The 11-Year Freefall to Contention

At the time it seemed like a great trade. The Knicks were getting a 20/10 power forward that was making a career out of ferociously slamming on opposing players. His ruptured Patellar Tendon was not thought to be a concern because of an innovative micro-fracture surgery that would be able to fully repair injured knees. What were they giving up? An over-the-hill Mark Jackson, a talented but too thin and oft injured Marcus Camby, and the draft rights to a pudgy, undersized center in that year’s draft: Nene Hilario.

The player the Knicks received was Antonio McDyess.

Just a few years removed from a trip to the NBA Finals; Knick fans immediately salivated over the thought of a core three of Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, and newly acquired Antonio McDyess. Little did we know that McDyess’ inability to recover from his knee ailment was the first domino in a long series of bad trades, misused draft picks, and bad personnel moves that eventually led the Knicks to be a circus and the laughing stock of the league.

For nearly a decade following the McDyess trade, nearly everything that could have gone wrong for the Knicks went wrong.

….(Ace Ventura deep breath)….

Allan Houston could never quite realize his potential due to various injuries. General Manager Isiah Thomas traded countless draft picks and gave undeserved contracts to anyone that recently had a good game against the Knicks (see Jared Jeffries, Jerome James, Eddy Curry). James Dolan didn’t only stick with Isiah Thomas, he kept giving him more responsibility with the organization. Stephon Marbury listened to absolutely no one. Larry Brown, who successfully coached Allen “We-Talkin’-About-Practice” Iverson , couldn’t stand the thought of more time with Marbury; so he walked away. Zach Randolph did this: Eddy Curry started getting paid in cheeseburgers. Michael Sweetney was drafted ahead of Mo Williams, David West, and Kendrick Perkins. Houston still couldn’t get healthy. Marbury still wouldn’t listen. Nene Hilario(previously traded for McDyess), blossomed into an athletic and powerful center. Channing Frye was drafted ahead of Andrew Bynum and Danny Granger. Channing Frye was then traded and soon after became a lights out 3 point shooter off the bench for the Phoenix Suns. Painfully underachieving forward Tim Thomas was acquired…..twice. Moochie Norris(real name) played 68 games for the Knickerbockers. Vin Baker, Anfernee Hardaway, Dikembe Mutombo, and Glen Rice each arrived about 5 years past their respective primes. After leaving the Knicks, Dikembe Mutombo entered his prime again. Marbury still wouldn’t listen. Steve Francis forgot how to play basketball altogether once he entered Madison Square Garden. The Knicks traded athletic forward Trevor Ariza after he didn’t produce all-star caliber numbers immediately; he would end up starting for a championship Laker team. Countless players with expensive contracts like Malik Rose, Antonio Davis, and Jalen Rose were taken from other teams in order to complete trades that never quite panned out. And I haven’t even begun to state how far back Marbury’s inability to be coached set the Knicks. How could a team coached by Larry Brown and retaining a starting five of Stephon Marbury, Quentin Richardson, David Lee, Channing Frye, and Eddy Curry(still serviceable at that point) only win 23 games? Oh by the way, instant offense sixth-man Jamal Crawford came off the bench for that team(Jamal Crawford was one of the few bright spots during these years and was someone I was sad to see leave the Knicks organization). I will never forgive Marbury for his part in the destruction of the Knicks.

Finally in 2008, with the heralded free agent class of 2010 approaching, the Knicks made a good decision: they hired Donnie Walsh as President of Basketball Operations. Walsh immediately began shedding the expensive contracts leftover from the Isiah Thomas era. Mike D’Antoni was brought in as coach with his 7-seconds-or-less offense and the idea that the Knicks would only sign players that fit into his style of play.

Entering the summer of 2010, on Donnie Walsh’s watch; the Knicks had the cap-room for two maximum contracts as well as a roster with some already capable NBA players on it including Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. After organizations were done wooing all of the superstar free agents and the dust settled, the Knicks had signed dominant offensive forward Amare Stoudemire and underrated point guard Raymond Felton(one of the biggest steals of that offseason that no one talks about). They also drafted a young guard with the ability to be a good role player out of Stanford: Landry Fields.

Halfway through the next season, with the Knicks playing good basketball under Mike D’Antoni’s system, owner James Dolan forced Donnie Walsh to complete a three-team trade to bring star forward Carmelo Anthony and point guard Chauncey Billups to the Knicks from the Denver Nuggets. Anthony would have been a free agent at the end of the season and had previously stated that he only wanted to play in New York. In exchange, the Knicks would send Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov(3 very good players and 1 serviceable center) and 3 draft picks to the Nuggets.

Just like that, the direction of the Knicks was almost completely wiped out. The players on Mike D’Antoni’s roster no longer were a good fit for his system. Carmelo Anthony was an isolation player now on a team that was thriving with ball movement. With injuries and too many moving parts, the team went 14-14 down the stretch and got swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

….and then some funny things started happening….

• Heading into the present season, the Knicks released Chauncey Billups and signed defensive-minded center Tyson Chandler, and defensive-minded assistant coach Mike Woodson.
• Jared Jeffries signed with the Knicks at a much more affordable price; a price that you can now appreciate what he brings to the table without asking yourself “HOW MUCH ARE WE PAYING HIM TO TAKE CHARGES??”
• Knowing his contract as team president was not being renewed, Donnie Walsh still drafted a defensive guard he thought the Knicks would need the next season: Iman Shumpert.
• With a need for depth at the forward position and very little money to spend, the Knicks signed a slow, lanky Caucasian shooter named Steve Novak.
• With no true point guard on the roster, the Knicks signed a veteran with a reputation for quitting on his teams at the first sign of trouble: Baron Davis.
• With injuries hampering the team, the Knicks signed a Taiwanese point guard to fill their final roster spot: Jeremy Lin.
• With everyone signing with the up-and-coming Los Angeles Clippers, explosive scoring shooting guard JR Smith chose to sign with the Knicks in order to guarantee himself playing time.
• Halfway through the season, with D’Antoni’s team struggling because the players did not fit his system, the coach parted ways with the team and assistant Mike Woodson took over as head coach.

The Knicks somehow fell into the perfect supporting cast for a championship caliber team. Tyson Chandler is a defensive anchor that Madison Square Garden hasn’t seen since Patrick Ewing. Jared Jeffries provides defense, rebounding, and stability off the bench. Iman Shumpert is among the league leaders in steals. Steve Novak has the best 3 point shooting percentage in the entire league. Jeremy Lin exploded and is now known as Linsanity. Linsanity’s back-up; Baron Davis, can probably start at point guard for 10 teams in the NBA. JR Smith can carry an offense for stretches of a quarter. Landry Fields is an underrated scorer that will not makes waves over his lack of touches. New head coach Mike Woodson is not afraid to hold all of these players accountable, including the stars.

The Knicks go 10 deep. They each have specific roles. They root for each other. THEY PLAY DEFENSE. Their bench not only sustains leads, they can build on leads while the starters rest. There is a good mix of veterans and young players. Let’s not forget that they play in the best arena in the NBA, an arena that can single-handedly swing games in the Knicks favor if the opposing team isn’t careful.

The general manager isn’t holding them back. It is too late in the season for owner James Dolan to change the team with a bad trade. The coach isn’t holding them back. The supporting players are certainly not holding them back. How far the Knicks go this season will ultimately rest on Carmelo Anthony’s ability to share the ball/takeover when needed, and on Amare Stoudemire’s knees.

So ultimately, the Knicks are left to wonder if their superstar’s have what it takes to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to New York. Isn’t that what Miami is doing with Lebron James and his subpar play during 4th quarters? Isn’t that what the Thunder are doing with Durant and Westbrook and their inability to coexist at times? Isn’t that what every championship caliber team does? Tell me….why can’t the Knicks win again?

And even if they don’t, this decade as a Knick’s fan is certainly looking more promising than the last.

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