The Knicks and Nets enter tomorrow night’s draft from starkly different positions. The Knicks are a mess trying to make the most of a bad roster and payroll situation that resulted in their worst record in nearly 20 years. The Nets are coming off their sixth straight winning season and are looking for one or two more players to push toward a title while their current nucleus is still in its prime.

Oddly for two teams with such disparate records (the Nets went 49-33 this season while the Knicks fell to 23-59), their draft positions are strikingly similar. Both teams have two picks in the latter half of the first round. The Knicks draft at no. 20 and no. 29; the Nets will be selecting at the no. 22 and no. 23 spots. The Nets’ second pick is their own; the first originally belonged to the Los Angeles Clippers but came to the Nets from Denver as a result of the Kenyon Martin sign and trade deal in the summer of 2004. The Knicks’ higher pick originally belonged to Denver but arrived in New York via the Antonio Davis deal this winter; the latter pick originally belonged to San Antonio, but was traded to the Knicks as part of the Nazr Mohammed deal in February 2005.

Given their putrid record, the Knicks should be drafting higher, but team president (and new head coach) Isiah Thomas traded the team’s pick to Chicago in the Eddy Curry deal last fall, and he failed to put a lottery protection clause on the pick. It was a glaring misstep, and it doesn’t get any better. As part of the same trade, the Knicks offered Chicago the right to trade places in the 2007 draft, meaning fans probably won’t get to cheer an elite collegian or Euroball teen star donning a Knick jersey at the draft podium until 2008.

That situation defines the Knicks’ draft. Their roster breaks neatly into two categories: older players nearing the end of their primes like guards Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, and Jalen Rose, and young players just finding their games, like forwards Channing Frye, David Lee, and center Jackie Butler. With a little luck, the Knicks can find their way to the periphery of the playoff hunt, but If Thomas is realistic about the Knicks situation, he will have to shop for the distant future.

If Thomas has proven himself adept at one thing as a front-office man, it’s drafting. Lee and guard Nate Robinson, who enjoyed promising rookie seasons at the Garden, were taken at the end of the first round last summer, and Thomas will need to repeat that success this year. Unlike some GMs who shop for need, Thomas appears to target the best available athlete – a good strategy since the top players by position are usually gone after the first 15-20 picks.

This year’s draft isn’t brimming with future hall-of-famers, but it is rich in complementary players, so even at 20 and 29, the Knicks will be able to improve the team. Ideally, the team should target Temple guard Mardy Collins, Memphis swingman Shawne Williams, and Michigan State guard Maurice Ager with their picks. All three are excellent athletes from good programs, and each stands a good chance of being a contributor to the Knicks when they emerge from the salary cap hell that will limit possibilities for the next few seasons.

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The Nets have a curious draft history. Since the 2001 draft-day deal that sent forward Eddie Griffin to Houston for forward Richard Jefferson and center Jason Collins, the Nets have done very poorly at drafting American-born players. Philadelphia starting forward Kyle Korver was a Nets draft pick, but he was dumped on the 76ers before he could even play in summer league. He would be a useful player coming of the Nets bench these days. Other American picks by the Nets have floundered.

At the same time, the Nets have excelled at drafting players from the European leagues. Starting power forward Nenad Krstic was taken with the 24th pick in 2002. Reserve guard Zoran Planinic was taken with the 22nd pick in 2003. The team has Mile Ilic, a Serbian big man taken last spring, honing his game in Europe with the expectation that he will make the trip across the ocean this summer or next.

In contrast to the Knicks, who need to make “long term” their mantra, the Nets need to aim to win now because they’re nearing the end of a window of championship contention. Jason Kidd is 33 and may have only a year or two left as a top player; shooting guard Vince Carter is 29, and nearing an age at which most players in his position start to decline.

The Nets must draft for need. The team has two major weaknesses: the bench and shot blocking (only the Knicks, Raptors, and Bucks blocked fewer shots this season). Neither is particularly well served from the 22nd and 23rd spots, so the Nets should look to package their picks and move up. If they can get themselves to the end of the lottery, they could target Arkansas guard Ron Brewer, who could come of the bench and contribute right away and in a few years could supplant one of the current starters.

If the Nets are only able to move up a few spots – and they should try – they could take Senegalese big man Saer Sene or UConn pivotman Hilton Armstrong. Sene’s overall game is still raw, but his skill at protecting the rim is ready for prime time, so he could be worked into the rotation gradually. Armstrong is more NBA ready, but has less upside down the road. Either player could turn the Nets’ already stellar defense into a shutdown one.

Three games in the standings and better execution in three playoff games are the primary things that separate the Nets from the world champion Heat. If they draft well, it will be the first step in narrowing the gap. For the Knicks, this draft should begin a phase in which the organization begins to aggressively manage expectations. The Knicks aren’t going to be a good team for a long while, but after a 23-win season, there’s plenty of room for progress.

mjohnson@nysun.com