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New York Knicks: Ranking the greatest coaches in franchise history

By Maxwell Ogden

May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy during game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy during game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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SACRAMENTO, CA – FEBRUARY 20: New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy looks on against the Sacramento Kings on February 20, 1997 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. Copyright 1997 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA – FEBRUARY 20: New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy looks on against the Sacramento Kings on February 20, 1997 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. Copyright 1997 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The New York Knicks have been led by a number of local legends, but who is the greatest head coach in franchise history?

The New York Knicks are one of the most globally recognizable organizations in professional sports. With Madison Square Garden being referred to as the Mecca of Basketball, and the likes of Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, and Willis Reed being regarded as three of the greatest players in NBA history, it’s not hard to see why.

The greatness of those players cannot be denied, but the men who helped them become the legends they are too often fly under the radar.

Head coaches in the NBA may have the least job security of any member of a professional sports league. Players reign supreme in the way they’re viewed by the organization, and coaches often pay the price for their shortcomings.

In the case of the Knicks, a number of coaches managed to transcend expectations by creating an era of prosperity and becoming local legends.

In some cases, the coaches led the Knicks to overwhelming success over an extended period of time. In others, it was a brief tenure that helped save New York from its erratic ways, thus setting the stage for the era that followed.

The question is: Who is the greatest coach in Knicks history?

Next: Honorable Mention, Part I