The Dark Times: Former Knicks Part 1
Apart from a stellar 54-28 2012-13 season, the Knicks have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA since the turn of the new millennium. After making the playoffs every season from 1987-88 to 2000-01, the Knicks have gone 448-602 (42%) in addition to a 7-18 playoff record. These seasons ranged from mediocre first round playoff exits to downright atrocious 23-59 showings in 05-06 and 07-08. Despite these struggles, several talented players have come through the Knicks’ doors during the past decade or so. For the sake of this piece we will look back at notable Knicks players of the past 12 years that are still relevant in the NBA as of 2014. This blast from the past will be divided into four articles, two dedicated to “The Dark Times” (2002-2010) and two to “The Melo Era” (2010-Present).
The homegrown talent of the Knicks past decade is usually viewed with a sour taste by most fans. The Knicks organization has been notorious for a history of poor draft selections and a propensity to trade away draft picks all together. This piece is not intended to highlight the poor draft selections or the talented players that Knicks draft picks turned into for other teams. See this link for that information although it might be best to purge that knowledge from your memory in order to numb the pain. Now that this housekeeping is out of the way we can revisit the tenures of talented former Knicks and what they are up to today rather than lament over what could have been. This first segment will look back on 5 former Knicks.
The first notable player on the list never actually played for the Knicks because he was traded on draft night in 2002, the night he was selected. This player is Brazilian power forward Nenê, whom the Knicks traded along with Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson to the Denver Nuggets for Antonio McDyess and Frank Williams. Nenê played 9.5 seasons in Denver before being traded to the Washington Wizards during the 2011-12 season. Nenê has continued his success as an efficient scorer in the paint in Washington and helps anchor a young Wizards team looking to make a strong playoff push this season. Despite injury concerns throughout his career and questions about how to pronounce his name, Nenê has been an effective player his whole career averaging 12.5 ppg and 6.8 rebounds per game on .545% shooting. In 2010-11, he was the NBA’s field goal percentage leader while shooting .6147% in 75 games and finished second in 2008-09. He certainly would have been valued on the Knicks.
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The next player on this list played for the Knicks for two seasons but did not gain any recognition until his post-Knicks career. The Knicks selected Trevor Ariza with the 43rd overall pick in the 2004 draft. Ariza had only played one year of college ball at UCLA and became the second youngest player in Knicks history to play in 80 games during his rookie year at the age of 19. Ariza was primarily a bench player during his Knicks tenure and was traded to the Orlando Magic during his second season. Ariza first made a name for himself during his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers where his strong postseason play helped the team win the NBA Finals in 2009. Ariza continued to come into his own as he moved around the league and had a genuine breakout last season when he averaged 14.4 points per game for the Washington Wizards including 2.3 three pointers per game on .407% shooting from beyond the arc. Ariza capitalized by signing a 4 year, 32 million contract with the Houston Rockets who were willing to bring back Ariza and let Chandler Parsons walk. Ariza is now regarded as one of the most underrated two way players in the league and is still only 29 years old. The Knicks should get a pass for this one because Ariza took awhile to blossom into the solid player he is today.
One of the best players to play for the Knicks in recent memory is Jamal Crawford. Crawford played for the Knicks for 4.5 seasons after being traded from the Chicago Bulls prior to the 2004-05 season. Crawford started for the Knicks and came off the bench throughout his tenure as his role was altered by various head coaches. Crawford hit 8 consecutive three pointers on route to a career high 52 points on January 26th, 2007 against the Miami Heat. Crawford also averaged a career best 20.6 points per game in 80 games played during the 2007-08 season, his last full season with the Knicks. Crawford was traded to the Golden State Warriors just 11 games in to the 2008-09 season in a financial flexibility move so the Knicks could be primed to take advantage of the 2010 free agency bonanza. Crawford remains one of the premier former Knicks still active in the NBA. He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2010 and 2014, becoming one of four players to win the award twice and the oldest recipient of the award at 34 years of age. (He also finished in second place in 2013 behind the Knicks’ own J.R. Smith). Crawford is also one of four players to score 50 points in a game for 3 different teams (Bulls, Knicks, Warriors), a feat only matched by Knicks legend Bernard King, Wilt Chamberlain, and Moses Malone. Crawford is currently in his third season with the Los Angeles Clippers and remains an effective Sixth Man. He will be remembered as one of the lone bright spots during the Knicks terrible seasons in the mid-2000s.
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Another noteworthy member of the Knicks was Nate Robinson, who was acquired by the team on draft night in 2005. Although short in stature at 5′ 9″, Robinson was an offensive punch off the bench, averaging a career high 17.9 points per game during the 2008-09 season. Robinson is also the NBA’s only three-time Slam Dunk Contest Champion, winning in 2006, 2009 and 2010 all while a member of the Knicks. Robinson earned a reputation for being hard to coach and also demonstrated questionable shot selection. He was traded away on February 18th 2010 to the Boston Celtics after falling out of the rotation. Robinson has jumped around the league since his Knicks tenure seeing his most significant action during the 2012-13 season where he started 23 games for the Chicago Bulls after Derrick Rose was lost for the season. He is currently a member of the Denver Nuggets rotation and apparently a restaurant owner as well.
Arguably the best player the Knicks had in the 2000s, David Lee was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. The power forward developed from a bench contributor to starter during his Knicks tenure and became a force in the post. On December 20th 2006, Lee pulled off this miraculous buzzer beater to defeat the Charlotte Bobcats in double overtime. Later that season, Lee was MVP of the Rookie Challenge as a member of the Sophomores team. Lee continued to impress with his play, leading the league in field goal percentage during the second half of the season. He finished in the top 10 in field goal percentage during his last 3 seasons with the Knicks, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10. On November 29th, 2008 Lee scored a career high 37 points and 21 rebounds against the Warriors, becoming the first Knicks player to have 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Patrick Ewing did so in 1997. (Chris Duhon recorded a franchise record 22 assists on the same night of Lee’s feat.) The accolades of David Lee continued to grow when he was selected to the 2010 All-Star Game, becoming the first Knicks player selected since 2001. On April 2nd, 2010 against the Warriors, Lee recorded his first triple-double, putting up 37 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists and becoming the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976 to record at least 35 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. Lee was set to become an unrestricted free agent and with the 2010 free agency bonanza coming up, Knicks fans knew the team would not commit to even their most popular player long term. Sure enough on July 9th, Lee was signed and traded to the Golden State Warriors for spare parts and a second round pick. Despite previously beating up on the Warriors as a member of the Knicks, Lee continued his success in the second stage of his career. In 2012-13 Lee was selected to his second All-Star game, selected to the All-NBA Third Team, and led the league in double-doubles with 56. Lee is currently working his way back to starter’s minutes after starting this season injured. Undoubtedly, the Knicks would be a better team today if they still had David Lee.
After Stoudemire’s sensational first season with the Knicks, he has been a disappointment while Lee has been the superior player and far more deserving of a max contract
However, the Knicks would never have been able to attract Carmelo Anthony to New York if David Lee had been with the team instead of Amar’e Stoudemire. The Knicks essentially let David Lee go in the pursuit of LeBron, Wade, and/or Bosh. The team settled for Stoudemire whose injury history makes many wish Lee was chosen instead. Make of that what you will. A terrible season usually brings about the what-ifs. Stay tuned for the next article in this series about former Knicks.