6-foot-11 Polish forward Maciej Lampe with the 30th pick, early in the second round. Lampe was considered a lottery pick at the start of the evening, but slipped down in position because of contract issues that could keep him away from an NBA roster anytime soon.

The Knicks were certainly shaking and baking on draft night for the first time in a long time and were even bold enough to take a project in the third round (39th overall) in the name of 7-foot-4 center Slavko Vranes from Serba/Montenegro.

Maybe the Knicks should just draft big men from Georgetown, since the last time the franchise tabbed a Hoyas player in the first round, New Yorkers were privileged to see the legendary Patrick Ewing grace the hardwood for 15 seasons at the World's Most Famous Arena.

The Knicks had a great draft night on paper and one that could end up proving to get them back in the playoffs in reality. Making it back to the post-season will be the first step for the Knicks, who finished 37-45 last season, landing in the draft lottery for consecutive seasons for the first time in a long time.

That's where Sweetney comes in.

He symbolizes the Knicks' efforts to get younger and more athletic in the front court. Many recent stars were picked ninth in the draft. Could Sweetney follow suit?

Last season, the Phoenix Suns plucked Amare Stoudemire out of his seat on draft night with the ninth pick and all the high schooler did was get the Suns in the playoffs, garnering Rookie of the Year honors. In 1999, the Suns nabbed Shawn Marion; one season after the Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki. The Raptors picked Tracy McGrady in 1997 with lucky number nine.

Nowitzki now stars for the Mavericks. McGrady just won a scoring title in Orlando, dropping 32.1 per game. Marion is still in Phoenix and he averaged 21.2 nightly.

What does this mean - it means the Knicks have to be patient with Sweetney, who was named Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press this past season as a junior. He was also a Naismith Award finalist and a candidate for the Wooden Award. Despite playing only three seasons in college, he ranks seventh on the career scoring list at Georgetown with 1,750 points. Sweetney is also fifth in rebounds (887) and sixth in blocks (180).

Sweetney needs to play in the rotation next season. He's solid from the free throw line and he has shown a knack for scoring in the post.

If the Knicks play their cards right, they could add Lamar Odom with 4.5 million mid-level exception. The 24-year old Odom, who grew up in Jamaica, New York, could return home after averaging 14.6 points per game last season in Los Angeles for the lowly Clippers.

The lefty with the sweet J needs to focus more on his game after spats with substance abuse and off-the-court distractions. It remains to be seen whether New York would have a positive effect on his game, but Odom would be a perfect fit with his natural abilities at the small forward position.

Where does that leave us?

Well, the New York Knicks could make a few changes and end up in the Eastern Conference Finals this season.

Let's start with the second and third round picks from last night. They won't be ready this year.so don't even bother factoring them in.

How about the point guard situation?

Howard Eisley did a nice job running the offense last season and appeared to regain his shooting touch, so for the time being he's the starter - unless a big trade comes the Knicks' way that would bring a proven veteran into the mix.

Meanwhile, Charlie Ward looks like he could be the odd man out. Ward has done a decent job over the years with the Knicks off the bench, but should only be in uniform next season if the organization is not ready to work on last season's draft pick, Frank Williams. Williams came over from Denver in the Antonio McDyess trade.

As for last year's second round pick, point guard Milos Vujanic, he just agreed to a two-year deal with Skipper Bolgna of the Italian league - so if the Knicks can't offer more money, it's likely that he'll be in Europe for some time. Leave him off the roster for this season.

If the Knickerbockers land Odom, perhaps they should consider bringing the 32-year old Sprewell off the bench - the way they did in the 1998-99 season when they reached the finals. He would provide an enormous spark off the bench and could win the sixth man of the year award, lifting the Knicks back to the playoffs with Odom dazzling as a starter.

Allan Houston gets the nod at the shooting guard and Kurt Thomas has earned a spot at either the 4 or the 5.

Here's where it gets tricky.

The Knicks need McDyess to be healthy, but it's still uncertain whether he will ever don his #34 jersey in a game that matters for the Knicks. If he starts the season on the injured list, that will be tough for the Knicks to swallow, but it could give Sweetney more of chance from the outset.

If McDyess is healthy, he'll start in the frontcourt along with Thomas, while Michael Doleac rounds out the rotation along with Clarence Weatherspoon.

The Knicks then need to clear out the contracts of Shandon Anderson, Othella Harrington and Travis Knight. These players could be useful at the end of the bench in case of injuries, but are easily replaced by the Knicks' new recruits. Or, free agents.

In addition, the Knicks have to decide on Lavor Postell, who looks like he'll never get a shot in New York. The franchise has down a poor job of increasing his trade value. Lee Nailon could be a nice fit for the Knicks in a part time role, but again, could become expendable if Odom comes to New York and shines.

And that's the story of your New York Knicks. For now.

The Knicks may make some big moves before the start of the season, but last night's tweaking along with the mid-level exception and the return of McDyess might just be the desert the franchise had in mind.

BON APPETIT!

Bobby is a former sportswriter for the Associated Press in New York. He currently writes for the Greenwich Time in Greenwich, Connecticut. Note: These opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Greenwich Time or InsideHoops.com