Several years from now, Knicks fans may still be thanking Rob Babcock.

With the top three point guards off the board and talented big man Channing Frye looming as a clear choice to fill the Raptors’ hole in the middle, the Toronto general manager inexplicably pulled the trigger on Connecticut forward/head case Charlie Villanueva with his no. 7 pick. That left the Knicks, who picked eighth, with an unexpected gift – they got Frye, the player they coveted most, without needing to trade up.

The Frye selection is a perfect instance of talent and need coming together. The Knicks didn’t need to reach – the 6-foot-11-inch center out of Arizona truly was the sixth- or seventh best player in the draft. And he’s the perfect complement to Michael Sweetney in the Knicks’ frontcourt of the future. Sweetney is short and wide, Frye is long and lean. Sweetney is floor bound, Frye can sky. Sweetney is a beast in the post, while Frye can stroke mid-range jumpers. Two years from now, it’s easy to see the duo combining for 30 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks a night.

While it was expected that Knicks team president Isiah Thomas would select Frye if he was still available, he appears to have pulled off an unexpected coup later in the first round. Rumors circulated last night that the Knicks had convinced the Suns to give them point guard Nate Robinson, whom Phoenix selected with the 21st pick, as a late throw-in to the Kurt Thomas-Quentin Richardson trade. Presumably, Robinson will replace the conditional draft pick the Suns had originally agreed to include in the trade. Providing the choice now rather than in 2006 may be the additional inducement the Knicks required after questions popped up about Richardson’s back.

Robinson is a 5-foot-9-inch waterbug out of Washington who pushes the ball up the court at a withering pace and should give the Knicks their first real backup point guard in years (unless you count the Charlie Ward-Howard Eisley era when the Knicks had two backups but no starters). I have only one question about Robinson: How would he fit in if Mr. Walk the Ball Up, Larry Brown, ends up coaching the Knicks next year?

The Knicks used their final first round pick at no.30 to get another frontcourt prospect in 6-foot-10-inch forward David Lee from Florida. Lee is similar to Frye in that he can step out and hit a jump shot, but he doesn’t have quite as much spring or size. He is extremely active on the glass, however, and could help energize the second unit.

New York added another guard at the end of Round 2 in 6-foot-7-inch Dijon Thompson, who was a teammate of Trevor Ariza’s at UCLA. Thompson is an athletic “point-forward” type who handles the ball very well for his size, but scouts have questioned his effort level.

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NETS PICK MR. WRIGHT

While the Knicks celebrated their slam dunk, draft night wasn’t quite as big a hit out in the ‘burbs. The Nets passed up talented players like Danny Granger and Gerald Green to select Texas A &M shooting guard Antoine Wright with the 15th pick. The 6-foot-7-inch Wright has good size for the position and creates shots, but he’s not a high-percentage outside shooter, which is the Nets’ greatest need on the perimeter.

In addition, there are some red flags in his record. Wright had a miserable sophomore season, and his junior season (he came out a year early) wasn’t that great. Players with low totals of blocks and steals as collegians often struggle to hang athletically in the pros, and Wright had just 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks a game last year.

Moreover, the Nets passed up a great opportunity to add more rebounding muscle to their front line. New Jersey’s offensive rebounding was nonexistent last year, depriving the team of easy baskets. After the Nets elected not to pick up Clifford Robinson’s option, it seemed like they would pounce on the opportunity to fill their open frontcourt spot. A high-flying player like Syracuse’s Hakim Warrick would have been a great fit running the floor with Jason Kidd and working the glass, but alas the Nets decided he wasn’t Mr. Wright.

New Jersey did a bit better in Round 2, selecting 7-foot-1-inch Serbian Mile Ilic. Much as they did with Nenad Krstic, the Nets are likely to leave the 20-year-old overseas for a couple of years. And as with Krstic, Ilic is regarded as a skilled player who needs more strength and toughness.

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Some other draft highlights from around the league:

HOMER AWARD

Charlotte general manager Bernie Bickerstaff used his two lottery picks on North Carolina’s Raymond Felton and Sean May – two of four Tar Heels to go in the lottery. Though Bobcats fans may be happy to land two locals, both choices appeared to be reaches. The announcers immediately lauded Bickerstaff for selecting “proven winners,” winning the draft’s “if you can’t say anything nice” award.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING AWARD

Babcock defends his title one year after the baffling selection of Rafael Araujo with the eighth overall pick. Villanueva has more talent than Araujo, but in a dressing room that already houses problem children like Rafer Alston and Jalen Rose, things could get interesting.

HIGH RISER

Besides Felton, May, and Villanueva, Arizona State’s Ike Diogu was the biggest surprise in the early going, selected by Golden State with the ninth pick. Many projections had him lasting until near the end of the first round.

SANK LIKE A STONE

Danny Granger and Gerald Green were thought of as possible top-five picks, but fell to 17th and 18th, respectively. But keep an eye on them: Indiana’s Donnie Walsh took Granger while Boston’s Danny Ainge picked Green, and both have outstanding track records in the draft.

WHO DAT?

San Antonio raised eyebrows by selecting French teenager Ian Mahinmi at the end of the first round. Mahinmi hadn’t been forecast as a selection in any mock drafts, and spent the past year playing for a junior team in France where he averaged a meager six points a game. All of that might induce mockery except for the fact that the Spurs are on top of the league precisely because of their ability to find international sleepers – think Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili – with late draft picks.

MOST LIKELY BUST

That would be 7-foot high-schooler Andrew Bynum to the Lakers at no. 10. The history of behemoth centers taken between picks no. 5 and 13 in the draft is absolutely horrendous – basically, all of them turned out to be stiffs. Does the name DeSagana Diop ring a bell?

POSSIBLE STEAL

Orlando got good value by selecting Spain’s Fran Vazquez with the 11th overall pick. Vazquez is a long rebound machine in the mold of Seattle’s Nick Collison, except he blocks more shots and can hit a midrange jumper.